Bottle that kick started your bourbon obsession?

[bllygthrd]

A bottle of EC18 ... turned me from a primary scotch drinker to a bourbon drinker.

[Tucker]

I was a content Weller drinker (SR or 12, whatever was on the shelf) until I happened upon the 2005 William Larue Weller. It would still be a few more years until I started obsessing (bunker, spreadsheet, SB.com), but I can point to that bottle as the beginning.

[Bourbon Boiler]

First trip on the trail, trying EC18, first sip of Blanton's, and discovery of this website, all within a month. It was a pretty steep curve.

[Yeti]

My original answer was definitely the beginning of the "obsession", but reading some of these deeper origin stories got me thinking. I drank a good bit of JW Black in my mid 20s, and have a distinct memory of drinking it on a work trip in early 2009. The trip ran over a week long and the client commented on how high-end my taste was. Thats a laugh in retrospect. The last night of the trip the boss and I worked the casino and I won big, around a grand. I asked the bartender what a gentleman at the end of the bar was drinking. It was an indistinct label with a lot of handwriting I had never seen. It was Booker's. I celebrated my winnings well into the morning and had a disposition for the powerful stuff ever since.

[MoltenLava]

My first Bourbon was American Honey last year after watching the commercial with girls in hot pants. :bigeyes:

[DBM]

Elijah Craig 18, poured at a friends house when I was a devout scotch drinker, led me to the world of bourbon.

[drunk]

I can't sit here with a clear conscience and blame an innocent bottle for my tasty obsession. But I can point a few fingers at Jason Pyle! Look it's right there at the top of his blog - manifesto. He intentionally set out to enlighten me on the history of Four Roses (and their delicious, delicious juice) and the American heritage of bourbon. He had the nerve to make my mouth water with his wonderful tasting notes, and point me in the direction of some early favorites that got me hooked - I think it was EWSB 2000 that did it. So Jason, I just want to say, thank you.

[sutton]

A bottle of Baby Saz I bought to replicate a Sazerac cocktail I saw someone order in a bar. It wasn't long before I left out the other ingredients and found SB.com

[fishnbowljoe]

My gateway bourbon was Maker's Mark. The first bourbon that made me raise an eyebrow and go, "Hmmmmmm :skep:" was Weller 12.

[Jono]

Buffalo Trace is probably the first bourbon that really caught my attention palate wise.

[humchan2k]

A 2oz pour of Ezra B 12 year at Liberty Bar in Seattle sealed my fate. From that day on, I was a bourbon addict.

[Bmac]

I had started out just wanting a full bar. I was a tequilla guy. I foolishly, and childishly, toiled on the internet to figure out which was the 'best.' There really wasn't a single product as everyone had a million different opinions. SO I went with Woodford Reserve. I liked some of the flavors even though the bourbon itself didn't impress me. From there I sought out different bourbons. After 10 or so, Four Roses Single Barrel was the first to 'WoW' me. It showed me what bourbon could be. Then I had my first Pappy and...55+ bottles of bourbon later...

[bingstein]

A taste of Old Charter 10 from the late 70s made me realize that bourbon has changed over the years among iterations of the same brand. From there is was on like Donkey Kong.

[steeltownbbq]

Makers Mark, fall 1979 we were at a family gathering in Jacksonville, AL and someone driving down from Ohio picked up a bottle of MM in KY with a black seal and told me it was the "good stuff" my evenings have never been the same since. many who were there that day are no longer with us -- I'll raise a glass in their memory tonite.

[Waiahi]

I was a refugee from the rising price of Single Malt around 2009....so I ordered a Makers Mark on the rocks at a bar. That loan drink of bourbon made me google it, and I came here. The rest is history.

[RVTsteve]

EC 12, the first bottle of bourbon I ever bought for myself and still a personal favorite.

Then life got busy and I pretty much put any leisure activities and purchases on hold, kind of forgot about what I liked.

After life settled down a bit, for the time being, I went to a big picnic where one person brought a bottle of standard Angels Envy, which I didn't really care for and another brought a bottle of Hirsch Small Batch Reserve which I put on ice and proceeded to polish off half the bottle. Something clicked that day about taste and preference and the options available. The timing took me to every store in driving distance trying different brands and distillery expressions. Now, with many thanks to SB and everyone here; with a decent taste for what I prefer and a healthy stash of bottles to go through I'm pretty happy with where I'm at, but always with room to learn and grow. Oh, and this was all over the past 3 years :-/

Edited June 8, 2013 by RVTsteve

[Meruck]

PHC 1st. aka one shoe whiskey.

[whiskeypig]

Was way too much into JD SB then went to a buddies house who was gifted a Pappy20 which I enjoyed, we travelled on to Walthen's by the end of the night...then was gifted ORVW10-107. Now I'm an OGD 114 whore mostly due to SB, plus a side of weller 12 and OWA107. The wife loves BMH so she's on board with the bourbon obsession.

[squire]

Having the wife along often makes for a pleasant journey, welcome aboard.

[cazolman]

Bulleit Bourbon, while on a business trip to Washington, Missouri.

I have never been much of a drinker. Drank Jack & Coke about once a week. Decided to check out bourbon after seeing the distillery/bourbon trail signs along I65. Stopped by the liquor store and got sample bottles of Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve. Then I saw that big bottle of Southern Comfort for about 7 bucks. I thought the Maker's and Woodford were ok, but that Southern Comfort was something else! I poured it right down the drain after the first taste. I decided right then that you bourbon fans were a bunch of idiots. I went back to my Jack & Coke for the next 3 years. It was on a work trip when a co-worker suggested the Bulleit. It had a neat old style bottle and tasted pretty good in my Coke. I polished that bottle off over the next three nights and have really enjoyed bourbon ever since. Thanks to this forum and Chuck's book, I found out just what that Southern Comfort stuff is.

[draiiinage]

For me it was a Willett's Family Reserve 18 at a friend's house in DC. The "No Chemists Allowed" version. My first purchase after that was Whistle Pig and Eagle Rare, been hooked ever since.

[suntour]

Having the wife along often makes for a pleasant journey, welcome aboard.

This is true. Inversely, having the wife not along makes for an unpleasant journey. I'm having to watch it...she loves bourbon and scotch but adores beer, but with our child on-board, she's still got a few more months until she can partake again. I've got a few more months to enjoy big drams at night and full nights of sleep.

But man it wasn't easy to explain or justify the RR SmBSB and OWA I brought home the last two days...

[matthewdc]

I admit it, it was PVW15. I unfortunately (and ignorantly) had some misconceptions about bourbon in general, but a pour of this at a restaurant in Raleigh completely erased any discrimination I once had--I was just amazed/surprised by the depth and complexity of it. That coupled with my growing interest in whiskey-based cocktails, like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, amplified my obsession.

[zillah]

I was a Jack Daniel's drinker for nearly six years before I had anything else. That was my only exposure to American whiskey. When it came to sipping whiskey, I drank scotch but couldn't find something I really loved. I was a bit curious about bourbon whenever I would walk down the isle, mostly because it was cheaper. Someone told me that Wild Turkey 101 was the real bourbon drinker's bourbon. Reluctantly, I bought it instead of Jack Daniel's. Never looked back.