Maker's Mark undoubtedly ranks as the best, IMNSHO. It's interesting to me that they are the smallest Bourbon distillery in operation.

I would choose Wild Turkey as the worst.

Makers Mark, Woodford,Blantons,Hirsh, Pappy are all great

1 not mentioned is Old Weller (Red Label) smooth as a babys tush

I cant drink any of these but straight up, Ice or water or club soda only dilutes it IMO

Please don't confuse Jack Daniels with Bourbon. JD is Tennessee Whiskey.

Tell that to the FA's on American Airlines. :D

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

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Although not from Tennessee I put Jim Beam along side JD, and if if thats all there is Id rather have a Single Malt Scotch

I have added Buffalo Trace to my list. Priced like Knob Creek at around $25 for 750ml, it is smooth with notes of vanilla and spice. I would consider wearing it as an aftershave. :D So far, I've only come across one brand of bourbon (Wild Turkey) that I don't love. I noticed a high end Rebel Yell on the shelf but will save that for another day.

Buying some cheap whisk(e)y last week for a Tailgater, I picked out one of the favorites of my youth (back when the price of a bottle was a significant factor in choice, and Old Crow was the usual tipple), Evan Williams Green Label, the bottom of the line, a little more than $11 a liter.

Surprised, after using it for a Manhattan on a cool night, then with water the next evening, to find it a Hell of a lot better than expected, and certainly comparable to brands selling for considerably more. As with wine, price may be an indicator, but not always a good judgement factor.

I continue to rank Ancient Age among the brands I'd not knowingly consume. ....And although mixing Bourbon (or Tennessee whisky) with CocaCola is an offense somewhere between outright heresy and mopery in a public conveyance, I recall that even the most flavor conscious of drinkers often couldn't tell the difference between a little less Old Crow and more of a "better brand" when doused with Coke.

I'll admit to avoiding Wild Turkey and Crown Royal like the plague, two brands foisted upon us by Madison Avenue Mad Men using the evidence, Chivas Regal's history from Doyle Dane Bernbach, that clever marketing and packaging can make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

retire, its fun!!!

Not ready financially. It will take a while to find a job that is nothing like the last one. In the meantime, I've gone back to school and applied for admission to the Nursing program.

My house is on the market as we had been planning for some time to downsize. I've considered moving to the active adult community where my in-laws live and may well do that in a couple years even without retiring. I'll admit that does look like fun.

Wild Turkey, 80 proof

Somebody else is buying - Pappy 23 or Parker Beam 27. On my dime - Elijah Craig 18, Woody, or Basil. For home - Elmer T Lee or Knob. I was given a bottle of the 20 yr Hirsch distilled in VA. It's the first whisky over 18 yrs that I didn't like. Don't mind at all when my guests hit that. wj

I added 1792 Ridgemont Reserve to my tried list. The bottle currently sits on top of my liquor cabinet for a spur of the moment snort. Barton Brands are not known as top shelf drink, but this is quite nice and milder than the 94 proof on the label might suggest. The bottle itself is impressive and weighs more than the contents. It's a temptation to keep the bottle after it's been emptied, maybe to hold the water that I occasionally mix with spirits.

I was recently introduced to Bulleit Bourbon and it pretty much competes well with Knobb Creek and Woodford Reserve in everything but price. 90 proof, 30% rye, a hint of honey in the nose, and nice oak finish.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Sometimes the bourbon is different in the US and export market! I learned this the hard way. Early Times sold in Japan and Australia is excellent, a true bourbon and aged in 100% new charred barrels. But the US product is completely different, with a far worse taste. After much puzzling about this, I finally discovered that for the US market it is sold as a "Kentucky whisky" because it doesn't meet the legal definition of Bourbon (while the export product does!), and it is 20% aged in used charred barrels. Hence the completely different taste (and loss of character and nuance). A shame that brands are manipulated this way! I'm sure other bourbon suffers a similar fate, so be aware that the taste can vary by country, even when made in Kentucky.

I pity the visitor from Japan who stocks up at the duty free.

Quote:
Originally Posted by par8thed View Post
Please don't confuse Jack Daniels with Bourbon. JD is Tennessee Whiskey.

[QUOTE=Starwood Lurker;12391363]Tell that to the FA's on American Airlines. :D

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide


I am not a bourbon drinker, but do hail from Kentucky and would just like to clear up the bourbon definition.

What is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey?

USA Legal Statute Requirements for Whiskey to be called Bourbon

i) Must be made from a mash containing a minimum of 51% and a maximum of 79% corn.

– Other grains commonly used include rye, barley and wheat.

