• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Good bourbon

Should I be concerned about having more than a few bottles open? I generally have no more than 3 open at a time. How long is too long before taste is affected (or effected)?
 
deacfan78 said:
Should I be concerned about having more than a few bottles open? I generally have no more than 3 open at a time. How long is too long before taste is affected (or effected)?
Click to expand...

I've never found there to be much of an impact...I probably have around 100 open right now with some bottles having been opened over four years ago. Other people claim that there is a big impact, so there really isn't a consensus. Some go as far as to inject argon gas into the bottles to prevent too much contact with oxygen. I don't think you'll have any issue with three open bottles.
 
I try to finish a bottle within a month of opening. I will start keeping a few more open because I do like to compare the flavors. Was really tempted to open up my small batch Jefferson's to compare it to the Ocean. Now I think I will.
 
deacfan78 said:
I try to finish a bottle within a month of opening. I will start keeping a few more open because I do like to compare the flavors. Was really tempted to open up my small batch Jefferson's to compare it to the Ocean. Now I think I will.
Click to expand...

I think you absolutely should. And post comparison notes. To me that's the most fun part about this journey - trying new things, comparing them to what you've had in the past, and seeing how your tastes change over time.
 
Definitely noticed the "salt" flavor in the Ocean that I have read some people talk about. It wasn't overpowering or off-putting.
 
We are 5 shy on the barrel purchase. Is that close enough or does anyone want to add a bottle?
 
So I did use the Google machine to answer this question (on a technical basis) but I come seeking the Pit's sage and personal wisdom. I was wondering- what's the difference between bourbon and whiskey? I'm wondering more along the lines of taste, smoothness, etc. and not how it's made or classified. Also, are there characteristics that are common to different styles? Again, I'm just getting into this world, so I'm wondering what might one expect from an Irish whiskey vs a Tennessee bourbon? Thanks in advance.
 
B&D will wax poetic on this for you. There is no such thing as Tennessee bourbon per say. Bourbon, by law, has to be aged in new oak barrels at least 2 years and 51% corn and contains no additives or flavorings and produced in the US. Tennessee whiskey is produced much the same way but is not considered bourbon. I am sure I am missing something. Most bourbon is distilled in Kentucky but bourbon can be made any where in the US as long as if follows the guidelines for bourbon.

Taste will vary by mashbill, years aged and barrel location in the rick house. Buffalo Trace has 2 main mashbills I think but produces 20 or more bourbons. When I toured, the tour guide said the cheap stuff was stored up high in the rick house and aged quicker than the stuff in the bottom of the rick house.

I can't speak for irish whiskey vs bourbon or american whiskey as I have just got into bourbon/whiskey the past couple of years. I do prefer a wheated bourbon, which uses wheat as the 2nd grain instead of rye.
 
Last edited:
Bourbon is a type of whiskey, just as Scotch is a type of whisk(e)y.

Here are the federal guidelines to be considered bourbon:
-must be at least 51% corn
-must be aged in new, charred oak barrels
-must be produced in the United States (anywhere, not just Kentucky)
-must be bottled at 80 proof or greater
-must come off of the still at no more than 160 proof
-must enter the barrel at 125 proof or less

The whiskey has to be aged for over two years to be called Straight Bourbon and anything less than four years must have the age stated on the bottle. Similar to Scotch, the age stated on the bottle must be the age of the youngest bourbon in the mix. There is no issue with the bourbon being older than what is stated, it just can't be younger.
 
deacfan78 said:
B&D will wax poetic, but there is no such thing as Tennessee bourbon. Bourbon, by law, has to be aged in new oak barrels at least 2 years and 51% corn and contains no additives or flavorings and produced in the US. Tennessee whiskey is produced much the same way but is not considered bourbon. I am sure I am missing something
Click to expand...

You can put the distillate into a barrel and dump it out immediately and it would still be bourbon. The two year requirement is necessary for it to be called Straight Bourbon.

There is such a thing as Tennessee Whiskey - Jack Daniels and George Dickel. Both of these could also be considered bourbon, if they chose to label it as such, but they want to differentiate themselves from the likes of Heaven Hill and Jim Beam. The whole "Lincoln County process" is a little bit of crap, but helped to build the JD brand.
 
