Any Bourbon drinkers among us?

Heck yeah, there are Bourbon drinkers here! Well, among other choices of spirits. Stealing a line from an episode of The Thirsty Traveller, and paraphrasing as I can't remember from that far back, "5 year old burns the tip of the tongue, 10 year old burns the back of the tongue, 15 year old burns the throat, but 20 year old slides right on down."

To that end, I prefer spirits old enough to vote, but can't afford them. Though I have found some 10 year olds weren't too bad.

Cheers!

D1005 said:

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To that end, I prefer spirits old enough to vote, but can't afford them. Though I have found some 10 year olds weren't too bad.

Cheers!

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I think old Scotch (18+ years) is better than middle aged Scotch. I have a 14 year old in my cabinet that I just think is horrible.

With Bourbons I think the middle aged Bourbon is the best (7 to 12 year) of the bourbons; really old bourbons can become too woody/oaky flavored, and too young is bad.

Got this in time for my birthday. A gift to myself.

Its a limited release, comes out every September and is allocated to only certain stores in small quantities.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.

I stopped at the local adult beverage store on my way home last night and BOOM, got these 3 ... bourbon barrel aged Scotch, a bottle of Baby Saz rye, and a Yellowstone bourbon that I'm not sure I actually want, but it was an impulse buy.

The Glen is $49, and while its Scotch Whisky and technically doesn't belong in this thread, it was aged in bourbon barrels so its fair game. I'm not normally a fan of Scotch but the owner gave me a sample, it smells/tastes more like a bourbon than a Scotch, with none of the heavy peat, etc.

The Sazerac, technically a rye whiskey was $32 and is pretty widely considered to be the best value in ryes, its highly sought after and under produced so its, unfortunately, not as common as it should be.

The Yellowstone is a limited release, a few thousand bottles for the world, a bit north of $100. Its supposed to be a hot spicy bourbon, its a blend of 3, a wheat bourbon and 2 high rye bourbons, so probably not to my flavor profile.

Now, the Glenfiddich I could definitely handle. For me that would be a keeper. You know, the one that stays at the back of the liquor cabinet and dug out when you are feeling good about yourself and think that you deserve a treat. At $49 that would be considered a bargain around here.

When I was younger I used to love the smoky, peaty Scotches but as I grew older I moved on to the more "middle of the road" ones like Glenfiddich, Macallen (my favorite) and Glenmorangie.

Wood County, where I live used to be dry and I had to drive 20 miles to the nearest liquor store. In the last few years more and more towns have been going wet and the liquor store across the county line decided to close the doors before they went bankrupt. They had a going out of business sale to get rid of their stock and I was right there, check book in hand, to help them move their Scotch. I came home with 36 bottles of good Scotch at 20% to 40% discount. My ambition now is to live long enough to drink it all.

EastTexFrank said:

Now, the Glenfiddich I could definitely handle. For me that would be a keeper. You know, the one that stays at the back of the liquor cabinet and dug out when you are feeling good about yourself and think that you deserve a treat. At $49 that would be considered a bargain around here.

When I was younger I used to love the smoky, peaty Scotches but as I grew older I moved on to the more "middle of the road" ones like Glenfiddich, Macallen (my favorite) and Glenmorangie.

Wood County, where I live used to be dry and I had to drive 20 miles to the nearest liquor store. In the last few years more and more towns have been going wet and the liquor store across the county line decided to close the doors before they went bankrupt. They had a going out of business sale to get rid of their stock and I was right there, check book in hand, to help them move their Scotch. I came home with 36 bottles of good Scotch at 20% to 40% discount. My ambition now is to live long enough to drink it all.

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Well, sir if you like scotch, I just came back from the liquor store and Johnny Walker has one I have never heard of called Odyssey, $1,100.00 a bottle. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the price. And here I though Johnnie Walker Blue was expensive.

John Walker & Sons Odyssey Blended Scotch Whisky (80 proof / 40% ABV, $1,100) – deep amber in color, the nose on Odyssey is a nice blend of orange, honey, caramel, and clove spice with a touch of salt. It has the character of a spiced cake. The entry has a nice round mouth feel with subtle flavors from the nose including the orange, honey, caramel, and salt. Odyssey isn’t a particularly bold or assertive whisky, which is very much in line with the Johnnie Walker style. In the midpalate the whisky turns its focus to warm baking spices like clove, nutmeg, and ginger which are well balanced by the rich honey and caramel undertones. The spice flavors are full but not overly strong. It’s in the midpalate where Odyssey shows its age, with a very slight touch of rancio. The finish is surprisingly dry, much more so than we would expect, showing that Johnnie Walker used a younger malt in the mix to balance out older malt.

