Give up the funk

[rjg1701]

Ive never noticed the nutty 'house style' in the OGD products, but can second that it is less pronounced in Beam labels with more age.  I find it quite readily in White label and Bonded expressions, while still present but muted in the Black label. Haven't noticed it in KCSB I have, but I dislike that bottle due to a strong scent of malt whisky in the nose, and therefore haven't spent much time with it.

[mcspin]

23 hours ago, Richnimrod said:

Buy and try all the over-priced "craft" offerings you find.    You'll likely need to amend the last part of that statement.    ...Just sayin'...

It's true, I don't drink anything that isn't at least 4 years old - and generally mainstream. I haven't tried the craft bourbons, because every one I've seen is way too much money for it's age in my opinion.  There is a local craft distillery doing a tasting this coming weekend. I plan on attending, so I might be changing that statement shortly.

 

[Richnimrod]

On 4/3/2018 at 8:43 PM, mcspin said:

It's true, I don't drink anything that isn't at least 4 years old - and generally mainstream. I haven't tried the craft bourbons, because every one I've seen is way too much money for it's age in my opinion.  There is a local craft distillery doing a tasting this coming weekend. I plan on attending, so I might be changing that statement shortly.

 

There ya' go!    Give 'em a chance, I say.    Just don't grab fer yer wallet 'til ya' taste something that makes sense to ya'.   

Some of the "craft" folx are doing some interesting things, especially with gins and other products that don't require barrel aging (or don't need much of it).    A few even show some promise for a decent Bourbon eventually (they are the exception, however IMO).      I sincerely hope some of the innovators, and especially the honest, forthcoming ones (there are more than a few who are neither) make a success of their ventures.    Further, I hope those ones are in it for the unique products they can bring to the market, rather than preparing for the inevitable cash-out when they show some promise.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Richnimrod

[Jav]

Yeah, I haven't noticed any "funk" or "house flavor" in Beam products I've tried prior to Bazil Hayden.  So it may be a flavor I just don't enjoy that isn't the same that some others don't like in Beam products (and likely others love).

 

I found that even a little water really diminished that particular flavor in a way that made the bourbon enjoyable for me.  I still won't likely buy another bottle because I like many less expensive bourbons more, but with a little water I did enjoy it.

 

Strange to add water to 80 proof Bazil Hayden but not 100 proof KC!

[flahute]

2 hours ago, Jav said:

Yeah, I haven't noticed any "funk" or "house flavor" in Beam products I've tried prior to Bazil Hayden.  So it may be a flavor I just don't enjoy that isn't the same that some others don't like in Beam products (and likely others love).

 

I found that even a little water really diminished that particular flavor in a way that made the bourbon enjoyable for me.  I still won't likely buy another bottle because I like many less expensive bourbons more, but with a little water I did enjoy it.

 

Strange to add water to 80 proof Bazil Hayden but not 100 proof KC!

There is nothing funk or house flavor in OGD products as it relates to the larger Beam portfolio.

You are simply tasting OGD’s unique yeast combined with a high rye mashbill. 

[tanstaafl2]

On 4/4/2018 at 4:55 PM, flahute said:

There is nothing funk or house flavor in OGD products as it relates to the larger Beam portfolio.

You are simply tasting OGD’s unique yeast combined with a high rye mashbill. 

Wasn't there some discussion a while back that while the mashbill is still the high rye that Beam had reverted to using the standard Beam yeast in OGD and BH? Or am I "disremembering"?

[BigRich]

Wasn't there some discussion a while back that while the mashbill is still the high rye that Beam had reverted to using the standard Beam yeast in OGD and BH? Or am I "disremembering"?

Nope, if so, then I’m disremembering too


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[mosugoji64]

On 4/1/2018 at 10:09 AM, fishnbowljoe said:

I have to admit that I'm one of the people that has used  "Beam funk" in a misproper way. Joe is right. "House Style" is a more accurate decription. I promise to try and use this phrase in the future. 

