Coming down from "Whiskey Snobbery"

[boss302]

I'm not sure how everyone else feels, but I'm thankful for the tips I've received from Straightbourbon.com regarding tasty Bourbon, Scotch, Irish, Straight Rye, and even Tennessee whiskeys.

But I've noticed recently that my palate has been moving from the complex to the simplistic. For example, the whiskey I've been drinking almost every day is the $15/btl George Dickel No. 8. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate more flavorful, more complex whiskeys, like Four Roses Small Batch or Black Maple Hill, or Bulleit Rye. But, when I finish a 9-hour bartending shift, I find myself craving something simple and honest, like Dickel No. 8 and the music of Tom Petty.

Anyone else with me here?

[Happyhour24x7]

Yes, there are certainly times when I pass right by the various high proof and high end bottles and grab something easy drinking and light.

[OscarV]

Of course.

There are situations for everything.

All depends on mood and enviroment.

For example I love a good micro IPA like Founders Double Trouble.

But I also like a good cheeseburger and a cold Bud.

[GaryT]

Agree - all depends on my mood. I love EWB, and think that is a great drink for the money (better than JB White or JD black IMHO). If I want smooth, I'll grab MM. While I'm trying to whittle my collection down to something like 25 bottles, I absolutely intend to keep some from across the spectrum. If I only drank the high end stuff . . . I'd have to adjust my monthly budget (and if I'm that tired at the end of the day, I probably don't appreciate the complexity of something nice).

[sailor22]

Compare it to music.

What's the best rock and roll song ever recorded? No single answer is possible - it's the same with whiskey. There is a time and place for most whiskies and there is a time when simple and delicious fits the moment perfectly.

We "play" our whiskies the same way a good DJ plays the right cut for the moment.

[unclebunk]

I'm in a similar boat. Though I still appreciate and love my top shelf pours, my buying habits have come full circle and I now tend to seek out the quality "value" bourbons in the sub-$35 dollar range. That gives me quite a range to choose from (VOB, Rittenhouse BIB, WT101, OGD114, FRSmB and a slew of other fine whiskies) and doesn't break the bank. That's why I always tell new-comers not to head straight for the top shelf when quality whiskey can be found down around knee-high in your favorite liquor store.

[Bourbon Boiler]

My "sweet spot" has always been between $30 - $55 retail. I have traditionally thought that the step up in quality to this level from $20 was tremendous, and the the advancement in quality when reaching for a $80 bottle was present but much more subtle. I now finding myself more likely to go lower than higher, but that's probably because I've really been able to focus on 2-3 cheaper products that I really enjoy. 1792, EC12, and KC can fill about 70% of my whiskey cravings.

[Clavius]

I'm afraid that I've gotten bored with bourbon, to be honest. I hope it's just temporary because it's the middle of summer. But I've just lost the enthusiasm for seeking out rare bottles and bunkering them and all that jazz. I just want to drink some decent bourbon that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and is readily available. I don't see myself hunting for PVW/BTAC this fall. For sure, it's good stuff. I'm just tired of all the nonsense required to get some. And hell, I work in a liquor store!

[MyOldKyDram]

Gotta agree with those who say its all about finding the right one for othe mood you're in.

Some nights an $11 bottle will suit me just fine. Some nights it's considerably pricier than that.

And some nights (such as this) it's every stop in between. :grin:

[LongBeachScott]

I certainly have lowbrow bourbon evenings. I have bottles in every price range. I usually purchase the under $15 bottles for the purpose of making cocktails or cooking, but there are some nights I want a pour of something I don't have to pay attention to. Fighting Cock usually costs me about $16 or so and I have always found it to be pretty nice for the price.

[ebo]

Compare it to music.

What's the best rock and roll song ever recorded? No single answer is possible - it's the same with whiskey. There is a time and place for most whiskies and there is a time when simple and delicious fits the moment perfectly.

We "play" our whiskies the same way a good DJ plays the right cut for the moment.

That's a great analogy. I'm into all different kinds of music, but sometimes I just really enjoy a little AC/DC.... simple, hard rocking, fun music; same goes for whisk(e)y.

[ethangsmith]

Yep, a good 80% of what I have in the cabinet at any time is less than $30 a bottle. Heck, usually half is even under $20. I guess I'm a cheap whiskey guy. It's still tasty though!

[ratcheer]

I have been there for quite a while, boss302. While I still have several very fancy bottlings bunkered and even a couple open, about all I buy anymore are WT 101 and OGD 86.

Tim

[Flyfish]

It seems to me, taking a "step up" doesn't necessarily require paying more. A neighbor, who only drinks good ole JD, stopped by while I was enjoying a pour of OWA. So, I got another Glencairn and poured him some. His eye lit up at the nose even before he took a sip. I suggested that if he really liked Tennessee sippin' whiskey, he should give Dickel a try. He had never heard of OWA--which is not surprising because we can't get it in Ohio. But he had never heard of Dickel either. Both OWA and GD are way better than JD (IMHO) but are in the same price range.