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MrLiberty said:

Well, sir if you like scotch, I just came back from the liquor store and Johnny Walker has one I have never heard of called Odyssey, $1,100.00 a bottle. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the price. And here I though Johnnie Walker Blue was expensive.

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An 80 proof blended malt with younger malts added from a run of the mill producer, at $1,100 a bottle?

I think I'll pass. Even at $50 I'd walk by this one.

jimbo said:

An 80 proof blended malt with younger malts added from a run of the mill producer, at $1,100 a bottle?

I think I'll pass. Even at $50 I'd walk by this one.

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Johnny Walker Green Label ran about $50 to $60 bucks a bottle, but they quit making that one.

MrLiberty said:

Johnny Walker Green Label ran about $50 to $60 bucks a bottle, but they quit making that one.

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I've never been a fan of blended scotch. Occasionally someone gives me a bottle of middle range Chivas. It's OK, but I prefer peatier scotch. Lagavulin or Caol Isla.

Nadurra is another favorite. Milder. IMO one of the best scotch buys around.

Broke open the seal on a $150/bottle Wild Turkey Master's Keep tonight. Its a little spicier than I normally like but this is some amazing juice. Worth the price. Amazingly long finish with flavor that just stays with you. Burn is modest but not harsh. No tingle in the mouth, just loads of vanilla and caramel flavor with some peppery spice for interest.

Sorry that I got your thread sidetracked on Scotch for a while but you got it back on point.

Bob, I'm not sure that $150 a bottle anything is good value. OK, I'm Scottish and by definition ... cheap. I can tell the difference between a bad, rough whiskey and a good whiskey but the difference between a good whiskey and a very, very good whiskey .....?????

It's the same with a good wine and a very good wine, the difference is lost on me.

Having said that, my grand daughter brought me a bottle of "The Dalmore" Scotch and it was excellent. It was very, very good.

Frank my normal limit is $100 as the maximum I will spend. I've found that most of the whiskey that I enjoy is actually in the $40 to $100 price range, and most of those are at the lower end of that range.

But for the upcoming holidays we have a lot of people coming into town, figured I'd buy a few bottles of other things ... including Scotch. Figured I'd buy some "good" stuff in that mix too. But most, if not all, of the bottles I'm currently in the hunt for are under $100.

Finished grouting the new tile in the bathroom and thought I deserved a break so I cracked open a limited edition bottle tonight.

Yellowstone Bourbon

Its a 105 proof blend of 7yr Rye, 12 yr Rye and 7 yr Wheat bourbons. Clearly rye heavy, spicy and tannic. It has a long finish that is almost sweet at the end. What is not to my liking is the burn in the belly, that too is also long. It would probably be tamed down if I added an ice cube but I'm drinking it neat. Not my normal taste profile and I was unsure if I would even like this one, but I am surprised and am enjoying this bourbon.

For me, passing $20 a fifth is getting into the expensive stuff!!!!!!!!!!!

D1005 said:

For me, passing $20 a fifth is getting into the expensive stuff!!!!!!!!!!!

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There are some very good low priced bourbons . . . Makers Mark. Old Forester. W.L. Weller are 3 that come to mind.

All above $20 but not necessarily much more. But because of the aging process its hard to get really cheap bourbon that is worth drinking.

Some like Evan Williams (about $19) but I'm not a fan. And Jim Beam White Label is also inexpensive, but over ice, to me, it tastes a lot like melted ice cubes.

Melensdad said:

There are some very good low priced bourbons . . . Makers Mark. Old Forester. W.L. Weller are 3 that come to mind.

All above $20 but not necessarily much more. But because of the aging process its hard to get really cheap bourbon that is worth drinking.

Some like Evan Williams (about $19) but I'm not a fan. And Jim Beam White Label is also inexpensive, but over ice, to me, it tastes a lot like melted ice cubes.

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One of the few bourbons I can enjoy is Elijah Craig. It's around $25 here. Not bad IMO.

If you need gin, I've grown a taste for Citadel. Just over $20/750, but the 2.75 liter is less than $35, Strange pricing for 3 times as much. A good martini gin.

Tonight's find was Tomatin 18 and Scapa 16. Both new to the ABC around here. Under a hundred, but not much. Do you know anything about either of these?

Stopped at the liquor store where I know the owner, he was in the back office so I poked my head in asking if he had anything special.

