Confess Your Unpopular Bourbon Opinion

[PaulO]

When you get South of Bloomington, you're in Kentuckiana. 

[PaulO]

I should add, that's not an unpopular opinion.

[Bourbon Sabbath]

My unpopular opinion is wheated bourbon and Scotch both suck!  There,  I said it. Something about how they lay on my palate I guess.  Markes and MM46 , Larceny,  Weller, and other wheated bilge,  i will leave for all y'all to fawn over. Regular ole bourbon with lower barley content and rye whiskey make me happy. And i don't for Tennessee whiskey too much. Vitamins and/or ashes. Jeez!  Rant over. I'm at peace now lol

Edited April 25, 2020 by Bourbon Sabbath

[flahute]

1 hour ago, PaulO said:

When you get South of Bloomington, you're in Kentuckiana. 

Lol. As a former Cincinnatian I'm familiar with this category.

[fishnbowljoe]

1 hour ago, PaulO said:

When you get South of Bloomington, you're in Kentuckiana. 

 

4 minutes ago, flahute said:

Lol. As a former Cincinnatian I'm familiar with this category.

I probably shouldn’t, but what the heck? I was born and raised in Indianapolis. Just before we moved to Illinois, I lived and worked on the north side. As a preface here, states have rivalries, and sometimes take jabs at each other. This is evident in the banter and jokes between Kentucky and Indiana. Anyway, Noblesville was a city just north of Indy. For whatever reason, a number of folks referred to it as Nobletucky. 

 

Biba! Joe

[flahute]

1 minute ago, fishnbowljoe said:

 

I probably shouldn’t, but what the heck? I was born and raised in Indianapolis. Just before we moved to Illinois, I lived and worked on the north side. As a preface here, states have rivalries, and sometimes take jabs at each other. This is evident in the banter and jokes between Kentucky and Indiana. Anyway, Noblesville was a city just north of Indy. For whatever reason, a number of folks referred to it as Nobletucky. 

 

Biba! Joe

That's a new one to me! 

Well, there are parts of Cincinnati that are known as Cincitucky.

[Bourbon_Watcher_84]

I've got a couple unpopular confessions to make:

 

- I don't like finished bourbons.  I feel like they're trying to mask an impurity in the barrel with a sweet flavor.

 

- I don't mind paying above MSRP for some bottles because I will actually drink and enjoy them (looking at you, OWA 107 Store Pick!) 

 

- I tend to look down on 80 - 86 proof whiskey as flavorless and a waste of money

 

- I haven't found a bottle younger than 4 years old that is actually drinkable (No thank you, 3-year old Pinhook)

 

- I don't understand the militant devotion to 4 Roses.  The only one I've had that I enjoyed was the most recent Small Batch Select

 

- Willett 4 Year Rye is terrible; first undrinkable bottle I've found

 

- Excluding the Presidential Select bottles, Jefferson's is swill and I don't understand their popularity

 

- Garrison Bro's is doing amazing things with their Texas Bourbons

 

- I like Barton 1972 BiB as a daily drinker over almost anything else out there

 

- I absolutely hate seeing these dorks on social media post pictures of amazing home bars of unopened bottles; pay what you want, but drink your booze!

 

- I don't understand the idea behind "craft distillery" NDPs doing single barrel "programs" for stuff they didn't make...  

 

- More NDPs should learn to blend whiskies from different distillers; The Scots have been doing it for hundreds of years with phenomenal results.

[GeeTen]

6 hours ago, Bourbon Sabbath said:

My unpopular opinion is wheated bourbon and Scotch both suck!  There,  I said it. Something about how they lay on my palate I guess.  Markes and MM46 , Larceny,  Weller, and other wheated bilge,  i will leave for all y'all to fawn over. Regular ole bourbon with lower barley content and rye whiskey make me happy. And i don't for Tennessee whiskey too much. Vitamins and/or ashes. Jeez!  Rant over. I'm at peace now lol

 

Why thank you, thanks you very much.  Just leaves more of our favorites for the rest of us.  And welcome to SB.com!   

 

BTW, we had a tasting of Clyde May's whiskeys (The "Official" whiskey of the Great State of Alabama) at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn last February for the swimming and diving officials.  Are we good with that?   

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by GeeTen

[Richnimrod]

7 hours ago, PaulO said:

When you get South of Bloomington, you're in Kentuckiana. 

Just curious; and please forgive 'an outsider', but . . . . Why is this area always referred to as Kentuckiana; but never as Indyucky?   ...Hmmmmmmmm.  

[smokinjoe]

In case anyone has missed it, GeeTen was at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn Alabama last February as a swimming official along with other swimming and diving officials.  I repeat, Gee Ten was at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn Alabama last February as a swimming official along with other swimming and diving officials.  

[Clueby]

I went back thru this thread to see what I had posted before.  It all still stands pretty true for me.

MGP bourbon just isn't my thing. Even bottles that others say how amazing they are I just find kind of "meh".

I dislike more Four Rose's stuff than I like. When I like it, I really like it though.