 

I've been thinking a little about this lately. Partly for an odd reason. My wife made a big crockpot of beef barley stew a while back. FWIW, it was really good.  To cut to the chase, after having a couple of bowls of stew, I kicked back with a pour later on, and got to wondering about barley. I know full well that there are different types of barley used for different things. I also know that the percentage of malted barley used in bourbon mash bills is minimal. Still, I couldn't help but wonder about a couple of things. How much does the percentage of malted barley in a bourbon mash bill affect the flavor of that bourbon, and, how much does that percentage and the interaction between it and a mash bill's yeast play in a bourbons flavor?  Yeah I know, this is kinda nitpicking, and may have been covered here before, but...

 

Biba! Joe

 

Joe, I think barley can play a big role in the flavor of whiskey. Herman Marshall bourbon from Texas has no secondary flavor grain - only corn and barley. A friend gave me a bottle and, while it's not bad at all, it's VERY Scotchy. Since I'm not a big fan of malt whiskies, it's not something I visit very often, though it's nice for a change of pace occasionally. IIRC, 1792 has a higher percentage of barley in the mashbill and that comes through for me as well. It's not overwhelming as in HM, but noticeable.

As for the Beam "funk," for me it's a very yeasty flavor that I detect in the JB labels, though not as much in BIB or Distiller's Cut. Several years ago, I had a bottle of 8yr JBB that had so much yeasty flavor I used it only as a mixer. And that reminds me that, while the flavor is off-putting for me neat, the yeast flavor in JBW makes for an excellent bourbon and Coke.

[flahute]

13 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

Wasn't there some discussion a while back that while the mashbill is still the high rye that Beam had reverted to using the standard Beam yeast in OGD and BH? Or am I "disremembering"?

 

12 hours ago, BigRich said:

Nope, if so, then I’m disremembering too


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Somebody did theorize that a while back.

My friend who works for Beam told me the yeasts were still different.

That said, just yesterday a friend with a palate I trust told me he gets the peanut flavor in both so he’s not convinced. 

[BDanner]

1 hour ago, flahute said:

 

Somebody did theorize that a while back.

My friend who works for Beam told me the yeasts were still different.

That said, just yesterday a friend with a palate I trust told me he gets the peanut flavor in both so he’s not convinced. 

That's what I've heard as well, but I've also heard that yeast goes where it goes. It is something that can cross contaminate or pollinate (wrong word, I know) but that two yeasts present in the same place will either meld into a new strain or the dominant strain will takeover. Or...I could be totally "disremembering" as well . FWIW, I find the Beam "Funk" to be reminiscent of dry roast peanuts. Not terribly off-putting, but present in levels in JBW that I can't enjoy it. Extra time in the barrel definitely helps tame it. 

Edited April 6, 2018 by BDanner

[BigRich]

Somebody did theorize that a while back.
My friend who works for Beam told me the yeasts were still different.
That said, just yesterday a friend with a palate I trust told me he gets the peanut flavor in both so he’s not convinced. 

It was someone from Beam that told us it was the same. I really don’t believe any of it unless I hear it from Fred or the guy pouring in the yeast.


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[emr454]

When I first discovered Beam's unique house flavor I called it "funk" because I couldn't come up with a proper description for it. Just recently I decided it's a definite peanut flavor, and now find myself enjoying it. I detect it slightly in KCSiB, but it's more pronounced in JBDC and KC Rye. It's been a while but I think I noticed in OGD114 as well.

[Richnimrod]

46 minutes ago, emr454 said:

...I decided it's a definite peanut flavor, and now find myself enjoying it.

Me Too!!!     I do NOT find Beam's house style (yeast or otherwise) objectionable.     I enjoy most of Beam's offerings. 

 I even keep a 750 of JBWL around most of time, though it is my least favorite of their brands because that under-taste is little too pronounced in this one. 

As age goes up, and as proof goes up this peanut-y goodness balances better... IMHO.

[emr454]

48 minutes ago, Richnimrod said:

Me Too!!!     I do NOT find Beam's house style (yeast or otherwise) objectionable.     I enjoy most of Beam's offerings. 

 I even keep a 750 of JBWL around most of time, though it is my least favorite of their brands because that under-taste is little too pronounced in this one. 

As age goes up, and as proof goes up this peanut-y goodness balances better... IMHO.

