samftla

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

tkey75

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!

mbstone

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!

brosnan6

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...)

Ispolkom

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.

Mr H

I adore Bookers. It is very sweet and warming and the oiliness makes sure the flavour stays with you to the next morning. Sadly it's no longer available in the UK.

George T Stagg is wonderful too, but perhaps the rye bitterness would offend some. From the same stable, Sazerac Rye (not a Bourbon, I know) shows the true flavour of rye in the mashbill - a useful reference point. William Larue Weller, in the same stable, shows the toffee and chocolate flavours of a high class wheated whiskey.

Four Roses Single Barrel also gets my vote - sweet and complex.

Currently working through a bottle of Parker's Heritage Collection cask strength bourbon. Not in the same league as the Buffalo Trace offerings but good enough. Perhaps a wee bit astringent.

Worst was Mellow Corn (another not-Bourbon in the pure corn style). It started out nice but turned oily and cloying. Nasty. Can't say Rebel Yell did it for me either. Something astringent and one dimensional about it.

number_6

US domestic Early Times is not, but the export one is -- and a completely different (far superior) product. Don't you just hate this kind of market differentiation? I'm told ET has a big reputation in Japan and thus the brand was kept as a premium product while in the US it was made into cheap entry-level undrinkable swill Gotta love the US market! Pity the poor tourists who buy it in the US. There are many other spirits which suffer from this same condition -- same branding but a different product in different countries.

bitburgr

Had some for the first time last week and found it stale and smokey. But as a relatively new bourbon drinker, I wonder if this is an acquired taste.

Jalinth

Next time I'm at a place with a decent Bourbon selection, I'll look for any of the suggestions and report back whether I'll be a partial convert. I'll have to be careful about Early Times since not sure if Canada would get the premium or swill version.

jmacman

Jack Daniels does not "own" Woodford Reserve--Brown-Forman, based in Louisville, "owns" and markets the brand.

For those asking about rye whiskey, if you can find Black Maple Hill 23 year, be sure to pick it up. You won't be disappointed.

stimpy

Wow, how did I miss this thread? I've been drinking Bourbon for decades. I started with Wild Turkey 101 and use to buy it by the case. For a period of time I switched to Bookers which was great. Hand made by Jim Beam's grandson and around 114 proof if I recall correctly? I didn't know many people who could match me drinking it and got lots of guys sick trying.

One great story was from my local bar which was owned and operated by a Vietnam Marine. He would take any dare and I got him hooked on Bookers til one day someone pissed him off and he pulled a .45 from behind the bar and pumped a few rounds into the ceiling to show how he felt. He never drank Bookers again.

As I got older I had to drop back down to 101 and ultimately 80 proof. Outside of America I usually have to settle for Jim Beam or in Europe they usually have Four Roses. But now in the BA F lounge at LHR they have Woodford Reserve which is nice.

And P.S., I agree. Jack is NOT bourbon. I try my best to educate bartenders and stewardesses around the world on this fact.

Curious_George

This thread has got me hooked on bourbon! I've been trying to loose weight, so I've cut back on beer, and bourbon on the rocks is my standby.

So far I've tried Woody (BA Galleries Lounge), and I have a bottle of Knob Creek I drink at home. Last Saturday, my wife and I went out for dinner and I noticed a bottle of Buffalo Trace and 4 Roses Yellow label at the bar.

I tried the 4 Roses (I was driving, so stuck to one drink), it was fairly smooth and not bad. I'll make it a point to try to Buffalo Trace next time!

Oddly, I haven't tried Jim Beam yet, how does it compare to 4 Roses Yellow Label?

TMOliver

No, Jack Daniels, a "Tennessee Whisk(e)y" is not "Bourbon", but there are several comparable "Sour Mash" Bourbons of similar "yeasty" flavor and residual sweetness. The cheaper Evan Williams Black Label is a better buy and has a similar palate.

Four Roses, at least in its original formulation was not really Bourbon either, but an "American Blended Whisk(e)y", a combination of corn distillate and caramel blended with "Grain Neutral Spirits", alky from unidentified grain, at least not from the top of some PetroChemical Catalytic Cracking tower. Four Roses in my youth was only a modest step above "Carstair's White Feather", the stuff of shots taken with a short beer chaser in cheap saloons.

Today? I don't know. My taste buds shuddre at the thought. ....Better a tumbler of Anis del Mono, the breakfast of champions.

stimpy

The Four Roses they have in France says Bourbon on the bottle. To me it doesn't taste very good even if you mix it with coke. I'd rather have Jim Beam if those are the only choices.

mrmik

My two favorites are Gentleman Jack and Bernheim Wheat...