Achieving Bourbon Zen - A Mini Manifesto

[PaulO]

All the legacy distillers have something that appeals to me.  Name any DSP, and I'll tell you which brand I will buy.  Bottled in bond, or something similar, seems to work for me.  If a Bourbon is say just over four years old (but quality) I usually get used to it after the first couple tastes.  All in all, finding the time seems more difficult than finding nice pours.

[mal00768]

On 5/1/2021 at 8:56 PM, fishnbowljoe said:

Bump.

Sorry too busy zenning out on RR sib and Nancy’s MHC to post. 

[PhantomLamb]

I have one more big order I plan on doing from KL and I think I'm calling it (AKA my liquor cabinet will finally be full or at 95% capacity).  Then it's off into the sunset of bourbon zen, no more chasing unicorns or wasting time refreshing the PLCB page.  I'll just be plugging the holes on the shelf with something good.

[PaulO]

I may buy nothing for a long time.

I may buy something tomorrow.

It all depends what crosses my path, no worries. 

[bayouredd]

4 hours ago, PhantomLamb said:

I have one more big order I plan on doing from KL and I think I'm calling it (AKA my liquor cabinet will finally be full or at 95% capacity).  Then it's off into the sunset of bourbon zen, no more chasing unicorns or wasting time refreshing the PLCB page.  I'll just be plugging the holes on the shelf with something good.

Only one thing wrong here...

A finishing of an almost gone bottle, a bit of re-shuffling or maybe, removal of an "I don't care bottle". Now you are at 91%. Damn, you need to make a run... 

[bayouredd]

41 minutes ago, PaulO said:

I may buy nothing for a long time.

I may buy something tomorrow.

It all depends what crosses my path, no worries. 

Okay, somewhere in here is a bumper sticker! 

No tater chasin'

No lottery anguish

No hitting store at the right time...

 

In short, bumper sticker might be:

 

No Worries...

Bourbon!!!

[bayouredd]

Getting to the true topic at hand...

I've only been doing the "neat" bourbon thing for about 5 years. It has taken me pretty much right over 4 years to reach bourbon Zen. I had to go through the distillery gauntlet. KC has been the El Dorado that was sought. A 60/40 blend of 9yr and Sib that is at this time, in unlimited supply, remains as decent a pour as necessary. Any variation in any bar or restaurant of KC completes my stay...

Other seem to get the same satisfaction with WT101, 4R or BT and many others. ZEN is to be had, relatively easily.

It doesn't keep me from entering a lottery or grabbing that special bottle that happens in the path, but it does have me not worrying one way or another. The chase is still fun but not worrisome...

 

Enjoy the goodness...

[Marekv8]

5 hours ago, PhantomLamb said:

I have one more big order I plan on doing from KL and I think I'm calling it (AKA my liquor cabinet will finally be full or at 95% capacity).  Then it's off into the sunset of bourbon zen, no more chasing unicorns or wasting time refreshing the PLCB page.  I'll just be plugging the holes on the shelf with something good.

 

Every Monday morning I have this same thought… hopefully one week very soon it'll actually stick.

[fishnbowljoe]

1 hour ago, bayouredd said:

Only one thing wrong here...

A finishing of an almost gone bottle, a bit of re-shuffling or maybe, removal of an "I don't care bottle". Now you are at 91%. Damn, you need to make a run... 

LMAO!

 

FWIW, this phenomenon has never happened to me. 🌩️

 

Well, maybe once or twice. 

 

Biba! Joe

[jnewberg]

Haven't been in the whiskey world as long as the majority of you but I am enjoying reading this thread.

[PhantomLamb]

17 hours ago, bayouredd said:

Only one thing wrong here...

A finishing of an almost gone bottle, a bit of re-shuffling or maybe, removal of an "I don't care bottle". Now you are at 91%. Damn, you need to make a run... 

Eh, I don't care that much, I'm going to be extremely picky in plugging that hole.  

[smokinjoe]

Bourbon Zen is over-rated!  

[BigSkyDrams]

19 hours ago, bayouredd said:

I've only been doing the "neat" bourbon thing for about 5 years. 

