A Game of Tough Choices

[Quintilian]

Being on this forum for a while makes me think that a battery of either-or choices shows a person's bourbon makeup of sorts. So what I'm providing here is a number of choices between what I think are somewhat comparable pours (mainly by price or category). I'm interested to see your answers.

A) Evan Williams BiB or Very Old Barton BiB

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee

C) Larceny or Weller Special Reserve

D) Old Ezra 101 or Wild Turkey 101

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark

F) OGD114 or Old Forester Signature BiB

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr

H) J.W. Dant or J.T.S. Brown

I) Jack Daniel's Black or Jim Beam White

J) Baby Saz or Rittenhouse Rye

My picks:

EWBiB

FRSB

Larceny

OE101

AA

OFSig

ER10

Dant

JBW

Ritt

[jcg9779]

Agree with most of your picks (I'd chose WSR over Larceny) but you're flat out wrong with the F choice . I know taste is subjective and all that stuff but it's still wrong.

[t44tq]

A) Evan Williams BiB or Very Old Barton BiB- neither, don't like either one

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee- Four Roses by a huge margin

C) Larceny or Weller Special Reserve- I'm not a fan of WSR, but I prefer even that over Larceny- don't really like Larceny

D) Old Ezra 101 or Wild Turkey 101- WT101

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark- never tried either one

F) OGD114 or Old Forester Signature BiB- OGD114 by a big margin

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr- Eagle Rare, although it's not really my thing

H) J.W. Dant or J.T.S. Brown- never tried either one

I) Jack Daniel's Black or Jim Beam White- neither, don't like either one

J) Baby Saz or Rittenhouse Rye- Rittenhouse

[GaryT]

Assuming these "either/or" options were the same price locally, I'd go with:

A) EWBIB

FRSB (but this one is close; I love my Elmer!)

C) Larceny

D) WT101

E) AA

F) OGD 114 (I like OFS, but no contest if I had to pick!)

G) RR10

H) JW Dant (although I could leave either to be honest)

I) JD

J) Ritt

[Richnimrod]

WOW! So many of these present to me an impossible choice. I like almost all of 'em at certain times.

....But, here goes on at least a few where I could maybe make a choice....

B? I'd go with ETL, based upon price alone, since it's nearly $20 cheaper here.

E? I'd pick between 'em only if we're talking AAA, otherwise too close to call.

F? Two rather different animals. Fuller, better nose and better balance on the OFSig, which I like a lot; but better bang for the buck and a very nice rye-forward profile on the OGD114... so I just can't choose.

H? I'd take JTSB just because it was the favored pour of 'Fast Eddie' Felson.

I? I'd pick JD, which I find OK, and very consistent, whereas JBWhite is just too bland except for the 'famous funk'.

[mosugoji64]

Several of these are different enough that my choices would change from day to day but the ones for which I have a definite preference are:

D: WT101, especially if you've chosen one of the HH bonds elsewhere.

E: AA. Haven't tried the current Benchmark but I like AAA 10yr/* quite a lot.

F: Like Jack said, you're sorely mistaken here. Bonded OF was great but the correct choice here is OGD114.

[Flyfish]

A. VOB

B. ETL

C. Larceny

D. WT101

E. AA

F. OGD 114

G. ER

H. Dant

I. JD

J. Ritt

[ken_mays]

A) Evan Williams BiB

Four Rose SB

C) Larceny

D) Old Ezra 101

E) Ancient Age

F) OGD114

G) Eagle Rare 10yr

H) J.W. Dant

I) Jim Beam White

J) Baby Saz

[Quintilian]

jdg, true on F. I think a fairer battle is OGDBiB vs. OFSig.

