When you buy, what do you buy, and is it as good as yours??

[Brutal]

I got a bottle of W. L. Weller recently. I've been trying to find a bourbon that I really really like and I think this is it. I bought it because it's a wheated bourbon, and because it's made by Buffalo Trace. It's not bad for a commercial product with bad cuts! The bottle is a shape that I find hideous, but I'm glad I tried it. New favorite commercial product.

I also have to mention, because of the title of this thread, it's not near as good as Jimbo's.

[Swedish Pride]

The Americans amongst us are a bit spoilt, for one you don't get a 750ml bottle for under 20 bux here because the tax alone on 750 ml is around 30 dollars so a $20 bottle is around 50 clams end of story. I use to like Old Granddad but it hasn't been imported here for maybe more than 20 years. Buffalo trace is OK but I won't pay the $65 to $70+ they ask for it. Bookers is around 100 dollars and it's shit anyway take into account these prices are for 700 ml not 750ml which is very uncommon here now and only foreign bottled alcohol, also its nearly all 37% now. Water it down make the bottles smaller and no one will notice 1000% increase in tax . One drink I do like in the under $100 Mark is Teelings small batch Irish whiskey

If you are partial to Irish whiskey you should give tryconnell a try, https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/t ... h-whiskey/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow, a lovely single malt, but i suspect the it may be hard to get a hold of down there.,

[Antler24]

As a rookie - I've set my goals rather low... If I could generate something equal to Makers - that is goal #1.

I was just going to type this exact same thing. I'm used to the lighter canadian whiskeys. When I started gathering parts for my still I started drinkin makers mark to get a taste for a "lower end" bourbon style, and that's where I set my goal. I'm not sure I'm there yet, but I think I'm gettin pretty close.

[HDNB]

Tried a crock of Buffalo Trace' "Eagle Rare" pretty decent, if a bit spendy (63$ CDN) got a pretty good snootful, and i don't feel like a train wreck today, so it must be halfway well cut.
It is quite flavourful.

[thecroweater]

Yep I've seen Tryconnell ,its pricey though

[Swedish Pride]

Yep I've seen Tryconnell ,its pricey though

Yeah I thought the import would kill it's affordability. great value single malt here, about 30 € here last time i looked.

[MichiganCornhusker]

Drinking some Sonoma County Distilling Co. Rye whiskey tonight.
Very good, lots of spicy rye, smooth drinker. I like.
Says double alembic pot distilled.

[Jimbo]

Says double alembic pot distilled.

Classy!

[FreeMountainHermit]

Says double alembic pot distilled.

Classy!

It also sez,.... get this !!!!

The final product is the result of the hard work of our intelligent, dedicated team .


.
Just warms my 'nads to no end to read that they're smart.

Thank goodness they don't have any 47 percenters working there.

[Jimbo]

Just warms my 'nads to no end...

[bearriver]

Says double alembic pot distilled.

Classy!

It also sez,.... get this !!!!

The final product is the result of the hard work of our intelligent, dedicated team .


.
Just warms my 'nads to no end to read that they're smart.

Thank goodness they don't have any 47 percenters working there.

BWAHAHAHA!!!!

I made the snorting sound that only happens when you get 90 proof in your sinuses.

[HDNB]

they part of the 0.8% 'ers

[Brutal]

Don't think I mentioned it here yet, but I finally got a bottle of Blanton's. It's beautiful. It's worth the 50$ for a 750. Shared some with my buddy some of you met in June and we both agree its the best we've had. I don't know very much about it and I don't want to. It didn't even have that heads bite like every other commercial product has. It's not that it wasn't there but it was smoothed out so much and really became part of the taste. The smell is downright awesome. We had just a small amount in a couple of round tasting glasses and I think we both nursed one glass for about an hour. It was just enjoyable to have and smell and sip over a good conversation.

So whats different? Did they make better cuts? Is the aging process done better to cover poor cuts? Maybe it just worked in this one where everyone else missed the mark? It's too expensive and hard to get to hangover test it..

If you guys want something you'll really enjoy get a bottle of Blanton's if you can find one.

