I run a liquor store and I was hired with zero drinking experience. Your videos help me suggest things to people who don't know exactly what they want. Very informative stuff, and quite fun!

0:00 - Welcome 1:07 - Macallan 12 2:08 - Green Spot 4:29 - Jameson Stout Edition 5:56 - Hibiki Harmony 8:15 - Michter's American 11:33 - Eagle Rare 13:53 - Glenfiddch 12 15:25 - Glenmorangie 10 (15:40 - Rex breaks Daniel) 18:06 - Jameson 19:00 - Redbreast 12

15 minutes and several drams later, two men absolutely and hysterically lose it. Funny as heck!

When I use the term smooth it refers to several things. 1) creamy, rich, oily mouth feel 2) rounded flavor profile where flavors roll seemlessly from one to the next 3) low alcohol burn and/or barrel spice impact regardless of actual proof.

As a beginner in whiskey I think the reason people want smoothness to start out with is because the alcohol over powers the flavours and being a beginner its hard to pick the subtle flavours when they are being over powered.

If you mooch the whole list, does that make you a "Smooth Criminal"?

Rex, as a wife who is always looking for a decent bottle for my husband...”this is another Scotch” is for me and many more like me. Thank you!

Smooth = completely inoffensive. No burn, no tingle, no sharpness. Mostly vanilla and sweetness. Cardhu 12 year old is the best example imo. First time i drank that I didn't think it was scotch, My gf at the time drank lots of it because its a very easy drink. Although its a little pricey for what it is, when its £40 for a 70cl here and the equivalent volume of glenfiddich 12 is £28

For me, smooth means you can drink large quantities without feeling an unpleasant alcohol burn. It has nothing to do with flavor: a whisky can still be considered smooth even if it has very strong flavors. So, to me, Isla whiskys like lagavulin 16 and ardbeg 10 are in fact very smooth. Dalmore and Glenfiddich as well, absolutely. And a blend like the Green label is to me much much smoother than the Red label or a basic bourbon like Jack Daniels.

Finally got a bottle of RedBreast 12. I have to say it was amazing. Best gift my wife gave me for Christmas this year.

Best whiskey review: It smells like bourbon. I definitely taste alcohol. It's very smooth.

My grandpa drank Irish pretty much every day. He loved bushmills and hated Jameson he called it liquid sandpaper

I’m surprised the Glenlivet 12 isn’t on this list. It is the definition of smooth to me.

To me smooth is something that isn't overly aggressive on the pallet while still remaining flavorful and enjoyable. Something that you can just throw over a large ice cube and enjoy on a hot summer's day.

Smooth- doesn't have that slap/bite and maybe a mouth feel... The Belvenie 14 Caribbean cask and Lagavulin 16

Years ago, Glenmorangie 18. Yesterday, my wife actually said "smooth" to her gift of Writer's Tears

Nothing wrong with liking a smooth and enjoyable whisky.

What I have always found to be unexpectedly "smooth" it was Laphroaig 10 or for example the select, which just have a very very light begining in taste with overall no noticeable alcohol. It seems harsh from the smell but the taste while carrying peat of course brings such a smooth and nice mouthfeel and development in taste, it‘s lovely.

So sad to see Balvenie not making the list here. My personal favorite authentic scotch whiskey and personally I find smooth to mean that it creates almost a coating of the mouth that makes it literally feel smooth and go down very easy and with minimal burning. The Balvenie 30-year was amazing for this when I managed to afford a bottle once. It was like drinking liquid 1930's masculinity somehow. Pretty sure I woke up the next morning and my mustache had curled itself in my sleep

Weirdly enough some of the smoothest I've had are really peaty scotch. Somthing about the oil and the smoke seems to hide the burn. My general thought is smooth is what I can pass to a non whisky drinker and have them drink without pulling a face.

To me, the word "smooth" equates to complimentary balance with minimal burn. In other words when tasting a distillate I have not had before, I look for balance in the tasting notes. If the sweetness is complimented by the spice notes or say smoke and you can taste all of the elements without one overpowering the others, then it is smooth. When you have too much ABV all you taste is the alcohol, when you have too little it is often difficult to distinguish the notes. Anything between 43 and 55% falls in that category. I must admit though that Jameson Caskmate Stout Edition is one of my favorites and I would consider it smooth. I also like The Tyrconnel, both for the price and the taste.

