SSBourbon1 Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 As I sit here and review the posts and have just finished having a drink of my new favorite bourbon, EW 23 (I will be posting something about this soon just have to think about it a little and taste test some more), I began to think about what drink got me into liking bourbon and getting more interested in it. For me, my first bourbon was Makers Mark. I still enjoy it today, although I enjoy others more especially since I've grown to appreciate the intricacies of bourbon since then. But the Makers Mark was the bourbon that hooked me on the adventure and now quest to find the hard to find bourbons we all talk about. So, I ask you to think about this and share what the bourbon was that got you hooked and let us know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveZZZ Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Knob Creek. Strangely, I haven't liked any glass of it since the first nearly as much, but I still enjoy it. It got me started trying minis of everything I could find, and it wasn't too long before I found this place. Now, the collection keeps growing, and KC isn't even in the top half of my list... but without it I may not have tried anythign else at all.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneCubeOnly Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 For me it was Jim Beam White. My first adventure into premium bourbons was with Maker's Mark (I imagine you'll hear many similar stories!) Needless to say, it was all uphill from there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackkeno Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Weller Centenniel was the one that really turned me on to bourbon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 I didn't so much catch the bourbon bug from tasting, but conscious choice. I began working part-time in a liquor store about 18 months ago, and brought home several half-pints one evening (Old Charter 8 and 10, Old Forester, Evan Williams green and black, et al) and tasted them over the course of a few evenings, just to be able to converse with customers a bit more knowledgably. I guess W.L. Weller's Special Reserve 7yo was the first one that really caught my attention -- and it still remains one of my favorite flavor-to-value drinks. There is still a bunch of the harder-to-find bourbons -- though the selection here in Tennessee is better than many places, according to what I read here -- I haven't tried yet, but will eventually. It's not a bad hobby, I've discovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 I would have to say that the first truly delicious bourbon I ever had was Wild Turkey 8-year old 101 proof, back in about 1968. A year or so later, I encountered Very Old Fitzgerald from Stitzel-Weller. A little later than that (say, 1970-1973), I often enjoyed Old Forester, Ancient Ancient Age 10-year old, and Henry McKenna. So, I've been enjoying a wide variety of good (and sometimes not so good) bourbon for about 35 years. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 I consider it to be one of my hobbies, too. And you're right, its not a bad hobby, at all.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradox Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 To the point, what really made me go out and look for premium bottlings, Makers Mark. And it has been nothing but fun ever since! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bandit Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 It was Knob Creek for me, too. (Jim Beam white from myyouth doesn't count).A few years ago, I tried KC on a whim. I was a long-timeScotch drinker -- a bit bored with the current crop ofmalts, and annoyed with the ever increasing prices, I bought a bottle. It was something new, and the store was promoting it.Glad I bought it.Cheers,-AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckky Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Jim Beam White in my youth also....then a long Scotch hiatus...with Old Forester bringing me back to bourbon and Woodford Reserve opening the window to the world of premiums.....last night I had Weller Centennial which I really like...Stagg, Van Winkle Rye, Hirsch16, EWSB's, AAA10yr,ER17,Rare Breed,Bookers,ETL,Blanton's, etc, etc...Saz is a great rye...so many great choices it would be very difficult to pick a favorite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jal Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Woodford Reserve is the first bourbon that really caught my attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Makers Mark. I drank that for a couple years, then i found this site. I've been on a joy ride since that day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbyvirus Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Maker's Mark. Then Blantons. And then all was lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurphyDawg Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Blanton's. My initial bottle of Maker's Mark only made it into cherry coke and Boilermakers, so it really doesnt count.TomC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEG3 Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Bellows Club Buorbon , was the first , but it was a list of WT 101 8yr, Weller Centenial , Ezra Brooks 101 7 yr, Evan Williams 101 7yr , that got me deep in