A heretic’s blending notes

[IamMatt]

I made good on my threat (lol) and blended 2/3 Mellow Corn and 1/3 Lost Monarch.  If my math is right, it should yield a mash bill of about 63/27/10.  I'm letting it sit for a couple of days but I will definitely report back.

 

Right now I am drinking a 50/50 blend of OGD114 and WT101 (both bottles were just about empty so I blended them).  I definitely like it more than OGD alone; not sure if I prefer it to WT.  Maybe I'll have to do a 3-way blind with the two alone and the blend. 

[IamMatt]

I tried the Mellow Corn/Lost Monarch blend last night.  Since I am not crazy about either of the two components, the blend was better than either one alone, but not sure I would call it a win. 

[IamMatt]

Just went back to the mellow Corn/Lost Monarch blend and it is much better with a few months to open up.  Actually not bad at all, the different notes on the palate appear at different times so it is a great taste experience if left in the mouth for 5-6 seconds.  Very short finish, though. 

 

I just threw this one together and it is pretty darn good-about 60-70% WT 101 and the remaining 30-40% of OF 100.  I consider WT to have a basic straight-ahead BOURBON profile, while OF has a sweeter, more viscous profile.  Together they are really good.  Gotta fine-tune the percentages. 

[IamMatt]

Gotta say, I am really enjoying the blend of WT 101 and OF 100, various ratios.  Kinda been my go-to for a couple of weeks.  Like I said above, it combines the strong, straight-ahead bourbon profile of WT with the sweeter, creamer profile of the OF.  I'd be curious if anyone else has tried this.

[Kepler]

I have not tried this.  With the notable exception of Grandpa Weller's Four Grain (OGD114 : WSR) my home blends are almost always products from the same distillery.  I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just what I do. I'm not very creative in general however

[B.B. Babington]

1 hour ago, Kepler said:

I have not tried this.  With the notable exception of Grandpa Weller's Four Grain (OGD114 : WSR) my home blends are almost always products from the same distillery.  I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just what I do. I'm not very creative in general however

 

Might be accidental luck o' draw.  I blend very little.  Most quite good.  Most were drastically different species (GTS + Laphroig) but the absolute abysmal worst was 2 HH products, a pre-fire EC18 bottle bottom + ECBP bottle bottom.  Beyond vile.  Keep it around so when visiting drinkers say they don't get surprises ... well try this

[Kepler]

2 minutes ago, B.B. Babington said:

 

Might be accidental luck o' draw.  I blend very little.  Most quite good.  Most were drastically different species (GTS + Laphroig) but the absolute abysmal worst was 2 HH products, a pre-fire EC18 bottle bottom + ECBP bottle bottom.  Beyond vile.  Keep it around so when visiting drinkers say they don't get surprises ... well try this

 

That's crazy about the HH mingling.  You'd think they would be more compatible.  Oh well, now I know never to try this blend.

[B.B. Babington]

4 minutes ago, Kepler said:

 

That's crazy about the HH mingling.  You'd think they would be more compatible.  Oh well, now I know never to try this blend.

 

happenstance.  the EC18 was great, of course, but fouled at last dregs.  the ECBP was a release I didn't like though it garnered rave reviews, so don't listen to me.  All my past experience was that vats bring out better of mix.  Opposite in this case.  Really bad.  A wino's tobacco spit cup might be better.

 

The absolute most incredible vatting I've experienced (& killed couple), Julian mixed 20 year Stitzel with 20 year Weller.  OMG.  did I say OMG?  OMG!  Wow.

[IamMatt]

I do mix ECBP with ECSB to proof it down a little when I am not in the mood to commit to 130-plus proof.  Surprising how adding even 30% or so of ECBP to ECSB adds so much flavor.  I do the same with Larceny SB and BP.

[Jazzhead]

18 hours ago, IamMatt said:

I do mix ECBP with ECSB to proof it down a little when I am not in the mood to commit to 130-plus proof.  Surprising how adding even 30% or so of ECBP to ECSB adds so much flavor.  I do the same with Larceny SB and BP.

I like mixing Belle Meade Reserve with Belle Meade Sour Mash.  Same mashbill,  the two just seem to work well together.

[JCwhammie]

I had the Misses pour these so I could do a blind sbs. 

They're slightly different, say like fraternal twins. Which is good news for someone that likes HH90 quite a bit. 

[JCwhammie]

Oops, the above went to the wrong thread. My bad! 

[fishnbowljoe]

1 hour ago, JCwhammie said:

Oops, the above went to the wrong thread. My bad! 

You blended them eventually didn’t you?

