Bourbon help needed

[CadaverDawg]

I'm a big Bourbon fan on game day, but I like trying different kinds. Typically I mix with coke early and then finish the night with a few glasses straight. That being said, what is your recommendation on a good bourbon to try out this weekend. Not looking for anything too expensive, but $50 and under is all fair game.

Thoughts?

[starkvegasdawg]

How much was that the game day crew got as gifts? It looked tasty.

[Dawgcentral]

Can't recommend a bourbon since I'm a Jack Daniel's drinker. But you might try mixing your bourbon with coke zero instead of coke. Beats the hell out of diet coke, and there's less chance of a hangover. I'm convinced that sugar is the enemy when it comes to after effects of drinking. And yes I know that volume plays a big role.

[Dawg61]

Not to be a Bourbon snob here but you're ruining your bourbon by adding coke imo. Coke has sugar in it obviously and most bourbons already have a little bit of sugar in them as well so you're creating a drink not intended by the maker with too much sugar which will upset your stomach and get you drunk faster than normal. I never drink diet coke by itself but if I'm mixing cheap whiskey I am using diet coke not coke because the sugar in the bourbon will mix better with it. Try it out. Bourbon and diet not bourbon and coke.

[RogueBooster4you]

Ok, if I'm going cheap I'll do Old Forrester, otherwise lately I've been sipping on Makers and enjoy that. If I had to pick between Beam and Jack, I'd probably go with Beam. Life is too short to drink bad bourbon. Go for the good stuff.

[turkish]

I like Eagle Rare. It's better than a lot of the $50+ stuff to me

[Dawg61]

Woodford Reserve is one of my favorites.

[TXDawg]

Wild Turkey Rare Breed.

It's their single barrel and they bottle it barrel proof. It has a bit of a "spicy" kick that makes it really good. MUCH better than "regular" Wild Turkey. Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.

[Leroy Jenkins]

If you like something different there is a local bourbon in Charleston SC (dont know if its on shelves there yet) called Virgil Kaine. Its ginger infused and it is different, if as you say, you are looking for different.

I drank so much I got sick and lost my appetite for it.

http://www.virgilkaine.com/recipes

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BxMgYcnCcAALZSL.jpg:large

[lefty96]

http://www.bulleit.com/

[RogerWilco]

TX

try it if you can find it

[CadaverDawg]

Glad to know I've got company in the Bourbon dept.

[rbdog82]

Where's Bo Bounds when you need him?

[MagnificentBastard]

I would recommend Maker's Mark because I have yet to find a better bourbon. But I'm sure you want to try something you haven't had before. Bulliet and Eagle Rare are both solid choices if you haven't had them before. As a bourbon purist I have a comment about mixing bourbon with Coke. Here it is: Mix your bourbon with anything you want to mix it with and anybody that tells you that you are doing it wrong or you are ruining the bourbon is crazy. I have a style similar to yours. Mix with Diet Coke all day and switch to bourbon and water at night to help with hydration. One more thing. Nothing and I mean nothing goes better with college football than bourbon mixed with a sweet carbonated beverage.

[IMissJack]

Woodford Reserve, Makers

[Liverpooldawg]

How much was that the game day crew got as gifts? It looked tasty.

Around $50

[Churchill]

Four Roses Small Batch...really smooth

[Dawgtini]

This
832
OR
This
833

Both excellent and reasonably priced. I would go with the first for mixing, but either on the rocks is awesome. $$$ saved and excellent bourbon.

[Johnson85]

I'm a big Bourbon fan on game day, but I like trying different kinds. Typically I mix with coke early and then finish the night with a few glasses straight. That being said, what is your recommendation on a good bourbon to try out this weekend. Not looking for anything too expensive, but $50 and under is all fair game.

Thoughts?

My recommendation is to try to start with a bourbon on the rocks and then move to a mixer. If you're budget conscious, I would start with a good bourbon on the rocks, and then move to something like Old Charter or Wild Turkey if you're going to mix with coke. I think if you do this you will start to find that you like the bourbon better by itself or with water than you do with coke. Used to love bourbon and coke but now even though it smells heavenly, I can't drink it because it tastes too sweet.

If you move to bourbon and water instead of bourbon and coke, you will also likely experience a good little break where you don't have a hangover, provided you actually keep adding water and don't move to drinking it straight a few drinks in.

For stuff to try straight, if you like the sweet stuff, you might want to try Makers Mark first, but Knobb Creek, Basil Hayden, and Wild Turkey Rare Breed are all worth trying. I don't do a lot of bourbon so I don't really get beyond that price point.

