Introducing... myself!

[adirondack]

Hi all,

Just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to the group. I live in upstate New York (though I was born and raised in the shadow of New York City) and am a longtime bourbon drinker. I manage a fine wine/liquor store.

My favorite pours are the PVW 20 yr and the Old Charter PR. The bottle I use for everyday purposes is the Basil Haydens 80 proof. I am eagerly looking for suggestions as to what to stock in my shop and what to drink/splurge on myself. Look forward to talking to all of you.

[jeff]

Welcome! Glad you found us

[wadewood]

It would not be splurging, but if you you like Basil Hayden, I would suggest you try Old Grand Dad. It is also made by Jim Beam (same as Basil H.) using the same mashbill, but is less expensive. It comes in several proofs; I prefer the BIB 100 proof.

[adirondack]

I have noticed in the board that a lot of people do not seem to like the Basil Hayden's - is there a specific reason for this, or is it just a matter of taste?

Thanks for the suggestion on the Old grand Dad, we keep it stocked in the store, I will take a bottle home tomorrow night to try. I believe we have an 80 proof as well as the 100 proof you mentioned.

[mythrenegade]

Welcome!

My family used to have a cabin in Old Forge, so I LOVE your name. Some of my very best memories of childhood involve the Adirondack mountains. Where is your shop?

My favorite bourbon is Elijah Craig 18 year old. It's not super expensive but is very complex. How much bourbon do you sell? I would guess that you should carry a few standards like Wild Turkey 101 and Maker's Mark, and beyond that I would try stocking stuff that the other stores don't carry.

Some great choices would be Old Grand Dad 114, which can be harder to find than the lower proofs, and Eagle Rare 10 year old. Ridgemont Reserve 1792 is probably a good choice because the bottle is very attractive, and likely to attract attention on your shelf.

joel

[barturtle]

I have noticed in the board that a lot of people do not seem to like the Basil Hayden's - is there a specific reason for this, or is it just a matter of taste?

Thanks for the suggestion on the Old grand Dad, we keep it stocked in the store, I will take a bottle home tomorrow night to try. I believe we have an 80 proof as well as the 100 proof you mentioned.

I think the main issue many of us have with Basil Hayden has nothing to do with its flavor as it is a fine whiskey, I believe it has more to do with the fact that we don't want to pay for water. Being an 80 proof premium whiskey is almost an oxymoron. And since it is the same basic recipe as Old Grand Dad, which is available in higher proofs and at a lower price (though not age stated), those are the whiskies we would recommend instead.

If I want 80 proof whiskey I'll by some 100 proof plus and add my own water, thankyouverymuch!

You also might like to try the OGD 114. I also find Bulleit to be in a similar range that you may like to try. And since you like Old Charter, may I suggest Eagle Rare Single Barrel.

[adirondack]

Welcome!

My family used to have a cabin in Old Forge, so I LOVE your name. Some of my very best memories of childhood involve the Adirondack mountains. Where is your shop?

My favorite bourbon is Elijah Craig 18 year old. It's not super expensive but is very complex. How much bourbon do you sell? I would guess that you should carry a few standards like Wild Turkey 101 and Maker's Mark, and beyond that I would try stocking stuff that the other stores don't carry.

Some great choices would be Old Grand Dad 114, which can be harder to find than the lower proofs, and Eagle Rare 10 year old. Ridgemont Reserve 1792 is probably a good choice because the bottle is very attractive, and likely to attract attention on your shelf.

joel

Thanks for the welcome and suggestions!

Old Forge, FANTASTIC! I was drawn to move to this area based upon a similar family vacation tradition on Canada Lake. The shop itself is located just outside of the green line in the Saratoga area.

We actually do sell quite a bit of bourbon (and scotch, canadian, and irish). We currently carry Makers Mark, Beam, Knob Creek, Beam Black, Beam Choice (I think it is called with the green label), WIld Turkey 80 and 101, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Russells Reserve, Ridgemont Reserve, Basil Haydens, Bakers, Bookers, Bulleit Frontier, Eagle Rare SB, Old Crow, Whiskey River, Ten High, Woodford Reserve.

While I know for a fact we have one of the better bourbon selections in the area, I don't believe it matches the sophistication of our Scotch offerings and I would very much like to remedy this.

As well we currently only carry one Rye (Jim Beam yellow label) and I would love to expand that as well but wouldn't really know where to begin!

[adirondack]

I think the main issue many of us have with Basil Hayden has nothing to do with its flavor as it is a fine whiskey, I believe it has more to do with the fact that we don't want to pay for water. Being an 80 proof premium whiskey is almost an oxymoron. And since it is the same basic recipe as Old Grand Dad, which is available in higher proofs and at a lower price (though not age stated), those are the whiskies we would recommend instead.

If I want 80 proof whiskey I'll by some 100 proof plus and add my own water, thankyouverymuch!

You also might like to try the OGD 114. I also find Bulleit to be in a similar range that you may like to try. And since you like Old Charter, may I suggest Eagle Rare Single Barrel.

Thanks for the scoop on the Basil Haydens. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before i would have come to this conclusion myself (and perhaps not).

Not being very familiar with the process of making bourbon, I am wondering is water actually added to bourbon to normalize its proof? And if so during what stage of the process?

Thanks for your reply and suggestions! I have not sampled the Eagle Rare SB in a while, so I guess that is going to be next on my list after the OGD 100. I am going to have to seek out the OGD 114.

[snakster]

As well we currently only carry one Rye (Jim Beam yellow label) and I would love to expand that as well but wouldn't really know where to begin!

My first (easy) suggestion to this one is Wild Turkey Rye. It is very good (IMO) and easy on the budget.

[barturtle]

Not being very familiar with the process of making bourbon, I am wondering is water actually added to bourbon to normalize its proof? And if so during what stage of the process?

Water is added at least twice. The whiskey is usually distilled to somewhere in the 150 proof range, but has to go into the barrel at under 125, so water is added to get it under that limit. Then after aging water is added to bring it down to bottling proof. Bottling proof for bourbon is minimum 80 so that's as low as they can go and therefor the maximum amount of water is added to get there. there is no max, so there are a few barrel proof whiskies available and a few of these exceed 140 proof.