[NA] Bourbons

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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For those of you who enjoy them, what's your favorite bourbon?

I have always enjoyed Basil Hayden. I have some Knob Creek in the cupboard, too. Yesterday at a vendor lunch, one of the guys was telling me that he tried some in a unique bottle with a polo player on top, called Blanton's, that three of his neighbors in Kentucky each bring a bottle of to the hunting cabin each year. He said it was the smoothest he's ever had, though he'd never heard of it.

Anybody here have a personal report on Blanton's? The Boy's of Bourbon site gives my Basil Hayden a 90, Blanton's a 99!

http://www.boysofbourbon.com/blantons-rating-99/

Blanton_s_Special_Reserve_Bourbon_Whiskey_6_Yrs_Vol_40_.jpg
 
Gary said:
Blanton's is good stuff. My favorite is Woodford Reserve. Haven't had the Hayden.

http://www.woodfordreserve.com/Default.aspx

Happy imbibing!

Gary
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I'll have to try and find both, Gary! I'm seeing some reviews saying Woodford Reserve surpasses even Blanton's! This link has some video's of Woodford's distillery.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1304250/woodford_reserve_the_middle_of_the.html?cat=22

This caught my eye, on page 2 of the article:

The Woodford Reserve distillery is located at Oscar Pepper's old distillery near Versailles, Kentucky. This is in Woodford County, and is very close to both Keeneland horse racing track, and to the local airport.
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If we have a Bourbon-tasting fly-in, there better be a hotel nearby.

BTW, the best collection of Bourbons I've ever seen was at Maker's Mark restaurant in Louisville. Despite the name, they are not limited to the products of the Maker's Mark Distillery. Food is excellent, bourbon is outstanding. They have "flights" of bourbons on the menu -- one shot each of three or four bourbons selected for appropriate comparison. See http://www.makersmarkrestaurant.com/ for more on the restaurant.

And if anyone wants to organize a fly-in to Louisville for a Bourbon Weekend (say, fly in Sat, dinner at Maker's Mark, stay the night, breakfast on Sunday, and home), I can put you in touch with someone who knows how to do it. And I can get Fran to make this trip, so we have a designated van driver.
 
I like the Hayden and the Woodford. Never had Blanton's, but understand that it's really good.
 
Ron Levy said:
If we have a Bourbon-tasting fly-in, there better be a hotel nearby.

BTW, the best collection of Bourbons I've ever seen was at Maker's Mark restaurant in Louisville. Despite the name, they are not limited to the products of the Maker's Mark Distillery. Food is excellent, bourbon is outstanding. They have "flights" of bourbons on the menu -- one shot each of three or four bourbons selected for appropriate comparison. See http://www.makersmarkrestaurant.com/ for more on the restaurant.

And if anyone wants to organize a fly-in to Louisville for a Bourbon Weekend (say, fly in Sat, dinner at Maker's Mark, stay the night, breakfast on Sunday, and home), I can put you in touch with someone who knows how to do it. And I can get Fran to make this trip, so we have a designated van driver.
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That'd be a fun weekend, Ron. PM me the info, I'll see if I can organize something for Fall 2010, when the leaves are turning.
 
I'm a big fan of brown liquor, American, British, and Japanese in particular.

For Bourbons, I keep a few on hand at all times.

  • Woodford Reserve
  • Basil Hayden's
  • Blanton's
  • Booker's
  • Maker's Mark
  • Knob Creek
  • Eagle Rare 10

Woodford makes a great casual sipper.

Basil's is a bit more wound up and focused.

Blanton's has some silk to it, but I find that guests prefer it more than I do.

Booker's is for "true appreciation" -- slow consumption, small sips, long glasses. It is barrel strength (124 proof, on average) and has some heat to it.

Maker's is great for a bourbon cocktail, save for Julep's (I prefer Woodford) and Manhattan's (I prefer Knob Creek)

I keep the Knob Creek around for cooking and for Manhattans.

Eagle Rare is my "secret" ingredient in chantilly cream (whipped cream with sugar), and it is a GREAT introductory bourbon. The new oak they use EXPLODES with vanilla and other toasty spices -- most anyone can pick them up and say "This is the same stuff as Jim Beam?!"

For "special" bourbons...

  • Black Maple Hill
  • Jefferson's
  • Distiller's Masterpiece
  • Four Roses
  • Elijah Craig Single Barrel, 18
  • A H Hirsch 16

Black Maple Hill is a "found" bottling -- they "find" leftover, unclaimed casks held in bonded warehouses, bottle, and ship. For those of you at the Fly-B-Q this year, some may have sampled their 23 year old rye -- simply outstanding. But, when the product is gone, it's gone, never to be seen again. Priced accordingly.

