Any Bourbon drinkers among us?

Thanks Bob, I may try a wee nip for New Years.

EastTexFrank said:

Thanks Bob, I may try a wee nip for New Years.

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So, how was it

I sipped on a little bit of BLANTON'S last evening after returning home from a nice dinner with friends and family.

Not a fan of Blanton's either. But one of my cousin-in-laws collects the Blanton's bottle toppers. They have race horses in slightly different positions, and each is designated by a letter in the name Blanton's. So if you line up each of the letters to spell out B-L-A-N-T-O-N-S the horses appear to be running.

So I have had this bottle of Blanton's sitting in my cabinet, minus maybe 2 ounces, and I promised him I'd send him the bottle topper when the bottle was done. Figured I might as well start knocking off that bottle to make room for something I like better.

Blanton's reminds me of Woodford Reserve.

Now for some reason I do like a couple of the offerings from Woodford Reserve's Master's Collection. Near as I can tell their Sonoma Cuttrers Cask Aged bourbon is the same bourbon as you have, but they second age it in wine barrels. Its probably a bit over aged in the wine barrel, taking away some of the bourbon flavor, but I like it. I also New Cask Aged Single Malt from the Woodford Reserve's Masters Collection too, but not their Old Cask product.

Well, I had a little splash at midnight and let's just say that it wasn't to my taste. I don't know if it was just this one in particular or Bourbon in general. I may have to experiment some more before I decide that I was born a Scotch drinker and I'll stay a Scotch drinker.

It was quite smoothe, no real bite or burn to it either on the palette or the throat. Also the flavor was much "warmer" and "full and rounded" than I expected but I guess I just didn't like the taste all that much.

I think that you're right though, it would make a good mixer. Maybe I have to find something that I can pour in it to make it drinkable. So, I either need to break out the cocktail shaker or push it to the back of the cabinet with an "antiseptic - for emergency use only" sticky on it.

A bit more of the BLANTON'S last evening while watching the original STAR WARS movie with the family.

We went to see the new Star Wars movie on New Years Eve, which was a pretty good movie. Watched the 3 prequel movies over 3 days during Melen's break ... I forgot how bad those 3 movies are!!! So now we are watching episodes 4, 5 and 6, which are the 3 movies from the 'original' set.

So trying to kill off the bottle of BLANTON'S so I can send away the cork/topper. Had some ham and some hoppin-johns for a traditional New Years 'good luck' dinner. Food was bland so the Blanton's flavor was less affected by the food. It actually tasted reasonably good last night. The thing about Blantons is that it actually goes into your mouth tasting pretty good, sweet and modestly complex ... but then it gets to the back of your mouth and there is an acerbic sort of twang to the taste that is off-putting to my senses. No burn in the belly last night, possibly because of the food choices.

So I'm slowly getting rid of the Blanton's bottle.

High West's "A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DRAM" is in my glass tonight as I sit with Misha and watch a documentary called LONG WAY DOWN about a motorcycle trip from the northern most point in Scotland down to Capetown South Africa.

I seem to save this drink for cold winter nights. Silly really, its so damn good it should be enjoyed far more often. I've got a couple different bottles from different acts. It's complex and spicy and just so good. Too bad it is so hard to find.

This is not actually a bourbon, its a blend of various different rye whiskies, which is a close cousin to bourbons but it doesn't quite have enough corn in the mash bill to qualify as a bourbon under the legal terms. Its got a lot of spice to it, which is typical of high ryes. But despite the peppery spices it is still a very smooth drink. At 98.6 Proof its a bit hot in the belly but that burn doesn't last long. Overall a very good drink, very very good. One of my favorites and saved for special occasions or cold winter nights.

It's Lent and I gave up drinking Bourbon until Easter ... but that doesn't mean that I can't buy it

Found a bottle of Old Forester Limited Series 1897 "Bottled in Bond" bourbon. Paid $54 including sales tax.

Bottled in Bond was popular but basically fell out of favor, there are several brands that offer it and some, like Old Grand Dad are great low priced bourbons while Col EH Taylor offers most of their products as premium Bottled in Bond offerings.

Old Forester is claiming that this represents a revival in “Bottled in Bond” bourbon, named for a quality control measure Old Forester initiated back in the late 1800’s. To be Bottled in Bond, you have to be made from a single distillery, in a single year, then aged at least four years in a government "bonded" facility and the bourbons are bottled at 100 proof. This Old Forester is not nationally distributed and not available to over half the county but is available here in Indiana, not rare here but not all that easy to find either.

Since I gave up drinking bourbon for Lent I can't sample this bottle until Easter

Melensdad said:

It's Lent and I gave up drinking Bourbon until Easter ... but that doesn't mean that I can't buy it

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Hey Bob, I gave up bacon.
It hurts!

