Blades & Bourbon

Locally, it's $27; so about $10 less than Buffalo Trace.
I was going to throw Old Tub into the suggestion bin for Frank; but it's 100 proof, and I'm not sure how well it would stand up to water or ice (if needed). It's one of those bourbons that is hard to find anything special about (except the price); but there's nothing bad about it either.
For an evening that the effect might be as (or more) desired than the experience, it's one to consider.
 
Frank Morris said:
First drink, I guess I mean the good expensive stuff you all are drinking. Ive had Jim Beam many times in my youth along with Jack Daniels.

I just wanted to try a more expensive brand sipping nice and slow instead of doing shots.
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Nothing wrong with Jack and / or Jim. I have both along with several bottles of Makers, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig and a bottle from a local winery/distillery by the name of St. Jullian. This bottle is 123.4 proof but is smooth.
Take your time getting into bourbon. With today's pricing it is an expensive taste.
 
Frank Morris said:
First drink, I guess I mean the good expensive stuff you all are drinking. Ive had Jim Beam many times in my youth along with Jack Daniels.

I just wanted to try a more expensive brand sipping nice and slow instead of doing shots.
Click to expand...
Like others mentioned, you don't have to buy to expensive to get good whiskey. I'd say to just try a variety to figure out what you like.

This list is just a suggestion - by no means is this exhaustive, but most should be relatively easy to find and is a mix of (macro) distilleries.

Wheated Bourbon - Maker's Mark (Maker's Mark), Larceny (Heaven Hill), anything from the Weller line (Buffalo Trace)
Standard to Low Rye Bourbon - Elijah Craig Small Batch (Heaven Hill), Buffalo Trace (Buffalo Trace), Eagle Rare (Buffalo Trace), Wild Turkey 101 (Wild Turkey)
High Rye Bourbon - Four Roses Single Barrel (Four Roses)*, Old Grand Dad Bottled-in-Bond (Jim Beam), Basil Hayden's (Jim Beam)
Rye Whiskey** - Rittenhouse BIB, Bulleitt Rye, Elijah Craig Rye, Wild Turkey Rye, etc

* - The standard Four Roses Single Barrel is 100pf and is always their "OBSV" recipe - should be between $40 and $50. They also sell the other recipes as single barrels, but those are usually store picks and run between $80 and $90ish.
** - These are all "barely legal" rye whiskies, meaning at or just over the limit of 51% rye. There are others that are higher rye or 100% rye.
 
JG4 said:
** - These are all "barely legal" rye whiskies, meaning at or just over the limit of 51% rye. There are others that are higher rye or 100% rye.
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You might want to try that part again... This is a bourbon thread
 
Frank Morris said:
Im more of a beer, IPA guy that occasionally has a mixed drink with Titos Vodka.

But Ive been watching this thread and have been looking for Eagle Rare. I seen some Knob Creek tonight in a few flavors but not sure which to buy for my first drink.

Another brand I want to try was Whistle Pig but damn, the price!
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Lots of good suggestions about more serious introduction to Bourbon.
‘My offer for first good sip would be the readily available Russel’s Reserve 10 years old.
‘Delicious pour, very affordable price, easy on the ABV.
‘My other suggestion would be any of the Brown - Forman‘s Old Forester.
‘If you don’t want to spent $$, they have cheaper line, in the $50~$60 price range they have number of good stuff,
Id recommended the Statesman as an easy drinkable.
‘My other readily available Bourbons would be any of the Knob Creek line and any of the Woodford Reserve.
‘The highest grade juices were already mentioned before me so no need to repeat it :cool::thumbsup:
 
Last Friday, finishing few bottles with my Bourbon Buddies, all good stuff...

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Frank Morris said:
Im more of a beer, IPA guy that occasionally has a mixed drink with Titos Vodka.

But Ive been watching this thread and have been looking for Eagle Rare. I seen some Knob Creek tonight in a few flavors but not sure which to buy for my first drink.

