St. Louis Bob
Footballguy
I just poured a tall one. It has been a long, long, day.
So apparently, Easter caused a run on bourbon. Who woulda thunk it? No Blanton's, no Woodford in stock. So...I added to the plan. New ranking:1) Buffalo TraceKeep this up. It's interesting. The stuff you're drinking here is right in my wheelhouse as far as price range goes, so I'm curious to see what you think about them.Bought a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon to keep in the house in case we get snowed in...and then it started snowing, so I opened it. It's definitely different than the other two (Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace). More "grassy". So I did a little research, and I'm guessing it's because of the higher rye content. I don't like it as much as the other two, but it's still enjoyable.
Thus far:
1) Buffalo Trace
2) Eagle Rare
3) Bulleit
Planned order of purchase from here on out...Blanton's, Woodford Reserve, Basil Hayden, and then Booker's.
above from WikipediaStranahan's Colorado Whiskey is a 94 proof, small-batch whiskey distilled in Denver, Colorado, 200 S Kalamath St Denver Co. Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is the first microdistillery making whiskey in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains as well as one of the first in the country. Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is the first of a new category known as "Rocky Mountain Straight Whiskey"The whiskey is made from a unique four-barley fermented wash that consists of carbon filtered Rocky Mountain water and western barley that is grown in the Northern Rockies. The wash is distilled in a Vendome Copper custom-made combination Pot / Column still and then aged in 50 gallon heavily charred (#4 char), American white oak whiskey barrels made by World Cooperage in Lebeanon MO. The barrels age for between 2 and 5 years in a humidified, climate controlled environment. 10-12 barrels are combined to make each batch consisting of 2500-3000 bottles. Each bottle is filled by hand and each label is hand written identifying the distiller, batch number, the youngest barrel in the batch and a unique comment.Stranahan's is named after minority owner, educator and activist George Stranahan, who also owns the Flying Dog Brewery formerly of Denver, currently located in Maryland. [1] Jess Graber, retired firefighter, is the majority partner and founder of the company. Head distiller and production manager Jake Norris is also a part owner and founder of the company.Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey won the Gold medal in the malt whiskey division of the 2008 American Distillers Institute in Louisville KY. as well as the over all Best of Show. Other awards include Westword's Best of Denver 2008 and 2009, The Malt Advocate Magazines Pioneer of the year 2008, Jim Murray's 2008 Whiskey Bible named SCW The Best Small Batch Distilled Whiskey in the World.
old crow is good.There is a new Old Crow out now! It is called "Old Crow Reserve" and it sounds fabulous!!Per Beam Global:old crow, it do ya goodOld Crow Reserve is an 86 proof, four-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It’s set aside in the barrelhouse for a little bit longer than our original Old Crow® Bourbon - which is aged 3 years and bottled at 80 proof. The suggested retail price for Crow Reserve is only $10-$12. We’ve seen lots of growth within the Standard Bourbon segment and Old Crow will stand out as a great value brand.
I'm going to Kentucky for a conference next month and touring the Buffalo Trace, Four Roses and Wild Turkey distilleries. I'm way excited.TATANKA!
Personal update:
1) Buffalo Trace
2) Maker's Mark
3) Eagle Rare
4) Woodford Reserve - Finished last week. For whatever reason, I didn't like the texture as much as the others. Not quite sure how to explain it.
5) Bulleit
I think I have to give Woodford another shot. Last time I tried it had a vanilla taste that I couldn't get over. Did I just have a bad bottle? It's been a while and I've heard nothing but good things so I think this is worth another round. For my money, I likeHi. I'm an idiot.
1) Woodford Reserve
2) Buffalo Trace
3) Maker's Mark
4) Eagle Rare
5) Ridgemont Reserve - This was perviously labeled "Woodford Reserve", because I'm apparently too stupid to read a bottle and then transfer that to a keyboard.
6) Bulleit
The Woodford is just....fantastic. Similar to the Buffalo, but smoother on the palate...nice even taste from start to finish. Goodness.
Tried this at a bar a few weeks ago. Tasted really similar to Captain Morgan Black if you've ever had that. Not whisky by any means, but interesting. Kind of a spiced flavor.
