Bourbons from the Same Line: (Blind) Comparative Tastings and Thoughts

[SFS]

See, I would think that this would be difficult because of the very noticeably different (maybe not better) character of scotches versus bourbons.

This line is becoming more blurred with the introduction of Glenmorangie's Ealanta. It went into charred virgin oak barrels, and has a LOT of bourbon characteristics.

[CoMobourbon]

CoMo, the trick is to do a double-blind experiment- in this case, YOU'RE double blind. Have someone else pour all the samples for you and have no idea what they've poured. Yeah, sometimes you can nail the specific "house touch," but sometimes it's interesting to see what you like in this type of format.

First of all, good call with the double blind (I think this is not exactly a technical / scientific double blind, but I totally get what you are saying). We have been having our wives pour for us in another room and hand them out in random order, but we always knew what the choices were. We should get a set of 7-8 options on the table and say, "pick three at random".

Second, good point with the 'noticing different house touch can be interesting too'.That's true; when I did FRY against EWB and EC12, for example, I determined that I liked the sweet, spicy, fruitiness of the Four Roses better than the sweet wood char w/ vanilla of the Heaven Hill products (especially prominent in the EC 12). It's just harder to make generalizations like 'higher proof is usually more important to me than higher age' when you are dealing with different flavor profiles.

[ErichPryde]

re double blind: that's why i specified you were double blind... as i wasn't technically using the term properly.

[CoMobourbon]

Got it.

Though applying the principles of a true 'technical' double blind would also be interesting. Get three bourbon drinkers together and have the first two blind sample a number of bourbons and write down tasting notes and assign a number. Then, have the third guy (someone a least a little familiar with bourbon flavors) search the tasting note sheets for patterns that the first and second drinkers might not have intended at all. For example, maybe the third guy notices that the first drinker always describes higher proof bourbons with adjectives like 'good' and 'satisfying'. This might indicate that this first drinker really likes higher proof better - regardless of the various number values he assigned those high proofers.

Edited March 3, 2013 by CoMobourbon

[squire]

Blind tastings taught me to appreciate a balanced whisky and distinguish it from those that were too dominated by one flavor.

[JPBoston]

I feel like, for example, that I can make some fairly useful generalizations about how much age matters to me versus how much proof matters to me. Specifically, I have come to think that higher proof matters much more - especially as it can be had for more bang-to-buck. I like older 8-12 year stuff better sometimes - there are noticeable differences in any case - but don't think that it is usually worth the money.

Fully agreed there. I think figuring out what proof, age, and mashbill means to your specific tastes are the most important/interesting parts of the journey from starting off as a bourbon noob, to becoming more of an experienced enthusiast.

An attractive package will definitely sell whisky, or get you married for that matter.

LMAO!

[CoMobourbon]

Here are two more sub-questions for this thread (ones that should have been obvious to me right away). 1.) What are some combinations (bourbons of the same mashbill, distillery, and maybe even the same brand profile) that I or others could try in these same-bourbon-line comparative blind tastings? 2.) What same-line blind tasted combinations have people tried?

1.) WSR, OWA, and W12 has been mentioned.

2.) Also, I have tried EW green, EW black, EW BIB, and EW single barrel (2003).

3.) Enoch mentioned Elmer T. Lee, Hancock's, Blanton's, and Rock Hill Farms.

4.) Maybe WT81, WT101, Russel's Reserve, and RB? [Actually, Jason Pyle did most of this in a YouTube review.

]

5.) Four Roses Yellow, Four Roses Small Batch, and Four Roses Single Barrel (standard OBSV)?

6.) I think I remember AaronWF doing Dickel 12 and the Dickel barrel select, but I don't remember precisely how he did it, and in any case that's only two data points. (It's not, say the Dickel 8, the Dickel 12, and the Dickel barrel select.

7.) OGD, OGD BIB, OGD 114, and Basil Hayden?

9.) Others?

10.) Others?

Edited March 4, 2013 by CoMobourbon

[fishnbowljoe]

I don't really do blind or comparative tastings, but for some reason I do try to have multiple bottles of the same line, or type of bourbon open. For the most part, I seem to rotate between Van Winkles, Wellers, and BIB's. I also have a few others open too, just because.

Examples:

#1. Van Winkles. About three months ago or so, I had ORVW 10/90, ORVW 10/107, Lot B, Pappy 15 and Pappy 20 all open at the same time. I was only frugal with the Pappy 20. :yum:

#2. Wellers. As the Van Winkles were emptied, I opened Wellers. I have and/or had Weller SR, OWA, Weller 12, Weller Centennial, and a 2010 WLW open. I added the "had" because when the Weller SR and OWA were about half empty, I combined them to make my version of the Weller SB blend.:cool:

#3. BIB's and ≈100 proofers. (Give or take a proof point or two. ) I am slowly transitioning over to BIB's and 100 proofers as I finish other bottles. Currently open in this category are, Old Forester BIB, EW BIB, Old HH BIB, VOB 100 proof, Colonel E H Taylor Small Batch, and ER 101.

I love tasting the similarities and differences of types and lines of bourbon this way. Although there are times, depending on my mood or my taste buds, when it's a little difficult to choose a pour. That's why I keep an oddball or two open. :grin: I guess comparisons are somewhat inevitable this way, but for me, it's more a matter of what tastes good at a given time, not how it stacks up against something I tasted earlier.

Either way, you know the old saying. "IT'S ALL GOOD!"

Cheers! Joe

[JPBoston]

You could try Beam ----

Beam White, Green, Black. Not sure if KC and Booker's are the same mash as the first three or not, though I am sure others will know.

