What barrel proof whiskey do you enjoy neat, no water added.

[BigPapa]

There are tons of Barrel Proof whiskey out there. 

My question is:

what barrel proof do you love to drink neat without any water added?

 

[OldDrinker1978]

I enjoy them all neat first and decide after the first two-three sips if I might add some water or not. It not only depends on the Bourbon but also depends on the palate alot. Some days I don't mind the extra heat some days it's a little too much.

[fozzy71]

All of them. 

 

I have quite a few BP open right now and my fave is easily the ECBP 139.8 though I will admit I pour a small amount and take smaller sips than normal.  I just enjoy it (and the added burn) for what it is.  That said, when I do have a pour of this it is usually not the first pour of the night as it will make everything else after it hard to taste and pale in comparison.  I have been avoiding most of them lately in an effort to keep the bottles around as long as possible so I might need to revisit some of them this week.

[meadeweber]

1 hour ago, OldDrinker1978 said:

I enjoy them all neat first and decide after the first two-three sips if I might add some water or not. It not only depends on the Bourbon but also depends on the palate alot. Some days I don't mind the extra heat some days it's a little too much.

I do this as well except for a couple things.  One, it is rarely the case that I do, in fact, have to add water. Two, if I do, it's consistent through the bottle.  Meaning, if I have a bottle of Booker's (one that I do usually add water to) and I add water with the first pour, I am going to add water with each successive pour from that bottle.

[DonutsNBourbon]

I like the FR PS bottles that are barrel proof without any water, at least I think they are barrel proof, right?  Booker's isn't too bad without water, but I usually add a little bit to even it out and open up some flavors.

[starhopper]

I don't add water to ANY of the ones I have - ECBP, STAGG JR, WTRB, or OGD114 (though technically, OGD114 is not actually barrel proof)

[Sean Bond]

4 hours ago, OldDrinker1978 said:

I enjoy them all neat first and decide after the first two-three sips if I might add some water or not. It not only depends on the Bourbon but also depends on the palate alot. Some days I don't mind the extra heat some days it's a little too much.

This right here. I always start neat, and if after a few sips I've decided that the heat is overwhelming some of the flavors, I'll add a couple drops of water (Stagg Jr. being a good example). I will sometimes do it with a bourbon like WLW, but generally I won't add water to a bourbon below 110 proof or so (sometimes I'll add water to MMCS to smooth it out slightly). 

 

In general I just drink neat, because I've gotten used to it, and like to taste the whiskey in its purest form.

[O'DubhGhaill]

I have read that imbibing high proof alcohol anesthetizes the palate.  I know it does mine.  In an interview I watched, Elmer T. Lee stated that he reduces his personal bourbon drams to 30 proof for drinking (not tasting).  I always have a sip neat of any whisk(e)y I try, no matter the proof, but I always then add water, incrementally and usually more of it the higher the proof - for me, it really does enhance the flavor profile of the bourbon after I let the water set in a while warming the glass in my hand.  It also produces more to drink and lasts longer too!

[ramblinman]

I don't tend to add water or ice to any. After a while you get conditioned to the alcohol and it moves into the background. Maybe not the best for intricacies (per old mr lee) but to me the burn of a high proofer and the intensity of the finish is part of it.

Drink it however you enjoy it, but its worth it to train your taste buds up to deal with a little bit of heat, even if you water or ice often.

[bullitt]

Rightly or wrongly I always look at a bottled product as the way they were intended to be best enjoyed. Are there any recommended methods released by distillers to best alter their products? They go through all this effort and time to put out a product that represents their best effort at the art of whiskey making. They make a range for differing pallets and likes, but am I wrong to assume that what's released and sold in the bottle is what they thought you'd enjoy because that's where they thought it was perfect? Because of those reasons I always drink spirits neat and room temperature. Is the reason JB makes Booker's that strong because they believe everyone is drinking it on the rocks and they want it to persevere in the glass or do they make it that strong because they are trying to service those drinkers who want a more stout bourbon? Nothing against anything anyone does to enhance their sipping experience but as for me I prefer to leave my spirits the way they were bottled and drink whichever one I'm in the mood for. As I see it respecting what the distillery released. My sipping is enhanced by leaving their art as is.