[flahute]

9 hours ago, Bourbon_Watcher_84 said:

I've got a couple unpopular confessions to make:

 

- I don't like finished bourbons.  I feel like they're trying to mask an impurity in the barrel with a sweet flavor.

 

- I don't mind paying above MSRP for some bottles because I will actually drink and enjoy them (looking at you, OWA 107 Store Pick!) 

 

- I tend to look down on 80 - 86 proof whiskey as flavorless and a waste of money

 

- I haven't found a bottle younger than 4 years old that is actually drinkable (No thank you, 3-year old Pinhook)

 

- I don't understand the militant devotion to 4 Roses.  The only one I've had that I enjoyed was the most recent Small Batch Select

 

- Willett 4 Year Rye is terrible; first undrinkable bottle I've found

 

- Excluding the Presidential Select bottles, Jefferson's is swill and I don't understand their popularity

 

- Garrison Bro's is doing amazing things with their Texas Bourbons

 

- I like Barton 1972 BiB as a daily drinker over almost anything else out there

 

- I absolutely hate seeing these dorks on social media post pictures of amazing home bars of unopened bottles; pay what you want, but drink your booze!

 

- I don't understand the idea behind "craft distillery" NDPs doing single barrel "programs" for stuff they didn't make...  

 

- More NDPs should learn to blend whiskies from different distillers; The Scots have been doing it for hundreds of years with phenomenal results.

Your opinions are not that unpopular here. You will find that this group is a lot different from the groups you see on social media.

Now you won't get universal agreement. Especially that comment about Four Roses. Them's fightin' words!!

I'm not sure how much experience you have with 4R. If it's only recent, than I partly understand your position. The devotion to 4R was earned 8-9 years ago when Jim Rutledge brought the distillery not only back from almost dead but to the top of the bourbon nerd opinion polls. The LE small batch and certain single barrels that came out from 2011 to 2013 are among some of the best whiskies I've ever tasted.

Unfortunately, 4R has been just as much a victim of the boom as everyone else and due to rising demand along with their contract with Bulleit (where literally half of their distilling and warehousing capacity belonged to Bulleit) 4R quickly found themselves in a pickle. They are now out of that contract and they have recently doubled their capacity but they still have a lot of catching up to do.

[mal00768]

11 hours ago, Bourbon Sabbath said:

My unpopular opinion is wheated bourbon and Scotch both suck!  There,  I said it. Something about how they lay on my palate I guess.  Markes and MM46 , Larceny,  Weller, and other wheated bilge,  i will leave for all y'all to fawn over. Regular ole bourbon with lower barley content and rye whiskey make me happy. And i don't for Tennessee whiskey too much. Vitamins and/or ashes. Jeez!  Rant over. I'm at peace now lol

It’s always odd to me when someone proclaims that they don’t like scotch when there is so much variation in the category. 
 

You were very specific in your complaints about bourbon. There’s scotch that’s peaty, some that’s sherry forward, some that’s finished in rum barrels, some that’s none of the above.

[mal00768]

10 hours ago, Bourbon_Watcher_84 said:

I've got a couple unpopular confessions to make:

 

- I don't like finished bourbons.  I feel like they're trying to mask an impurity in the barrel with a sweet flavor.

 

- I don't mind paying above MSRP for some bottles because I will actually drink and enjoy them (looking at you, OWA 107 Store Pick!) 

 

- I tend to look down on 80 - 86 proof whiskey as flavorless and a waste of money

 

- I haven't found a bottle younger than 4 years old that is actually drinkable (No thank you, 3-year old Pinhook)

 

- I don't understand the militant devotion to 4 Roses.  The only one I've had that I enjoyed was the most recent Small Batch Select

 

- Willett 4 Year Rye is terrible; first undrinkable bottle I've found

 

- Excluding the Presidential Select bottles, Jefferson's is swill and I don't understand their popularity

 

- Garrison Bro's is doing amazing things with their Texas Bourbons

 

- I like Barton 1972 BiB as a daily drinker over almost anything else out there

 

- I absolutely hate seeing these dorks on social media post pictures of amazing home bars of unopened bottles; pay what you want, but drink your booze!

 

- I don't understand the idea behind "craft distillery" NDPs doing single barrel "programs" for stuff they didn't make...  

 

- More NDPs should learn to blend whiskies from different distillers; The Scots have been doing it for hundreds of years with phenomenal results.

It’s not militant. It’s just that those 4R picks are way better than that Weller swill BT shoves out.

Edited April 25, 2020 by mal00768

[mal00768]

I still don’t understand the Willet hype. All those hype barrels are sourced from other places. So shouldn’t we be going crazy over those other distilleries? 
 

Willet Estate produced stuff is way overpriced. Pure hype.

Garrison Brothers needs to lower their prices. 
 

I’m sure SW produced lots of crappy stuff. They did have bottom shelf offerings. So some of that Willet stuff is probably crap. 