I also find a pleasant nutty flavor in EWBiB and HH6BiB

[Richnimrod]

1 hour ago, emr454 said:

I also find a pleasant nutty flavor in EWBiB and HH6BiB

Me, too.     But, in HH brands it seems to me to be 'nutmeg' rather than peanut sort of flavor.    Or, on a few occasions, it put me in mind of pecans. 

Ain't it interesting how we associate flavors in our Bourbons that never were placed there using such ingredients. 

Reminds me of a quote I've heard attributed to Jimmie Russell, on more than one occasion.     I can't remember it exactly, nor the exact circumstance in which he was supposed to have uttered it; but it was after hearing some high-falutin' whiskey geek naming things like bergamot, leather, new-mown hay, or some such. 

He then supposedly asked another Master Distiller seated next to him something like this; 'Hey Dude, do put any of that sort of shit in your mashbill?'

[BDanner]

I get more peanut notes in the lower proof younger Beams, but it is just the opposite for me in the OGD and Heaven Hill juice. Less peanut younger lower proof (EW, OGD) and more in the older higher proof (EW BIB, OGD BIB/114, HMcK BIB). I agree with the nutmeg. My last bottle of HMcK BIB was dominant Egg Nog with nutmeg.

[Guss West]

First time I tried EWBIB, I got the strongest peanut note I've ever noticed. 

 

I always associated the beam "funk" with it's particular house style.  I think the yeast is a big part of it. 

 

Maybe due to the sheer number of barrels, I also notice the vegetal notes of green wood barrels often in the budget Beam products. 

[Jav]

I bought a bottle of OGD BIB this weekend and opened it last night.  While I like it a bit more than Basil Hayden, the flavor profile (as expected) was pretty much the same.  Whatever the cause of the flavor that I do not enjoy, it is definitely present in this one as well.  It's a shame, because I find there is a lot to like; but after a few sips it just gets overpowering for me.

 

Life's too short to force myself to drink bourbons I don't love, because there are plenty of those as well!

[smokinjoe]

On 4/18/2018 at 1:22 PM, Jav said:

 

Life's too short to force myself to drink bourbons I don't love, because there are plenty of those as well!

Good call.  It obviously doesn’t agree with you like it may with others.  Move on and don’t look back.

[Enoch]

I think the "funk" is progressively getting more prominent. I have 80s and 90s bottles of JBW. In the 80s you cannot taste the "funk" at all and only slightly in the late 90s bottle. I can also say that in current OGD, I can also taste the "funk", especially when compared to 80s ODG, all proofs. I do think it becomes less noticeable as the bourbon ages. I also think it is beginning to crop up at other distilleries. I detect the taste in the current Rittenhouse Rye. It is not present at all in the old B-F distilled bottles. That being said, not everyone finds it objectionable. Some may not even taste it at all like the old Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) classroom experiment.

[l364cy]

On 4/18/2018 at 1:22 PM, Jav said:

I bought a bottle of OGD BIB this weekend and opened it last night.  While I like it a bit more than Basil Hayden, the flavor profile (as expected) was pretty much the same.  Whatever the cause of the flavor that I do not enjoy, it is definitely present in this one as well.  It's a shame, because I find there is a lot to like; but after a few sips it just gets overpowering for me.

 

Life's too short to force myself to drink bourbons I don't love, because there are plenty of those as well!

I wonder if it is the higher rye that you are tasting.  Do you have any rye whiskies in your collection?  I wonder if a quick sip of a Dickel or JD Rye give you the same offensive taste profile? 

[Jav]

The only Ryes I have are Rittenhouse and Bulleit, and I find neither offensive.  I don't necessarily care for the Bulleit, but it's not offensive I just don't think it has much flavor at all.  I do like the Rittenhouse quite a bit, but it tastes a lot like a bourbon to me.

[fosmith]

1 hour ago, Jav said:

The only Ryes I have are Rittenhouse and Bulleit, and I find neither offensive.  I don't necessarily care for the Bulleit, but it's not offensive I just don't think it has much flavor at all.  I do like the Rittenhouse quite a bit, but it tastes a lot like a bourbon to me.

It tastes like bourbon because it's a 'barely legal' (only 51% rye) rye.  Try a Whistle Pig 10 yr. store pick.  That's got tons of flavor and rye character as it's 100% rye.  The regular 10 year is pretty good too just not cask strength like the store picks.