What bourbons do you like to drink on ice?

[BigPapa]

Just got a Yeti Lowball and I love it. 

I thought I could use it with some iced bourbon. 

What bourbons do you guys like on ice.?

i normally drink my bourbon neat, but chilling is a possibility.

[flahute]

None. Always drink it neat.

[MOwhisky4me]

Depends on my mood and other factors like time of year, temperature, whether I'm having something to eat along with my bourbon, and so on... Sometimes drinking my bourbon over ice is just what fits. Normally when I do it's over one large chunk of ice. And I really don't have some that I drink on ice and some I don't ... All my bourbon is subject to being enjoyed by me in the way I choose to enjoy at that moment. That being said, I do typically like Knob Creek Single Barrel on ice.

 

[meadeweber]

I don't drink bourbon with ice.  One time I tried Stagg Jr. over an ice ball.  It was really good for the first 5-10 min.  I'm talking better than neat BUT the last few sips were so bad because of the dilution that I haven't done it again.

I do prefer my Mellow Corn chilled and store it in the frig and will sometimes drink Scotch with ice.

[b1gcountry]

I keep some ice tongs handy so I can pull the ice out when i reach the sweet spot

[meadeweber]

18 minutes ago, b1gcountry said:

I keep some ice tongs handy so I can pull the ice out when i reach the sweet spot

Hmmm, now you make me want to try that experiment again.  Thanks for the tip.

[Charlutz]

I prefer to drink most of my whiskey over ice. Usually a single large cube to pace the dilution. I generally let it melt a bit when having stagg jr. or bookers or ECBP. Same for baker's which isn't especially high proof but tastes a bit hot to me. Anyway, I got a set of those Yetis. The ice will not melt much after your first drink and the vessel is cold. 

 

[smokinjoe]

Nice idea for a thread, BP.  And, timing is good for me as I gave some thought to this subject earlier today via another thread...

All of my "social" consumption of bourbon (bars, parties, grabass, etc.) is with ice.  Makes it last longer, easier on the pipes, and less thought is going in to the nuances of the whiskey.  

All of my contemplative sipping, tasting, reviewing, etc., is consumed neat and typically from a few "special" glasses only.  I will though, add doses of water and sometimes ice chips in these sessions as aids from time to time, as well.  

All of my HH BIB 6 yr comes cooled from the fridge.  I just love that bourbon that way.  I'll occasionally throw another brand or two in there to see how they do.

The in-betweens are a mish-mash of various methods, styles, drinking vessels (some of my favorite pour experiences have come from a plastic hotel cup ), and temperatures.  

I prefer high aged bourbons without ice.  For me, the ice astringitizes (my word! ) these whiskies too much.

For some reason, I always drink scotch neat.

 

Edited December 30, 2015 by smokinjoe

[amg]

I like Booker's with a single small cube. Even after it completely melts, it's not enough to dilute the drink much. OGD114 is great on the rocks, too. In the summer I really enjoy Old Fitz BIB with ice. Definitely has to be something 100+ proof to stand up to ice well.

It's a different experience than sipping neat, but it has its place, especially when the temperatures outside hit the 80s and 90s.

[Tony Santana]

Not much on ice these days.  Sometimes a small cube with barrel proofers.  But on occasion if I'm in a bar with a poor selection, I'll revert to my early whiskey drinking days and go with a Jack on the rocks.

[Vosgar]

1 hour ago, smokinjoe said:

All of my "social" consumption of bourbon (bars, parties, grabass, etc.) is with ice. 

 

Do I dare ask about the "grabass" part of your social consumption Joe?

Anyway.....I'm not a fan of using ice. If a pour needs some water, fine, but I don't like the ever changing taste caused by melting ice. Just my 2 cents

Edited December 30, 2015 by Vosgar

[smokinjoe]

12 minutes ago, Vosgar said:

Do I dare ask about the "grabass" part of your social consumption Joe?

It's usually on display in the pool, West Wing, or Back 40, at the GN twice a year!  

In other words, hangin' out with the fellas and acting like we're 12...

