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. :)

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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).