So why do like you Bourbon better than Scotch?

[weller_tex]

There are some similar threads to this on the board, but not exactly this particular question. What is it about Bourbon that makes you prefer it? What taste component..etc caused you to prefer it over Scotch...or is it simply economics.

For me I think it is threefold..and I was a Scotch only drinker for a while (still like many Single malts):

1) Economics..at least in the U.S. I can get high quality bourbon for much less than the cost of a good bottle of Scotch.

2) It's Made in America.

3) I went on a diet and cut out dessert pretty much. I discovered that Bourbon really satisfies my sweet tooth. I used to think that Bourbon was one-dimensional..just sweet, but now I feel that frequently it is actually more complex than Scotch. Sometimes the complexity is more subtle and takes some time.

[Jonny.Applebury]

I don't. :cool:

[cigarnv]

As with many things in life things I enjoy they are different rather than better... this is the case of bourbon and scotch.... neither is better, they are just different...

[WsmataU]

For me it is a matter of pride and $$$. I've never been much of a scotch drinker, so I'm sure there are ones that I might enjoy. But I do get a kick out of giving friends (that are scotch drinkers) a bottle of ER17 as a gift and telling them that a comparable quality bottle of scotch would be $500.

I also love telling snobby scotch drinkers that if I wanted my whiskey to taste like that, all I would have to do is grab a handful of garden soil and drop it in my glass :slappin:

[Ejmharris]

I have tried many times to like Scotch. I have a good friend from Glascow and tried some good bottles but for me it simply comes down to taste preference. I do not like the peat or smoke at all. I have a bottle of Glen Rothes that I believe Chuck discussed in a blog that I am eager to try but I need to make it through the Macallan 18 and Amrut before I open a new Scotch.

I do tend to choose bourbon over other spirits because as a general rule it goes down neat better than any other with maybe the exception of high end tequila (my second favorite).

That is the reason why it choose it for taste. I tend to choose it for more sublime reasons as well. The history of the spirit and tradition is what has lead me have a passion for it. Passion is maybe not the right term, sickness is better. What was Chuck's term for it?

I think this forum also has subliminal messages built in from from the big guys causing us to empty our wallets on the juice time after time. I can't tell you the number of times I put myself on a buying freeze only to be heading south to KY for lunch or after work on a mission to find something new. I know from other posts that I am not alone.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BFerguson]

That is the reason why it choose it for taste. I tend to choose it for more sublime reasons as well. The history of the spirit and tradition is what has lead me have a passion for it. Passion is maybe not the right term, sickness is better. What was Chuck's term for it?

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11206&highlight=nervosa

Yep, sounds like a acute case to me. Sad to see another succomb so quickly to the disease.

B

[Ejmharris]

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11206&highlight=nervosa

Yep, sounds like a acute case to me. Sad to see another succomb so quickly to the disease.

B

At least at this stage, I am glad you are still an enabler.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bourbon Boiler]

I could give a lot of reasons why I think I like bourbon better, but the fact is I started trying higher quality bourbons at the same time I was stuck with JW Red as my scotch. Thus I developed a taste for the bourbon, and scotch got left behind.

[Beer&Bourbon]

I do tend to choose bourbon over other spirits because as a general rule it goes down neat better than any other with maybe the exception of high end tequila (my second favorite).

[camduncan]

For me it's simple.... that smell and taste of Scotch makes me want to thow up .... so I avoid it at all costs.

[M Pickle]

It is as simple as taste. Scotch tastes good, but bourbon tastes great! To my palate bourbon is more balanced and enjoyable. Scotch is interesting and fun to experience, but it rarely has me reaching for the bottle to get another pour. I have to exercise extreeme discipline to not drain a bottle of bourbon.

I also like the strict laws governing bourbon production. IMO it is the highest quality spirit in the world.

[Restaurant man]

It's gotta be the charred new oak barrels and the flavors thrown off by the grain in bourbon. Malted barley... No thanks. :puke:

[ebo]

As with many things in life things I enjoy they are different rather than better... this is the case of bourbon and scotch.... neither is better, they are just different...

[TheDude]

I don't care for the malted barley/peat overtones in scotch. Tastes too "earthy" for me.

As for bourbon, I prefer the sweetness and the price (at least for now) is much cheaper than many scotch labels. Plus, I'm from Kentucky and its pretty neat to enjoy something made here at home.

[mosugoji64]

I try Scotches whenever possible in hopes that I'll find one I like. So far, it hasn't happened. The ones I've had have either been uninteresting or offensive but I keep trying. In the meantime, I have plenty of delicious Bourbon (and rye)! :grin:

[Stormeh]

I enjoy both, but prefer Bourbon. I only recently began enjoying Scotch when I discovered that not all Scotch is smokey/peaty. Price is certainly a factor as well, but in general I find myself more into the sweetness and strong oakiness of Bourbon.

I guess in the end I'm just a lover of whisk(e)y.

[Bmac]

Scotch carries a sense of elite-ism that puts me off. Bourbon is friendlier, more inviting.

Early attempts at trying to enjoy Scotch led to my dislike for peat and what they call "smokiness." I found that Scotch has a tendency to imitate some of Bourbon's characteristics (because most of them are aged in used Bourbon barrels), but only at 18yr and up releases. Which I don't need to remind you are ridiculously priced. The peat and smokiness is filtered out the longer it stays in the barrel. 10-12yr Scotchs are equivelent to 2-4yr Bourbons (for my palette.)