Our lists are pretty similar - I'd be curious about your opinion on Eagle Rare.Who's touring Woodford tomorrow? This guy.Went to the Wild Turkey distillery on Monday, and damn, that's an impressive operation. They have 475,000 barrels of bourbon on site being aged from 6-12 years at any time. We also met Jimmy, the head taster, who's been working at the distillery for 56 years. Rare Breed was definitely the best of their offerings.Saw a presentation from the guy that owns Maker's Mark today. He's also an aerospace engineer and a lawyer. He went into the family distilling business after a rocket he designed took off, turned a 180 and exploded into the building where his company was housed. I also had the opportunity to liberally sample their stuff.I've also had Buffalo Trace and Four Roses since I got here on Sunday. Based on my experience solely in Kentucky to date, I'd rate them:Buffalo TraceMaker's MarkWild Turkey Rare BreedFour RosesEverything else Wild Turkey makes
Eagle Rare is absolutley the best taste to price ratio in the entire whiskey field. I keep thinking that they'll figure out their mistake and jack up the price by $10 a bottle one day and it will make me sad.Our lists are pretty similar - I'd be curious about your opinion on Eagle Rare.Who's touring Woodford tomorrow? This guy.Went to the Wild Turkey distillery on Monday, and damn, that's an impressive operation. They have 475,000 barrels of bourbon on site being aged from 6-12 years at any time. We also met Jimmy, the head taster, who's been working at the distillery for 56 years. Rare Breed was definitely the best of their offerings.Saw a presentation from the guy that owns Maker's Mark today. He's also an aerospace engineer and a lawyer. He went into the family distilling business after a rocket he designed took off, turned a 180 and exploded into the building where his company was housed. I also had the opportunity to liberally sample their stuff.I've also had Buffalo Trace and Four Roses since I got here on Sunday. Based on my experience solely in Kentucky to date, I'd rate them:Buffalo TraceMaker's MarkWild Turkey Rare BreedFour RosesEverything else Wild Turkey makes
Ever been to Jack Daniels Distillery? I'm planning to stop by on a vacation trip to Gatlinburg. It's about 45 minutes out of the way, worth it? JD is my drink of choice by the way, I believe that matters.Who's touring Woodford tomorrow? This guy.Went to the Wild Turkey distillery on Monday, and damn, that's an impressive operation. They have 475,000 barrels of bourbon on site being aged from 6-12 years at any time. We also met Jimmy, the head taster, who's been working at the distillery for 56 years. Rare Breed was definitely the best of their offerings.Saw a presentation from the guy that owns Maker's Mark today. He's also an aerospace engineer and a lawyer. He went into the family distilling business after a rocket he designed took off, turned a 180 and exploded into the building where his company was housed. I also had the opportunity to liberally sample their stuff.I've also had Buffalo Trace and Four Roses since I got here on Sunday. Based on my experience solely in Kentucky to date, I'd rate them:Buffalo TraceMaker's MarkWild Turkey Rare BreedFour RosesEverything else Wild Turkey makes
I haven't. The only distilleries I ever toured were this week. I was also a little overzealous with Buffalo Trace last night, and I went to Woodford today. The tour was fantastic. Best distillery/winery/brewery tour I've done. They had three batches fermenting that we got to check out, and each were in a different stage which was very cool to see. We also got to check out the bottling operation since we were there on one of the 2-3 days a week that they bottle. And, I was the only person in the 20 person tour group that took a nip from the "straight out of the barrel sniff but don't touch" glass they gave us.Current top five bourbons I've consumed this week:Woodford ReserveMaker's MarkWild Turkey Rare BreedBuffalo TraceFour RosesEver been to Jack Daniels Distillery? I'm planning to stop by on a vacation trip to Gatlinburg. It's about 45 minutes out of the way, worth it? JD is my drink of choice by the way, I believe that matters.Who's touring Woodford tomorrow? This guy.Went to the Wild Turkey distillery on Monday, and damn, that's an impressive operation. They have 475,000 barrels of bourbon on site being aged from 6-12 years at any time. We also met Jimmy, the head taster, who's been working at the distillery for 56 years. Rare Breed was definitely the best of their offerings.Saw a presentation from the guy that owns Maker's Mark today. He's also an aerospace engineer and a lawyer. He went into the family distilling business after a rocket he designed took off, turned a 180 and exploded into the building where his company was housed. I also had the opportunity to liberally sample their stuff.I've also had Buffalo Trace and Four Roses since I got here on Sunday. Based on my experience solely in Kentucky to date, I'd rate them:Buffalo TraceMaker's MarkWild Turkey Rare BreedFour RosesEverything else Wild Turkey makes
<_< Blanton's is awesome. I was actually surprised to learn that it was a Buffalo Trace whiskey, since I don't like Buffalo Trace at all. But its a single barrel and made at a separate distillery that they own, so that may explain the huge difference.Blanton's is made by Buffalo Trace and is, IMO, the best bourbon you can buy. It is around $45 or so per bottle, but the taste is simply amazing. Definitely worth a try if you are out at a bar or willing to spend that much on a bottle.
