What bourbon are you drinking now?

[cowdery]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you may have mentioned what could be the root cause in another thread....mainly that the entry proofs are higher now.

I've had 8 y.o. bourbons from the 60's that could easily stand with 15-20 y.o.'s of today.

Lower entry proof is part of it, but that can be duplicated today and is by some distillers, most notably Wild Turkey. What cannot be is the older wood they had available then. Today's barrels are made from 75-100 year old trees while then they still had access to 200-250 year old oaks.

[ProofPositive]

Buffalo Trace, SB program barrel from local retailer, followed by Blanton's.....a noticeable difference but both are quite tasty.

[Big Chipper]

Working on a bottle of Elmer T. Lee...nice!

[NorCalBoozer]

Lower entry proof is part of it, but that can be duplicated today and is by some distillers, most notably Wild Turkey. What cannot be is the older wood they had available then. Today's barrels are made from 75-100 year old trees while then they still had access to 200-250 year old oaks.

Didn't know that about WT, but makes sense in regards to the quality of their products accross the board.

can I assume that as demand and production for bourbon increases that the age of the wood used in bourbon barrel with continue to get younger?

[DrinkyBanjo]

Tonight it's Bakers, Lot B (as we speak or write) and next will be VWFRR. If I'm still awake I don't know what I'll go to...maybe bed.

[luv2hunt]

Blantons Gold.....Mmmmmm!

[ProofPositive]

It is a Stagg night for me.....Spring 2005-B, 131.8.......with a few rocks, very smooth indeed.

[cowdery]

can I assume that as demand and production for bourbon increases that the age of the wood used in bourbon barrel with continue to get younger?

Probably not because at this rate the forests are sustainable and you probably can't make decent barrels from wood that's much younger.

The greatest supplies are in Arkansas and Missouri, and that's where the stave mills are, but if supply started to get tight there they undoubtedly could find some other sources somewhere else. There have been some new companies getting into the business too, though they are very small. I don't really know, but I don't think generally that the American White Oak supply is anything close to tight.

[brian12069]

Right now I am sampling some Old Ezra 101 proof 7 yr. Anyone else ever had this? Not the regular 90 proof but 101. I never saw it before I picked this one up.

[wskybnt]

Did a little taste testing tonight.

1. Old Rip Van Winkle 15/107

2. Pappy Van Winkle 15/107

3. Pappy Van Winkle 20/90.4

Every day should be this Good! First off I just got a bottle of Pappy 15, wanted to test it up against ORVW 15. I know it is supposed to be the same but the ORVW was diffinately not as smooth, and was a little rougher around the edges. Actually the intial bit was a little more harsh, after that it was almost identical. Did a blind testing with the wife and picked it all 3 times against the Pappy 15. And just for fun had to bring out the Pappy 20! The 90 proof tasted like wine compared to the two 107's.

Still haven't got the stones (or $$$) to get the 23.....

[FlashPuppy]

woodford reserve

[mrt]

Jack Daniels...on the rocks. Not a bourbon, though.

[Whiskey River]

WTRB.....nuff said!

[gr8erdane]

Having grown up in the Clark National Forest area of Missouri, and having spent a lot of time hunting in that area, I know that white oak trees are still in abundance and was ready to refute what Chuck had said about the age difference between the older barrels and current ones but the more I think about it the more I tend to agree with him.

What is probably happening is that the loggers in the area 25 or so years ago were just learning about selective cutting and harvesting the older trees first, leaving some behind (instead of clear cutting) as they cut deeper into the forests. As fuel prices have risen I'm sure they are starting to go back and revisit the old stands and harvesting some of the trees they left behind in order to cut down on the cost of transportation. Rest assured, there are still thousands of square miles of virgin timber with older trees out there, but the younger trees are much more cost effective to bring to market at this time. And logging is not exactly an easy way to make a living. Most loggers I knew years ago did so as a second job.

[CrispyCritter]

At the moment, Rittenhouse BIB, in a Sazerac. :yum:

[elkdoggydog]

A manhattan, made with only the finest Old Overholt Rye, served up neat. I go about 3:1 whiskey to vermouth, just a tiny splash of the maraschino juice, and two shakes of bitters. Shake, pour, watch baseball.

[straightwhiskeyruffneck]

evan williams single barrel, 1995. strait, better than i remember

[Ambernecter]

Just landed a new job so I am knocking back a WT 1855 Reserve.

It's good to get out of the Middle East for a while and hopefully the job will go as smoothly as this here fine whiskey is going down!

[NorCalBoozer]

Ancient Ancient Age 10 yr. Really love it and shows how good an 86 proof can be! Wish it was avaliable in CA.

followed that with some good ol' Tribute.

[T47]

WT Rare Breed....and I am sure most of you know, but if you go to the WT web site you can order personal labels for 101 and RB. I gave a bottle of RB to a neighbor at a BBQ he put on with one of those labels and he thought it was the coolest thing...and the labels are free. Not a bad sales gimmick...at least it works on me.

[DrinkyBanjo]

I had them create some labels for Christmas gifts last year and it went over very big. Anytime you receive a bottle of Rare Breed is a time to celebrate but the personal touch goes a long way.

[Whiskey River]

Knob Creek. Two pours left in the bottle. Another one bits the dust!!

[ratcheer]

I just had an excellent highball. About 2 oz of J. W. Dant BIB, Canada Dry ginger ale, and lots of ice cubes. Mmmmmmm!

Tim

[SBOmarc]

The Hi ball. It was a term that I grew up with. Once i moved to the left coast I was quick to learn that out here we drank "cocktails".

Long live the hi ball. BTW....tonight's pour is RHF.

[Geo]

Its been too long... for a nice pour.

I had to wait a week while in Europe.

Tonight... a short pour of WT101, followed by a few short pours of George T. Stagg. :drink: mmm ...mmm Good!