New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

[loneranger84]

So, I've been doing my research in looking for good bourbons to try. In particular, Sijan's (Dan's) thread has been very helpful to me!


Anyway, some of his top recommendations (and recommendations of Wine Enthusiast, Beverage Tasting Institute, and others) seem to get very low ratings on this whiskey rating site: www.practicalwhisky.net.

In particular, look at a brand like Wild Turkey 101. (From what I understand, this is an archetypal bourbon.)
Wine Enthusiast: 92
Beverage Tasting Institute: 89
Practical Whisky: 65

Two more for illustration:
Bourbon (WE Score) [BTI Score] {PW Score}
Old Forester (86) [88] {61}
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 1998 (90-95) [94] {59}

So does this guy just not know bourbon? He seems to like ERSB a lot (giving it a 90)...


Also, if you're still reading, I'm going to try my bourbons in this order. Any suggestions for changes/additions?
OFS, OGD BiB, OWA, WT101, EWSB, (ETL maybe), ERSB

[OscarV]

People have different and diverse tastes.
There are some bourbons that are highly praised by members here on SB.com that I don't like and vice versa.
Ratings by magazines and/or websites are just opinions by people, just because they have a website or write for a magazine does not necessarily mean they are correct or wrong.
Here are a few bourbons, by one distillery, that if you search the threads here on SB.com you will think they are absolutely great,...
Buffalo Trace
Blanton's
Rock Hill Farms
Benchmark
Eagle Rare Single Barrel
Virginia Gentelman
Elmer T Lee
Hancock's
I always pass on the above, just don't like 'em, but some here think they are the best thing on Earth.
So you Sir will have to try them all like the rest of us have done and decide for yourself.

[jburlowski]

All reviews are one person's opinion and like a**holes everyone's got one.

The key is to check your preferences / opinions of specific bourbons against those of the reviewer. If they are in general concurrence, his reviews of other bottlings will likely (but not always) be of some value. If wildly divergent, probably not.

Doesn't make him (or you) right or wrong.... just different.

[CygnusX-1]

Thats a damn fine line up and will give you a diverse bourbon portfolio. and i would get the ETL for sure its a personal fav and highly regarded (if you search this sight i dought you will find much criticism if any on it, only praise)

[loneranger84]

Oh, I'll be checking them out! No worry about that.

I'm a former Scotch drinker, so I want to make sure I give Bourbon a fair chance here with some good representatives.

OFS will be my first pour tonight. Cheers!

[OscarV]

People have different and diverse tastes.
There are some bourbons that are highly praised by members here on SB.com that I don't like and vice versa.
Ratings by magazines and/or websites are just opinions by people, just because they have a website or write for a magazine does not necessarily mean they are correct or wrong.
Here are a few bourbons, by one distillery, that if you search the threads here on SB.com you will think they are absolutely great,...
Buffalo Trace
Blanton's
Rock Hill Farms
Benchmark
Eagle Rare Single Barrel
Virginia Gentelman
Elmer T Lee
Hancock's
I always pass on the above, just don't like 'em, but some here think they are the best thing on Earth.
So you Sir will have to try them all like the rest of us have done and decide for yourself.

Thats a damn fine line up and will give you a diverse bourbon portfolio. and i would get the ETL for sure its a personal fav and highly regarded (if you search this sight i dought you will find much criticism if any on it, only praise)

So loneranger84 see what I mean, the decision is up to you and only you.

[fishnbowljoe]

All reviews are one person's opinion and like a**holes everyone's got one.

The key is to check your preferences / opinions of specific bourbons against those of the reviewer. If they are in general concurrence, his reviews of other bottlings will likely (but not always) be of some value. If wildly divergent, probably not.

Doesn't make him (or you) right or wrong.... just different.

