Achieving Bourbon Zen - A Mini Manifesto

[Erk Russel Reserve]

On 11/13/2013 at 10:48 AM, squire said:

The goal is to become one with the elements, grain, yeast, water and fire.

This, this and this.

 

10+ years in the bourbon enthusiast game, and this rings truer with every year.  The only caveat I'd add is NCF is also important, but it doesn't flow in the sentence- Become one with the elements, grain, yeast, water, fire and NCF.  Nope doesn't work. 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Erk Russel Reserve
Grammer

[smokinjoe]

5 hours ago, Erk Russel Reserve said:

This, this and this.

 

10+ years in the bourbon enthusiast game, and this rings truer with every year.  The only caveat I'd add is NCF is also important, but it doesn't flow in the sentence- Become one with the elements, grain, yeast, water, fire and NCF.  Nope doesn't work. 

 

 

Erk!

If you know, you know.  

Great SB handle!
 

 

 

 

[fishnbowljoe]

20 hours ago, Erk Russel Reserve said:

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 

You sound pretty knowledgeable @Erk Russel Reserve. You don’t live in Kentucky do you?  
 

Biba! Joe

[Erk Russel Reserve]

5 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

You sound pretty knowledgeable @Erk Russel Reserve. You don’t live in Kentucky do you?  
 

Biba! Joe

I appreciate the kind words. Been a lurker on here on and off for over a decade, and former participant on BE.  I currently live far away from Kentucky, but my nephew did go to UK.  He brought me the big bottle of JTS Brown BiB (and HH 90 6YO) recently which I had been curious about for over a decade!  Currently exploring "finishing" aged whiskys with moonshiner techniques with in bottle toasted/charred wood.  If the big boys do it, why can't we?  This beautiful presentation from the NOLA BourbonFest started my road to discovery:

 

 

[Kepler]

Today I passed on bottles of Larceny Barrel Proof sitting on the shelf at $50.   I really like this stuff, but I have a few bottles in the bunker already and despite the great price I resisted the urge to add to my stash.  Six months to a year ago I would have bought at least 2 bottles and perhaps had remorse later.  I'm posting this here (instead of the "What Bourbon Did You Pass On" thread) because to me, this is a sign of Zen.  This is progress.   Progress is a beautiful thing.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Kepler

[Harry in WashDC]

On 9/5/2022 at 4:13 AM, Erk Russel Reserve said:

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 

Hhhhhmmm.  Never tried this.  Usually just pick up one of the MMs with an odd stick mixture when I seek wood.  I'm not really all that fond of woody bourbons (i.e., high proof ancient offerings), and since those are now rare, I may try this with some of the "lesser lights" I've picked up to try and have not yet dumped.

 

So, THX.

[Harry in WashDC]

On 9/5/2022 at 4:27 AM, Erk Russel Reserve said:

This, this and this.

 

10+ years in the bourbon enthusiast game, and this rings truer with every year.  The only caveat I'd add is NCF is also important, but it doesn't flow in the sentence- Become one with the elements, grain, yeast, water, fire and NCF.  Nope doesn't work. 

 

 

Another thought - I have a bag of JD charred barrel chips somebody gave me for BBQing.  I usually use chunks, not chips, for smoke flavor so these have been sitting awhile in their bag.  NOW, I have a second use for them.  That said, another thought just occurred to me while typing (yeah, I been drinking beer and working outside and watching college football so am a bit fuzzy, but): what if I "toast" BBQ wood chips along with actually using OTHER wood chips while BBQing - wouldn't take much to put a second handful in their own metal container to char while other stuff cooks.  We doing beef skirt steak kabobs tonight.  I going to try it. with some red oak chunks I have left over from a brisket smoke.

 

THANKS again. 

[mbroo5880i]

20 hours ago, Kepler said:

Today I passed on bottles of Larceny Barrel Proof sitting on the shelf at $50.   I really like this stuff, but I have a few bottles in the bunker already and despite the great price I resisted the urge to add to my stash.  Six months to a year ago I would have bought at least 2 bottles and perhaps had remorse later.  I'm posting this here (instead of the "What Bourbon Did You Pass On" thread) because to me, this is a sign of Zen.  This is progress.   Progress is a beautiful thing.

 

 

 

And you did a good deed.  Someone else will come across those bottles and say "score!"  I recall seeing a few sitting on the shelf and passing on them since I really don't care for the standard offering.  However, I would have grabbed one at that price or even a little higher since it hasn't been seen here since.

[Erk Russel Reserve]

On 9/11/2022 at 5:40 AM, Harry in WashDC said:

Another thought - I have a bag of JD charred barrel chips somebody gave me for BBQing.  I usually use chunks, not chips, for smoke flavor so these have been sitting awhile in their bag.  NOW, I have a second use for them.  That said, another thought just occurred to me while typing (yeah, I been drinking beer and working outside and watching college football so am a bit fuzzy, but): what if I "toast" BBQ wood chips along with actually using OTHER wood chips while BBQing - wouldn't take much to put a second handful in their own metal container to char while other stuff cooks.  We doing beef skirt steak kabobs tonight.  I going to try it. with some red oak chunks I have left over from a brisket smoke.

 

THANKS again. 

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