Defining the "Everyday Pour"

[funknik]

Everyday Pour is a term we all understand and use constantly, but I'm sure each one of us has an idiosyncratic way of defining it personally, so I thought I'd start a little thread about it. There are some other nice threads about this dangling out there (notably, Tim's from a few years back), but here's my perspective on it -- we welcome yours!

There are basically three different criteria I use to define this: price, drinkability (can I use that without getting sued by Budweiser?) & availability. Price and drinkability are the obvious ones....when I first started drinking bourbon a couple of years ago, Knob Creek was my favorite, but when I wanted to go cheaper, that's how I found Elijah Craig 12yr. Under $20 is my threshold for everyday status. Eventually I liked EC12 better anyway, and as Knob Creek has gone up to $29.99 here and I can still get EC12 sometimes at $16.99 that's a no-brainer. Then, of course, would I want to drink it everyday? Wild Turkey 101 is a great bourbon at a great price that I enjoy very much, but it's not something I'm always in the mood for & the same with stuff like EC18 -- even if it cost $8.99, I couldn't drink it every day. The last thing is that there are a few pours I would consider as my everyday pour in an ideal world, but that I just can't find easily or at all around here and so I hoard & ration them, just as I would a premium bottle.

After that lengthy explanation, here are my everyday pours in my world:

Elijah Craig 12yr

W.L. Weller Special Reserve

Dickel #12

and then in a perfect world, I would add:

WT Rye 101

Old Weller Antique 107

AAA 10yr

[DeanSheen]

Everyday is to me should be a product that is available where you live and has a nice price/preference ratio.

I still have more exploring to do here in Ohio but right now these would be the selections:

BT $22

RITT BIB $14

I think ERSB used to be $22 here. If it still was, I would put that on the list. I'm still working on finding Bourbon available here for less than $22 that I enjoy.

[chefnash51]

don't worry. . drinkability has been a measurement for reviewing beers by beer drinkers looong before Bud started to use it to describe their swill.. only when we review a beer and cover drinkability it's based on the style we are drinking/reviewing.

saying macro swill has drinkability is a bit redundant IMO.

but i digress.

I recently gave up drinks Monday through Thursday (for the most part)... So when Friday finally rolls around, I already have a nice line up of what I want to pour.

It varies, but if I can, I like to start with something new, then something on the special side (like BTAC - PVW 20 or 15, WTKS ), then a dependable (like ETL, EC12, Weller antique) , and maybe finish with a Rye. Doesn't always go down like that..

Not sure why, but I like to finish the night with a Rye.

[kickert]

My everyday pour must be under $23 (So Weller 12 and EC12 are included) and must be top notch.

There is a second catagory I have "Well Bourbon" and you will see many refer to this. For me, a Well Bourbon is under $15 and is drinkable, but you are never going to crave it. It is what you pour when you don't want to waste the good stuff.

[wwilson]

I've had everyday pour issues myself. I tried to go to $10 bottles for during the week and to also build up a kitty for those special purchases, but its just not working out. I try to start with an upper shelf (to me, and to my price range) like an ER10/90 or FRSmB or WTRB and work my way down to the $10 stuff, but I always wind up drinking all my BT's, EC12's and Antique Wellers. I'm not very good at holding a bottle for special occasions and I don't know how I would ever start a bunker!

On a brighter note, I'm heading out later this week to search for a Van Winkle of some sort as they are not available in my current location!

Billy

[chefnash51]

On a brighter note, I'm heading out later this week to search for a Van Winkle of some sort as they are not available in my current location!

Billy

[funknik]

There is a second catagory I have "Well Bourbon" and you will see many refer to this. For me, a Well Bourbon is under $15 and is drinkable, but you are never going to crave it. It is what you pour when you don't want to waste the good stuff.

[Lost Pollito]

My everyday pours top out at $20. With that in mind, here they are:

VOB BIB --- A little wellish, but I love well watching. :slappin:

4roses Yellow Label

HH Ultra Deluxe Bourbon

AAA when it's around.