This made me think of another aspect of Bourbon Zen I’ve achieved, at least as I personally interpret the term:

 

I still drink neat sometimes, particularly for the 90-100 proof stuff, and generally taste everything neat at least once, but I’ve come to find I often enjoy my bourbon more with a small splash of water, and often (particularly at higher proofs) over a giant clear cube. Yes, I know the cold can mute some flavors, and when the additional h20 moves from “opening” the whiskey up to over-dilution, flavor may get washed out... but I can’t say I really care that much.
 

Some may scoff at that, but I enjoy it and it improves my experience, so I will simply ignore any naysayers with the assuredness that their judgment cannot penetrate the shielding sphere of  my personal Bourbon Zen.

 

As a wise sage once said (paraphrasing): there’s only one right way to drink bourbon, however the hell you like it!

Edited May 4, 2021 by BigSkyDrams

[geclbxf]

2 hours ago, BigSkyDrams said:

This made me think of another aspect of Bourbon Zen I’ve achieved, at least as I personally interpret the term:

 

I still drink neat sometimes, particularly for the 90-100 proof stuff, and generally taste everything neat at least once, but I’ve come to find I often enjoy my bourbon more with a small splash of water, and often (particularly at higher proofs) over a giant clear cube. Yes, I know the cold can mute some flavors, and when the additional h20 moves from “opening” the whiskey up to over-dilution, flavor may get washed out... but I can’t say I really care that much.
 

Some may scoff at that, but I enjoy it and it improves my experience, so I will simply ignore any naysayers with the assuredness that their judgment cannot penetrate the shielding sphere of  my personal Bourbon Zen.

 

As a wise sage once said (paraphrasing): there’s only one right way to drink bourbon, however the hell you like it!

I really like your take here.   When my Bourbon friends come over, we really only drink neat pours (and sometimes one too many, LOL).   When I go home after a long day, I often drink an old fashioned, and yes sometimes with really great bourbon as the base.   

 

My wife called me on it, and said - so you drink neat pours to show off with the friends, and then OF when you are home with me - are you just showing of for friends?   What do you truly like?

 

The answer is - BOTH!   Drink what you want, how you want, when you want!

[Bob_Loblaw]

3 hours ago, BigSkyDrams said:

I still drink neat sometimes, particularly for the 90-100 proof stuff, and generally taste everything neat at least once, but I’ve come to find I often enjoy my bourbon more with a small splash of water, and often (particularly at higher proofs) over a giant clear cube. Yes, I know the cold can mute some flavors, and when the additional h20 moves from “opening” the whiskey up to over-dilution, flavor may get washed out... but I can’t say I really care that much.
 

 

39 minutes ago, geclbxf said:

The answer is - BOTH!   Drink what you want, how you want, when you want!

 

Fantastic points and I have also come around quite a bit on the "proper" way to enjoy bourbon.  I was neat all the time and for a long time insisted that drops of water were necessary to accentuate the flavors.  I still think it changes the bourbon profile, but no longer find it mandatory.   Drink it how you want, I don't care.  And if I catch you pouring my Pappy over ice then shame on me for leaving the bottle out for a non experienced drinker to pour.  

 

I do feel like I am very much closer to zen (will confirm this fall).  A huge factor here has been the continued expansion of limited edition products and constantly increasing prices.  It's no longer even feasible for me to obtain everything both from a volume and financial standpoint.  Once that starts happening it becomes easier to pass/not chase other bottles.  Plus I have been fortunate to be able to partake in several barrel picks.

 

Hoping this year the vast majority will be drinking off shelf daily's and regularly available bottles, a whole lot of the bottles from barrels I helped pick and then a smattering of Limited Editions and Unicorns.

[fishnbowljoe]

3 hours ago, BigSkyDrams said:

This made me think of another aspect of Bourbon Zen I’ve achieved, at least as I personally interpret the term:

 

I still drink neat sometimes, particularly for the 90-100 proof stuff, and generally taste everything neat at least once, but I’ve come to find I often enjoy my bourbon more with a small splash of water, and often (particularly at higher proofs) over a giant clear cube. Yes, I know the cold can mute some flavors, and when the additional h20 moves from “opening” the whiskey up to over-dilution, flavor may get washed out... but I can’t say I really care that much.
 

Some may scoff at that, but I enjoy it and it improves my experience, so I will simply ignore any naysayers with the assuredness that their judgment cannot penetrate the shielding sphere of  my personal Bourbon Zen.

 

As a wise sage once said (paraphrasing): there’s only one right way to drink bourbon, however the hell you like it!

