and some random musings about the whiskey industry in general.
Mind you, I'm still a relative infant when it comes to sipping fine whiskey for taste, relaxation, sheer pleasure and not shooting it back in the name of tomfoolery. But, although I only started tasting fine bourbon about four or five years ago, and didn't really get involved until three years ago, I've got a Top 25 that's going to be missing a couple more famous names soon, and a soon to be increasing Top Five of rye whiskey.
Starting by pouring two shots straight up into an 'Official' Bourbon Glass by Riedel and stirring it with a chopstick, I take my sips at 25, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 105 minutes after pouring. This 'method' or rather preference was arrived at purely by evolution over time and was not arrived at by any stuffy notion of how 'it's supposed to be done.' Therefore, this is the purest way for me to do this, and my bourbon/rye consumption is limited to six to eight months out of the year, no more than about 15 days in any one month giving way to the highest level of enjoyment and assessment as well, if that's what I am after.
And I am, because it's an interesting hobby, finding something you love to eat or drink, or smoke as in the case of fine cigars, then discovering how paying $10 for a cigar oftentimes will leave you disappointed or paying three dollars or less can leave you pleasantly surprised, sometimes ecstatic.
Sometimes you do get what you pay for, and as with any other product, there's a 'buyer beware' level, as in the case of finding a bourbon, rye that costs less than $15 to walk out of a store or come off a web site with. A 'walk-out price' is the total of the bottle charge plus any applicable shipping or tax charges. I find that anything with a 'walk-out' price of less than $20 is usually highly suspect, but that there are a remarkable number of bourbons and ryes with a 'walk-out' price of $21-30 that will leave you very happy.
In the higher price ranges, there will be plenty of disappointments in the $31-50 range, but most things you get at $51 and up will usually be 'worth it', whatever that means to whoever you are. With me, it's usually 'worth it', but I have paid $70-80 for stuff that wasn't worth its price, but when it's 18 years old and up it's hard to pay less than that.
So, having said that, this weekend I have had the pleasure, and I do mean pleasure of having my second tasting of two absolutely bargain-basement deals in the bourbon department.
Keeping in mind that I'm not going to make a 'decision' about how I feel about these two bourbons until after my third or fourth tasting, it's still worth talking about how much I love these two, especially having gotten each of them for the 'walk-out' price of $23.88 apiece.
Both are 107 proof, both are extremely smooth and unique, although one tastes an awful lot like something famous, but then again, it's bourbon, right? How many different recipes can there be? And vanilla ice cream made by one manufacturer is still called vanilla ice cream when made by another, even if by different methods, and unless one has added diesel fuel to the mix, it's all still vanilla ice cream.
Anyway, it's worth it to remember a few things about going . . .
In Search Of . . .
bourbon, rye or anything in this world. You really can sometimes plunk down just a few bucks and come away feeling like a million, and these two bourbons are fine examples. Before going on, from my tasting experience, studies and certain conversations with one or two people who are sort of 'in the know' I also became clued in to a couple other familiar ways of 'doing business' that we all really know about. It's that sometimes a big name manufacturer will manufacture EXACTLY the same product under a 'no-name' brand and putting in no advertising dollars to corner the low income market and still provide a quality product that can sell without sitting on the shelf forever.
And then sometimes, just like back in the days of the first VCR's, you find out that only three companies manufacture about eight different brand names, just different designs, and sometimes different materials, but not often.
So, keeping my eyes and ears open, and despite the fact that I'm becoming somewhat suspicious of certain big name and no-name brands of bourbon and rye, for those of you with only a few bucks in your pocket, don't think you can't drink top shelf bourbon or rye.
Try Pure Kentucky, supposedly from barrels that were aged at least 12 years, which almost always guarantees a complex flavor profile, is 107 proof, extremely smooth and classic, with a spicy oak and caramel flavor;
and, . . .
Old Commonwealth, also 107 proof, ten years old, supposedly from a third generation master distiller (famous name, perhaps?), rich, sweet, heavy on the oak, very satisfying.
Both of these bourbons are cheap, really good and likely to make my Top Ten and kick a couple of famous names out on their cowboy chaps. Nice to know you can still get some bang for your buck.
