whistlebritches
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Post by whistlebritches on May 4, 2019 19:43:16 GMT -5
Few things are as enjoyable as a good bourbon with either a bowl of baccy or a good cigar.I've been drinking bourbon more years than I care to remember.On the plus side there have never been more choices,negative side the prices have gotten ridiculous.I love Blantons…...when I could get it at $45 and under now over $60 in my neck of the woods.Bout 5 years ago I started looking for the best values.My journey led me to Old Forester Signature 100 proof which is in my opinion the best value escaping Kentucky.I usually buy this by the case in 1.75L bottles,with my military veteran discount and case discount about $35 a bottle,this is my go to 80% of the time.Honorable mention in the same category would be Buffalo Trace.My favorite value wheater is Weller Special Reserve,high rye is Old Granddad 114.I also like to keep a bottle of Evan Williams BIB and George Dickel #12 around for a change of pace.All of these I buy in 1.75L bottles for the best value.I do occasionally treat myself to the higher end stuff...….like tonight,I'm sipping Four Roses Single Barrel(private selection) OESV mashbill,aged 11 years 1 month bottled at 112.4 proof.It's companion is a Punch Punch from 2013.Life is short gentleman...….make the most of it.
Now if you would please share your favorites...….or your best values.All posters from Kentucky I hate you,ya lucky dogs.
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Post by Darin on May 4, 2019 19:48:12 GMT -5
Mmmmm … Bourbon!  I enjoy the Buffalo Trace, Four Roses and Evan Williams that you mentioned. In addition, Bulleit Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkles and Woodford Reserve. |
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driftingfate
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Post by driftingfate on May 4, 2019 20:04:39 GMT -5
Four Roses Small Batch is current favorite of mine which is moderately priced.
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Post by sperrytops on May 4, 2019 20:23:59 GMT -5
Hudson Baby Bourbon, Walking Stick, Eagle Rare, Bulleit Bourbon, Four Roses.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2019 20:28:19 GMT -5
W.L. Weller, Buffalo Trace and 1792.
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Post by Scott W on May 4, 2019 20:39:10 GMT -5
Wood ford reserve is always good, Evan Williams single barrel. Love my buffalo trace and eagle rare too.
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Post by toshtego on May 4, 2019 23:21:02 GMT -5
I can think of no Bourbon I did not enjoy.
My regular drink is Wild Turkey 101 or Old Grand Dad Botttled-in-Bond, 100 proof.
The last special bottle I brought home was Four Roses Single Barrel Private reserve and it was excellent.
I agree that Old Forester is an excellent buy.
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elric
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Post by elric on May 5, 2019 0:23:22 GMT -5
Bourbon; nectar of the Gods.
I only really like those with a traditional bourbon taste.
In my wild youthful partying days, I mainly drank Jim Beam with lots of ice & a touch of coke.
Then one cold Winters night when 23yo, driving through sleet in the middle of nowhere, thinking how a bourbon would warm me up, like an oasis in the desert, an illuminated VB sign answered my call.
The country pub had just had a Wild Turkey promotion, so when I ordered a 'Jim Beam & coke, lots of ice' the manager said he had Wild Turkey. Having not heard of it before & being used to falling for cheap budget bourbons in the past, I smiled & repeated my order.
The manager said I could have it for the same price, which indicated that it was a premium bourbon. Pushing my luck, I asked "And what if I like it?" The manager laughed & said he'd charge any drinks the same as the Jim Beam.
When he came back to refill my drink I said "More ice, less coke thanks." As he was playing cards with his mates in front of a log fire, he sat a pile of VHS tapes, the vid remote, placed the bottle of WT, a bucket of ice & cans of coke behind the bar in front of me, with a pad & pen to tick off my drinks & said "Help yourself".
Help myself I did. After the 2nd movie finished it was rather late (The manager had closed the doors hours before. Apart from his card playing mates I was the only customer)
When it came to paying the bill, he saw the long list of ticks & said "So I guess this means you like it?" & only charged me for less than half what I drank.
Since then (1983) the bourbon market has opened up & there's heaps more choice nowadays here in Oz.
There's quite a few brands that I like (Makers Mark for e.g.) but Wild Turkey is my favourite.
Jim Beam was for getting a bit rowdy.
Wild Turkey was for savouring with a special girl (I learnt to mix Turkey with soda water instead of coke)
I'd often drink a Jim Beam & coke with a shot glass of Sambuca or Opal Bianca to sip.
The sad thing is ..... no, not sad, the bloody tragedy is, is that when I had finally learnt to drink in moderation, when I had finally recognised the point where I could call it a night without having to pay for it the next day, my stomach can no longer tolerate spirits or liqueurs ... sob.
