Good bourbon

Jw12:



When I first poured this I was knocked back by the peat. But it’s since subsided and while it is prominent, it’s not overpowering. This one is finished in sherry casks, which is not usually my favorite way to finish. But this is quite good. I get lots of ripe fruit, especially peach. It’s quite medicinal, but in a good way. Quite spicy and leaves a tingle on the tongue. This is interesting and different than my usual tastes, but it’s quite good and now that it’s gone I wish I had more.

Jw13, from Valparaiso, Chile:



Very viscous and very malty. Lots of oak and leather. It’s not my favorite style of scotch. Just too many overpowering flavors fighting each other and not really any nuance or brightness.

So, after a day of drinking some world class wines in Casablanca, Chile, time for JW14:



The smoothest whiskey yet. No bite, no heat. Lots of oak and tropical fruit - pineapple in particular. Maybe some softness like vanilla. It’s a wonderful whiskey, but maybe too smooth, too easy to drink for me. I’m certain my pops is loving this one.

wfudkn said:

So, after a day of drinking some world class wines in Casablanca, Chile, time for JW14:

The smoothest whiskey yet. No bite, no heat. Lots of oak and tropical fruit - pineapple in particular. Maybe some softness like vanilla. It’s a wonderful whiskey, but maybe too smooth, too easy to drink for me. I’m certain my pops is loving this one.

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Where did you go? I gave a couple recs to someone, probably you, a while back in the Chile thread. That valley is awesome.

In Casablanca we went to two wineries that our local wine guys set up appointments for: Matetic and Villard. Villard has some world class wine and we had a great tour through the vines with the winemaker.

JW15 for our last night in Valpo:



This one is very warm. I get light oak, chocolate, and cinnamon. A little bit of smoke, just a tiny little burn. A very nice and relatively unique pour. I would defs drink this one again.

Passed on an old forester birthday bourbon today at $250. It’s ridiculous.

Luckily I’ll never have that problem since I hate the birthday bourbon.

wfudkn said:

Luckily I’ll never have that problem since I hate the birthday bourbon.

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I’m with you...never been a big fan. Just very average to me.

It is amusing to look back at the beginning of this thread to see the difference in both price and availability of some of the bourbons mentioned back in 2011.

Bubble Boy said:

It is amusing to look back at the beginning of this thread to see the difference in both price and availability of some of the bourbons mentioned back in 2011.

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That was fun. I had forgotten about RJ's attempts to derail this thread.

Also, something I spotted intrigued me: BearsandDeacs posted that his daily drinker was Old Weller Antique, but that he often blended Old Weller Antique and Weller 12 at a 1:1 ratio. Do you still do this? What are some other good candidates for "blending" and why?

I still like that blend but haven’t done it in a long time. Back then both of those bottles were cheap and plentiful...now they are hard to find!

I used to experiment more with blending early on just for fun and to try new things. Typically i would use bourbons that, in my opinion, “lacked” something. If it was a low proof bourbon I might add a spash of 103pf Fighting Cock or OGD 114. If there was a bourbon that tasted to hot to me I might mix in some OWA/WSR, or a softer profile bourbon to try to tame the heat. If a bottle just didn’t taste good to me I would mix in other things to see what I could come up with.

I used to do a “living” or “infinity” bottle where I would dump a bottle I didn’t particularly care for as the base and then I would keep adding the last couple of ounces of random low fill bottles (not private pick bottles or high end stuff) and typically the sum would be better than the individual parts. This was more when I was buying a bunch of dusties and random stuff before this whole bourbon boom happened.

I also used to be more precise and kept notes of blends. Now I just mix if it’s a very low fill bottle and I want a full pour. For example, last night I poured the last little bit of OGD114 into my glass (maybe an ounce was left) and added the end of a Russell’s Reserve pick (110pf) we have done (another ounce or two) - the result was surprisingly good. More sweetness than I would have thought but very drinkable. A combination that I wish I had discovered sooner!

I’m a couple behind due to travel and a pisco sour hangover.

JW16:



I get lemon peel right off and a fair amount of alcohol. It honestly tastes more like a young mezcal to me than a scotch. A little oak, a little smoke, but very light overall. It’s not bad, but I’d prefer the mezcal I have in the cabinet.


JW17:



I get fresh herbs and lots of honey flavor (not sweetness) from this one. Maybe some fresh ginger. It’s pretty unique actually. I don’t love it, but it’s still objectively good.

And tonight, JW18:



This one is more what I’m used to. I get fresh herbs again, but a ton of oak and a little peat. Green apple too. It’s super smooth. Very nice overall, but there’s something suspect at the end. Can’t put my finger on it.

Overall, a relatively underwhelming three days. Nothing bad, nothing I’m on the hunt for.

Elected to pass up a store pick 1792 full proof in favor of Laphroiag quarter cask. Hope I made the right call, but I have enough private pick barrel strength bourbon in my collection now and not enough peat.

06deacon said:

Elected to pass up a store pick 1792 full proof in favor of Laphroiag quarter cask. Hope I made the right call, but I have enough private pick barrel strength bourbon in my collection now and not enough peat.

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you did

I agree

Jw19:



All I know is that this is a famous speyside. I could smell the sherry cask finish from about a foot away. I get burnt orange peel, lots of sweetness, a bit of the px sherry raisin. This is pretty complex. Nice burn. I’m a big fan. Maybe I’m starting to like sherry finishes. Jack, you would like this.

wfudkn said:

Jw19:

All I know is that this is a famous speyside. I could smell the sherry cask finish from about a foot away. I get burnt orange peel, lots of sweetness, a bit of the px sherry raisin. This is pretty complex. Nice burn. I’m a big fan. Maybe I’m starting to like sherry finishes. Jack, you would like this.

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Sounds delicious!

Jw20:



A decent amount of peat on the nose, but also something else I can’t put my finger on. Something nutty maybe. I taste a good amount of peat and maybe cooked apples. Still pretty nutty. A nice tingle at almost 114pf. I’m not usually one for a lot of peat but this is really elegant (yeah fuckers, that’s right, elegant, I said it). This might be the best of the lot so far. Ok, maybe not the best, but maybe my favorite. I might see if I can find a bottle of this, probs on secondary.