Favorite Bourbon

[stuartk]

I've seen the "fresh mountain spring water" that Coors is made of. It looks great until it gets through the town of Golden on the way to the factory. I wouldn't necessarily want to drink from the source. :yuck:

Incidentally, Coors is actually the world's largest single-site brewer. But I believe it is bottled in several other parts of the country.

Coors beer was evidently fairly unique because it wasn't pasteurized. They cold-filtered it instead to remove the yeast and avoid fermentation after it was bottled.

That requires very fine filters, so they started making their own ceramic filters. That lead to Coors Ceramics, which now makes all kinds of things with ceramics and generates a profit.

I have some Coors Ceramics bench hones that work extremely well and weren't expensive. I use them to sharpen knives and other tools.

Spyderco, another company in Golden, CO, sells knife sharpening systems that use Coors Ceramic hones. (I don't know if there is any other relationship between the two companies, other than being in the same city.)

http://spyderco.com/catalog/list.php?genre=sharpener

The bench stones they show on that page are the same as the ones I have, although I didn't get mine from Spyderco.

I have the medium and the ultra fine. I feel the ultra fine is the most useful of the two. It's about as fine as the best Black Hard Arkansas stones.

Just to make this more on-topic, I do use these hones for kitchen knives too.

 

[john_w]

stuartk - thanks for the interesting info. I knew about the cold filtering from the brewery tour I took a while back. I don't recall anything about the ceramic filters, but that doesn't mean they didn't discuss it - just that my memory (and sometimes attentiveness) sucks.

A guy I know who used to work at the brewery was talking about starting his own ceramic knife sharpener business. I have a few samples at home that he was using for prototyping. I bet he was using old, spent filter material that the brewery had tossed! Or perhaps new ceramic that was flawed in some way. Either way, something that won't work as a filter might still be perfectly good as a sharpener.

Back on topic, I need to find time to work that last bottle of Makers down towards the bottom, then pick up something else in this thread to compare it with! Like maybe the Virginia Gentleman Premium stuff I saw on that link. :scratch2:

Edit - Incidentally, the above link was just blocked by our Internet Gestapo here at work :sigh:

 

[stuartk]

stuartk - thanks for the interesting info. I knew about the cold filtering from the brewery tour I took a while back. I don't recall anything about the ceramic filters, but that doesn't mean they didn't discuss it - just that my memory (and sometimes attentiveness) sucks.

A guy I know who used to work at the brewery was talking about starting his own ceramic knife sharpener business. I have a few samples at home that he was using for prototyping. I bet he was using old, spent filter material that the brewery had tossed! Or perhaps new ceramic that was flawed in some way. Either way, something that won't work as a filter might still be perfectly good as a sharpener.

The problem with most ceramic hones is that they're not going to be coarse enough. You need something really coarse to remove metal and raise a burr. Once you've got a burr on both sides, you know you've actually reached the edge. (You can hone until you grow old and do nothing more than thin the blade itself. It's only when you raise a burr that you're actually working on the edge itself.) The next step is to use a very fine stone and remove the burr and polish the edge.

For kitchen knives, I usually start with one of those Chef's Choice electric sharpeners. They have diamond hones, are easy to use, and work quickly. Once I get my burr on both sides, I move to the really fine stone, and ceramic is perfect for that. I often use a set of "crock sticks" for this, since they're also really easy to use. (A bench hone is tricky for long knives, unless you have a really big hone and lots of room to work in. That can be hard to do on a countertop in the kitchen.)

 

[Grainger49]

Slow down there son, Virginia gentleman is distilled and bottled in Virginia, but not necessarily "made" there....The unfinished distillate for Virginia Gentleman is sourced from Buffalo Trace....which is in Kentucky.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Gentleman
Russellc

Ok, this is getting too kinky for even me! I read the official VG web site and they say the "law" is a myth. They say, "There are no current distillers of bourbon whiskey anywhere except in Kentucky. Except one. And that would be the A. Smith Bowman distillery in lovely Fredericksburg, Virginia. Which is where we are visiting today, along with our friends Mike Veach, Chris Sigmon, and Howie Stoops."

But who can trust the internet to be the truth? (Where is that tongue in cheek smiley face I need?)

 

[stuartk]

Ok, this is getting too kinky for even me! I read the official VG web site and they say the "law" is a myth. They say, "There are no current distillers of bourbon whiskey anywhere except in Kentucky. Except one. And that would be the A. Smith Bowman distillery in lovely Fredericksburg, Virginia. Which is where we are visiting today, along with our friends Mike Veach, Chris Sigmon, and Howie Stoops."

But who can trust the internet to be the truth? (Where is that tongue in cheek smiley face I need?)

I think what we can learn from all this is that, no matter what it is called or where it is made (or partly made), what is important is whether it tastes good or not.

I don't care whether it's Kentucky Bourbon or New Jersey Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey, I drink it because I like the way it tastes. If I don't like it, it doesn't matter if it is totally from Kentucky even down to the sand for the glass bottles - it's still no good.

