Whats the best bourbon advice you've ever gotten?

[ratcheer]

I learned by experience and from some people in this forum (a long time ago) to drink what I enjoy and not worry about what others like or why they might not like what I like.

Tim

[PaulO]

There is a sweet spot in most companies product lines, in between the bottom shelf and limited edition expensive stuff. Most 80 proof whiskies are forgettable. Bonds are a great way to try bourbon. It's nice to know who made something. I don't buy much NDP whiskey, except for the rye made in Indiana.

[Creggor]

When drinking Neat.. Let the Bourbon open up for 15 minutes or so.. Then add a little water or ice and see if the flavors open up.. And to this day when I am doing a tasting.. That is how I taste with something I am new too..

Cheers Creggor

[clingman71]

The best advice I've received is two fold - 1. Drink bourbon, that is what it is meant for! 2. Bourbon is best shared with friends. These 2 go hand in hand, I see too many people circle jerking over collections of unopened bottles!

The advice I give is "be patient", patient with pours, patient with bottles. Time affects bourbon.

[GaryT]

Best advise I got was "when trying to decide what you like - always blind taste test; and don't skip the value/bottom shelf". I've run into several examples where if you asked me "Would you like A or B better?", turns out I would have guessed wrong. AAA 10 Star and AAA 10 Yr is a fine example - I've done multiple blind sbs tastings, and over 75% of the time - I've picked the 10 Star over the 10 Year. And that has saved me from hand wringing/premature gray hairs over the 10 yr disappearing. I've also found several bottles at the lower end of the price scale that I wouldn't have considered BECAUSE of their price - but after some blind tasting, know that they are quite serviceable bourbons (Fighting Cock or Old Ezra 101 are two good examples).

[R-Savage]

Best advise I got was "when trying to decide what you like - always blind taste test; and don't skip the value/bottom shelf". I've run into several examples where if you asked me "Would you like A or B better?", turns out I would have guessed wrong. AAA 10 Star and AAA 10 Yr is a fine example - I've done multiple blind sbs tastings, and over 75% of the time - I've picked the 10 Star over the 10 Year. And that has saved me from hand wringing/premature gray hairs over the 10 yr disappearing. I've also found several bottles at the lower end of the price scale that I wouldn't have considered BECAUSE of their price - but after some blind tasting, know that they are quite serviceable bourbons (Fighting Cock or Old Ezra 101 are two good examples).

the best advice for bourbon was from this guy. (Check out his response to my stash thread.) Cheers Bud. thank you for your support. :toast:

Edited January 29, 2015 by R-Savage
Grammer

[fishnbowljoe]

A lot of the advice I've read, or been told in person has already been mentioned here. There is one piece of advice that I received that hasn't been mentioned yet. It's a long story. What can I say? Y'all that have been around a while are probably used to it. For some of you newer folks, you'll get used to it.

I remember the first time I went to Bardstown for the KBF as a member of SB. It was 2008. I didn't quite know what to expect, even though I'd read a lot, and heard some good stories here. My first night at the gazebo was something else. I was in absolute awe of the gazebo table. :bigeyes: Wow! Gotta try this, gotta try that, never seen this one before, Holy Cow! They don't make this any more, etc, etc... I had to jump right in and try as much as I could. One problem I had back then was that I really didn't know how to taste things. Another problem was my pours weren't exactly small.:skep: I wanted to be polite, so even if I didn't like something, I finished it anyway. So, at the end of the evening, I wobbled back to my room.:crazy: Needless to say, I had a pretty good hangover the next day. I arrived at the gazebo the second night with a glass of ice and a Pepsi. While I was contemplating whether or not to drink at all that night, I started talking with Chuck Cowdery, BourbonJoe, and Fricky, amongst a few others. It was then that I noticed how small the pours they had were. Hmmmmm. Then one of them tasted something they didn't like, and dumped it out over the rail. I questioned this, and was told it was okay, and not considered improper etiquette. If you didn't like something, you didn't have to drink it. Ahhhh, the unwritten rules of the gazebo. Chuck asked me if I was feeling a little rough. I told him yes, I'd tried way too many things the night before. It was then that he smiled and uttered these words of advice/wisdom to me. "Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint." Thanks Chuck. :bowdown: I've tried to keep those words in mind ever since. Operative word, tried. :slappin:

Cheers! Joe

[black mamba]

Best advice I ever got was to drink bourbon, or any whiskey for that matter, without ice. While I thoroughly uphold the right of anyone to drink their drinks the way they want to, for me drinking bourbon neat or with just a splash of water really opened my eyes to the different flavors. I will cut high proof bourbons with a little water, but only use ice in a mixed drink, or coctail.

[oke&coke]

Best advice I ever got......Have fun.

[docbible]

"Bunker what you enjoy, not what is hard to find. You will end up with a bunch of bottles that will never get opened for dread of reaching the bottom of the bottle." I only wish i had heard that ten years ago. tim

[Tony]

I have gotten so much good advice that I am not sure what the best is.

I do like the "It is a marathon, not a sprint" advice and have headed that sometimes, others not.

Best regards, Tony

[compliance]

It's not so much advice as a lesson learned, but the sheer generosity of so many people I've met through this hobby taught me that the best way to enjoy bourbon is sharing it.

[smknjoe]

The advice I really appreciate is:

1. Don't chase labels.

2. Learn what you like. That can take a while.

...and I don't remember ever seeing this one, but be honest about it!

What I mean by that is don't say you like or dislike something just because it's "the thing to do" or out of fear of not "fitting in". To be fair, you may not realize you are lying to yourself until you do some blind side by side tastings. Drink your bourbon, share your bourbon, have fun.

[sutton]

"Take smaller sips."

[scubadoo97]

Best advice was buy more.

[LakeJ]

To enjoy bourbon with the ones you love and never judge how others drink theirs. That's what makes us different.

[swhitworth77]

Buy what you enjoy drinking not what is "rare","limited", or hyped.

[danz]

The premise of Chapter Eight - An American Whiskey Sampling Guide - in 'Bourbon, Straight' published in 2004: Learn the house styles so you can find what you like regardless of price or age or what others tell you to like. If this had been written in the early 1970s, I'd have avoided 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

That said, it was worth the wait.

Lots of good advice in this thread, but the above is probably the best, and it carries over to other spirits and generally.

Thanks Chuck.

[DaveOfAtl]

Three things I've been told by several folx; and more than once, I might add.

1) Drink what you like, regardless of what those 'in the know' tell you should be in your glass.

2) Drink it the way you like it, regardless of what those 'in the know' tell you is the correct way to drink it.

3) Have FUN doing it.... if you aren't, then; you're doing it wrong.

This is right on the money!

[sailor22]

Best advice ever received was this statement from the Obiwan of Houston.

"Learning to appreciate Bourbon is a marathon, not a sprint." Randy Blank

[BourbonJoe]

Three things I've been told by several folx; and more than once, I might add.

1) Drink what you like, regardless of what those 'in the know' tell you should be in your glass.

2) Drink it the way you like it, regardless of what those 'in the know' tell you is the correct way to drink it.

3) Have FUN doing it.... if you aren't, then; you're doing it wrong.

[The Black Tot]

Someone told me WSR is the Poor Man's Pappy. Best advice I ever got.