2017 - My Year of Bourbon

[jjking54]

Been kicking this idea around a bit in my head, but after really enjoying some Gentleman Jack over the holidays, and thinking about the new year, I want 2017 to be my year of bourbon.

I've enjoyed bourbon mixed, for years, but only over the past year or two have I ventured into bourbon straight (usually on one big ice cube) and I've really enjoyed it.

My original thought was a new bottle of bourbon a week, but 52 new bottles of bourbon would last me for YEARS at the rate I drink it (and I mean good stuff, not lower shelf stuff that I would use for mixing). Not to mention the cost and the storage issue.

So then I thought, well, I'll buy a new bottle every payday ... 24 in the year, but again, storage, cost and quantity has tempered that a bit (though I haven't ruled it out!)

At this point I'm thinking a new bottle a month. That's 12 bottles of good juice to be sipped and enjoyed.

I have ideas in mind for what my purchases will be (thanks to the bourbon thread here on the first page) ... but I think I'll add and update this thread as I begin the year.

With that said ... God willing (PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE) we're set to close on a new house next week. And I plan on toasting it with a dram or two once we get settled.

And February is my birthday, so I want something really special then

Might venture to the store this afternoon to peruse the bottles.

 

[derekstanggt]

If you've never had Blanton's (or even if you have), I suggest you start there, if you can find it! And you can thank me later.

 

[jjking54]

If you've never had Blanton's (or even if you have), I suggest you start there, if you can find it! And you can thank me later.

Haven't had it, but it's high on my list

 

[BadgeToTheBone]

what have you had?

bookers, eagle rare, wl weller 12 yr, evan williams single barrel, basil haydens...?

 

[jjking54]

That's the beauty of this ... I'm a blank canvas. I've had Gentleman Jack ... but as far as straight, very little else.

I remember years ago some hipster in Chicago going on and on about something called Pappy Van Winkle, and he gave me some, but I didn't appreciate it at the time.

 

[OtherMoe]

I read through this entire post: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-pour-of-bourbon-neat-what-is-your-go-to-pick

After reading that thread I went out (about two weeks ago now) and bought three bottles:

• Four Roses
• Buffalo Trace
• Eagle Rare (A special bottling, supposedly single barrel, has a sticker on the side that says "Barrel Select for [grocery store name] [grocery store city]. Supposedly only 14 cases to the store, i have not done the math to see if 14 cases roughly = a barrel.

Like you i'm pretty much a blank canvas with bourbon, Woodford Reserve was last bottle I had prior to these three. Though i'm drinking some neat, or with ice, or a splash of water i'm also making a lot of Manhattans and Boulevarier cocktails.

 

[dkeester]

I am a Bourbon guy and have sampled several over the years.

Maker's Mark is my go-to sipper. Neat or with a single rock it is a great everyday spirit.

There are a few out there that I think are top-shelf (they also tend to be a bit spendy):
- Breckenridge Bourbon - made here in Colorado. It is my current favorite Bourbon. If you can get it in your area, try it.
- Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey - also good, but the price has become a bit insane.
- Jefferson's Reserve - Killer whiskey. This is my second favorite.
- Four Roses - Good stuff with a reasonable price.
- Bulleit Bourbon - Another really good bourbon at a decent price.

However, there is one that I think every Bourbon enthusiast _needs_ to try. It is a cheap bottle at around $16-$18, but it is easily worth around $25 or so:

-Evan Williams 1783

Go get yourself a bottle.

FYI, I prefer my Bourbon neat or with a single rock. I don't know how these will fare in a cocktail.

 

[blary54]

Woodford Reserve is one of my favorites.

 

[drawonme]

Angel's Envy - worth the hunt!

 

[jjking54]

I am a Bourbon guy and have sampled several over the years.

Maker's Mark is my go-to sipper. Neat or with a single rock it is a great everyday spirit.

There are a few out there that I think are top-shelf (they also tend to be a bit spendy):
- Breckenridge Bourbon - made here in Colorado. It is my current favorite Bourbon. If you can get it in your area, try it.
- Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey - also good, but the price has become a bit insane.
- Jefferson's Reserve - Killer whiskey. This is my second favorite.
- Four Roses - Good stuff with a reasonable price.
- Bulleit Bourbon - Another really good bourbon at a decent price.