Aberlour or Angel's Envy would be the "Smoothest" that I can think of off the top of my head. For most people I have talked to Smooth would be missing the bite or phenolic burn and essentially missing anything that makes an uncomfortable feeling.

I was going to add here that smooth is a texture and not a flavor but then Rex quoted me saying so... so it would be redundant to say that here. When I think smooth I think silky, velvety and sometimes oily depending on the finish. As pointed out in this video, nothing beats Irish in that category. For a bargain Irish that is smooth and sherried try Bushmills Black Bush for under $30.

Yeah, for me smooth is the lack of the sharpness at either end of the taste. It sort of starts slow and ends slow. Or just like, single minus blended taste profile.

smooth = no burn on the throat eg Aberlour 16 Glenfiddich 15 Seeing Redbreast 12 as #1 makes total sense

I'm a whisky noob and I recently bought Glenfiddich 12 & Glenmorangie 10. I drink them both every night and I'm loving every sip. Thanks for introducing these two beauties to me and I know that I will buy other brands because of you guys. Thanks again, and hope your channel gets even bigger in the near future. I'm gonna have another sip now. Cheers!

I get myself Redbreast first time this Christmas and fell in love. By far best one I had, yet.

In Afrikaans we say, "sag op die tong", which would loosely translates to soft on the tongue.

One of the smoothest I’ve had is Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey. Delicious green apple notes and absolutely no burn going down. Plus the bottle looks really cool. Don’t judge me.

I'll be honest, I appreciate the finish these days as a part of a whiskey. Where I think smooth is perfectly apt is wine. If the finish on wine isn't smooth I'm just not a fan, it's brutal crap for me. If I want something with a harsh finish I'll go fine some gas state boxed wine, otherwise if I'm paying 50 a bottle for a lovely Cab-sauv I want a smooth finish.

Smooth = Well integrated. The balance of flavours (nose, palette, finish), legs (mouth feel), and alcoholic burn/tingle/bite/sharpness don't lack/overpower, compete, or become offensive. I think the the higher quality the scotch, the more it complex and ever changing nose and palette, rich and oily mouthfeel, very minimal or no alcoholic burn/tingle/bite, and long finish. I've had very high ABV scotches that are super smooth, and low ABV scotches that were super offensive. So although a scotch with lots of legs indicates more oils, richer mouthfeel, and higher ABV, it doesn't necessarily indicate how much it may burn/tingle/bite.

For smoothest I ever drank was some kind special reserve crown royal was literally about as much bite to it as ginger ale.

A smooth whisky is a whisky without a strong bite "at any time".

I downed 2/3 a bottle of Ledaig 10 on a long overdue video call with a friend. I solidly agree with the sommelier's take that smooth is more of a texture than anything in the flavor profile, and a lot of your MBs said similar things, the lack of sharpness, or punch something has equates to smoothness. Great video guys, no matter how painful it may have been!

great discussion in this video on beginners looking for texture before flavour. when i started drinking whiskey in my late teens there was no way i could comfortably sip whisky straight, so it was difficult to get past the harshness which came with almost any brand. now i'm used to it to the degree that i could down any whisky like water if i chose, so "smoothness" is less of a priority for sure, and i don't necessarily think a whisky is bad because it's not smooth as i may have in my younger days. good example is Suntory Toki. it's by far the smoothest whisky i have ever drunk, but it has almost no flavour, so i consider it to be poor when compared to Nikka FTB for example, which is a much less smooth.

I've said smooth alot of times. Eagle Rare was "Smooth" for me and I see it made your list but it's also what got me back into bourbon. Young college days or was Jim Beam and I always got a bite or burn if you will from and I wouldve rather just drank beer. Eagle rare is what did it and idk if smooth is the word to use or just an easy drinker, plus it has a decent amount of flavor to it. Nothing too complex but once again better than Beam. Alright back to your video.

This is one of your best videos guys. The explanation of beginners looking for texture vs flavor is really insightful and something I’ve tried to explain many times during tasting classes to people who are struggling to find all the flavors and feel the only can taste alcohol.

To me smooth would be something on the sweeter side with lower abv. Thank you guys so much for introducing me to Glencairn glasses. It really helped me find a love for trying and exploring whiskeys. Learning to describe flavor profiles is so fun!