[ebo]

Regular purchases are WT 101, GD #12, EC 12, OGD BiB, and FRSB (not really a low budget pour, but I have to have it!) :grin:

[bllygthrd]

I have always enjoyed finding a quality pour at a valued price [VOV BIB]. But, you have to be willing to try the valued brands to find the ones you like/value. There are certainly times for cracking open a premium pour, usually when they add to the event being celebrated.

[ratcheer]

I have always enjoyed finding a quality pour at a valued price [VOV BIB]. But, you have to be willing to try the valued brands to find the ones you like/value. There are certainly times for cracking open a premium pour, usually when they add to the event being celebrated.

Exactly. Special whiskies are for special occasions. If you drink them all the time, then when you need something special, there isn't anything.

Tim

[Bourbon Boiler]

I have always enjoyed finding a quality pour at a valued price [VOV BIB]. But, you have to be willing to try the valued brands to find the ones you like/value. There are certainly times for cracking open a premium pour, usually when they add to the event being celebrated.

I think your second sentence is the most important. I know there are several $20 - $30 pours I like, but if I were given a random sampling of all the whiskeys in this price range that existed I'd probably be satisfied with the value of less than half.

[mosugoji64]

The only way to really know if you prefer bottle X over Y at any price is with a blind tasting, or as I like to call it, The Great Equalizer. We're too often lured by factors other than the whiskey alone. I'm no exception. Good stuff is good stuff, but sometimes other things get in the way.

[p_elliott]

I have a lot of premium bottles but I reach for WT 101 most of the time.

[IowaJeff]

I have a few bottles I would consider 'premium' for my purposes and most are open, but I usually pour from the bottles in the $20-$30 range (WT101, EWSB, BT, etc.) I'm starting to get even less 'snobbish' than that and am working in some cheaper bottles, like HH, and EWB. I've enjoyed a lot in that price range too and will probably continue to buy more.

[MauiSon]

I'm not sure I agree with the tenor of this thread. Snobbery has nothing at all to do with price. It is about flouting others lacking 'inner circle' opinions or experiences. I've only noticed it through the paucity of posts in certain threads on the forum. It doesn't appear to be much of a problem here - mostly good folk with firm opinions.

If some prefer to drink high-priced whiskey on a regular basis (don't we wish we all could), they don't appear to suggest we all ought to do likewise. More often, it seems they want to share their bounty when finding new sources of enjoyment. It's not snobbish to refuse to drink something that doesn't appeal to you, it's snobbish to refuse to drink with someone who doesn't share your epicurean attainments.

Edited July 30, 2012 by MauiSon

[OscarV]

Hear hear!

You nailed it MauiSon.

Snobbery is a two-way street.

Both Blue Bloods (i.e. Charles on M*A*S*H TV show) and Tailer Trash (i.e. Gretchen Wilson's song "Redneck Woman) can be snobs.

[Gillman]

In my view, snobbery is disdaining something that might be of value because it doesn't fit your preconceptions of what is good, valid, or "approved". As the last posters have recognized, snobbery can exist on all parts of the social scale. If you reject something because it isn't part of your world, you can't learn anything further.

Snobbery has no place in the world of drink or anywhere, IMO. Knowledge does though. Knowledge is good. But it shouldn't be used to put something down, because it becomes anti-knowledge.

I don't like 36 month old bourbon that has a strong corn taste. I don't like it because I think it doesn't taste very good, not because of what it costs. Everyone is entitled to like what they want of course, including me. By the same token, I don't like most bourbon older than 10-12 years. I don't care how much it costs. I think the very high prices fetched for it aren't justified usually (there are exceptions). Some people disagree, fine, since again we all have our own taste. But if someone tells me a whiskey is inherently great because it costs $80.00 or more, well, I just can't accept that.

Knowledge is good, again. It's information filtered though a certain sensibility. But rejecting something simply because of what it costs just never made any sense to me, just as embracing it for what it costs doesn't either.

Case in point: one of the best bourbons I've had this year cost $18.00, it's Triple A. I spent almost $80.00 for a 4RSB (the 2012 limited edition) that was certainly good but no better IMO than most 4RSBs I've had. Enough said.

Gary

Edited July 31, 2012 by Gillman

[unclebunk]

Nice post (as usual), Gary. It really does come down to personal preferences and, as another member pointed out yesterday, blind tastings really are the way to bust the myths surrounding some of the highest priced bourbons on the shelf. I always marvel at how much perception plays in our enjoyment of fine spirits and how often inexpensive bottles mop the floor with the so-called "classics."

Edited July 31, 2012 by unclebunk