Gateway into this madness.

[jvd99]

Eagle Rare in a Brown Derby at a Boston restaurant. Went home to Chicago and bought a bottle and was hooked. I then started to work my way through most mid-shelf and low-shelf offerings to figure out what I like from each level for everyday drinkers. At the same time though, I've been bunkering the allocated stuff that I ration/save for future enjoyment. I didn't want to waste any of it on an undeveloped pallet, but I have recently started to crack a few open like Handy, WLW, FRsmB, ER17. One thing I've noticed after a few years of concentrating on bourbon, is that my pallet has indeed become more refined and I now enjoy single malts much more than I used to. So now I'm getting into dusty hunting single malts which is very addictive as well because there is much less craze for single malts than bourbon. It's a rush to find a single malt that's been sitting in a store for 15-20 years at MSRP from the days of yore.

[Ravensfire]

We do a big family vacation every other year and rent a house someplace by a beach. The last time we were in North Caroline (Duck) and the kids (meaning my parent's kids and spouses) were sitting out on the front porch, enjoying the evening after the grandkids were all in bad. My brother in law comes out with glasses for all of us and says something like "Boys, this is the good stuff. Vacation has started!" His big vice is Blantons and that's what he brought out.

Lovely stuff, that Blantons. Damn him for introducing me to my favorite drink! Over the past year plus, it's been fun trying the various expressions of bourbon (and whiskey) with only a couple of outright nasty ones found.

[Bluffhunter]

Lots of shots of WT101 in college. Like most Makers Mark was the real starter though.

[s8ist]

Ri(1) was my gateway after trying various things like GJ and Bernheim. Now I'm on to the Willett's and high end BT and HH stuff. :toast:

[tigerlam92]

We had the same thread years ago and that would be a good review. With all the new members, this would be fun to do again.

For me, it was Blanton from Costco which was oh bourbon is pretty good. Then I jumped onto SB.com to study and learn.

Shortly and only after I had the ORVW 15, then the obsession started!! I love it so much, I didn't even realized I drank three bottles of a store select barrel of ORVW 15 in a month.

[Crowes]

Booker's did it for me. I bought a bottle for my boss for his birthday a few years ago, along with a bottle of Eagle Rare that was recommended to me at the store. We then sat around and had several pours... Booker's really blew me away at the time, and my journey began.

[Kpiz]

WT101 on a Southwest flight several years ago. At the time, I was flying to Denver every week for work, and my buddy would always order one on the rocks during the flight home. One time he ordered an extra for me, and I was hooked. That led to Booker's, which led to Stagg, and here I am.

[corpse_welder]

I do miss the times when I would look at my JD, Maker's Mark, and WT101 bottles on the counter and be elated to have any of them. As I spend more time drinking bourbon, I find myself regressing back to that and I'm happy. These days most of my drinking is Dickel #12, WT101, OGDBiB, any Weller, and Four Roses Small Batch, and I couldn't be happier

[Max Power]

I do miss the times when I would look at my JD, Maker's Mark, and WT101 bottles on the counter and be elated to have any of them. As I spend more time drinking bourbon, I find myself regressing back to that and I'm happy. These days most of my drinking is Dickel #12, WT101, OGDBiB, any Weller, and Four Roses Small Batch, and I couldn't be happier

Bully for you, my man. I'm with you.

[GaryT]

I think my first true love was ETL. I recall discovering that (at a time when I thought paying $30 for a bottle of liquor might be a bit absurd) and marveling at what I had been missing. But that hadn't quite lead me into madness. The next step was Bookers, which I liked but didn't love at first (I still suffered from the delusion that I couldn't/shouldn't water down expensive whiskey). But what pushed me over the cliff was GTS/WLW at a tasting in Bardstown. I thought people who spent $70+ on a bottle of whiskey were either rich or crazy. Learned that I wasn't rich, but wanted them bastards

[393foureyedfox]

I think my first true love was ETL. I recall discovering that (at a time when I thought paying $30 for a bottle of liquor might be a bit absurd) and marveling at what I had been missing. But that hadn't quite lead me into madness. The next step was Bookers, which I liked but didn't love at first (I still suffered from the delusion that I couldn't/shouldn't water down expensive whiskey). But what pushed me over the cliff was GTS/WLW at a tasting in Bardstown. I thought people who spent $70+ on a bottle of whiskey were either rich or crazy. Learned that I wasn't rich, but wanted them bastards

yeah, i too remember when i started off, on the bottom shelf, and seeing all the $30 stuff on the shelf and thinking, 'no way'. then i found myself buying things at $20, then $30. Thats about the time i made the $50 rule for myself, seeing how things were heading. Still, though my favorite is a $45 bottle, I am regularly happy with a $10-20 bottle of bourbon.

[MyOldKyDram]

I could point to maybe a half dozen bottles that got this thing rolling, but what really kickstarted the mania was my first trip to the sampler. The welcoming nature and generosity of the SB veterans (and newbs) along with the friends I made that weekend are what really pushed me head first into this bourbon rabbit hole. Never looked back and can't wait to see everyone next month!

[dementedavenger]

I drank the basics (WT101, JBW, etc.) for years and then started treating myself with Blanton's. About 10 years ago I was in a bar in NYC (I lived there at the time) and the bartender made me a cocktail with VWFRR. That was the end of it. I was soon buying and drinking ORVW10 and PVW15 on a regular basis (sigh) and it snowballed.

