Best value bourbons

[CL]

I'll second the Old Fitz. In my limited search, so far the Old Fitz has been tops. I've tried Old Forrester 86 (good), AAA 10 star (won't buy again; yes, I didn't read the label closely enough), and Elijiah Craig 12 yo (I am dissenting with the popular opinion; maybe I need to revisit this one).

[bluesbassdad]

FYI, I'm about to jump ship on EC12 as I am close to finishing my first bottle.

I was a fan at first sip because... because... Well, because it was so damned interesting, not really because it tasted good to me.

Since then I've met Old Forester 100 proof which costs less and actually tastes good to me. Rather ordinary, perhaps, but good.

Then there's WT 101 (Am I repeating myself?) at about the same price (from $14 to $20 hereabouts). To my taste, nothing else comes close at that price.

EC12 just isn't as enjoyable to my taste as the competition.

(Strangely, during the same time frame that I lost my infatuation with EC12, EWSB, which has some similar flavors, moved up several notches in my private ranking.)

Speaking of revisiting, I guess I'm going to have to try a different bottle of Old Fitz. The horrid finish of the stuff in my bottle couldn't possibly appeal to so many otherwise normal bourbon drinkers. (I'm no sissy, either; I enjoy Rare Breed and Booker's neat.)

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Jeff I'm sorry to hear that Old Charter 'Classic 90' is fifteen bucks a bottle. I can't get it in Virginia and it is one of the bourbons I look forward to buying each year at Bourbon Festival time. Last year I did the bulk of my shopping at The Party Source/Liquor Outlet in Louisville. I'm sure it was twelve bucks.

Now that Liquor Barn has bought out The Party Source I hate to think of paying more for it. I was going to buy a case of it this year so I could enjoy a bottle a month. Vickie wants a case of Buffalo Trace as it is her favorite bourbon. I was also thinking of buying a case of Very Old Barton, and then a case of assorted 'high end' bourbons.

POOF! $1,000 all gone.

[cowdery]

It occurred to me as I read your post that, while I normally favor higher proof bourbon, the fact that EWSB is 86 proof may be a good thing. It is so full of flavor, at 86, that it might be overpowering and hard to drink (at least neat) at a higher proof.

This brings up another thought. An artist once told me that most of making "art" is what you do with your eyes -- looking at the work as it unfolds -- as opposed to what you do with your hands. It's the same with making whiskey. The final step in creating a whiskey is tasting it -- selecting barrels, deciding on the final proof -- and this is done by tasting. Distillers typically have a panel of tasters but the distiller makes the final decision. Ultimately, the judgment is based on how the whiskey tastes (or will taste) straight from the bottle, with no additional dillution. If you want to taste a whiskey the way the distiller intended it to taste, drink it neat.

[kitzg]

hmmm...

Chuck you make a reasonable point that Master Distillers taste neat with "If you want to taste a whiskey the way the distiller intended it to taste, drink it neat." Yet, I think Master Distillers also realize that a lot of folks dilute the whiskey with something, water being the choice for most who really love the taste of bourbon.

You and I have each tasted with Booker and he and I drank with about 50% water and 50% bourbon.

So I believe distillers draw the product to taste the best neat but also know how it will taste either on ice or when mixed with water.

I don't intend to negate your point at all. But simply add to it that those in the industry know it is consumed many ways. And they also realize that the biggest volume of bourbon (e.g. Beam White) is drunk with Coke and other sodas that you and I would not think of combining with a good bourbon.

I suppose all I am trying to do it not let the impression hang that the industry "expects" consumers to all drink it neat.

[cowdery]

You're right and I thought about that as I was writing my previous post but forgot to mention it. On the distillery tasting panels, even, they do dilute with room temperature water (never ice) to experience the full range of the whiskey's taste. Of course, they're also starting with barrel proof, so they have to dilute to reach the proposed bottling proof. This is how they arrive at the proof we consumers will experience when drinking "neat."

That isn't to say that the distiller is the sole person who decides the release proof. It's also a business decision. Several distillers have told me about products they wanted to sell at higher proof, but the "bean counters" wouldn't let them.

[bluesbassdad]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />

Spicy Drams

*Knob Creek 9 yr, 101 proof $18

Eagle Rare 10 yr, 101 $16

*Ezra Brooks 7 year, 101 $13

Old Grand-dad BIB $13

*Old Grand-dad 114 $19

Wild Turkey 101 $15

*Elijah Craig 12 yr 94 proof $15

[ratcheer]

Said by Dave: "BTW, I picked up a bottle of Old Grand Dad 114 a few days ago, but I haven't felt the urge to open it yet. What if it spoils my taste for the BIB?"

I'm afraid that it will. I have recently obtained my first bottle of OGD 114. It is near the top of my list. Of course, it is up there with some heavy company, but it is that good.

Tim