Ditto. Recommendations are.... well....., just someone's opinion of taste as they see it. Everyone that has posted on this thread so far, makes valid points. John kinda hit the nail on the head though. You have to figure out what your preferences are. Speaking from experience, (trial and error thank goodness I finally found this site, or it would have been a whole lot more trial and error) you have to figure out what you like. Wheated bourbons, high rye bourbons, higher/lower proof, etc.... Once you figure that out, it gets a little easier. Then you can concentrate on the type of bourbons you like, and dabble a little bit with ones that are different from what you normally prefer. If you're anything like me, you'll find that once you find your "niche", and gain some experience, your tastes will start to broaden some. A good example. I usually prefer wheated bourbons, or bourbons with a low rye mashbill. I have stated that quite often, and a lot of the regulars here know that. Lately I have actually purchased a few ryes. I think I surprised a couple of folks. It's all good. Just a part of learning and growing. Hang in there. You've actually done pretty good so far. You've got some good bourbons to start, and you've done some research. Good luck, have fun, and keep posting. Let us know how it's going. Cheers! Joe

[loneranger84]

Ditto. Recommendations are.... well....., just someone's opinion of taste as they see it. Everyone that has posted on this thread so far, makes valid points. John kinda hit the nail on the head though. You have to figure out what your preferences are. Speaking from experience, (trial and error thank goodness I finally found this site, or it would have been a whole lot more trial and error) you have to figure out what you like. Wheated bourbons, high rye bourbons, higher/lower proof, etc.... Once you figure that out, it gets a little easier. Then you can concentrate on the type of bourbons you like, and dabble a little bit with ones that are different from what you normally prefer. If you're anything like me, you'll find that once you find your "niche", and gain some experience, your tastes will start to broaden some. A good example. I usually prefer wheated bourbons, or bourbons with a low rye mashbill. I have stated that quite often, and a lot of the regulars here know that. Lately I have actually purchased a few ryes. I think I surprised a couple of folks. It's all good. Just a part of learning and growing. Hang in there. You've actually done pretty good so far. You've got some good bourbons to start, and you've done some research. Good luck, have fun, and keep posting. Let us know how it's going. Cheers! Joe

Well, I'll provide what tasting notes I can. I'm not very good at pinpointing tastes though and putting them into words.

For example, I like to drink really nice coffee, and I can appreciate a good coffee (maybe even pinpointing some of the aromas/tastes). But I'm no taster; those guys identify smells/tastes that I still can't find after months of drinking the stuff. If that makes sense.

As a wheated bourbon fan, do you think OWA will do wheated bourbons justice? (Can't get WLW12 here.)

[ErichPryde]

As others have basically said: take a play out of cowdery's book (literally, and it's a very informative and great book)- disregard "scores," as they are completely subversive to what anything is actually worth. When I was new to whiskey, my mom gave me a copy of Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2008. It's an excellent resource, but you absolutely have to take it with a grain of salt- I soon learned that Murray seems to have a taste for ryes and ryed bourbons more than he does wheated bourbons. The most clear example of this is his rating of Pappy Van Winkle's 20 year old bourbon. He gives it a 79, yet this bourbon got something like a 99 or 100 from wine enthusiast (someone please correct me if I am wrong, I remember reading that somewhere?). In addition, the majority of people on this forum seem to love the PVW20. I've never actually had a chance to try it, so I wouldn't have any idea...

In addition, the ratings from a site named practical bourbon- what are the criteria? with a name like "Practical Bourbon," I have to wonder if this guy is factoring in other categories besides your typical Nose, taste, balance, and finish. If I were to rate a bourbon practically, I would also take into account things like availability, cost, and stability. Of course, I've never looked at the site, so I could be completely off base.


FURTHERMORE.... yes, I think the Weller Antique will do the wheaters justice. I personally can not stand the Weller 12 and would rather drink boiling tequila rose. Oak seems to be prominent in a lot of the wheated bourbons (with the exception of the William Larue Weller that I have in the cabinet), and in my opinion it dominates the W12 too thoroughly. I do like the Antique, and PVW15, among other wheaters... But that's personal preference for ya- other people love the W12 and seem to dislike things like the ERSB, which I think is a great everyday drinkin' whiskey.



FINALLY... You should definitely seriously for sure add Corner Creek reserve to your lineup. It's exceptional AND in that strange category of "break-in bourbons for scotch drinkers." Although I have to say, the last scotch drinker I converted was with Buffalo Trace, which isn't one of my favorites. however that worked.

what was your preference when it came to scotches?

[sailor22]

I just gave the Practical site a good look and it seems clearly tilted towards Scotch, even stinky Scotch scores higher than most Bourbon.

So if you want your Bourbon to taste like Scotch you can take the scores seriously - if not just follow some of the previous advice. Try anything you think you might like. Taste as many as you can and post some impressions. Enjoy and have fun.