Jefferson's is a nice drinker, something with a bit more style than most bourbons.

Distiller's Masterpiece (port wood) is a great drinker, but not for $200. Go for a 24 - 26 year old Highland Malted scotch instead, or a Islay on portwood (a la Bowmore, which is heresy to some of the scotch heads, but I like Bowmore)

Four Roses was a nice dram (when I had some -- a friend left a bottle behind).

Elijah Craig 18 SB is a nice, nice product. The value is on the money for the quality, too; it may be a bit underpriced.

A H Hirsch. I had a dram at a bar once, a private club, at the suggestion of a friend who had tried it before. It was quite nice, and I enjoyed it. However, I would never spend $400 on a bottle of this -- it was nice, maybe even $175-$200 nice, but no way in hell...

To avoid:

  • Bulliet
  • Ezra B

Before someone quips -- I really do not drink that much, or that often. I've sampled most of these products over the past 6 years, when I got "into" bourbon and scotch.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
A buddy of mine had a bottle of Four Roses that had sat in his dad's cupboard for decades (his Dad is a Lutheran Minister if that adds to the story). I would have never called 4 roses smooth bourbon but it was like butter. It made me a believer that spirits do age, even in the glass.
 
Oh, it's usually sipped (not drank!) straight up, Dave, though it gets mixed into some drinks and used as an ingredient in some marinades and glazes. The link above for Woodford Reserve has a section with some featured recipes for both food and mixed drinks.
 
Ron Levy said:
Anyone ever tried Pappy VanWinkle's? OMG!
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20 yr old Pappy's is an absolute taste treat. It is what all Bourbons aspire to. Hard to find, but worth the search. None finer.
 
After living in Lexington Kentucky for almost three years, I prefer Woodford Reserve. I took their distillery tour and its a well made Bourbon. I've enjoyed some of the others on Andrew's list but still think Woodford is the best.
 
flyersfan31 said:
20 yr old Pappy's is an absolute taste treat. It is what all Bourbons aspire to. Hard to find, but worth the search. None finer.
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Easy to find at Maker's Mark -- they have three different Pappy's on their list.

BTW, for newcomers, good whiskey (or whisky, if it's from the British Isles), is sipped neat and slowly. You want a Bourbon and Seven, Mint Julep, whatever, use house label swill -- you won't be able to tell the difference but your wallet will.
 
The good stuff doesn't need any masking.....
 
TangoWhiskey said:
And for the REAL newcomers, "neat" = no ice, no water.
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Not even a small amount of water to open up the flavors, like you would do with scotch? I admit, I use a single ice cube when I pour mine.

And I would definitely be interested in this fly-in, so y'all can teach me where I'm totally F'ed up! :)
 
For those of you in MSN, is Jolly Bob's Jerk Joint still there? Its an eclectic carribean restaurant that is most notable for the fact that it is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. I used to live not far and would ride my bike there.

I went there with some friends from Mexico, a very elegant couple, who in the course of dinner conversation described that real tequila's are like brandy's and are a luxurious drink. Jolly Bob had a good selection of the agave.

I ordered a glass of Herradura(sp?) adn thats what I got, a *glass* of tequila. It was intimidating even for a bachelor not that long out of grad school and I asked the waiter to put a little seltzer in it, some ice, something.

The fellows elegant wife looked at me with feigned disdane and explained that I was ruining it.

I saw them some time later and was quick to confess that their Demon drink had so thrown me that I had woken up the next morning facing the wrong way in the bed with my feet at the headboard.

Without missing a beat Citlali said "I told you not to put any water in it."

sorry for the off-topic segway into Tequila but its the only "neat" story I had.
 
Blanton's is some fine bourbon. My favorite whisky is George Dickel white label. Exceptionally smoooooth but hard to find outside states bordering TN.

www.dickel.com
 
kevin47881 said:
My favorite whisky is George Dickel white label.
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George Dickel is Tennesee whiskey, like Jack Daniel's, not Bourbon (which may only be made in Kentucky). Some differences in the process:
  • Bourbon must be at least 51% corn (some are up to 80% corn), but no such stipulation applies to Tennessee whiskey.
  • Tennessee whiskey is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal, while Bourbon is not.
  • Bourbon must be stored in charred oak barrels for at least two years and may not be distilled to more than 80 percent ABV (160 proof) and must not be more than 125 proof when put into the barrels for aging.
  • No coloring may be added to Bourbon.
BTW, officially, it's "Tennessee whiskey," the American spelling, but George Dickel uses the British Isles no-e spelling "whisky" normally reserved for Scotch and Irish whiskies.
 
