What bourbon are you drinking now?

[Whiskey Willie]

Hey guys, newbie bourbon guy here...

I'm working on two, Beam black and MM, usually with a splash of water.

[mrt]

Hi, now I'm drinking Early Times Bourbon...By the way, I do like Jim Beam Black as well...

[Frodo]

I tried a little of many tonite. Some nights I just do not feel like a large pour of anything in particular - or more likely I do not mean to drink much until I get that taste in my mouth and then I have a hard time not pouring more...

Anyway after a shot of tequila...

Hi VOL:

Quick question - what tequila did you try? Or was it a quick shot (and therefore didn't matter what it was)?

[RedVette]

Hey guys, newbie bourbon guy here...

I'm working on two, Beam black and MM, usually with a splash of water.

Welcome Aboard, two good choices. I think most of us around here like the Beam Black better than the MM, but they are both fine drinks.

I have Elijah Craig 12 in my glass tonight, out of my preposterous 1.75 liter EC12 bottle. I like this stuff, a lot, many here do not share my enthusiasm. So Whiskey Willie, go out and get some EC12 and drink it, and let us know how you like it, you can be the tie breaker.

[NYtaster]

Had a couple of good pours or my favorite, WTRB tonight. Great as always.

Yesterday I picked up a bottle of Pappy 15/107 and this RB, I started last night with the Pappy and then a pour of the Rare Breed, that was not a good combo. Going from the strong wheat of the Pappy to the RB really seems to upset the taste buds.

Interested in other thoughts on bottles that don't play well together.

Tim

[arsbadmojo]

I'll just list my current collection in no particular order:

Bufallo Trace

Jim Beam Black

Bulleit

Evan William's Black label

Woodford Reserve

Maker's Mark

Not bourbon, but I also picked up a bottle of Michter's Straight Rye that I'm enjoying far more than I thought I would, because I really like Maker's Mark, which substitutes wheat for rye on the mashbill.

[mrt]

My choice was Jim Beam Black this evening. I think I'll go for Bulleit tomarrow.I like them both.

[DrinkyBanjo]

Well today I did a taste test of ORVW 15 versus Pappy Van Vinkle 15. The bottle of ORVW was unopened until this afternoon and the PVW has been around for about 6 months and is about 1/2 full.

To say they are extremely close is an understatement. There is a small difference of which appears to be a slight metalic taste on the PVW version. Other than that I'd say they are just about the same.

I plan on doing this again when I open a new bottle of PVW 15 but that will not be until the current one is gone.

[brian12069]

Right now...Fighting Cock!!!...

[NYtaster]

Well today I did a taste test of ORVW 15 versus Pappy Van Vinkle 15. The bottle of ORVW was unopened until this afternoon and the PVW has been around for about 6 months and is about 1/2 full.

To say they are extremely close is an understatement. There is a small difference of which appears to be a slight metalic taste on the PVW version. Other than that I'd say they are just about the same.

I plan on doing this again when I open a new bottle of PVW 15 but that will not be until the current one is gone.

One of my current bottles is the PVW 15, its been a while since I had any ORVW but I don't think they are that much alike. The PVW seems to have a heavy wheat taste that is much more integrated in the ORVW. I'll have to get another bottle of that to try them side by side.

But tonight its the old standard WTRB, my standby.

Tim

[Whiskey Willie]

Thanks for the welcome, RedVette.

For a while I couldn't make up my mind which I liked better, JB Black or MM. But now I'm leaning toward Black. MM is a bit sweet for this palate. I'll add EC12 to the list. I am also eager to try EVSB. Any tips on the vintage year?

[MGillespie]

The EVSB 1995 was excellent...haven't tried the 1996 yet...

Mark

[BourbonBalls]

It's NOT so excellent....I'm sorry to say. I think the older Evan Williams Black Label when it was 90 proof, is better than this EWSB '96.

The HeavenHill fire was in '96...think this might have affected what we're getting now in the single barrel expression.

I know that we can't get the EW Black Label with the 7 year old age statement anymore.

[BourbonJoe]

Evan Williams Black Label when it was 90 proof

I know that we can't get the EW Black Label with the 7 year old age statement anymore.

Both iterations are, sadly, gone forever. Hooray for the MBA's.

Joe :usflag:

[mrt]

Early Times Bourbon, again...on the rocks.

[TNbourbon]

I'm emptying the last pour of a bottle of Olde St. Nick's 12yo from Japan, a trade during last year's Sampler. Didn't seem right that I allow it to last until the next one.

