Best & worst Bourbon?
 

Over the past couple of years I have become really fond of Basil Hayden. At your better bars it is also less expensive then most of the Scotch. I prefer a Basil Hayden on the rocks with a splash of mineral water.

Most would order it simply on the rocks and some would order with branch water (bourbon and branch). Branch is pure water distinguishing it from soda water.

Mineral water is really for the bourbon enthusiasts so that one can appreciate the natural flavors that are be diluted with soda water or ginger ale.

One thing I have done is order the Bourbon with a splash of mineral water and look at what the bartender does. Typically at your better bars they will open a bottle of mineral water in front of you. This is a place worth going back to. On the other end of the scale they will hold up the soda gun to you and say "is soda water OK." That place is not worth returning to.

On the other hand Booker's is just too strong for me to enjoy in a high end setting. The value of Basil Hayden has really attracted me to it but are there other good Bourbons out there worth it?

Bulleit is too strong for me at 90 Proof. If you haven't tried Buffalo Trace (also 90 proof), look for it, but it is nearly impossible to find on the west coast. To me it has to smoothest finish when sipped neat.

Basil Hayden is a delightful bourbon. Booker is bottled too early, IMHO, which contributes to its harshness. You'd see a little loss in proof if they waited another 5 years, but it'd be much better.

In comparison, Buffalo Trace made a small batch called George T. Stagg (15 y/o), which was 120 proof, but as smooth as Basil Hayden. I had the pleasure of a bottle of this and I have to say it was the most delicious spirit I ever drank, and I used to live with a whiskey merchant! It saddens me I'll be paying through the nose to acquire another bottle of this since it hasn't been available for many years now.

Now being a fan of Buffalo Trace, I have moved on to their Eagle Rare bourbons. If you can find it, get the 18 y/o. It is quite comparable to Basil Hayden, but with even more intense vanilla flavors. Very smooth and delicious. Not easy to find (as opposed to the 12 y/o, which is available most everywhere that sells good whiskey) and not easy on the wallet.

[edited to add] - the particular bottling of the George T. Stagg was aged an additional 3 years (to 18) and bottled special for the shop my roommate worked at in NYC. I'd give anything for another bottle of that particular batch.

Woodford Reserve is my personal favorite. I agree with the previous posters regarding the virtues of Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare.

I was very surprised to find Buffalo Trace on the shelf at a pub on the outskirts of London a few weeks back. I don't seem to see any of these three brands outside the U.S. much.

I'm a fan of Woodford Reserve as well. I also highly recommend Four Roses Single Barrel. It's pretty rare, but well worth the search. ^

My favorite is Pappy van Winkle 15 year old!

A.H. Hirsch 16 Year. There is absolutely nothing else even close. (The 16 is, for some reason, even better than the 20 year, which I find overly hot even at the same proof.)

Unfortunately, there's only a limited supply of the stuff - the distillery that made it (Michters) went belly-up. All that's left is this batch distilled in 1974, bought and bottled by a Mr. Hirsch. It goes for about $100/bottle online; a few years ago you could find it for $60. I keep one bottle sealed in storage and always buy another one to replace it when my open bottle runs out.

Thought I'd bump this thread as I've recently become a bourbon lover.

Any new thoughts on other brands?

I haven't made my way to the smaller/"gourmet" brands yet, but I'm in love with Makers Mark and Knob Creek. Makers goes down so smooth.


Posted as I'm drinking 2 fingers of Makers :D

Easy! The Best AND the Worst Bourbon is :

Street! ;):D

Actually, I'm glad to see this discussion as it will give me the impetus to try some of the most frequently mentioned ones. Mostly drink wine, but have been curious about some of the upper end Bourbons.

Being in Kentucky, I get my feel for Bourbon. Woodford Reserve is my personal favorite. Makers Mark is great more affordable choice. I don't mess with anything less than that. Woodford on the rocks is very good.

I highly recommend taking the the Bourbon Trail tour in Kentucky.

Are there any Rye whiskey's that FTer's recommend?

If interested in fine bourbon, I would suggest Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve. This is 20 years old....and an incredible sipping bourbon. It is quite expensive by bourbon standards at $90 (here in PA) per bottle...but worth every penny.
Another fine choice: WL Weller Centennial. This is a 10 year old, 100 proof bourbon. It costs roughly $30-$35 per bottle.
Within the past 3 years, I have adopted bourbon as my "winter" drink of choice.

