A Full Intorduction

[Bob_Loblaw]

Little more information about my bourbon journey.  I used to drink Single Malt Scotch, picking up a bottle here and there without any real rhyme or reason.  However, about a year ago I made the switch to bourbon exclusively.  My main reasons for the change were as follows:

 

1 - Entry level price point.  Although prices are going up  everyone here knows that you can get some fantastic bourbons in the $20-30 range.  And the "bottom shelfers" ain't so bad either.

2 - Ability to experience entire range offered.  I am the type of person who likes to be able to experience/try it all if I want.  That was never going to happen with Scotch both in the sheer volume of option, but also the prices of the higher end bottlings.  With a few exceptions there are only a handful of Bourbons in the $200-$300 msrp range.  But with Scotch that is just the tip of the iceberg.  

3 - Murica.  Why support a foreign product when there is such a fantastic one produced right here on American Soil?  

 

I quickly found SB and did my due diligence, reading so many of the threads and generally lurking to an extent that would be creepy in real life!  I like to start from the bottom and build a foundation rather than skip ahead to the PVW and BTACs of the world.  So after doing my homework I started with the Bottled in Bonds.  Not counting HMK or EHTSmB the best one neat was Old Grand Dad; best old fashioned mixer is the VOB (missed out of the aged 6 years, but for $12 the 100 is still great)  The Banana note compliments the orange peel and spring of mint I like to use very well.  Old Fitz comes in second place in both categories.  And Rittenhouse holds its own very nicely both over a large cube or for a spicier old fashioned.  EW Bib was Meh in both categories and the JW Dant was horrid.

 

Moving forward I enjoy both ER and  HMK.  The HMK was not the best, but I have read there is a decent amount of barrel variation so maybe that was a factor.  In a non blind SBS with EW SiB that McKenna got blown out by all who participated.  EHTSmB is also very good for just a few bucks more.  Went though a bottle of EC NAS and also back label 12 and preferred the 12, both in that the oakyness was not too heavy and with a better viscosity and mouthfeel.  Have yet to find a bad 4 Roses as I thought the SmB was great, until I went up to the SiB which was fantastic.  But the PSBP are just the stone cold nuts. 

 

From Buffalo Trace I enjoyed a good amount of WSR outside over a large cube with a dash of orange bitters.  Nice summer drink.  Weller Antique is just amazing from flavor to proof to price point.  ETL is solid, but sometimes can be a little lacking in body, more of a delicate bourbon to me.  Blanton's is also amazing and quickly became a staple.  It is maddening that the SFTB is not offered domestically.  W12 and RHF are the two I have yet to find bottles of.  I had a sample of the RHF a few days ago and was blown away.  Plan to try it blind vs Blanton's in the near future.  May have a changing of the guard shortly.

 

Overall I would rank my favorite distillers as BT  one and 4R  two with Heaven Hill a close third.  From a value perspective my favorites are VOB, W107, and ECBP.  If price was not a factor I would sip on Blanton's, 4RPS, and EHTSiB or BP all day and be happy. I tried many more, but this is getting long so I will cut it off here.  Happy to finally be aboard and look forward to nerdy bourbon discussions with everyone.   

[JCwhammie]

That’s a dang good start! I’m a big fan of the same distilleries you mentioned, but I’d add Wild Turkey.  It may not have the number of different bottles the Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill, but they make some really good stuff. 

[jvd99]

I think I need some more detail 

 

seriously - welcome aboard.

 

theres also a foreign whisky section here if you want to chime in on the scotch discussions 

[chappy6107]

welcome to the forum.  happy to have you.  

as already said...Great start!

[Bob_Loblaw]

1 hour ago, jvd99 said:

I think I need some more detail 

 Though you would never ask!   I'm a Capricorn . . . 

 

Thanks for the welcome gents.  

2 hours ago, JCwhammie said:

That’s a dang good start! I’m a big fan of the same distilleries you mentioned, but I’d add Wild Turkey.  It may not have the number of different bottles the Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill, but they make some really good stuff. 

 

I tried some RR blind from a friend recently.  Great nose, but overall was about average I'd say.  The 110 proof really hit at the end.  Have a bottle of Rare Breed 116.8 that is slated for a poker game in 3 weeks.  Looking forward to trying that one.  I am ashamed to admit I have yet to try Wild Turkey 101, but it's on the list!

[lcpfratn]

Welcome aboard! I'll say that it looks like you have tried a lot more than I had before I joined SB. It doesn't look like you've tried many Beam products yet or forgot to mention them. Knob Creek Single Barrel Private Selections are some of my favorites. Booker's is darn good too, if you can find one reasonably priced after the price increase, and Baker's has been trending on SB as of late too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Richnimrod]

Sounds like you're having a great time exploring the wonderful array of Bourbons, that (mostly) are readily available.    Good on ya' bud!    Fun, ain't it?

