EWB Different sized bottles=Different Taste?

[JPK]

Hey Friends,

 

Just wondering if my Wife and I are the only ones who have noticed this.

 

EWB is our cheap "good nuff" sipper.

We've both noticed the stuff seems to taste differently depending on which size bottle over the years.

We just finished a blind taste test between a Plastic 5th, Glass 5th, a glass handle, & a plastic pint.

All of these were fresh bottles..opened for the 1st time for this tasting.

We 1st tasted blind. We found all were slightly different.

We both decided the glass 5th was the best.

 

Then we tasted them knowing what they were and attempted to explain what we thought was different...or similar.

We found the glass 5th to be the best...most oak and char and balanced. (what we expect out of EWB)

We found the plastic pint to be the most similar to the glass 5th.

The handle was similar to the 1st two..but seemed mellowed in taste. The burn was the same..just seemed to have less flavor.

The plastic 5th was by far our choice of the worst.

Seemed much more fruity and a bit more bitter.

 

Have any of you noticed this with  EWB or any other bourbons?

 

We both thought it seemed unlikely that they'd fill different bottles with different qualities...but our taste buds agreed.

I'd expect this from different bottles of single barrel or whatever...but this is one of the most mass produced pours in the world.

All were similar for sure..but the difference from the plastic 5th to glass was quite striking.

 

 

 

[flahute]

Most likely batch variation. Even though they strive for consistency, and even though they dump large quantities to cut down on differences, small variations are still possible.

[Richnimrod]

One possibility is that the plastic, while a decent short-term container, if all storage (during shipment and retail display as well) is done in an optimal way, still isn't the best for long-term storage. 

The difference that resulted in the plastic 'fifth' being the least-liked may be due to this.  

Incidentally, liquor is rarely sold in 'fifths' any more.   Normally in the US, one finds it in 750 ml, or in 1-liter bottles.    Overseas it is often seen in 700's.    If the "lousy" one is an actual fifth, it's likely been around a long time.

[JPK]

thanks for the replies.

And no....they weren't really 5th's..they were 750mL..sorry for not using the correct volume......7mL is 7mL..lol...adds up after a while...lol

Edited October 2, 2017 by JPK