I will still call all of it Bourbon, because that's the word that best covers a distilled product made from corn with a sour mash and then aged in charred oak barrels. (You could probably add in that it's made with hard water.) Fair enough? :thmbsp:

 

[onepixel]

New Jersey Bourbon?!

I dunno...I like the sound of Kentucky.

 

[KeninDC]

And that would be the A. Smith Bowman distillery in lovely Fredericksburg, Virginia. Which is where we are visiting today, along with our friends Mike Veach, Chris Sigmon, and Howie Stoops."

Bowman used to work out of Vienna, Virginia too. I used to see the old tanks when biking the W&OD trail.

I picked up a bottle of Virginia Gentleman "small batch." Great price and sweet, smooth taste. I always cook with the regular gent, so I figured I'd try the small batch. Tastes better than its price.

 

[john_w]

New Jersey Bourbon?!

I dunno...I like the sound of Kentucky.

I agree. It sounds like the salsa commercial..."That's the guy who gets his licker from New York City!"

As long as it's from some place South of Ohio, it sounds right for any kind of whiskey to me.

 

[john_w]

The problem with most ceramic hones is that they're not going to be coarse enough. You need something really coarse to remove metal and raise a burr. Once you've got a burr on both sides, you know you've actually reached the edge. (You can hone until you grow old and do nothing more than thin the blade itself. It's only when you raise a burr that you're actually working on the edge itself.) The next step is to use a very fine stone and remove the burr and polish the edge.

For kitchen knives, I usually start with one of those Chef's Choice electric sharpeners. They have diamond hones, are easy to use, and work quickly. Once I get my burr on both sides, I move to the really fine stone, and ceramic is perfect for that. I often use a set of "crock sticks" for this, since they're also really easy to use. (A bench hone is tricky for long knives, unless you have a really big hone and lots of room to work in. That can be hard to do on a countertop in the kitchen.)

The prototype ones have a rough edge and a smooth edge. But you may be right - I've used some that just don't work the metal down very fast at all on the "rough" edge. I haven't really tried the prototypes yet.

 

[B3Nut]

I know some cringe at mixin' bourbon and whatnot, but I love a good bourbon and coke, especially with Makers Mark. I like that better than Beam and Coke, and that's a good drink too. Knob Creek is verrrry good on ice or neat, though. But a good bourbon & Coke is one of my favorite relaxin' drinks...heavenly stuff!

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

 

[marantzfan]

Much bigger scotch fan than bourbon...but for an everyday affordable bourbon, I like Bulleit Bourbon..

 

[stuartk]

I know some cringe at mixin' bourbon and whatnot, but I love a good bourbon and coke, especially with Makers Mark. I like that better than Beam and Coke, and that's a good drink too. Knob Creek is verrrry good on ice or neat, though. But a good bourbon & Coke is one of my favorite relaxin' drinks...heavenly stuff!

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

Yep, those are good.

I also like the way Manhattans taste. (Bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters.)

 

[Tapehead47]

this post is so full of great information! I've gotta try some of those local bourbons from Va, etc. that I never heard of.
I started with Jack about 25 years ago and it was my 'standard'. Both the black and the green were good. Seems they've changed over the years and I don't enjoy them at all. I like the single barrel and gentleman jack. It seems to me that Gentleman Jack tastes like what Jack Black used to taste like.

I tried Coors back in Calif in the early 70's. I liked that kind of beer back then and Coors was excellent. But they only shipped in refrigerated trucks. Since Coors became nation-wide it's taste has been degraded thru sitting in warehouses. Like Jack, it's just not what it used to be.

I prefer a Bourbon on ice with a splash of soda and a little ginger ale (Pres.).
Coke is good, but it's just too sweet.

Rick

 

[Tedrick]

Not much of a bourbon drinker (I prefer Bombay gin), but when I do I like Knob Creek.

 

[Tapehead47]

Ooooo. Gin, baaaad! Vodka, Gooooood!

Bourbon....tasty!

Rick

 

[stuartk]

this post is so full of great information! I've gotta try some of those local bourbons from Va, etc. that I never heard of.
I started with Jack about 25 years ago and it was my 'standard'. Both the black and the green were good. Seems they've changed over the years and I don't enjoy them at all. I like the single barrel and gentleman jack. It seems to me that Gentleman Jack tastes like what Jack Black used to taste like.

Yep, lots of new things out there to try.

I tried Coors back in Calif in the early 70's. I liked that kind of beer back then and Coors was excellent. But they only shipped in refrigerated trucks. Since Coors became nation-wide it's taste has been degraded thru sitting in warehouses. Like Jack, it's just not what it used to be.

Back when I was a kid, we used to go camping all around the US and Canada. My Dad was a teacher, so he had summers off and we could go for 6-8 weeks.

We went out to the Northwest several times (Yellowstone, Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Olympia, the Grand Tetons, etc.) and as a special treat I got to drink a little bit of Coors. I even still have an un-opened 3-panel pop-top can of Coors that's now around 35 years old.

