Ymmm, Bourbon

[plimnko]

what's your favorite?

[BD80]

what's your favorite?

Been a while, but Old Granddad bottled in bond, couple drops of water.

[Tripping William]

Really like bourbon, but am a bit of a novice. Four Roses Small Batch is probably what I have liked most.

[OldPhiKap]

Angel’s Envy.

[Tripping William]

Angel’s Envy.

I have also liked this a great deal.

[OldPhiKap]

Angels Envy makes the best Old Fashions’ too IMO.

Mint Juleps = Maker’s Mark.

[Acymetric]

I don't really know much about whiskey so I'm not sure how well it actually holds up, but I was gifted a bottle of Defiant whiskey (made by Blue Ridge Distilling in Western NC) and thought it was pretty swell.

[fisheyes]

Great topic!

I love Kings County Bourbon. Yes, it's from Brooklyn. Absolutely wonderful!

Also Blanton's Single Barrel. Heaven.

[Tripping William]

One question I have: Is Pappy Van Winkle all that (with or without the bag of chips)?

[mph]

One question I have: Is Pappy Van Winkle all that (with or without the bag of chips)?

I tried Pappy’s as part of a bourbon flight. I had 1/2 oz of the 12 year and I can’t imagine paying for a bottle. I mean, it was good but not noticeably better than Blanton’s IMO.

[-jk]

Hmm... Can't seem to find that Ymm, Bourbon thread.

-jk

[Tripping William]

Hmm... Can't seem to find that Ymm, Bourbon thread.

-jk

Lots of talk about bourbon barrels in “that other” Ymmm thread, though.

[devildeac]

Lots of talk about bourbon barrels in “that other” Ymmm thread, though.

Shameless.

[pfrduke]

This is a topic near and dear to my soul (and my mouth and stomach). I have many thoughts:

Old favorite used to be Elmer T. Lee. Would run about $32/bottle and tasted better than bourbons twice as expensive. But then Elmer (he was the master distiller at Buffalo Trace) died a few years back and there was a dispute between Buffalo Trace and the estate about the mash and the bottling got much lower and much harder to find (it disappeared from Washington liquor stores and I’ve almost completely stopped seeing it at restaurants/bars). I think about it and miss it at least every other week. My wife and I were in Southern California a couple weeks ago and went out to dinner in Laguna Beach at an otherwise unremarkable restaurant and they had Elmer T. Lee in their bar and it was by far the best part of the meal. It was the first time I’d had it in probably 5 years and it was as good as I’ve remembered.

Old-old favorite used to be Black Maple Hill, which was a small batch run that had Van Winkle involvement but for a much lower (although still kind of premium) price. But then production changed hands twice and the flavor profile completely changed (and it also got much lower availability) and I haven’t had it in at least 6-7 years. There are versions of the old bottling still floating around for stupid prices so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I won’t have it again.

But enough about the things you won’t drink anymore.

Woodford Reserve is a wonderfully reliable drinking bourbon. With or without ice it works well, suits a lot of palettes, not cheap but not terribly expensive, and widely available. Woodford on a big rock is my standard cocktail order and you can get it (maybe with regular ice instead of the big rock) almost anywhere. It’s the bourbon served on Delta flights (for free - or, at least, included in the price of the ticket - in the comfort+ seats) and since I travel a bunch for work it’s a reliable go to. I’ve had more Woodford 30,000 feet in the air than anywhere else.

Blanton’s is a great treat bourbon. They’ve also been on a somewhat lower production run so it’s less reliably available at restaurants and bars, but still a relatively common find. Flavor is just a little more refined and richer than the Woodford. But I don’t find it so much better than other offerings that I want to invest the extra $ (probably 15-20/bottle) to get a bottle for home very often.

I have been on an Elijah Craig kick of late. They have a bunch of offerings but their standard has a good, rich flavor profile without being too harsh - it drinks smooth and not overly sweet.

If you live near a Total Wine, they have had some bourbons that I haven’t seen elsewhere that I have become a fan of. One - Two Stars - is at a really good price point for its quality. Lacks some of the refinement of the ones above (definitely drinks better over ice than neat) and is less rich in flavor but a really easy and enjoyable drink, particularly for the cost. Another - Black Ridge - is the closest to Elmer T. Lee that I’ve had and only slightly more expensive, but I’ve never seen it anywhere other than Total Wine.

Someone mentioned Four Roses above - really like both their Small Batch and Single Barrel bottlings, although I’m less of a fan of their standard run. The Small Batch I think is the best combination of quality and price in their production.

Other smaller runs that are worth a taste if you see them at a bar are Rowan’s Creek and Noah’s Mill. They come at higher proofs - one I think is around 114 proof - and they’re really good sipping bourbons.

I share mph’s view on the Pappy - it’s definitely good bourbon, but not so much better than others you can get to make it worth the price.

