What Bourbon Are You Drinking Today (Winter 2019)

[Bbstout]

1 hour ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

Yep, @Bbstout, I bet anything that your fermentation got too hot. That's a classic aroma that can come with stressing yeasts. Did the ale also have 4VG type of notes too? 

LOL. I had to Google it (it's been a long time since I read Charlie Papizan's beer Bible) but yes there was definitely an off-putting smell of Vanillan.  I think that's why I gave up Home Brewing.  Half my batches were bad. That's why I have so much respect for these Master Distillers...because they basically turn beer into Bourbon.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Bbstout

[Bbstout]

20 hours ago, flahute said:

This could also go in the bourbon zen post.

Some of you will remember my semi recent post about finally buying an Old Forester 100 proof after a long layoff that was caused by an inexplicable pricing structure here in Washington State that had it priced at nearly $40. When I noticed it had come back down to normal, I bought one right away.

Well, I have to say how happy I am to have this again. Sipping on it now and noting how my bottle is almost empty - I've been going to it a lot.

It has a smoked salted caramel thing going on that is not what I normally associate with Old Fo. It's a beautiful thing at an incredible price.

I'll be going to back to the store to buy some of 1L size bottles they just got in.

I have Never had 100 Signature. Looks like Brown Forman is hitting it out of the park lately. I have heard that JD barrel strength picks are Stagg killers (this is second hand and I don't know the mashbills)

[Marekv8]

1 hour ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

Now you're talkin', @Marekv8, that's the breakfast of champions! Frightfully, I'm going to have to try that combo. And instead of "cookies and milk," I bet "oatmeal cookies n' Bourbon" would work even better. Now I'm going to have to try that too. You're a bad influence, dang! .....She says as she's pouring some Elijah Craig barrel proof, after a long day of going through cask samples.  

 

Cheers,

Nancy

I’m making oatmeal-based Cranachan on Saturday to follow the haggis, neeps and tatties for Burns Night (it has a heavy single malt whisky component). I’ll use some leftover oatmeal to test some overnight oats with bourbon for Sunday morning. 

[WhiskeyBlender]

32 minutes ago, Bbstout said:

LOL. I had to Google it (it's been a long time since I read Charlie Papizan's beer Bible) but yes there was definitely an off-putting smell of Vanillan.  I think that's why I gave up Home Brewing.  Half my batches were bad. That's why I have so much respect for these Master Distillers...because they basically turn beer into Bourbon.

@Bbstout, it usually comes down to being able to control the fermentation temperature with some sort of cooling jacket or chiller with glycol in water. Otherwise, as you've discovered, the fermentations can turn out very funky, to say the least. I haven't homebrewed in years, but when I do, I try to do it in the winter months so that I don't have to worry so much about those things.

 

Sorry, I should have spelled it out fully, 4VG is 4-vinyl-guiaiacol, so think cloves and smoky medicinal notes. It isn't uncommon to find 4VG together with iso-amyl acetate, the banana ester. A classic example can be found in a German Hefeweisen. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

Edited January 23, 2020 by WhiskeyBlender

[WhiskeyBlender]

8 minutes ago, Marekv8 said:

I’m making oatmeal-based Cranachan on Saturday to follow the haggis, neeps and tatties for Burns Night (it has a heavy single malt whisky component). I’ll use some leftover oatmeal to test some overnight oats with bourbon for Sunday morning. 

That sounds delicious! I've got a Burns Night event to go to as well. It'll be my first time having haggis, although I have some Scottish ancestry.

 

[LCWoody]

Having some WTRR store pick tonight. very good. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by LCWoody

[Harry in WashDC]

18 minutes ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

     *   *   *   *   *

 

Sorry, I should have spelled it out fully, 4VG is 4-vinyl-guiaiacol, so think cloves and smoky medicinal notes. It isn't uncommon to find 4VG together with iso-amyl acetate, the banana ester. A classic example can be found in a German Hefeweisen. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

THX for this.  Spent a glorious year in the US Army in Germany drinking every beer I could find and have spent 50 years wondering about this.  I am not a fan of bananas (due to a childhood accident involving a panic car stop while I was eating my favorite fruit) and find cloves in ham TOO much, but Hefeweisen I love even though I can easily taste both banana and cloves in there.  Go figure.

 

Does it detract from your enjoyment that, when consuming spirits, you can parse the elements you are tasting?  By analogy, sometimes when watching a drama in which legal twists play a crucial role, I, as a somewhat retired lawyer,  catch myself rolling my eyes and saying, "Ah, c'MON!" unless I force myself to say, "It's only a movie.  It's only a movie."  In other words, how do you suspend belief when you are sipping?  DO you ever go "off duty"?

[HoustonNit]

[mention=11437]Bbstout[/mention], it usually comes down to being able to control the fermentation temperature with some sort of cooling jacket or chiller with glycol in water. Otherwise, as you've discovered, the fermentations can turn out very funky, to say the least. I haven't homebrewed in years, but when I do, I try to do it in the winter months so that I don't have to worry so much about those things.
 
Sorry, I should have spelled it out fully, 4VG is 4-vinyl-guiaiacol, so think cloves and smoky medicinal notes. It isn't uncommon to find 4VG together with iso-amyl acetate, the banana ester. A classic example can be found in a German Hefeweisen. 
 
Cheers,
Nancy

There’s a reason why so many breweries traditionally where in places like Milwaukee.

[BMartin42]

Celebrating only my 2nd VBT win with some Early Times BiB. Closest I had to the winner open other than 1920 and I have to work tomorrow so the lower proof choice wins.

