How to tone down too sweet

[mortre]

If you didn't see my post in the new users section, I'm new to the site and bourbon in general.  And I've picked up a fifth of bourbon that is just too sweet for me.  I've tried watering it down, and that works well with distilled water.  But I'm on a well with very minerally and high iron content water and it doesn't work so well.  Can I just dump two different bourbons together and hope for a decent result?  I paid a good chunk of change for the all of them and don't want to waste my money and time.

To add some names/brands to make the question easier to answer.  I have a 750ml bottle of Stagg Jr. batch #4 that I find too sweet without dillution.  If I mix it with something like Elijah Craig 12yr or Four Roses Single Barrell (both of which are far less sweet to me) will it simply make everything bad?  I've read about "vatting" which I don't have the palate, patience or experience for.  I'm thinking more like an ounce of the Stagg Jr and and ounce one of the other two and let it breath for 5 to 10 minutes and try it out.

[flahute]

Get some bottled water for diluting. That's a cheap solution. If that doesn't work, get some Old Grand Dad Bonded and experiment with vatting. It's a very high rye bourbon that is cheap and is good for vatting generally. (OGD 114 is also good). You don't need patience to perfect it. Just go for it. Start with small quantities so you don't get committed to a combo that doesn't work. Try 80:20 in favor of Stagg Jr. and see how it tastes. Adjust from there. Soon, you'll have it figured out. 

[SebastianLloyd]

Perhaps you're not a bourbon drinker? You could always try mixing your Stagg Jr with a scotch that is far more dry.

[jsrudd]

I think the answer is to just buy some bottled water to dilute to taste. I would get a mineral water (whatever is your favorite brand) instead of distilled water.

Stagg Jr. is very high proof. Even if you added half an ounce of water to a shot (1.5 oz.), you would still be at about 100 proof, the standard proof for bourbon.

Personally, I find high proof alcohol to be very sweet. You could simply be reacting to the proof.  

[mortre]

36 minutes ago, SebastianLloyd said:

Perhaps you're not a bourbon drinker? You could always try mixing your Stagg Jr with a scotch that is far more dry.

Actually the Stagg Jr is the only one I've found too sweet.  But from what I've tried I believe I am more of a rye forward bourbon fan.  That is why I was thinking maybe mixing it with four roses.  Hoping for a middle ground with spicey and sweet.

[smokinjoe]

6 hours ago, mortre said:

...I'm new to the site and bourbon in general.  And I've picked up a fifth of bourbon that is just too sweet for me.

I've tried watering it down, and that works well with distilled water.  

...I'm on a well with very minerally and high iron content water and it doesn't work so well.  

...and don't want to waste my money and time.

 ..."vatting" which I don't have the palate, patience or experience for.  

For all of the reasons you list, it seems obvious to me that you should just stick with distilled water.

[meadeweber]

7 hours ago, jsrudd said:

I think the answer is to just buy some bottled water to dilute to taste. I would get a mineral water (whatever is your favorite brand) instead of distilled water.

 

js, why do you recommend bottled or "mineral water" over distilled water.  Just wondering.

I usually use distilled water and rarely bottled water.  I've never done a SBS however to see if I tasted a difference.

[Richnimrod]

One other possibility is that the high-corn needs to be balanced better with something that has a good deal of wood, either by age or just by being a woody/astringent pour for unknown reasons.

I'd nominate Old Forester 1870 for that role.   All that said, I'd try distilled water and high-rye bourbon before paying waaaay too much for the 1870, which I found to be a rip-off at $50, and very bitter/astringent.

Just my own experience, which, with anyone else's taste buddies may not work at all.

A couple other good options for moderating a 'too sweet' Bourbon are Four Roses Yellow Label, or 4-R Small Batch.    Both are mildly astringent, and both are rye-forward and not much sweetness.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Richnimrod
Additional thoughts...

[RWBadley]

I will suggest something totally different.

Get the ice cube tray that makes BIG ice cubes. They are like 2" square or something.

Use good bottled water and make ice.,

Put one of the cubes in your glass. Pour Stagg Jr over the cube.

You will then have cold Stagg without too much dilution. The cold will blunt the sweetness a bit without disturbing the general character of the pour. Give it a try and let us know...

 

Cheers,

RW

[jsrudd]

12 hours ago, meadeweber said:

js, why do you recommend bottled or "mineral water" over distilled water.  Just wondering.

I usually use distilled water and rarely bottled water.  I've never done a SBS however to see if I tasted a difference.

My thoughts are that since Kentucky limestone water is pretty hard it makes since to use similar water if you're going to add a lot of water (not just a few drops to open it up). 

Mineral water is hard and distilled water is soft, so I'd use mineral water. I also like the taste of some mineral waters more than distilled water. If you don't, then go ahead and keep using distilled water.

Mineral waters vary in hardness with Evian being pretty hard and Volvic being softer.     

Edited April 6, 2016 by jsrudd

[squire]

Vatting doesn't have to be too complicated, try adding some Old Grand Dad.

[Grain Belt]

Try eating or drinking something slightly sweet before you imbibe. 

[GeeTen]

I use the SB.com vatting blend to drink my Stagg Jr. - Eagle Rare: Buffalo Trace: Stagg Jr., 2;1;1.  Me likee!    

Welcome to the wonderful world of bourbon, mortre.

[mortre]

Wow, that is a lot of suggestions.  I look forward to trying a few.  As far as astringent is concerned, would that be the acetone like smell you get from some bourbon's?  I've noticed it in abundance in Wild Turkey 101 and EC12.

[Richnimrod]

4 hours ago, mortre said:

Wow, that is a lot of suggestions.  I look forward to trying a few.  As far as astringent is concerned, would that be the acetone like smell you get from some bourbon's?  I've noticed it in abundance in Wild Turkey 101 and EC12.

Personally, what I mean by astringent, is a mouth-drying feeling, often accompanied by a bitter under taste, but not always.

[SebastianLloyd]

19 hours ago, Grain Belt said:

Try eating or drinking something slightly sweet before you imbibe. 

Totally!

[p_elliott]

I would suggest just put it back on the shelf and leave it there for a while until you get more in tune with bourbon. Then try it again.

 

[Gillman]

This is so simple. Just add vodka to it. Say, 1 ounce vodka to 2 of the bourbon. The vodka will dry it down in the same way American straight whiskey is dried down, so to speak, by combining neutral spirits with it to make the blended whiskey category. Just reverse the way the distillers do it. They would do about two parts vodka (or often more) to one of bourbon. Just flip that, do 1:2 vodka to your bourbon.

If it's too bland, add a bit of bourbon to it until it tastes right. If it's too rich, add a touch of vodka until it is perfect. 

Although I agree with the vatting suggestions made in the thread and with Paul's advice too, what I suggest is simplicity itself. This is not vatting - calling it that would be a travesty, actually. But it will work, IMO.

 

Gary

Edited April 8, 2016 by Gillman

[Harry in WashDC]

I've done what Gray suggested with 80 proof, badbad gin, and it worked surprisingly well using 100 proof vodka.  The slight bump in proof cut and offset the funny herbal syrupy taste.  Never thought about using it with bourbon, but then, reading the label on a Seagram's 7 bottle . . .

[Gillman]

Thanks Harry. You can't go wrong here really provided not too much vodka is used.

 

Gary