What are you STILL drinking right now

[jeff]

Old Grandad BIB. It really is amazing to me that in less than a year I have gone from one who only really liked wheaters to someone who would really enjoy the most ryed bourbon on the market. Good stuff, and only $13 to boot

[MurphyDawg]

It seems to me that the rye spiciness in thosebourbons take a little more time to grow on you that the wheated ones smoothness (which seem initally more accessable IMHO), so maybe your findings are consistant with that, although I think I have come to appreciate the intricacies of wheated bourbon that I wasnt sure was there in the same year. Hmmmm. . .

TomC

PS OGD BIB makes a really good Manhattan,

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Yeah Tom, it took me a helluva long time to start to appreciate wheaters. I am completely smitten with the 20 year old Pappy Van Winkel. That is one great bourbon. Too bad it's $80 a bottle and 500 miles to nearest liquor store that has it!- Linn

[bluesbassdad]

Wild Turkey Rye, neat, in my Glencairn glass.

I've been guzzling so much of it lately mixed with Ginger Beer that I decided I needed to find out what it really tastes like before the bottle is empty. As I sip it, I keep thinking that it tastes like OGD BIB on turboboost, very much the way I expected OGD 114 to taste (which it didn't).

On a side note, I've tried various full-bodied bourbons with Ginger Beer, and their flavor just doesn't come through to the extent that rye does. The custom of mixing rye and ginger is more than just a tradition, it seems. It really is a match made in Heaven.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[CL]

My first bottle of the Fox lasted a mere two months. I have said it would make a perfect summer bourbon, but it also goes very well with Italian sausage, mozz chees, peppers and onions, which is often on my low carb menu. (That meal is also why I can't stay stocked in Wathen's or Old Fitz either.)

So, after finishing off the Fox, it's onto what started this thread in the first place, Elmer T. Lee SB.

Time to go watch Six Feet Under that I recorded last night on HBO.

[MarkB]

The only premium Bourbon Sam's Club (one of my favorite stores since I'm such a cheapskate) sells locally is Woodford Reserve, so I picked up a bottle. I found it to be a very dissapointing spirit. It has a slightly medicinal taste and unimaginative pallatial complexity. Or maybe I was just in a sour mood because the Kansas Jayhawks tanked. Interesting bottle though...

It burns me knowing now that for the about the same amount of money I could have gotten Wathen's, which seems to be turning into my favorite-- but one needs to broaden ones horizons and try new stuff, in the quest for knowledge.

Mark

http://jazztrpt.freeservers.com

[mike1]

This evening I am drinking Blanton's. I have always liked it. It is on the light and dry side,but has a wonderful taste of the barrel and vanilla,in just the right proportions. It is a very easy whiskey to like and enjoy

[ratcheer]

Different strokes....

I have both and I prefer Woodford Reserve to Wathen's. I suspect I'm in the minority on this one, though.

Tim

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

No you're not Tim! I love Woodford Reserve. Wathens is good for what it is , but at the same price point I know exactly where Woodford Reserve was distilled and aged and where it was bottled. I also have met the master diastiller and trust him to provide a stellar product. I drink Woodford Reserve with confidence that it is a superior product. As much as I would like to say that about Wathen's I can not. I met Charles Wathen Medley and his son Sam the first year I attended the Bourbon Festival in Bardstown. They skipped town just as fast as they could, and didn't bother to advance their bourbon. The Walthen's website has been untouched since it was first put up with many areas still under construction some five years later. Very poor. Pitiful.

[bluesbassdad]

Hirsch 16 and Hirsch 20.

I was hoping to have something meaningful to say as to how they compare. Unfortunately, at least for that purpose, both of these bourbons are better than I am. I am not worthy to critique either of them.

All I can say is that the 16 is a little more assertive in the nose, with a gentle zest that carries over to the palate. The 20 shows its additional age, but not to the point of tasting the slightest bit woody. Some might say that it has become too subdued, but I love its deep, dark, tantalizing nose that makes me keep poking my nose farther into the glass. I'm torn between taking small sips because it's so expensive and so rare versus drinking it in large gulps because it is so delicious and so totally without any harshness of any kind.

On the basis of simple drinking pleasure the 20 can't possibly be worth three to four times today's price for the 16. However, I give it a slight edge as the more enjoyable of the two to my pedestrian taste.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Paradox]

We must have been reading each others mind today Dave! While out today I happened across a place that had 1 last bottle of the 20 at a 'decent' price so I decided to treat myself and do the same thing you did; Have pours of both the Hirsch 16 and 20 and simply enjoy the evening.

The 20 does, as you said, show it's additional 4 years of age but in such a fine way. It is so smooth, that you can soon forget how expensive it is and keep pouring yourself another glass.

I almost want to make myself like the 20 more because of the rarity of it and older age, but something still makes me lean ever so slightly towards the 16. I think it's just that extra bit of 'sweetness' I get from it. But no matter what, these are 2 bourbons I will always enjoy, and miss when they are all gone...