[EarthQuake]

Pick up a bottle of Stagg Jr when you see it, it's very similar to the barrel proof CEHT but cheaper and easier to find!

[Stump1998]

Welcome, sounds like you are doing it the right way. See too many times people go straight to the secondary market and buy up a bunch of pappy and btac. They seat and just look at the stuff on their bar. 

[Mako254]

5 hours ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

Little more information about my bourbon journey.  I used to drink Single Malt Scotch, picking up a bottle here and there without any real rhyme or reason.  However, about a year ago I made the switch to bourbon exclusively.  My main reasons for the change were as follows:

 

1 - Entry level price point.  Although prices are going up  everyone here knows that you can get some fantastic bourbons in the $20-30 range.  And the "bottom shelfers" ain't so bad either.

2 - Ability to experience entire range offered.  I am the type of person who likes to be able to experience/try it all if I want.  That was never going to happen with Scotch both in the sheer volume of option, but also the prices of the higher end bottlings.  With a few exceptions there are only a handful of Bourbons in the $200-$300 msrp range.  But with Scotch that is just the tip of the iceberg.  

3 - Murica.  Why support a foreign product when there is such a fantastic one produced right here on American Soil?  

 

I quickly found SB and did my due diligence, reading so many of the threads and generally lurking to an extent that would be creepy in real life!  I like to start from the bottom and build a foundation rather than skip ahead to the PVW and BTACs of the world.  So after doing my homework I started with the Bottled in Bonds.  Not counting HMK or EHTSmB the best one neat was Old Grand Dad; best old fashioned mixer is the VOB (missed out of the aged 6 years, but for $12 the 100 is still great)  The Banana note compliments the orange peel and spring of mint I like to use very well.  Old Fitz comes in second place in both categories.  And Rittenhouse holds its own very nicely both over a large cube or for a spicier old fashioned.  EW Bib was Meh in both categories and the JW Dant was horrid.

 

Moving forward I enjoy both ER and  HMK.  The HMK was not the best, but I have read there is a decent amount of barrel variation so maybe that was a factor.  In a non blind SBS with EW SiB that McKenna got blown out by all who participated.  EHTSmB is also very good for just a few bucks more.  Went though a bottle of EC NAS and also back label 12 and preferred the 12, both in that the oakyness was not too heavy and with a better viscosity and mouthfeel.  Have yet to find a bad 4 Roses as I thought the SmB was great, until I went up to the SiB which was fantastic.  But the PSBP are just the stone cold nuts. 

 

From Buffalo Trace I enjoyed a good amount of WSR outside over a large cube with a dash of orange bitters.  Nice summer drink.  Weller Antique is just amazing from flavor to proof to price point.  ETL is solid, but sometimes can be a little lacking in body, more of a delicate bourbon to me.  Blanton's is also amazing and quickly became a staple.  It is maddening that the SFTB is not offered domestically.  W12 and RHF are the two I have yet to find bottles of.  I had a sample of the RHF a few days ago and was blown away.  Plan to try it blind vs Blanton's in the near future.  May have a changing of the guard shortly.

 

Overall I would rank my favorite distillers as BT  one and 4R  two with Heaven Hill a close third.  From a value perspective my favorites are VOB, W107, and ECBP.  If price was not a factor I would sip on Blanton's, 4RPS, and EHTSiB or BP all day and be happy. I tried many more, but this is getting long so I will cut it off here.  Happy to finally be aboard and look forward to nerdy bourbon discussions with everyone.   

 

We have a similar approach to bourbon and similar taste in distilleries (though 4R is tops for me). Do try the RHF sbs w/ blantons. I know what i pick. 

 

Ps, there is a four roses cult on here....

[kaiserhog]

I too, love the three distilleries you listed as your favorites.  Try Wildturkey 101 it is great but the Wild Turkey Rare Breed is simply superior.  116 proof this year.  My staple by the way is EWBIB, I love the stuff.

[Bob_Loblaw]

Again, thanks for the responses and welcomes.