[bourbonfoot]

I was a big Crown Royal and CC drinker in and right after college. I moved onto bourbon basically out of boredom and wanting to try something new. I think my go to's were typically 1792, Jefferson Small Batch and Four Roses. I was really intrigued by the "story" on the 4R bottles with the recipes and picking the best batches, etc. I think that's what really sold me. A trip to the Bourbon Trail for my brother's bachelor party and it was over for me :grin:

[Renegator]

Interesting thread. I was brought into the fold by my first distillery tour at Jack Daniels. I had always mixed it with coke or ginger ale but after visiting the distillery - I started to enjoy it (especially GJ) neat. Shortly there after a friend (and fellow SB member) bought about 8 bottles of bourbon for us to do a tasting and see what we liked. It was the taste of ER10 and ORVW 10/107 that really opened my eyes to what a good bourbon could really be. I've been hooked ever since with those two still being among my favorites. Agree with the others who say this is an expensive hobby...

[sutton]

I occasionally drank WT101 and MM for years, but never more than a couple times a year. A few years ago I saw someone have a Sazarac, and decided to try one. That led to a search for a bottle of Sazarac Rye, which led to a bottle of Basil Hayden, which led to a bottle of BT, ... and then that was it.

[VT Mike]

Maker's Mark, followed shortly thereafter by Knob Creek. This was about 13 years ago. I was living with a roommate who had a pretty serious drinking problem, but at least he had good taste and was willing to share.

[gooneygoogoo]

Actually went to a beerfest out of town 2 years ago with some friends and for some reason decided to have a blind whiskey tasting. Went into the store and bought standard Eagle Rare, KC120, Dickle No 8, and ORVW10/107 (had never even heard of it). Between my friends and I we tasted those 4 plus JD, Bulleit Rye, Woodford, Devils Cut, Crown Black and some type of Scotch. It was eye opening for me to taste how different they all were. Favorites were the Rip and the ER followed closely by the KC120. That night just lit a fire...

[RepTucker]

Dad drank Jack. So i drank jack. Turning point was in college and more so right after i graduated. I worked at a liquor store so i started trying different things. OWA, fighting cock, JBB, Makers etc. It wasn't until I graduated and went to work for RNDC that i really got serious. I started finding dusty bottles of various bottles i had never seen. I also started drinking bourbon neat instead of with coke. More a function of the job since i was the youngest in the company i got ragged for ordering things with coke. Eagle rare was really "the" bourbon that got me. We were doing distribution drives and i got hooked. Slow decent into madness since then. 5 years on now and i still stockpile eagle when it goes on sale here. Been a great journey.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WhiskyRI]

Had always been an indifferent but regular bourbon drinker (mostly Maker's and small batch Beam's since the 80s) but my local store had a Black Friday Pappy event. I had never heard of it and didn't even bother looking it up on the internet but wandered down to see what the hubbub was. Turned I got there early and was 7th in line and the store didn't open for another 45 minutes. I almost left but decided to stick around, 10 minutes later there were 50 people in line. Once the store opened and the line began moving I decided to buy a 12 because it was expensive but "reasonable" and was thinking about the 15 because it was $72 but that seemed pricey. By the time I got to the table there was one bottle of 20 ($105), one bottle of 12 ($48) and 4 bottles of 23 ($190). On a whim I bought both the 12 and the 20. Couldn't believe I'd paid that much for a bottle.

Did a blind tasting with my neighbors that night and was blown away by both of them. And because I'd spent $100 on a bottle of Pappy 20, I decided to spend $160 on a 21 year Glengoyne at the distillery on a trip to Scotland. Fast forward 2 years later and I've got a new obsession and a growing stash. The 12 was good but the 20 started me down the path....

[bkallenb]

I probably started with JD, well before I was old enough to buy it for myself. This would go back and forth with CR and slowly turned into MM and KC. After buying a bottle of Bulleit, since it was on sale, I never turned back. The real adventure is now finding new things while living on a small caribbean island. These days I'm usually back and forth between WT101, Bulleit and Blanton's...and whatever sounds/looks interesting when I'm back in the US and have options. After talking mom into bringing me a bottle of Sazerac on her last visit, the world of Rye has been my new exploration lately.

[B.B. Babington]

Kentucky Tavern. Really. Enlightenment came from unusually fine bottle with lots of flavors never known before. I'd had lots of more expensive stuff before, but that Kentucky Tavern bottle woke me up.

[BFerguson]

GD #12 and OGD 100. Staples in my college apartment. FC showed up occasionally to. Got to love that chicken!

Good value, and good tasting.

B

[393foureyedfox]

GD #12 and OGD 100. Staples in my college apartment. FC showed up occasionally to. Got to love that chicken!

Good value, and good tasting.

B

[dmarkle]

I never liked "bourbon", when "bourbon" to me meant "Jim Beam White". So I stayed away for it for a while. Then one day my mother bought me a bottle of 12 yo Jameson's. I started to expand my horizons and eventually went to Scotch. Still stayed away from bourbon.

Then I went to a bar and tried Knob Creek. Maybe it's not my favorite now, but 10+ years ago it was like seeing a whole new world.