bayouredd Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 My adventure started with a birthday gift of Bulleit Frontier last year on Halloween. This year I was gifted a Dickel Barrel Select & a Basil Haydens... We get only a handful of trick or treaters, but this is year 2 of the adults deciding that the party is in my front yard for bourbon & banter. (cliché stealing here) It is a very diverse bunch of neighbors, friends & family enjoying the spontaneous Halloween celebration. We went through about half the Dickel, emptied my decanter, (3/4 left of Bulleit 10 year) and a 1/2 bottle of Woodford. I also had a couple of Bakers to meet a craving. My favs for the 1st year have been: Blanton's Gold A particular Bottle of CEHT SiB A particular LS KC120 A 2017 OFBB Blanton's SiB OWA Runner Ups that need to be on my shelf: 4R SiB Bulleit 10 ECBP Other LS KC120 Bakers Bourbons that just didn't do it for me but I will give it another go later, maybe: WT stuff - I just get a bitter aspartame kinda thing on the backend from their stuff including RR Henry McKenna (I realize that the SiB thing might be in play here) ER10 ( I have an unopened bottle waiting to try, so we'll see) Get that crap away from me: SA Big Level A couple of different TX bourbons Unique stuff that has been pretty good but need a mood for it Michter 10 Garrison Bros Jos Magnus There have been others but most not so memorable 1 way or the other. I have tried all that I could throughout the year and have very much enjoyed the journey, to include signing up on this kooky, eclectic bunch of both novice & expert bourbonites. It has been a blast, but would not be complete without giving credit to this community for slowing down the bus long enough for me to hop aboard. I want to thank all of you here, for this! If this needs to be moved, please do so... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump1998 Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Sounds like you had a great first year. Take it slow and keep enjoying yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 That sounds like a great first year! Agree with you on Big Level Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcpfratn Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 A great first year indeed! Might I suggest that you cough up the coin and buy a bottle of WTMK Decades. I think that might be one of the current gems in the WT collection, and it might just win you over on WT. Of course I like most WT products anyway, but the Masters Keep series is really special. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdcdguy Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Congrats. Sounds like you have had a good year. You have drank some really good stuff. My suggestion for this year is to try some common stuff. Get to the roots of bourbon. Buffalo Trace, Old Grandad BIB. These are widely available, don't cost much and are quite good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryT Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Figuring out what you like and don't is a lot of fun; I'm envious in a way as I recall fond memories of the "first time I tried . . . " And I think you're spot on to recognize some may not hit now, but be open to try them again later. I definitely found some early on I didn't like (Bookers was like gasoline to me), so I put them in the back of the cabinet, and years later re-discovered them (and in the case of Bookers, was blown away). Not every story has a happy ending, but you never know! Cheers to your sophomore year! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomLamb Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Cool! This is a really good idea for a thread and it's interesting to see how tastes develop. I'd like to do the same after I've been through my first year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) Well, I’ll say that the chronical of your journey that you have shared this last year has been a fun read. You certainly dove in with both feet! Thanks for being a solid contributor here. Ive heard the journey is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. I think both of those miss the mark, as they have a finish line set by others. I say it’s more of a Forest Gump Run. You just keep running, seeing and experiencing all kinds of things, until you get to the coast. Then you turn around and run to the other coast, then back again, and so on...And like a run through anywhere when that place can be totally different in January than it is in June, each bourbon experienced throughout this run is capable of delivering these same type of differences. Just depends on the time and place. Edited November 3, 2018 by smokinjoe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richnimrod Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 22 hours ago, bayouredd said: My adventure started with a birthday gift of Bulleit Frontier last year on Halloween. This year I was gifted a Dickel Barrel Select & a Basil Haydens... Henry McKenna (I realize that the SiB thing might be in play here) I have tried all that I could throughout the year and have very much enjoyed the journey, to include signing up on this kooky, eclectic bunch of both novice & expert bourbonites. It has been a blast, but would not be complete without giving credit to this community for slowing down the bus long enough for me to hop aboard. I want to thank all of you here, for this! I selected portions of your post, so I apologize in advance for so doing, bayouredd. A few things jump out for me, including Joe's post immediately above, which he NAILS! Your deciding to thank the SB community is very thoughtful, and I agree with your sentiment on that. The folx here have helped me immeasurably and continue to do so almost daily. Your mention of HMcK SB being a possibly a clinker on your single try is prescient. You should revisit this one. It is favored by many, including yours truly. I'd caution you to seek experiences with some of the "lesser lights" of the Bourbon world. The lower shelves are what I'm speaking of. I note no mention of any BIB's or other such possible trials of lower cost offerings. OGD 114 and many other excellent Bourbons are to be found at very reasonable cost, and many are well worth the trial. Stick with the major distilleries, and you almost can't go wrong. Youa few that you just can hardly believe you've enjoyed for the very reasonable prices you gave. This is, of course based only on these missing from your post at the beginning of thread. Maybe you have tried some/many. If so, you're doing it right, my friend. Enjoy the journey... it is indeed true that the journey is the destination. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCwhammie Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 2 hours ago, smokinjoe said: Ive heard the journey is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. I think both of those miss the mark, as they have a finish line set by others. I say it’s more of a Forest Gump Run. And no doubt, like forrest, you'll occasionally step in a pile of $%@& in the form of some bad bourbon. You just gotta say "it happens" and keep on truckin'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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