Picked up 1 bottle each:

Parkers Heritage Malt Whiskey (yes, a Kentucky Malt! Hell has officially frozen over)

Weller Special Reserve at $21 its the best bargain bourbon available

Huber Vinyards Starlight Bourbon, an Indiana micro-distillery making their own bourbon and beating Pappy Van Winkle in blind taste tests!

Old Pogue's Five Fathers Pure Malt Rye a high proof rye whiskey.


Only the Parker's Heritage is over $50/bottle. Its an annual limited release product and they offer a different selection each year. The others are low production items, semi-exclusive because the production numbers are low, but none are elitist. The Starlight is probably the hardest to come by, is well respected, and the most coveted of the bunch. The Weller is the best known, has been around for years, but its releases each year are small and somewhat regional so it is hard to find in some areas, easy to find in other areas.

Tried about 1 oz of the STARLIGHT bourbon tonight. Drank it neat.

Its good. For a bourbon that falls in the 'under $50' category it is very good ... you may find it in the $35 range.

No clue what the mashbill contains, but I suspect it is a wheated bourbon like Pappy Van Winkle, Makers Mark, W.L.Weller and Larceny. Its a 95 proof bourbon that is sweet up front, mild flavored, some heat in the belly but not a real burn, mostly just warmth. This is very easy to drink straight, no need to cut it with ice/water. The aroma seemed to have a strong alcohol scent, but the flavor was not overwhelmed by alcohol in any way.

If you find a bottle of STARLIGHT in your local store then I'd suggest you buy it.

Poured about an ounce and a half of the FIVE FATHERS tonight. Technically not bourbon.

Its interesting but I'm not sure if that is a compliment. The aroma is sour, like sour mash. The only other whiskey I've smelled that has this strong of a sour aroma is Balcone's Baby Blue. But Five Fathers is sour with some spice in the aroma.

As for the taste, it goes in your mouth with a little sweetness but that is then quickly overwhelmed with peppery spices and then it gets hot. First sip was estremely hot, with lots of burn, long lingering burn. Second and third sips were more of the same, but I suppose I got a little bit used to it and was able to appreciate some of the spicy flavor. Honestly the aroma ruins it for me. This is too hot to drink neat.

Dropped in a small ice cube and let it melt down a bit. No change to the aroma, its still just as 'sour' as it was before.

With the ice cube about 1/4 melted the Five Fathers is all of a sudden very easy to sip. The burn is gone. The pepper is tamed. There is no boubon like vanilla or caramel, but this transitioned into a very nice rye whiskey with characteristic spice when the melted ice mixed with the rye.

It is not going to become one of my favorites. I'd pick Wild Turkey's FORGIVEN over this most every day. But for a change up, or for people who really enjoy the spice, this is not a bad drink. Its going to take me a year to drink this bottle, maybe longer. If you like spice and heat this is for you.

At roughly $50, I would personally not buy this again.

Had a wee nip of Noah's Mill tonight.

WOW that is just damn good bourbon. Very smooth. Easy to drink neat. Just a little bit of belly burn, more like warmth than burn. For a high alcohol "barrel proof" bourbon it is pretty close to amazing. I need to sip on this more often and stop experimenting with stuff that is not nearly as good. Seriously, if you have not tried Noah's Mill then you are doing yourself a disservice.

Not 100% sure, but I think it might be just under $50/bottle.

I'm also a big fan of BOOKER'S barrel proof bourbon (slightly over $50/bottle)[/b], which I think is bolder in flavor than the Noah's Mill. One of these days I'm going to have to do a head-to-head comparison between NOAH'S MILL and BOOKER's bourbons. Not sure which will win, not even sure which I like better. It would be an interesting comparison. Both are pretty amazing, both can be sipped neat, no need to water them down with ice. Bolder flavors than the lower proof bourbons on the market but still easy to drink.

Went to BINNY's in Oak Brook (Illinois) and found a bottle of the new Jack Daniel's BARREL PROOF Single Barrel. I've been told a couple times its not yet available in Indiana so I was happy to see it across the state line. Honestly didn't look at the price tag, I'm guessing it was $79 or $89?

Also grabbed a bottle of BLADE & BOW which I've not seen anywhere in the northwest corner of our state. It was on sale for $39.99, $10 off their regular price.

Picked up a small 375ml bottle of Carpano Sweet Vermouth, it was $17.99. Its the best Vermouth I've ever had the pleasure of mixing into a drink and its so good you can enjoy it alone. I don't make mixed drinks enough to warrent buying a full bottle so I just got the little one.

http://australianbartender.com.au/2014/02/26/eight-top-sweet-vermouths-scored-and-rated/

Bing, bang, boom!