[Harry in WashDC]

Depending - barrel proofers that I do not like neat get a piece of ice that sits there until it's melted and the glass has approached room temp.  There aren't too many of those.  AND, I've melted various sizes of ice and measured the water content and keep in mind what size piece of ice fits how big a pour.  Why not just add water?  I don't always have a second glass, don't always know how much water is IN the glass if it has a weird, flat, rounded, etc., shape; but ice is ice.  And I must have left a couple dozen eye droppers at bars, and I don't like the way strangers look at me when I whipped them out and used them.  "It's just water." -- "SURE, it is" says the smirker.

Just about everything else is consumed neat.

Cocktails, of course, almost always get ice.

Hot Summer - wheated from the fridge right out of the bottle.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Harry in WashDC
spelling. sheesh

[flahute]

10 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

It's usually on display in the pool, West Wing, or Back 40, at the GN twice a year!  

In other words, hangin' out with the fellas and acting like we're 12...

So THAT'S what I have to look forward to in Bardstown. 

[T Comp]

10 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

It's usually on display in the pool, West Wing, or Back 40, at the GN twice a year!  

In other words, hangin' out with the fellas and acting like we're 12...

And exactly why the SUV trunk space of the Dawnmobile,  was the perfect spot for you in the Doug excursion a few years back .

[smokinjoe]

6 minutes ago, flahute said:

So THAT'S what I have to look forward to in Bardstown. 

Ha!!!  Yes!    Except unlike Vegas, whatever happens in Bardstown...typically is cast around the globe in 15 minutes...

 

[smokinjoe]

9 minutes ago, T Comp said:

And exactly why the SUV trunk space of the Dawnmobile,  was the perfect spot for you in the Doug excursion a few years back .

Heehee!  Well T, I was the only person who could actually fit back there!  

[b1gcountry]

Ice cools your drink by melting,  so small ice cubes will dilute your drink just as much as a large one. Once the drink reaches the temperature of the ice, both will melt at about the same rate. Assuming the ice is not watery of course. ..

[The Black Tot]

I would never be able to say this OUTSIDE the context of our whiskey hobby but...

...I'm a neat freak.

[b1gcountry]

After reading this thread I tried some ewbib on ice last night, and I found that it really brought out the flavors
.

thanks sb!

 

[T Comp]

4 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

I would never be able to say this OUTSIDE the context of our whiskey hobby but...

...I'm a neat freak.

Same here in both contexts Tot .  And on the rare occasions, usually before dinner, where I may use ice (without the vermouth and bitters) it is a higher proof Beam-OGD 114, Bookers or KC 120.

BUT it is still common around here at social occasions like weddings  where bartenders have "no shots" orders and can only serve spirits over ice. I posted some years ago,  about it being a big deal and needing a managers approval for the bartender to serve me a neat Knob Creek at the members only stadium club at White Sox park, then named the Jim Beam Club . 

[OldDrinker1978]

I drank quite a bit of Rare Breed over ice in my last Italy Holiday. It was really nice in the very hot italian air...

[Golzee]

I like the lower proofed bourbons on ice.  JBW is questionable neat, yet, I feel with some ice it opens up a bit and the few flavors are richer.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Golzee

[tanstaafl2]

14 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Cocktails, of course, almost always get ice.

I have found in increasingly that I prefer most cocktails served up (no ice). I certainly use ice to shake or stir as appropriate and I might chill glasses if I have had adequate time and space to prepare ahead.

I also find I rarely drink bourbon with ice. I am sufficiently nerdy to almost always carry an eyedropper of cool water to use as needed. If I am drinking "socially" I almost always tend to have a cocktail if a good one can be had or I am making them myself which of course automatically implies it is a "good one"!

If cocktails aren't an option then it might be a port, sherry, brandy or the like. If one is going to be snooty one might as well go all out...

[smokinjoe]

5 hours ago, b1gcountry said:

After reading this thread I tried some ewbib on ice last night, and I found that it really brought out the flavors
.

thanks sb!

 

I also find that chilling a bourbon (not necessarily with ice, BTW) can release some flavors to me that I don't get when at room temperature.  My guess is that the cooling knocks the sting off the heat of the alcohol, allowing those flavors dominated by the alcohol to become more perceptible to me.