to enjoying a good pour .... Now it is Van Winlke 107 10 yr that has me full loyality,,, but I will go after the special pours , ..Stagg , and have a list of the common pours to try , Knob Creek ,Bookers , Bakers.. etc. etc. . I find that I like the higher proofs , and for the most part drink them straight if on the rare chance I get one that I do not like .... it get used as a mixer ,,,, I have yet to find a high proof bourbon that cann't be used as a mixer and made drinkable ,,,, on the other hand some of the lower shelf lower proofs I use to try ,,, I some time wonder if it will harm the sink and drains .... Bill G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleblank Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 I have to repeat the Knob Creek refrain.....it caught my attention as different and good! It got me off the Makers Mark/JD standards. But as many others have said, it doesn't get my attention anymore. I believe its a combination of my taste preferences have changed AND the KC flavor profile has also evolved.DoubleBlank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurphyDawg Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Evan Williams 7yr I suppose this would be the first bourbon I had. . . back in high school , but Blantons is till the one that sent me on my way to being an enthusiast. TomC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CL Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 The progression is Beam's Choice in college (it's what my Dad had), then Old Grand Dad, then trying to move up market with Maker's Mark, then more flavor from Knob Creek, then the Regans book (Old Rip Van Winkle, oh my gosh!), then SB.com and Whoa, Nellie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_in_Canada Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 An unknown bourbon at a friend's house some 10 years ago led me to buy my first bottle, likely JB white. Wild Turkey (4yr, 80 proof) was next, and although likeable, it still did not steal away my preference for single malts (ouch, did I say that?) It was finally Old Rip Van Winkle that won my heart 6 years ago. It pushed me over the edge and I'm afraid I'm now fully converted. And while I flirt with many other brands (with a return occasionally to scottish malts), the Van Winkle lineup still owns most of my affection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 After the occassional pours of Jim Beam White, I became slightly more interested in Bourbon after having visited the Labrot & Graham folks and buying a bottle of Woodford Reserve. What did it for me was last years WhiskyFest, where I tasted a number of Julian Van Winkle's products. Although it was late in the evening, and I'd had plenty of fine Single Malt Scotch, the Van Winkle line-up made me pay attention to Bourbon in a big way. I've been a convert since then! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Maker's Mark. I think it was the distillery tour several years ago that got me wanting to explore bourbon. Of course I went right out and bought a bottle of Maker's, but soon to follow was WT80, then 101, then Woodford Reserve, then Evan Wiliams Single Barrel, then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I was working at this little bar and grill and the owner asked me if i would like to participate in a bourbon tasting his alcohol rep was setting up.I was kind of known for my taste of good booze. It turned out to be a Small Batch Bourbon setup,KC,Basil,Baker'sand the big dog Booker's. She took us through the entire drinking process(t and gave us a brief history lesson.I have to say it really piqued my bourbon intrest. I started trying different bourbons and found the ones I really liked and the ones I merely tolerate. Luckily I was able to go to many different tastings and even " The Great Whisk(e)y Debate".I got Fred Noe to sign a bottle of Booker's. I was a happy camper.All in all my bourbon quest has been a fantastic experience. I enjoy sharing a glass with a fellow bourbon fan and even making new ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camduncan Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 It was a bottle of Jim Beam Bonded that I picked up Duty Free in Fiji. A month or so later, I picked up a bottle of Woodford Reserve. That was a year or so ago, and the journey since then trying different bourbons has been a real treat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbutler Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 I'm not sure how I missed this post back when it was created, but no matter. Jim Beam white label. I can't stand the stuff now, but it's what our parents all had in their liquor cabinets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr8erdane Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 For me it was David Nicholson 1843. I was a 7 and 7 drinker my freshman year in college and a fraternity brother with a bit of enlightenment shared a fifth with me when I couldn't find anyone to go to the liquor store for a football game one brisk saturday afternoon. I haven't wasted a dime on Seagrams 7 since. That was 1978. The first straight bourbon was WT101 and we didn't know that letting it touch your tastebuds was as enjoyable as I find it now. Oh the foolishness of youth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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