This man speaks the truth. Stranahan's'Tis a pleasure to live in Colorado..........get this if you can...the nectar of the GODS!
above from WikipediaStranahan's Colorado Whiskey is a 94 proof, small-batch whiskey distilled in Denver, Colorado, 200 S Kalamath St Denver Co. Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is the first microdistillery making whiskey in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains as well as one of the first in the country. Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is the first of a new category known as "Rocky Mountain Straight Whiskey"The whiskey is made from a unique four-barley fermented wash that consists of carbon filtered Rocky Mountain water and western barley that is grown in the Northern Rockies. The wash is distilled in a Vendome Copper custom-made combination Pot / Column still and then aged in 50 gallon heavily charred (#4 char), American white oak whiskey barrels made by World Cooperage in Lebeanon MO. The barrels age for between 2 and 5 years in a humidified, climate controlled environment. 10-12 barrels are combined to make each batch consisting of 2500-3000 bottles. Each bottle is filled by hand and each label is hand written identifying the distiller, batch number, the youngest barrel in the batch and a unique comment.Stranahan's is named after minority owner, educator and activist George Stranahan, who also owns the Flying Dog Brewery formerly of Denver, currently located in Maryland. [1] Jess Graber, retired firefighter, is the majority partner and founder of the company. Head distiller and production manager Jake Norris is also a part owner and founder of the company.Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey won the Gold medal in the malt whiskey division of the 2008 American Distillers Institute in Louisville KY. as well as the over all Best of Show. Other awards include Westword's Best of Denver 2008 and 2009, The Malt Advocate Magazines Pioneer of the year 2008, Jim Murray's 2008 Whiskey Bible named SCW The Best Small Batch Distilled Whiskey in the World.
My wife got me this for my birthday. It is indeed very good. And very hard to stay away from except for "special" occasions. I generally stick to Irish Whiskeys, primarily Tullamore Dew which is smoother than most, I find. I find Jameson's a bit too overpowering for my tastes, but then again I've never tried the "18". The Red Breast previously mentioned is also a favorite, and of course i've enjoyed many a Bushmills. Even bought a special Bushmills 12 Year at the factory when I was over there in 96'.I used to drink Jack in my younger days but can't stomach it anymore - too many really bad hangovers from the stuff if you know what I mean. Starting to get into Bourbon and will hit up on some of the suggestions I've seen here...Tried this recently and it's probably ruined whiskey for me for a while.
Midleton Very Rare
There's no way I'm dropping $120 a bottle on the stuff and there's no way anything could taste as good.
i've pretty much never tried the irish whisys... how do you drink those? just over ice? with club soda? do you mix those with cola or 7 like some of the cheaper bourbons or candians?My wife got me this for my birthday. It is indeed very good. And very hard to stay away from except for "special" occasions. I generally stick to Irish Whiskeys, primarily Tullamore Dew which is smoother than most, I find. I find Jameson's a bit too overpowering for my tastes, but then again I've never tried the "18". The Red Breast previously mentioned is also a favorite, and of course i've enjoyed many a Bushmills. Even bought a special Bushmills 12 Year at the factory when I was over there in 96'.I used to drink Jack in my younger days but can't stomach it anymore - too many really bad hangovers from the stuff if you know what I mean. Starting to get into Bourbon and will hit up on some of the suggestions I've seen here...Tried this recently and it's probably ruined whiskey for me for a while.
Midleton Very Rare
There's no way I'm dropping $120 a bottle on the stuff and there's no way anything could taste as good.
great thread!
Yes, Forty Creek is better than Crown or CC as far as Canadian whiskey goes.I worked my last few years in college at a liquor store and I tried everything. Settled on Crown as my drink of choice and enjoyed it for the next 20 years. A little over a month ago I finally found a Canadian Whiskey I thought hands down beat Crown. Forty Creek Whiskey and it costs about the same as Crown. I drink it over ice and I never knew whiskey could taste this good and smooth.
but is forty creek better than the upgraded versions of crown and CC like CC Classic 12 or Crown ReserveYes, Forty Creek is better than Crown or CC as far as Canadian whiskey goes.I worked my last few years in college at a liquor store and I tried everything. Settled on Crown as my drink of choice and enjoyed it for the next 20 years. A little over a month ago I finally found a Canadian Whiskey I thought hands down beat Crown. Forty Creek Whiskey and it costs about the same as Crown. I drink it over ice and I never knew whiskey could taste this good and smooth.