I'm surprised Angel's Envy got beat out by Eagle Rare for smoothest bourbon.

Wow... Rex managed to induce a divide by zero error in Daniel's brain

I used to think I wasn't "adult" enough to drink whisk(e)y. Now I have a bottle on Monkey Shoulder on my shelf at home because of you guys. Thank you so much for all of the information and tons of laughs. Keep up the great work.

Smooth to me is less harsh like the burning of it so like it goes down nice and easy like water

Smooth : no bite or burn easy to drink. That being said Jameson 18. Just got my son a bottle for his 21st. SUPER easy to drink. Not the fullest flavor but almost easy as water to drink. My son has several different Jamesons and all are smooth Redbreast will be our next bottle. We have been considering it for a while.

The classic jameson is dangerously "smooth" I could drink a pint like it was a beer

I just want to say, that I absolutely love your whole setup for this video. As somebody who has a startup podcast and potentially gonna do videos later - you guys are definitely inspiring. Loved this video!

Still pretty new on my whisky journey, but as an old rum guy, I know that from my lack of ability to detect subtle notes, that I am coming to have to accept that I will likely lean towards smooth over flavor even as I move forward. I can say that I can make a call on "liking" the flavor of a whisky, but can't tell you why sometimes, and don't expect that to really improve. I just don't have great taste buds, and that is ok, but it will put some limits on what I can appreciate over time. I have already found that I need stronger flavors if I am going to identify them, port cask, rum cask, stout cask. But that is ok, we all like different stuff for different reasons. Like you said, the best whisky is the one you like, the way you like it.

I have the Michters American, Habiki Harmony and out of my small stash, Glen Grant would be a contender. I'm slowly getting past smooth and on to flavors but I really appreciate this list. The reason is I want to have a nice selection for my new to whiskey friends. Thanks gents. Merry Christmas

Four Roses Small Batch is incredibly smooth and incredibly underrated

Smooth is when it feels like you get punched in the face, fire coming out your nose, and you can't stop coughing, brings tears to your eyes. That's smooth

I'm quite late to this but really enjoyed the video and an interesting concept. For me, smooth equals a nonconfrontational flavor profile. Bladnoch 10yr is an excellent single malt I've recently come to appreciate and to me embodies a smooth Scotch whisky.

I think of "smooth" as "the absence of bite"... not always a good thing, but not always bad either. Either can be desirable, depending... even though taste is subjective, some things (like bite) do blend well for taste in many cases.

You two have the best chemistry. Best whisky channel out there. Merry Christmas

I think they had a Super Troopers bet before this episode started. “How many times can you say smooth in one episode?” “Bet”

I have a question. I just started about week ago to try whiskey. Have 2 bottles good quality different kinds. One is Japanese the other is Scottish. However, beyond smelling a bit sweetness in one of them or tasting some charcoal in the other. Beyond the alcohol I do not smell or taste anything else? Is that normal. Is that something that comes later?

This is the video ive been looking for since i got into whisky, ive tried about 30 scotch and irish whiskies now and i would say that dalwhinnie 15 or monkey shoulder are the smoothest scotches and the irish i would choose is the jameson stout cask. Personally i would describe smoothness as the drink having no bite or spice or strong challenging flavours, you want vanilla honey and caramel for a smooth taste, without that peppery face churning feeling

Jameson's Cask Mates Stout edition. Smoothest and most easily drunk whiskey I've ever had

Smoothest I've ever had is Tullamore Dew at room temp from a fresh opened bottle. Smoothness is how far to your stomach it gets before you feel/react to it. Two fingers in a glass that goes right down fresh without a prior drink that then simply warms you from your lips to your butthole is a 10/10 smooth. That's the joke about people gagging/choking on something and accidentally spraying out out and saying "schmooghth" The smoother the drink the less it reacts with the moisture in your mouth. Its a sign of less volatiles and oils.

Thanks for the list guys, it was fun to watch just like all of videos! Keep up the good work. 😁 As far as smooth, I definitely agree that for me, it's more of a textural analysis than the description of a flavor. To cast a late vote: Even though it's no where near my favorite, I would have to say that the smoothest whisky I've tried so far was Johnnie Walker Blue.

