Had Makers Mark.....what next?

Buffalo Trace, the whiskey, is pretty ok - and cheap. the Elmer T Lee and Van Winkle expressions (as well as a few other brands and expressions) also come from Buffalo Trace, the distillery, and pretty much everything from there is ok...

try Old Grand Dad 114, it's the second or first best whiskey from the Beam people (depending upon who you ask - I give Booker's a slight nod, but OGD114 is certainly great from a value perspective). and Baker's is ok. skip Basil Hayden and Knob, IMO.

EC 12, or EC 18, or Evan Williams Single Barrel, or the Henry McKenna Single Barrel are all from the Heaven Hill distillery, and each are pretty tasty. EC 12 is a great value, and the EC 18 is amongst the cheapest, oldest bourbon you can get without spending a ton.

Bulleit is contract distilled at the Four Roses facility, and it's pretty ok, IMO. and any of the Four Roses expressions (the "yellow" or cheap one is really pretty good, and the Small Batch and Single Barrel expressions are definitely good and distinct in flavor).

head over to the Bourbon Enthusiast or the Straight Bourbon forums, you'll get a ton more opinions. it's all so subjective anyway, but at least this ought to give you a good start. there really are a good 30+ which are delicious (I stock 15 bourbons in my bar).

enjoy.
 
I appreciate all the responses---especially about the Makers Mark being a wheated and me probably liking the rye versions better. I guess the good thing is that I will enjoy this fact finding mission. Kinda like cigars, got to love the quest!
 
sumoj275 said:
I appreciate all the responses-- Kinda like cigars, got to love the quest!
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Speaking of cigars, I tried a doozy recently that my brother gave me , the Illusione cg4 White Horse, a tasty great smoke!!
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Hmm. Disliked MM ...

Try Woodford Reserve, then Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Report on results and we'll figure out where to go next.
 
Had another thought I'd add this for the heck of it. I know it's not a cigar thread but what the ..

AVO signature Robusto another great smoke ........
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Mighty tasty !! and try Bakers 7
 

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I was going to say Evan Williams Single Barrel and Rebel Yell, and maybe Buffalo Trace, but it's all been said already.
 
And one other thing-- Sazerac Rye, 18 year old if you can find it, but the 6 year old is pretty good too. The 18YO was my favorite a few years ago, but it got to hard to find where I live. If you can find it, it's definitely worth a try.
 
Ok, I've been drinking bourboun since ..........

not long after the boss posted "REBEL YELL"!

ok, I got a bootle of it to see and for 16 and change it aint bad. Its best topping off a refill. THen neat or with a splash of water.

Funny thing was ....today was the first time they put it on the shelves at my ABC.
 
JohnTheTexican said:
And one other thing-- Sazerac Rye, 18 year old if you can find it, but the 6 year old is pretty good too. The 18YO was my favorite a few years ago, but it got to hard to find where I live. If you can find it, it's definitely worth a try.
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I love Rye whiskey, better than Bourbon (or Scotch) as a matter of fact.

the Van Winkle 13yr Rye is my favorite, and Baby Saz (the 6yo) is my second favorite (it's delicious, I think, and cheap too, has this candied sort of flavor IMO). and I agree, the Saz 18yr is good too, as is the Thomas Handy barrel proof Rye, and regular ole WT 101 Rye is a tasty value as well.

the Van Winkle, Handy, and Baby Saz are my must have Ryes...
 
man this is a timely thread...Ill give a +1 to Gentleman Jack (working on that one as we speak....itll be done tonight in fact...) and Ill take some of these great suggestion to the store tomorrow......if I remember where I put the list! :D drink on! :D
 
Another +1 to Gentleman Jack. And a +10000 to any of the Jack Daniels Gold Label remakes. Just thinking about them makes me wish I had bought cases and cases.
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Well, at the little mom an pop place they did not have a lot of the ones mentioned............might have been the area. As I was leaving, the owner mentioned he had a gift set of Evan Williams Single Brl. I got a 760 ml bottle an a little flask for right at 20 bucks. I like it a lot better than Makers Mark for sure. I will try to get to another package store next week and see what they have for the next go round. Thanks guys, I took notes and have them ready and even started reading on some of them--between guns and knives I run out of time too easy and now this!
 
I've never had any of the "higher end" Evan Williams - the crappiness of the normal stuff turned me off to the entire brand.

It's pretty much relegated to mixed drinks for guests at this point. I'm not letting someone pour my good whiskey into a glass of coke.
 
I like the George Dickel #12 Tennessee whisky, but I am no expert on distilled stuff. I chase it all with beer anyway. :D
 
Actually, I take that back - I've got a stainless steel flask still filled with Evan for quick swigging when I'm getting back to my redneck roots out in the woods camping and hanging around a fire.
 
MustardMan said:
It's pretty much relegated to mixed drinks for guests at this point. I'm not letting someone pour my good whiskey into a glass of coke.
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I continuously fought with people in school who tried to mix my good whiskey in their glasses of coke. I kept cheap bourbon on hand for just that, but they would always insist that the expensive stuff was better. Drove me crazy. One guy even mixed Jack Daniels Single Barrel with coke instead of regular Jack Daniels because he insisted he could taste a difference in the drink. He was not invited back to my house and the good liquor was hidden better.
 
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