All About Bourbon Whiskey

[mrbigjas]

2: Bulleit.  I don't know anything about Bulleit, I don't know what its "frontier whiskey" subtitle indicates, and I don't know if it has an unusually high rye content -- but it's the rye-est tasting bourbon I've had, it makes a great Sazerac, and it's my favorite whiskey to try out a new bitters with.  It's also my favorite to drink on the rocks, other than Blanton's.

according to their website it does:

Bulleit Bourbon is produced with a high rye content and proprietary grains and yeasts... The high level of rye content creates the dry, clean flavor.

it's my favorite bourbon right now.

Edited December 28, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

I was wondering if anyone could offer some insight on what, if anything, defines "single barrel bourbon" in the legal sense. I have some suspicion that there is precious little that has to be done to qualify for this on the label but I may be wrong, so I wanted to check. I have heard people equate single barrel bourbon with single malt scotch, which I know is not right, but I want to know what exactly makes bourbon single barrel.

Thanks in advance.

-Andy

[eje]

Robert Hess recently wrote a nice article over on Spirit World recently about Whisk(e)y.

Whisk(e)y

"Single Malt", he clarifies, just means, "...that all of the whisky in the bottle has come from a single distillery, and that it is all made from malted grain/barley (no fillers)."

Wikipedia says "Single Barrel" means:

The term Single barrel bourbon describes a premium class of bourbon whiskey in which each bottle comes from an individual charred oak barrel, instead of being the product of many different barrels blended for uniformity of color and taste.

The whiskey from each barrel is bottled individually with each bottle bearing the barrel number and in most cases the dates for the beginning and end of aging; none of the whiskey is blended, creating a unique flavor for each barrel.

edit - BTW, it appears the single barrel bourbon designation is relatively recent. This article on straightbourbon.com sez, "Ancient Age was the first distillery to come out with a single barrel Bourbon when in 1984 it introduced its Blanton's label."

[slkinsey]

"Single barrel" whiskey is also often, although not always, at barrel proof.

[thirtyoneknots]

Is it not true that all straight Bourbon and [American] Rye is "single malt"?

So to clarify; Single Barrel offerings are theoretically more unique (between bottles) than single malts in scotch and irish, right?

I think a lot of this confusion arises from people not understanding what blended means as in blended whiskey, as opposed to blending by the master blender for consistency, quite a different process if I'm not mistaken.

-Andy

[slkinsey]

Not exactly. According to my understanding, single malt whiskey comes from a single distillery and is produced from a single type of malted grain (in practice this almost always means barley). Since bourbon is produced from mixed grains by law (corn, barley with wheat and/or rye), and not all of these are malted, it is not a "single malt."

Anchor Distilling makes several bottlings which are produced from 100% malted rye. These would qualify as "single malt whiskies."

[eje]

Is it not true that all straight Bourbon and [American] Rye is "single malt"?

So to clarify; Single Barrel offerings are theoretically more unique (between bottles) than single malts in scotch and irish, right?

[...]

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oops...

Sam answered first.

So if a whisk(e)y was made from all malted corn, could it then be "single malt"?

Edited January 12, 2007 by eje (log)

[eje]

Had a few friends over and opened the W.L. Weller from this year's Buffalo Trace Antique Collection after dinner. Uncut, unfiltered, wheated, single-barrel Bourbon. My understanding is it is around 15 years old.

Lovely stuff. Wonderful cherry, caramel aroma. Amazingly smooth and drinkable for 120 proof. Seems to evaporate off your tongue, leaving just a hint of wood in the aftertaste.

One of the best sipping Bourbons I've had.

[Craigm]

Beam for everyday goodness.

Sentimental favorite, Old Granddad Bonded.

And Old Fitz....reminds of the days whiskey was what most all men drank when they drank hard liquor. At least in my teeny corner of the world....

[Splificator]

Sentimental favorite, Old Granddad Bonded.

Oh goodness me yes!

