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wormil posted:If I order WT101 in a bar and they give me something else, I know it instantly. If you're talking about telling the difference between something like Aristocrat and Elijah Craig (EC12) then absolutely; but say between EC12 and Evan Williams, probably not. Bourbons from the same distillery often have similar enough flavors that they can be difficult to distinguish except at the more extreme ranges unless you have a sensitive palate or a lot of experience with that distillery. Places like Jim Beam or Wild Turkey basically make one bourbon, the very best of which is chosen for it's premium expressions (Bookers, Bakers, Kentucky Spirit, Russell's Reserve, etc) and the rest get blended into their more mainstream brands (Black, 101, etc). 101 for example is a mix of 6, 8, and 10 year old bourbons. Then there are bourbons like Old Grand-Dad which is a 4yr 100 proof kick in your rear end but many people love it. That's why my original reply to your question about if you should avoid anything was, "No. Try it all." But I deleted it and wrote out a longer reply because I thought the younger stuff my put you off in the beginning. That's pretty interesting info. Interesting, but I'm not sure that it's 100% true. I am a huge fan of the small batch bourbons that Jim Beam puts out, and Bookers, Baker's, Basil Hayden's and Knob Creek are all significantly different from each other, and from the mainstream offerings. It's possible some of the small batch stuff started life from the same mash as the mass market options(although that's questionable at best), but the way they're treated and stored during the aging process, and the way they're cut and bottled makes them all very much individual bourbons. Basil Hayden's, for example, is made with "twice as much rye" as the white and the black, according to Fred Noe. Booker's is aged between 7 and 9 years, and bottled directly from the barrel, entirely uncut at 126 proof. Noe personally selects the charred oak barrels that the small batch bourbons are aged in. Jim Beam Black is my go-to, but if I'm feeling fancy, or trying to impress a guest, I pull out a bottle of Booker's.
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Oct 9, 2011 23:38
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Jim Beam Black is the flavor of the evening. For a relatively inexpensive bourbon, it always stands up nicely.
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Dec 18, 2011 06:41
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I should have purchased a lottery ticket today... I found a box in my closet from when I moved 2 years ago, and at the bottom was a half full bottle of Baker's.
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Apr 29, 2012 05:55
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As the story's told, my father's best friend never had a chance to meet his grandfather. Blame the weather, blame bad luck, blame Andrew Volstead, or blame Al Capone, his boss; his death was bound to happen sooner rather than later. On a dark rainy night, his Model T was packed with rye whiskey from Iowa and headed toward Chicago. The wheels sank into the soft ground along a commonly-used runner's road. He walked to a nearby farmhouse to ask for help, and was subsequently shot in the gut by the homeowner. This brings me to the beer I tried on Thursday night. Boulevard has released their Rye on Rye, a Rye ale that is aged in charred oak barrels formerly housing Templeton Rye. It happened to be on tap at one of my favorite establishments, The Rusty Horse Tavern in Parkville, MO. While I had a 750ml bottle of it sitting in the fridge at home, I knew I had to try it, and I knew what I had to do. I paired it with two fingers of Templeton Rye, neat. I had never tried Templeton Rye, but now it's one of my new favorites. The nose is dignified, but amazingly full. It's everything you could ask from a rye, with strong tobacco, vanilla, and leather notes. I wish I had a room that smelled of nothing but a freshly-emptied rocks glass of Templeton Rye.
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Dec 29, 2012 19:29
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