Lent is over, so last night after returning home from the wake of my uncle who died at age 99, I made a Manhattan using the new CONTRATTO Sweet Vermouth. The base was BOOKERS bourbon, which is a bold flavored cask strength bourbon. Actually drank 2 of them. It was a good pairing. A few ice cubes, a couple dashes of Orange Bitters, a single dash of Angostura Bitters and 2 cherries.

The only downside is that the BOOKERS is so strong that when made into a mixed drink has a second alcohol and no "mixer" to cut it, it makes for a potent drink, so drinking 2 of them definitely had me over my limit

I used the BOOKERS for only 1 reason, there was only a few ounces in the bottom of the bottle, I needed some space in the liquor cabinet, so I figured I could get rid of that bottle with 1 or 2 drinks. Never made a mixed drink with BOOKERS before. Its really too good for mixed drinks.

The photo below shows my Lenten purchases.

The CONTRATTO Sweet Vermouth is the tall dark bottle, second from the left side of the photo with the painting of the girl for a label. I've hear great things about the other 2 Sweet Vermouths that are in the photo. The COCCHI brand (far left) is one of the original sweet vermouths ever made. The Carpano ANTICA Recipe (3rd from left) is also an old recipe vermouth. Both of those are award winners and highly praised when reviewed. Both are known as sweet vermouths that can stand on their own without needing to be mixed into a drink.

Most Sweet Vermouths you find at liquor stores are cheap wine that was 'fortified' with other ingredients, maybe some brandy too.

As for the newly added bourbons, I tried a little of the limited edition Old Forester on Easter Sunday. Its good. Wyoming Whiskey's Bourbon is rumored to be good, but a little young. The Straight Edge is a sourced bourbon, probably from southern Indiana, then shipped to a vineyard in California where it is second aged in wine barrels, again rumored to be very good. The bottle of Sazerac Rye is a classic rye, nothing new to that one, been around for many years, its considered on of the best. I saw it and grabbed it because my other bottle is low. Its hard to find in my area.

So since Lent has been over I've been experimenting with various Vermouths.

Honestly don't have the perfect combination yet.

But I've found a couple bad combinations!

Probably the thing I learned most quickly is that STRAIGHT EDGE bourbon is over-casked in the wine barrels. It has way too much of a wine influence on the bourbon. I like several second casked bourbons. But so far not thrilled with this one. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 2nd chances but I'm not convinced there are enough 2nd chances for the STRAIGHT EDGE, despite the fact that it has gotten some great reviews and has a lot of people who enjoy it. Just not to my taste.

I can also say that Straight Edge + Cocchi is just a bad combination. Really bad.

But the Cocchi is actually very good with something like an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

I've also found that I prefer the Italian Black Cherries in heavy syrup over the more traditional marichino cherries when making a Manhattan. And I also tend to enjoy my Manhattans to be a bit heavy on the Vermouth. More traditional recipes seem to be roughly 2/3rds bourbon with the remaining 1/3rd being a combination of Vermouth, cherries and bitters. But I seem to prefer it with 50% bourbon and 50% sweet Vermouth, bitters, cherries. As for the orange slice, in any case I just use a couple dashes of orange bitters (its a convenience issue) instead of using a slice of orange.

Also picked up a couple new bottle, haven't opened them yet.

The Stanahan's is actually a Malt Whiskey rather than a Bourbon. Its a limited edition variety. I was not a fan of their standard yellow label so I'm hoping that this Diamond Peak is better. We will see.

The Old Forester is also a limited edition. Some reviews say its good, others say its bad. Again, have not tried it yet.

Not a bourbon. Its a whiskey. Billed as a Colorado Whiskey ... whatever that is. Tastes like Scotch to me. I'm not a fan of most Scotch and this is no exception. You can taste the malt, not sure if this is a pure malt mash but that wouldn't surprise me.

This is the limited release Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. The yellow label is their normal stuff. This black label 'Diamond Peak' is supposed to be special, somehow?

So while I bought this a while ago I didn't try it until tonight. Poured about an ounce and a half in a Glencairn glass. Tried it. Didn't like it. Drank about 1/2 of it over a 20 minute period and considered tossing the rest down the drain.

And then I had a revelation. Try it with some Vermouth, some bitters, orange and cherry . . . or, in simple terms, make it into a Manhattan. But which Vermouth? l picked the Cocchi Vermouth because its flavor profile is less fruity and more bitters heavy. Given the malty nature of this Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey I figured it would be a good pairing. I got lucky and was correct.

I won't enjoy this straight but it makes a tasty Manhattan, so its not a total loss.