However, there is one that I think every Bourbon enthusiast _needs_ to try. It is a cheap bottle at around $16-$18, but it is easily worth around $25 or so:

-Evan Williams 1783

Go get yourself a bottle.

FYI, I prefer my Bourbon neat or with a single rock. I don't know how these will fare in a cocktail.

That's how these will be consumed ... This is for sipping and enjoying, not mixing

 

[mglindo]

My favorite is Russell's Reserve Single Barrel. A little pricey but I think worth it. High alcohol by volume but a single rock will mellow it out. One that surprised my son and me in a blind testing was Old Grand Dad 114. It is another high alcohol bourbon but it is only around $23.00. It is pretty darn good for the price!

 

[eezee]

Angel's Envy - worth the hunt!

Another vote for this!! Good stuff.

 

[GreggJ]

Here are some excellent expressions and should be available with a little effort. I have chosen these as they are all different expressions and will help round out your bar and help you widen your bourbon experiences.

-Four Roses Single Barrel. IMHO the best bourbon that doesn't cost an arm and leg. If you find a Cask Strength Private Selection grab it.
-Knob Creek Single Barrel.
-Makers Mark Cask Strength. Cask Strength wheater, very unique and damn good stuff.
-EH Taylor Single Barrel. Another solid Bourbon.
-Bookers a Cask Strength Classic. Everything a bourbon should be.
-Jack Daniels Single Barrel Cask Strength. A little pricey bust such a nice Dram and a great bottle to boot. TN Whiskey and that jack banana tang. Another one that is different and a must try IMO.
-Whistle Pig Rye. Excellent rye.
-Willets Rye Another great rye may be more difficult to find.

 

[Doc4]

My original thought was a new bottle of bourbon a week, but 52 new bottles of bourbon would last me for YEARS at the rate I drink it (and I mean good stuff, not lower shelf stuff that I would use for mixing). Not to mention the cost and the storage issue.

So then I thought, well, I'll buy a new bottle every payday ... 24 in the year, but again, storage, cost and quantity has tempered that a bit (though I haven't ruled it out!)

At this point I'm thinking a new bottle a month. That's 12 bottles of good juice to be sipped and enjoyed.

It might be more interesting if you started off with a few bottles and added a new one at a regular interval, so you have a fair number to go back and forth between to compare, contrast, and find favourites, rather than basically doing a "bourbon of the month" sort of one or two bottles at a time.

Maybe start off with four bottles; four "established classic" bourbons everyone would know and see as the bedrock of a good bourbon experience. (I know nothing about specific bourbons. If it were Scotch, I'd say something like Glenlivet, Highland Park, Caol Isla, and JW Black for example.) Then each 3-4 weeks or whenever, add a new bottle of something more unusual, exotic, high-end or obscure. Whatever tickles your fancy.

Also, where do you want to end up in December? With 40 half-full bottles, or 17 empties and four bottles "on the go"?

 

[jjking54]

It might be more interesting if you started off with a few bottles and added a new one at a regular interval, so you have a fair number to go back and forth between to compare, contrast, and find favourites, rather than basically doing a "bourbon of the month" sort of one or two bottles at a time.

Maybe start off with four bottles; four "established classic" bourbons everyone would know and see as the bedrock of a good bourbon experience. (I know nothing about specific bourbons. If it were Scotch, I'd say something like Glenlivet, Highland Park, Caol Isla, and JW Black for example.) Then each 3-4 weeks or whenever, add a new bottle of something more unusual, exotic, high-end or obscure. Whatever tickles your fancy.

Also, where do you want to end up in December? With 40 half-full bottles, or 17 empties and four bottles "on the go"?

A classic enabler! I like it! Actually you make a good point, rather than getting tied to one bottle a month, though I don't drink straight bourbon all that often. But it makes more sense the way you mention it. I have four in mind that I can start with for sure.