[jeff]

Knob Creek. While at Meijer's Party store to pick up a bottle of Cabernet for Leslie I was checking out the meager bourbon selection. I had intended on picking up a replacement bottle of Maker's Mark, but something changed my mind. It was the calling of the Knob Creek bottle. It whispered, "I'm not all bad, give me another try." The one thing I have always liked about knob creek is the bottle. I figued it would be nice to add a full-sized bottle to my collection, so I bought it. I don't know if it is because I am half sick, but tonight it tastes nothing like the battery acid to whick I have once likened it. Leather and vanilla dominate with some cinnamon and all-spice on the finnish. I will wait till I am healthy to pass final judgment on this bottle, but tonight I am getting significant pleasure from the 'Creek.

[mike1]

I had a similar experience. As it involved the same bottle I know that it had to do with me and time. At first Knob Creek had an acrid and soapy flavor. A real turn off. I put it aside ,and a few months later I tried it again and it was rich and complex and a delight. Maybe I am becoming a more mature boozer

[ratcheer]

Way to go, Jeff. You can't be wrong all the time, either!

[Barrel_Proof]

Old Charter 12 yo, "The Classic 90."

This standby belongs in everyone's bunker--a tried and true bourbon that earns its nickname.

In many markets, the Old Charter brand--at least in all of its variants--is hard to find. I've had to mail order the 8, 10, and 12 year olds, while the 13 yo Proprietor's Reserve, which dates from the United days, was more widely distributed and can still be found for around $30. At half the price of the PR, however, the 12 year old is just what is professes to be--a classic.

[ratcheer]

I have thought about it and it seems that KC is the only Beam bourbon that I drink with any regularity.

I also like the Booker's very much, but it is just not worth $50 to me. I occasionally order it when I find it at a bar. When I want to spend $50, the only things on my list are Blanton's and Kentucky Spirit.

I don't enjoy Baker's at all. It is drinkable, but to me, it is the one with the dry, chemical taste.

I have never tried JB Black or Basil Hayden. JBB is so close in price to KC and I know I like KC, so that is what I buy. Somebody's "brown vodka" comment here on sb.com probably turned me off of BH, untasted.

I cannot drink JB White. I don't understand how anybody can. I admit that I haven't tasted it in many years, though - it was bad 30 years ago!

Tim

[bobbyc]

Tim, IMHO Jim Black is the same ol' mashbill as Knob creek and it hasn't gained the sophistication of KC with it's extra proof and age. Basically if you like Beam you will like JBB. As for Basil Hayden's , I think it's better than some think, I know it could grow on me, an acquired taste thing. I decided this in the Beam Home at Clermont having a drink of it at Jim Beam & companies expense. So here is where the real ( for me anyway ) problem lies, I'm not going to pay 33 bucks for 80 proof Bourbon. Or at least not very many times( I did pay something like that for the IW Harper) I have ample water sources available to me. Who was it that said ," What's the point of shipping all that water all over the Country"?

On a related note, I get a newsletter from Liquor Barn each month and they are getting geared up for Derby. They lifted a line from and didn't acknowledged the source, But Always Fine Bourbon, about Country Ham and Beaten Biscuits. I guess someone there has read a good book about Bourbon, Which is good!

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

So Tim your point is that you love and purchase and enjoy Knob Creek, as do I along with many other folks making it the number one selling ultra-premium brand of straight bourbon. I love it too. As for the other's let's just let God sort 'em out. - Just Linn -

[ratcheer]

An excellent summary as usual, Linn.

Thanks, Tim

[bluesbassdad]

Old Fitz BIB.

Film at 11:00.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[jeff]

I tried KC again tonight and again it was a decent drink. I still think that it is a far departure from the Baker's and Booker's that I still enjoy much more. Made for a nice pre-cookout pour.

[jeff]

Old Charter Proprietor's Reserve. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite pours. Full-bodied with caramel and taffy notes accentuate a cardamom and allspice twang. Nice pair for a Hemingway Signature Cigar

[tommy]

Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve. Lots of flavor.

Tommy

[robbyvirus]

Jefferson's Reserve. I've never had this bourbon before, and at $50 a bottle here in California I've held off until now, but my curiosity got the best of me today so I bought a bottle. While I like to taste a bourbon a few times before making a definitive decision, I'm liking it a lot so far. It's got a big, solid taste, although not too complex in my book. Also very smooth. Let me have another pour and see if it holds up...

[CL]

Weller Centennial 10 yo. I cracked this open last night (an acquisition from Binny's during my Chicago trip this past weekend). I thought that I hadn't ever tasted anything like this, but I really liked it. I gave it a go again tonight. Same smooth, yet invigorating flavor as last night.

In the tasting forum recently, Bob described the flavor as as apples, but I had thought of something sharper, perhaps maple. Bob also mentioned licorice. I thought that the flavor had that pungency, but was sweeter, hence, my maple flavor. Jeff had just bought a bottle, but he hasn't posted his impression yet.

In any case, I am all of a sudden interested in Weller. I had long ago tasted the Old Weller Antique version and instantly disliked it as too harsh. Hence, I had not rushed back to this label. But, the Centennial version is very good and might just make be a 2nd string pickup when I visit a state that carries it.

2nd string is nothing to be ashamed of. It is still desirable, but I will buy 2nd string only if I have room in the return luggage (or if my better half is not on the war path about my bourbon spending). I always make room for first string, e.g., ORVW bottles or Wathens, spouse be damned.