Bourbons

I gotta admit that I really love my Bourbons and a really nice Bourbon Manhattan is a wonderful addition to any meal.

I really like the 80 proof booubons more than the higher proofs. I always hated Wild Turkey, but just recently I was given a bottle of their 80 proof and I was really pleased with it. It's a whole different drink than the 100 proof.

I love bourbon manhattans too. I only make them with Jim Beam. Does it piss anybody else off when you order one in a bar and they put bitters in it? I hate bitters in my manhattan.

If you like fudge and you like bourbon than I suggest you get some of the Gethsemani Farms Kentucky Bourbon Fudge. It is made by Trappist Monks in an abbey in Kentucky. Great stuff! I get some for my office Christmas party every year.

Get it here:

http://www.monks.org

go to the "order gifts" link.

About a month ago I ordered a Bourbon Manhattan at a local Spanky's. They brought it to me and frankly, it tasted like peaches and was sweeter than an Old Fashioned. I asked the waitress to please take it back and try again. When she came back with a better (but not quite good) drink, she said, "The bartender thought you wanted a Bourbon Manhattan and so used Southern Comfort like he always does. It's the best Bourbon we have. This one is just the Bar Bourbon."

I thanked her. :x :x

jar said:

About a month ago I ordered a Bourbon Manhattan at a local Spanky's. They brought it to me and frankly, it tasted like peaches and was sweeter than an Old Fashioned. I asked the waitress to please take it back and try again. When she came back with a better (but not quite good) drink, she said, "The bartender thought you wanted a Bourbon Manhattan and so used Southern Comfort like he always does. It's the best Bourbon we have. This one is just the Bar Bourbon."

I thanked her. :x :x

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Southern Comfort!?! Well jar, you WERE at a Spanky's...........

:wink: :wink: :wink:

Gethsemani Farms Kentucky Bourbon Fudge -- mmmmmm
Those monks really do the route to heaven.

I have to throw in a vote for Maker's Mark. To anyone that has never had the pleasure of drinking Maker's Mark, you are missing out on one of the finest bourban whiskies that I have ever had. I'm not just saying this because it's made here in Kentucky either. This stuff is great.



Here is a little review of Maker's Mark.

This Kentucky straight bourbon whisky is mellow and well-aged. This is a fine 90 proof easy-drinking whisky, slightly woody, and very warm and mellow, without a trace of harshness. This, with a deep and well-rounded flavour, has to be close to the pinnacle of the bourbon maker's art. Distilled to a rather low 60-65% alcohol, from a mash of 70% corn, 16% wheat and 14% barley malt

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Makers Mark is an excellent drink and there is an Ezra Brooks that is especially fine also.

I also second the Bushmills, especially 'Black Bush" if you can get it and Jameson's 12 yr old is might fine. I always preferred the Irish to the Scotch.

For the record, all Bourbons are made in Kentucky by law...

Cheers,

Ed

WOW!!!

I have DEFINITELY stumbled into the right room here!!! Yes, I have already had bourbon to drink today, and no, I'm not really stumbling, but it looks like I'm going to have fun on this thread and hopefully future ones.

When I found bourbon, I found my "spirit", yes indeed. I was introduced to it in the fall of either '98 or '99, probably the latter, when a friend gave me a birthday gift of those tiny little airline sized bottles from the Small Batch Bourbon Collection, namely, Booker's, Baker's, Basil Hayden and Knob Creek.

Something about the flavor in just the little bit of booze in those cute little bottles intrigued me, but I never gave it much further thought. During the summer I like to drink microbrewed and imported beers, usually the heavy ales, and dark ones, porters, stouts and some of the sicko stuff like Samichlaus too, but I had never given much thought to drinking any spirit on a regular basis, although during my lifetime I've certainly consumed enough of it, usually in mixed drinks.

During my tenure on "another web site" I was urged to give bourbon a try, particularly Maker's Mark, by a gentleman who used to live a stone's throw from their distillery. Well, it was a bit over three years ago I guess, again around my birthday, in the fall, when I really started to get into bourbon, research, understand the taste of it, and like I said above, I found my "spirit" in bourbon, and as it turns out, as well that other classic and uniquely American whiskey, rye.