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Post by Legend Lover on May 5, 2019 7:06:26 GMT -5
Is southern comfort a bourbon? If so, that's the one for me.
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Post by Baboo on May 5, 2019 7:21:52 GMT -5
Been really enjoying the sweet rich rich taste of High West Yippee-Ki-yay... around $90.00 around these parts, but worth the coin, IMO.
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Post by Scott W on May 5, 2019 7:40:24 GMT -5
Been really enjoying the sweet rich rich taste of High West Yippee-Ki-yay... around $90.00 around these parts, but worth the coin, IMO. Having been to the distillery and having sampled all their offerings, yippee is hands down the best but I believe it’s a rye, not a bourbon right? |
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Post by Baboo on May 5, 2019 7:53:47 GMT -5
Been really enjoying the sweet rich rich taste of High West Yippee-Ki-yay... around $90.00 around these parts, but worth the coin, IMO. Having been to the distillery and having sampled all their offerings, yippee is hands down the best but I believe it’s a rye, not a bourbon right? You are 100% correct... i got my wires crossed when thinking about The High West lineup - their Campfire blend and American Prairie Bourbon are also Top Gun! |
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Post by oldcajun123 on May 5, 2019 8:58:38 GMT -5
 My friend a lawyer visited yesterday, 15 yrs ago they won our case against a National Finanical Company. He left the firm soon after that and started his own firm , for 15 yrs I have kept in touch, yesterday we visited, put a seafood spread on him. He gave me this, the whiskey company bottles this for his firm which he gives to special clients. Not a whiskey guy, looks impressive. 
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Post by Ronv69 on May 5, 2019 9:16:20 GMT -5
Old Granddad Bond. Then anything made in Kentucky. I haven't had a decent bourbon from any other state and I refuse to pay the inflated prices for these would-bes.
I especially refuse to drink any bourbon from Texas. I do have some whiskies from Balcones that are excellent and unique. But it's not bourbon. Tin Cup for instance is a gimmick, and easily bested by any bottom shelf Kentucky bourbon on the bottom shelf for 10 bucks. I like Bakers when it is gifted to me. I just finished a fine bottle of Angel's Envy and I will miss it. But I have a cabinet full of fine whiskey that I rarely drink anymore so I am set.
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bouwser
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Post by bouwser on May 5, 2019 9:22:28 GMT -5
I’ve been working my way through some Old Forester 86 proof. Tasty stuff.
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Post by sparks on May 5, 2019 9:32:01 GMT -5
More of a Scotch guy myself, but Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is by far my favorite.
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Post by acefour on May 5, 2019 9:36:38 GMT -5
Currently my selections are Michter's, Woodford Reserve, Oola, Jefferson and Basil Hayden. Buffalo Trace would be there if not absent from Aunt Betty's Cafe due to popularity. Just opened Oola last week and man it is straight up caramel and smooth as a baby's bottom. Zero bite. Now I will tell you the ultimate breakfast. I was camping on the outer banks of NC at Cape Lookout last November. Morning chow was shite on a shingle. Chased it down with Blanton's. It was the best breakfast. |
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stone
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Post by stone on May 5, 2019 9:37:17 GMT -5
This could be the place to get some information I have been wondering about. Can you explain the difference between bourbon and whiskey and scotch? They all taste like assoline (50% arse and 50% gasoline) to me but I am bound and determined to change that. I have heard so many "stories" about the difference but it sounds like you may know the reality |
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Post by Darin on May 5, 2019 9:43:52 GMT -5
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Post by sparks on May 5, 2019 9:45:43 GMT -5
Scotch and Bourbon are both considered whiskey or whisky. Whiskey is the American spelling, whisky is the European spelling. Scotch must be made in Scotland, and is mostly malted barley. Bourbon must be produced in Kentucky, and is distilled from corn.
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elric
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Post by elric on May 5, 2019 9:48:20 GMT -5
Is southern comfort a bourbon? If so, that's the one for me. No, sorry, not a bourbon. Southern Comfort on ice & SC with coke are good but the hangovers are wicked. |
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Post by bonanzadriver on May 5, 2019 10:03:53 GMT -5
I too am mostly a Single Malt Scotch drinker, preferring to sip it neat.
One of the only bourbon's I can sip neat, without getting the shivers, is Blanton's. I admittedly don't have much experience with bourbons, having received my first bottle about 5 1/2 years ago, with most others I find myself cutting it with water.
Last month I had a buddy give me a bottle and I just scored 2 more on the cruise last week. So, hopefully I'll be set for a while. ;-)
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Post by toshtego on May 5, 2019 10:22:47 GMT -5
Scotch and Bourbon are both considered whiskey or whisky. Whiskey is the American spelling, whisky is the European spelling. Scotch must be made in Scotland, and is mostly malted barley. Bourbon must be produced in Kentucky, and is distilled from corn. Bourbon usually also includes some rye, wheat or both. As I recall, Bourbon must be 51 per cent corn, as Sparks observed. The grains included in the mash vary which is why flavor varies. Wild Turkey and Old Grand Dad contain more Rye than most other Bourbons. Weller and Maker's Mark have more wheat in their mash. |
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stone
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Post by stone on May 5, 2019 10:25:24 GMT -5
Thanks! I had heard stories that certain whiskey, in order to classified bourbon or scotch or whatever had to be aged in virgin barrels (never before used), of a certain type of oak, grown in a certain place. May as well add the blessing of Clint Eastwood himself!
After reading those articles it sounds like there may have been some BS added |
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Post by Ronv69 on May 5, 2019 11:15:46 GMT -5
Thanks! I had heard stories that certain whiskey, in order to classified bourbon or scotch or whatever had to be aged in virgin barrels (never before used), of a certain type of oak, grown in a certain place. May as well add the blessing of Clint Eastwood himself!
After reading those articles it sounds like there may have been some BS added There are rules for bourbon that are taken seriously. It must be aged in "virgin" oak barrels. Straight Bourbon must meet stricter requirements. Bonded is even stricter. If you are going to drink bourbon, this stuff matters. 99% of all Scotch is aged in used bourbon barrels, but not all. I believe that Bourbon has the strictest requirements of all whiskeys. From your original post none of this really matters to you. |
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Post by sperrytops on May 5, 2019 11:49:38 GMT -5
Currently my selections are Michter's, Woodford Reserve, Oola, Jefferson and Basil Hayden. Buffalo Trace would be there if not absent from Aunt Betty's Cafe due to popularity. Just opened Oola last week and man it is straight up caramel and smooth as a baby's bottom. Zero bite. Now I will tell you the ultimate breakfast. I was camping on the outer banks of NC at Cape Lookout last November. Morning chow was shite on a shingle. Chased it down with Blanton's. It was the best breakfast. Sounds like a breakfast in heaven, acefour. I've had Oola myself and quite enjoyed it. It's a relatively new distillery in Washington State but the Bourbon has won awards. |
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Post by sperrytops on May 5, 2019 12:00:34 GMT -5
Scotch can be aged in a variety of barrels, adds to different notes on the Scotch. Can be aged in bourbon barrels, wine barrels, cognac, madeira etc. Fine malt whiskies are produced in a number of different countries (Scotland, the only country allowed to use the name Scotch, Japan and India). I've not tasted single malts from India but there are one or two from Japan that are as good as the best from Scotland. If a distiller cuts their malt whisky with grain (corn, for example), it's no longer considered a quality single malt. It's considered mixed drink grade scotch.
There's been a lot of collector speculation around rare and aged single malts driving the prices of all Single Malt scotch whiskies through the roof. For a long time bourbon has been far more reasonably priced. Today speculators have turned their eyes to bourbon, so you're seeing the price of the betteror rarer bourbons beginning to rise.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 12:34:20 GMT -5
Jim Beam Black double aged or one of the Master Blenders Jim Beam varietals. Not fancy but then a bottle lasts me a year.
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stone
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Post by stone on May 5, 2019 12:43:19 GMT -5
Thanks! I had heard stories that certain whiskey, in order to classified bourbon or scotch or whatever had to be aged in virgin barrels (never before used), of a certain type of oak, grown in a certain place. May as well add the blessing of Clint Eastwood himself!
After reading those articles it sounds like there may have been some BS added There are rules for bourbon that are taken seriously. It must be aged in "virgin" oak barrels. Straight Bourbon must meet stricter requirements. Bonded is even stricter. If you are going to drink bourbon, this stuff matters. 99% of all Scotch is aged in used bourbon barrels, but not all. I believe that Bourbon has the strictest requirements of all whiskeys. From your original post none of this really matters to you. It always matters to know more than I did yesterday. I love knowing how a gun and bullet work together but I don't want to get shot by another one! |
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stone
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Post by stone on May 5, 2019 12:44:23 GMT -5
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My friend a lawyer visited yesterday, 15 yrs ago they won our case against a National Finanical Company. He left the firm soon after that and started his own firm , for 15 yrs I have kept in touch, yesterday we visited, put a seafood spread on him. He gave me this, the whiskey company bottles this for his firm which he gives to special clients. Not a whiskey guy, looks impressive.
