How do you like to drink your bourbon?

[bin31z]

A great bourbon can be ruined by a bad serving method. I had a beautiful single malt once (glenfarclas 25) that my friend poured into a wax paper cup because it was the only thing we had at the time. It smelled and tasted terrible, with the alcohol dissolving a bit of the wax on the inside of the cup. Alot of people talk about bourbons but not there isn't alot of discussion on how you drink your bourbon. So how does everyone drink their bourbon?

I will get it started. With "normal" proof bourbons (40-45), I will just pour it into a Glencairn and drink it straight. I will experiment with a couple of drops of water to see if how it changes the bourbon. The real fun starts with the high proof to barrel proof stuff (45-65). I will start with no water, add drops of water in increasing amounts and note the changes. A really fun thing I do with barrel proof bourbons recently is that I will, insteading of adding water, pour the bourbon over a big ice ball (2.5 inch diameter tivoli) and let it melt a little. Then I pour it into a glencairn. I love the slight chill it gives to the bourbon, which makes it less stinging on the nose, allowing for deeper sniffs of it. Also, if you have some unfiltered stuff, the chill and water will separate some of the oils and give a nice haziness to the bourbon. It also gives a nice oily thickness to the liquid and I love to just watch it roll in the glass.

[Guest]

Neat up to 120proof, beyond that I will consider adding a little water depending on the whiskey, unfortunately over here there arent too many bourbon options this strong.

Sometimes ice, but usually only in the cheap stuff, the chill doesnt do it for me.

Small stemless wine glasses, very simmilar to the reidel whisky glasses, but from ikea and only $3, appear to be hand blown.

[B.B. Babington]

everybody has their own way, some drink it straight from the bottle, after throwing cap out of the window

unless it's really nasty, I do neat from cordials glass shaped like mini-glencairne. Prefer no air-time and no ice. Usually prefer sipping outdoors rather than inside when serious tasting.

[squire]

I drink it any way I please at the moment. Oh I have a few guidelines, rye recipe Bourbons go well with ginger ale, wheat recipes with citrus fruits such as orange or lemon, Rye whisky goes with darn near anything and vodka is good for mosquito bites.

[bingstein]

Recently, by the gallon.

[Grain Belt]

I try to limit myself to neat, on the rocks, with water, with water on the rocks, in a highball, or in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

[smknjoe]

Straight, out of the bottle.

[squire]

The glorious thing about Bourbon is it's versatility, you can even put it on ice cream.

[squire]

Straight, out of the bottle.

I'm waiting for the handles to come out with two handles.

Edited January 25, 2014 by squire

[oke&coke]

I'm waiting for the handles to come out with two handles.

And a rubber nipple.:woohoo:

[wmpevans]

Only one way to drink bourbon correctly:

The way you like it.

[Guest]

Straight, out of the bottle.

WT101 out of the bottle is one of lifes great pleasures

[jonhalter]

Most often, a 4 oz pour with a 1 oz ice cube. I like how it changes as the ice melts. If I find a taste I think is close to prefect, I pull the ice out. On occasion I sip neat. If its with a cube or neat I drink from a fairly heavy 9 oz rocks glass. Sometimes I go back to how most of us started, a low end bourbon in diet coke. Those just go down so fast.

How do I like to drink my bourbon? Its best with good friends and family. Some are really starting to enjoy my collection. Sharing it makes it taste just a little better.

[J-Brew]

When I first started drinking bourbon, I always had it with ice. Over time, I went down to one single cube. Now, I only drink bourbon neat or with a few drops of water to see how it changes the flavor.

[Red One]

First time trying a new bourbon, always neat. For regular pours, I usually add a bit of water. Found I don't really like ice in it anymore.

[jtexaslonestar]

WT101 out of the bottle is one of lifes great pleasures

:icon_pidu: That is the truth and it is a tailgate tradition of ours!:toast::toast: Pretty much neat out of a Glencairn, rocks glass, or whatever is available. :grin:

[bookman]

The glorious thing about Bourbon is it's versatility, you can even put it on ice cream.

I have done it for years, lately with OWA. That is great in or on things like whiskey balls, fruit cake, too.

[whiskeyagonzo]

Straight, out of the bottle.

Haha. I like to put my bottle in a brown paper bag first before drinking this way. Seems classy. ;-)

[dcbt]

Neat. Always neat. Even with the high proofers. I'll tell ya, though, it's dangerous to sip on a barrel strength and then switch to a 'normal' proofer, which then goes down like water. I try not to do that anymore.

I used to do the single big ice cube, though. I never could find a giant ice cube try so at the recommendation of a bartender I bought a child food storage thingee that held several 2oz portions. It worked the same, though.

[boneuphtoner]

I drink my bourbons neat about 2/3 of the time, and on the rocks for the remainder. For drinking neat, I like the small snifters you can buy on Amazon for ~$30 for a case of 12, but my favorite drinking glasses were included as part of a gift box when I bought some Glenlivet 12...they have the Glencairn shape at the top, but with a rocks glass bottom...much improved, more heavy weight design.

[393foureyedfox]

neat, and room temp. At first, I stuck to these small tumbler glasses that HH gave us on a tour, that say Elijah Craig 18 years on them, and didnt want a glencairn. Then, at a second-hand store with my wife once while we were donating things, I saw a Willett glencairn that was still new and it was 50 cents, so I got it and gave it a try. I dont know why, but I prefer the glencairn now. I usually pour about a half ounce into it and enjoy something for a while, then a half ounce or so of something else, usually enjoying 2-3 different things a night that way.

[Thig]

Up to about 100 proof I drink it neat in a chilled low ball glass. Over that I like to put a splash of water in a low ball glass and keep in the freezer then when I want a pour I pour it over the thin film of ice that has frozen in the glass, interesting to taste the change as the ice begins to melt.

[smokinjoe]

I like to put a splash of water in a low ball glass and keep in the freezer then when I want a pour I pour it over the thin film of ice that has frozen in the glass, interesting to taste the change as the ice begins to melt.

That's cool. I've never heard of that, but I like the sound of it. I'm going to have to try that!

:toast:

[gooneygoogoo]

99% of the time neat and room temp. Occasionally 1-4 drops of water on barrel proofers but even that is very rare for me. I just like it neat and ice seems to dry it out...don't like that. I found some Four Roses barrel shaped glasses that I absolutely love. My nose is too big for the glencairn and the Four Roses glasses have a great heft and slight taper. Bought them at the gift shop in Sept.

[JVande]

Start with a tornado swirl in a rocks glass and attempt to catch the bourbon in my mouth as it flies out of the glass. The reduces the time needed for a barrel proof bourbon to open up in the glass.