Bourbon Reccomendations

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  • BurnsBurns 2,227 Posts
    pcmr said:
    DB_Cooper said:
    pcmr said:

    I am contemplating the bold ass booker's or the supposedly watered down Basil Hayden

    Booker's is huge. Talmbout give you the hiccups huge. Whoever told you Basil Hayden is watered down needs a proper face-punching. It's smooth as hell and dangerous as a result, but its got great flavor and at 80 proof is just as strong as your average spirit. It's my go-to for sitting down with a bottle.

    I love smooth so i think i'll go with that one first
    however the bad reviews were from
    the bourbon connoisseurs Soulstrut
    http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php?id=142&task=displaybottling

    I like BH, it does have a sweet buttery taste that isn't over powering. Its a delicate bourbon.

    Four Roses is big in these parts of Kentucky, not fan because of the spiceness in the flavor.
    Everyone around here is raving about a special Evan Williams reserve that is good.

    Hot toddy anyone? I had one last night with some special apple ginger Woodford Reserve bourbon.

  • facesdfacesd 236 Posts
    Yo Batmon,

    Holler at this shit....mellow sipper....+ 1 ice cube. 20$ at BevMo.....


  • p_gunnp_gunn 2,284 Posts
    i know it's not bourbon, but George Dickel has been killin it for me lately...

  • Burns said:

    a sweet buttery taste

    buffalo trace has a slight hint of this, my favorite bourbon to drink neat or rocks. makers on the rocks is also delicious.

    if im mixing, its this..
    &

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    EVAN WILLIAMS CHANGED MY LIFE
    no but seriously it's my favorite spirit all categories
    except i wont be able to buy more any time soon so its a mega special occasion bottle
    basil hayden is now only sold miles away damn it
    Booker's it is
    btw the book about jim beam distellery's beginnings looks real good

  • pcmr said:
    EVAN WILLIAMS CHANGED MY LIFE
    no but seriously it's my favorite spirit all categories
    except i wont be able to buy more any time soon so its a mega special occasion bottle
    basil hayden is now only sold miles away damn it
    Booker's it is
    btw the book about jim beam distellery's beginnings looks real good

    If you like the rye heavy stuff like Basil Hayden you should try old granddad 101 or 114. Both are cheap and really heavy on the rye flavor.

    Four Roses is $15 a bottle and is really good too. More spicy as someone said upthread, but still really good.

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    the quebec selection is laughable :whymusticry:

    it's even hard to secure a jim beam black
    apart from makers mark and wild turkey
    there is only fighting cock,elijah craig and old fitzgerald and they are in remote areas
    plus shit is expensive compared to stateside jim beam black is 35$ and evan williams is 50$

  • [quote author=pcmr
    plus shit is expensive compared to stateside jim beam black is 35$ and evan williams is 50$
    Holy hell Evan William black label is $14 a bottle here and the single barrel is only $20.

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    single barrel is my shit
    for 20$ i would buy one a month
    bookers is 60 but i heard its the same price in certain states like oregon
    i hate visiting liquor stores in the states because our ',premium', bottles are pocket change for you guys

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    Bulleit is so smooth and that basil is complexely smooth, bookers is raw! (booze shipment related!)

  • Options
    Ky moonshine...

    ...its getting harder to find.

    They say theres about 4 fights in every pint.

  • mr.brettmr.brett 678 Posts
    Had some Basil Hayden's when I was in Louisville last year and was really impressed. I'm going back on friday and my buddy and I are probably going to go to a distillery if possible. Pretty excited about that as I don't know much about the process.

    Is it possible to characterize the qualities of a bourbon vs whiskey or bourbon vs rye? Too broad? Just curious.

    I tasted a Manhatten at a wine tasting on saturday that was made with rye and it was amazing. Why is it acceptable to put a rye into a Manhatten, but not bourbon?

  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    Rye and Bourbon are very different. Bourbon has more sweetness due to a higher level of corn, Rye has a more spicy almost minty character. This can get confusing with bourbons that have a higher level of rye, like Basil Hayden's and Old Grandad, these offer the best of both worlds in my opinion. As for the Manhattan, the Rye holds up better to the vermouth because it isn't as sweet as bourbon, a Manhattan with bourbon is too sweet in my opinion.



  • Anyone here tried this rye? It's made in Iowa and has been the talk of real whiskey drinkers around these parts for a couple of years. Extremely hard to get your hands on a bottle here.

  • mr.brettmr.brett 678 Posts
    CousinLarry said:
    Rye and Bourbon are very different. Bourbon has more sweetness due to a higher level of corn, Rye has a more spicy almost minty character. This can get confusing with bourbons that have a higher level of rye, like Basil Hayden's and Old Grandad, these offer the best of both worlds in my opinion. As for the Manhattan, the Rye holds up better to the vermouth because it isn't as sweet as bourbon, a Manhattan with bourbon is too sweet in my opinion.

    Thanks. This is exactly what I wanted to know.

  • I ride for Evan Williams. Great bang for your buck.