 

[GeeTen]

5 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

In case anyone has missed it, GeeTen was at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn Alabama last February as a swimming official along with other swimming and diving officials.  I repeat, Gee Ten was at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn Alabama last February as a swimming official along with other swimming and diving officials.  

I'm old and tend to repeat myself a lot. You guys and gals are going to get old someday, too. You'll understand then.  

Edited April 25, 2020 by GeeTen

[Harry in WashDC]

12 minutes ago, GeeTen said:

I'm old and tend to repeat myself a lot. You guys and gals are going to get old someday, too. You'll understand then.  

Are you the same GeeTen who was at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn Alabama last February as a swimming official along with other swimming and diving officials?  If you are, did you get a chance to taste any Clyde May whiskey? 

[fishnbowljoe]

https://giphy.com/gifs/SWR-Kindernetz-tigerenten-club-krassnass-krass-nass-3kxqLmAVaGvHAmgs6d

[GeeTen]

21 minutes ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Are you the same GeeTen who was at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn Alabama last February as a swimming official along with other swimming and diving officials?  If you are, did you get a chance to taste any Clyde May whiskey? 

Why yes, yes I am. And it was a hoot. As it will be next year in Mizzou. Wait 'til you hear about that adventure (or not). 

[parksmart]

1 hour ago, GeeTen said:

Why yes, yes I am. And it was a hoot. As it will be next year in Mizzou. Wait 'til you hear about that adventure (or not). 

Pics or it didn’t happen.

 

And when I say pics, I mean of nubile coed athletes.  If you are in any of them, please be positioned well off to the side.

 

 

 

[kypix]

16 hours ago, clearmoon247 said:

If nothing else,  i would be curious to see your thoughts on anything sourced from MGP.

My comment should have been I have never "knowingly" tasted bourbon distilled outside of Kentucky.  One of my faves, Noah's Mill, is from sourced juice with no attribution.  For all I know it could contain Hoosier juice.  Cheers.

[flahute]

10 minutes ago, kypix said:

My comment should have been I have never "knowingly" tasted bourbon distilled outside of Kentucky.  One of my faves, Noah's Mill, is from sourced juice with no attribution.  For all I know it could contain Hoosier juice.  Cheers.

It does not as the label states "Ditilled in Kentucky." As far as I know, the only MGP whiskey Willett has ever bottled is rye.

[Harry in WashDC]

1 hour ago, kypix said:

My comment should have been I have never "knowingly" tasted bourbon distilled outside of Kentucky.  One of my faves, Noah's Mill, is from sourced juice with no attribution.  For all I know it could contain Hoosier juice.  Cheers.

Hhhhmm.  THEN, let me recommend any of the A.Smith Bowman products which are sort of not KY bourbon.  While ASB's new make distillate is trucked in to its distillery in Fredericksburg, Virginia, from Saz/Buffalo Trace, its parent(s), it redistills the new make in Virginia before barreling and aging in VA.  It does have, to me, some taste elements similar to those found in 1792 bourbons which are distilled in Bardstown, KY, although I think the ASB comes from the BT distillery in Frankfort, KY.  Whatever, ASB before its acquisition by Saz in 2003 made (and still makes) Virginia Gentleman (80 proof)which is a straight bourbon whiskey.  Following its acquisition, Saz changed its product line.  It releases some really fine LEs several times a year and has a 90 proof (formerly "The Fox"), a 100 proof single barrel, and a port finish which is better than the average finished bourbon, I think.

Edited April 25, 2020 by Harry in WashDC
fixed grammar to please the ghost of Sister Mary Cookie Jar

[Bourbon Sabbath]

18 hours ago, GeeTen said:

 

Why thank you, thanks you very much.  Just leaves more of our favorites for the rest of us.  And welcome to SB.com!   

 

BTW, we had a tasting of Clyde May's whiskeys (The "Official" whiskey of the Great State of Alabama) at the SEC Swimming Championships in Auburn last February for the swimming and diving officials.  Are we good with that?   

 

@GeeTen Thanks for the welcome and hopefully you were treated well on the plains of Auburn while officiating the SEC Swimming Championships. I'm paying tution there for a couple of War Eagles so that keeps me from the top shelf liquor right now  

Clyde May reminds of Early Times BIB but the ET is much lower in price. Cheers! 

[Bourbon Sabbath]

12 hours ago, mal00768 said:

It’s always odd to me when someone proclaims that they don’t like scotch when there is so much variation in the category. 
 

You were very specific in your complaints about bourbon. There’s scotch that’s peaty, some that’s sherry forward, some that’s finished in rum barrels, some that’s none of the above.

I'll admit I'm limited on my barley based whiskey tastings.  Most have been the cheaper, high volume names like J&B, Johnny Walker,  Dewars, Bushmills, and Jameson.  Bottom shelfers to most experienced scotch and Irish whiskey experts, i realize, but anything over 20% barley is offensive to my iron palate. It doesn't make sense....I'm half Irish!  I don't care for Old Forester rye due to the excess barley so i can't see buying more expensive scotch just to acquire the taste.