I prefer a Bourbon on ice with a splash of soda and a little ginger ale (Pres.).
Coke is good, but it's just too sweet.
Rick

The Coke of today is not as good as the Coke when I was growing up. They pulled that New Coke / Classic Coke scam to hide the fact that they switched from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup. So now Coke has that same cloying overly sweet taste that Pepsi does.

One of my in-laws works for Coke in Venezuela. I had tried some Coke there and it tasted really good - like Coke used to here in the US. I asked her about it and she said that Venezuela never switched away from cane sugar. They're a sugar producing country and they also don't produce huge amounts of cheap corn like the US. Cane sugar is cheaper than corn syrup would be, so they didn't have any need to switch. (I suspect that you also need a major industrial infrastructure to produce things like corn syrup, and Venezuela hasn't had any monetary incentive to do so, unlike in the US where we put an embargo on Cuban sugar and our sugar prices sky-rocketed.)

You can also get Cuban rum in Venezuela. So, I would sit around in the evening and drink real Cuba Libre's, with Havana Club rum, real Coke, and fresh-cut limes (limons) from the tree in the yard. Yum!

What kind of ginger ale is "Pres?" I only know of two kinds. The real one, Vernors, and then Canada Dry, which is good for mixed drinks.

 

[Russellc]

Ok, this is getting too kinky for even me! I read the official VG web site and they say the "law" is a myth. They say, "There are no current distillers of bourbon whiskey anywhere except in Kentucky. Except one. And that would be the A. Smith Bowman distillery in lovely Fredericksburg, Virginia. Which is where we are visiting today, along with our friends Mike Veach, Chris Sigmon, and Howie Stoops."

But who can trust the internet to be the truth? (Where is that tongue in cheek smiley face I need?)

Tis true, legally, bourbon can be made anywhere as long as the rest of the requirements are met.....it just doesnt happen much of anywhere else besides kentucky, as that where it historically happened, ( real hardcore require bourbon county as well) so thats where it still does. Those that distill in virginia and most other places still get there unfinished distillate from various distilleries in the good 'ole commonwealth.

russellc

 

[Russellc]

Yep, lots of new things out there to try.



Back when I was a kid, we used to go camping all around the US and Canada. My Dad was a teacher, so he had summers off and we could go for 6-8 weeks.

We went out to the Northwest several times (Yellowstone, Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Olympia, the Grand Tetons, etc.) and as a special treat I got to drink a little bit of Coors. I even still have an un-opened 3-panel pop-top can of Coors that's now around 35 years old.



The Coke of today is not as good as the Coke when I was growing up. They pulled that New Coke / Classic Coke scam to hide the fact that they switched from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup. So now Coke has that same cloying overly sweet taste that Pepsi does.

One of my in-laws works for Coke in Venezuela. I had tried some Coke there and it tasted really good - like Coke used to here in the US. I asked her about it and she said that Venezuela never switched away from cane sugar. They're a sugar producing country and they also don't produce huge amounts of cheap corn like the US. Cane sugar is cheaper than corn syrup would be, so they didn't have any need to switch. (I suspect that you also need a major industrial infrastructure to produce things like corn syrup, and Venezuela hasn't had any monetary incentive to do so, unlike in the US where we put an embargo on Cuban sugar and our sugar prices sky-rocketed.)

You can also get Cuban rum in Venezuela. So, I would sit around in the evening and drink real Cuba Libre's, with Havana Club rum, real Coke, and fresh-cut limes (limons) from the tree in the yard. Yum!

What kind of ginger ale is "Pres?" I only know of two kinds. The real one, Vernors, and then Canada Dry, which is good for mixed drinks.

You are correct on the coke thing....as a kid I always remember the little small bottles, about 8 oz or so, were always the best I thought at the time.
Except for a little ginger ale, I havent had a drink of pop in over 2 years!

Russellc

 

[Russellc]

RE: coors beer

I can remeber in the 70's, before it was available in Missouri, Illinois and several other states, we would make pilgages to Colorado, collecting money from everyone we knew, and bring the stuff back, and drink it like it was nectar or something. Then it became available everywhere, and I suddenly realized it tasted like crap.

Russellc

 

[john_w]

I've never disliked Coors. Most around here in CO seem to prefer Bud, believe it or not, when it comes to cheap beer. I seem to recall that they use a regionally grown hops that's very mild and tastes more like some kind of herb (which it is, of course) than, well...hops. I do like it when I can get it fresh. The stuff you get on the factory tour is as fresh as you can possibly find it!

When I first came out here, I was kind of disoriented by the fact that the local Subway sandwich place didn't have any Vernors in their drink selection! And nobody behind the counter even knew what it was! That's when I knew that I (literally) wasn't in Kansas anymore! (Much less Michigan.)

Back on topic...I have been known to defile bourbon with 7-Up or Sprite on occasion. At home I usually just take it straight. Never cared for caffeinated drinks mixed with liquor. Too much contradiction there...