Hallo from Germany

[Makopa]

Hi guys,

Before you get exited about getting a German into the forum , I am actually South African living in Munich at the moment. But this will of course be my shopping base for Bourbon in the foreseeable future!

I am very impressed with the forum here, have been reading a lot of posts the last few days. I will also elaborate a little bit below in what I like to drink and see if you guys can recommend me one or two bottles.

Also reading so much about alcohol keeps one VERY thirsty!

My drinking: I do enjoy a basic scotch once in a long while (Famous Grouse, Jameson), and did have a few single malts once in a while. My two favorites (I think the top of any alcohol for me so far) is Oban and Glenfiddich 15 year Solera. Amazing stuff.

I also rediscovered drinking Rum...as I found out not all rum are nasty things you need to add Coke to. So now going to order Flor de Cana 7 year

My experience with Bourbon is very limited unfortunately and I need to rectify this. I always liked JD once in a while on ice (I know...its not bourbon). The other night I found a bar with Makers Mark and went for it. Very smooth indeed. I liked it. But its not so full bodied for me. So I guess I am looking for a bit more complex flavors. More wood?

For one I am for sure going to buy Four Roses yellow label as its cheap here (15 euro per bottle) as a everyday/mix bourbon. It seems to get very good opinions overall. So I need something a little bit higher up the alcohol chain. Something that can give me a good idea in which direction I should go.

Initial options with prices:
Elijah Craig 12 20 euro per bottle
Bulleit (40%) 19E (bad ac. to one post when compared to 45%)
Blanton's special reserve 21E (seems to be only available in europe)
Blantons Original 27E
Jim Bean Black 18E
Wild Turkey 101 8y 23E
Buffalo Trace 30E
Four Roses single barrel 31E
Fighting cock 6y 20E

Wide variety and flavours, I know. There are of course more available, but some are out of proportion expensive when compared to how they are priced in the US to each other. For now I would prefer to stay at the 20 euro level since I can see most of the rye/wheat options in this price range. I think I saw WL Weller 7 year also on one of the shops here for 25 I think.

If you have any questions to help you narrow down the selection then I will be happy to answer. As you can see I am suffering big time from verbal diarrhea The curse of a scientist.

Thanks again! Looking forward to sippin some nice bourbon and start the journey.

Francois

[nor02lei]

Hi guys,

Before you get exited about getting a German into the forum , I am actually South African living in Munich at the moment. But this will of course be my shopping base for Bourbon in the foreseeable future!

I am very impressed with the forum here, have been reading a lot of posts the last few days. I will also elaborate a little bit below in what I like to drink and see if you guys can recommend me one or two bottles.

Also reading so much about alcohol keeps one VERY thirsty!

My drinking: I do enjoy a basic scotch once in a long while (Famous Grouse, Jameson), and did have a few single malts once in a while. My two favorites (I think the top of any alcohol for me so far) is Oban and Glenfiddich 15 year Solera. Amazing stuff.

I also rediscovered drinking Rum...as I found out not all rum are nasty things you need to add Coke to. So now going to order Flor de Cana 7 year

My experience with Bourbon is very limited unfortunately and I need to rectify this. I always liked JD once in a while on ice (I know...its not bourbon). The other night I found a bar with Makers Mark and went for it. Very smooth indeed. I liked it. But its not so full bodied for me. So I guess I am looking for a bit more complex flavors. More wood?

For one I am for sure going to buy Four Roses yellow label as its cheap here (15 euro per bottle) as a everyday/mix bourbon. It seems to get very good opinions overall. So I need something a little bit higher up the alcohol chain. Something that can give me a good idea in which direction I should go.

Initial options with prices:
Elijah Craig 12 20 euro per bottle
Bulleit (40%) 19E (bad ac. to one post when compared to 45%)
Blanton's special reserve 21E (seems to be only available in europe)
Blantons Original 27E
Jim Bean Black 18E
Wild Turkey 101 8y 23E
Buffalo Trace 30E
Four Roses single barrel 31E
Fighting cock 6y 20E

Wide variety and flavours, I know. There are of course more available, but some are out of proportion expensive when compared to how they are priced in the US to each other. For now I would prefer to stay at the 20 euro level since I can see most of the rye/wheat options in this price range. I think I saw WL Weller 7 year also on one of the shops here for 25 I think.

If you have any questions to help you narrow down the selection then I will be happy to answer. As you can see I am suffering big time from verbal diarrhea The curse of a scientist.

Thanks again! Looking forward to sippin some nice bourbon and start the journey.