[mkayahara]

Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention -- the 79% cap slkinsey mentioned probably came from confusing the regulatory destinction between "bourbon whisky" and "corn whisky" as having something to do with rye.  The regs stipulate that bourbon be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, but then further state that anything made from 80% corn or more cannot be called bourbon and must instead be called "corn whisky".  But none of this 80%-cap stuff has anything to do with rye.

←

The above comment was made last month in the "All About Rye Whiskey" thread. Then, the other day, I noticed a post by Eric Asimov on his blog The Pour pointing out that there is no 79% cap on bourbon either; bourbon can be anything between 51% and 100% corn. He goes on to explain:

But then I wondered what the difference was, legally speaking, between bourbon and corn whiskey, better known as moonshine? I was in the right place to find out. According to the federal regulations, bourbon must be stored in charred new oak containers. Corn whiskey (which must be distilled from a mash of at least 80 percent corn) cannot be “subjected in any manner to treatment with charred wood.’’ If aged in oak at all, the containers must be either used or uncharred new oak.

Any thoughts on this?

[camdan]

I've been a fan of single malts for about three years now and feel like trying a Bourbon. Malt wise my favourites are Lagavulin and Talisker, although I don't know if that helps. I'm looking for something good (so I know if it's a drink with potential for me) but not ridiculously priced.

Suggestions?

[David Ross]

My favorite is Maker's Mark. It almost has a sweet taste to it. It is very silky. I found some of the other Kentucky small batch bourbons have a pretty harsh taste. I think it comes from the charred barrels they age it in. Booker's is another good Kentucky bourbon to try. I drink Maker's Mark three ways-straight over ice, with ginger ale, or in a traditional old-fashioned cocktail.

[David Santucci]

I find Maker's Mark and Booker's both to be quite "hot" bourbons -- fiery in the mouth. Neither is among my favorites, though both are quite popular.

For a really well-crafted bourbon, that shows the potential of the style -- I would recommend Blanton's. Sure, it costs more than many bourbons, but I think it is worth it, and it still costs less than pretty much every good single malt.

[themaninwhite]

i agree that blanton's is pretty great, but if you're looking for something a little less pricey, i'd recommend something from the weller family. my favorite is the weller antique, which usually sells for around $20 for a liter. it is (like maker's mark) made with wheat rather than rye so it is a little more mellow in flavor than some other bourbons, and since it has not reached the level of popularity of maker's it has maintained its rather modest price point. also, the higher proof (107) makes it great for mixing (it makes a particularly great mint julep), which isn't to say that it isn't an excellent sipping whiskey in its own right.

[eje]

camdan,

Booker's is barreled at cask strength, so that is a hot bourbon.

Maker's Mark is OK. But, for a sipping Bourbon, in that price range, I'd pick the Eagle Rare 10, Knob Creek, or Woodford Reserve over it. They're all a couple bucks more. Well worth the extra cash, though.

It looks like you might be somewhere in the UK. Are there any bars nearby that would pour you tasting size glasses before you invest in a bottle?

[thirtyoneknots]

Any opinions on Buffalo Trace out there? What little I hear seems to be good.

-Andy

[camdan]

It looks like you might be somewhere in the UK.  Are there any bars nearby that would pour you tasting size glasses before you invest in a bottle?

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I'm afraid that's unlikely, I'll probably just have to take a chance, and see what the good people at thewhiskyexchange.com (the finest site around) can offer me.

[scratchline]

Andy, Buffalo Trace is a VERY good mid-shelf bourbon. To my taste, it's on the simple side, but among bourbon aficionados, it has many champions. You should definitely get a bottle.

-Mike

[sizzleteeth]

There is a Bourbon from my hometown I don't see mentioned anywhere so I'll throw it out here, it's called Kentucky Tavern.

It was once the official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, before Woodford.

It was once called "The Aristocrat of Bourbons" and was even bottled in Bond during the war.