BINGO!  
 

Biba! Joe

[bayouredd]

1 hour ago, geclbxf said:

I really like your take here.   When my Bourbon friends come over, we really only drink neat pours (and sometimes one too many, LOL).   When I go home after a long day, I often drink an old fashioned, and yes sometimes with really great bourbon as the base.   

 

My wife called me on it, and said - so you drink neat pours to show off with the friends, and then OF when you are home with me - are you just showing of for friends?   What do you truly like?

 

The answer is - BOTH!   Drink what you want, how you want, when you want!

 

3 hours ago, BigSkyDrams said:

This made me think of another aspect of Bourbon Zen I’ve achieved, at least as I personally interpret the term:

 

I still drink neat sometimes, particularly for the 90-100 proof stuff, and generally taste everything neat at least once, but I’ve come to find I often enjoy my bourbon more with a small splash of water, and often (particularly at higher proofs) over a giant clear cube. Yes, I know the cold can mute some flavors, and when the additional h20 moves from “opening” the whiskey up to over-dilution, flavor may get washed out... but I can’t say I really care that much.
 

Some may scoff at that, but I enjoy it and it improves my experience, so I will simply ignore any naysayers with the assuredness that their judgment cannot penetrate the shielding sphere of  my personal Bourbon Zen.

 

As a wise sage once said (paraphrasing): there’s only one right way to drink bourbon, however the hell you like it!

Ahh, more Zensmanship!!!

Achievable on a daily basis, whether in a cocktail, neat, with a splash, etc...

Maybe even with a beer; in lieu of tomorrows anticipation of the next bourbon pour. (notice how I added bourbon to the word pour; after all it is "bourbon zen" in the title)

Now that has possibilities; in fact daily.

[flahute]

I've been adding drops of water or more to bourbons I thought needed it for as long as I can remember. 107 proof and up is when I'm usually thinking about a drop or drops as it gets up to barrel proof. I love that first sip of a barrel proof whiskey neat but I also know I'll burn out my taste buds quickly if I keep it up so I add water until I find a sweet spot.

So I guess I've been at Zen for a long time! The only time I add a cube (and I have nothing against cubes, I just prefer the greater control of adding a little water at a time) is when I have a barrel proof whiskey out by the firepit. Don't want to mess with water in that scenario so I drop in a sphere or one of those really big cubes and I enjoy the changing personality of the whiskey as it dilutes gradually. When it hits the sweet spot I'll remove the cube.

 

For me, Zen is more about the willingness to chase and/or jump through hoops for LE's or other allocated bourbons. I've reached the point where I will not. Now that's easy for me to say because I have a local that takes care of me and I can always count on getting a few per year. That said, I've completely given up on trying to secure them anywhere else in town. I don't even ask about if they have a list or do a lottery or whatever. I also now ignore all the new flashy NDP's that arrive so regularly. I'm content with what I have and have my stable of staples that are always available that keep me very happy.

 

I think I'm pretty close.

[BigSkyDrams]

1 hour ago, flahute said:

The only time I add a cube (and I have nothing against cubes, I just prefer the greater control of adding a little water at a time) is when I have a barrel proof whiskey out by the firepit. Don't want to mess with water in that scenario so I drop in a sphere or one of those really big cubes and I enjoy the changing personality of the whiskey as it dilutes gradually. When it hits the sweet spot I'll remove the cube.

This right here is what I love. Although when it starts to get past the sweet spot mine is usually low enough that I can finish off the liquid with a gulp and pour something fresh over what remains of the cube.

 

Also, in my experience, barrel proofers are certainly all not created equal. I suppose whomever selects the barrels is implicitly asserting that they are just right as-is and shine the most with no dilution. And there’s some bottles where I’d agree — GTS and WLW have been there for me, for example. There are some, however, that seem to have jumped on the barrel proof train for the sake of having it on the label, and improve quite a bit IMO with appropriate dilution. In those cases I really enjoy trying to find the sweet spot, as you allude to, where the dilution is just right. 

[B.B. Babington]

7 hours ago, BigSkyDrams said:

This made me think of another aspect of Bourbon Zen I’ve achieved, at least as I personally interpret the term: I still drink neat sometimes, particularly for the 90-100 proof stuff, and generally taste everything neat at least once, but I’ve come to find I often enjoy my bourbon more with a small splash of water, and often (particularly at higher proofs) over a giant clear cube...