[Charlutz]

Fred Noe says quite often that "the right way to drink bourbon is whatever way you like it." I disagree with your hypothesis that what is in the bottle is the distiller's concept of its best form to consume. Some whiskeys are perfect out of the bottle to me, but there's no way to account for the variety of palates and preferences among consumers. I think what is in the bottle represents some combination of what the distiller likes, can produce consistently and will sell, among probably a bunch of other factors. I think the variety of whiskeys, palates and methods of consumption is the beauty of the hobby.

 

[Louisiana]

EHTBP

ECBP

SAOS CS

WP CS

FR LE or PS

Any of the BP BTAC.

They are all very good to great for me in different ways. To each his own, but I enjoy them neat! These Beast show what Bourbon & Rye can really be!

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2016 by Louisiana

[dmarkle]

Stagg, maybe Booker's, and that's about it.

With water, Bookers gets a little "old sock" tastey to me.  Also true-ish of Stagg.  The high alcohol and other intense flavors takes away any of the musty eucalyptusy flavor I might get a lower proof and just makes it taste like I'm drinking flowers

I avoid drinking any wheater at barrel proof (HHSS, WLW), but I always taste it neat first and then add water - I could be proven wrong on any given day!  I just don't like wheaters until they are knocked down to 100 or 90.  Too tight.  IMO water really opens these up in a way it doesn't for the rye-based bourbons like Stagg and Bookers.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2016 by dmarkle

[b1gcountry]

4RPS neat or with a few drops of water.

I prefer bookers with a little ice most days.

OGD114 I probably water down to 105 proof or so, which begs the question why not just drink the OGDBIB.

 

 

[meadeweber]

5 hours ago, dmarkle said:

 

With water, Bookers gets a little "old sock" tastey to me.  Also true-ish of Stagg.  The high alcohol and other intense flavors takes away any of the musty eucalyptusy flavor I might get a lower proof and just makes it taste like I'm drinking flowers

 

What type of water are you using?  Distilled, tap, filtered tap, bottled?

[namadio]

all of them. neat.

[MTNBourbon]

ECBP

CEHT BP

WTRB

[Paddy]

I tend to sip them all at full strength to get a baseline, then add a few drops until I find my sweet spot. 

I find that a little dilution seems to remove the oak bitters for me, thus allowing for a more enjoyable sip and chew experience.

This is most helpful when you chew on a whiskey as much as I do (usually 30 to 60 seconds per sip).  I also helps to reduce soft tissue damage! 

Weird, I am! 

[Swoboda]

EHTBP, Stagg Jr. and GTS.  Booker's will sometimes get water.

[kjbeggs]

EHTBP was the first thing to spring to mind, though I rarely add anything to any of my BPers, with the exception of an oversized ice cube during the summer. I recently got a Yeti Lowball tumbler which keeps the melting to a minimum, so may be adding that ice cube more often.

[fozzy71]

This thread made me decide to reach back to the back of the cabinet and pull out the Stagg Jr 128.7 and ECBP 139.8 to revisit later this evening.

[MDBourbon]

All of the ones I have tried. Recently ECBP 139.8 EHTBP 127 several SAOS BP Rye's and Bourbons.

[The Black Tot]

I harken back to a Chuck Cowdery post where he discussed the dangers of the higher proofs, where he pretty much said anything over 110 proof gets water in his home.

I've worked with this and also found it to be my preference. Anything over 110 gets water, but I don't dilute it down to 90. I think a rough splash down to about 100-110 is the ideal.

You don't get a medal for how badass you are at drinking higher proofs. You get tissue damage.

[MDBourbon]

3 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

I harken back to a Chuck Cowdery post where he discussed the dangers of the higher proofs, where he pretty much said anything over 110 proof gets water in his home.

I've worked with this and also found it to be my preference. Anything over 110 gets water, but I don't dilute it down to 90. I think a rough splash down to about 100-110 is the ideal.

You don't get a medal for how badass you are at drinking higher proofs. You get tissue damage.

Have a link to that?

[The Black Tot]

1 minute ago, MDBourbon said:

Have a link to that?

My word isn't good enough?

http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/be-careful-with-high-proof-whiskey.html