Well today, I've got a Top Twenty of Bourbon (posted below) and so far this weekend, since Thursday night that is, I've had the pleasure of tasting the second and newest George T. Stagg 2003 version, the Eagle Rare 10 year old single barrel 90 proof in the tall bottle with the beautiful design and also the W.L. Weller 12 year old. You will note its much older cousin, the 19 year old is already in my Top Ten.

Not only does bourbon have a uniquely American pedigree, but its flavor is unique, delicious and it makes great snow shoveling fuel!!! Being as I have Deteriorating Asthma I always strengthen myself with a nice meal, warm up the inside of the body with a nice bourbon tasting after that, make sure the meal is well down and then finally put on plenty of layers before going out to shovel snow, which there's almost always some of in my area of Lower Dutchess County, New York during the winters.

Looking forward very much to these discussions on bourbon.

The Bloofingtonian Top Ten of Bourbon

1. A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16 year old
2. Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 year old
3. Booker's True Barrel Bourbon
4. W.L. Weller Wheated 19 year old
5. Distiller's Masterpiece I - Cognac Finish
6. Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 year old
7. George T. Stagg 2002 version
8. Baker's
9. Knob Creek
10. Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve

Honorable Mention

11. Basil Hayden’s
12. Henry McKenna 10 year old 100 proof bonded
13. Jefferson Reserve 15 year old
14. Wild Turkey Rare Breed
15. Blanton’s
16. Elijah Craig 12 year old
17. Eagle Rare 10 year old 101 proof
18. Eagle Rare 17 year old
19. Corner Creek Reserve
20. Van Winkle Family Reserve 18 year old (special bottling for Park Avenue Liquors)

For the record, not all Bourbons are (made) in Kentucky. I beleive they might have to be bottled in KY but not made or crafted there. See A.H. Hirsch and a couple of other oddeties that pop up here and there for proof of that fact.

In fact scroll to Bloofington's AH Hirsch notes (his favorite it sounds like) mentions where Mitcher's distillery was located.

Yup, the Hirsch 16 is still my favorite, but the 20, with its F-18A price tag, is still out of my reach. And I have made mention of the non-Kentucky fact as being tradition and not law, witness Hirsch, Virginia Gentleman and one or two others whose names escape me at present.

Also I'm sure The Old Sazerac Rye 18 will bump some bourbon off your list, sometime soon!

Not to mention Van Winkle 15, The Black Maple Hills etc. Maybe expand your list to 26 so that Fighting Cock can get an honorable mention (just kidding lol!) :shock:

Also, interestingly I recently came to discover that one of your top 15 is only about 6 years old on average.

Yeah, it's almost unusual for anything less than 12 years old to be on my list, but Booker's at No. 3 is definitely there, although every bottle I've ever drank from was at least seven years and a few months.

And that Sazerac 18 rye definitely kicks tuchas, although I think The Classic Cask 21 year old is my favorite of the four I've tried so far.

That's not the adolescent I was speaking of. In fact if you are not sure which, you'd probably be somewhat surprised cause I find the price to be deceptive. Taste is deceptive for a youngster too.

Well, my Top Ten's changed a bit since the one printed in this thread, with Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve moving down one and out of the Top Ten with George T. Stagg 2003 moving into the No. 9 spot and pushing Knob Creek down to No. 10. However, in reviewing the list, I see that Baker's is seven years old, sorry, forgot about that one, and could it be that you were bespeaking of the George T. Stagg 2002 version? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, . . .

Not a chance. I´m pretty sure the 2002 vintage of Stagg was 15 years old like the 2003.

Here´s a hint. This ought to just about give it away. Your last guess, right distillery / group, wrong marquee. :arrow:

Surprised?

Well, Knob Creek is nine years old, so I know it can't be that one. Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve is 10 years old. I guess it's just The Great Dumboni in me. Okay, I'm stumped. :shock: :? :shock: :? :?

It's (#15) - Blanton's that is 6 years old on average, and I believe comes out of Buffalo Trace like the George T. Stagg.

Further proof that as the years go by, I remain true to the code of . . .

The Great Dumboni!!!

I was looking at my Top Ten. I just went back and read your post over again. You said someone in my Top 15 was six years old. Sorry about that. I don't think I would have guessed it anyway. Come to think of it, the next time Sam's runs a sale, I'm going to have to check out Blanton's again.

Only six years old, huh? Not bad fer such a young feller. 8)