The Iron Triangle of Bourbon

[tylermke]

In today's bourbon world, we are increasingly faced with the Iron Triangle constraint. That is, the characteristics of age, proof, and price are becoming hard to find in a single offering.

If forced to make a decision on which two you could have (assuming all three together are not possible), what characteristics come out on top for you?

For me, I'm settling on proof and price. More times than not, I enjoy higher proof offerings that are light on the wallet. Age and proof are not always indicative of quality, but I get more value out of proof than age. A simple example (not completely apples to apples) would be THH and Saz 18. The THH is younger, but higher proof. I prefer it to the Saz 18 in most ways.

Interested in hearing your thoughts!

[jonhalter]

I would go age and price. I tend to add water or ice to bring high proof stuff down to about 100. Too much young whiskey out there to ignore age. Price will always be on my radar until I win powerball. Maybe tomorrow I wont care about price anymore. If thats the case, expect a bottle of something from a hand selected barrel to show up at your door.

[393foureyedfox]

Id go with price and proof as well.

but, looking at the 6 bourbons I choose to keep on a regular basis here, 5 are age stated. But, they arent high age statements, they are:

6 year HH 90

6 year HH BIB

7.25 year Bookers 127 proof

9 year KCSB 120 proof

9 year Dickel 103 proof

and un-age stated OGD114

so they all fall in the 6-9 year range that seems to be my window of taste, and 6-9 year bourbons are still fairly common......for now

[squire]

Flavor, proof, price for me, I really don't consider age.

[tylermke]

Flavor, proof, price for me, I really don't consider age.

Flavor cannot be "measured" and is subjective, thus I stuck with the measurable characteristics. You raise a good point, though!

[MyOldKyDram]

Proof and price.

Age is just a number baby alright alright.

[Old Dusty]

Price is always a factor-as in how much do I have in the bourbon budget? But for me I factor proof and age as more important than price. And with a bit stashed away, I can be more selective and maybe spend a bit more per bottle to get the age/proof combo I want.

[B.B. Babington]

Flavor and price. Age and proof contribute to flavor. When looking at label for something I've never tried before, age and proof entice.

[KJND]

Age is nice but flavor and price is what drives me. Some great NAS bourbon available at great prices currently.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Richnimrod]

Boy, that is a complex question to answer; especially if one allows the fourth component of 'flavor' (un-quantifiable though it is).

I guess, by a narrow margin over price, I would go for flavor and proof. Here's why I say that...

Price is certainly a component of my decision to buy or not; but I generally don't get to that decision unless I first expect to satisfy the flavor, then the proof issues. I do like me some barrel proof pours really well; but mainly for the extra flavor I derive. ...And, I more often than not like some age on my bourbons; but only for the flavor that's been added; not for number itself. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

[tylermke]

Flavor and price. Age and proof contribute to flavor. When looking at label for something I've never tried before, age and proof entice.

[squire]

Lacking a prepurchase sample it's not a buying consideration but if it doesn't smell good I won't drink it.

[Harry in WashDC]

Proof, age, price. BIB, with all its arbitrariness, sets a reasonable MINIMUM standard - 4 years @ 100 proof is a good start. Now, let's haggle.

Forty+ years of spirits tells me, when looking at something I've never tasted and know nothing about, to check:

Proof - I like 86 for mixers (EWB) but 90-100 for neat sipping. Other than OGD 114, I tend to put a chunk of ice in any pour of 100+ proof after the first sip. Or after the second pour.

Age, if any - I like 6-12 year old bourbon. For example, JBB 8yr tastes like custard to me, sometimes. Younger works in some cocktails but not for me as a regular pour, and older (15 yrs+) is wasted on my burntout tastebuds.

Price - Lot B @ $50-60 is a buy but only a bottle or two, not a case. At $100, it's a pass. For $100, I'd rather have 1 & 3/4 bottle of Blantons, 2/3 a case of VOB86, or 2 & 2/3 bottles of Smooth Amber 10yr.

Disclosure: My cost-benefit is more a function of storage space and spousal considerations than price. Flavor, which is not a consideration here, will override the above when shopping on occasion. I love my EHTSmB.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Harry in WashDC

[squire]

Harry is being practical which is what I plan to be when I grow up.

[oke&coke]

When it is something that I have not tried before or not enough tastings have been reported then I consider proof and age as the main factors with price being a distant third. If I am considering a repurchase then price becomes the decider with proof and age being a determiner of value at that price.

[DrBob]

My triangle would be flavor, proof, provenance. Flavor trumps all, higher proofs, generally have more flavor, and provenance tells me something of what to expect. In general bourbon of clear provenance is also reasonably priced.

[petrel800]

I went into a gun store once and the gunsmith on staff had a sign over his area that said the following . . .

1. You can have it done fast.

2. You can have it done cheap.

3. You can have it done right.

You are welcome to choose 2 of the 3 above.

Unfortunately that is becoming the reality in a lot of areas in life.

[393foureyedfox]

I went into a gun store once and the gunsmith on staff had a sign over his area that said the following . . .

1. You can have it done fast.

2. You can have it done cheap.

3. You can have it done right.

You are welcome to choose 2 of the 3 above.

Unfortunately that is becoming the reality in a lot of areas in life.

2 of the 3 is a good deal. More often than not, I find you get one of the three

[dSculptor]

For me being on a limited budget,I'd go price,age,proof. Proof doesn't matter to me a whole lot, althought I do enjoy the BIB's,but age, I don't know I always seem to gravitate more towards the older stuff,unfortunately the more age , the more the price.

[GaryT]

Age, Proof Price . . . that's tough. Price has to be there for me (except for some special release exceptions). So if I have to pick Age or Proof, I'd go with Proof more often than not. But I think it also depends on the delta between offerings. I mean, a 110 proof 4 yr old vs a 100 proof 18 yr old . . . I'd probably go with the age But if they are similar in difference, proof over age would be my lean.

[RWBadley]

I dunno, I just like a pretty label :grin:

[TunnelTiger]

And a cool bottle.

[tylermke]

So the triangle now moves to pretty label, cool bottle, and screw top.

[corpse_welder]

Proof and price. I like reasonably priced 100 or so proof bourbons like WT101 and OGDBiB. Which would bring about another point to this, mashbill. I tend to go with rye mashbills more often than not and it's usually a consideration in my purchases

[GaryT]

Proof and price. I like reasonably priced 100 or so proof bourbons like WT101 and OGDBiB. Which would bring about another point to this, mashbill. I tend to go with rye mashbills more often than not and it's usually a consideration in my purchases

Great point - if I encounter a variety of FRSBs, I'll lean towards the OB side unless the age/proof on an OE grabs my attention. And while I love WLW - if I could only have that or GTS, I'd have to leave the WLW behind.