General consensus "best" bourbons?

[MyOldKyDram]

This is the best painting:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18130[/ATTACH]

So...general consensus on the best bourbon in this painting?

[squire]

Ahhh, no voting without tasting.

[Guy Debord]

For someone even remotely familiar with the art crowd, calling this group snobbish is absurdly laughable.

One of my goals (as I serve in a very small marginal limited art world capacity) is to get snobbery out of art. Art is for everyone, just like bourbon. Inclusion over exclusion.

Best,

[GaryT]

Art is for everyone, just like bourbon. Inclusion over exclusion.

Best,

Bourbon is NOT for everyone.

I mean . . . they need to be over 21

[squire]

Bourbon, like art, is for those who can appreciate it.

[flahute]

I appreciate both.

[dcbt]

Bourbon is NOT for everyone.

I mean . . . they need to be over 21

[TunnelTiger]

There oguth to be a law that no one else is able to buy bourbon if they don't already have a min of 10 open bottles and 20 in the bunker.

Too many people enjoying it now.

[Restaurant man]

There oguth to be a law that no one else is able to buy bourbon if they don't already have a min of 10 open bottles and 20 in the bunker.

Too many people enjoying it now.

You sir, are part of the problem. (Slaps in the face with glove) I challenge you to a duel. Choose your pappy and meet me in the alley at sunset. Excuse me could you pass the grey poupon?

[smknjoe]

Things are getting too spicy for the Pappy-er!

[TunnelTiger]

You sir, are part of the problem. (Slaps in the face with glove) I challenge you to a duel. Choose your pappy and meet me in the alley at sunset. Excuse me could you pass the grey poupon?

Damn you are right I am and proud of it too!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[r60slash5]

Isn't the best Bourbon the one your drinking and enjoying right now?

Ted

[JPBoston]

Perhaps it was harsh of me to generalize. There are a lot of helpful people here, but there are some who type one line cryptic replies that come off as arrogant--projections of an unappreciated scholar who knows more than everyone else who feels justified in being snobby (I know something you don't know and I'm keeping it to myself).

Yes, taste is subjective and bourbon is subjective, but it's not so complex that we cannot guide others. I've only tried 20 or so bourbons, but I feel confident that there are some profiles and products that serve as gateways to understanding bourbon more.

Yes, I am an art educator and contemporary art historian. I could not tell you what the best work of art is, but I could say with confidence what the most interesting and fascinating artistic practices of our time are. I could tell you who to look at right now, i.e. those who are doing critical, powerful, and deeply meaningful and innovative work today. I could also tell you about a lot of problematic work too, things to stay away from. I could tell you certain key texts that artists are reading and certain cultural subjects that art is dealing with today. Without sending you to an expensive BFA or MFA program, I could point someone in a good direction.

I think this thread is important because it goes to what is so common in our culture. In all subjects there are people who hold knowledge and use that authority over others. This is an online forum, a seemingly democractic space to engage in discussion about a topic of interest--the bourbon discourse. I don't think we should cast people's questions aside as unanswerable or belittle them for asking. We need to be good stewards and teachers. Bourbon is super fun and fascinating. Sharing it with others in an open way that nurtures their experiences is great. There is no reason to preface everything with "In my honest opinion" or "I can only tell you what I like" we get that. It's okay to say what you like and don't like. People can judge for themselves, but don't with hold your knowledge because there is no right answer or consensus. There is no need for pettiness or secrecy, as I said, bourbon is a product that is accessible to all of us, no need to get so strange over notions of taste and subjective preference. It should not be that delicate.

Thanks!

Edited April 9, 2014 by JPBoston

[AaronWF]

When I first started coming to SB I encountered most of these tensions. I would ask "what's good guys!" only to be met with hostility for asking. The "gatekeepers of bourbon" don't want to tell you what to buy or try even though they know. They would rather you stumble around for years spending your hard earned money to develop your taste for this hobby. It's an old school "pay your dues" fraternity culture on SB. It somehow goes against their code of ethics to give you tips, which is why they don't type the names of bourbon. They make the uninitiated mysteriously decode everything from EC12 and FRSB to ETL (how long does it take type Elmer Lee?). Let's face it, we're all consumers and if we are curious about this subject we might need help. If you have committed to this site then you're probably really interested in bourbon, which means you deserve knowledge. Knowledge should be free, not come at a the price of buying every bourbon on the market once.

there are some who type one line cryptic replies that come off as arrogant--projections of an unappreciated scholar who knows more than everyone else who feels justified in being snobby (I know something you don't know and I'm keeping it to myself).

I think this thread is important because it goes to what is so common in our culture. In all subjects there are people who hold knowledge and use that authority over others.

Honestly Guy, the way you try to call out snobbery on SB leads me to believe you were bullied for much of your life. There are plenty of posters who throw out cryptic lines, but I never read that as arrogant - quite the opposite. Not everybody attracted to this site enjoys expounding on their tastes. Some people find pleasure in sharing the basest of their experience with no explanation necessary: This is what I drank, period. Yes, the typing shortcuts take getting used to, but to call that a brand of snobbery is pretty lazy AFAIC (that means As Far As I'm Concerned).