[macdad]

Had a nice pour of OF 1920 last night.  Pretty tasty to me!

[marshall9779]

Cracked a 10 yr ECPS last night. Didn’t get the Reese’s Cup profile I get from most HH bourbons. All cararmel, just a hint of Reese’s maybe.

[Marekv8]

13 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

That sounds delicious! I've got a Burns Night event to go to as well. It'll be my first time having haggis, although I have some Scottish ancestry.

 

 I had plenty of haggis in Scotland last year, but this will be my first go with a FDA approved version. I ordered one ready to heat and address-- I'm only cooking the support dishes/dessert.

 

All will certainly serve to befuddle and gross out my kids (except for the shortbread).

[lcpfratn]

 I had plenty of haggis in Scotland last year, but this will be my first go with a FDA approved version. I ordered one ready to heat and address-- I'm only cooking the support dishes/dessert.
 
All will certainly serve to befuddle and gross out my kids (except for the shortbread).

Dave, I wonder if this might be considered cruel and unusual punishment. [emoji6]

[Marekv8]

42 minutes ago, lcpfratn said:

Dave, I wonder if this might be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

 

I take it you've never eaten Boudin, the Louisiana classic? Pretty much Haggis with a different accent.

[HoustonNit]

 
I take it you've never eaten Boudin, the Louisiana classic? Pretty much Haggis with a different accent.

I have a feeling the folks of Louisiana aren’t as creative on what they stuff boudin with but yeah I’ve had both and there similar.

[BottledInBond]

Many thanks to @Bbstout for a fun surprise dusty tasting today. Randomly ran into each other at a store and he was packing some 60’s, 80’s, 90’s stuff to share with the store owner, so my timing was lucky

 

[lcpfratn]

 
I take it you've never eaten Boudin, the Louisiana classic? Pretty much Haggis with a different accent.

Nope, I’ve eaten a lot of strange things in my life, but haven’t tried Boudin or Haggis...never had the opportunity. I’ve heard that both are actually pretty good when done right.

[Harry in WashDC]

18 hours ago, BMartin42 said:

Celebrating only my 2nd VBT win with some Early Times BiB. Closest I had to the winner open other than 1920 and I have to work tomorrow so the lower proof choice wins.

ET BIB is rare here, but an SBer brought and gifted me a bottle on his way back from KY.  It is worthy of use as a celebratory sipper.

 

Tonight before dinner and "happy hour" before dinner (yeah, I started early - it was bedroom cleaning day so I started early PLUS IT IS COLD OUT THERE!), OGD BIB.  What else when I'm already in my jammies??

[WhiskeyBlender]

9 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

 I had plenty of haggis in Scotland last year, but this will be my first go with a FDA approved version. I ordered one ready to heat and address-- I'm only cooking the support dishes/dessert.

 

All will certainly serve to befuddle and gross out my kids (except for the shortbread).

Hehehe! I enjoyed this post, @Marekv8. Not having had haggis before, I'm afraid I'll be in the kids corner too, fighting over the shortbread and scrounging for the neeps and tatties! 

 

Please let me know how your Rabbie Burns dinner goes, and what malts make their way to the event. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

 

[GeeTen]

2 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

What else when I'm already in my jammies??

"My eyes, my eyes!"  That which has been seen cannot be unseen - eh?    

[Harry in WashDC]

15 minutes ago, GeeTen said:

"My eyes, my eyes!"  That which has been seen cannot be unseen - eh?    

Ah, the memories.  When I next see you in person, I shall recount an event that occurred during my Army commissioning physical some 50+years ago.  Suffice to say, a Flight Surgeon was blinded by a Big Red "O".  Details will NOT follow in print.  Talk about a mental imprint!!

[flahute]

2 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Ah, the memories.  When I next see you in person, I shall recount an event that occurred during my Army commissioning physical some 50+years ago.  Suffice to say, a Flight Surgeon was blinded by a Big Red "O".  Details will NOT follow in print.  Talk about a mental imprint!!

LOL! My Dad has some pretty awesome stories from his days in the Navy.

[parksmart]

Met up yesterday with @fosmith for some pours of the following:

 

1983 OF 86 proof dusty

OWA107 (latest gen bottle)
Stagg Jr (Batch 12)
McKenzie BiB Wheated
MM RC6
BT (Bitters & Bottles store pick)

KC (Ledgers store pick)
2007 FourSquare cask strength rum

 

Fun times, to say the least!

[fosmith]

7 hours ago, parksmart said:

Met up yesterday with @fosmith for some pours of the following:

 

1983 OF 86 proof dusty

OWA107 (latest gen bottle)
Stagg Jr (Batch 12)
McKenzie BiB Wheated
MM RC6
BT (Bitters & Bottles store pick)

KC (Ledgers store pick)
2007 FourSquare cask strength rum

 

Fun times, to say the least!

Yes, it was definitely a fun time but Parksmart modestly left out that the 1983 Old Forester came from his awesome stash of dusties.  I have nothing like that in my collection.  Thanks for sharing that one.  Quite different than what I'm used to.  A bit medicinal at first but it rounded out nicely after a couple of hours.  But still dryer in profile than what you get today. 

[Bbstout]

19 hours ago, BottledInBond said:

Many thanks to @Bbstout for a fun surprise dusty tasting today. Randomly ran into each other at a store and he was packing some 60’s, 80’s, 90’s stuff to share with the store owner, so my timing was lucky

 

Too bad Black Tot, kevinbrink, and the other rum nerds weren't there. The 1969 Old Chessmen got some rum funk from oxidation. Very interesting with the Maple Syrup blast of the ND juice.