I don't know what it costs, just what I traded for it. At that, I'm glad I've had it (the label's already off the bottle, drying to be put in my album), but don't care if I obtain it again or not. A lot of wood for a 12yo, making me wonder if it isn't, perhaps, actually older. Some of the sourness on the finish that occurs in some Heaven Hill (the presumed distiller -- it's a KBD product) bottlings, thus the wood is welcome to a degree. Better nose than palate. Not unpleasant, but rather ordinary for an aged whiskey.

[Sijan]

A splash of EC12 to remind me what it tasted like, and then another splash of Evan Williams Master Distiller's Select (is the stuff inside the same as EW7?)from my jug, to make sure it was still in good condition (you never know when it's in an opaque earthenware jug with a cork seal), and it was.

Was tasting the Heaven Hill bourbons to help me decide about picking up a bottle of EWSB 1990, and I'm inclined to think my tastes are leaning further away from HH bourbons - the camphor/menthol/eucalyptus thing is not my favorite, and they just don't have quite the taste/texture profile I'm looking for in a bourbon. The only HH bottlings I really look forward to drinking now are Old Fitz 1849 and VSOF12, I think. I still would like to give the Bernheim wheat whiskey a try, though, if I can ever find it.

That was also my first neat bourbon in some time; I've mostly been drinking bourbon hot toddies and bourbon & cokes lately for whatever reason, as well as cooking with bourbon - bourbon chili, bourbon waffle syrup, bourbon chocolate cake, etc. Just kind of slid out of the bourbon-drinking groove for awhile, and a recent trip to a liquor store brought me back to my senses.

[T47]

Tonight I finished off a bottle of ETL, then a pour of 1792 Ridgemont Reserve. The 1792 perplexe's me. It seems when it is the first pour of the night I enjoy the flavor, but if I have something prior to it, I pick up some strange bitter flavors from it.

For me one of the valuable lessons from this forum has been not to give up on a bottle when it tastes strange, because depending on what I ate, or drank, prior to it, really can change the flavor more than I ever would have imagined.

I posted elsewhere about my first taste of Bookers. For me a wonderful drink. Beautiful rich smoky color, I could smell wonderful vanilla, almost a creme brule smell, then the warm sensation on my tongue was amazing. No burn, just a nice warm feeling, I would have bet it had been heated and put my finger in to test, I have never had that strong of sensation before. The warm feeling faded and the rich flavor remained. The next night I had to try it again, just to see if it hit me the same way and it did. Of course when I buy my own bottle I will probably find something entirely different, but that was a treat!

I love food and drink!

:bowdown:

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Fighting Cock 15 year old. Wonderful stuff.

Ed

[clayton]

I polished off my last bottle of wax-sealed ETL, followed by a pour of Cask Strength Laphroaig 10 that I just picked up.

(Wow! If you like peated scotch, this particular Laphroaig is the GTS of Islays!)

[blue lander]

Usually I drink Old Grand Dad 114, but lately my local liquor store ran out so I've been concentrating on Elijah Craig 12yo, which is actually pretty good. I recently bought a bottle of Old Forester 100 proof, and it has to be one of the worst bourbons I've ever tried. The weak bourbon taste is overwhelmed by the taste of raw alcohol. It really could have benefitted from more time in the cask, and maybe smooth a few rough edges.

[RedVette]

Old Overholt Rye. The first time I poured one from this bottle I didn't like it at all. I thought tonight I would give it a retry. Tonight it is good. The first time I had it after some Bourbon, tonight it is the first pour. I think that maybe Rye doesn't follow Bourbon well because of the lack of sweetness. I will continue the experiment, and try it again after Bourbon sometime in the future. All for the sake of science.

[brian12069]

1792 right now I say...

[Joeluka]

Opened up a bottle of Old Grand Dad from 1973 I got on Ebay for $22.00:woohoo: (which I still cant believe I didnt get any people bidding on it but me. I've seen 70's OGD go for $60-$100 on Ebay.) I'm do a tasting with that one, a bottle of '68 OGD, a current OGD, and a BH. I'll let you all know how it goes when I'm done.

[ProofPositive]

In the last few days, I have culled down my open bottles from 9 to 4 by finishing my lone bottles of ETL, EC12 and JDGJ. Also, I knocked out a RR101 and BT. Tonight, I opened a new bottle that has been begging to be ventilated for the last 3 weeks.....Eagle Rare SB 10yo. It is pretty good stuff and growing on me with every sip.