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gprellwitz said:
Not even a small amount of water to open up the flavors, like you would do with scotch? I admit, I use a single ice cube when I pour mine.
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I'm going to disagree with Mr. Levy, and use my "Scotch Malt Whisky Society" tasting guide:

Scotch Malt Whisky Society said:
Malt whisky ought, in the opinion of most knowledgeable drinkers, to be taken by itself or (preferably) with the addition of a little still water.
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A touch of branch water, in critical circles, is perfectly appropriate. Personal tastes vary. I am a reformed ice user, and generally take my spirits neat. If I'm doing a critical tasting (group of friends, new bottle), I'll do half drams neat and with a touch of water to figure out which I like best. In general, I do neat, but there are a few exceptions (very oily, unctuous Islay's get a splash to open them up, especially if young)

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
AdamZ said:
never under stood the water thing.
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Room or cellar temperature, a simple splash. Very small amounts do the trick.

Next time I'm up, I'll bring two whisky snifters and we can do a Pepsi challenge.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
So, for early planning of next year's Kentucky Bourbon Flight (sorry, couldn't resist!), how many find mid-October works for their schedules? Say Oct 15-17, 2010?

If we can get about eight to twelve participants, that would be fantastic. Once I have an idea of possible participants, I can start working with Ron's contact to make some firmed up plans.
 
astanley said:
One quibble, Mr Levy -- Bourbon must be in newoak barrels.
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Yep! And the used ones go to Scotland to the Scotch distilleries who also add coloring to their whiskeys.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
So, for early planning of next year's Kentucky Bourbon Flight (sorry, couldn't resist!), how many find mid-October works for their schedules? Say Oct 15-17, 2010?

If we can get about eight to twelve participants, that would be fantastic. Once I have an idea of possible participants, I can start working with Ron's contact to make some firmed up plans.
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Sounds like a perfect time!
 
astanley said:
A touch of branch water, in critical circles, is perfectly appropriate.
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Helen Arthur, author of "The Single Malt Whisky Companion" (Gramercy Books, 2005, copyright Quintet Books, 1997) disagrees. She recommends that Single Malt Whisky be tasted neat, then...
When you have discovered the full impact of the aromas and tastes of your chosen malt whisky, you may choose to add water to the glass. This will also help to release the flavors. Ideally, the water should come from the same source as the distillery, but this is usually impractical, so bottled water, preferably still, is recommended.
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As Ms. Arthur and, I should think, every other knowledgeable whisky drinker, knows, much of the character of each single malt Scotch whisky derives from the water used, and that varies greatly between the various springs and rivers of Scotland. Mixing water from another source with the final product will inevitably alter the characteristics of the whisky.

Hence, for proper tasting of the whisky itself, one should not add water unless, for example, you happen to have a bottle of water from Lochan an Doire-uaine to splash into your Dalwhinnie, or you use distilled water free of all contaminants.
 
Rememeber guys, whiskey is already cut with water at the end of the distilling process. The Bourbon distillieries I toured all recommended a splash of water though.
 
Ron Levy said:
Helen Arthur, author of "The Single Malt Whisky Companion" (Gramercy Books, 2005, copyright Quintet Books, 1997) disagrees. She recommends that Single Malt Whisky be tasted neat, then...

As Ms. Arthur and, I should think, every other knowledgeable whisky drinker, knows, much of the character of each single malt Scotch whisky derives from the water used, and that varies greatly between the various springs and rivers of Scotland. Mixing water from another source with the final product will inevitably alter the characteristics of the whisky.

Hence, for proper tasting of the whisky itself, one should not add water unless, for example, you happen to have a bottle of water from Lochan an Doire-uaine to splash into your Dalwhinnie, or you use distilled water free of all contaminants.
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While your attention to detail is outstanding as usual, your dogmatism is more than a bit disconcerting. The task for the discriminating drinker is not to honour the purity of the single malt but to find the proper setting and additions such that the individual drinker's experience is maximized. After all, the distiller only offers a product. It is up to each one of us to optimize the value of that product considering our individual tastes.

As for me, I prefer my single malt to accompany a rare ribeye along with various side dishes and breads. The Whisky should outlast the meal and provide the proper digestif. Of course I add a bit of water to the Whisky during the meal and then the final glass is taken neat. YMWV
 
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