What bourbon are you drinking now?

[jeff]

As you're sitting in front of your computer reading this forum, what's in your glass?

[Tallica]

OFFBB Spring 1990, definetly one of my favourites

[wrbriggs]

Well, right this second I'm not drinking anything... but already I can tell that this day is going to call for some serious... tasting...

So, with that in mind, I will probably have one of my work buddies over to the house and sit back with a few pours of ERSB or Old Forrester 100 proof (or both!) .

Cheers!

[RedVette]

George T Stagg, 131.8 Spring 2005 Lot B. I would concur with the distillery, "robust" is an appropriate description. I'm not a good enough taster to taste the orange that others have found, but I have oak and anisette in abundance.

[nysquire]

A little Rock Hill to get started and on to some Blanton's.

ORVW 15yo 107 for a night cap......

[jeff]

I'm also having a small pour of Spring Stagg. The predominant aroms is...hops. That's right, hops. Not from the bourbon mind you, but I just finished racking an IPA from primary to secondary and I have Centennial hop residue on my hands from where I am dry-hopping for aroma.

Ahem...back to the bourbon. I get the citrus notes upon which others have commented, but I also get a good dose of spice (allspice, nutmeg, cinnimon). So the underlying flavor/aroma is of russian/spice tea.

[dhooch]

Except for the Blanton's, that's my ultimate combination!

[dhooch]

How is the Spring Stagg compared to last year's Stagg? (Same style/quality, better, not as good, etc.)

[jeff]

I happen to prefer last years to all others, but this is still quite good!

[dhooch]

Thanks. I will bring a bottle to the Gazebo Saturday night. If we don't drink it, maybe someone will want it real bad.

[RedVette]

Since I am feeling sorry for myself as I am not going to Kentucky this weekend, I have been pulling out the good stuff. Last night was GTS, tonight Pappy 15. Tomorrow night, I don't know, but I do know it will be rare and expensive.

[robbyvirus]

I'm drinking Russell's Reserve, the way it was meant to be: 100 proof! And man, is it good!

[musher]

So, how much water do you have to add, then to get it from the bottle proof of 101 down to 100? Do you use an eye dropper to measure it out?

(Sorry for the sarcasm . . . . Besides, I would imagine that the stuff in the bottle can vary by a percent or two from the stated proof.)

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

My Russell's Reserve is a memory, have to get another bottle soon. But the WT Rare Breed that I have is enough to keep me happy!

Tonight I started with a few sips from a flask of Blanton's Gold. Long break then I opened a bottle of Fighting Cock 103 proof 15 year old. Good stuff. A nice spicy bourbon, very flavorful. The finish is a little short. So, I went back to the Blanton's Gold. Sigh happily and enjoy the finish.... Then a pour of a 'lesser' Blanton's. Good, no, Great whiskey, but not as good as the Gold. Then there is the Blanton's of fond memory.... A bottle long dead, but much loved. I can't bring myself to throw it out somehow. I might have, just a sip, of the Rare Breed before I go to bed.

Ed

[voigtman]

This morning, I finally got the chance to buy George T. Stagg Spring, 2005, Lot B (131.8 proof), so I just opened a bottle and poured a glass. (Thanks for that opportunity, fine control state north of my "could even mess up a free lunch" "free" state!) Even on the first small sip, this is luxurious, definitive bourbon. I just don't see how bourbon could get better than this. And it doesn't need anything added, not even a drop of water. Wow, hats off to Buffalo Trace and all the good folks there! Ed V., finally able to join in the fun of the last two LONG months.

[ej178]

Two fingers of Weller Antique with one ice cube.

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Old Grand Dad 114 with a dollop of water. I always drink my whiskey neat (Booker's, no problem), but the 114 with its high proof plis rye burn has made me cry uncle. Wonderful bourbon. Has anyone compared the regular OGD, neat, to the 114 cut to the same proof?

Ed

PS. I may need to rethink the Edward_call_me_Ed. Where did all these Eds come from? I go years without meeting another Ed. I can't even use the first letter of my last name, 'V' is taken. Edward doesn't work either, only my mom calls me that and only when she is mad...

[CrispyCritter]

Knob Creek 9yo/100, bottled for Sam's Wine & Spirits.

Intensely sweet, with some orange and spice in the finish and a nice burn to it.

Next up, I'm going to pop open the bottle of '05 Stagg that has been staring at me for over a week.

[TNbourbon]

I am visiting distant lands tonight -- enjoying a pair of recently-acquired Heaven Hill products not generally seen here -- the Rittenhouse 10yo BIB rye (from a 700ml bottle), and an Evan Williams 15yo (Japan bottling).

