Is there such thing as bourbon schizophrenia?

[DanP]

I’m still a newbie as far as drinking bourbon goes, but I’m working diligently to achieve a higher status.  My first introduction was about three years ago when a buddy bought me a bottle of Four Roses.  Prior to that the closest I came to bourbon was the occasional Crown and coke at a tailgate.  But I decided to dedicate myself to acclimating to it, and it took about 3-4 months  to get to the point that I could taste flavor over the alcohol burn.

 

I have now grown my bar to about 30 bourbons and scotches, and on any given day I find myself drinking wildly different flavors.  I have yet to settle.  Today I started with some Conviction Oloroso (gifted by a friend) and now am sipping some Dalmore Cigar Malt.  Could those be more different?!

 

Does anyone else do this?  Some days I’m looking for something sweet, others something more earthy, and others I want a bit of both.  I would hate to have to settle for one, but I suppose I’d have to say EH Taylor might be it for me.  In any case, it feels like schizophrenia.

[Marekv8]

I play the entire range of spirits-- and certainly feel no shame.

 

The local bourbon guys typically describe their pours as delicious or “hitting all the right notes”-- which is great, but even as a kid I ordered the weirdest-sounding thing on the menu just to experience what it looked, smelled and tasted like— and never ordered the same thing twice. Same holds true with spirits.

 

Have fun.

[BigRich]

It's very mood driven for me.  While not in Marekv8's league, I also enjoy a wide variety of whiskey and spirits.  Sometimes a certain bottle is killing it for on a given night and stick with that dance partner all night.  Other times I'm bouncing around all over the place as one set of flavors leads to seek out another set of flavors.   That's all part of the fun. 

[CardsandBourbon]

I have around 100+ different bottles and some days I find myself doing a BIB tour.  Other times it's climbing the proof ladder of a particular brand.  Then it might be all 7 y.o. bottles.  There's really no right or wrong way to do it.  Just relax and enjoy whatever happens to be in your glass.

[JCwhammie]

Sometimes I'm all over the place, sometimes I'm more focused. Lately I've been enjoying rye whiskey and wheated bourbon (specifically Wilderness Trail Rye and MM101). 

[fishnbowljoe]

With regards to what @BigRich @CardsandBourbon and @JCwhammie posted, XACTLY!

 

Biba! Joe

[PaulO]

I can get off on all sorts of tangents, but one thing I've discovered is order of tasting matters.

For example, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel needs to be the only, or last pour.  Regular whiskey after that tastes not good (even stuff I normally like).

Generally I'd say, start lower proof, move up to higher proof.  Start milder flavors, move up to stronger flavors. 

[B.B. Babington]

On 12/21/2021 at 4:43 PM, DanP said:

...and on any given day I find myself drinking wildly different flavors.  I have yet to settle.  ...  In any case, it feels like schizophrenia.

 

Most everybody switches it up.  Yesterday Mexican food, today Chinese.  I do like taste comparing, but usually not wild in a night.  For me, of course American whiskey the staple food item.  But since so hard to get American, have branched out to brandy, tequila, and many different whisky