Good luck with your tastings !

Interesting. Is the WL Weller 12 year any good? My local liquor supermarket seems to only have the reserve and the 12 year in stock.

While the 12 year old is a good bourbon, the 10 actually is more complex and better suited to sipping. (thus the difference in price).
The 10 year old is a better "special occassion" bourbon. The 12...a better "everyday" bourbon. Good, but not great in my opinion.
Stay away from the Special Reserve. It pales in comparison to even the 12 y.o.

The best whisky is Scotch.

But the best Bourbon I've ever found is the Pappy Van Winkle 20yr. If you can find it, grab it. Their future bottlings of 20yr whiskey will become even scarcer because they did not anticipate until recently the increased demand for high-end whiskey.

The first bourbon I ever tried was Woodford Reserve. I was sitting on the aisle when the window orderd a WR. The FA passed it under my nose as she served it and I had to know more. It smelled so sweet! My seatmate turned out to be very well versed in whisk(e)ys. He is in some society that travels to Scotland every year to vote on blends used by some manufacturer. Anyway, I handed back my red wine and asked for a WR. You can sure taste the corn so I guess that's where the sweetness comes from.

Since then, I've kept a bottle in the home bar, but have to keep replacing it since BV Jr and my son-in-law are big fans too. Since then, I've tried a couple others. BV Jr talked me into a shot of Basil Hayden at a bar and I am hooked on that as well: notes of vanilla, caramel and coconut! - mmmm.

Last month, I bought a bottle of the official whiskey of Alabama, Clyde May's Conecuh Ridge. I like that pretty well, but have to rank it #3. I did buy a bottle of Wild Turkey at Christmas (for the glasses) and found it way too harsh. Last month, I bought a bottle of Russell's Reserve. If I'd known it was aged Wild Turkey, I'd have bought something else. Even 10 years aging doesn't take the edge off the stuff.

I also like WR. Initially, I only knew of Jack Daniels but got a real education one night at the Lobby Bar at One Aldwych in London where I was invited to a special bourbon tasting including WR, Buffalo Trace, and some other bourbons I had never heard of before. I was too sloshed afterwards to remember the other names.....

Whether the Lobby Bar still has those today I don't know -- the Bar Manager has changed quite a few times since.....

Sadly, Dickel, once the proud producers of parchment-labeled #12, my long time favorite among mass market Tennessee whisky/Bourbon, seems to have changed both label and whisky to a new name and color (red). Woodford remains a quite drinkable bottling in the sub-premium price range, to my taste far superior to two other popular types/brands, Jack Daniels and Maker's Mark. The super-premiums I've tried, all fine in their own way, are simply too expensive and of such complexity that to mask and dilute them with ice is a shame.

The sad view across the bar....Those poor souls who order "Crown Royal" and think they are drinking "Bourbon" or even a good whisk(e)y. Like Chivas Regal, it's all in the box, the name and the marketing (Well, maybe the blue ditty bag).

Hmm. I guess I wasn't aware that Jack Daniels was considered to be a bourbon. :confused:

Anyway, my overall favorite is Knob Creek, although Makers Mark will certainly suffice and Woodford Reserve as well.

However, I may have to splurge when the weather gets cooler and try a bottle of Basil Hayden's from the recommendations made here.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

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I didn't think Jack was a bourbon either?

My favorite is Elijah Craig 12 year old.

I'll second the choice of Craig 12 year old. Made by the makers of Evan Williams, it's very good at a value price just like EW. It may not be the greatest, but you can't beat the quality/price ratio.

I found my local store selling handles (1.75L) of WR for $35. We have high liquor taxes here, so that's $3 more than the regular bottle of Makers, and far less than a regular bottle of Basil's. At that price:quality ratio, it's hard to justify other things (and the giant WR bottle is awesome, and not just because it's hard to pour a modest amount).

I was in a Manhattan phase a while ago, and found that, for that purpose anyway, I preferred the older, harsher style ryes. While I tried lots of small batch stuff, I enjoyed them less than Jim Beam.

I say it's not. It's labeled a Tennessee whiskey, but technically according to the law, it's a corn whiskey, since it is made form 80% corn. I suppose one could argue a grey area in that the legal definition says a bourbon must be at least 51% corn, but states no upper limit, until you get to the next section defining corm whiskey, where it states the 80% requirement. Also, JD is charcoal filtered, which is something almost never done (can't name one that does, actually) to bourbons.