In my perfect world:

Parker's 27

Stag 'any year

Handy

I'm gonna have to get a second job to make perfection a reality.

[kickert]

I would put Weller SR and VOB as my Well Bourbons.

[TBoner]

Everyday pour has changed meaning for me, but not necessarily changed which bourbons it refers to. I, too, have stopped drinking bourbon except on Friday-Sunday, and the it's usually one small drink, maybe two. So, everyday pour no longer means something I can afford to drink every day and still enjoy the way I want to enjoy a bourbon. It now means something I will enjoy under most any circumstance - a weekend party, a quiet afternoon writing, whatever.

In both cases, I gravitate toward traditional bourbon profiles. WT 101, OGD BIB, Knob Creek (which I know some here look down on, but which is a very traditional, and very good, whiskey), Weller 107, Ezra Brooks 7/101. None of these tops $25, all can be sipped neat or mixed in a cocktail, and all are enjoyable under most any circumstance.

I keep some other bottles around, but I can't remember the last time I poured one of the really expensive bourbons. When you're only having a finger or two pour on weekends, Knob Creek feels like quite an indulgence all on its own.

Regards,

Tim

[funknik]

VOB BIB is another one that if I could get, I would regularly stock. I can tell that if I end up going to KY, instead of coming back with extravagant or unusual items, I'll bring WT Rye VOB BIB & plenty of AAA ten year.

Tim's situation is interesting -- while I wouldn't put Knob Creek in the everyday category (indeed, the expense of it was what led me on this bourbon adventure in the first place), if I was only having a small pour every now and then, I would definitely make it a higher quality one and probably not fuss with the lower shelf stuff. That's not really the point Tim was making, but that's my 2 cents.

Also, by the term, "everyday" I think most of us are implying what Tim & Kevin are talking about as a figurative, not literal interpretation. Although lately, it seems I've been very literal.

[StraightBoston]

I suspect part of this discussion came from my description of Four Roses Yellow as an everyday pour in VBT#188. My drinking habits are close to Tim's, so "everyday" is a misnomer.

For me, an "everyday pour" is one that can be easily replaced, used for cooking, offered to non-bourbon fans or in a mixed drink, and isn't one that I am likely to savor in a Riedel over the course of an evening.

Still, I'm looking for something better than Jack or JB White. Andy's $20 threshold sounds about right (though almost all of my purchases lately meet that!) so Maker's is right out, but JBB makes the cut when on sale. I've never been as big a fan as others of WLW SR -- too light for me, and Lord knows I've got enough wheaters to choose from!

[PhilsFan]

Everyday pours for me are those that I enjoy going back to anytime, are easy to get here in Louisville, and are priced under $20. VOB 100 and AAA 10 yr would be examples for me.

Non-everyday pours are the ones I feel I have to use more sparingly because they are too expensive to replace really often, or because they've been discontinued and therefore, are hard to get.

-Joe

[sailor22]

An everyday pour for me is something I find myself looking forward to and I have absolutely no second thoughts about pouring .... because it is available locally and inexpensively. I don't drink every day or in great quantities so my price threshold is around $30 and under.

EC12

E.T. Lee

4Rsb

EW 1783

KC

Saz

Weller Antique

VW 10/90

[Klepackage]

I define the "everyday pour" as something that never lets me down, is readily available and not super expensive. It's also the bourbon I reach for when I want to drink something, but I can't decide what.

For me, that is Elmer T Lee. If it were easier to find, I would probably consider ORVW 10/107 another everyday pour.

I should note, that I won't cook with either of these.

[ggilbertva]

I'm the oddball I guess as my definition really is a compilation of a couple of those posted above. Chris mentioned an everyday pour is one that never lets you down. I agree with that. And then Kevin mentioned one that can be easily replaced. I really don't think about price; not that I have piles of money laying around to buy bourbon with but as many of you know, my bunker consists primarily of out of production bourbons that I can get on the cheap. So, everyday for me really is something I know I enjoy and can get fairly easily. So, drinking something SW, older WT or ND really is everyday for me. I really mix up my drinking and don't regularly repeat the same bourbon over multiple nights.

