Achieving Bourbon Zen - A Mini Manifesto

[PaulO]

Bourbon Zen - A lot of retail shelf space is wasted.

Non distiller producer sourced product or craft - if it's under four years.

Less than 90 proof.

Flavored? 

[dcbt]

Last night my BIL texted me a picture of him at some gathering drinking a bottle of PVW15.  I felt nothing - nothing bad or good - no jealousy, no admiration, no happiness for him, no curiosity about what was going on.  I just texted back a thumbs-up emoji.  Bourbon Zen.

[lemonman]

43 minutes ago, dcbt said:

Last night my BIL texted me a picture of him at some gathering drinking a bottle of PVW15.  I felt nothing - nothing bad or good - no jealousy, no admiration, no happiness for him, no curiosity about what was going on.  I just texted back a thumbs-up emoji.  Bourbon Zen.

 

I would have done the same thing, then went back to enjoying my KC or MM101.

 

 

[smokinjoe]

1 hour ago, dcbt said:

Last night my BIL texted me a picture of him at some gathering drinking a bottle of PVW15.  I felt nothing - nothing bad or good - no jealousy, no admiration, no happiness for him, no curiosity about what was going on.  I just texted back a thumbs-up emoji.  Bourbon Zen.

Honestly, I would have felt more, for the sheer facts that somebody opened that bottle, and that he was drinking it.  I would have been kinda like this…

Edited March 11, 2022 by smokinjoe

[flahute]

Glad to see this thread revived. I've been realizing more and more how close to zen I am. I have zero interest in all the new NDP labels that people are chasing. I have zero interest in all the expensive line extensions that the legacy distillers are running out. I've said many times on these pages that OF100 and WT101 are my most consumed bourbons and it's true. I love OF86. I love RR10yr. I like Woodford. I really like KC9. I don't care about any of the BT regular line any more. Don't get me wrong - I like them, but I don't care about missing out and never chase them. When it comes to the traditional allocated bottles I do still want them but I don't chase them. If I miss out that's fine. I have enough. I'm as close to zen as one can be before they reach 100%.

[Jazzhead]

Bourbon zen means being happy with what you can get,  because what you can get is pretty damn fine.  

 

There's a big difference between line extensions and LEs.    LEs are for the short-term picking-off of money.    And since so many of these LEs keep getting flipped on the secondary market for big Benjies,  IMO they risk damaging distillery good will.  

 

I love what Old Forester does.   However you like your bourbon -  basic,  premium batched, bonded,  finished, high-proof or single barrels -  these are all available as permanent line extensions that are accessible by almost all.    And  it just kills me that they keep Statesman in the line.     

Edited March 11, 2022 by Jazzhead

[PhantomLamb]

10 hours ago, flahute said:

Glad to see this thread revived. I've been realizing more and more how close to zen I am. I have zero interest in all the new NDP labels that people are chasing. I have zero interest in all the expensive line extensions that the legacy distillers are running out. I've said many times on these pages that OF100 and WT101 are my most consumed bourbons and it's true. I love OF86. I love RR10yr. I like Woodford. I really like KC9. I don't care about any of the BT regular line any more. Don't get me wrong - I like them, but I don't care about missing out and never chase them. When it comes to the traditional allocated bottles I do still want them but I don't chase them. If I miss out that's fine. I have enough. I'm as close to zen as one can be before they reach 100%.

Right there with you.  I'm done with BT, if I can find anything for MSRP, great, if not, oh well.  I'm still at "zen" but I am making room in the cabinet for bourbon trail trip next month.  

[Kepler]

I'm getting there.  My "LE chasing" phase has gradually shrunk to being just the traditional fall Nov/Dec season from the major distillers that I like (BTAC, 4RSmBLE and sometimes WT Master's Keep).  I've all but quit chasing the various special releases that drop during the rest of the year.  I'd like to claim bourbon zen as the only reason but "full bunker syndrome" is every bit as big a reason.   Either way I'm extremely satisfied with the current shelf products that are easily found such as WT101, KC9, KCSiB, 4RSiB, etc etc.

 

 

[FacePlant]

I'd like to think I have reached 85% or more Zen. With a 2019 health scare I have cut back tremendously. I mean from drinking 5 nights a week with 3-5 giant pours to once or twice with much fewer drinks. I will tell you my mornings are feeling much better! I would be in bourbon heaven with only WT & ER on the shelf, but I still find myself buying some unwanted bottles to "stay in the club" expecting some double retail offerings during the holidays. It's that 6 week run that tells me I'm not totally traveling on the Zen train, but who would pass up a WLW or Pappy if offered?

I tell myself those unwanted bottles will find a good home during those same Holidays, but that's just my own justification that I still don't have my Ying and Yang in total balance. At this stage of journey and age there is nothing left to try that peaks my interest, however I would not be a snob and turn down a new treat should it be offered. That's what it is...a journey. It's been overstated on these threads for year but so true. 

[bourbon-n00b]

I think I'm zen-ish although my wife surely wishes that I were moreso 

 

I do almost no business with local brick-and-mortars, which puts me out of any allocated, limited, annual, etc releases.

 

I'm in one patreon group with enough official private barrel releases and cost±shipping deals between members to keep me in plenty of interesting bottles.  And then there's an r/bourbon pick here and there, that I both want and am selected for, to fill in any gaps.

