Worst Bourbon you ever tried ?

[c2walker]

Hudson Baby Bourbon. They had PVW 20 on the menu but had run out. The bartender said the closest thing they had was Hudson Baby Bourbon. Boy was she wrong. Tasted like tequila to me. She gave me a refund.

It probably was the closest thing they had to PVW 20...with respect to price.

[jburlowski]

What? No one has mentioned WR4G? Truly an abomination. (Although I give BF props for refunding my money when I complained...)

[Josh]

What? No one has mentioned WR4G? Truly an abomination. (Although I give BF props for refunding my money when I complained...)

Of course it also spawned one of the greatest SB threads ever...

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?6086-Woodford-Reserve-Master’s-Collection-Four-Grain-(Batch-No-2)

Edited November 1, 2012 by Josh

[smokinjoe]

Ya know, as I've pondered this some more, I gotta say that the Top 10 Worst Bourbons that I've ever tried were all dusties. I've had recent releases that really didn't deliver much enjoyment, but I'm hard pressed to say any of them were bad, per se. But, I am totally convinced that many of the dusties (including the notorious Bourbon Supreme I mentioned earlier in this thread), started off bad...and stayed bad. My contention has always been, that there is a reason that some of these dusties are still on the shelf after all of these years. Because nobody bought them then, because they sucked then! Lesson I have learned: Dust on the bottle and a tax strip across the top does not always signify good whiskey. :Clever:

[Mickbourbon]

This thread reminds me of a friends answer to the question, What is the worst sex you ever had? To which he replied: "I haven't had bad sex just varying degrees of good".

But there is a Woodford Reserve distillers select that I can't seem to get through have partaken of 2-3 times and have had it at least a year.

[Gillman]

Josh: that old thread on WR4G comes up occasionally. I stand by what I said there, which is that that bourbon was a classic pot still flavor, one I recognize in some Irish whiskey, in some craft bourbons made today and in other contexts, old rum sometimes for example. The tastes are waxy, dough-like, pungent. It was a taste of history but many didn't like it because it didn't taste like the typical aged bourbon made from a column still. Fair enough. But it had its merits and made a great blending or cocktail whiskey for those who couldn't abide it neat. It was ahead of its time and when you look at the plethora of white whiskeys, young whiskeys and other specialty products of the emerging craft distillers, it led the way. Not everyone likes these products, but they are carving a niche and respond to the desire of many for artisan products made in a historical way.

Gary

[gcsjr]

Well, here I am with very little experience, but I had a bit of a 200mL bottle of Evan Williams Black label the other day...and it tasted like bourbon mixed with Lysterine. Is this normal for that label?

Well, tried this again after a couple of weeks. The Lysterine flavor is MUCH less. I might be able to finish it after all. :-)

[c2walker]

I wouldn't even use Canada Dry Stitzel-Weller for cooking.

[awachatz]

Hudson Baby Bourbon is the worst stuff I put my lips to.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

[camduncan]

Josh: that old thread on WR4G comes up occasionally. I stand by what I said there, which is that that bourbon was a classic pot still flavor, one I recognize in some Irish whiskey, in some craft bourbons made today and in other contexts, old rum sometimes for example. The tastes are waxy, dough-like, pungent. It was a taste of history but many didn't like it because it didn't taste like the typical aged bourbon made from a column still. Fair enough. But it had its merits and made a great blending or cocktail whiskey for those who couldn't abide it neat. It was ahead of its time and when you look at the plethora of white whiskeys, young whiskeys and other specialty products of the emerging craft distillers, it led the way. Not everyone likes these products, but they are carving a niche and respond to the desire of many for artisan products made in a historical way.

Gary

[Near_Teetotaler]

I was really hoping I would like honey-flavored concoctions, and they were both awful.

(1) Evan Williams Honey Reserve (to be fair, labeled as a "Kentucky Liqueur", but the next line does add "Made with extra-aged bourbon")

(2) Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey ... again, cannot exactly call itself a bourbon. I pray your indulgence ...

Both were in the category of "gack".

[mopgcw]

i agree, not a fan of the hudson, it was ok, but for the price...

and Bulleit. just personally found it not enjoyable at all.

[wildcatdon]

Devils Cut,Angels Envy and Red Stag if you can call that bourbon..

[HighInTheMtns]

Red Stag if you can call that bourbon..

You can't call that bourbon :-D

[sku]

Easily High Plains Most Wanted Bourbon out of Kansas. Tasted like vanilla extract with no discernible bourbon characteristics.

[bad_scientist]

I would say the worst was a bottle of Heaven Hill gold label, 80 proof, tax stripped, bottled some time in the mid '80s, IIRC. It started off nice and fruity, a real surprise from HH, but within minutes it was like drinking strained vomit.

[Gillman]

This is tangential but may be of interest to those with bottles of oily, young or other bourbon just not to their taste. Why not put it through a Brita water filter? I tried this with a vodka that had a chemical-like odor and it is remarkable how that flavor was reduced by just a few minutes going through the filter. (I used a filter that had seen a few weeks filtering water because if you use a very new one, a slight charcoal or dusty taste can be communicated to the liquid in my experience).

I am sure it would take out the stronger tastes yet retain the full alcoholic power of the drink. The vodka seemed as strong as before, but was softer on the palate and with just a hint of the taste I found objectionable to start with. I was thinking of putting it through again but I actually liked the balance that came off the filter.

The only thing is, I am not sure if it would reduce the color and therefore some of the barrel taste. You could start with less than a full bottle of course. I just poured it in the jug in which the filter rests, just as we do for water. I didn't try to extract the activated charcoal from the filter and let the spirit sit on it (say shaking from time to time) but that is another possibility.

I was, again, very surprised at the noticeable improvement it made.

Gary

[ethangsmith]

My bottles of Rowan's Creek, Noah's Mill, and Kentucky XO are pretty dang bad. For the price, I was expecting much, much more. It's like these are the un-balanced reject barrels from Heaven Hill. Bitter tannin notes with an off-tasting grain note. The Noah's Mill is the most vile offender. Tastes like unaged corn whiskey, cheap wine, and mulch. A few drops of water at least makes it drinkable. Not the worst I've had, but for the price, it's pretty terrible.

[BAO]

Not a fan of Bulleit, something about it is really off putting. Had it on half dozen occasions, same experience each time.

[ethangsmith]

Agreed on that one too. The bourbon has that gross citrus/acid Four Roses thing going on. The Bulleit Rye, on the other hand, is quite good.

[dementedavenger]

Yellowstone. I think it could also be marketed as anti-freeze or hair remover.

[JB64]

Easily High Plains Most Wanted Bourbon out of Kansas. Tasted like vanilla extract with no discernible bourbon characteristics.

[squire]

I cannot say I've ever bought an undrinkable Bourbon, even in our broke grad school bottom purchases days, but I did get one that was cork tainted. The vendor promptly gave me a refund.

[squire]

This thread also makes me mindful of the comment by William Faulkner:

"Oh, I'll drink most anything, Bourbon, Corn Whiskey, between scotch and nothing I'll drink scotch".

Regards,

Squire

[Borchard]

Well, how can it not be McCormick's, the $7 well bourbon of the finest dive bars? Tastes like kerosene and sadness.

This! :grin: haha