Drinking a bit of STRAIGHT EDGE bourbon. Maybe 2 or 3 ounces in the glass. Its a dark amber color, darker than most bourbon. Its aged a second time in wine barrels. This is my second attempt at this bourbon. First time I tried it I felt the wine barrels imparted too much flavor and overwhelmed the bourbon. Tonight I fee the same way. The wine barrel second aging is just too much for the underlying bourbon. Its less like bourbon and more like a brandy or cordial.

As posted previously, this doesn't make a good mixed drink either.

Basically not a a fan. I just don't feel like I'm drinking bourbon.

Melensdad said:

I just don't feel like I'm drinking bourbon.

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And to us Scotch drinkers that may not be a bad thing.

Sorry Bob, I couldn't resist.

EastTexFrank said:

And to us Scotch drinkers that may not be a bad thing.

Sorry Bob, I couldn't resist.

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Well this is nothing like scotch either.

Think of this more like a brandy? Or a strong vermouth? Or a cordial?

One to sip, one to save.

That "American Pharaoh" bottle from Makers Mark is extremely limited production, I was lucky my local adult beverage purveyor set aside the bottle for me. Its just regular Markers Mark inside the fancy bottle but I could probably put the bottle up for sale today and get $200 for it. Save it for a decade or two and get a lot more.

I.W. Harper offers 2 versions, this is the younger/cheaper bottle. The older 15 year bottle retails for $75, this bottle is half that. Its supposed to be pretty good, and a pretty good value. Guess I'll find out.

Trying the I W HARPER straight bourbon tonight. It is unremarkable but basically a capable bourbon. There is a hot finish and a bit of an astringent tone but its not bad. And there is some alcohol tingle on the lips. It also has a bit of vanilla, but its not a strong flavor. There is also a light flaver of almond. This would probably make a very good mixed drink.

At $35, however, there are plenty of other brands that are as good, if not better. So this is clearly an 82 proof bourbon many will want to bypass. I would not argue with anyone who takes a pass on this young version of I W HARPER. I'm more curious about the 15 year old $75/bottle version of I W HARPER.

I was unsupervised this evening and ran up to Oakbrook on Chicago's far west side to a large liquor store called Binny's. My goal was to go there just to pick up a jar of cherries

While I was there a few other things fell into my basket.

Carpano's Antica Recipe as well as their Punt e Mes Vermouths got added. The Antica is really amazing Vermouth, good enough to drink alone. I've been told by several people to try the Punt e Mes but couldn't find it anywhere. Picked up the last bottle that they had on the shelf.

Also grabbed a bottle of IW Harper 15 year old bourbon and a bottle of Oppidan Solara Aged bourbon. Solar aging is an unusual process, only a few distillers age this way. Oppidan is a local Chicago area company, they distill, age and bottle their bourbon locally.

Well, at least you didn't get sidetracked and forget the cherries.

Spent too much time swapping implements, lifting fertilizer bags and then sitting in a tractor seat, mowing then fertilizing and then mowing some more. And my back is killing me.

So instead of Aleve I made up a Manhattan with the younger/cheaper version of IW Harper. I suspected that the cheaper IW Harper would make a good Manhattan, and I was right. This is an excellent Manhattan and, with any luck, in about 30 minutes the pain in my body will be somewhat relieved.

Sipping on a little bit of the 15 Year Old I.W.Harper Bourbon tonight. The bottle costs $75. Which, for a 15yo bourbon is actually modestly priced. It comes in a nice decanter bottle. The bottle holds a nice dark amber colored bourbon.


Lots of peppery spice in the 15yo I.W.Harper. One the nose you pick up peppery spice at just a casual whiff but if you actually put the Glencairn glass to your nose, which focuses the aroma, the peppery spice burns your nostrils if you inhale to deeply. There is also a pleasant undertone of butterscotch to the aroma as well as the scent of alcohol.

On the tongue it hits fairly sweet but finishes a little bit acerbic. There is no bold flavor to this bourbon, its actually somewhat nondescript and offers a hint of oaky flavor, which is not unexpected in a 15yo bourbon. Its not bad but that is the best I can say about this bourbon and as it goes down its got a fairly significant burn. The burn ends quickly, its not one of the long hot burns like a coal briquet that lingers, but more of a flash fire that flares hot but extinguishes quickly.

For $75 I'd prefer a bolder flavor and less of a burn.

I was always under the impression that the classic Glencairn scotch/whiskey glass had a capacity of about 5.5 ounces.

Based on my scientific experimentations, documented in photos below, it appears that the glasses actually hold about 4.33 ounces. Of course this presumes that my favorite shot glass actually holds a proper shot of whiskey ... which, compared to my other shot glasses, appears to be a reasonable assumption.