Francois

Francois,

To my personal taste WT 8 101 proof and Elias Craig 12 are both the best taste and value on your list. I do bay most of my bourbon from Germany as well.

Leif

[Inthewater]

It really depends on what sort of burbon you are looking for. I am a newbie here, but I do know that there is a huge variety of different flavors just in that sampling you listed.

My choices out of there would be the WT 8/101 and the Buffalo Trace, though those are both higher priced.

Can not comment on the others, as I have not tried many of them. can say that most people here don't seem to be much of a fan of the Bulleit. Would stay away from that one, I think.

oh, welcome to the boards.

[Stu]

Welcome Francois,

Personally, I would rank FR yellow label as equal to or superior to some of the bourbons on your list, but I'm a big FR fan. Consequently, if you can afford the 31E, try the FR SB. I agree with Leif about WT 101. I'd say there's not a bad bourbon on the list. May I suggest you buy one, drink enough of the bottle to form an opinion then put the bottle away and buy another. After you have several part bottles, revisit the first couple or three, review your tasting notes prior to tasting, and sample them in the same night. See if your tastes have changed, and see which you enjoy more. Repeat this process at a later date and your preferences might change. After a while you'll be able to say "Tonight is a ----- night". You may find some that you will think are not worth the money in comparison to others. Tastes differ, so you may think some of someone else's favorites aren't worth the money, and vice versa.

Enjoy your exploring and welcome again.

Stu

[Makopa]

Thanks Leif and "Inthewater" for your replies!

I just came back from the shop with my Four Roses yellow label and could not resist opening it up and poured a shot. Wow...its definitely drier than I anticipated, almost in the scotch dryness field and much drier than either Jack Daniels or Makers Mark. But a full verdict would have to wait till I dug my head deeper into the bottle

I guess I can say I will most likely try all sorts of bourbons over time. Thats what is making me excited as tasting and buying scotch has become quite expensive.

But one has to start somewhere, and I guess I am looking for a recommendation of a premium kind of bourbon which is the quintessential or typical bourbon....and from where I can say...ok....its a bit spicy, therefore let me go more in the smooth and wheaty direction, or lets load up the rye content

Consensus so far between the two posts goes for WT101/8. I was also eyeballing that one.

Leif which online store do you mostly use?

I have found these so far that seems to have decent prices and variety:
https://www.weinquelle.com/whisky/American_Whiskey.html
http://www.thewhiskytrader.de/catego...?cat=97&page=1
http://www.spirituosen-superbillig.c...n_Whiskey.html

Thanks for the welcoming!

[Makopa]

Stu,

Thanks for the reply! Great advice about drinking the bottle about half and getting another one. I will do that for sure.

Glad to hear you like the FR yellow so much! I am digging into her at the moment.

[Inthewater]

From what I was told right off the bat, and my experiences, the WT 101 is a ryed whiskey, while MM is a wheater. It may be that you prefer the more subtle wheated burbons. I like them all, depending on the time of day and alignment of the stars.



WT 101 will be a spicy, hot pour compared to the MM. But, the flavor is bold and delicious.

So far, my two favorites have been Evan Williams Single barrel and the WT 101, with standard Buffalo Trace as a nice "day-to-day" pour that I can get for a decent price and enjoy regularly.

Let us know what else you try, always good to hear new opinions.

[nor02lei]

Leif which online store do you mostly use?

I have found these so far that seems to have decent prices and variety:
https://www.weinquelle.com/whisky/American_Whiskey.html
http://www.thewhiskytrader.de/catego...?cat=97&page=1
http://www.spirituosen-superbillig.c...n_Whiskey.html

Thanks for the welcoming!

Most/many of them don’t ship to Sweden Francois. This is the 2 I use most: http://www.maltharry.de/shop/
http://www.whiskydepot.com/

Leif

[Makopa]

Thanks guys for the extra info!

I think I will go for a Turkey 101 in Round 1 to compliment the four roses yellow. And then come back and give you guys my humble opinion. Then we see where we go from there.

Francois

[fishnbowljoe]

Welcome to SB Francois. Small world isn't it? Looks like you've already got a good start on your bourbon journey. It also appears that a few others have given you some good recommendations. I second what Inthewater suggested. WT8 101, MM, and BT are all great bourbons. Those three would give you a nice variety of tastes to try.

Which Weller 7 did you see? There are two. Weller Special Reserve 7/90, and Weller Antigue (Old Weller Antique) 7/107. Both are worth trying. I must admit though, I'm a little biased when it comes to Weller offerings. They are among my favorite bourbons, especially the Weller 12 yr old. So, cheers, and again, welcome aboard. Joe