– The varying amounts used of these other grains is part of the reason different brands vary in flavour.

ii) Must be distilled at less than 80% alc/vol

iii) Must be stored in charred, new, white oak barrels at no higher than 62.5 alc/vol for a minimum of 2 years.

iv) To be called Kentucky Bourbon the Whiskey must have been produced and aged in Kentucky.

vi) To be called a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey all of the Whiskey in the bottle must have the above characteristics i.e. not blended with other Whiskey’s.

vii) Other Whiskeys

a) American Whiskey

– Not aged or bottled in Kentucky, or does not meet other Bourbon requirements.

b) Kentucky Whiskey

– Not aged in new charred oak barrels as Bourbon requires, but is aged in Kentucky, or does not meet other Bourbon requirements.

c) Rye Whiskey

– Mash containing at least 51% rye grain (Canadian Whiskey is rye based)

d) Tennessee Whiskey

– Made in Tennessee not Kentucky

– Does not use Kentucky limestone water

– Different filtration process

– Otherwise similar process

e) Blends (any)

– Bourbon Whiskey blended with non Bourbon Whiskey or spirit, may contain other additives (color etc.) also.

– For example Brands labeled “ Distillery Blend” or similar.

Thanks for the great details, but I don't think that par8thed or myself are confused about what differentiates Jack Daniels from Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The FA's on American Airlines, however, are very confused on this issue. If you ask for bourbon, they will hand you Jack Daniels. :D

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Time to switch to DL, where the last time I asked for bourbon, I was given a bottle of Woodford Reserve. (too bad they don't handle everything else as well)

Makers Mark
It has always been good to me. ;)

Has anyone gone on the Maker's Mark Distillery Tour? If yes, is it as fun as the commercials make it look?

DL out of AUS is a bit out of my travel regimen. ;) AA says that they offer Jim Beam Black Label, which is bourbon. Maybe not the best, but still bourbon. However, I have never been able to find it on board and the FA's will politely remind you, "Some brands may not be available on all flights. Supplies are limited."

Plenty of Jack Daniels in the coffers though. :)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

I've never tried Jack. I usually give my son-in-law a bottle of something for Christmas and haven't bought it yet. He says he likes JD, so if I give him a bottle, I'm sure he'll let me try some. ^

Enjoying my first (ever) glass of Knob Creek right now. Quite good. ($2.99 for a 50ml bottle at the state store. Certainly a little more costly that a 750ml bottle but it's still cheaper than buying on an airplane or in a restaurant.)

I picked up a bottle of Buffalo Trace on the way home frome work tonight. It is definitely an improvement over my usual budget restricted $15 a bottle stuff, which I limit myself to one per week. Spot on with the vanilla and spice notes. Being a rye kind of guy, I like a little more pepper taste, but it is polite and smooth.

I like the Maker's Mark a lot also, but it is too pricey, and is so good that it is gone in three nights and then I have to do without for four days before I can buy another...:D

My favorites (i.e. what is on the shelf in my bar at home) - Knob Creek, Woodfords, Basil Hayden, Bulleit, Buffalo Trace - I quite like my bourbon lately. :D

I love nothing more than a classic old fashioned - unless its one of the twists on old fashioneds that are showing up. The latest one near me has a mash up of cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and passionfruit with Basil Hayden. MMMMMMM!!!

Have not seen the commercials, but have been on the tour. It it located on beautiful grounds and was quit fun. IMHO much more picturesque than Woodford, and free to boot.

I bought a gift set of Jim Beam Black for my son-in-law despite never having tasted it. Anyone tried it? Mostly I wanted him to have a couple proper rocks glasses. Miss BamaVol tells me her husband is prone to nipping directly out of the bottle as he walks past the table where it sits. I want to curb him of that uncouth habit since he does so much of his drinking at my house. :eek:

Next week, we move back to Tennessee. After having driven the Alabama wine trail these last 4 months, I'll be close enough to KY to start hitting the distilleries on weekends. I'm really looking forward to it.

Buffalo Trace did a cask-bottled tasting in Boulder last spring -- very interesting to taste the differences and then compare each to the "standardized" bottling they generally sell. Some liquor stores choose specific cask bottlings (flyertalk doesn't consider that a word; not sure what else to call it) -- Liquor Mart in town for one.

If you get a chance to do a tasting, do so!

The Woodford Reserve distillery tour was also great -- getting up close to those bubbling vats was a close to religious experience. It has also got to be one of the most beautiful distilleries in the US. Well worth a visit.

The Woodford Reserve distillery tour was also great -- getting up close to those bubbling vats was a close to religious experience. It has also got to be one of the most beautiful distilleries in the US. Well worth a visit.[/QUOTE]

That's 'cause Jack Daniels own 'em. They've got plenty of dough. wj

oops, the reply was accidentally posted twice. See below for my original comments...

Wow, what a great thread to run across on here. Being originally from Central Kentucky, we love our bourbons! Most good bars there stock at least 15-20 kinds.

My favorite for everyday use is good ole Makers Mark, its reasonable and smooth.
For cooking purposes (in KY we would put bourbon in most everything: marinades, cakes, candy, coffee, bbq sauce, on steak, and the annual holiday bourbon balls, etc.), I like a the very inexpensive Ancient Age. (Dont knock me for A.A., its pretty good for cooking, as you cannot taste nuances after the heat, and it was an uncle's favorite)
For drinking on the rocks or with some branch (water), I like Elija Craig 12 yr. old, Bulleit, Woodford, or Eagle Rare.

