Anything generally agreed upon?

[ElasticalGomez]

So...I'm a n00b, right? And I'm surfing and lurking at this board trying to figure out what to get next, what's worth the time, what I might enjoy and how to develop my palate via comparing bourbons.

And I have yet to really get through a thread without somebody saying the word "Disappointment". Now...either some of you are crotchety old bastards or there seems to be too much inherent truth in the phrase "no accounting for tastes." I just want to call B.S. on that B.S. though. There's got to be SOME bourbons that the majority agree are unquestionably NOT a disappointment either for it's price or overall quality.

Any of you bourbon vets wanna enlighten me?

[funknik]

Any of you bourbon vets wanna enlighten me?

I'm not a vet, but there's a lot of praise for WL Weller Special Reserve & Van Winkle Lot 'B' on the board, I haven't really heard the word disappointment surrounding those two very much. Still, getting everyone to agree on any one thing is next to impossible, somebody's not going to like it. I've been disappointed by things that others love and there are things I love that I'm sure others dislike....Universal Truth is a fickle mistress. The thing that's worked for me is to find out what I like, and then use that information and what I can glean from others when making a purchase of something I haven't had before.

Also, if you have something against crotchety old bastards, you may be in the wrong place.

[ElasticalGomez]

The thing that's worked for me is to find out what I like, and then use that information and what I can glean from others when making a purchase of something I haven't had before.

Exactly what I've been doing. I just assumed however there have to be a few "untouchables" out there.

Also, if you have something against crotchety old bastards, you may be in the wrong place.

don't worry, i'm working on becoming one myself!

[LarryG]

I'm also a relative noob, but FWIW ...

Andy is right; tastes differ, so I doubt you'll ever find a bourbon that everyone agrees on. That said, I have have observed very few detractors here for Wild Turkey 101 and WT Rare Breed on the rye side of the aisle, and the various Wellers, especially the 12YO and the Antique 107, from the wheaters.

All these are reasonably priced, and I think that's key: the more one pays, the more one expects, and the more likely one is to feel let down if the pour doesn't quite live up to its premium price.

Larry

[reggie]

what I might enjoy and how to develop my palate via comparing bourbons.

I could use a little help in this area too. I know what I like, what I think is good, but I'm not at the level of being able to single out certain flavors or aromas. If someone could point out a few bourbons that exhibit specific characteristics to their most extreme it might help me to identify it when it shows up more subtly.

I'm quite sure I can do it if I know what I'm looking for. In college I worked on a panel that was identifying certain chemicals in water by smell. With practice I got quite good at identifying the couple of chemicals that our professor was specifically targeting. The nose is quite a powerful analytical device, we were working well below the threshold of standard analytical tools like gas chromatography.

[OscarV]

Hmmm,....I have never thought about it before, but I guess that Van Winkle Lot B is the one that would get a majority vote here on the mighty, mighty SB.com.
I disagree with the majority of most democracies, but I would go along with Lot B.

[kickert]

I think Weller SR is the safest recommendation for anyone. The lower proof won't overwhelm anyone and it has good wheat qualities that both amatuers and newbies can enjoy. At the end of the day, at $14, it is hard to be disappointed.

[OscarV]

Yep kickert, I gotta agree.

[smokinjoe]

Pappy 15. Not cheap, but universally revered for it's taste.

[ElasticalGomez]

dammit. i'd LOVE to check out Pappy but unfortunately NC's *amazing* ABC laws prevent me from doing so.