Town Branch Bourbon

[jburlowski]

What a lot of dabblers are discovering is that you can make whiskey according to a formula and do everything right, from the right grind on the grain to the right settings on the still, and come up with something awful. It's just not as easy as it looks.

Kinda like sex... :bigeyes:

[tmckenzie]

What a lot of dabblers are discovering is that you can make whiskey according to a formula and do everything right, from the right grind on the grain to the right settings on the still, and come up with something awful. It's just not as easy as it looks.

some of these dabblers you are talking about have not got the feel for it. sadly some of them never will. making whiskey is not something you can learn how to do. they think you buy a still and the stuff to go with it and just do it. there is a lot of instinct in making whiskey that lots of people do not have. look at all the Beams.

[PJFZ1]

there is a lot of instinct in making whiskey that lots of people do not have. look at all the Beams.

I hate to take this thread off the topic, but there is alot of knowledge on this forum,and I don't follow your reference to the Beams,, Please fill in with a bit more info?

[Tom Troland]

You can't learn how to make whiskey? Really? Is whiskey making encoded in the DNA of the Beam family? Keep in mind, owing to the principles of human reproduction, that each new generation of the Beam family carries an entirely new set of genetic information from the non-Beam parent. Neglecting, of course, virgin birth. So I don't think all of those Beam distillers were born with any distilling knowledge or instincts. They learned it. Just like everyone else who distills. Of course, some people learn better than others.

[p_elliott]

I hate to take this thread off the topic, but there is alot of knowledge on this forum,and I don't follow your reference to the Beams,, Please fill in with a bit more info?

This is a good question for Chuck to field but the the short answer is: That members of the Beam family have been very involved in a lot more distilleries than just Jim Beam and Heaven Hill.

[Tom Troland]

Bourbon enthusiasts interested in learning about the Beam family and its involvement in distilling over many generations should consult the book American Still Life by Paul Pacult. The book emphasizes the history behind the modern Beam brand, but it includes much information about the Beam family in general.

[cowdery]

There's a chapter in my book about the Beam family, which also appears in a new anthology called Barrels and Drams.

We don't need to get into a nature/nurture argument. The Beams are a big family and many of its members, going back generations, have been distillers. I've written about Craig Beam and how he first started to learn about it from his grandfather, whose first lesson was about yeast-making. That was Eddie Russell's first lesson too from his father, Jimmy. How many micro-distillers know anything about yeast-making beyond: "open bag, pour yeast into tank, add water, stir"?

The point about the newbies is that many of them buy a still, follow the instruction manual, and have cards printed up that say 'master distiller.' I'm not saying you have to be born to it and can't learn, but there's a lot more to it than following an instruction manual, a lot you have to learn by doing, and it helps to have a patient teacher.

Some of the posts above, on both sides, are a bit simplistic. The truth, as it usually does, lies somewhere in between.

[p_elliott]

Chuck

I like your thoughts about learning to make yeast and the micros just opening a bag. Too bad though liquid yeast is becoming a thing of the past for the majors too. I read with great interest on how Jim Beam caught wild yeast and grew it on the back porch in your book.

Paul

[cowdery]

When Craig Beam talked about Grandpa Earl teaching him how to make yeast, he wasn't talking about capturing and propagating wild yeast. (What Jim Beam did.) He was talking about making a production quantity of yeast from the jug yeast, which is a fairly elaborate process in its own right, and had to be done by the master distiller weekly. My favorite part was that after he set the yeast mash and covered the tub with a piece of cheesecloth, he covered that with a board and put a heavy monkey wrench on top of the board to make sure no one bothered it.

[jburlowski]

Had a chance to taste Town Branch this past weekend. I did not find it horrible or borderline undrinkable as others have suggested. But the mash bill, low proof, and (relatively) young age make it thin and unappealing.

[mdinsmore]

Bought a bottle last night. What a bottle of bourbon!!!!! Tried a glass with a couple of ice cubes.....tasted awful. Thought maybe as a mixer It would be better...NOT! Tasted like mold smells. Wondered whether I can return it as bad, wife says not. Alltech couldn't have aked bourbon drinkers to try it before they bottled and distributed. Only the second time I've considered pouring bourbon down the drain. If I hadn't paid for it myself I would have! Very disappointing. Not sre what to do with the remainder of the bottle. Makes a nice decoration I guess.