[vv83]

The game day crew got a bottle of Blanton's. Picked up a bottle at Corky's today. $57. Good stuff, been getting it for about a year now for special occasions (#3 in the nation is a special occasion to me)

[SheltonChoked]

W. L. Weller. They use the same receipe as rip van winkle 12 year.

[State82]

Four Roses Small Batch...really smooth

Absolutely. Don't mix with anything though, except for some ice cubes. If you want to mix with diet coke try the Four Roses yellow label. As good a $17 bottle as you will get. Of course, Makers Mark is great also.

[State82]

W. L. Weller. They use the same receipe as rip van winkle 12 year.

Haven't tried the Weller but a friend gave me a bottle of Rip Van Winkle several years ago. Fine stuff.

[SapperDawg]

Eagle Rare is a good as you can get at $30 a bottle. I have been making a play on the old fashioned:

1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
2 dash bitters
Fill lowball glass w crushed ice
Add 2 oz bourbon (or rye)
Stir to mix
Top w club soda

[IMissJack]

I like mixing diet Dr Pepper.

[DawgHouseUnited]

Woodford Reserve is one of my favorites.

This. I also would consider not mixing it. If you're looking for a mixed drink, I'd say use a lower tiered brand and save the best for drinking neat or on the rocks.

[State82]

This. I also would consider not mixing it. If you're looking for a mixed drink, I'd say use a lower tiered brand and save the best for drinking neat or on the rocks.

For sure. If I'm pouring cola in it I will just go get a bottle of Evan Williams green label. And I have done that quite often over the years. Just not anymore.

[AlSwearengen]

Buffalo Trace is maybe the best bang for the buck. About $22 for a fifth, so cheap enough to mix but it is quality enough to drink straight.

If you want to spend $50, that Blantons that they bought for the game day crew is really really good, but surprisingly, people don't talk a lot about it.

Others to look into are Bakers, Elmer T. Lee, Elijah Craig (any age), most any Stagg's, Eagle Rare, Knob Creek. Hell, this is the golden days for bourbon drinkers as there are many many good ones right now.

[Original48]

Blantons is my personal favorite...when someone else is buying. But the maker of Blanton's is Elmer T. Lee..and he has a bourbon in his name that is very similar and tastes just as good to me.

[Bucky Dog]

I drink JD on game day and agree with the coke/Diet coke thing. But Woodford Reserve is the best in the price range straight over a solid cube!

[RougeDawg]

Makers 46 Is my gameday choice. Smooth. Over ice.

[AlSwearengen]

W. L. Weller. They use the same receipe as rip van winkle 12 year.

The particular Weller that you are talking about is now pretty much impossible to find because the word is out.

[BoomBoom]

Four Roses Small Batch...really smooth

i 2nd this.

[FlabLoser]

I recently discovered Colonel E.H. Taylor batch strength. Really good.

[dawgs]

Elmer t. Lee is my favorite ~$30 bottle. I like it as much or more than any of the ~$50 bottles I've had.

[DawgPoundtheRock]

Buffalo Trace is maybe the best bang for the buck. About $22 for a fifth, so cheap enough to mix but it is quality enough to drink straight.

If you want to spend $50, that Blantons that they bought for the game day crew is really really good, but surprisingly, people don't talk a lot about it.

Others to look into are Bakers, Elmer T. Lee, Elijah Craig (any age), most any Stagg's, Eagle Rare, Knob Creek. Hell, this is the golden days for bourbon drinkers as there are many many good ones right now.

^^This^^

Al knows his bourbon. Buffalo Trace is probably the best overall value, but you can't find it everywhere.

[blacklistedbully]

Not a bourbon, but I highly recommend George Dickel #12 Tennessee Whisky. It's a sour-mash, like JD, except much better, IMO. A lot smoother, and more complex. Here's a description from their website:
The only 90-proof Tennessee Whisky. We blend older whiskies to achieve deep, assertive flavors with an incredibly smooth finish. Bold and brazen, this is our Superior No. 12.

Concentrated flavors of rich oak and subtle vanilla lead to a long finish with hints of maple, butter and smoke. A whisky with enormous depth, range and personality ? considered by many to be the gold standard of Tennessee Whisky.

- See more at: http://www.georgedickel.com/whiskies.aspx#!no12

They also make an even higher grade, Barrel Select, but I have yet to try that.

[SheltonChoked]

Damn it. That's twice thats happened to me now. I started drinking Rip 12 in the late 90's. Now I have to find another.

[dawgs]

i went on my first fall whiskey run of the year. spent more than i anticipated, but it's whiskey, so it ain't going bad. i don't live in or around MS, so not sure if all these are available around most of yall. already had partial bottles (around of quarter of each) elmer t lee, eagle rare, buffalo trace, and four roses small batch (all are among my go to quality, but bought a bottle of ezra b single barrel, russell's reserve small batch 10 year, james e pepper 1776 rye, henry mckenna 10 year single barrel, and new holland beer barrel bourbon. outside of the russell's reserve, never had the others - i'm only about 2 years into really getting into whiskeys and graduating from the standards. the new holland one is interesting, it's made by new holland brewery out of michigan that makes great beer and the reviews of it sound interesting - probably a little on the sweeter end of things since it's aged in beer barrels.

