How to drink bourbon

I'm sure this topic has been addresed befor, but I wasn't sure where. How do you drink your bourbon and why? I almost always drink it with a few drops of water in a Pure Glass (from Maison du whisky, see my paraphanalia post). The drops of water seem to open the nose and to a lesser extent the palate. Room tempurature and the glass seem to greatly expand the bouquet. My palate seems to go a little dead with cold spirits.

I'll occasionally have it in a perfect Manhattan on the rocks or mixed with ginger ale. This is usually when there is not a bourbon I really like.

But that's just my taste. What's the best way for you?

I like Different One's Different ways it seems, Heres how I Like the ones I have at home right now:

(I almost always drink it in my favorite heavy bottomed old fashioned glass I like the heft it has)

Blanton's & Woodford Reserve - Neat (they just coat the throat so well)
Old Forester & EWSB '90 - one ice cube per 2 oz (they seem more refreshing that way)
Jim Beam Black - 3 ice cubes per 3 3/4 oz ( i dunno i just like it http://www.straightbourbon.com/images/icons/smile.gif)

the old forester is good with ginger ale as well thouh the weather hasnt been too conducive to that recently (BRRRRRR. . . .Chilly).


TomC

Hi John!

For serious tasting I use a whisky blender's glass that I bought from PubGear.com that was imported from (ACK!) Scotland. http://www.straightbourbon.com/images/icons/blush.gif

For slow contemplative neat sipping I use a snifter.

For pants slingin' drinkin' I've got a variety of bourbon glasses from various distilleries. I use a splash of water with three cubes of ice and three or four fingers of bourbon depending upon glass size.

Sometimes I just take a slug straight from the bottle. Bleeeee!http://www.straightbourbon.com/images/icons/laugh.gif

Is anyone actually stocking and selling the Pure Glass now?http://www.straightbourbon.com/images/icons/cool.gif

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

Hi folks!

I always have my bourbon or rye neat at room temperature, in a small, heavy snifter that holds 4 oz., about half-full (or a drop more). I found three of these snifters at a local thrift store - they had been packed with processed cheese spread in one of those gift packs. I also smoke a pipe with my drink - the interplay of flavors between bourbon and tobacco is a never-ending set of surprises. There should be more posts in the "smokes" section, come to think of it.

Ralph Wilps

You are soooooo right Ralph! People just don't understand how vitally important tobacco is to one's spiritual well being. Bourbon is a health tonic delux. My co-workers wonder why I never catch cold or get the flu -> bourbon that's why! Others become melancholy; dissatisfied with their lot in life, vindictive, petty and back biting -> thrashing about in a spiritual void. In their empty tizzy they work out and eat healthy 'organic' foods downing expensive vitamins and hearbal supplements; drinks & 'power bars' to the tune of several hundred dollars a month. - yet still they wonder why they feel poorly. They've turn'd their backs on the greatest herb of all -> TOBACCO!

For physical and spiritual well being nothing beats bourbon & tobacco. They're gifts from GOD.

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

Normally, I drink my bourbon neat, at room temperature, in an on-the-rocks glass. Sometimes I will throw in an ice cube or two, especially if the bourbon is extremely high proof or a less than distinguished brand. If I am drinking for the purpose of writing a review, I usually use a snifter and will add room temperature water after an initial tasting neat. Water does tease out flavors not detectible at full strength.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://cowdery.home.netcom.com>--Chuck Cowdery</A>

Always at room temperature and never with ice or anything diluting my bourbon. I do drink lots of water as i'm drinking though. besides collecting old whisky, i also like to aquire old whisky or distillery glasses, but never on the rocks glasses. it seems to make the OLD FORESTER 100* taste better out of OLD FORESTER straight glasses, just an example. life is good--den

I normally like my bourbon neat, with a tall glass of water or ginger ale, back. I believe in chasers, a few glasses of water or soda at cocktail time helps prevent dehydration overnight.
I'm not too particular about glassware, unless I think the quality of the bourbon calls for a snifter. I'll make a Sazerac, Old Fashioned, Julep or Manhattan on occasion, particularly if a guest asks for one, serve all of those in 'Old Fashioned' glassware. But left to my own devices, I sample an ounce or so of Bourbon A, then another ounce or so of Bourbon B, then a shot of my almost-daily pour of Knob Creek while slurping away at my tall glass of water and ice, and call it a day. With a fairly good supply of whiskey to sample, I don't burn out on any one bourbon this way.

For everyday chasers, I use Schwepps or Canada Dry Ginger Ale, and I'll sometimes mix rye with Stewart's Ginger Beer. Let me recommend Stewarts Ginger Beer, it's very spicy, somewhat sweet but it's the ginger-bite that I like. About twice as strong as the ginger ale's mentioned above. I find it in 4-packs at my grocery store, it's not cheap but it's good stuff.

I cut mine with a little branch water, on the rocks, (except when I have a really good Bourbon, such as the Blantons the fine people on this site turned me on to, which I drink neat.)

Amen, brother...In some recent very bad times it's meant a lot to puff smoke from the pipe of peace to the four directions, and to lift a glass full of the spirit of the grains of our country at the center of the circle. All made in this dear land by people who care about their craft.

Ralph