[Jimbo]

Blantons is good stuff for sure. One of, if not my favorite commercial hooch. Cool ass bottle too. There's a few different pewter horses on top of the cork there in the collection.

[BoomTown]

My first taste of Blanton's is what made me take Bourbon seriously. My goal is to produce a drop as good, or better. I simply love that whole end of the bourbon spectrum, no bite in the pallet, a soft warm wash over the tongue, lots of vanilla and cherry...

And those cute little tops are great!

[Swedish Pride]

After reading how many of you like buffalo trace i decided to give it a try, I'm trying to give bourbon a chance, only tried JD, Jim beam and Bullit so far. the only one I'd pay for again was Bullit, the other ones were crap JD more crap than Jim beam.

Anyhow, was looking forward to trying BT, and was a bit underwhelmed to be honest, it had a bit of a hot finish to me.
Would that be the rye?
I'm doubting wide cuts as many others here likes it and you would know wide cuts when you drink it.

My pallets are lot developed enough yet to tell so looking fro advice from you guys
btw it was BT Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 45%abv

[HDNB]

funny how different palates work. i think Blantons is headsy and sharp. Love me some of that Buffalo trace, i think it is smooth and finishes sweet and toffee.
I tried that bulliet at a tasting bar and wanted to spit it out (but politely didn't) and begged for anything to wash it down.

[Jimbo]

I got our keyboard player hooked on bourbons. He was a Dewers and Miller Lite type. Now he's been going nuts on a different bourbons and is settling on Knob Creek. It really is a fine bourbon, At Sams Club its $28. For a smooth 9 year old bourbon, thats damn impressive and probably one of the biggest threats I see out there to $40+ craft spirits. Agree Buffalo Trace is a fine drink as well.

[BoomTown]

Just a note about 'our own'...

Griffin Whiskey's first ever bottling of Uncle Lum's Whiskey. The family team of Dick and Clancy Griffin share the duties of Master Distiller and quality assurance. Jaimy Horner shepherds the administrative challenges. The team delivers Griffin Whiskeys, our country's finest bourbon whiskeys.

AGE and GRAIN BILL: A closely held family secret, the aging process is carefully managed until the whiskey begs to be captured in glass and released. It is made from a combination of Corn and Wheat grown within a 10 minute drive of the distillery, and Malted Barley from a local malting house. The water comes for a limestone aquifer well on the property.

PROOF: Uncle Lum's first bottles have been double oaked in new White Oak barrels produced by Gibbs Cooperage in Arkansas. Its first aging was collected from two barrels after the angels had sipped their share, and re-introduced into a fresh #3 charred barrel to finish. Bottled at 120 proof.

NUMBER OF Bottles: 3 cases of 750 ml bottles, 3 cases of 350 ml bottles. The whiskey is not filtered, simply syphoned from the barrels into bottles, allowing a wispy settling of fine charcoal in a few bottles.

COLOR: Uncle Lum's color is a rich, old leather brown, accented by a subtle amber hue when held to the light. The rich color is achieved during the 2nd barreling when temperatures are stressed and high decible sound is introduced for an extended period.

NOSE: A vibrant, floral and fruity aroma that presents with a hint of oak includes that old leather smell that quickly leads into the scent of caramel, honey, and vanilla. The bouquet calls forward images of frost dampened, high mountain meadows at day break in September, as the frost melts and the sun floods the morning with light.

PALATE: You immediately check the proof, as it fills the mouth in a warm and lovely way, without the burn of other high proof whiskeys. It feels silky on the tongue, quickly thrilling the mouth with a creamy combination of bourbon flavors and a flood of fresh saliva. The flavors emerge like a sweeping prairie rain that embraces the senses with sensations of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, cherry, and hints of nutmeg and cloves. The embrace lingers well after the initial swallow with a finish that grows as a warm and fuzzy feeling along your throat, through your chest and down into your belly. The first taste introduces a delightful experience, long missing from mass-produced commercial whiskeys.

AVAILABLE: Available as a very limited addition, first release bottle, collector's addition.

