# Bourbon Group - Jump in!



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 26, 2019)

Hey all, nothing goes together like gear and alcohol, so thought i would start this thread.

What are your favorites bourbons? Why?

Big fan of EH Taylor myself, Weller Special Reserve is a great semi-daily for me.


With as many old guys as myself on here I figured we could definitely kick off a good convo about bourbon in general.  LFG!!


----------



## Rhino99 (Oct 26, 2019)

I've only 8 or 10 under my belt, but I just started bourbon or whiskey a year ago.
So far the best I've had is elijah craig small batch.


----------



## Trump (Oct 26, 2019)

Gin is what real men drink


----------



## Gibsonator (Oct 26, 2019)

Trump said:


> Gin is what real men drink




the rock drinks tequila, just sayin....


----------



## DNW (Oct 26, 2019)

Gibsonator said:


> the rock drinks tequila, just sayin....



My drink of choice as well. Don julio anejo


----------



## Trump (Oct 26, 2019)

Don Julio is my favourite tequila, drank buckets of it in cancun 



DNW said:


> My drink of choice as well. Don julio anejo


----------



## stonetag (Oct 26, 2019)

Tequila man here also...mostly. Don Julio is great, Hornitos good also. Since this is a bourbon thread though, I do like just the basic Jack D.


----------



## NbleSavage (Oct 26, 2019)

I like a sip of bourbon. Basil Haydens & Woodford Reserve are my "top shelf" (meaning its about what I'm willing to spend on a bottle).


----------



## Rhino99 (Oct 26, 2019)

Basil Haydens is a good / great beginner bourbon and is what I started with


----------



## NbleSavage (Oct 26, 2019)

Yea, I'm not a connoisseur by any stretch but I'm fascinated by those who are. Some of my Bosses are bourbon guys and have the money to support it.

What's yer own thoughts on top o' the line choices?


----------



## BrotherJ (Oct 26, 2019)

I'm not a connoisseur on it either - typically the most money I will spend will be on Bulleit, Elijah Craig or Woodford Reserve. Lately, I have been getting into tequila and am visiting Mexico next week. Excited to "sample" some of the local flavor


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 26, 2019)

NbleSavage said:


> Yea, I'm not a connoisseur by any stretch but I'm fascinated by those who are. Some of my Bosses are bourbon guys and have the money to support it.
> 
> What's yer own thoughts on top o' the line choices?


Really there isn't a lot of difference sometimes in the flavor profile of specific lower priced bourbons vs. the really expensive stuff.  Also, bourbon is popular enough that some bottles are allocated.....which just means very ****in hard to find.  

For me on bottles that are generally available everyday:
Elijah Craig
Weller Special Reserve

Harder to find but still affordable <$50(retail):
EH Taylor Small Batch
Michter's Small Batch
Michter's Rye (a personal favorite)
Smooth Ambler Contradiction
Weller Full Proof (almost a unicorn)
Weller 12
Weller Antique
Stagg Jr.

Expensive Bourbons I've tasted that were great:
Any of the Pappy's 
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
EH Taylor Single Barrel
EH Taylor Barrel Proof
Blanton's Gold


----------



## Rhino99 (Oct 26, 2019)

NbleSavage said:


> Yea, I'm not a connoisseur by any stretch but I'm fascinated by those who are. Some of my Bosses are bourbon guys and have the money to support it.
> 
> What's yer own thoughts on top o' the line choices?



Im no expert either, just saying it was a great beginner bourbon. I tried 3 or 4 before that one and didnt like. I stuck with Basil for a few months and since then have had maybe 10 different ones and the latest I really like is elijah craig small batch, but thats in my limited experience im sure there are others that know far more than I do at this point.


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 26, 2019)

Rhino99 said:


> Im no expert either, just saying it was a great beginner bourbon. I tried 3 or 4 before that one and didnt like. I stuck with Basil for a few months and since then have had maybe 10 different ones and the latest I really like is elijah craig small batch, but thats in my limited experience im sure there are others that know far more than I do at this point.


ECSB is a fantastic value at $24 or so for a fifth of quality bourbon.  Good choice.


----------



## Utm18 (Oct 27, 2019)

Woodford reserve


----------



## bigdog (Oct 27, 2019)

I like bourbon made locally at a place here in new Orleans.  I mix up my days and do crown royal apple or peach, some tequila days and I love high end vodkas too from time to time.  Just depends on mood I guess.


----------



## Rhino99 (Oct 27, 2019)

Went camping last weekend - a week prior I infused a batch of Tito's with apples and cinnamon sticks. Let it sit for a week and when drinking someone commented it was like 'fall in a bottle'.
It was pretty fkin good


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 27, 2019)

Rhino99 said:


> Went camping last weekend - a week prior I infused a batch of Tito's with apples and cinnamon sticks. Let it sit for a week and when drinking someone commented it was like 'fall in a bottle'.
> It was pretty fkin good


Very Nice.  