[clingman71]

Here are two more sub-questions for this thread (ones that should have been obvious right away). 1.) What are some combinations (bourbons of the same mashbill, distillery, and maybe even the same brand profile) that I or others could try in these same-bourbon-line comparative blind tastings? 2.) What same-line blind tasted combinations have people tried?

1.) WSR, OWA, and W12 has been mentioned.

2.) Also, I have tried EW green, EW black, EW BIB, and EW single barrel (2003).

3.) Enoch mentioned Elmer T. Lee, Hancock's, Blanton's, and Rock Hill Farms.

4.) Maybe WT81, WT101, Russel's Reserve, and RB? [Actually, Jason Pyle did most of this in a YouTube review.

]

5.) Four Roses Yellow, Four Roses Small Batch, and Four Roses Single Barrel (standard OBSV)?

6.) I think I remember AaronWF doing Dickel 12 and the Dickel barrel select, but I don't remember precisely how he did it, and in any case that's only two data points. (It's not, say the Dickel 8, the Dickel 12, and the Dickel barrel select.

7.) OGD, OGD BIB, OGD 114, and Basil Hayden?

9.) Others?

10.) Others?

i would add AA and AAA to the ETL lineup.

I would also look at the other BT mashbill, Charter, BT , Eagle Eare.

[ChicagoFlyer]

We did a small Stitzel Weller mix with Pappy 20, JPR 18, Old Fitz BiB (1992) then sprinkled in some non-lineage ones to see if we could separate them out. We used Weller 12 (current) and Vintage 17. Quite a fun night and a good way to further solidify how great of a value Weller 12 is.

[squire]

Now that's my idea of a fun evening, what were the tasting results?

[ChicagoFlyer]

I ended up with the Old Fitz as my favorite and the JPR second. I picked the Vintage out pretty easily but still had it third. Mrs. Flyer had the SW's 1,2,3 with Pappy, JPR, then OF. She typically loves the Vintage but had that last on her list. Needless to say she was pretty surprised. We both had the Weller 12 in 4th place and commented that it performed extremely well. We have always considered Weller 12 to be predominately sweet and smooth yet neither of our notes used these words for this tasting and we found it to be much more complex.

This was the first time we have done the tastings blind and we loved it. Mrs. Flyer called it her favorite drinking game ever. Apparently we have matured past flip cup.

[CoMobourbon]

We have always considered Weller 12 to be predominately sweet and smooth yet neither of our notes used these words for this tasting and we found it to be much more complex.

[Enoch]

In a similar vein, every night my wife selects a blind shot and I have to guess what it is. I have around 100 open bottles in three groups: pre-govt warning, post-govt warning, and special stuff. Sometimes she will tell me which group but I must say my correct guess ratio is dismal. It is very humbling.

[WAINWRIGHT]

In a similar vein, every night my wife selects a blind shot and I have to guess what it is. I have around 100 open bottles in three groups: pre-govt warning, post-govt warning, and special stuff. Sometimes she will tell me which group but I must say my correct guess ratio is dismal. It is very humbling.

My wife and I do this also and it is amazing and humbling it can be,I often get the type and profile identified correctly but label,well not so much.I will also have to say that it is amazing that with nose alone I am about as accurate with the palate.BTW 100 open bottles,you are my hero that would be half of my bunker alone!

[peb]

I have tried several blind tastings with Elmer T. Lee, Hancocks, Blantons, and Rock Hill Farms, and I cannot consistently identify which is which even though they range in price from $25 to $50.

I did the same thing, minus Hancocks and insert AAA10. I thought the ETL easily held its own with the Blanton's and RHF, and the AAA10 was no slouch either.

[Meruck]

Really there are so many comparisons to me made. What ever the number of bourbons there ate times two or three. Weather it blind, double blind or eyes wide open its really hard to narrow down to one or two of the favorite bourbons from all that is out there. I maintain that pallet condition has as much or more to do with momentary preference than anything else.

A few days ago I tried VSO Fitz for the first time and was disappointed as compared to HHs' other contributions to the line. Today I tried it again and found it quite pleasing. Then I was smoking a batch of BBQ sauce and got to the point where I liked everything and could not tell them apart. Your favorite today may only be third or fourth tomorrow. You are the sum of your experiences and that affects the way bourbon tastes.

if you want to try it for your self, have a Tate's of something you do not particularly care for, and then have a coup,e teaspoons of a hot BBQ sauce and then try it again.

Pallet conditioning, more important that air conditioning.

[CoMobourbon]

Right. Taste is not a positive discovery of an absolute truth but rather a constructed composite of sensations and context.

That I think is what makes blind comparisons of whiskeys from the same line so interesting. Obviously, there are always tons of variables. But when you blindly taste whiskeys from the same distillery, mashbill, and even brand profile (i.e. barrels selected for certain flavor profile), and you do so at about the same time, you control for lots of those variables. Maybe enough of those variables that you can start to make (rough) generalizations about what you tend to like.

Edited March 4, 2013 by CoMobourbon

[Meruck]

Wow, I really like that first sentence. Makes you sound edumacated. Seriously. But you are right on. In the end the best part about tasting different and or similar whiskeys at the same time is tasting different of similar whiskeys at the same time.

To your point I have for d that when I like one over another one day, I alway do. Maybe not to the same extent but it remains consistent.

[CoMobourbon]

Wow, I really like that first sentence. Makes you sound edumacated. Seriously. But you are right on. In the end the best part about tasting different and or similar whiskeys at the same time is tasting different of similar whiskeys at the same time.

To your point I have for d that when I like one over another one day, I alway do. Maybe not to the same extent but it remains consistent.

I get extra lucid after the first pour. Then...

[squire]

For me the blind tastings bring the differences into focus and allow me to think about what I like in a specific whisky and why.

[Meruck]

But then you're a "Guru".