 

I have had Bookers on a number of occasions, primarily early on and found that it had a unpleasant musty old basement taste to it.  I now know this to be the Beam Funk.  Around May/June my local store had several Knob Creek SiB PS and I chose 4 different barrels to try all aged 12-13 years.  Drank through three and gifted one.  I do not recall major differences between them, but generally speaking I found them to smell just wonderful with tons of caramel and brown sugar with some dark fruit.  Taste wise they had a minor funk, but I still enjoyed them for the $40 price point.  There was some conversation on here about whether they were proofed down to 120 like the regular SiB Reserve.  I believe consensus here was down to 120.  Two different store managers told me it was a BP and the side label was accurate.   A review on Breaking Bourbon stated it was in fact BP.  An email to Beam for further clarification went unanswered.  Bakers I need to try, it gets lots of love on here.

 

Have tried Stagg Jr. Batch 65% ABV did not love it.  Hoping it will open up with time and have not tried SBS with EHBP, but from memory liked the EH Better.  And the ECBP, and the KCSiB.

 

I only keep a maximum of one shelf (12-14 bottles max) open at at time so I am constantly shuffling what is available.  

 

 

[kevinbrink]

3 hours ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

Again, thanks for the responses and welcomes.

 

I have had Bookers on a number of occasions, primarily early on and found that it had a unpleasant musty old basement taste to it.  I now know this to be the Beam Funk.  Around May/June my local store had several Knob Creek SiB PS and I chose 4 different barrels to try all aged 12-13 years.  Drank through three and gifted one.  I do not recall major differences between them, but generally speaking I found them to smell just wonderful with tons of caramel and brown sugar with some dark fruit.  Taste wise they had a minor funk, but I still enjoyed them for the $40 price point.  There was some conversation on here about whether they were proofed down to 120 like the regular SiB Reserve.  I believe consensus here was down to 120.  Two different store managers told me it was a BP and the side label was accurate.   A review on Breaking Bourbon stated it was in fact BP.  An email to Beam for further clarification went unanswered.  Bakers I need to try, it gets lots of love on here.

 

Have tried Stagg Jr. Batch 65% ABV did not love it.  Hoping it will open up with time and have not tried SBS with EHBP, but from memory liked the EH Better.  And the ECBP, and the KCSiB.

 

I only keep a maximum of one shelf (12-14 bottles max) open at at time so I am constantly shuffling what is available.  

 

 

I love high proof bourbons but to me Stagg Jr is improved greatly by a few drops of water same goes for CEHT BP.

[Kane]

Welcome!

 

On 10/4/2017 at 4:15 PM, Bob_Loblaw said:

 I would sip on Blanton's, 4RPS, and EHTSiB or BP all day and be happy.

 

You already seem to have a lot of experience drinking whiskey, yet you are still in denial! Just admit it, you'd never be happy with a handful of bottles. Gotta catch'em all!

[EarthQuake]

6 hours ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

Again, thanks for the responses and welcomes.

 

I have had Bookers on a number of occasions, primarily early on and found that it had a unpleasant musty old basement taste to it.  I now know this to be the Beam Funk.  Around May/June my local store had several Knob Creek SiB PS and I chose 4 different barrels to try all aged 12-13 years.  Drank through three and gifted one.  I do not recall major differences between them, but generally speaking I found them to smell just wonderful with tons of caramel and brown sugar with some dark fruit.  Taste wise they had a minor funk, but I still enjoyed them for the $40 price point.  There was some conversation on here about whether they were proofed down to 120 like the regular SiB Reserve.  I believe consensus here was down to 120.  Two different store managers told me it was a BP and the side label was accurate.   A review on Breaking Bourbon stated it was in fact BP.  An email to Beam for further clarification went unanswered.  Bakers I need to try, it gets lots of love on here.

 

Have tried Stagg Jr. Batch 65% ABV did not love it.  Hoping it will open up with time and have not tried SBS with EHBP, but from memory liked the EH Better.  And the ECBP, and the KCSiB.

 

I only keep a maximum of one shelf (12-14 bottles max) open at at time so I am constantly shuffling what is available.  

 

 

Interesting that you didn't love the Stagg. To me Stagg and CEHTBP are nearly identical twins, theres very little difference in the flavor profile to my palate, which makes sense because they are the same mash bill, roughly the same proof and should be very close in age (both rumored to be in the 7-8 year range). I have open bottles of each (Stagg Jr batch 8 129.5 and CEHTBP 127) and did a blind tasting not too long ago. The CEHT is a little softer, perhaps slightly older, while the Stagg is a little more intense and flavorful, and when I say a little I mean a little. I prefer the Stagg just slightly but both are excellent pours. If you have the opportunity to try them both blind, I would! You might be surprised - I figured I would prefer the CEHTBP.

 

I was able to try both Stagg Jr and George T Stagg side by side as well, and while the GTS clearly had more age, depth and complexity, the Jr wasn't far behind and again these two were far more similar than they were different.

Edited October 6, 2017 by EarthQuake