[Reilly]

This is a topic near and dear to my soul (and my mouth and stomach). I have many thoughts ... Woodford Reserve is a wonderfully reliable drinking bourbon. With or without ice it works well, suits a lot of palettes, not cheap but not terribly expensive, and widely available. ... Someone mentioned Four Roses above - really like both their Small Batch and Single Barrel bottlings, although I’m less of a fan of their standard run ...

I recall KY native John McIntyre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M...e_(copyeditor)) writing one time that his standard is Old Forrester, and when he's feeling flush, Maker's, and when he actually *is* flush, Woodford.

I agree with Woodford at the top of the list. Contra pfr, I prefer Four Roses standard to the small batch. I think all in all I like less complexity. Also less potency -- Wild Turkey 81 rather than 101. Bulleit is solid. Had Basil Hayden for the first time recently -- very, very light and unobtrusive, almost a whisper. I find Maker's too sweet. So, Woodford, Wild Turkey 81, Four Roses, and good old regular white label Beam are often on the shelf. I've never found the inclination or money to indulge in the crazy expensive ones or the super-potent -- have had Rare Breed (108 proof?). And I'm probably unusual in that I almost always mix with diet ginger ale (which no bar ever has) -- again, as the 'diet' part lessens the sweetness (at least in my mind).

I usu post this essay in the Carolina FB game thread -- it should be read annually: https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/bourbon-neat/

I very much agree with Percy's take on potency, and how it's all about the aesthetic, and the ability of bourbon to unlock certain philosophical truths or to help one make sense of the world.

[devildeac]

I recall KY native John McIntyre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M...e_(copyeditor)) writing one time that his standard is Old Forrester, and when he's feeling flush, Maker's, and when he actually *is* flush, Woodford.

I agree with Woodford at the top of the list. Contra pfr, I prefer Four Roses standard to the small batch. I think all in all I like less complexity. Also less potency -- Wild Turkey 81 rather than 101. Bulleit is solid. Had Basil Hayden for the first time recently -- very, very light and unobtrusive, almost a whisper. I find Maker's too sweet. So, Woodford, Wild Turkey 81, Four Roses, and good old regular white label Beam are often on the shelf. I've never found the inclination or money to indulge in the crazy expensive ones or the super-potent -- have had Rare Breed (108 proof?). And I'm probably unusual in that I almost always mix with diet ginger ale (which no bar ever has) -- again, as the 'diet' part lessens the sweetness (at least in my mind).

I usu post this essay in the Carolina FB game thread -- it should be read annually: https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/bourbon-neat/

I very much agree with Percy's take on potency, and how it's all about the aesthetic, and the ability of bourbon to unlock certain philosophical truths or to help one make sense of the world.

To paraphrase Capt. Mojo's sig:

Q: "Which bourbon is your favorite?

A: "The fifth one because it makes me fearless and handsome."

[fuse]

To paraphrase Capt. Mojo's sig:

Q: "Which bourbon is your favorite?

A: "The fifth one because it makes me fearless and handsome."

New life goal is to observe devildeac after his fifth bourbon. 🤣🤣🤣

[pfrduke]

I recall KY native John McIntyre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M...e_(copyeditor)) writing one time that his standard is Old Forrester, and when he's feeling flush, Maker's, and when he actually *is* flush, Woodford.

I really like Old Forester, another well flavored and surprisingly smooth bourbon at a good price point. Have also had some of their other bottlings, including the Statesman and the 1897 (which comes in at 100 proof) and enjoy them all.

Bulleit is solid.

Agree - I like both the bourbon and the rye. This is my favorite for a Manhattan, on the few occasions I have bourbon in something other than straight form (my usual experience with bourbon cocktails is that they look good on the page but taste like some form of watered down bourbon. Some notable exceptions are a Lion's Tail (bourbon, allspice dram, lime) and a Paper Plane (bourbon, amaro, lemon)).

Had Basil Hayden for the first time recently -- very, very light and unobtrusive, almost a whisper.

Completely agree with this, and I don't like Basil Hayden for this reason. It tastes like almost nothing. Doesn't give you the flavor one normally looks for in a bourbon.

I usu post this essay in the Carolina FB game thread -- it should be read annually: https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/bourbon-neat/

I very much agree with Percy's take on potency, and how it's all about the aesthetic, and the ability of bourbon to unlock certain philosophical truths or to help one make sense of the world.

What a delightful read - thanks for sharing.

[-jk]

I really like Old Forester, another well flavored and surprisingly smooth bourbon at a good price point. Have also had some of their other bottlings, including the Statesman and the 1897 (which comes in at 100 proof) and enjoy them all.

I happen to know where there's a bottle of Old Forester tucked away in the Chapel...

-jk

[left_hook_lacey]

Hmm... Can't seem to find that Ymm, Bourbon thread.

-jk

I was wondering this would morph into a Ymmmmmm bourbon thread.