Are you guys STILL drinking tonight??

[ratcheer]

This will be way off-topic, so I'm glad they moved this thread. Tonight I bought some wonderful barbequed ribs (pork) and a bottle of Washington state Riesling to go with them. The wine was fruity and sweet and it went perfectly with the smoked meat.

White wine? Who me? Never!

Tim

[Black85L98]

When i'm not sure what i want, i'll have a pour of Ezra B.

It never disappoints me.

I like EB, I like Old Ezra a lot. I have not had a chance at the 15YO but will find it one day. I do not buy EB much because I get EC12YO for $12.88. For me it's like getting what should be a $25 bourbon half price. Hard to drop down to $9 for EB unless I just have a taste for it. I may just have poor taste in Bourbon but I like EB better than JB Black .

[SteelerFan]

If you find Ezra B 15 yo, please try it. This is a top shelf pour for me. It has depth of flavor. A long finish, and no harsh flavors. The proof is just right, no burn. Yummy!!!!

[Bob]

I finished off 3 mini-bottles of Rowan's Creek, Pure Kentuky and Kentucky Vintage. I did not like any of these, but the Rowan's Creek was particularly low on my list. It came off very harsh. At least those are now done, and now I can move on to all of the good stuff!

[jeff]

Which wine was it? Leslie and I recently tried a special bottling of Chateau St. Michelle riesling that was wonderful.

[ratcheer]

It was Covey Run 2002. Very tasty and enjoyable. I chose it because the wine shop man recommended it.

I have had several Chateau Ste. Michelle reds, though, and all of them were excellent.

Tim

[pepcycle]

I am cuddling a pour of Pappy 20. I just got caught in a rain/hail/sleet storm on my bicycle. That's the fourth time this year I got snagged by weather when ten miles from home. It lasted till I got to my driveway and then the sun came out. I'm sitting under a blanket with my toes wrinkled and a stripe of road gunk up my back. I need to go to church more.

[tommy]

Well, the lights are back on in Richmond (Hurricane Isabel). At least they're back on at my house. I broke out the Pappy. I missed the forum very much these last ten days. And hot showers.

Tommy

[CL]

That sucks - no power for 10 days. I am glad to hear you have it back on.

Despite all the ice storms and hurricanes I've seen in my 15 years near Raleigh, NC, I haven't been out of power for more than 2 days, because in large residential areas close within the Cary city limits. I feel very fortunate.

I do have one suggestion for your next house you buy - GAS WATER HEATER. When we lost power for two days this past winter due to the ice storm, that hot shower in the morning made all the difference in the world.

[MurphyDawg]

Old Ezra 7/107 is the anti-makers mark. It is a $20 bourbon masquerading as an $11 one (as opposed to the opposite).

TomC

[MurphyDawg]

So thats why my MM costs so Damn much. If they cut all that shit out and lowered the price to $15 across the board I would have a bottle on hand all the time!! Thats the problem I have with a lot of "Well-Marketed" products, It becomes more about the image of the product than the product itself. Simply put, cut the marketing budget in half, and present me with a better bourbon (or at least a cheaper one) and you woyld win me over. As much as I like you Jeff, I dont want to be paying for you to receive marketing paraphenalia, i wanna pay for good booze.

Tom (Just a Thought) C

[bluesbassdad]

Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve, neat, in my Rare Breed glass.

I finished the 12-page, review draft of the Fall issue of Pawse for Pets, the newsletter of the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, a short time ago, and I decided to reward myself. I suppose if it were a short story, I'd have gone with the 18 year Van Winkle or the Wild Turkey 12 year. A novel would have called for the Hirsch 16 year or the George T. Stagg; I'm not sure which.

BTW, after a period of indecision regarding WT RR, now I can't imagine why I ever found it not to my liking, however briefly.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[ratcheer]

Dave, a couple of weeks ago I had the same experience with Kentucky Spirit. I had known that it is supposed to be one of the very best and WT is generally my favorite line, but I had never especially cared for it.

But that evening, I was reading a good book and sipping the KS straight. It was as good as any bourbon I have ever tasted. I hope it remains so.