Installed a wood floor in my friend's kitchen today. Tonight I'm sore. So I poured a little bit of WILLET'S Pot Still Bourbon in a glass. As a pain killer.

Didn't like this stuff the last couple times I tried it. Don't like it this time either. Its spicy, harsh, mildly aserbic and just hot enough in the belly to be unpleasant but not so hot that it is seriously objectionable. It is just not good enough in any way to be considered good. Some are hot but taste great. Some are mild but don't taste great. I just can't like this one.

I'm thinking it needs to be gone from my cabinet. Perhaps mixed into a Whiskey Sour or a Manhattan or something? Clearly its not good enough to drink neat.

Only good thing I can say about it is it comes in a really cool bottle.

Switched it up a little tonight. A barley based Whiskey instead of a Bourbon. FEW Single Malt Whiskey.

Liquor salesman says only 18 bottles were allocated to the area? All I know is that I got 1 of those bottles. I love FEW Bourbon, this stuff is different but still very interesting. I prefer bourbon, but this is something I can still enjoy.

It's UNFILTERED and cloudy to the eye, somewhat sweet to the nose, spicy on the tongue with a moderately long finish and a bit of heat in the belly.

Sorry, I ain't never touched bourbon or any other kind of liquour in my life. I've stayed away from it and I always will, because I didn't like the taste of it I took when I was young. I also don't like the potential effects it has on the mind.

Good for you gunrus. To each his own.
I'm kinda hooked on Knob Creek. I wanted to try the variety like Bob but I found one I really like more than others. So for now, when I sip one it's Knob Creek.

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Just sayin...

JEFFERSON'S OCEAN "Voyage 6" is in my glass tonight.

This is my third try with this bourbon. It's the famous, and hard to find, "Aged at sea" bourbon that crosses the equator several times on a container ship, sloshing around with the motion of the waves, affected by temperature changes and humidity. I've had a bottle of each voyage in my cabinet since it was introduced except for Voyage 1, which was limited to only a couple hundred bottles.

I'm not overly impressed with Voyage 6 and cannot really recommend it.

It's sweet on the tongue and pleasant enough in flavor until it goes down. Then it burns. First day I tried it the burn was modest. Second time I tried it the burn was hot. Today it is, again, hot in the gut. I could tame it down with some ice or some water but that destroys the flavor. So do you want a good flavor bourbon or a hot bourbon, those are the choices. Personally I want flavor without that fire in the belly burn. And this is a lingering burn, not a warmth. It's more like acid indigestion but the type that Zantac won't fix.

If you can find Jefferson's OCEAN Voyage 2 then buy it. That is among the very best bourbons ever produced. If you can find Jefferson's OCEAN Voyage 5 then buy that one, it's still available in some places and it's damn fine distilled and aged corn. But I'd say you should pass on the newest voyage, it's just not good enough.

For a more modest price of about $55 you can buy a bottle of Jefferson's Reserve. That is very good bourbon. For about the same price as "OCEAN" you can buy a bottle of Jefferson's "Groth Cask" and that is pretty darn amazing. But skip "Voyage 6" unless you like a bourbon with plenty of heat in the belly. Too bad. The flavor is good, in fact really good. But the burn is too much and there are better bourbons for less money ($80), so skip this one if you see it.

Melsdad, I want to draw on your experience with Bourbons because I know nothing about them and, I think, I've only tasted it once about 40-years ago.

"Waaay back in January, 2015, you advised someone to stay away from the common Woodford Reserve. That's a pity because I just got a bottle of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select for Christmas. I think this particular friend is trying to wean me off Scotch.

My question is, before I open it and try it, is it actually drinkable or is it something that I need to push to the very back of the liquor cabinet and keep for emergencies or sterilizing open wounds?

Woodford's Reserve Distiller's Select is their main line offering. Its $35 to $40 a bottle in most areas. So its a mainline brand, a bit more expensive than Jim Beam or Makers Mark but clearly not in the premium category of bourbon prices which can easily top $50.

Lots of people like it. I'm just not one of those people.

So is it drinkable? Yes, if you are not ME.

It would be a good "mixer" if you don't drink your whiskey straight. But try it, you may like it. There is a reason there are so many different brands and that is because there are so many different tastes.

Honestly if you don't like it straight, you will impress people if you use it as a "mixer" because they will wonder why you are using such a good brand to mix with Coke or 7up.