Favorite Bourbon
- Thread starter onepixel
- Start date
I'm finding out that it's not hard to please me with bourbon once we get up into the $30 and over bracket. Most of it is very drinkable. I'm far more interested in finding out what I like at the $20, 15, and $10 price points.
Winters... Are the prices you use for a 3/4 Liter or 1 3/4 liter?
Finished off my bottle of Willett that I had bought on my brother's recommendation. It grew on me & I found that I preferred it neat. The bottle met it's end while I was preparing dinner on Saturday night, no driving was involved. A bottle of Eagle Rare now occupies that slot in the liquor cabinet.
750ml.
Trying to find drinkable handles of bourbon at the $15 price point might be out of the question.
Eywadude
Lunatic Member
Don't care. It's fantastic stuff. The fact that it is this good certainly does NOT make it "easy to do", no matter if you are a mass market or a small craft distiller. You need to have knowhow and topnotch casks and ingredients to craft a bourbon of this quality. Write it off to your own peril.
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So... I had checked with my Weller store. Weller 12 would be available on Black Friday. They open at 9:00. I had talked to them several times about that.
Yesterday, there are never more than 3 cars in the parking lot, and there were only 3 spaces at 8:55. I go in, it turns out they opened an hour early (I wonder why they didn't tell me that) and there were 150 people in line to buy, you guessed it, all the Weller 12. I may never get another bottle.
Yesterday, there are never more than 3 cars in the parking lot, and there were only 3 spaces at 8:55. I go in, it turns out they opened an hour early (I wonder why they didn't tell me that) and there were 150 people in line to buy, you guessed it, all the Weller 12. I may never get another bottle.
Eywadude
Lunatic Member
I am well aware that Buffalo Trace is a huge enterprise. That wasn't my point at all. My point is that I don't care if a producer is as big as Buffalo Trace/Rock Hill or as small as a new upstart micro distillery, you still have to have the goods to produce a bourbon of that quality, and IMHO Rock Hill Farms has the goods. The fact that Buffalo Trace may or may not "take one or two barrels they choose and put it in a new label" does not mean that they don't know how to make a very fine bourbon. Implying as much is not based in merit or reality. To be completely honest, even if they do choose from their stock and "relabel" it, as long as they can make such an exceptional bourbon of the level that Rock Hill is, that is all that matters to me. Just because Buffalo Trace is a mega-producer does not exclude them from my consideration. If they can make a fantastic bourbon with a range and depth of complexity such as Rock Hill I don't care where it comes from, and therefor is worthy of my consideration. I am more interested in the quality of the bourbon, regardless of who it comes from or the size of the maker. For me, it's about the flavor experience from the bourbon on the inside of the bottle, not the label on the outside.
With that said, I also have enjoyed many other bourbons from smaller independent distilleries, but it just so happens that the best bourbon I have had to date was a Buffalo Trace product. Sorry to offend. 
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I got ahold of some VOB 100 proof, and much to my surprise, I don't like it all that much. The 86 proof is fantastic, the 90 even better, but the 100 is just straight gasoline to me. And I regularly enjoy high proof bourbons. Maybe I just got a bad bottle.
finnbow
The Dude Abides
I concur fully. I continue to try all sorts of different Bourbons and I continue to prefer Buffalo Trace to any number of higher priced Bourbons.
I'm finishing up a bottle of Old Grand-Dad Bonded at the moment.
It's decent high-rye for a pour or a mix, but, at 100 proof, requires a little splash of water or some melted ice. Since it's $21 locally, I'm looking for something cheaper that fits the bill. Regular 80 proof OGD is still $19, IIRC, and hardly seems worth it when the price is so close to Bonded.
OGDB beats out my previous $20 reference bottle, Four Roses yellow label.
Tried Old Forester at the bar the other night, and I'm glad I didn't commit to a bottle. A bit too sweet and mellow for my tastes.
Next bottle buys will probably pit Jim Beam black label against Evan Williams black label in the battle of the cheap-o. Wouldn't mind seeing how Jim Beam white label stacks up against OGD and OGDB, as I believe it's a little cheaper.
Very Old Barton and Fighting Cock are high up on my list of bourbons to try, but unobtainium until the next time I get across the river to Kentucky.
It's decent high-rye for a pour or a mix, but, at 100 proof, requires a little splash of water or some melted ice. Since it's $21 locally, I'm looking for something cheaper that fits the bill. Regular 80 proof OGD is still $19, IIRC, and hardly seems worth it when the price is so close to Bonded.
OGDB beats out my previous $20 reference bottle, Four Roses yellow label.
Tried Old Forester at the bar the other night, and I'm glad I didn't commit to a bottle. A bit too sweet and mellow for my tastes.
Next bottle buys will probably pit Jim Beam black label against Evan Williams black label in the battle of the cheap-o. Wouldn't mind seeing how Jim Beam white label stacks up against OGD and OGDB, as I believe it's a little cheaper.
Very Old Barton and Fighting Cock are high up on my list of bourbons to try, but unobtainium until the next time I get across the river to Kentucky.
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swamppirate
Lunatic Member
Picked up some Elmer T Lee. Hard to find, as well as some of Jefferson's Ocean. Hey it's Christmas!
MaxxVolume
Lunatic Member
About 3 fingers of Woodford Reserve, with a few chips of ice. Haven`t touched this bottle in several months, almost forgot how good it is....
I have a new daily pour. Bourboner sent out a list of "Wheated Bourbons" recently and I bought a bottle of Old Forrester. It is good and only $8 more than Very old Barton.
Don't have a favorite yet since I am just learning. I was turned on to Jefferson"s Ocean Aged which was really nice. When I went to get a bottle, they were out so I got the Reserve.
Just the other night, the wife and I went to a newly opened Whiskey Bar nearby to get an education and sample.
We ended up trying a flight of the lower tier pours, $9 and under so $11 for 3 1/2 shots.
We decided to go with a Bourbon, a Rye, and a Scotch
Bookers 126 was the Bourbon, very good but strong.
The Rye was Knob Creek, but I plan to buy some Whistle Pig
For the Scotch, which I had never tried, we went with Ardbeg 10 which was really interesting and smokey, which is a flavor I love (Lapsang Tea)
So it looks like we have found yet another High End hobby of trying them all.
Just the other night, the wife and I went to a newly opened Whiskey Bar nearby to get an education and sample.
We ended up trying a flight of the lower tier pours, $9 and under so $11 for 3 1/2 shots.
We decided to go with a Bourbon, a Rye, and a Scotch
Bookers 126 was the Bourbon, very good but strong.
The Rye was Knob Creek, but I plan to buy some Whistle Pig
For the Scotch, which I had never tried, we went with Ardbeg 10 which was really interesting and smokey, which is a flavor I love (Lapsang Tea)
So it looks like we have found yet another High End hobby of trying them all.
Ha! I remember puking to my dad's bottle of Old Forester when I was about 15 or 16.
Taught me moderation. Good times!