[ramblinman]

A) Evan Williams BiB

Four Rose SB

C) Weller Special Reserve

D) Wild Turkey 101

E) Ancient Age

F) OGD114

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr

H) J.W. Dant

I) Jim Beam White (but I'm not happy about having to make a choice)

J) Rittenhouse Rye

[The Black Tot]

A) Not enough experience with either

ETL

C) Haven't tried Larceny

D) WT101

E) Neither

F) OGD114 by a mile

G) RR10

H) Like Dant, haven't tried JTSB

I) Neither

J) Baby Saz, but also love Ritt

[Jazz Nut]

My pics (and fun topic)

A) Evan Williams BiB

FRSB

C) Weller Special Reserve

D) Wild Turkey 101

E) Ancient Age

F) OGD114

G) Eagle Rare 10yr, as much as I love Wild Turkey, Russel's Reserve is too oaky for me (granted I've only had it a few times, and it was the Single Barrel variety).

H) J.W. Dant

I) Jack Daniel's Black to me it has more flavor than Jim Beam, granted I wouldn't choose either if I really had a choice.

J) Rittenhouse Rye WAY over Baby Saz, I've bought several bottles of Baby Saz because I thought it would be good, but I found it to be thin, low on flavor, and uninteresting.

[Tucker]

A) Evan Williams BiB

Four Rose SB (not a fair fight)

C) Larceny

D) Wild Turkey 101

E) Ancient Age

F) OGD114

G) Russel's Reserve (last ER10 I had was foul)

H) Niether, either, don't really know or care.

I) Jim Beam White

J) Baby Saz (the last Ritt I had was foul)

[PaulO]

A) either

ETL

C) Larceny

D) either

E) AA

F) OF Signature, but OGD 114 is also one I like. For me, too different to compare.

G) either or neither, to me, very ordinary bourbons, jacked up prices and overrated

H) either, I like them both

I) almost neither, but a slight nod to JD

J) Ritt BIB

[flahute]

Excellent game! Some very tough choices here ands some easy one for me.

A) VOBBIB (I've only had one pour of the EWBBIB so it's not totally fair)

ETL (This one was tough because I like both so much, but the single barrel variation I get from FR is greater than ETL)

C) Larceny

D) WT101 (Never had the Old Ezra, but I like WT101 so much that it would tough for this one to top I believe. Could be wrong.)

E) AA (Never had McAfee's)

F) OGD114 by a landslide

G) ER10

H) have not had either, but I'll got with Dant because squire likes it so much

I) JBW (really can't stand Jack)

J) Baby Saz by a fair margin (I know it's sacrilege, but Ritt just doesn't do it for me).

[garbanzobean]

Being on this forum for a while makes me think that a battery of either-or choices shows a person's bourbon makeup of sorts. So what I'm providing here is a number of choices between what I think are somewhat comparable pours (mainly by price or category). I'm interested to see your answers.

A) Evan Williams BiB or Very Old Barton BiB

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee

C) Larceny or Weller Special Reserve

D) Old Ezra 101 or Wild Turkey 101

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark

F) OGD114 or Old Forester Signature BiB

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr

H) J.W. Dant or J.T.S. Brown

I) Jack Daniel's Black or Jim Beam White

J) Baby Saz or Rittenhouse Rye

My picks:

EWBiB

FRSB

Larceny

OE101

AA

OFSig

ER10

Dant

JBW

Ritt

A.) EWBIB

B.) FRSB (not even close)

C.) Larceny as long as it is on sale

D.) OE101

E.) AA (I've never had benchmark)

F.) OFSig (the toughest matchup on here if you ask me)

G.) ER10 (as long as we're talking pre-2013. If we're in modern times . . . neither)

H.) J.W. Dant

I.) Jim Beam White. I don't like either, but at least JBW is from KY.

J.) Old Ritt vs Old Baby Saz is a tie for me. I'll take old Ritt because I can still buy it. Recent releases I dunno.

[kjbeggs]

EWBiB

ETL (but I'll take the 4RSB over most of the rest of the list)

Larceny

WT101

AA

OGD114

ER10

Dant (But I've never had JTSB)

Jack (can I just take the 4RSB here?) :grin:

Ritt (By a nose)

[dSculptor]

My choices:

A) Evan Williams BiB

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee --tough one here, I've just lately had me some FR SB and it's damn good, I'm going with that one

C) Larceny

D) Old Ezra 101

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark --not had either one, but need to put them on my list

F) Old Forester Signature BiB

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr --- not a big fan of either, but wouldn't turn 'em down, I'll go with ER10