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    These were the three bottles of American Whiskey that I enjoyed most last year, Pendletons isn't a Bourbon but was a big surprise, excelent stuff!:







    I was told by so many knowledgable folks that drinking good whiskey straight up without a splash of water would be a waste so I gave up on my life long habit and began adding maybe 15-20% of water. I use filtered tab water or Evian. I think it does open up a lot of flavours that otherwise would be kileld by the sharpness of the alcohol.

    I would never use Ice with any fine spirit or put the bottle in the fridge or even in the freezer like mentioned earlier in this thread.

    While vacationing in rural Louisiana, I bought a bottle of this:

    To make Mint Juleps. And you can say what you want but that shit is just plain delicious. Sitting on a porch, overlooking Bayou Teche with a pitcher full of this stuff... one of those perfect moments.

    Right now I'm all about Tequila though.

  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    Don't know if its been mentioned in the thread already, and the bottles are expensive, but Blanton's is my shit. So smooooooooth........

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    soulone said:
    Ky moonshine...

    ...its getting harder to find.

    They say theres about 4 fights in every pint.

    They sold this stuff at an infamous and long ago closed after hours bar in the East Village that I used to frequent some 12 years back. When ordering it from the bartender, she had to ask the owner first if you would be allowed to have it (while anybody could openly buy bags of cocaine) and if you got the nod from Brownie, you had to promise not to smoke a cigarette while drinking it and they got out a glass that they filled from a big jug that was hidden away under the bar. They claimed it has 180 proof which I still have a hard time believing. It was almost oily and you could feel it every inch going down your throat, hitting the stomach lining and entering your blood stream.

  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
    Frank said:

    Right now I'm all about Tequila though.

    Don Pilar is a great sipping tequila. I highly recommend it if you can find it. It's my new fav

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Lately I've been loving this:



    and this:



    Rittenhouse is over the top with the rye flavor, but when you get just the right ratio of ginger in there....hells yeah. It's like a good gin and tonic. The combination of flavors creates a final product that light years more delicious than either of the constituent ingredients alone.

  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    I was going to mention the Rittenhouse too, makes a great Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Sazerac.

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    jjfad027 said:
    Frank said:

    Right now I'm all about Tequila though.

    Don Pilar is a great sipping tequila. I highly recommend it if you can find it. It's my new fav

    I'm sure I've seen this one at my local store and will give it a try. Thanx for the suggestion!

  • Options
    The Old Fashion...A pre-prohibition drink, yumm!!!

  • :goat:

  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts
    Frank said:


    They sold this stuff at an infamous and long ago closed after hours bar in the East Village that I used to frequent some 12 years back. When ordering it from the bartender, she had to ask the owner first if you would be allowed to have it (while anybody could openly buy bags of cocaine) and if you got the nod from Brownie, you had to promise not to smoke a cigarette while drinking it and they got out a glass that they filled from a big jug that was hidden away under the bar. They claimed it has 180 proof which I still have a hard time believing. It was almost oily and you could feel it every inch going down your throat, hitting the stomach lining and entering your blood stream.

    I could believe 180 proof. With a little bit of patience you can distill alcohol up to almost 96%, or 192 proof although it becomes difficult to approach 100% pure ethanol because it distills as an azeotrope. I believe the highest grade of Everclear grain alcohol is sold at 188 proof (it's not legal in CA, so I'm not sure, here it only goes up to 151 proof). I've tasted 100% ethanol and almost oily is a pretty good description of it. Pure ethanol requires a chemical extraction of the remaining water, in lab grade stuff they use benzine so you wouldn't want to drink it because of remaining traces of benzine.

  • JimBeam said:


    and as for bourbon, I'm saying
    big cosign.
    Bulleit is a good one to start with. It's rich enough without being over the top. 3 cubes and pour just enough to float all of them. (you obv. want to finish the glass before they've melted halfway or so.)

    Personally, I prefer a dry simple bourbon (yes, if I'm drinking a lot, I drink and enjoy Jim Beam, which is simple, dry and definitely shot-worthy...) over more complex flavors in certain bourbons and whiskey if I'm going to drink it neat. I like the more complex stuff in mixed drinks- a Maker's Mark manhattan is a delicious drink, but I don't really like Maker's straight.

    Knob Creek is a decent starter, although a bit on the heavy side in terms of alcohol content- that strength is more of an acquired taste since the alcohol really alters the flavor, and the heavier bourbons tend to be a bit more "robust".

    So yeah- I would say go for Bulliet. You can find it in most supermarkets now, or they've always got it at BevMo. WELCOME TO THE BOOZE HOUND SOCIETY.

    ^^^ one of the best I've had for a while. Also mind you that I am not balling.

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    bulleit was a revelation for me for the price,will always keep a bottle
    woodford has a great nose but i find it too sweet
    rye and ginger ale is always a good match

  • cookbookcookbook 783 Posts
    thursdayalley said:
    :goat:

    i have tasted the 23 year, fucking incredible.

    a friend of mine married into the van winkle family a few years ago... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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