Another brand I want to try was Whistle Pig but damn, the price!
Click to expand...
Frank Morris said:
First drink, I guess I mean the good expensive stuff you all are drinking. Ive had Jim Beam many times in my youth along with Jack Daniels.

I just wanted to try a more expensive brand sipping nice and slow instead of doing shots.
Click to expand...

Back onto the "which bourbons to try" theme . . .

Having purchased over 55 different bourbons in the past year for prices ranging from $20 to over $300 and having actually tasted over 40 of them.

Here are my suggestions which are listed in alphabetical order by category:

Cheap "Mixers" <$20

Mellow Corn
Old Tub

Affordable >$20 <$40

Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon
Buffaco Trace*
Bulleit 10*
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Maker's Mark
Nobel Oak
Stillhouse Black Bourbon*

A Step Above >$40 <$70

Baker's 7 Single Barrel*
Boondocks 8 Port Cask
The Burning Chair
Eagle Rare 10 (if you can find any)*
Heaven Hill 7 - Bottled in Bond*
Knob Creek 9
Larceny - Small Batch
McKenna 10*
Maker's Mark - Cask Strength
Michter's US1*
Old Forester 1920 - Prohibition Style*
Pinhook High Proof*
Rowen's Creek
Russell's Reserve 10*
Sonoma Distilling
Uncle Nearest 1884
Widow Jane 10
Wild Turkey - Kentucky Spirit or Rare Breed
Woodford Reserve
Woodinville Port Cask Finished*

These are all bourbons that I've tasted personally. I haven't bothered to list any priced at >$70 that I also own, whether I've tasted them or not.. I also have not listed any bourbons that I've tried previously but are no longer made and one that is distilled locally and is not widely available.

Pricing was based on what I saw online today on Total Wines & More. Prices, of course, will vary.

My favorites are marked w/an asterisk. None of these bourbons were "bad." This is just a list of those that I tried and those that I like most. Of course, there are many others that one could try but after tasting all these (and more) I'm not interested in buying any other bourbons . . .

at least for now. ;)

----------------------------------------------

BTW: Whistle Pig is a rye, not a bourbon.

A rye whiskey has to be made from a mash of at least 51% rye, distilled at no more than 160 proof and aged for at least 2 years in new, charred oak barrels and put in the barrels at no more than 125 proof.

There is usually some rye in most bourbons but I've never bought a bottle of rye or tasted any. Probably should but I already have too many bottles of bourbon and scotch on hand to bother.
 
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hhmoore said:
Locally, it's $27; so about $10 less than Buffalo Trace.
I was going to throw Old Tub into the suggestion bin for Frank; but it's 100 proof, and I'm not sure how well it would stand up to water or ice (if needed). It's one of those bourbons that is hard to find anything special about (except the price); but there's nothing bad about it either.
For an evening that the effect might be as (or more) desired than the experience, it's one to consider.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Buffalo Trace is usually $26-28 for a 750mL in my area. That's a big part of why it bumped Knob Creek as my house bourbon.

I'll report back after my next trip to a liquor store. I'll pick up a bottle of Bowman Brothers if they have it. Eagle Rare has still been a whiff with empty spots on the shelves.
 
J JG4 My apologies for my last comment - I somehow overlooked that you had posted a couple of ryes at the end of your list, and the asterisks that referenced it. As a result, your comment about them having at least 51% rye didn't make sense to me (shoulda been CORN!!)
 
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I rearranged the liquor cabinet today and that sent me to the liquor store. No Bowman Brothers but they finally had some Eagle Rare in stock. They had exactly one bottle and it was $36.

While I've got nothing on some of the collections here, these are all my current bourbons. Since taking the pic, they are all open now thanks to some family visiting. :)

The Eagle Rare is definitely good but does it really stand out from the pack here? To be fair, my sense of smell never returned to 100% after COVID so I might not be the best judge. At least for me, all of these bourbons are excellent. While there are differences, the joy any one of them would bring me is roughly the same. Buffalo Trace being $26 and usually in stock at that same store is what keeps it filling my glass.

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