Last edited:
RevDeac06 said:
So I did use the Google machine to answer this question (on a technical basis) but I come seeking the Pit's sage and personal wisdom. I was wondering- what's the difference between bourbon and whiskey? I'm wondering more along the lines of taste, smoothness, etc. and not how it's made or classified. Also, are there characteristics that are common to different styles? Again, I'm just getting into this world, so I'm wondering what might one expect from an Irish whiskey vs a Tennessee bourbon? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

How it's made is an important characteristic, and I'm not sure you should try to decouple that from taste, though our resident expert B&D may have other thoughts. For example, the requirements for being able to call something a bourbon include using specific ratios of ingredients that influence the taste. What a distiller uses in his mashbill after corn is important - it's why bourbons with high wheat content are smooth and sweet and why bourbons with high rye content are spicy.
 
RevDeac06 said:
So I did use the Google machine to answer this question (on a technical basis) but I come seeking the Pit's sage and personal wisdom. I was wondering- what's the difference between bourbon and whiskey? I'm wondering more along the lines of taste, smoothness, etc. and not how it's made or classified. Also, are there characteristics that are common to different styles? Again, I'm just getting into this world, so I'm wondering what might one expect from an Irish whiskey vs a Tennessee bourbon? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


Bears and Deacs said:
Bourbon is a type of whiskey, just as Scotch is a type of whisk(e)y.

Here are the federal guidelines to be considered bourbon:
-must be at least 51% corn
-must be aged in new, charred oak barrels
-must be produced in the United States (anywhere, not just Kentucky)
-must be bottled at 80 proof or greater
-must come off of the still at no more than 160 proof
-must enter the barrel at 125 proof or less

The whiskey has to be aged for over two years to be called Straight Bourbon and anything less than four years must have the age stated on the bottle. Similar to Scotch, the age stated on the bottle must be the age of the youngest bourbon in the mix. There is no issue with the bourbon being older than what is stated, it just can't be younger.
Click to expand...

Bears and Deacs said:
You can put the distillate into a barrel and dump it out immediately and it would still be bourbon. The two year requirement is necessary for it to be called Straight Bourbon.

There is such a thing as Tennessee Whiskey - Jack Daniels and George Dickel. Both of these could also be considered bourbon, if they chose to label it as such, but they want to differentiate themselves from the likes of Heaven Hill and Jim Beam. The whole "Lincoln County process" is a little bit of crap, but helped to build the JD brand.
Click to expand...

leftcoastdeac said:
How it's made is an important characteristic, and I'm not sure you should try to decouple that from taste, though our resident expert B&D may have other thoughts. For example, the requirements for being able to call something a bourbon include using specific ratios of ingredients that influence the taste. What a distiller uses in his mashbill after corn is important - it's why bourbons with high wheat content are smooth and sweet and why bourbons with high rye content are spicy.
Click to expand...

Having said all that, you should join the bourbon barrel thread if you haven't already! :thumbsup:
 
leftcoastdeac said:
How it's made is an important characteristic, and I'm not sure you should try to decouple that from taste, though our resident expert B&D may have other thoughts. For example, the requirements for being able to call something a bourbon include using specific ratios of ingredients that influence the taste. What a distiller uses in his mashbill after corn is important - it's why bourbons with high wheat content are smooth and sweet and why bourbons with high rye content are spicy.
Click to expand...

Absolutely true.

It's hard to get into the differences without first addressing how bourbon and other whiskies are made (and while I have some Scotch knowledge, I'm much more of a Bourbon fan). Scotch has a much wider variety than bourbon and the requirements aren't as strict in some ways. The Scotch barrels have been previously used...most of the time they use Bourbon barrels to age the whisky with the second most common being sherry barrels. By using already used barrels, it allows the Scotch to take on the wood flavor much more slowly - that's why you'll see some ultra-aged Scotch but you'll never seen the same age bourbon...if you had bourbon that old it would be about as enjoyable as sucking on a mouthful of toothpicks.

I think Scotch is distilled twice while Irish Whiskey is distilled three times. Most bourbons are distilled using a column still while most Irish Whiskeys and Scotch Whiskies are distilled using a pot still (I may be wrong here). All of these differences have an impact on the final product.

And then there's the climate, which is the biggest variable. The weather in Scotland and Ireland (and other parts of the world) is very different than Kentucky...this has a huge impact on the flavor profile.

(These are obviously just a few of the differences, but it's a place to start.)

For me, it's easier to keep each whisk(e)y in its own silo and compare them to each other than to compare across the different whisk(e)y styles.
 
Last edited:
Where can one find the details on this barrel purchase? I'm probably just really dense, and have missed it multiple times.
 
jtDeac said:
Where can one find the details on this barrel purchase? I'm probably just really dense, and have missed it multiple times.
Click to expand...

There's a separate forum on here to track it - PM tsy and he'll get you access
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top