When tasting bourbon, do you...

[NickAtMartinis]

...go through the process, i.e., swirl in glass, sniff, sip and swish in mouth then wax poetic about the different characteristics of each step.

-OR-

Do you simply give the bourbon a quick sniff, take a sip and say yea, or nay?

_____________________________________________________________________

I'm more the latter, myself. I pour, let the bourbon sit for a time and then take a sip. After my first couple sips, I know whether or not I like the bourbon.

Please let me be clear by stating that, though I am not one of those guys who breaks down the nose, taste, etc. (figs, dates, vanilla, frosting, etc.), I do appreciate reading those types of "reviews" in the BOTM's. I think it's great and definitely helps me to know if I'm going to like a certain bourbon. For example, if someone described Four Roses (never had) as vanilla, cherry, dates, etc., and those very same characteristics are found in KC (have had) then I know that I'd probably like Four Roses.

So, thank you to all those posters here who partake in the BOTM's that I've been reading the past few days.

I guess I'm just a straight forward sort of guy. Ask me how PVW20 is and I will say great, ask me about KC and I will say good, etc.

So, I'm just curious, how many posters are like me and how many here are like those who take part in the BOTM?

Please discuss.

[jwrussell]

Have to say I'm more along your lines than the other, but I haven't been tasting bourbons for very long either. Kind of like with cigars, I've found I have to concentrate more than is enjoyable for me to really pull out the kinds of descriptives others use. I describe things in much simpler more broad terms and leave it at that. A little more than "good or great" I guess, but not nearly as in depth as others.

But again, I'm a neophyte.

[Jazzhead]

The level of discourse around here regarding tasting is very high, so I tend not to participate in the BOTM, but they do make for fun and informative reading. About half the time I pour the hooch in a glass and nose it and savor it, and the other half of the time (it embarrasses me to admit), I just sip it right from the bottle. A old beerman's disgusting habits die hard.

[mgilbertva]

Sipping from the bottle is completely sanitary at these proofs.

As for whether I fill and chill or top off and sound off, well, that depends on how I feel and who I'm with. Even by myself sometimes I'm in the mood to analyze what I'm drinking, and other times I just let it wash over me without holding it back.

No either/or there.

[NickAtMartinis]

Thanks everyone. I was just curious how alone I was.

Of course, I'm a novice as well (don't let my name fool you) so it would be hard for me to do what so many here do.

It's funny, I'm a beer guy by nature and I see a lot of the same tasting notes in beer, especially the Belgian beers. Regarding beer, I gloss right over the tasting notes since I'm quite familiar, and far from a novice, when it comes to beer.:grin:

By the way, I threw back some Dickel #12 last night along with some KC. I've had the #12 for a while and have liked it from the first sip and it was less than $20 or maybe even $15, can't remember, but it's a bargain non-the-less.

Question: I was reading the Dickel #12 bottle and it doesn't say Bourbon and Whisky is spelled minus the "e." As Cliff Clavin would say, "What's up with that?"

[ggilbertva]

George Dickel is not Bourbon....it's TN Whiskey. Yes....there is a difference and there have been some threads in this forum that touch on the differences. In a nutshell, there's a filtering process prior to aging that sets it apart from the bourbon making process....which does not filter prior to aging. Also, bourbon MUST be at least 51% corn. TN whiskey, I believe, must be at least 51% any grain, which is usually corn but doesn't have to be. Anyone....please correct me if I'm wrong.

[barturtle]

For some reason the American whisk(e)y makers are not tradition bound when it comes to spelling. Maker's Mark, George Dickel and Old Forester all use the e-less version, as does Scotland and Canada, there rest of the Americans use the e-inclusive spelling, along with Ireland.

[NickAtMartinis]

George Dickel is not Bourbon....it's TN Whiskey. Yes....there is a difference and there have been some threads in this forum that touch on the differences. In a nutshell, there's a filtering process prior to aging that sets it apart from the bourbon making process....which does not filter prior to aging. Also, bourbon MUST be at least 51% corn. TN whiskey, I believe, must be at least 51% any grain, which is usually corn but doesn't have to be. Anyone....please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for the info, Greg. I thought only Scotch could be referred to as Whisky (no "e"), but I guess I am wrong.

[mythrenegade]

I do what you described (long process) for wine. I take in as much as possible before I taste. With bourbon I like to smell it a bit, enjoy the nose, and then start tasting.

Joel

[CrispyCritter]

I normally don't make a big effort to break down the taste of a given whiskey (or brandy for that matter), but sometimes it can be fun and educational to do so.