For drinking plain ? I like Blanton's

Good stuff.

I enjoy Bookers and Basil Hayden as well, but for an everyday, reasonably priced and flavorful bourbon I really like Russell's Reserve, a ten year old bourbon made by the folks at Wild Turkey.

This summer I'm enjoying Bulleit Bourbon http://www.bulleitbourbon.com/ and their Rye version too.

I bought it in NYC and carried it here to France. I almost never check bags when flying, but this was a worthy exception.

I've got maybe 50 or 60 Bourbons & Ryes in my bar. Bulliet Rye is among the best Ryes. Bulleit Bourbon is on the bottom end of my Bourbons in quality IMO. wj

I wonder with small batch bourbons if some batches are better than others. Why should we assume that every year the bourbon tastes the same with these brands?

Good question. As long as they have the same formula & aging it should taste about the same. I think weather may change things a bit though. Hot-cold, dry-wet etc, can change the effect of the barrel on the whiskey - probably. wj

There is weather. But I think the bigger issue is how these relatively small (compared to Beam or Turkey) businesses invest in quality control and ingredients.

I think smaller is better in just about everything consumable. Just look at wine - the smaller producers are 'hands on' and oversee everything. Their hearts and souls are in the product. The quality is very high and that's why they're expensive. I'm a big fan of micro-distillers, brewers, cheese makers, bakeries, farmers, sausage makers etc etc etc. wj

Living in Burgundy I completely agree with the idea. But there are no guarantees that a given year will be good with wine as we have had two hailstorms wreck several plots of vines here this summer. It may be more weatherproof, but as well there are no guarantees with small batch bourbon.

With wine yes. With whiskey no. They don't have to use corn & rye from a specific commune, county, or state. They can access it from anywhere if they have to. That makes it MUCH easier to maintain quality year to year. wj

One of the best and most fun this I have done is a Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project tasting...

The premise is this: take the same recipe/batch of of bourbon; age it in barrels in which they subtler alter the characteristics of each barrel, ie location in the tree, varying degrees of char, etc etc... number each bottle and voila....

So I tasted 6 different barrelings... and each barrel had a different taste; some were more peppery than others.. Fun to taste; though a bit pricey...

FDW

I have had this one (a whole bottle actually), not bad at all.

My favorite of all time is Old Fitzgerald

Has anyone tried Wild Turkey Rare Breed or Jim Beam Devil's Cut? Both look like they might be good "middle shelf" bourbons.

On the top shelf, I've heard good things about Jim Beam 1795 and Parker's Heritage Collection but haven't tried either.

I like Makers Mark or Elijah Craig for routine drinking and Bookers for top shelf.

Worst has to be Rebel Yell or Real McCoy. Gag!

Just got a gift of Parker's Heritage Collection. Neat in a nosing glass I would put it two notches above Woodford reserve; a brand that I am too familiar with in the 50ml size.

I forgot about that stuff ! I think that is the old Parker Beam 27 yr (they changed the name). Is it 96 proof and 27 years old ? It rocks ! wj