 

Biba! Joe

[IamMatt]

Here's my latest "blend."

 

I generally find Buffalo Trace products to be low in flavor and boring.  I recently bought a Benchmark Full Proof and found it had too much heat and not enough depth of flavor.  I thought it might improve with some air time so I poured a few ounces into what was left of my Eagle Rare bottle.  I didn't expect anything of it but the combination is better than either of the two individual components to me.

 

I think that is important.  The blend should be better than individual components, or all I am doing is making two bourbons worse than they were.  To be fair, If I could add some 8 out of 10 bourbon to a 3 out of 10 (otherwise drain pour) bourbon and make the 3 into a 6 or 7, that might be a win, depending on how much of the 8 I had to sacrifice, and what the prices were.

 

Next thing I'd like to play with is aging sticks or something similar.  The Benchmark Full Proof seems like a good candidate.  I wonder if there are any threads here with solid info on that?

[Erk Russel Reserve]

On 8/4/2022 at 8:17 AM, IamMatt said:

Here's my latest "blend."

 

I generally find Buffalo Trace products to be low in flavor and boring.  I recently bought a Benchmark Full Proof and found it had too much heat and not enough depth of flavor.  I thought it might improve with some air time so I poured a few ounces into what was left of my Eagle Rare bottle.  I didn't expect anything of it but the combination is better than either of the two individual components to me.

 

I think that is important.  The blend should be better than individual components, or all I am doing is making two bourbons worse than they were.  To be fair, If I could add some 8 out of 10 bourbon to a 3 out of 10 (otherwise drain pour) bourbon and make the 3 into a 6 or 7, that might be a win, depending on how much of the 8 I had to sacrifice, and what the prices were.

 

Next thing I'd like to play with is aging sticks or something similar.  The Benchmark Full Proof seems like a good candidate.  I wonder if there are any threads here with solid info on that?

Finishing with toasted oak or various types of wood is the next step of Bourbon Zen.  Take a budget friendly BiB bottle and turn it into something even better more delicious.  Chasing unicorn taters is mindless consumerism, while legal moonshining is The Way. 

 

Once a bottle has been NCF there is no way to get the oils back, but more wood helps the mouthfeel greatly. Cure time, toast/char level, wood variety, oak contact, virgin/reuse, etc, etc.  There are many possibilities, and buying a pack of medium toasted/medium toasted plus cubes is cheap!  Drop em right into the bottle 

[Erk Russel Reserve]

Heretical- Blending the old and new can result in a complex richness not found in either.  Case in point- James E Peppers 1776 Rye is very resiny (at least the bottle I had).  ODG 114 tasted like aged citrus peel and felt weighed down (at least the bottle I had).  Vatting the two produced a spirit that was both fresh, light and full of substance.  Go look at the UGA tight ends- Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington.  Kinda like that. 

 

 

[fosmith]

11 hours ago, Erk Russel Reserve said:

Heretical- Blending the old and new can result in a complex richness not found in either.  Case in point- James E Peppers 1776 Rye is very resiny (at least the bottle I had).  ODG 114 tasted like aged citrus peel and felt weighed down (at least the bottle I had).  Vatting the two produced a spirit that was both fresh, light and full of substance.  Go look at the UGA tight ends- Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington.  Kinda like that. 

That sounds like an inspired blend and I have both those bottles so I think I will definitely try it.  Was your 1776 the cask strength version? 

[Erk Russel Reserve]

29 minutes ago, fosmith said:

That sounds like an inspired blend and I have both those bottles so I think I will definitely try it.  Was your 1776 the cask strength version? 

This was around 2014, so it was the 100 proof bottle. It might have only been 36 months old?!? 

[Jazzhead]

I've been experimenting with blending MGP's 95% rye and high-rye (36%) bourbon mashbills.   First attempt was "Tumbleton" - a combination of Tumbing Dice 6-year single barrel and Templeton Cask Strength.   I think the results are superb at 50/50,  and may get even better as I fiddle with the percentages.

[IamMatt]

Recently on a whim, I blended some Four Roses SiB with some Rebel 100.  I liked it; it toned down the 4R's sharp rye note and added a little sweetness.  So last night I delved deeper and compared 3 blends:  50/50; 2/3 4 Roses with 1/3 Rebel; and 1/3 4 Roses with 2/3 Rebel.  I actually liked the 50/50 the least; it was a little nondescript.  The 2/3 4R still had plenty of rye spice but the spice was slightly muted and there was a nice added sweetness, while the 2/3 Rebel was like a smooth wheater with just enough of a touch of rye spice to make it interesting.