Is there useful information on a label?

[Flyfish]

More than 40 years ago as a young oenophile (i.e., wine snob) I appreciated the range of important information on German wine labels. The producer, the vintage, the region or village or vineyard of origin, the grape variety, the quality (table wine or quality wine or quality wine with special attributes) and/or sweetness indication (kabinett, spatlese, auslese, beerenauslese, eiswein). The claims on the labels actually mean something.

Bourbon labels tell us all sorts of things but a lot of it is just marketing (pick your favorite back story) or hard to define ("hand crafted"?) or just plain false ("from our little ole distillery down in the holler; i.e., we source it from one of the world's largest producers).

Two questions: What is the most important information you look for on a label?; What would you like to see on labels that is not there?

[Richnimrod]

Brand, Proof, Non-Chill-Filtered is a big selling point for me, Age can be indicative (but not always), and the figure below the bottle on the face of the shelf THE PRICE!

[squire]

I don't require details from basic stuff like 5-7 year old 86 proof Evan Williams black label which during the holiday season sells for about $9.49 a bottle around here.

If an NDP or small producer wants to charge me 3 or 4 times more for the same size bottle I want some details as to why I should pay more. Don't give me the frou-frou crap about hand made, small batch, artisan crafted, select grains, special water, phases of the Moon or whatever. Tell me what type/size still, what proof off the still and into the barrel, char of the barrel and how long aged. Hell if you're not proud of the product why obscure the details? Anytime I read about four grains or secret mashbills I sense bullshit.

Not everybody who interns at a bakery becomes a master baker capable of producing a perfect loaf of French bread. J.W. Dant started out stilling whisky from a hollow log but founded a dynasty because he knew how to make good whisky.

It all comes down to this, what's on the label only matters if it tells us something worth knowing.

[squire]

As for German wine labels I look for the word Mosel.

[OldDrinker1978]

As for German wine labels I look for the word Mosel.

Look for the word Franken in the future when it's white wine or Seco ;-)

[amg]

I'd love to see exact barreled/dumped dates, barrel/warehouse info (for single barrels), mash bill, barrel char level, distillation proof, and barrel entry proof, but you don't see most of those things very often.

[willmohawk5]

If the proof has a decimal in it then it has to be good.

[B.B. Babington]

a) label tells what's in the bottle, provided teenager hasn't swapped it out

label has entertaining stories telling us all the reasons we should part with moldy money

c) new label with Elijah 18 tells us it's time to dance

[Kalessin]

a) label tells what's in the bottle, provided teenager hasn't swapped it out

Not that I personally have cause to worry, but a "tip-n-tell" indicator for teenager consumption, dilution or substitution would be an interesting addition to bourbon -- and all spirit -- labels.

16-year-old me would have gotten into so. much. trouble!

[tanstaafl2]

Not that I personally have cause to worry, but a "tip-n-tell" indicator for teenager consumption, dilution or substitution would be an interesting addition to bourbon -- and all spirit -- labels.

16-year-old me would have gotten into so. much. trouble!

A tube for a siphon solves that problem. Whiskey comes out, tea or whatever replacement you are using goes in and the bottle never has to move...

:cool:

[miller542]

Two questions: What is the most important information you look for on a label?; What would you like to see on labels that is not there?

I really only require one phrase: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

What I like to see is everything: barrel date, bottle date, proof, chill/non chill filtered, rick house, position in the rick house, mash bill, entertaining lore, etc.

[BourbonJoe]

More than 40 years ago as a young oenophile (i.e., wine snob) I appreciated the range of important information on German wine labels. The producer, the vintage, the region or village or vineyard of origin, the grape variety, the quality (table wine or quality wine or quality wine with special attributes) and/or sweetness indication (kabinett, spatlese, auslese, beerenauslese, eiswein). The claims on the labels actually mean something.

Bourbon labels tell us all sorts of things but a lot of it is just marketing (pick your favorite back story) or hard to define ("hand crafted"?) or just plain false ("from our little ole distillery down in the holler; i.e., we source it from one of the world's largest producers).

Two questions: What is the most important information you look for on a label?; What would you like to see on labels that is not there?

You forgot trockenbeerenauslese.

[portwood]

My first inclination is to demand facts on the label, but, replace the military uniform with a master distiller and the real truth is:

"...either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!"