Had a glass of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B519 batch last night, excellent pour.  

Wasn't really in the mood to drink, only had one and done.  I do have a shipment of EH Taylor Small Batch and Single Barrel coming in next week, will be glad to see those show up.


----------



## BigSwolePump (Oct 27, 2019)

WoodFord Reserve to sip and Jack Daniels to mix. I still have a pint of Crown Royal thats been sitting in my liquor cabinet for at least a year now though.


----------



## Rhino99 (Oct 28, 2019)

Been a tough day. Actually been a tough year and not getting any easier.
I was pushed over the edge today when a client who hasn't paid a 250.00 bill since april because he thinks is too much called me today to give an estimate on doing some work at the brand new weekend house he just bought for 1.7 M.

I just poured myself a glass of Four Roses.


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 28, 2019)

Rhino99 said:


> Been a tough day. Actually been a tough year and not getting any easier.
> I was pushed over the edge today when a client who hasn't paid a 250.00 bill since april because he thinks is too much called me today to give an estimate on doing some work at the brand new weekend house he just bought for 1.7 M.
> 
> I just poured myself a glass of Four Roses.


Been there brother.  Had a glass of Weller Special Reserve last night, highly enjoyed.


----------



## Beserker (Oct 28, 2019)

Not much of a drinker these days... but I keep a quart of Virginia’s finest 180proof handy, made in Franklin county usually.. though a good ol’ boy moved to the city recently and distills there.  2 shots and done.


----------



## BigGameHunter (Oct 29, 2019)

I like these
Jack
Jim
Makers Mark (smooth)
Crown when I’m showing off

...when I’m not drinking tequila


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 29, 2019)

BigGameHunter said:


> I like these
> Jack
> Jim
> Makers Mark (smooth)
> ...


BGH I would bet you a bottle you would like Elijah Craig or Weller's enough that you wouldn't go back to Jack or Jim.

If you pick one up and hate it I'll send you the $24 for it!


----------



## stonetag (Oct 29, 2019)

BrotherJ said:


> I'm not a connoisseur on it either - typically the most money I will spend will be on Bulleit, Elijah Craig or Woodford Reserve. Lately, I have been getting into tequila and am visiting Mexico next week. Excited to "sample" some of the local flavor


 I suggest finding a market, then a tequila booth with everything from blanco to heavy anejo, and everything in between. You can walk away nicely buzzed from the sampling, and with a bottle of some seriously choice tequila at a reasonable price.


----------



## BigGameHunter (Oct 29, 2019)

HollyWoodCole said:


> BGH I would bet you a bottle you would like Elijah Craig or Weller's enough that you wouldn't go back to Jack or Jim.
> 
> If you pick one up and hate it I'll send you the $24 for it!



Deal. What about my ice and Dr Pepper?


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 29, 2019)

BigGameHunter said:


> Deal. What about my ice and Dr Pepper?


Ice is fine, no mixers!!


----------



## German89 (Oct 29, 2019)

Trump said:


> Gin is what real men drink



I dont mind a drink of pine during the holidays


----------



## Jin (Oct 29, 2019)

German89 said:


> I dont mind a drink of pine during the holidays



Start a banana schnapps thread..... weirdo.


----------



## HollyWoodCole (Oct 29, 2019)

Picked up a bottle of Weller 12 today, quite the stroke of luck at under $35.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/...+straight+wheated+bourbon+whisky+kentucky+usa

Nose: Not as sweet as Old Weller Antique 107 (OWA), with more caramel and less vanilla. More dark fruits, like cherry but also blackberry. Not quite as creamy, but it does have more wood spice and some definite leather now (which I like). These presumably reflect its extended time in contact with the oak.  I’m not getting any solvent notes – that extra time in the barrel must also have helped those blow off.


Palate: Caramel of course, but more refined than the OWA (with less ethanol burn, naturally). Strong fruit presence coming through, along with wood spices and baking spices, plus a bit of pepper. Seems less like a dessert whisky now, with a richer range of woody flavours.  A bit drying as well. Weller 12 definitely tastes its age – a sipper to ponder over.


Finish: Medium-Long. First up are the wood spices, then returning to the caramel, and finally the different fruit flavours (like above, but I’m also getting some pear now). These seem to come and go with time, often returning to the caramel backbone. Dryer than I would have expected (i.e., more astringent).


weller-12Definitely a more complex whisky than the Old Weller Antique 107. The Weller 12 is more drying than I expected, and with less sweetness than typical for a wheater.  It is also a lot more oaky (as expected).


W.L. Weller 12 seems like a whisky for slow contemplation, compared to the instant gratification of the higher proof and younger OWA. I recommend you try the Weller 12 neat, and take your time to let it open up in the glass. Assuming you can still find it at a reasonable price somewhere, that is.


----------