Now for proper whiskey sipping, the glass is designed to only be filled into the rounded bowl portion of the glass so the whiskey can be swirled around to concentrate the aroma up into the chimney portion of the glass, so realistically 2 ounces is about the maximum capacity of the glass for whiskey tasting.

As is normal for my routine I stopped off at the local adult beverage purveyor on my way home from the fencing club.

He had 3 bottles set aside for me.

KA VA LAN is new to the USA but I've seen it the EU. Its not a bourbon, but rather a whisky. Believe it or not, made in Taiwan (the non-commie China) and has an excellent reputation. This is one of their cheaper offerings, about $100. They have some that are very expensive. I've seen it, but never tried it.

Knob Creek Vintage 2001 is a new limited edition offering. Its their oldest offering, distilled in 2001, bottled in 2016, aged 14 years. Its a 100 proof and very limited distribution. About $130. So new and so rare I can't even find anyone on my bourbon collectors groups that have tried this. This is from Batch 1. There were 3 batches released.

Yellowstone Select is the second offering from Yellowstone. The first offering was a 105 proof blend of 2 high rye bourbons + 1 wheat bourbon and carried a 7 year age statement, this is 93 proof Kentucky Straight bourbon so it is probably a much younger offering. It is also less than half the price of the original, at only $49/bottle. Rumor is this is an enjoyable bourbon to drink, not exceptional but not priced like an exceptional bottle either.

Cracked open the KA VA LAN to give it a try.

Interesting. Taiwanese whisky. Who would have thunk it could happen?

It is a very golden color. The aroma is butterscotch and alcohol.

The flavor is somewhat bold, a bit sweet, but ending with some spicy after tones.

It is very different from American Bourbon, it is also unlike any Tennessee Whiskey (which is technically bourbon) or other American style Whiskey that I've ever tried. It is very different from Scotch too. I've got some expensive Japanese Whisky and this is unlike that too.

So I don't really know what this is. Its good, differently than anything else I've had. Not sure that most people want to experiment with a nearly $100 bottle of Taiwanese Whisky, but if you get a chance to try any of the varieties of KA VA LAN then I'd recommend you try them. At just under $100 this is the cheapest KA VA LAN that I've seen. There may be a cheaper variety? I know there are some that are far far more expensive.

Sipping on a French Whisky tonight. Its pretty good, not great. Probably better for a Manhattan than straight sipping. Aged in "Limousin Oak" barrels, not sure what that is, but they seem to make a bid deal out of that fact.

My local adult beverage establishment kept setting aside bottles for me while I was gone. A bottle of ultra-rare + out of production Col. EH Taylor "Seasoned Wood", semi-rare Blood Oath Pact 2, semi-rare Jefferson's 'Wood Experiment' Collection (3,4,6,10 & 12), plus a bottle each of Slaughter House and Straight Edge. All were safely tucked away in the back room waiting for me to get back from Spain.

Got to love customer service like this!

Now I'll admit I've had Straight Edge before, not a big fan, but I took it with a smile because he took care of me despite the fact that I was out of the country for nearly 2 months. He could have easily put cash in his pocket by selling some of these to others but he really takes care of his regulars, perhaps that is why I am loyal to his store

Yesterday ... Montecristo Espada Robusto and some Quiet Man Irish Whisky

The good widow is a fine woman who can warm your soul on a cold night.

Back home again in Indiana after a trip down to Winston-Salem, NC to move Melen back into her dorm room for her senior year of college.

Cracked open the seal on a bottle of ELMER T LEE Kentucky Straight Single Barrel Bourbon. Its not expensive at only $35, but it is rare and highly allocated and I've been wanting to try this one for quite a while. This one doesn't have national distribution and its very hard to find in the states where it is supposed to be available.

Sweet up front, spicy going down with some burn. But its got a nice overall flavor on the tongue and a caramel scent on the nose. Well worth the more than the asking price.

Taking another try at the OPPIDAN Solara Aged Bourbon. There are only a few bourbons in the world that use Solara aging process, which never lets the barrel get completely empty and mixes other barrels together, continues the aging ... blah blah blah.

Supposed to add complexity to the bourbon.

Perhaps it does. I think its a bit hot up front, got lots of spice, but not sure that I pick up any nuances of complexity in the flavor. This is probably a high rye bourbon based on the level of spice intensity.

Probably would make a heck of a Manhattan but not sure its all that great when drinking it neat.

The annual release from Parker's Heritage collection (release #10) is a 24 year old bourbon. Oldest bourbon of which I am aware.

And I got one tonight.

A little on the pricy side. So much so that I told the clerk not to print a receipt so there would be no evidence to destroy at home

Dug an old bottle of Jefferson's OCEAN Aged at Sea bourbon out of the back of the cabinet.

Took a small sip.

WOW I need to drink this stuff more often.