As far as where I want to be in December ... great question. I think, personally the first thing I want to do is a have a greater understanding and appreciation of good bourbon. Secondly, I'd like to have a bottle or two that are my absolute go to's. Third, I'd like to have a small stock of my favorites. Maybe four or five that will be in constant rotation at home. OH ... and I'd like to get some glencairn glasses too

 

[Doc4]

A classic enabler!





OH ... and I'd like to get some glencairn glasses too

 

[dws]

Maker's Mark is a fail safe bourbon.

 

[paintflinger]

Four to start with,

Blantons or Rock Hill Farm. I find them pretty much the same, so whichever is cheapest in your area. Will give you a strong baseline for a good, traditional bourbon. I am hugely partial to Heaven Hill and find you can do no wrong if you go with them.
Bernheim Original. Wheated whiskey that will blow your socks off. Price has climbed a bit, but still affordable. It is my poor man's Pappy, since I find Old Weller Antique Original to be a bit boring and fairly hard to find now.
Michter's Rye. I like it as a Rye whiskey and it's pretty reasonable compared to whistlepig and some others.
Canadian Club 100% Rye. Cheap and it will surprise most people. Far smoother than most US rye's. I am a huge fan of the Canadian whiskeys as of late and this one will provide a nice counter to the Michter's.

All in, you've spent (in my area) ~$140 for a nice little spread of bourbons/whiskeys. If you don't like Rye's, feel free to wing it and try some of the others people have mentioned (like Beam or Williams). You'll probably spend about $20-30 less if you do.

If you want some other suggestions, I would say:
Four Roses Small Batch. I don't find the single barrel to be as smooth and this will save you 10-15 bucks.
Parker's Heritage, if you want to blow it out ($100).
Forty Creek Double Barrel, if you want to check out some of the awesome stuff that is finally coming to the US from Canada.

Also, I'm constantly surprised people like Angel's Envy so much, I was pretty turned off by it.

 

[FishenFool]

Four to start with,

Blantons or Rock Hill Farm. I find them pretty much the same, so whichever is cheapest in your area. Will give you a strong baseline for a good, traditional bourbon. I am hugely partial to Heaven Hill and find you can do no wrong if you go with them.
Bernheim Original. Wheated whiskey that will blow your socks off. Price has climbed a bit, but still affordable. It is my poor man's Pappy, since I find Old Weller Antique Original to be a bit boring and fairly hard to find now.
Michter's Rye. I like it as a Rye whiskey and it's pretty reasonable compared to whistlepig and some others.
Canadian Club 100% Rye. Cheap and it will surprise most people. Far smoother than most US rye's. I am a huge fan of the Canadian whiskeys as of late and this one will provide a nice counter to the Michter's.

All in, you've spent (in my area) ~$140 for a nice little spread of bourbons/whiskeys. If you don't like Rye's, feel free to wing it and try some of the others people have mentioned (like Beam or Williams). You'll probably spend about $20-30 less if you do.

If you want some other suggestions, I would say:
Four Roses Small Batch. I don't find the single barrel to be as smooth and this will save you 10-15 bucks.
Parker's Heritage, if you want to blow it out ($100).
Forty Creek Double Barrel, if you want to check out some of the awesome stuff that is finally coming to the US from Canada.

Also, I'm constantly surprised people like Angel's Envy so much, I was pretty turned off by it.

I'm also surprised that we don't see many people here that drink Jim Beam.

Angel's Envy - worth the hunt!

 

[The Accountant]

The posters above provided several good recommendations for your whiskey "trip". I don't think anyone has recommended Beam Signature Craft, this is very good and not totally out of hand as far as cost. Two "bargain" bourbons to consider; Wild Turkey 101 is excellent by itself or as a mixer IMHO. The other is Elijah Craig; it used to have an age statement on it but recently that has changed as it has for several brands. Weller 12 is also very good for the price if you can find it. Although not strictly a bourbon, The George Dickel offerings are good as well. Dickel Barrel Select is comparable in price to some of the others suggested and worth the asking price ($40 or so around here) for the product. Dickel 12 is a great mixer and makes a nice pour alone. I much prefer the Dickel 12 to Jack Daniels Black Label.

There is a lot of good whiskey out there, enjoy your search! Cheers!