Tim

[jeff]

Rejoice, for you have been shown the light Brother Tim. Now your path is clear; walk into the light and cleanse yourself of all other bourbons.

[jeff]

ORVW 10yo 107 proof. Just wanting something nice to sip on while making dinner: Pollo Genovese in a white wine sauce. Anyway, I am just as impressed as ever with the basic line of Julian's whiskey. Lots of caramel and honey in the palate tonight.

[Paradox]

Tonight it's Elijah Craig 12 year... Now in the past, even upon rave reviews, I haven't been a big fan of this one. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but not a whole bunch. Well tonight I got a wild hair u... err never mind anyways, tonight i have been drinking it over a bit of crushed ice and let me tell you I am really loving it. I'm not letting the ice melt a whole bunch to water it down by any means, maybe just enough to cool it a bit. It really opens it up for me and releases so many more flavors. Anyways, no matter how you enjoy different bourbons, a to all!

[OneCubeOnly]

Tonight it's Elijah Craig 12 year.

Mark, maybe you can help me understand the controversy with this one!? Why does it have such a love-it-or-hate-it status with the regulars here!? I've actually been afraid to try it due to some of the comments I've read (ie. the horrible "medicinal" notes, etc.)

Along the same lines...EC18 seems to have an even bigger controversy. Some of the comments have been about its extreme woodiness.

Bottom line--what's the skinny with EC?

[Paradox]

I think it's just each person is searching for something different in their bourobn and what really, really appeals to one doesn't appeal to all. Like I said for me, straight EC just didn't do it but that extra water (really melting ice in my case) was enough to turn the tables...

As for Elijah Craig, I think that has mainly to do with the high aging of that bourbon. It isn't mellow, smooth,. or light like say Pappy 20. EC18 really let's you know where it has been for 18 years haha. Me personally, I like it. I like that I can taste alot of 'char' tannins etc in it. With any bourbon, even ones people on here hated, I still bought a bottle and tried it. It's the only real way for one to know if they like it or not... Plus that's all the fun in this haha.

[bluesbassdad]

Out-of-style Old Forrester Birthday Bourbon in my new "From my cold, dead hands!", ultra-tall shotglass. (Don't you just hate drinking last year's bourbon when all your friends are raving about this year's trendy model? )

Actually, the shotglass is sort of an obsolete model, too. The NRA is closing out the dated merchandise that was sold at the 2003 national convention, including this glass, which honors ol' Chuck.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[jeff]

Tonight I was digging through the cabinet when I came across an almost-finished bottle of Russell's Reserve. As some of you may know, this has been my least favorite of the WT lineup, not because I think it's bad in any way, but I just feel that RR least resembles the WT "house style." Being a good sport, I must admit that tonight I am very much enjoying my RR. I am getting lots of creamy caramel and a touch of molassas in the nose, while the wonderful tastes just lingers on and on. Now the only thing different here is that I was munching on some spicy potato-chips prior to my tasting. I'm sure this is having some affect on my perceptions, but right now I don't care

[bluesbassdad]

Jeff,

To me, RR has more of a citrus component (similar to the orange spray cleaner that I use on the kitchen counter top) than any of the other WT bottlings. Do you get anything similar?

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[jeff]

Dave, I have experienced what you are describing with RR, just not tonight. I usually pick up some citrus-style taste notes as well as a perfumy nose. Neither of which I am experiencing right now. I guess that just reinforces what most of us already know: that external factors such as health, mood, and diet choices can drastically change our taste perceptions. I would buy another bottle to replace this one if I knew it would always taste this way to me

[bluesbassdad]

Curiously, your and my up-and-down perceptions of RR are almost mirror images. I have generally liked it, but I went through a period of a few weeks where I didn't enjoy it. During that time the citrus notes seemed to disappear.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[pepcycle]

On the contrary, I enjoy drinking last year's OFBB while staring at the spring '03 and imagining the fall '03. What a wonderful Bourbonic time we live in. I could less what everybody else is drinking. (How 80's)

[jeff]

Knob Creek. Still tastes like harsh battery acid to me, but in a not so bad way I think I am one of the few around here that prefer Baker's and Booker's in the Small Batch line.