Successful Two Bourbon Vattings

[Young Blacksmith]

That would be similar to one of my vattings I still have, but I did Heaven Hill. EWB + EWSB + EC12. The EWB was nicely young, but needed a bit more complexity. They EWSB was OK, but needed a bit more sweetness. The EC12 was sweet, but the rye kick at the end was harsh.

All three together made for a nice blend. Not very far from the originals, but just enough to make the bottle finishable.

I say try it, and let us know how it goes!

[CoMobourbon]

Bourbons mixed; will get back in a week or two with a report.

[kyrocklover]

Just mixed a 50/50 split of Rare Breed and Knob Creek. First taste was damn good but the nose was not.

[JayMonster]

How long do you let it "vat"?

I will test at 2 weeks and usually wait 4 weeks. But that is just me, and others may have different periods they allow it to marry.

[Gillman]

I really don't apply any marrying time, I think once you blend them in the bottle, it's done. It would be different if the marriage was barreled and stored for a while because further aging would take place.

I know many feel though that a period of resting in the bottle may help, it may well be so, but I don't think the changes would be significant.

Gary

[mosugoji64]

Basil Hayden (still at 8 years) and OGD 114 (or maybe OGD BIB)? This seems stupidly obvious and simple - I understand that they're supposed to be the same juice at different ages and proofs - but I am still interested in advice as to what ratios might work best.

Maybe 50/50? Or would more than 50% BH be needed to significantly alter (smooth out/lighten up/sweeten?) the OGD?

This is interesting because most of the vattings above seem to account mostly for differences in mash bill, especially differences in rye vs. wheat content. A BH and ODG blend seems like a perfect chance to figure out how different ages affect vattings. (I am operating under the assumption that the OGD is little more than half the age of BH.)

*Now that I think about it, the would-be clever plan above is really not so original; doesn't SB blend fit the same pattern (but with wheaters instead of rye bourbons)?

Your idea makes perfect sense. My initial thought would be to vat the combo down to 100 proof (a greater ratio of BH to OGD) and give that a try. Let us know how it turns out!

[CoMobourbon]

I really don't apply any marrying time, I think once you blend them in the bottle, it's done. It would be different if the marriage was barreled and stored for a while because further aging would take place.

Your idea makes perfect sense. My initial thought would be to vat the combo down to 100 proof (a greater ratio of BH to OGD) and give that a try. Let us know how it turns out!

My inclination would be to agree with Gary, but as this is my first time vatting, I thought I might try it at various stages.

To that end, I tried the BH / OGD 114 mix a few hours ago (at less than 24 hours after blending). To be clear, I added them at 50/50 (100 ml each), which should put the resultant whiskey at 97 proof. Math was never my best subject, but I'm pretty sure that 80+114/2 = 97.

Simply put, the result was good. Nothing was astounding because nothing was unaccountable; it just turned out like a good balanced mixture of both as expected. The defining features of each, good and bad, were moderated, but in such a way that the weaknesses lost more than the strengths.

I am rambling; let me try to get a little more specific. To make the complex matter of taste simpler, I will say that the front end tasted like the BH while the back end and finish tasted more like the OGD. More of a sweet delicate rye with honey and floral notes on the front/beginning, and more of that unmistakable orange spicy slightly woody dark flavor ("burnt brownie" as somebody sage here once described it) on the back end. I was really surprised at how cleanly these flavors separated and at how nicely they mediated each other. The experience, then, is smoother and sweeter than the OGD but carries more punch and character than the BH alone.

I will try to save some for 2 weeks or at least 1 week, but my first response here is a thumbs up with caveats. It is really good and nicely balanced, but I feel like big fans of BH and big fans of ODG 114 (like me) might not always prefer it to their respective babies. For example, I am unlikely to reach for it when I am in the mood for OGD 114, which is pretty often. Also, I basically never have BH in the house. I imagine that BH fans find themselves in the converse situation.

Here it is (finally I found it!): If you are looking for an improvement on the already formidable ODG BIB or otherwise want a better version of ODG near 100 proof, go for it. If you want ODG 114, though, there is no substitute, and this vatting is no exception.

[Enoch]

I had a bottle of WTR 81 and a bottle of Rebel Yell. I don't care for either so I blended them 1:1 and it produced a fairly drinkable blend. At least I don't have to give them to my daughter's male friends. (Like Mikey, they'll drink anything.)

[CoMobourbon]

For the record, after 1.5 weeks, the 50/50 BH OGD114 vatting seems marginally improved.

That is to say, it was good on the 1st day and is maybe even a little better on the 9-12th day. It might just be my imagination / expectations, but it seems more well integrated. Maybe 1.5 weeks of distance between now and the memory of mixing it play a factor here, but I feel like this vatting tastes like a believable (and excellent) whiskey that a pro might have bottled.

In any case, I think that I will go ahead and vat the rest of my dwindling OGD 114 supply. Sad, bittersweet day.

[ChainWhip]

I really don't apply any marrying time, I think once you blend them in the bottle, it's done. It would be different if the marriage was barreled and stored for a while because further aging would take place.

I know many feel though that a period of resting in the bottle may help, it may well be so, but I don't think the changes would be significant.

Gary

If this is true, I am curious why Balvenie marries various barrels in a Tun for months - is the purpose to further age the whisky? It seems odd considering the ages of the single barrels in those Tun batches.