[smokinjoe]

Open doors to cabinet.

Try to determine what's going to float my boat.

Pour.

Drink.

Repeat process, tomorrow.

If I get to thinking I have an everyday pour, I'll be movin' on...

[Pieface]

Keeping in mind I haven't been a bourbonite for an awful long time...

An everyday pour has to satisfy 4 criteria for me.

Enjoyment - I gotta like the stuff!

Price - Sub $50 (remember I'm in Australia )

Availability - I'm able to readily secure another bottle.

Flavour - I want something that is going to reward me if I pay attention to the drink but not so demanding as to force itself to the forefront of my mind if I'm relaxing watching a movie, socialising etc. I'm not sure if I've related this point very well...

At the moment this leaves me with WT101 and EC12 as daily pours. I've been purchasing more expensive bottles mostly but now I've got a few in the bunker I'm going to pay a visit to Jim Beam Black, Bulleit (only 80 proof here WTF?) and a couple of the Heaven Hill offerings we have available which slot into the $35-$50 range to see if I can add any more "everyday" pours to my selection.

Having just caught Joe's post above I guess I could look at this from the other side where I categorise the bourbon's I have that are "Not for Everyday". Price and availability will be determining factors once again with the added facet of usually wanting some time to navel gaze with that particular pour

[fishnbowljoe]

Open doors to cabinet.

Try to determine what's going to float my boat.

Pour.

Drink.

Repeat process, tomorrow.

If I get to thinking I have an everyday pour, I'll be movin' on...

That pretty much sums up the way I feel too. So there it is folks. The Joe's have it! :bowdown: Joe (the other one) :slappin:

[Josh]

I think I'm pretty much on the same page with everybody else. The primary criteria for an everyday pour for me are 1) under $25 for 750 ml, 2) something I can drink every day. A secondary criterion is that it is readily available, but I've been travelling enough recently that it's not really a factor, at least right now. My liquor cabinet doesn't really have a "well" category, since I don't do a lot of cocktail drinking.

What I mean by number two is that I can drink it multiple times over a few days. For example, I recently finished off a bottle of OFBB that I really really loved. But I found myself only breaking it out when around friends or when I was not planning to do any other drinking that night. It was so rich that I couldn't bring myself to drink it two nights in a row.

The everyday pours are the ones I can have a few onces of every night (or afternoon if it's my day off). Such as the following:

OF/OF Sig.

JBDS

VOB BiB or 90

Old Fitz BiB

4R Yellow Label

[fricky]

I agree with smokinjoe. Open the cabinet and pull out a bottle that catches my interest regardless of cost or availability. I like to think that my cabinet is a no swill zone. Life is too short to drink OK bourbon. Why have it in your bunker if it is only OK? On the other hand, I guess that OK bourbon is appropriate for guests that like to mix it with cola.

Doug

[p_elliott]

Everyday pour something I can buy locally, I like enought to drink every day, priced below $25, is good bourbon = WT 101. Second choice for everyday pour EW black lable but I don't know if I want to drink it every day.

[funknik]

Something I'm noticing already that seems to differ is where the cutoff is...some are saying $20 and some are saying $25....what's funny to me is that around here, there really seems to be a gap. There really isn't anything available around here between $20 and $30 except Baby Saz @ $25...

[kickert]

Something I'm noticing already that seems to differ is where the cutoff is...some are saying $20 and some are saying $25....what's funny to me is that around here, there really seems to be a gap. There really isn't anything available around here between $20 and $30 except Baby Saz @ $25...

Most of what I drink is in the $20-30 range. I would say half the bourbons I have ever had are in that range.

[funknik]

Most of what I drink is in the $20-30 range. I would say half the bourbons I have ever had are in that range.

Ben, can you give me some names? I know ETL is in that range because I've seen it in other states, but just throw me out some labels, if you have a chance...I'm curious as to whether this price range is overlooked up here or whether there is that significant of a price discrepency between the same brand regionally. Thanks.