Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Welcome EG,
You've had a good start. Similar to mine. My first four bourbons are from your list, except replace ETL with Buffalo Trace.
What has helped me, with advise from the members here, is to isolate the taste of wheat or Rye in a bourbon. Doing side by side tastes of Wheat vs. High Rye is best. Of the bourbons recommended to you so far:
Wheat - MM, Wellers
Rye - Wild Turkey 101, Old Grand Dad 114 (you might even try a straight rye, not bourbon, for this exercise...WT Rye, Rittenhouse rye.
good luck. looking forward to your future posts.
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kickert
Scott,
Looks like you have started off on a really good foot. I would suggest you try Wild Turkey 101 and Elijah Craig 12. Both are well loved here.
Ok, so pardon any n00bness to my descriptions, I'm still not schooled much in the realm of tasting and descriptiveness.
So I decided to go down the list from the first response. Friday I picked up a bottle of Laphroaig (my current favorite Scotch) as a present to myself from a surprise bit of extra money from taxes :grin: and then I grabbed a bottle of Elijah Craig per this recommendation, though I forgot the exact recommendation and picked up the 18 year.
At first I wasn't sure. It seemed rough around the edges compared to the Woodford I still had on the shelf. Then I went back to the Woodford for my second pour, and it felt a bit light and weak. I was pretty surprised! Just now I sat down and gave myself another pour of the EC18 and the bouquet seemed entirely different than last night! Cinnamon seems the strongest and I'm not sure if it's just lingering Laphroaig in the room or my mouth but it seems pleasantly and subtley oaky to me as well. Overall a much more full flavor. I don't think it will be my favorite but I'm enjoying it quite a bit just the same.
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ElasticalGomez
I grabbed a bottle of Elijah Craig per this recommendation, though I forgot the exact recommendation and picked up the 18 year.
At first I wasn't sure. It seemed rough around the edges compared to the Woodford I still had on the shelf. Then I went back to the Woodford for my second pour, and it felt a bit light and weak. I was pretty surprised! Just now I sat down and gave myself another pour of the EC18 and the bouquet seemed entirely different than last night! Cinnamon seems the strongest and I'm not sure if it's just lingering Laphroaig in the room or my mouth but it seems pleasantly and subtley oaky to me as well. Overall a much more full flavor. I don't think it will be my favorite but I'm enjoying it quite a bit just the same.
The EC 18 is much more than just EC12 grown up 6 years. They really are two entirely different bourbons. In the 18 you will pick up a lot more wood/oak/tannin. The EC12 is much sweeter. If you like old bourbon EC18 is a great pour. I like the 12 better because after 15 years things get a bit oaky for me. Others will swear by the 18.
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
I think my love of Scotch leads my palate in the direction of oakier bourbons, or at least as I'm coming to understand things right now.
The cinnamon is a wee bit strong in this EC18, so I doubt I'll be picking it up again, though I am enjoying it. It is sort of exciting though, on a mission to develop my palate and find what may become my favorite bourbons. :grin:
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
OK guys. I've had a bit of adventuring since the beginning of the month in trying to find what would be at least one and no more than two bottles delegated to "my favorite everyday pour".
these are all the bourbons I've tasted so far:
MM
KC
EC18
WR
ERSB
WT101 Rye
Blanton's
ETL
Henry McKenna
EWSB
Now, since I'm a n00b, there're still many I've yet to try but I figure if I tell which of these I've come to love, which I hated and which ones were not so impressive for me to be arsed to purchase again...with this info maybe somebody could point me down the path to a few others or help me understand what exactly it is about the ones i liked which has gained my preference.
OK, thus far...the 2 winners of "Favored Daily Pours" are ETL and ERSB.
I loved the bottle of Blanton's I got but I almost feel too elegant drinking it. A great pour, but almost a dessert instead of a dram. I feel it would be more apropos to pour when i have..erm....female company. :grin:
Since ETL is the same whiskey, I get many of the same flavor profile as Blanton's, but with a little more "kick" and a leftover $20-spot in my wallet.
The ERSB disappointed me hugely at first, but halfway through the bottle when comparing against the others on my shelf, later in the evening, it hit me like a pleasant ton of bricks. I felt I understood it's subtleties. It felt, to me, like a better version of the EC18. Less of a direct and obvious slap in the face.
What i really did not like was Henry McKenna. It was on sale for 19.95 so I said "What the hell." Problem was...after tasting it I found myself saying "What the hell?" I was not sad to see that bottle go and had to force myself to finish it out of some misdirected form of thriftiness.
The WT101 Rye...if it is anything like the WT101 that many here seem to hold such a special place in their hearts for...had me confused. It tasted ok for $19 I suppose, but was a bit harsh and nothing really jumped out at me.
Everything else on the list which I didn't mention specifically has landed in the "Meh" category and will most likely not make it back on my shelf.
thoughts?
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
What you've hit on here is all three of these are one distillery and going out on a limb here maybe one mashbill. It's all buffalo Trace so check out great bourbons.com see what else they make and try some of them. Now the Weller's and PVW's are wheater's so they'll have a different flavor profile.
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ElasticalGomez
Now, since I'm a n00b, there're still many I've yet to try but I figure if I tell which of these I've come to love, which I hated and which ones were not so impressive for me to be arsed to purchase again...with this info maybe somebody could point me down the path to a few others or help me understand what exactly it is about the ones i liked which has gained my preference.
You are going about things the right way. You seem a lot like me - I am a huge fan of Buffalo Trace distillery. ETL and ERSB are from two different mashbills. The ETL is the higher rye mashbill and the ERSB is from the lower rye mashbill. Don't get confused, because neither are especially high in rye, they both have quite a bit of corn in them.
If you want to spend more money, Rock Hill Farms is another excellent one. It seems to be the less known, more appreciated sibling of Blantons.
George T Stagg is another one I would recommend to you. Don't get me wrong, the 140+ proof is going to knock your socks off, but it is the best horse in the Buffalo Trace stables.
If you want to go cheaper, I would recommend Buffalo Trace's namesake. It is usually very reasonable in price and is a great pour. AAA is another great pour.
If you want to know everything in each mashbill, here is a list:
BT Mashbill #1 (Lower Rye): Benchmark, Eagle Rare, Old Charter, Buffalo Trace and George T Stagg
BT Mashbill #2 (Higher Rye):Ancient (Ancient) Age, Rock Hill Farms, Hancock President's Reserve, Blantons, Elmer T Lee, Virginia Gentleman.
If you want to try a different distillery, I would recommend the EC12 from Heaven Hill. That is of course if you liked the EWSB. Those are the only two from HH that get my recommendation.
If you wan to venture into wheaters but stick with BT, I would recommend Weller 12. VanWinkle Lot B is also excellent, but Weller 12 is about $20 cheaper around here.
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Ah, thanks guys. Unfortunately the three I mentioned are the only Buffalo Trace bourbons available at the ABC stores here in NC.
*frowns*
What are the legal restrictions or limitations from online stores/shipping/etc.?
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Thanks Ben for clearing that up I knew I was out on a limb on the mash bills thing. I don't know the mash bills i was just taking an uneducated guess.
Re: n00b from Chapel Hill
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ElasticalGomez
What are the legal restrictions or limitations from online stores/shipping/etc.?
Disregard this question as some very helpful people have given me the answer. :cool:
