Sour Mash Hissy Fit

[The Dean]

As I'm sure many of you know, recently Maker's Mark threatened to lower the proof of their best selling product from 90 proof to 84 proof. Fortunately there was much attention drawn to the proposed change and the outcry convinced Beam Inc to leave the whiskey alone. Fine, I suppose. Fan or not, it's best to leave a successful brand alone, I think. And while not the highest of high end hooch, Maker's Mark was making good small batch bourbon a long time before it became a trend. The quality seemed to be consistent over time and it was one of the few quality sour mash whiskeys you could be sure to find in almost any bar almost anywhere in the country. OK, so I am pissed they even considered changing the product, but at least relieved they decided to keep it the way it is.

Fewer people seem to know that Jack Daniel's didn't always suck. Back when I started drinking it (in the 1800's) Jack black was 90 proof and it was a nice smooth, but flavorful, Tennessee whiskey. Then they lowered the proof to 86--then again, years later, to 80 proof. I still can't figure out how these changes didn't attract more attention. If you like Jack, that's fine. I'm not here to tell you not to drink it. But I can assure you it was a very different product when it was 90 proof. I love George Dickel (the "other Tennessee whisky) but other than the bars I frequent who order it for me, it is very hard to find other than in a liquor store (and it can be hard to find there, too). Fan or not, George hasn't messed with their recipe and good old #12 remains a quality product.

But sometimes I find myself short of funds and booze. Fortunately I have some bargain brands that fill the bill. One of my favorite cheap sour mash products was Ezra Brooks 90. So, I find myself broke but very thirsty. I pick up a 1.75l of Ezra 90 for about $20 and head home. Lucky me! Then I look at the bottle. Ezra Brooks 90 is now 80 proof. Yup, still called Ezra Brooks 90, same black label, 40% alcohol WTH is this all about? (BTW the same thing happened to Evan Williams several years ago. Ticked me off then, too. At least they didn't have a big "90" on the label.)

OK--no problem--I picked up some mid-range small/single batch stuff a while back so decide it is time to check it out. I have a bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2002. I didn't pay a lot for it, but still--single barrell! Vintage! Right? Nothing special, trust me. Oh, I'll drink it. It's bourbon, so it really can't be THAT bad. A bit more ice and a bit more water cures a lot of bourbon ills, IMO. Still a bit of a disappointment.

Then I remember about a couple of bottles I bought last month and put in my closet--Old Whiskey River Bourbon. I only bought it because it was 2-for-1 in a clearance rack, so 2 bottles for $25 was hard to resist. As I am opening it I decide to Google this brand. Made for, and endorsed by Willie Nelson. Oh great. Nothing against Willie--I actually kind of like him. But celebrity booze typically isn't too good. (Avoid Conjure cognac. I really have to start reading the labels more carefully.) But the "deal" I thought I was getting turned out to be paying slightly more than what the bourbon was worth. Again I'll drink it.

So here I am, in a bourbon mood. 4 bottles of bourbon and not a real good one in the bunch. On the positive side, none of them truly suck--even pretty bad bourbon is OK. But still. I'm having a sour mash hissy fit!

Any disappointing stories or bargain bourbon recommendations are welcome.

Oh--and as I have been drinking this swill for the past few hours, please excuse any typos, misspellings and/or grammatical errors. Not that they don't happen when I am sober, but at least I have an excuse tonight.

 

[DevilDog0402]

As the saying goes, "They just don't make them like they used too..."

 

[gegarrenton]

Jack Daniels is about eleventy billion times better than Makers, in any decade.

 

[The Dean]

As the saying goes, "They just don't make them like they used too..."

Ain't that the truth. The good thing is, there making some new stuff even better!

Jack Daniels is about eleventy billion times better than Makers, in any decade.

Well we'll have to disagree on that. But, of course, this stuff is all quite personal.

I really do like wheated bourbons (Maker's Mark and Van Winkle are just two examples). And I think Jack has been been neglected and diluted by the producer for too long. Sure it's probably fine to mix with coke--but you will never finding me mixing my whiskey with anything other than ice--and perhaps a bit of water.

But that's the beauty of having so many choices!

 

[gegarrenton]

 

[auk1124]

Any disappointing stories or bargain bourbon recommendations are welcome.

I am starting to sound like a broken record, but if you are looking for a bargain bourbon, try to track down some Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond. It isn't super complex or anything, but it is a fine bourbon for sipping neat or plunking an ice cube in. 100 proof, 6 years old, about 25 bucks for a 1.75 liter. A truly great whiskey for the price, imo. Good enough that I intend to stock up on it, next time I find it in the liquor store.

 

[The Dean]

I am starting to sound like a broken record, but if you are looking for a bargain bourbon, try to track down some Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond. It isn't super complex or anything, but it is a fine bourbon for sipping neat or plunking an ice cube in. 100 proof, 6 years old, about 25 bucks for a 1.75 liter. A truly great whiskey for the price, imo. Good enough that I intend to stock up on it, next time I find it in the liquor store.

Thanks for the rec. I have heard good things, but have yet to stumble upon it in the local shops. There is one very good shop in Jacksonville that might have it. I'll keep my eye out for it.

 

[sychodelix]

I prefer George Dickel to most. Otherwise, I'll go with Irish whiskey.

