VOB BIB vs. Tom Moore BIB

[pausted]

In an earlier thread, I said that I was able to get a couple of bottles of VOB BIB from a friend who had recently traveled through Kentucky. A suggestion was made that I could try Tom Moore BIB and that the taste would be similar. I located a bottle of the Tom Moore BIB here and to my very unrefined palate, it tastes like the same whiskey. Can any of you enlighten me? Is it the same? Maybe an age difference? Thanks for your help.

BH

[mozilla]

Well, I'll back up my own statement then...

VOB is no younger than 6 yrs....TM BiB is no younger than 4 yrs.

They are from the same mash bill and yeast strain and IIRC, are batched in bunches roughly 80 barrels deep.

I recently tried some Colonel Lee....and it was similar to both. Though I believe there is some differences in the profiles...just not as much as other producers. YMMV.

[pausted]

Jeff, thanks again. Your knowledge is appreciated. I had told you I couldn't find Tom Moore BIB in the Valley. Took a closer look and sure enough it is in the next row.

BH

[mozilla]

That has happened to me alot....

TM is not one of the bourbons that many will give you a good review on. Some look at the bottom shelf with much disdain. I really have liked all the Barton bourbons that I have tried. I will even go as far as to say that I tried Ten High while in Ky recently.....thought it matched the Barton profile...and wasn't that bad for an 80 proofer. Bourbon doesn't have to be expensive to taste good. TM is a little on the rough side...but it makes me happy to drink it. Maybe, it's that I can still get it for $17 a 1.75.
If you end up trying the two side by side....give me your opinion.

[pausted]

I just did try the two side by side. I agree TM is a little harsher but not a great deal so. What it has going for it is its availability here. Its not my daily pour but not bad. Incidentally, $21.95 for 1.75 liter.

[cowdery]

At least as Barton sees it, Tom Moore, Kentucky Gentleman and a couple of others would be on the bottom rung of the ladder, with Ten High a step up, and Very Old Barton another step up. As Jeff correctly notes, the NAS products are at least 4-years-old while VOB is at least 6. Ten High is also an NAS, but as the company's largest selling bourbon, it probably gets better treatment. I have tried KY Gent and thought it was acceptable for what it is, but not great. I do think Ten High is better than Gent and VOB is better than Ten High, but I haven't had Tom Moore.

Nobody really needs to sell bad bourbon, so the idea that all of the bourbons in a company line could be good, only with some being better, isn't hard to accept. As a matter of principle, I'm all for it.

[pausted]

Chuck, thanks for your input. In my neck of the woods, BIB bourbons are few and far between. I can't compare TM BIB with Ten High because the latter is only available in 80 proof. I have tried it in the past and as I recall didn't think it as good as this TM BIB. Oh well, thats why they bottle so many different kinds. Thanks again.

BH

[cowdery]

If my choice is between a NAS BIB and a NAS 80-proof there's no contest. I'll take the BIB every time, no matter what it is.

BIB has the additional advantage of all having been made in the same season and being the product of one distiller and one distillery. Selecting such a thing has to be done carefully and seems to produce a generally better product than the more haphazard matter of pulling any barrels over a certain age, regardless of any batch characteristics that might be present. This is not an easy benenfit to nail down, but the fact that BIBs are single batch seems to make a difference. It's "single" both in the sense of same season and same distiller/distillery.