As a wise sage once said (paraphrasing): there’s only one right way to drink bourbon, however the hell you like it!

I'm a never add anything to anything guy.  But at a bar had large glass of bookers on ice and really enjoyed it.  On the deck with glass, ran off to chase cat and came back to well aired whiskey, different but very very tasty.  Though I'm old and set in neat ways, I appreciate the other ways of handling the drink which enhance certain properties.  

[flahute]

2 hours ago, BigSkyDrams said:

This right here is what I love. Although when it starts to get past the sweet spot mine is usually low enough that I can finish off the liquid with a gulp and pour something fresh over what remains of the cube.

 

Also, in my experience, barrel proofers are certainly all not created equal. I suppose whomever selects the barrels is implicitly asserting that they are just right as-is and shine the most with no dilution. And there’s some bottles where I’d agree — GTS and WLW have been there for me, for example. There are some, however, that seem to have jumped on the barrel proof train for the sake of having it on the label, and improve quite a bit IMO with appropriate dilution. In those cases I really enjoy trying to find the sweet spot, as you allude to, where the dilution is just right. 

Ha! I've definitely had a few of those "one gulp" situations.

 

I do want to provide a different perspective on the notion of barrel proofers being "just right as is".

I'm not sure that any master distiller bottles something at barrel proof because they think it's perfect as is and should not be consumed any other way. 

I once stood 5' from Jimmy Russell when he said that he likes his bourbon on the rocks because it makes the ice taste better. Elmer T Lee was famous for preferring his namesake bourbon mixed with Sprite. I've never heard a modern master distiller claim that barrel proof is gospel. I believe they release barrel proofers so that the whiskey nerds can choose exactly how they like it best.

[BigSkyDrams]

8 hours ago, flahute said:

Ha! I've definitely had a few of those "one gulp" situations.

 

I do want to provide a different perspective on the notion of barrel proofers being "just right as is".

I'm not sure that any master distiller bottles something at barrel proof because they think it's perfect as is and should not be consumed any other way. 

I once stood 5' from Jimmy Russell when he said that he likes his bourbon on the rocks because it makes the ice taste better. Elmer T Lee was famous for preferring his namesake bourbon mixed with Sprite. I've never heard a modern master distiller claim that barrel proof is gospel. I believe they release barrel proofers so that the whiskey nerds can choose exactly how they like it best.

Thanks for the different perspective. A bit of Googling led me to a couple different articles where master distillers are quoted or referenced to have said exactly what you are saying: that barrel proofers allow the freedom for experimentation so a consumer can find exactly what they like. That makes sense since one can’t raise the proof of any standard offerings. 
 

I suppose in that light (and to bring it full circle), barrel proofers are a gift from the distillers to help guide one’s pursuit of achieving Bourbon Zen! 

[Grain Belt]

Bourbon zen to me is pulling out a bottle of EWBIB at the hunting shack and pouring for my 75 year old father and 80 year old uncle.  It’s great hearing the “Ahhh!” after their first sip and talking smart with the gentlemen who showed me how to enjoy bourbon after a good day in the woods.  I always make sure a bottle finds it’s way into my dad’s boot in the back of the truck so he has a little “thank you” when he unpacks at home. 

[mbroo5880i]

3 hours ago, Grain Belt said:

Bourbon zen to me is pulling out a bottle of EWBIB at the hunting shack and pouring for my 75 year old father and 80 year old uncle.  It’s great hearing the “Ahhh!” after their first sip and talking smart with the gentlemen who showed me how to enjoy bourbon after a good day in the woods.  I always make sure a bottle finds it’s way into my dad’s boot in the back of the truck so he has a little “thank you” when he unpacks at home. 

This my friend is absolutely awesome!

[flahute]

6 hours ago, Grain Belt said:

Bourbon zen to me is pulling out a bottle of EWBIB at the hunting shack and pouring for my 75 year old father and 80 year old uncle.  It’s great hearing the “Ahhh!” after their first sip and talking smart with the gentlemen who showed me how to enjoy bourbon after a good day in the woods.  I always make sure a bottle finds it’s way into my dad’s boot in the back of the truck so he has a little “thank you” when he unpacks at home. 

Love it.