 

Yep, I don't get any hyped bottles but I don't have to play any games, pay ridiculous markups, spend time in line when a delivery truck is supposed to hit, or drive all over the place on a wing and a prayer.  Not ideal but the best that I can see, given the current environment 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2022 by bourbon-n00b
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[Anwalt]

I'm happy as a pig in poop.  Trying lots of different things.  Enjoying the finding & tracking & transporting.  Figuring what I like most; there's very little I haven't liked.  But some strike the fancy more than others. Still figuring that out via experimentation & repeated sampling ("science" when described to the Wifey).  I can be quite happy with very "normal" bottles (I mean you 4R and OF), having some fun picking up some not-so-normal ones here & again.  The swapping culture (which I of course never, ever do here, rules & all) is fun.  Making new friends. converting noobs over to the Dark Side (HM10 usually does the trick), and sharing pours with some old ones is part of it all.

 

What's not to like?

Edited June 15, 2022 by Anwalt

[TunnelTiger]

I might have achieved bourbon zen as I would be happy if all I could acquire was EWBIB.

[PhantomLamb]

I’ve been zen since the beginning of this year and haven’t looked back.

[PaulO]

This sounds like a Zen moment in the making.  I'm planning to enter a lottery at a local store as part of a sale.  I was thinking, if I get chosen, I probably wouldn't even be interested in paying MSRP for the majority of bottles that get held back for events like this nowadays.  I'll report back, but likely hear nothing.  Meanwhile, totally satisfied with mid shelf brands from the legacy distillers.      

[PhantomLamb]

On 6/28/2022 at 11:56 PM, PaulO said:

This sounds like a Zen moment in the making.  I'm planning to enter a lottery at a local store as part of a sale.  I was thinking, if I get chosen, I probably wouldn't even be interested in paying MSRP for the majority of bottles that get held back for events like this nowadays.  I'll report back, but likely hear nothing.  Meanwhile, totally satisfied with mid shelf brands from the legacy distillers.      

Amen.  I still haven't gotten my losing email from the lottery back in the beginning of May lol.

[Skinsfan1311]

I achieved Zen years ago.

I don't chase.  Never have.  Never will.  

There's plenty of great whiskey out there for reasonable prices.

[PaulO]

Reporting back - I scored an ECBP in the lottery.  That is probably one of the few outliers.  With the age and proof, still worth it at MSRP for something a little pricey.

[Marekv8]

I recently won the right to purchase an Old Fitzgerald 11 year Bottled in Bond decanter and a Blanton’s at MSRP. The tone of the messages detailing how incredibly lucky I was and how urgently I needed to collect these life-altering bottles was a great wake-up call. The deadlines have passed and I’m still breathing. Enough is enough. 

[fishnbowljoe]

4 minutes ago, Marekv8 said:

I recently won the right to purchase an Old Fitzgerald 11 year Bottled in Bond decanter and a Blanton’s at MSRP. The tone of the messages detailing how incredibly lucky I was and how urgently I needed to collect these life-altering bottles was a great wake-up call. The deadlines have passed and I’m still breathing. Enough is enough. 

So how much did you pay?  

 

Biba! Joe

[Marekv8]

12 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

So how much did you pay?  

 

Biba! Joe

Nothing— I passed. 

[fishnbowljoe]

2 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

Nothing— I passed. 

Just giving you a hard time.

 

Biba! Joe

[mal00768]

6 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

Nothing— I passed. 

After that 29 year old GlenDronach and 36 year old Mortlach you shared, I can’t imagine either of those bottles were all that exciting. 

Edited July 2, 2022 by mal00768

[flahute]

17 minutes ago, mal00768 said:

After that 29 year old GlenDronach and 36 year old Mortlach you shared, I can’t imagine either of those bottles were all that exciting. 

Truth has been spoken.

[Dannabis]

I have accepted that I have a low upper price limit and that I generally enjoy mid and low shelf bourbon.

I will buy ECBP at MSRP when I see it.

The whole thing is fun for me, shopping, looking, sipping, sharing.

I do disappear and go off of alcohol on a regular basis and I normally only have about two pours a month when I am not on vacation.

I find it easy to put alcohol aside and spend time exercising with weights, spoiling my weiner dog with nice walks and sharing good steaks with her. I also spend a lions share of my time working at mixing music and studying music mixing, although I have managed to pick up a few students for music lessons.

(I main on bass and my students are learning drums from me, go figure!)

Finding familiar dusties seems like a passing urge but it is a fun occasional passtime when I finally decide to go out and look.

Local stores in CO always seem to have affordable and fun barrel picks available to me so if EWbib or OGD gets old, I can go get a store pick.

My bar does have about 15 open bottles and I try to reduce them but seem to open two bottles for each one I finish.

 

It is all brown juice and the brown juice I have is good.

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Dannabis

[Erk Russel Reserve]

Finishing with toasted oak or various types of wood is the next step of Bourbon Zen.  Take a budget friendly BiB bottle and turn it into something even more delicious.  Chasing unicorn taters is mindless consumerism, while legal moonshining is The Way. 

 

Once a bottle has been NCF there is no way to get the oils back, but more wood helps the mouthfeel greatly. Cure time, toast/char level, wood variety, oak contact, virgin/reuse, etc, etc- there are many possibilities, and buying a pack of medium toasted/medium toasted plus cubes is cheap!  Drop em right into the bottle 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Erk Russel Reserve
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