[Tucker]

The current issue of The Bourbon Review has Town Branch on the cover and an article on Pearse Lyons.

Pearse Lyons has a degree in biochemistry, a master's degree in brewing and a PhD in yeast fermentation and spent his early career with the Irish Distillers Group.

I don't question his expertise, but I do question the decision to release his first bourbon with a mashbill of 51% corn and 49% malted barley. Most aren't going to recognize this as bourbon, even though it meets the legal definition.

[keith18]

Is the problem here the recipe (51% corn/49% malted barley)? I actually got into bourbon through scotch, so I've often wondered what a scotch influenced bourbon would taste like. Apparently, it tastes like crap. Good to know.

[pepcycle]

I stopped by Thoroughbred Liquors to visit my ole buddy Sal Marino. He offered up some Town Branch and I accepted.

My first impression was so different from anything I've read here.

Saz Jr.!!!

I don't know where this was distilled or what the mashbill is supposed to be, but this stuff is a dead ringer for Saz Junior on the palate.

The grassy, musty notes classic. It doesn't taste 6Y/O like Saz Jr but I think its related.

YMMV

[grubbster]

I picked up a bottle of this on the recommendation of my local store owner. Boy, was it a disappointment. Not quite sure what to do with this bottle.

[mosugoji64]

Had the opportunity to try this at a store today and totally expected to hate it. Surprisingly, I didn't. I have no idea if it has changed since the earlier releases commented on here, but what I tried today had a great banana character on the nose and palate, and a whole grain bread flavor on the finish that was very tasty. I don't know if it's something I would drink every day, but I'm not sorry I tried it. Hopefully they're changing things for the better over there. I'm pulling for the micros to do some good things and keep the majors on their toes.

[tmckenzie]

I will have to try it. The thing is. The majors are on their toes. We just have to figure out out to get the rest of the micros on theirs.

[mosugoji64]

I will have to try it. The thing is. The majors are on their toes. We just have to figure out out to get the rest of the micros on theirs.

Good point. From what I've read on this site, it sounds as though some are on their way. They just need some time to turn out a mature product. The others, as Chuck Cowdery has pointed out, will fall by the wayside. I just hope the market has the patience to give the good ones the time they need.

[TheDude]

Got the chance to sample this recently. Tastes like Scotch...which doesn't surprise me with the malted barley content.

I'm not a fan of scotch (not into the "earthy" peat taste), so this isn't one I will buy.

[tmckenzie]

I picked up a bottle yesterday, and I have to say, I was impressed. Not at first though. The stuff has to open up. I let it set 15 mns and came back and it is almost rich. First smell was bad though. I just sniffed the bottle which had about a third of it gone and it smells amazing today.

[Ejmharris]

I picked up a bottle yesterday, and I have to say, I was impressed. Not at first though. The stuff has to open up. I let it set 15 mns and came back and it is almost rich. First smell was bad though. I just sniffed the bottle which had about a third of it gone and it smells amazing today.

That is good to hear. I have had zero interest in buying any but I may try to get a sample from a friend here. These guys also make the KY Bourbon barrel ale that I do enjoy quite a bit.

[Bourbon Boiler]

I tried this for the first time at a family Christmas party this weekend. Not terrible, but it certainly could have used another 24 months in a barrel. It didn't find it at all repulsive, but if the barley is going to be the differentiator, it needs time to reach maturity as well.

[Bourbon Boiler]

That is good to hear. I have had zero interest in buying any but I may try to get a sample from a friend here. These guys also make the KY Bourbon barrel ale that I do enjoy quite a bit.

I do enjoy the Bourbon barrel ale, as well as a couple more of their offerings.

[theglobalguy]

I do enjoy the Bourbon barrel ale, as well as a couple more of their offerings.

Not a bad young bourbon. But had to admit was confused as hell as local shop a few months back. Blue labelled bottle sitting there, # on the side of implying special batch, no hang tag and the staff had no idea (and was $10 higher in price if memory serves). Turned out to be special bottling for UK Basketball winning national championship. Guess if Maker's can crank out special bottle after special bottle others can too.

[Vosgar]

I think there's real potential for this whiskey if they give it a few more years in the barrel and up the proof a little bit, IMHO. As it stands right now, the nose is decent and the finish is pretty good but it's kind of thin and 80 proof just doesn't quite make the grade.