 

[Jeff C]

this . . . http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-best-kept-secrets-in-bourbon-are.html

Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star or 10 year old as well.

 

[bandg]

You might also see if Virgin Bourbon 101 is available. That and Dickel#12 are my go to value types available locally. Best, Bradley

 

[The Dean]

You might also see if Virgin Bourbon 101 is available. That and Dickel#12 are my go to value types available locally. Best, Bradley

Thanks, Bradley. I will keep my eye out for it. I tend to like higher-proof hooch.

 

[CptBlueBear]

I'm not much of a bourbon drinker these days. I stopped drinking JD (yes, yes, I know it's not a bourbon) about the time of the first drop in ABV. I'm sure they ran all sorts of trials and taste tests, and heaven knows my palate is nothing to write home about, but some time in the '90s it just stopped tasting good. I drank Wild Turkey for a short while but that became nasty about the time it became popular. I assume the makers became less selective about what they were bottling in order to meet demand.

Which brings me neatly (pardon the pun) to my point: the industry goes in cycles. You see this with Scotch more than bourbon, but the cycle is: a new generation discovers a spirit and it becomes popular, prices rise with demand but there is pressure to produce more resulting in a drop in quality, the masses move on leaving us lamenting that our favourite is not what it used to be, quality drops further as sales drop and management tighten budgets but the drop in demand allows the blenders the luxury of using better spirit and the quality comes back up, and finally, a new generation discover it. Rinse, repeat.

All made worse by the lag of several years between production and sale.

It's a terrible truth, that popularity kills only what is good.

 

[The Dean]

I'm not much of a bourbon drinker these days. I stopped drinking JD (yes, yes, I know it's not a bourbon) about the time of the first drop in ABV. I'm sure they ran all sorts of trials and taste tests, and heaven knows my palate is nothing to write home about, but some time in the '90s it just stopped tasting good. I drank Wild Turkey for a short while but that became nasty about the time it became popular. I assume the makers became less selective about what they were bottling in order to meet demand.

Which brings me neatly (pardon the pun) to my point: the industry goes in cycles. You see this with Scotch more than bourbon, but the cycle is: a new generation discovers a spirit and it becomes popular, prices rise with demand but there is pressure to produce more resulting in a drop in quality, the masses move on leaving us lamenting that our favourite is not what it used to be, quality drops further as sales drop and management tighten budgets but the drop in demand allows the blenders the luxury of using better spirit and the quality comes back up, and finally, a new generation discover it. Rinse, repeat.

All made worse by the lag of several years between production and sale.

It's a terrible truth, that popularity kills only what is good.

I couldn't agree more, Captain.

Same thing has happened with wine over the years. I remember when Chardonnay was good. Then it became THE wine and more and more producers released more and more cheap and crappy Chard. And because it was cheap it became more and more popular with the average drinker. It became so hard to find a really good Chardonnay at a good price, I stopped buying it, for the most part. (I know there are still good Chards available and I occasionally buy one, but I almost never experiment with one I know nothing about anymore.)

The same thing happened to Merlot and, after Sideways, Pinot Noir. I'm praying Petite Sirah doesn't become a "thing".

 

[gegarrenton]

That's true. All the affordable Chardonnay got to be low grade fruit juice! Generally the only good wine values I see these days are Malbecs and Tempranillos, but thankfully I am more of a red drinker anyway.

 

[Jeff C]

I kind of agree with you but don't have the personal experience to confirm. Sometimes, there is just batch variation independent of any cycle. One season of a product may be a 95 pt whisky, the next an 80 and then back to an 95.

 

[lvanarsdall]

I enjoy Tennessee whiskey, though I have started to like Ryes recently and have been exploring those. However, there is a relatively new brand of Tennessee whiskey out there call Jailer's that I would recommend. They are fairly new, still having other distillers make it for them, so I am not sure yet how they will do from year to year, but the price point was very reasonable for the taste, and the taste showed me that they knew what they were doing.

 

[ackvil]

Wild Turkey 101. Still 101 although they do sell a lesser proof if you care for that.

 

[Acmemfg]

"......I'm not much of a bourbon drinker these days. I stopped drinking JD (yes, yes, I know it's not a bourbon)...."

Actually it is. JD meets all the criteria to be labelled a bourbon but the parent company would rather call it Tennessee Whiskey.
I've pretty much made my move to George Dickel #12 and their new Rye....both excellent.

 

[The Dean]

"......I'm not much of a bourbon drinker these days. I stopped drinking JD (yes, yes, I know it's not a bourbon)...."

Actually it is. JD meets all the criteria to be labelled a bourbon but the parent company would rather call it Tennessee Whiskey.
I've pretty much made my move to George Dickel #12 and their new Rye....both excellent.

Not to be contrary, but there is some dispute whether Jack or George can be called bourbon due to the Lincoln County Process (a particular type of charcoal filtering). Some would argue this process prohibits it from being labeled "bourbon". Recently some have challenged that conclusion (including Chuck Cowdrey., whom I respect). While some bourbons are charcoal filtered, I am not aware of any bourbon that goes through this process, for what it is worth.

http://bourbonobserver.blogspot.com/2009/06/filtration-and-lincoln-county-process.html

http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2009/12/favorite-whiskey-myths-debunked.html

 

[Acmemfg]

Call it what you may. It's all good to me.