I prefer them over ice. But you can drink them straight or with a splash of water. I wouldn't use them to mix things though. You'd just be wasting your money that way as there are cheaper options if you want to go that route.i've pretty much never tried the irish whisys... how do you drink those? just over ice? with club soda? do you mix those with cola or 7 like some of the cheaper bourbons or candians?My wife got me this for my birthday. It is indeed very good. And very hard to stay away from except for "special" occasions. I generally stick to Irish Whiskeys, primarily Tullamore Dew which is smoother than most, I find. I find Jameson's a bit too overpowering for my tastes, but then again I've never tried the "18". The Red Breast previously mentioned is also a favorite, and of course i've enjoyed many a Bushmills. Even bought a special Bushmills 12 Year at the factory when I was over there in 96'.I used to drink Jack in my younger days but can't stomach it anymore - too many really bad hangovers from the stuff if you know what I mean. Starting to get into Bourbon and will hit up on some of the suggestions I've seen here...Tried this recently and it's probably ruined whiskey for me for a while.
Midleton Very Rare
There's no way I'm dropping $120 a bottle on the stuff and there's no way anything could taste as good.
great thread!
Mixing (or dropping) a shot glass of Irish whiskey into a Guinness is wholly acceptable and encouraged. It's also tasty in coffee on Sunday mornings. So is a raw egg in the Guinness before the shot goes in. Breakfast and intoxicant plus caffeine all in two easy drinks!I prefer them over ice. But you can drink them straight or with a splash of water. I wouldn't use them to mix things though. You'd just be wasting your money that way as there are cheaper options if you want to go that route.i've pretty much never tried the irish whisys... how do you drink those? just over ice? with club soda? do you mix those with cola or 7 like some of the cheaper bourbons or candians?My wife got me this for my birthday. It is indeed very good. And very hard to stay away from except for "special" occasions. I generally stick to Irish Whiskeys, primarily Tullamore Dew which is smoother than most, I find. I find Jameson's a bit too overpowering for my tastes, but then again I've never tried the "18". The Red Breast previously mentioned is also a favorite, and of course i've enjoyed many a Bushmills. Even bought a special Bushmills 12 Year at the factory when I was over there in 96'.I used to drink Jack in my younger days but can't stomach it anymore - too many really bad hangovers from the stuff if you know what I mean. Starting to get into Bourbon and will hit up on some of the suggestions I've seen here...Tried this recently and it's probably ruined whiskey for me for a while.
Midleton Very Rare
There's no way I'm dropping $120 a bottle on the stuff and there's no way anything could taste as good.
great thread!
I really like BT. Just finished off my bottle today. I prefer the Bulleit "frontier whiskey" but BT is more affordable and tastier IMO than most of the $30ish Woodford's and Makers and such. There's a liquor store by me that has very, very good prices with BT going at $19 and Bulleit at $16. Price to taste ration for those two can't be beat for bourbon.Sipping on some Buffalo Trace. Not bad. I don't think I'll purchase it again for a while though as I'd like to try some other brands.
atm? is this what i think it means? how much did you have to pay a girl to let you do that?
Drinking Crown atm... $36 for a handle at the Duty free store in the Cancun airport
I rarely do anything more than a splash of water.Anyone else vary ice / no ice depending on brand. I'm a big Woodford, Bookers and Blanton fan with no ice (to me, can't stand them with ice). Yet, Basil Haydens, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and Bulleit taste below average without ice. And it's different than scotch, where a little cool water or melting ice can really bring out different flavor. The flavor change seems much more limited yet makes a big diffence to me (either better or worse). Woodford is my go to bourbon. The price point for me is perfect.
can i ask what age range you are in?I am 32 and I only have one friend of many who actually drinks any alcohol "straight" (he's a scotch guy). Over time many of my close friends have moved from cheap beer to good beer, foo-foo-ish drinks down to drinks like just bourbon or whiskey and cola or in some cases things like gin/vodka and just club soda.But no one drinks stuff "neat" or with a splash of water, or even "on the rocks"Is that something you "get to" later in life or what.I can't currently tolerate it and i've tried with what is perceived to be good alcohols.I'd just rather have a mixed drinkI rarely do anything more than a splash of water.Anyone else vary ice / no ice depending on brand. I'm a big Woodford, Bookers and Blanton fan with no ice (to me, can't stand them with ice). Yet, Basil Haydens, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and Bulleit taste below average without ice. And it's different than scotch, where a little cool water or melting ice can really bring out different flavor. The flavor change seems much more limited yet makes a big diffence to me (either better or worse). Woodford is my go to bourbon. The price point for me is perfect.
I am about the same age...A couple years ago, I was "on the rocks" all the time, then it progressed to "on the rocks... in the summer" and I'd just hit it with water in the winter. Now I usually hit the higher proof ones with water and drink the lower proof ones neat.For whatever it is worth, I have a hell of a time getting a drink the way I like it in a bar without it costing two arms and a leg.I am 32 and I only have one friend of many who actually drinks any alcohol "straight" (he's a scotch guy).