[Political Hack]

knob creek

[AlSwearengen]

^^This^^

Al knows his bourbon. Buffalo Trace is probably the best overall value, but you can't find it everywhere.

I meant to add that the BT is like hens teeth right now. There has been a big bourbon explosion and there are shortages of some of the good ones. Another one that I hear good things about is Bowman Brothers and there is a higher priced bowman bourbon that is supposed to be really good. I haven't had them though.

[dawgs]

Damn it. That's twice thats happened to me now. I started drinking Rip 12 in the late 90's. Now I have to find another.

yeah the bourbon boom is in full swing and because it takes so long to age, the distilleries weren't making enough 10+ years ago in anticipation of the boom. on the bright side, there's micro-distilleries (just like microbreweries) popping up everywhere out west, the great lakes region, and the east coast (not sure about the south?), and while many of them are using whiskey barreled by the big distilleries, making a few changes, and bottling as their on while their own bourbon is aging. so hopefully in a few years, many of these micro-distilleries will be getting their first rounds of truly housemade batches out there.

[Farmdawg]

Buffalo trace....one of new favorites.

[tcdog70]

Well if it is Bourbon , then Old Forrester or Jim Beam, or Ten year old Old Charter. But if you like Tenn. sipping Whiskey then 12 year old white label -- George Dickle .

[SheltonChoked]

A lot of that is crap right now. Like wineries, aging a spirit takes some trial and error. Discovering the best spots in the warehouse, finding the right blend for your climate. The right number of years to age for your region. ( 2 years in Houston summers is more than 2 years in Kentucky or Scotland). So im letting others find that out for me first.

I also think it's cheating to use mass distilled bases and age them
Locally and call it "blank" local bourbon or whatever. Distill your own damn base spirit. It's not hard. Make beer and boil it.

[BiscuitEater]

NOTHING beats Evan Williams. Makers and Wild Turkey are comparable but cost more.

Bourbon & ice, touch of water for first couple of games. First Sat game with cool weather, mom always made a batch of Milk Punch ... Half-n-half, Evan Williams, vanilla, nutmeg, add to half gallon jar, 1/2 full of ice. Nothing better on a cool game day.

[BulldogBacker]

....100 proof. Inexpensive. Decent taste.

To sip or drink with a rock or two, Woodford Reserve. Woodford Reserve is the best bourbon you can buy less than $35.00 per 1/5.

[dawgs]

A lot of that is crap right now. Like wineries, aging a spirit takes some trial and error. Discovering the best spots in the warehouse, finding the right blend for your climate. The right number of years to age for your region. ( 2 years in Houston summers is more than 2 years in Kentucky or Scotland). So im letting others find that out for me first.

I also think it's cheating to use mass distilled bases and age them
Locally and call it "blank" local bourbon or whatever. Distill your own damn base spirit. It's not hard. Make beer and boil it.

Young distillers gotta make money somehow while their own stuff ages.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Can't recommend a bourbon since I'm a Jack Daniel's drinker. But you might try mixing your bourbon with coke zero instead of coke. Beats the hell out of diet coke, and there's less chance of a hangover. I'm convinced that sugar is the enemy when it comes to after effects of drinking. And yes I know that volume plays a big role.

I used to think it was carbonation, but I have disproved that theory with club soda. I think you may be right that it's the sugar. However, juices (which also have sugar) seem kinder than soft drinks.

I personally prefer just ice, maybe a splash of water. I don't see bourbon as good for shots, but sippin' neat is okay. You can taste it better without the coke too.

[drunkernhelldawg]

I would recommend Maker's Mark because I have yet to find a better bourbon. But I'm sure you want to try something you haven't had before. Bulliet and Eagle Rare are both solid choices if you haven't had them before. As a bourbon purist I have a comment about mixing bourbon with Coke. Here it is: Mix your bourbon with anything you want to mix it with and anybody that tells you that you are doing it wrong or you are ruining the bourbon is crazy. I have a style similar to yours. Mix with Diet Coke all day and switch to bourbon and water at night to help with hydration. One more thing. Nothing and I mean nothing goes better with college football than bourbon mixed with a sweet carbonated beverage.

Can't argue with any of that, agree or not. Cheers, and another shout out for hydration.

[Buliwyf]

Blantons

[SheltonChoked]

I agree. I'm gonna take Al's advice when I shop next time. Thanks