My most recent additions to my collection are an Old Grandad Rye Mash Bournon, and a Grangestone bourbon cask finish. The Old Grandad had a really nice butterscotch quality that I liked, and both were pretty smooth for me.

Jameson has an ability to essentially dissolve in a mixed drink or over ice. Straight? In your face. A drop or two of water and you are looking for where it just went.

Cragganmore 12yr Speyside single malt. Crazy underrated. Anybody else dig it?

I was really surprised to see Redbreast 12 at the first place here. It was because of you guys that I felt compelled to go out and purchase redbreast 12 from the very video you mentioned from your other channel. "Whiskey for beginners" had me going all over city checking out stocks of select stores, and I settled on this one. Being super new, it still burned like hell and I probably downed it way too fast, but I appreciated the complex flavor that I never got from other, cheaper bottles i've bought in the past.

When I was working in Vietnam, 'smooth' meant that you would not get a raging hangover the next day. It was nothing to do with flavour or texture for them. It probably also meant that what was on the label was actually in the bottle, and that it was therefore horrifically expensive.

Smooth whiskey is all I drink. Here is my list so far: Macallan 12, Red Breast, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, Jack Daniels Gentlemen Jack, Aberlour 12. If you guys got any recommendations similar to these let me know. Love adding to my list!

Wow you guys are great! Love your videos just discovered you guys yesterday while searching more history on Yellow Spot Whiskey. That is my #1 favorite ❤

As a beginning whiskey drinker I look for smooth a s a priority because it allows me to pick out flavors easier. I’m guessing as I become more experienced I’ll be able to pick out more flavors despite alcohol content

I am kinda of surprised that Balvenie did not make the list. They make a really good product for me. The Hibiki Hamarony is very nice too. Smooth is when it is easy to drink without a bite or really strong favor of any one thing. The favors should mix together and compliment each other.

Enjoying some Henry McKenna 10yr and pretty sure it’s smooth AF!!!!! Much easier to find than my standby: Blanton’s. Cheers to 2021!!!!

A wise man once said: "If you want to drink something smooth - drink water."

"Smooth is a texture not the flavor"absolutely agree, all my friend that do not drink whiskey love green spot redbreast 12, Glenfiddich 12, and they did struggle with Japanese. For me red breast and green spot got a lot more flavor, once you pass texture flavor become more important. This is same for any kind of hard liquor.

Daniel please..... Riddle me this: I like a lot of different Whiskey. I like Bourbons, Scotch, Irish, American whiskey and even a couple Japanese I'm especially fond of Islay (Bruicladdich in particular). You're talking Smooth in this video.... My personal smoothest is Glendronach Allardice 18. Which does not burn (to me) but actually warms me, it gives a nice calming warmness or glow in the belly several minutes after that taste. Please explain....

Smooth is one of those words that “looks” and “sounds” like the letters forming the word! It’s not just lazy!

The Caskmates Stout is literally a slight, but direct upgrade to normal Jameson. Please try it if anyone has not. It's so damn good.

I've had many a bottle of Jameson Stout edition and it is definitely one of my favourites.... I am a beer guy mainly (though I have been trying different whiskys and rums recently and i've been enjoying the journey) I'm a lover of dark beer and this sit really well with me and as soon as I tasted it I got all of the typical stout flavours from it... 100% would recommend to anyone and its also inexpensive (about £20-£25 here in the UK) I tried the IPA edition one.... didn't enjoy it as much... you can taste the hoppyness from the IPA barrels and personally I don't think that belongs in a Whiskey. Also, I love Eagle Rare... not as smooth as the Jameson Stout but id still say it was a smooth Whiskey

Two years ago eagle Rare, yes. All of 2020 and most of 2019 releases I have tried were not near as “smooth.” Have yet to try a new bottle and enjoy it as much. Anyone else notice this trend. Kinda been the same with blantons lately also

Santa brought me Balvenie 12. Am i in for a treat or disappointment?

I had my friend try laphroaig 10 and he called it smooth I wouldn't call it smooth but at least I converted another to the islay way of life

For me smooth means that it doesn't feel harsh, sharp and goes does easily neat. Not too strong on the alcohol or oak effects.

