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Good bourbon

I've recently acquired a taste for whiskey/bourbon. I've enjoyed Maker's Mark, 46, and Jack Daniel Select. Anyone care to recommend others to try?
 
TownieDeac said:
I love a little smoke. Eagle Rare has a little kick to it. But bourbon is supposed to be smooth.
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Wait no, bourbon is supposed to be rough around the edges.

Speaking of rough, I picked up a bottle of Old Overholdt Rye in S.C. It's cheap. Makes a decent Manhattan though.
 
Mmm. Makes me want to go out and get a bottle of whiskey right now.

May not be the best idea during the week of exams.
 
denverpacker said:
Almost went to that!! Please come back with a recap.
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As mentioned, I went to a drink seminar called Bourbon Born on Sunday. It was an event put on in conjunction with the BB&T Wine and Food Festival here in Charleston.

The seminar was held in the upstairs dining room at Hall's Chophouse (GREAT restaurant, btw) and was led by Julian Van Winkle III. When you entered the dining rooms, each setting had 4 glasses with about a shot's worth of alcohol. The four bourbons tasted were the Van Winkle white dog, Buffalo Trace, Van Winkle 12 year, and Pappy Van Winkle 20.

Julian started out going over what makes a whiskey a bourbon (the legal requirements) and the difference between wheated bourbons (like the Van Winkles make) and bourbons with Rye (most everyone else). As most of you may know, one of the requirements of bourbon is that it is at least 51% corn. According to Julian, most bourbon makers are actually in the 70-80% corn range (over 83% corn makes it a different alcohol, I believe). The second ingredient for most distillers is Rye. Bourbon's made with Rye tend to have some spice on the tongue compared to those made with wheat which are a little smoother and a little sweeter. His analogy was rye bread vs. wheat bread - think of the differences in taste and texture between the types of bread and apply that to bourbon. He talked a lot about the process of making bourbon, how it's proofed, the process of putting it in barrels, etc.

He went on to talk a lot about the history of the brand, how his grandfather (Pappy) started making and selling whiskey in 1893, the history of the merge between the distributor and distiller that lead to the Stitzel-Weller distillery, and how the Van Winkle's ultimately ended up in a partnership with Buffalo Trace.

We got to the tasting notes about 15 minutes into the seminar during which time Julian continued to talk about the bourbons and take questions from the audience. A few interesting notes that I remember:
-Van Winkle bourbon is all made from the same recipe - the difference in taste and flavor profile is a combination of the age and location in the storage warehouse. Julian explained that due to the weather (humidity) in Kentucky, the position of a barrel in the warehouse can influence the flavor.
-They know when they make a batch how long they'll age the whiskey, so they generally know what the yield will be when they start.
-They bottle in small batches, meaning they mix 5-7 barrels at time to bottle.
-He likes a little water (or ice) in his bourbon to open up the flavors. It also drops the alcohol proof - using distilled water is best as it serves to open up the flavors and drop the proof (this is very important for tasting each barrel as him and his son do).
-Julian and his son Preston are the only two that manage the brand - most of the logistics/support is done through the partnership with Buffalo Trace.

After the seminar, I spoke to Julian about my year long search for a bottle of the 20 year family reserve and asked him if it was true that Jefferson 18 is from left over barrels from the Stitzel-Weller distillery before it closed. He said that was true and that he wished he'd had an opportunity to buy those barrels (given his family legacy with Stitzel-Weller).

The seminar was awesome - Julian seems like a really nice guy and was very approachable and easy to talk to. He made jokes throughout the seminar and did a great job relating to the crowd. I am very glad I went and strongly encourage anyone who has an opportunity to meet him to pursue that chance.

Icing on the cake, was that after I spoke to Julian I started to walk away, and saw an older gentleman wearing a WFU cap so I introduced myself. Turned out it was former football letterman Bob Irwin, WFU Class of '63. Damn fine gentleman, and hell of a funny guy. We talked for about 10 minutes before he took off and that totally made my day.
 
There's no way to get stuff not sold in NC, like Van Winkle, unless you have a friend who will ship it to you, right?
 
bym051d said:
There's no way to get stuff not sold in NC, like Van Winkle, unless you have a friend who will ship it to you, right?
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I think the Van Winkle bourbons are sold in NC, but the supply is just so limited that it's hard to come by. If you have a friend with access to buy a bottle, who doesn't want it for themselves, you should take them up on that opportunity IMHO.
 
bym051d said:
I kinda meant "what next?"

I got a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrell today.
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I would get to know a particular distiller. Stick with one and learn their characteristics.

That Knob Creek is a Beam product and is part of their Small Batch family. Try Booker's, Baker's and Basil Hayden. Comparing the subtleties is always fun to do and it will make you a better bourbon drinker.

Wild Turkey is another distinct distillery and offers a good variety.

Also, don't be afraid to explore some of the younger bottom shelf offerings.
 
I went through a High West Silver phase last winter
 
DeacWatcher said:
Which kind of bitters are best for a Manhatten?
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My current favorite bitters are Fee Bros. Right now I'm using a dash of Original Bitters and a dash of Orange Bitters. Traditionally, Angostura bitters are used.
 
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