In my travels I find something rather odd about bourbon in western Europe, most resturants and bars only carry Four Roses and Jim Beam. I can understand Jim Beam, but Four Roses is almost unheard of in the US market (outside of KY). It actually is pretty good too. Ironically it is distilled about 5 miles from my brother's house, yet I can't get it here in Florida, but easily can order it in Spain, France, or Italy!

One gripe about bourbon and travel, American Airlines no longer carrys Makers Mark, which is a huge mistake! They don't even have bourbon in coach (only Jack Daniels) and in the front of the plane the sometimes have the Jim Beam black label stuff. That was a bad move on American's part.

Oh well, enough bourbon talk. I enjoyed reading through this thread.

M

I can't believe I haven't posted in this thread yet. Huge bourbon fan here and I'm a big fan of brown liquor in general. Recently visited a new restaurant in Philly called Village Whiskey. Huge whiskey selection and awesome burgers. HERE is a link to their list of brown liquors.

Also, I was inspired by an article on PDT in NYC and made a batch of bacon infused bourbon recently. I used Russell's 10 Year Reserve for the 1st batch and this past weekend made another bottle using Basil Hayden's. The bourbon is great either in a PDT Old Fashioned. Recipe can be found HERE. Or it is great neat. The smoke really adds a lot of texture and flavor to the bourbon.

Speaking as someone from Kentucky.

Blantons...is my favorite

Buffalo Trace is good but is not for all.

Woodford is tasted but I think it has become everyone's favorite and so I prefer something more off the beaten path.

Any recommendations as to a good "starter" Bourbon for someone liking Oban, Macallan, Old Pultney, type of Scotches (Highland and Speyside), plus JW Green whenever I can find it at the duty free. Tried JD's a long time ago but doesn't sound like that was the best choice.

Someone who appreciates JW Green (quite fine and good value, just in short supply). I drink Early Times but the export version -- the US version is completely different and crap. While the export one is superb, easily twice as good as JD. Otherwise the widely available Woodford Reserve is made in the same distillery as Early Times (but a more expensive product, a bit better than Early Times but not as cost effective).

You are not going to find it on any airplane and may even have trouble finding at your local liquor store but Four Roses Single Barrel is dang good sipping bourbon. Even the Four Roses Yellow Label is a fine drink. The distillery tour is a fun time too, in Lawrenceburg, Ky so if you have the chance pay them a visit. http://www.fourroses.us/home

Cheers Sam

Not bourbon, but a rye - a very special event

A friend found a gallon jug of Fulton rye while cleaning out an old house. It was unopened; wax sealed and obviously very, very old.

So old, in fact, that even a google search doesn't give much help. The date on the bottle is 1918, so pre-prohibition.

He opened it. Hey, it's not my bottle, so his perogative, but I might not have. I'm not sure. Anyay, I'm thankful he did, as he broke me off a half pint to savour, which I have been doing. It's quite earthy to the point that I almost think the rye may have been smoked or at least roasted for a long time. When I take a sip and breathe in the vapors, it almost makes me cough. It has no sweetness at all that I might expect in a rye, but it's very, very smooth. One of the best whiskeys I've ever had, and I used to live with a high volume, high end whiskey merchant.

Of course I asked him about it. He'd never seen such a thing, but estimated its value could easily be north of 10k. What a find!

Highly recommend the Jack Daniel Distillery tour in Lynchburg, TN if you are in the area. You will learn where the water comes from, and how the charcoal is made...the best part was seeing the padlocked system of pipes that carry the whiskey from the still to the barreling room... the padlocks belong to the BATF!

Haven't posted here in quite some time but I've had the chance to try a few more bourbons since the last post

- Been flying a lot of DL lately so Woodford Reserve and I have become quite friendly. I'm a big fan of this brand -- moderately priced and quite smooth
- Booker's was quite terrible IMHO. From what I read, it is known for being quite potent. It tasted like I was drinking gasoline; it was so strong I couldn't even chug the rest in order to drink my money's worth! ;-)
- Basil Hayden was tasty but I can't remember all the details as I was quite hammered when I tasted it
- Elijah Craig was also on the stronger side but it was still quite drinkable, unlike the Booker's. Again, was quite hammered when I drank this (my birthday party...)

Of course, while Early Times is Kentucky whiskey, it's not bourbon. For the range of bourbon tastes, I'd recommend Maker's Mark or W. L. Weller (wheat), Bulleit (rye), Woodford Reserve (sort of in the middle).

I think that most cocktails taste better with rye, rather than bourbon, but if I am making something like a hot toddy, I'll use Evan Williams, which to my taste has great value for money.

Oops, according to Wikipedia the export Early Time is bourbon. It's the domestic stuff that isn't, and it isn't even straight whiskey. My mistake.