What are you drinking this moment?

[CL]

As you are reading this discussion group right now, what is in your glass next to you?

Tonight, I decided to go on the rocks instead of neat in a snifter. I chose Elmer T. Lee single barrel to grace the ice.

I normally find that if I don't have a drink next to me when I start reading this discussion group, I quickly get in the mood for one and head to the liquor cabinet! So, considering that effect, is reading these posts a good thing or a bad thing? ;-)

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . Wathen's . . mmmm I have been meaning to post a tasting but every bottle I buy becomes empty so quickly that I never finish writting before I run dry.

[texascarl]

I just polished off a bottle of Old Fitz 1849 (8 year old, 90 proof) and I'm thinking of pouring one more glass of Makers Mark to finish the evening.

[MurphyDawg]

Elijah Craig 12 Year Tonight, Over Ice. . . . just right! . . . . .I have the same effect when I log on, I get awfully thirsty !

TomC

[bourbonmed]

Hi gang,

I`m in Quebec at the moment, drinking some Blanton`s Special Edition (green label, 80 proof) and using the hotel`s computer. I have been vacationing up here a few days and this is the only unusual bottle I have come across. Liquor stores here carry very little bourbon -- but they do have Elijah Craig 12y and Blanton`s Green 80 proof.

In Toronto and Montreal things are not any better. The stores are all LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) so choices are limited and prices are rather high.

Omar

[Creggor]

Just got home from a rather slow night of delivering Pizza for pizza Hut. I just cracked a bottle of Julian Van Winkles 12 Yr Old Time Rye. Quite good if you like Rye. Having some extra sharp cheddar cheese along with this. Dr. Gave me a clean bill of health last month. Not drinking any where near what I used to. However I still have something like 50 plus bottles of over 30 different Bourbons to choose from. Can't ask for more than that can you!! Creggor.

[CL]

[kgiammarco]

...Virginia Genteleman 90... Our computers are in a room upstairs... Our bourbon selection is downstairs... I got my friend Mark to pick up some Virginia Gentlemen for me when he went to virginia (not available around here it seems)... I keep that near the computer along with a few glasses... this bottle is going much faster than the rest... I guess location is everything... I'm itching to set up a little cabinet/bar thing upstairs, but then I know it will turn into buying even more bourbon to fill it...

[MurphyDawg]

I am FINALLY having some Knob Creek tonight!

TomC

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Kris & Chris - Kickin' back in the compu-chamber with 'The Fox' are you?

Good Choice! Release The Hounds!

[CL]

Old Fitz, 4 yo 86 proofm neat. Started on my new screened in deck, migrated to the computer, still keeping the glass wet.

[bluesbassdad]

How do you like the Old Fitz 86?

I have a love/hate relationship with the BIB. It's enjoyable until it comes time to swallow it, then it turns rough. The degree of roughness seems to vary; I guess some days I'm just more manly than others.

Anyway, please do tell about Old Fitz 86, especially the finish.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Yowzer! Yowzwer!! Yowzeree!! Drinkin' Knob Creek and enjoying the race. NASCAR & Knob Creek => No Finer combo. Unless, of course we're talking Sex and Rock Hill Farms; or Wathens, or Sex, or Sex. Damn! Did I mention Sex???????

[CL]

I do like the Old Fitz. I wish it were available here in NC.

I'm not one that's handy with describing a tasting. But, I would say that the flavor is sweet with a medium body. The finish is smooth and creamy. No heat. This stuff goes down real easy, but it is not weak.

I'm trying to put my finger on the taste. I'd say that the creaminess is like caramel with a hint of vanilla. The flavor has some spiciness, which is what makes this bourbon very attractive to me.

It's not as flavorful as, say EWSB, but for $15/liter, I think it is an excellent value.

I hope this helps!

[bluesbassdad]

The more I read of others' impressions of Old Fitz BIB, the more I think I got a sub-par bottle.

My taste experience more or less matches yours up to the point of swallowing it. Then I get this sensation that my throat, mouth, sinuses, and eye sockets are all on on fire and expanding to a size greater than my skull. I exaggerate slightly to make the point. On the rocks, it's not so unpleasant.

Mind you, I'm not a total wimp in these matters. I drink Rare Breed, Rock Hill Farms, Old Grand Dad BIB, and many others neat, enjoying every minute of it (provided I sneak up on 'em with very small sips to start).

Seriously, somewhere down the line I'll have to try another bottle.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[CL]

My latest post had comments about the Old Fitz 80 proof, not the BIB. Sorry if I mislead you.

