Wine Enthusiast Mag's Bourbon Notes

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There are both bourbon tasting notes and an article on the spirits business in the May 2004 issue of WE. Both are from F. Paul Pacult. First a summary of his tastings.

Evan Williams 1783 10 yr old - his notes include references to banana, sauteed butter, buttered corn, oak and a regal finish. "The best whiskey value in the world, bar none. Best Buy". That's high praise indeed. But I haven't seen this bourbon in Texas. I'll try to find it during my trip to the Sampler next week in Bardstown.

EWSB '94 - He gets the buttered corn, caramel, nougat and almonds in this one. Says it ranks with the '90 bottling and also a Best Buy. The EWSB's are always in my bar.

GT Stagg - Like the two above, he rates this a Classic (96 - 100 points), but we already know about this one. He tastes it both neat and with water....I get the impression he likes it better with water.

His article is on current marketing trends in the spirits business. He reports that the spirits marketers' most coveted group of consumers is the 21 to 29 age bracket.....this is the group that can make a spirit a mega hit because they are more open to try new things and have superior networking skills to pass along the buzz from a new drink. The 35 and older group is more affluent but more set in their ways. The consensus was that mass marketing was declining and event marketing and sponsorships allow the brand to make a "connection" with its targeted consumer. I've noticed Jim Beam doing this in Texas by sponsoring small rock concerts, etc. He handicaps the newest hot brands to become hits.....he gives HH's product, Hpnitoq (cognac, vodka, fruit juice), the best odds and doesn't give any whiskeys or brandies any chance of becoming a hit among the young.

[mike1]

at under 10.00 a bottle the 1783 is indeed a great buy. I drink it often. it has a very unusual flavor. to me it is very spicy with a minty overtone. It is easy to find in this area.

[TNbourbon]

The EW 1783 is one of the bourbons I saw all over the place during a recent, brief trip to Kentucky, but I didn't get one because I knew nothing about it. Wish now I had, because it wasn't expensive.

[Paradox]

EW 1783 is a bourbon that one does not hear much about but is very very good for the price... Go to this thread to see how much me and my friend Chris enjoyed it the first time we tried it during the 2002 festival.

[angelshare]

This bourbon is a Tina favorite, and I certainly think it's a bargain. In our humble opinion: if you haven't tried it, we encourage you to pick it up. It's a small gamble price-wise, at least in VA, and we think it will have a big payoff for you.

Tim: Do we correctly infer that you don't see this in TN?

[TNbourbon]

Nope. No EW 1783 in Tennessee -- at least it's not in the product books of any of the five distributors for the middle part of the state, including Nashville. (East and West have separate distribution arrangements.)

[Paradox]

It's not available here either, and I have not seen it even at some local stores that have a pretty remarkable inventory for NYC... It's a 'stock up on it while in KY bourbon'.

[OneCubeOnly]

It's even on sale this month if you want the big bottle:

[jeff]

I know several people have stated their favor for this bourbon, but I have to be honest I think it might be the worst bourbon I have ever tasted. My one and only taste of this bourbon came last year in the Heaven Hill lab. Strong asparagus notes overpowered everything else. Of course that day I had sampled 4 different 130+ proof bourbons, so maybe my receptors were fried

[bobbyc]

I have to be honest I think it might be the worst bourbon I have ever tasted. My one and only taste of this bourbon came last year in the Heaven Hill lab.

One can be thankfull that since it was that bad , at least it didn't cost you anything.

[jeff]

You're right about that, but everyone else has got me thinking: What if that bottle was tainted in some way? It was in a lab, so who knows what might have happened to it? Maybe it was a secret, experimental mind-altering formulation they are preparing in order to make the Georgia Moon seem to taste good?

[angelshare]

It's even on sale this month if you want the big bottle:

Thanks for the heads up! If Tina has anything to say about it, Big 1783 will be on our shelf by the end of the month.

[wadewood]

I purchased a bottle today of EW 1783 at a WA state liquor store; $14. My first impressions are very favorable.