The Rittenhouse is voluptuous, as ryes go, with summer-garden florals, pepper grass and burnt caramel on the nose, followed by a butterscotchy spice flavor and medium-long, menthol finish. It's a different breed of cat from the wonderful-too Eastern ryes lately enjoyed in Bardstown.

Just as the EWSB is a richer, deeper version of the EW1783, this 15yo is another step up the ladder (or deeper into the barrel, perhaps). It has the dry, soft tannins of a mature red wine, but the buttery mouthfeel of a dessert Sauternes. Lovely, caramel-nut nose, lingering finish. Very nice.

[lakegz]

Booker's neat from a snifter. surprisingly its been very smooth.

[Gillman]

Tim has the Rittenhouse profile nailed. The menthol is an HH trademark seen in some of its bourbons, too. Only the Elijah Craig 18 year old shows enough age to efface that quality and bring out others. Bettye Jo had brought a barrel sample of HH bourbon to Gazebo Saturday night. I found the high proof and extra lignin sweetness of the uncut bourbon perfectly off-set the menthol quality. The more this kind of bourbon is diluted the less appealing (in my opinion) that menthol/camphor is, and so drinking HH rye or bourbon at 100 proof is an ideal way to taste it since this is high enough to retain the balancing quality I am referring to. But it was quite extraordinary to taste the full uncut version of this kind of straight whiskey, I have never had a whiskey so sweet and rich. Turning to Elijah Craig 18 year old, I tasted it at the tour we did on this trip with John and Linda Lipman of the HH visitor center. I was wowed as they were by the Center, a lot of work and thought went into it, it is a fine tribute to the HH business and whiskey in general in Kentucky. I found the Craig 18 year old very good, showing a complex nose and taste (a perfumed, integrated smokiness) which John said reminded him of certain historical bourbons he has tasted. John noted from the data on the bottles (distillation date and other information plus that received from the tour guide) that some of the 18 year old Craig was actually over 20 years old. The whiskey in the bottle he was inspecting at the tasting bar was actually 24 years old. So EC 18 year old is very well-aged but the samples I had (I also "borrowed" one from next to my seat since it was going unused) were very good, mature but showing no obtruding notes of tannin or smoke. Chuck Cowdery noted in his book that this kind of bourbon (as for Julian's products) beccome something almost different from what we normally think of as bourbon and really are prized specialities with their own characteristics.

Gary

[gr8erdane]

And for those of you who follow Gary's vatting experiments closely, YES he did create a small vatting of the Craig 18 and EWSB 95 right there in the tasting room. Take it away Gary......

[Gillman]

Yes I did, and it was good. We had a dry, elegant bourbon and a smoky perfumed older whiskey from the same house - I tried a 50/50 mingling and it worked well. In retrospect I think a 2:l (younger to older) might be better. Another mingling I did on this trip was in my room, a touch of ORVW 13 year old rye (now in Jeff's good hands) added to two fingers of 1993 Ancient Age bottled in bond. Wow. The result was a slight enrichening of the Ancient Age but without the full-on leather and smoke of the ORVW rye. Speaking of minglings, I am studying Dane's Dr. Bourbonstein vatting as I write. This has some 30 or 40 bourbons in it, added in either 1 ounce portions or, for some, a half-ounce. It is very good, a true bourbon whiskey, if one did not know what was in it one would never suspect the diverse origins. It has a good corn smoky base with a textured mouth feel and good follow-through in the taste, good length, that is. A worthy bourbon equivalent to, say, Johnnie Walker Blue Label with its 60 whiskies or so. Well done, Mr. Bennett.

Gary

[clayton]

I cracked open my first bottle of Ridgemont Reserve 1792 last night. I found it had a somewhat unusual taste -- a candy-corn sweetness on the palate but with a notable barbecue smokiness on the finish.

I'm not entirely sure how it fits into my hierarchy of preferences yet; it will require further tasting.

[matthew0715]

But I thought EC18 was a single barrel bourbon? So that one barrel is all one age, at least 18 years old, maybe 20 or 24. How can only some of it be older than 20? Is there another expression of EC that's not single barrel?

Back on topic, I'm drinking OGD BIB tonight. ($16 on sale last month) I've realized the best place to buy bourbon nearby is across the state line in PA. Even though the state controls the pricing, it's nearly all better than the stores near me in NJ. There is a premium collection store less than 30 minutes away. I'll be there soon as EC12 is only $14 this month.

I'm mentally preapring myself for the drive to Brooklyn tomorrow to see Chuck at Lenells. (It's not the distance, it's NYC traffic.) I'm trying to figure out what "three styles" of bourbon we'll be tasting. I thought there were only 2: wheated & ryed. Is straight rye the third type? Or will we sample 3 different distilleries (HH, BT, & JB)? Or maybe 80proof, 100proof (bonded), and barrel-proof?

Matt