My original post did say 86, 4 yo. But, that was a brain fart. I was thinking of the proof and age of other "Old" bourbon in my cabinet, Old Forester, when I wrote that.

But, in both cases (the original post and my lastest post), I was definitely referring to the Old Fitz, 80 proof.

[MurphyDawg]

That deserves a big BLEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Tomc

[Pill_Man]

I just opened my very first bottle of WT Rare Breed. I guarantee it won't be my last. What a great, smooth, flavorful and elegant Bourbon!

[cornsqueezins]

Sitting here sippin' Old Fitz BIB neat.

Dave, I'm not sure what to tell you. Maybe you do have a sub-par bottling. I did notice just a slight amount of heat and dryness in my last sip but nothing on the scale that you've experienced.

This bourbon is pretty smooth, very flavorful, and it has a twist in the finish that I can only describe as hints of tobacco and leather. Sort of reminded me of my experiences of Jim Beam Black but it was also different from that too. I'm relatively new to this bourbon so I'm still feeling it out. But I'd have to say, at least with my bottle, that heat and dryness are not a factor. This is very good bourbon.

However, I did have a similar experience to yours except with Elijah Craig 12 yr a few months back. It had been quite a while since I had bought any and several posts here got me thirsty so I wanted to reacquaint myself with EC. The bottle I bought was very hot and overly woody. I couldn't figure it out. I trudged thru the entire bottle and almost wrote it off my list but I eventually bought another bottle and it tastes more like the good stuff I remember and what everybody raves about.

Might be worth the risk to grab another bottle of Old Fitz. If it still doesn't work for you, just send it to me.

-Troy

[BourbonBlonde]

I've been told to save my Rock Hill for Bardstown, so it's Pappy's 20-year tonight.

Suzie

[CL]

Ok, I'll bite. You are saving the readily available Rock Hill for the ultra expensive Pappy 20 yo? Pray tell, why?

BTW, does KY basketball in your profile refer to UK or UofL? You gotta pick one!

[BourbonBlonde]

UK basketball, of course! There IS no other KY basketball!

As for Pappy vs. Rock Hill--I was specifically asked to bring the Rock Hill if I came to Bardstown (that's still up in the air--I do want to come, but am still working out the logistics of what to do with the kids). And--bracing myself for a blasting here--I happen to prefer the taste of RH to Pappy. I'd be glad to bring both!

Suzie

[bluesbassdad]

Today I resume my attempt to perceive the widely aclaimed virtues of Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 Year-Old.

Yesterday it was about four glasss of the ORVW 107/15 y/o in the afternoon followed by a single glass of Wathen's late in the evening.

I can hardly imagine a greater contrast between quality bourbons than EC 18 and Wathen's. Wathen's is so sweet and yummy it almost makes my mouth water just to sniff it. To me it embodies all of the basic flavor components of bourbon, with a bias toward the sweet side, which carries on from nose to finish.

In contrast, at first tasting the EC 18 is as dry as silver maple leaves in October. The vinophile word "flinty", sometimes applied to Chablis or Riesling, comes to mind. Novice that I am in Bourbonia, nonetheless I wonder whether the barrel it was aged in was charred, or just slightly singed.

To me the challenge is to see, or rather taste, past the obvious and to discern underlying subtleties. There is definitely a hint, but just a hint, of sweetness peeking out from the background. If I inhale strongly through the mouth just as I place a few drops on my tongue, the sweetness seems to be in the form of black cherry, or some other dark fruit. Beyond that, I am baffled.

I expect that I will continue to work at learning this bourbon; I have pretty much given up on drinking it just for fun.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[jeff]

In my quest to find the ever-so-elusive bargain premium bourbon I am sitting down with a glass of Old Forrester 86. I first tried this on on the rocks. The bouquet is remenisant of that of Woodford Reserve but a little harsher with hints of turpentine. I can pick up a little vanilla and something that smells akin to cotton candy. It feels pretty thin in the mouth and the finish is a little harsh. Believe it or not the finish is smoother when drank neat. I was hoping for a close cousin to WR, but I believe it is more like a 2nd cousin twice removed For the price I can't complain, but I think I will let Leslie finish this bottle up with Bourbon Sours.

[bluesbassdad]

Others more experienced than I disagree, but I find Old Forester 100 proof to be superior to the lower proof version, and the Woodford Reserve, as well.

I taste a sooty quality in WR that is absent in OF 100. Your mileage may vary.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield