The Bourbon thread
 

Cool evenings of fall mean you need something to warm you up - time to restock.

Last night I purchased a small bottle of Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon ($17). It's made by the Buffalo Trace Distillery which is supposed to be good stuff too.

I'm happy with it. If you like Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek you should like Eagle Rare.

Bourbons I'm not so happy with include; Maker's Mark and Evan Williams.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159532968.jpg

I've been drinking Knob Creek and Booker Noe for the most part, but I got a bottle of Elijah Craig (another supposedly premium bourbon from the same distillery as Evan Williams) and it is crap. I'll save it for deglazing pans.

Bourbon is MY drink. I came across a great one years ago and I love it...Basil Hayden. Kind of expensive at $38-$50 a bottle but it is smoooothhhh. Only thing it needs is a few cubes of ice and a glass. My only problem now is that I cannot get it in the Bahamas so I have anyone coming down to visit bring me a few bottles. Give it a try... you will be pleased.

Ben

I had a shot of that in a bar, I was very disappointed in it, but maybe its just me. No Booker's for me.

I'll keep my eye out for this one, if the price is right.

http://library.bevnetwork.com/bottles/135/3117.jpg

There is a local liquor store having a tasting next month, should be an interesting experience.

I'm with most guys here...

Knob Creek is a good eevryday bourbon, same with Woodford.

Bookers is even better, though a little harsh at times, much better flavor. Makers and the like are just piss-water with gasoline in it. :)

Rebel Yell is still my favorite Bourbon.

guess i'm not sure where i fall b/c i like maker's (it's the flavor that does it for me), i find knob creek too harsh, and i absolutely love basil hayden. haven't tried woodford reserve yet....

kach22i, That's the one. You really know how to torture a poor guy....Drool....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159542160.jpg

Ben

Checking in here.......Wild Turkey / Rare Breed

Are you serious? I haven't tried it but it is available at the supermarket.

So far I like Woodford Reserve but I have to make a special trip to a liquor store to get it.

Every trip to the liquor store is special when you are in love.:D

Yes, it's my favorite!
 

Don't let the fact that Rebel Yell is cheap and available at local grocery stores influence you. Try the bourbon and let me know what you think. I have never recommended it to someone who didn't find it captivating yet...

I have to say I have a hard time understanding what makes one bourbon better than another from a manufacturing standpoint. It's not like you can say one distillery has the best vineyards or superior extraction or something. Any distiller who wants to make better bourbon can. So when discussing bourbon quality and taste, we're really disussion the business compromises made by the distillers. Kind of lame, really. :(

I read in one of the reviews that Jack Daniels is not Bourbon because it's charcoal filtered.

Here:
http://www.novusvinum.com/spirits/whiskey/eaglerare.html

Re: Yes, it's my favorite!
 

Cool, consider it done! I have been trying to find some kind of sipping booze cheaper that the +/- $40 single malt scotch I like so much.

UPS says my cigars are supposed to get delivered today... looks like a good weekend!

Another thought: Most of the so-called "small-batch" bourbons you see are made by mega-distilleries. Other than Woodford Reserve, which is a small-ish maker (albeit under the ownership of a mega-), are there any truly small producers of bourbon?

Unfortunatly the same hold true for small breweries... as soon as they become popular they get bought up by a mega brewery who then ups there production.

Go here: http://www.whiskyportal.com/find_whisky.asp and type in bourbon and click submit query. Has a bunch of distilleries I've never heard of.

old crow

its what you drink when theres nothing else available

has anyone noticed that jack daniels has been downgraded from 86 to 80 proof? don't know why they did it. seems foolish.
i tried blantons and was not terribly impressed. same with hancocks reserve. both are better than no bourbon at all.
also disappointing was the willie nelson whiskey river brand. i bought a bottle of elijah craig to make juleps with. not bad when mixed. i am still looking for a straight winner.
any takers for a nice irish whiskey?

I've tried bourbon on several occasions but can't seem to find one that I like. Maybe I was just drinking cheap stuff. Either that or I'm just a wuss...

Bourbon is supposed to be the cheap stuff (with attitude), if you want smooth and refined you have to drink Whiskey instead.

My all time favorite whiskey is "Red Breast", which is an Irish, single malt, pot still whiskey that is the smoothest, best tasting whiskey I have ever had. It's about $45 a bottle, but well worth it!

Wow - never heard of these - I've been pretty happy with my Crown Royal and Jim Beam, maybe it's time to branch out.

hmmm so many bourbons so little time...I am turning 19 in a few days and wanted to get me and my friends a nice bottle of something. Though I really know nothing about bourbon or whiskey. I think I might want to try out that hayden stuff. Sounds tasty.

p.s I support underage drinking....j/k guys. We will be with adults.

First time out, start with something smooth and afforable like Bushmills select.

Don't want people scared for life of the stuff.

Yeah I don't want to drink an absolute crap one, and then not care for it for the rest of my life. I want something that I can actually enjoy. Also can we have a thread on shots? I have very little experience with them, and would like some tips when I go to bars.

Been drinking Jim Beam for 35 years in a Manhattan and like it. A fellow Pelican sent me a bottle of Evan Williams and its very nice, but too good to waste in a mixed drink.

Have you tried straight booze? It is a pretty strong flavor for young taste-buds. I didn't get into sipping whiskey etc. until I was well up in my thirties and forties. You might be better off sticking to mixed drinks to start, rum and coke, whiskey and seven up, etc.
YMMV

Well not saying I am a complete drunk. because I am not. Sadly, my most memorable drinking moments (and no the drink sucked) was back to back everclear shot without chaser, and straight taaka. No I am not proud of these moments, and I hate college for this reason.

I also tried Evan Williams (barrel select IIRC) on the recommendation of the same board member. As I remember it is very smooth but with a bit of oak.

Just got paid today... maybe I will have to have a little whiskey tasting... Evan Williams Vs Woodford Reserve Vs Rebel Yell.

Looks like I won't be getting much done around the house this weekend.:D

i love the evan williams single barrel. good 'ol shuie even sent me a bottle gratis being the prince that he is.. :) very smooth sippin' bourbon. i drink mine straight up out of a shot glass.
ryan

Shot glass is too small, pour a couple of fingers into a tumbler so you can enjoy the smell... I mean aroma...

The F1 race is on this weekend too! Whiskey, cigars and racing!

The trick with shots is to sip one first - if it tastes nasty going down sipping it - chances are that it will be just as nasty coming back up.

Ryan, clean out your PM box!

Come now, pretenders...
 

My favorite bourbon is... well, a picture is worth 1000 words:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159561783.jpg

I've tried as many as possible (Blue Smoke in NYC has a list longer than my (primate-length) arm, if anyone is in that neighborhood) and I'm Maker's through and through. Which is to say I'm saturated.

I've spent a few hours, including lunch, with Bill Samuels, Jr. (pres of MM, and the founder's son). Just he, his master distiller, me and my uncle shooting the breeze for a few hours last summer at the distillery.

Off the top of my head, I can name 5 bars that carry MM b/c I assured them it'd be worth it.

I like Basil Hayden for its butteryness (c), I like Elijah Craig, tho it's tough to find. Woodford is great stuff; Blantons is OK; and I like the 1792 when I can find it.

Is there a distillery that just makes its bourbon and is not a mega-conglomerate -- yes, it's called Maker's Mark. It has doubled its capacity only once since it was founded 50+ years ago.

Check this link for bourbon info.

Bourbon is not a cowboy drink anymore, and MM is the reason. Every distiller followed suit with a premium bourbon after MM took off.

Make mine a double, with two ice cubes. No more, no fewer.

For Irish Whiskey, there's Tullamore Dew. Not the most expensive, but my favorite, hands down.

JP

az , you are right about red breast, a superb irish. as a matter of fact i think i'll go and get me a tot of it now......thanks for the reminder.
keep the wind at your back. and may the road rise up to meet you.
david

I seldom drink bourbon (or scotch etc). A couple times a year, during parties, the guys and I go out back with a bottle of single-malt. Typically a Glen-something - I'm not really fussy. Usually throw away the cap and finish the bottle stuff. Then its the occasional wine and ale for the next six months.

I was a single malt guy for years, but was given a bottle of Black Maple Hill (12 yr) bourbon a couple of years ago by my bartender/author younger brother. If you can find it, give it a try. Very smooth, if a little sweet. Makes me think that my once a year "brown liquor" purchase might be a Bourbon, rather than a single malt.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159591038.jpg

BTW, I never thought I'd see someone actually recommend Rebel Yell. ;) Can anybody say boilermaker?

Oh, and a shameless plug:

http://www.theartofthebar.com/aob_html.html

Good job, little bro. ;)

I worked all day and till dark on my hovercraft Saturday, in the cold rain most of the time. Achy and sore and still in damp clothes I poured some of the Eagle into a glass and dusted off my stereo equipment.

I powered up my tube amp and preamp. Put on an old vinyl record, and dimmed the lights and then sat down.

By the time my listening session was over 2/3rds of the pint was gone.

Little bit of a headache the next morning, took a few pills and felt better pretty quickly.

Eagle by Buffalo is good stuff, almost too good.;)