[Swedish Pride]

funny how different palates work. i think Blantons is headsy and sharp. Love me some of that Buffalo trace, i think it is smooth and finishes sweet and toffee.
I tried that bulliet at a tasting bar and wanted to spit it out (but politely didn't) and begged for anything to wash it down.

It may well be that my palette is not developed enough to appreciate it yet. I've been on Irish whiskey and the odd Scotch for the last 10-15 years, will take a while to train my taste buds to bourbons.
I think I'll stay away from Rye for now though, I suspect that is what the heat in the finish was from.

You have to go to a whiskey bar or go to the upmarket likkerstores here to get bourbon that is not JD or Jim beam, I think makers mark is the next on the list to be tried, and other bourbons to recommend to a bourbon noob?

[RandyMarshCT]

You have to go to a whiskey bar or go to the upmarket likkerstores here to get bourbon that is not JD or Jim beam, I think makers mark is the next on the list to be tried, and other bourbons to recommend to a bourbon noob?

Four Roses Small Batch (or Single Barrel) is decent.

[raketemensch]

I picked up some Onyx shine this week, it's made here in CT.

It's very neutral, pretty much flavorless, but very clean with little to no burn. More like vodka than whiskey, really. I miss the corn taste.

I've been mixing it with some strawberry/guava juice, and it's incredibly tasty, but I wish it had some flavor of its own. My wife's first comment was, "Yours has more flavor. You'll have to drink this, I'm going to drink yours."

[DAD300]

Las Vegas Distillery Seven Grain Vodka...very nice! Cut well and a little peppery note.

As good as mine? Better than some of mine, not as good as others...

[der wo]

and other bourbons to recommend to a bourbon noob?

A list, what could be usefull to learn something about american whiskeys:

-Maker's Mark. It has wheat, no rye, so tastes very smooth. Not expensive, good quality, easy to drink.
-Woodford reserve. Muuuch aroma, because potstilled.
-Some older one, for example Eagle rare. Here you could taste commercial bourbon without any traces of glue-smell.
-Rye whiskey. Either 51% rye, the rye from Jim Beam is not so bad (much better than their bourbon). Or 100% rye like the 1776.

[masonsjax]

For my money Buffalo Trace is by far the best tasting drop available. Blanton's has long been my favorite, but the price keeps me from drinking it exclusively. I have yet to attempt a bourbon, but I do have a once used 3liter BT barrel to try. Lots of other ferments in the pipeline before I get to that. In the meantime, I'll satisfy my bourbon habit with BT. There's worse ways to live.

Bullit tastes like pure gasoline to my palate, none of the sweet warmth a bourbon should have, and a lot of bite. To each his own.

Boomtown: if the copy you posted is to be printed/distributed anywhere, it should read limited ”edition", and collectors "edition" in the last paragraph.

[rager]

i just found a vodka called "starlight vodka". they are based out of indiana . and this is the best vodka i have found. its made from corn and is far from a a nuetral spirit. the corn comes through so much that i think it taste more like a white whiskey than vodka. i dont make vodka , yet. but i did this would be something i would strive to replicate. if you see it on the shelf its well worth the 20 bucks for a 750.

cheers

[rager]

i just found a vodka called made by starlight distilleries . they are based out of indiana . and this is the best vodka i have found. its made from corn and is far from a a nuetral spirit. the corn comes through so much that i think it taste more like a white whiskey than vodka. i dont make vodka , yet. but i did this would be something i would strive to replicate. if you see it on the shelf its well worth the 20 bucks for a 750.

cheers

[jb-texshine]

Ordered two shots at the bar last night. Glenlivet smelled good but tasted like heads. Tried the old standby jack Daniels, almost puked on heads.... I prefer my own.

[jedneck]

Finally made it to civilization for a bottle. What did I get? I got Blanton's. Its damn good but I'll take uncle lum over it.

[BoomTown]

Finally made it to civilization for a bottle. What did I get? I got Blanton's. Its damn good but I'll take uncle lum over it.

Jed, you do say the nicest things! Thank you.

Clancy and I did a taste test of our first 4 (10 gallon) barrels on Saturday. We are making some fantastic stuff, which will likely be ready mid March! I'll get you a signature bottle! Thanks for the endorsement!