I like slightly sweet, caramel, vanilla, and butter toffee flavor notes. Most Scotchs tend to not have much in the way of caramel and toffee...again, not unless you buy an 800 dollar Macallan 25 year. For 800 dollars you could buy a whole mess of super premium Bourbons which would blow Macallan back into the stone age.

So, I like the occasional Scotch; just to be different that one day...but my main pour is, was, and will always be Bourbon.

[sob0728]

I like the Made in the USA aspect of bourbon and also, try finding a scotch under $20 that is as good as Buffalo Trace.

That said, I do like scotch, but drinking bourbon has turned me off to some of the smokier ones. I enjoy the lowlands (Auchentoshan) and I have a bottle of the Compass Box Great King Street that is really nice.

Also, I want to touch on what someone else said about the smoothness of high end tequila. Grab a bottle of Don Julio or Don Abraham anejo and you won't be disappointed. Clase Azul platino or reposado are also excellent, but expensive. Tequila is smoother and sweeter than bourbon, but much less complex. The "extra aged" tequilas have only been aged 3 years.

[JayMonster]

It is probably not a fair comparison from me, because I tend to be a (relatively) cheap drinker, so my exposure to Scotch is rather lowbrow stuff that my uncles, aunts, etc drink. (Dewars, J&B, Black and White, efc) And to me, the fact the Johnnie Walker is the best selling brand is proof that if marketed right, you can sell anything. The only Scotch I can say I enjoyed is a bottle of Chivas Regal I was given at my wedding... Which is still half full 17-1/2 years later.

While it is true that you may learn more about certain nuances as you go along, I have never been a bring proponent of of needing to "acquire the taste" for something. To me, all that means is that you have taken something you don't actually like and have rationalized it to yourself.

[Bmac]

It is probably not a fair comparison from me, because I tend to be a (relatively) cheap drinker, so my exposure to Scotch is rather lowbrow stuff that my uncles, aunts, etc drink. (Dewars, J&B, Black and White, efc) And to me, the fact the Johnnie Walker is the best selling brand is proof that if marketed right, you can sell anything. The only Scotch I can say I enjoyed is a bottle of Chivas Regal I was given at my wedding... Which is still half full 17-1/2 years later.

While it is true that you may learn more about certain nuances as you go along, I have never been a bring proponent of of needing to "acquire the taste" for something. To me, all that means is that you have taken something you don't actually like and have rationalized it to yourself.

Ugh, I recently learned a horrible truth about Jonnie W. They use Blue Label as a psychological tactic to get people to buy more lower end labels. That is why there is a massive shift in price from Green Label to Blue. The trick is, "Wow, look at the high price of blue label, the next step down is more affordable. I'll get that!". They actually are not concerned with selling as much blue label. In fact the quality isnt as good, just ask Ralfy (ralfy.com)

[Brisko]

well I like both but for different reasons, and I try not to confuse the two. I also like tequila, mezcal, slivovitz, among other things. But I suppose I drink more bourbon and rye simply because the QPR is really high.

Bmac, I'm not sure I'm getting your point on JW. Blue label is, and always has been, for people with more money than sense. I don't think that takes away from the black/green/gold labels and I think they're priced fairly for what they are.

I'm not a huge fan of Red label but I have been known to consume it in quantity in the form of beer and a bump

[Bmac]

Bmac, I'm not sure I'm getting your point on JW. Blue label is, and always has been, for people with more money than sense. I don't think that takes away from the black/green/gold labels and I think they're priced fairly for what they are.

I'm not a huge fan of Red label but I have been known to consume it in quantity in the form of beer and a bump

Nah, you got the point just fine Sometimes scotchs are price far beyond tyeir value and are there only for bragging rights. It is indeed silly.

[macdeffe]

I like both

The best whisky I have tried is from Scotland. But the selection of single malt is a lot bigger than bourbons. Corect me if I am wrong.

Quality for money, bourbon is by far the winner. Especially in the US. Not so much where I live

Single malts also excellences in having a lot more silly bottlings where packaging combined with marketing is the main focus

JW Blue is a marketing tool, the same can be said about a lot of distilleries products

They try to present themselves something like this "We are expensive, we must be good" (or better, or the best)

A good whisky is something that makes old man cry. I have become emotional over old Ardbegs, old Mortlachs, old Springbanks and the likes

Steffen

[Gillman]

A number of people have mentioned peat and smoke in Scotch whisky. Many classic malt whiskies use no peat or extremely little. The Macallan doesn't use any as far as I know. Ditto Glenmorangie, or Auchentoshan. Whereas all bourbon has a smoky tinge from the new charred barrel...

This is not to say anyone must like scotch whisky. Like a lot of things, even in its non-peated form, it is an acquired taste. I think it is actually the particular congeners (thrown off by classic pot still distillation) of malted barley spirit that puts people off, it's a particular taste that takes getting used to, and many never become accustomed to it, which is fair enough. But scotch is a classic world spirit, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with bourbon, Cognac and some types of rum as amongst the world's best spirituous drinks, IMO.

Gary

[BigRich]

I don't. I like them equally. It's like choosing between my dogs or children. Sometimes I'm in the mood for scotch and bourbon just won't do. Sometimes it's the other way around. They each bring something different to the table. Fortunately, I have a pretty big table.