Other than those two items, it fits the description of a true bourbon.

I like Blanton's single barrel bourbon quite a bit. I have recently gotten interested in "classic cocktails". While several places have tried to make them with bourbon, the good ones use rye. My favorite rye thus far is Michter's 10 year old.

You will not regret spending a couple extra bucks. Although my bourbon experience is limited, I think it's something special. In fact, you talked me into a shot right now. ^

At the liquor store yesterday afternoon - I'm running out of things to try from the top shelf. I don't know about other states where the gubmint holds distribution rights, but Alabama does a terrible job and restricts brands to only the cheapest or most popular. So, I grabbed a bottle of Knob Creek and took it home. Wednesdays, Miss BamaVol and husband have dinner with us, so I had a drinking companion. He drinks it neat and since Mrs BamaVol had just thrown out all the ice to make a fresh batch, I took mine the same way. I didn't look at the label until after the first sip, so I wasn't shocked to see it was 9 years old and 100 proof. Surprising smooth for that much alcohol. However, as soon as the icemaker dropped its first load, I cubed up and enjoyed my second glass as I normally would. I'm pretty sure it will stay in my top 5.

Any suggestions for best bourbon, price is no object? I'll look for A.H. Hirsch, not here of course, but I make regular liquor runs over to Georgia. Others?

+1 ^ for Blanton's....straight up...ahhhhhh.

Love collecting those stoppers too!

What a great topic! Add to me to the list of Kentucky natives who favor Woodford Reserve. There are some other really great Bourbons mentioned in this thread, too; especially Pappy Van Winkle. It's not that easy to find (or afford), but it's worth it when you do.

Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, etc. are all too pedestrian to drink neat or on the rocks.

JD is a fine whisky in it's own right; but, it is not Bourbon and doesn't claim to be.

Tomorrow is my last day on the job. All week long I've been taken out to lunch. This afternoon, I was presented with 750ML of Woodford Reserve. Rather than take it home tonight, it will remain in my office. Tomorrow afternoon I will open it and pour a slug for anyone who cares to share the bottle with me. I'm their boss, so who's going to fire any of us?

Thanks, guys.

I hope your last day is voluntary, but in any case that's really cool of you to do with your colleagues. ^

I take it then you'd not take offense to my habit of drinking Makers' and Coke if someone with reasonably deep pockets is paying (my usual, on my own dime, is "[well] bourbon and Coke".)

Not 100% voluntary - case of the messenger getting shot. I saw it coming and turned in my resignation. My boss (who had already given notice) negotiated a layoff so I would get a severance package. I have no idea where I'm going or what I'll do next, but at least I've eaten well all week on someone elses dime and will drink top shelf bourbon for a few days as well. ^

good luck to you!

I went on the Maker's Mark distillery tour in Loretto KY and I guess it has remained one of my favorites.

Seems there are lots of Woodford Reserve fans, FYI in late October there are a few FT'ers who are going to enjoy Keeneland for some horse racing then another activity is to tour the Woodford Reserve distillery. See this thread for info: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...t-23-24-a.html

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Not at all...that's how I drink it, too (well, Diet Coke)!

A couple of my friends took minor offense at my doing so. I've never had any of the better bourbons described in this thread, but would definitely try them neat before dumping coke in. :)

I had a very memorable 21st Birthday involving Wild Turkey, BBQ and the floor...does that qualify as best or worst? :D

Depends, can you still drink Wild Turkey?

A similar night turned me off Miller High Life pretty much forever.

Found BT at Houstons in Century City at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. IMHO Woodford Reserve is much better than BT.

I am currently sipping on a glass of Elijah Craig and I have to say it is quite the bargain. I pay between $32 and $38 for 750 ml of Woodford Reserve or Basil Hayden. This stuff was priced at $20.50. I may be unemployed, but I can still afford good bourbon for a while longer. ^

No love for Evan Williams?
 

Though I usually drink Makers Mark or Knob Creek in my Manhattans, I have a deep love in my heart for Evan Williams Single Barrel. I haven't found it very often in local liquor stores, but it was easy to find up in New Hampshire when I was in college. And cheap too - used to run 20 bucks for a 750, looks like it goes for a bit more now.