Do people recognize and value commitment to the cause here? Yes. Experience is valued over academics here. That's an enormous part of why this place is so special: People really care. I'm talking about real people, by the way, not just monikers. Maybe you'll come around to a Chicago-area event sometime and find a little bit of what I'm trying to allude to.

[MyOldKyDram]

For the life of me I just don't see the snobbery being alluded to here. This has always been a most welcoming group of people IMO, this coming from a relative newb himself. FIIK.

[Old Dusty]

Ich bin ein Berliner,NASA,ABBA,ACME,your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

(Sorry after 14 pages of this I broke and got all cryptic,snobby, one liney and initially. Hopefully it will pass by Sampler when I have to rub elbows and Glencairns with all you rat bastards)

Edited April 10, 2014 by Old Dusty

[smokinjoe]

For the life of me I just don't see the snobbery being alluded to here. This has always been a most welcoming group of people IMO, this coming from a relative newb himself. FIIK.

Me thinks "Guy Debord" has been reading too much Guy Debord...

[whiskeyagonzo]

Ich bin ein Berliner,NASA,ABBA,ACME,your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

(Sorry after 14 pages of this I broke and got all cryptic,snobby, one liney and initially. Hopefully it will pass by Sampler when I have to rub elbows and Glencairns with all you rat bastards)

I'm glad I read this at work instead if at home otherwise there would probably be bourbon spraying out of my nose instead of Mountain Dew. My elbows are ready. ;-)

[sailor22]

The best analogy I have come up with is "what's the consensus best rock and roll songs?" Always felt that there is the right song for the moment but it may not be so great another time. For me at least that correlates with how I pour Bourbon at my house. Not interested in hearing the same song over and over and there is an extensive "play list" that is always changing. For others a very few songs will be all they need or want.

A search will show that this question comes up regularly and most of the perceived snobbery or elitism stems from a genuine exasperation with answering it yet again. This board is sort of like an on line bar with blokes lined up shoulder to shoulder...expect a little jostling as your finding your seat.

There is no substitute for meeting SB members in person. Really, its worth the drive and the time.

[Quantum]

For the life of me I just don't see the snobbery being alluded to here. This has always been a most welcoming group of people IMO, this coming from a relative newb himself. FIIK.

I think it is much more of a perceived snobbery. Not having your questions answered immediately in a satisfactory manner can be frustrating for some people. It takes a measure of humility to recognize the fact you don't posses the knowledge and experience to ask better questions, and understand more detailed answers.

The more arrogant you are, the harder it is to fit into an existing group that is already more experienced in any given area. You assume you should be able to excel in any situation, so any trouble you are having must be due to the malicious actions of others. When you see things like people using abbreviations, you will see it code intended to confuse outsiders, instead of simply a time saver.

[Guy Debord]

I think it is much more of a perceived snobbery. Not having your questions answered immediately in a satisfactory manner can be frustrating for some people. It takes a measure of humility to recognize the fact you don't posses the knowledge and experience to ask better questions, and understand more detailed answers.

The more arrogant you are, the harder it is to fit into an existing group that is already more experienced in any given area. You assume you should be able to excel in any situation, so any trouble you are having must be due to the malicious actions of others. When you see things like people using abbreviations, you will see it code intended to confuse outsiders, instead of simply a time saver.

This is a highly inaccurate response to what I've been posting. Perhaps I am more sensitive to snobbery and power than most (maybe I'm a big cry baby as someone suggested), but there is no denying that everything I have said signals a person who is not arrogant, but wants more generosity and equality. I do get many of my questions answered on SB. I'm merely sticking up for those who have not. I admit to not having enough experience to answer their questions, but why do I see snarky one-liners and name calling as responses if everyone here is so openly generous and kind? Please don't rip on me for trying to stick up for people who are just trying to learn and get into this. Personal attacks like shifting this back to my character as though I am the arrogant one, asking if I have been "bullied all my life," calling me lazy, saying that I am "pouting," and requesting that I put on my "big boy pants" is unacceptable and pretty rude. I don't think what I have said at any time warrants remarks like that.

Lastly, it's pretty hilarious how bold people are on the internet. Half of these comments would not be said between adults face-to-face.

Best,

[MauiSon]

If knowledge should be free, then art educators (and all other purveyors of knowledge) shouldn't be paid. Say WHAT? [sorry I couldn't keep it a one-liner - ]

Honestly, developing your palate without tasting a lot of different samples is like developing your artistic taste without looking at a lot of art.

Edited April 10, 2014 by MauiSon

[callmeox]

Lastly, it's pretty hilarious how bold people are on the internet. Half of these comments would not be said between adults face-to-face.

Best,

You have obviously never been to a Gazebo gathering. What you see here is what you get in person with these folks. Overall, SB is a group of friends who get together when they can to share their love for Bourbon. Much of the banter is an expression of the relationships in real life.

As far as arrogance, there's good bit of that involved in joining an established online community and attempting to dictate member interaction and "proper" discourse. Unfortunately, this is a common malady in internet communities when people don't want to bother to learn the ropes.

Since the thread has devolved into something more personal than the OP intended, it will be locked before it is consumed by flames.