H) J.T.S. Brown --hmmm love this stuff, not easy to come by around here

I) Jim Beam White

J) Rittenhouse Rye

[shoshani]

A) Evan Williams BiB or Very Old Barton BiB - VOBBIB

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee - ETL

C) Larceny or Weller Special Reserve - Weller

D) Old Ezra 101 or Wild Turkey 101 - WT101

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark - AA

F) OGD114 or Old Forester Signature BiB - Tough, tough choice. Prob OFSBIB

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr - RR10YO

H) J.W. Dant or J.T.S. Brown - JTSBrown, but BIB is the only one I've had

I) Jack Daniel's Black or Jim Beam White - Beam White

J) Baby Saz or Rittenhouse Rye - Baby Saz

[Auracom]

A) Very Old Barton BiB

Four Rose SB (though it's hard to say no to ETL too)

C) Larceny (not much a fan of either)

D) Wild Turkey 101

E) Not familiar enough with either

F) OGD114

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr (mostly because I don't care much for ER10)

H) Not familiar enough with either

I) Yuck to both, but Beam if I had to

J) Baby Saz or Rittenhouse Rye (complete toss-up, I really enjoy both)

[Quintilian]

My choices:

A) Evan Williams BiB

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee --tough one here, I've just lately had me some FR SB and it's damn good, I'm going with that one

C) Larceny

D) Old Ezra 101

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark --not had either one, but need to put them on my list

F) Old Forester Signature BiB

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr --- not a big fan of either, but wouldn't turn 'em down, I'll go with ER10

H) J.T.S. Brown --hmmm love this stuff, not easy to come by around here

I) Jim Beam White

J) Rittenhouse Rye

The E choice is for the bottom shelf, low proofers. For whatever reason, I'm okay with AA because of its strangely "dry" like taste. But both options are something to try if you want something cheap for mixing. I'd love to get my hands on some Ancient Ancient Age, however. Also, Benchmark is BT mash bill #1, and AA is BT mash bill #2.

[Quantum]

A) Evan Williams BiB or Very Old Barton BiB - EWBIB is a solid pour, but the Barton was an easy pick here.

Four Rose SB or Elmer T. Lee - This was the hardest choice for me, but the ETL wins by a nose.

C) Larceny or Weller Special Reserve - Current WSR is decent enough, but the Larceny stands out.

D) Old Ezra 101 or Wild Turkey 101- I never replaced the last Turkey I finished, but I did for the Ezra

E) Ancient Age or McAfee's Benchmark - I cant recall the last time I had either

F) OGD114 or Old Forester Signature BiB - Passing on OGD114 was painful, but the OF Sig was the clear choice for me.

G) Russel's Reserve 10yr or Eagle Rare 10yr- I am not a huge ER fan, so the RR was kind of a default pick.

H) J.W. Dant or J.T.S. Brown

I) Jack Daniel's Black or Jim Beam White - Not a huge fan of either, but I enjoy a little JD every now and then.

J) Baby Saz or Rittenhouse Rye - Baby Saz is good, Ritt is great.

[Young Blacksmith]

A) Barton, I prefer the banana to the mint.

ETL. I've never been a fan of the 4R small batch, unless you mean 1B, in which case it's 4R1B by a mile.

C) None of the choices make it past the cash register, so whatever your buddy wants.

D) OE 101!!!

E) AA, I guess.

F) Gimme the Old Granddad

G) RR any day.

H) JW Dant. Though the quality has really dropped over the last 10 years.

I) JD. Beam funk is a no go for me.

J) This one is like picking between super models, but I'd lean towards Baby Saz, mostly because I can't easily get Ritt out here.

That was fun!

[Quintilian]

If I could add another set of choices it would be K) Woodford Reserve vs. Ridgemont Reserve 1792. It'd be 1792 all the way for me.

[flahute]

If I could add another set of choices it would be K) Woodford Reserve vs. Ridgemont Reserve 1792. It'd be 1792 all the way for me.

I know we have a few Woodford fans here, but for most, this would not be a tough choice. (Now all the closet WR fans will come out and prove me wrong.)