You can still find antique items selling on Ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/Kentucky-Tavern_W0Q...rdsreturnedZ300

And the old magazine ads are really interesting:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Kentucky...m=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Anyway, Glenmore Distilleries was bought by Barton Brands and they more or less relegated it to bottom shelf, only the liters are sold in glass anymore.

http://www.bartonbrands.com/kenttavern/largektprodshot.jpg

It holds a special place in my heart because it was my grandfather's drink (we called him Pop, his name was Charlie) - though he just called it KT. He was a steel mill worker and would always say, "KT and coke won't hurt ya."

It's been made for over 110 years and isn't so easy to find outside of KY anymore, but for me there is no finer "everyday" Bourbon - though my viewpoint may be a bit biased.

I pick some up everytime I go home.

[eje]

Andy,

I have a bottle of one of the batches of a Binny's Barrel Select Buffalo Trace Bourbon, so I'm not sure how representative it is of the product line.

I find it to be a very dry, grassy, and intense in style.

About as far from the richer, fruity Weller Bourbons as you can get.

I like it OK in vermouth heavy Manhattans; but, that's about it.

[gethin]

It looks like you might be somewhere in the UK.  Are there any bars nearby that would pour you tasting size glasses before you invest in a bottle?

←

I'm afraid that's unlikely, I'll probably just have to take a chance, and see what the good people at thewhiskyexchange.com (the finest site around) can offer me.

←

Unless you are really out in the sticks, it shouldn't be impossible to find places that stock the bigger (at least in the UK) brands (Bulleit, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Rebel Yell, Makers Mark etc ) and try a single shot.

If you are in London and want to taste a decent range of higher end Bourbon, the Rockwell, on Trafalger Square has an amazing range - not cheap (and they only sell doubles) , but certainly better than splashing out a lot of dosh on something you then find you don't like.

Both the Vintage House (Old Compton St) and the Whiskey shop at Vinopolis have a decent range of bourbon in minatures - again not the cheapest way to buy booze , but it does give you a chance to try a range of bourbon without splashing out on full bottles.

Milroys usually have a bottle or two of bourbon open for tasting

Apologies if you are nowhere near London , this info will be of little use .

Gethin

[David Santucci]

I've got two go-to Bourbons that I like to keep around at all times.

One is Elmer T. Lee, which is my house Bourbon. I find it to be a really straightforward, finely-crafted Bourbon. No it is not as complex as the finest single-malt Scotch. But to my mind, that is not what Bourbon is about. For me, Elmer is a fine exemplar of the style. I prefer Blanton's, which I also find to be a straightforward, "Bourbon-ey" Bourbon, but since I can get it for $21 when it goes on sale, I tend to drink the Elmer.

My second go-to Bourbon is Evan Williams Single Barrel. This one, which goes for about the same money, is much more complex. Basically, I like it in Manhattans. Prefer it to Rye. I think it has something of a Rye-like character, actually, which is why it is so good in a Manhattan. This is referring to the 1996 vintage, which is what they are selling right now around here. I heard once that rather than selecting barrels that were in the middle of the warehouse, which are traditionally considered the best due to smaller temperature fluctuations, lately they have been selecting barrels for EWSB from near the roof, where temperature fluctuations are the greatest. This could have something to do with its unique, complex flavors.

One more thing, about heat. I feel like there is more to this than just the alcohol content of the spirit. To me, when drunk straight, Maker's Mark feels MUCH more hot (i.e., it burns) than does Elmer T. Lee, even though both are bottled at 90 proof. I don't know why this is, but it is certainly what it seems like to me. Anyone have any ideas about this?

[MattJohnson]

I recently had one called Eagle River that was pretty good for around the 20 buck mark. Makers Mark is usually a sure bet. I've just been getting into some Single Malts. Wish I could afford it, but its probably good that I cant.

[KatieLoeb]

I recently had one called Eagle River that was pretty good for around the 20 buck mark.  Makers Mark is usually a sure bet.  I've just been getting into some Single Malts.  Wish I could afford it, but its probably good that I cant. 

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Are you sure that wasn't the Eagle RARE? It's at about that price point and is very good for the money.