Mind you, I'm still a relative infant when it comes to sipping fine whiskey for taste, relaxation, sheer pleasure and not shooting it back in the name of tomfoolery. But, although I only started tasting fine bourbon about four or five years ago, and didn't really get involved until three years ago, I've got a Top 25 that's going to be missing a couple more famous names soon, and a soon to be increasing Top Five of rye whiskey.
Starting by pouring two shots straight up into an 'Official' Bourbon Glass by Riedel and stirring it with a chopstick, I take my sips at 25, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 105 minutes after pouring. This 'method' or rather preference was arrived at purely by evolution over time and was not arrived at by any stuffy notion of how 'it's supposed to be done.' Therefore, this is the purest way for me to do this, and my bourbon/rye consumption is limited to six to eight months out of the year, no more than about 15 days in any one month giving way to the highest level of enjoyment and assessment as well, if that's what I am after.
And I am, because it's an interesting hobby, finding something you love to eat or drink, or smoke as in the case of fine cigars, then discovering how paying $10 for a cigar oftentimes will leave you disappointed or paying three dollars or less can leave you pleasantly surprised, sometimes ecstatic.
Sometimes you do get what you pay for, and as with any other product, there's a 'buyer beware' level, as in the case of finding a bourbon, rye that costs less than $15 to walk out of a store or come off a web site with. A 'walk-out price' is the total of the bottle charge plus any applicable shipping or tax charges. I find that anything with a 'walk-out' price of less than $20 is usually highly suspect, but that there are a remarkable number of bourbons and ryes with a 'walk-out' price of $21-30 that will leave you very happy.
In the higher price ranges, there will be plenty of disappointments in the $31-50 range, but most things you get at $51 and up will usually be 'worth it', whatever that means to whoever you are. With me, it's usually 'worth it', but I have paid $70-80 for stuff that wasn't worth its price, but when it's 18 years old and up it's hard to pay less than that.
So, having said that, this weekend I have had the pleasure, and I do mean pleasure of having my second tasting of two absolutely bargain-basement deals in the bourbon department.
Keeping in mind that I'm not going to make a 'decision' about how I feel about these two bourbons until after my third or fourth tasting, it's still worth talking about how much I love these two, especially having gotten each of them for the 'walk-out' price of $23.88 apiece.
Both are 107 proof, both are extremely smooth and unique, although one tastes an awful lot like something famous, but then again, it's bourbon, right? How many different recipes can there be? And vanilla ice cream made by one manufacturer is still called vanilla ice cream when made by another, even if by different methods, and unless one has added diesel fuel to the mix, it's all still vanilla ice cream.
Anyway, it's worth it to remember a few things about going . . .
In Search Of . . .
bourbon, rye or anything in this world. You really can sometimes plunk down just a few bucks and come away feeling like a million, and these two bourbons are fine examples. Before going on, from my tasting experience, studies and certain conversations with one or two people who are sort of 'in the know' I also became clued in to a couple other familiar ways of 'doing business' that we all really know about. It's that sometimes a big name manufacturer will manufacture EXACTLY the same product under a 'no-name' brand and putting in no advertising dollars to corner the low income market and still provide a quality product that can sell without sitting on the shelf forever.
And then sometimes, just like back in the days of the first VCR's, you find out that only three companies manufacture about eight different brand names, just different designs, and sometimes different materials, but not often.
So, keeping my eyes and ears open, and despite the fact that I'm becoming somewhat suspicious of certain big name and no-name brands of bourbon and rye, for those of you with only a few bucks in your pocket, don't think you can't drink top shelf bourbon or rye.
Try Pure Kentucky, supposedly from barrels that were aged at least 12 years, which almost always guarantees a complex flavor profile, is 107 proof, extremely smooth and classic, with a spicy oak and caramel flavor;
and, . . .
Old Commonwealth, also 107 proof, ten years old, supposedly from a third generation master distiller (famous name, perhaps?), rich, sweet, heavy on the oak, very satisfying.
Both of these bourbons are cheap, really good and likely to make my Top Ten and kick a couple of famous names out on their cowboy chaps. Nice to know you can still get some bang for your buck.