Smooth is not a flavor note note is it meant to be. It’s a way of saying that the whiskey does not have an unpleasant burn or unpleasant bitterness to it. So best interpretation is not that it’s lazy, it’s that it’s describing something completely different than flavor notes. And further, the thing keeping people from describing whiskey with complex flavor notes as opposed to saying “smooth” is not laziness. It’s not that they’re too lazy to say complex notes. It’s that their palates aren’t experienced enough or even not capable of picking out notes.

After so many years of people describing Canadian Whiskey as "Sugary Water" it's amazing that Crown Royal isn't on this list.

'Smooth' to me means it goes down with a minimum of ethanol burn.

To me smoothness is the how well the flavor's and abv work together to make a great whiskey. i've had some very good whiskeys at 50 abv and more that amazing and what i would say is smooth, because how well they work together. i've had others where something is too overpowering and takes away from the rest of the whiskey profile. example for me is makers cask strength vs old granddad 114. old granddad 114 is a great high proof and what i would call smooth because nothing is overpowering, and makers cask strength abv overpowers the flavors. right now i'm drinking a cask proof scotch at 60 abv and i would say its smooth, but i'm still not use to that high of proof yet. i've had smokey scotches that i would say are smooth because the overall profile works great together, but if you don't like smoke in scotch then you wouldn't think that. smoothness is rule one. its what you like how you like it.

Heavily underrated japanese whisky that I think would meet the criteria: Mars Iwai Tastes so sweet, goes down so smooth. I would say hibiki harmony has a little bit of a bite in comparison actually. Aged hibiki bites a little less, 17 year is a nice one.

The bite actually tells you it’s whiskey & reminds you about tomorrow

Surprised Basil Haydens didn't end up on the list

For me I think of each whiskey/whisky on levels of smooth/harshness. This is the combination of alcohol bite, texture, and flavors. Some flavors can add harshness, as can texture or high ABV although as you said some higher ABV whisky can be really smooth. With that in mind for me as someone who has only been drinking whiskey for a year or so the one I found to be the smoothest is Dalmore 15. I have to be real careful drinking it because it goes down way too easy and before you know the glass is empty. It also has this great mocha note on the finish.

Smooth: 1. adj. When used to describe whisk(e)y, the alcohol does not "bite" or "burn" when you drink it slowly, resulting in an entirely pleasurable whisk(e)y-drinking experience. 2. adj. When used to describe love, it's just like the ocean under the moon; it's the same as the emotion that I get from you. Give me your heart. Make it real, or else forget about it. (See: Santana)

I think that norwegian word is Probably the most "honest" description of smooth.

7:03 let's just slide this on outta the way

Gents... it's THIS video that separates the chaff from the grain (take your pick). Some of my favorite whiske(y)s that are on your list I chose for character and provenance, being Green Spot and Redbreast 12. Only THEN I discovered that they are smooth as well.

The smoothest I had so far were the Dalwhinnie 15 and Redbreast 12. My girlfriend says to every Whisky that it burns in her mouth, but Redbreast even she liked and said it was smooth.

Yup - had to go back and re-watch Earl's episode. Smooooooth

"Smooth" just means it doesn't kick you in the nuts or burn your mouth when you drink it. Doesn't make you cough or gasp. Some might equate smooth with boring or flat. Nailed it right at 1:48, "Goes down without a kick or a punch or anything that make you pause or wince.”

Glenmorangie 10 is super smooth... it's the one that got me into whisky. Currently, my favourite 'smooth whisky' is the Glenmorangie Signet. It's still very smooth, but with more depth and character.

I get bad acid reflux but I have been getting into and enjoying the taste of rye whiskey. Does anyone have tips to drink comfortably with acid reflux besides a few tums per drink?

"Smooth" - alcohol for people who don't like alcohol. In rum world, underproof hooch served with extra sugar and caramel coloring in a pimped up bottle for that "premiumizzle" effect. "Dude, Zacapa is a super smooth rum..."

I am the representative for the anti-Glenfiddich 12/monkey shoulder initiative. There is a present vomit flavor that makes it unpalatable. We shall be rememebered!

When I think smooth booze I basically think of anything I can shoot without wanting to gag. My passion is bourbon. But if I’m taking a shot of whiskey. Jamie every time.

I recently tried Lagavulin 16, and I'm looking for something similar with half the price tag. Anybody have any suggestions?

I find Lagavulin 16 quite smooth tbh.