Top 5 Bourbons

[edlye]

I'd go with Maker's Mark as an introductory bourbon for noobs. I find that it has a great flavour balance and good body for sipping neat or in mixers that sets it as a good marker or benchmark of sorts for later bourbons that you are going to try.

Other bourbons to try as a counterpoint to Maker's Mark are Elijah Craig 12 / 18 Y.O., Baker's Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Knob Creek.

cool thread, i'm looking to try some new bourbons myself, whats a good place to start for a total noob?

[mk05]

Hey Riaz, Maker's is reaaal sweet on the tongue and very sharp on the back end. I really liked Four Roses starting out, it's pretty mellow, ~$25 as well.

I don't really do bourbon much anymore, but I like these:

Bookers, Black Maple Hill, Blanton's (nice vanilla), Four Roses Single, and Woodford Reserve (personal favorite for old fashioned's)

[edlye]

mk05 is spot-on for MM's short and astringent finish. That is exactly what makes it a great start to other bourbons you consume after that as it leaves no 'taint' in the mouth. I also find that MM has a rock steady consistency bottle to bottle unlike Four Roses which suffer too much from batch consistency to be used as a reliable counterpoint/benchmark, maybe with the exception of the Yellow Label.

[emopunker2004]

Top 3 in no particular order:

1.Woodford Reserve

2.Knob Creek

3.Gentleman Jack

[khomeinist]

The Four Roses barell-strength selections that profile the various yeast/rye combinations are fascinating and highly recommended.

Can I be that guy who states that JD ain't bourbon?

[brazoseagle]

The Four Roses barell-strength selections that profile the various yeast/rye combinations are fascinating and highly recommended.

Can I be that guy who states that JD ain't bourbon?

You may indeed.

[riazp]

Thanks for the tips guys, i'll probably start off with some buffalo trace or Makers...Markers Mark or Makers 46? Four roses as well if I can find it

[edlye]

Maker's 46 is better if you can find it. Otherwise the bog standard MM will do. If buying Four Roses Single Barrel or Small Batch, it is best to find out which batches are drinking well and track those down.

Edit: I find that Maker's 46 has some of the sweet cereal/floral notes toned down and gains a more woody character/wood tannins as part of the 46's production process (staving with charred European oak; essentially re-casking with staves added in the barrel); hence a more lingering finish. This expression is another can of worms for those who dislike MM. IMHO, it is just another expression that the distillery was compelled into releasing by the marketing department and the production department's straight-forward solution. The production principle behind it is selecting some barrels for an extra finishing/maturation period to gain some added oak character; no different from say the Laphroaig Quarter Cask in simple terms.

I also recall that french retailer La Maison du Whisky has a custom selection of Four Roses Single Barrel in cask strength selected and bottled for them, so that will be my best bet to get a decent drinking bottle of the single barrel. You can do a bit of barrel/batch chasing or just settle for the bog standard Yellow Label.

[mk05]

Well I disliked Makers and it took me a couple years to come back to bourbon and redo the experience...to each his own.

I'd personally recommend woodford to start because it's a warm bourbon that isn't too far out there in any spectrum.

[brazoseagle]

Even though I started the thread, I realized I never listed my top Bourbons.

In no particular order:

Willett Family Reserve

Bookers

Buffalo Trace

Blantons

George T Stagg

Basil Haydens

Pappy Van Winkle

If you have never tried Willett, go source some now!!!

[ckearns]

Thanks for the tips guys, i'll probably start off with some buffalo trace or Makers...Markers Mark or Makers 46? Four roses as well if I can find it

Go for the 46.

[thechenman]

I think Buffalo Trace is the place to start for a newbie to Bourbon...The QPR can't be beat by any of the other bourbons out there IMHO. As far as what I like...

1. Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

2. Eagle Rare Single Barrel

3. Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey

3. Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve

4. Buffalo Trace

5. Bookers

[khomeinist]

Yeah. Buffalo Trace and Evan Williams Single Barrel are the value pours. Nobody has mentioned Old Forester Signature 100 proof. That is made by same folks as Woodford, is often better, is cheaper, and has a higher proof. Check it out....

[bstarrs]

My boourbon drinking experience thus far has been limited to Maker's Mark and Knob Creek. But I have recently picked up bottles of Four Roses Yellow Label, Four Roses Small Batch, Woodford Reserve, and Buffalo Trace which I am looking forward to trying. Bourbon selection is somewhat limited at the LCBOs here in Niagara.

[maverickdrinker]

Picked up some Elijah Craig to try. Gonna pick up the Evan Williams, buffalo trace and some blanton's if I get shut out of the 08 dominus.

[kcheek]

I don't drink much bourbon, but when I do it's MM46.

[laficion]

Being french, I have never really been much into Bourbon aside from knowing the names

of the House of Bourbon Royal Family.

Armagnac, Bas Armagnac, Cognac is no problem but Bourbon ? very very little .

Thanks to a fine BOTL in the name of anacostiakat, I have started my Bourbon education

and enjoying it very much.

Here are my top Bourbons at the moment, Truly great.

Pappy Van Winkle's family reserve, 15 years old,(Excellent pure blood)

Elmer T. Lee ( a bit light but wonderful aromas and taste)

Booker's ( really stong and fantastic taste)

Black Maple Hill, small batch ,(very unique)

Van Winkle, Lot B, 12 years old,(one of the great ones but rare)

Noah's Mill,(very refined & elegent)

I feel that all this is going to become an exciting new passion, cool !!!!

[brazoseagle]

Being french, I have never really been much into Bourbon aside from knowing the names

of the House of Bourbon Royal Family.

Armagnac, Bas Armagnac, Cognac is no problem but Bourbon ? very very little .

Thanks to a fine BOTL in the name of anacostiakat, I have started my Bourbon education

and enjoying it very much.

Here are my top Bourbons at the moment, Truly great.

Pappy Van Winkle's family reserve, 15 years old,(Excellent pure blood)

Elmer T. Lee ( a bit light but wonderful aromas and taste)

Booker's ( really stong and fantastic taste)

Black Maple Hill, small batch ,(very unique)

Van Winkle, Lot B, 12 years old,(one of the great ones but rare)

Noah's Mill,(very refined & elegent)

I feel that all this is going to become an exciting new passion, cool !!!!

Right on Guy! Awesome! A lot of people in the States haven't even heard of Black Maple Hill. I like it too. Well done my man!

Bourbon vous fait vous sentir à la maison, peu importe quelle partie du monde que vous êtes po.

[flashman]

I've been noticing that in the past few years, bourbons have been coming out in special editions: aged, single barrel, special selections... A bit like scotches have been doing for the past 15 years or so. This kind of tells me bourbon will soon be the new scotch or cognac on an international level.

Now, I like bourbon and I find it to be a nice change of pace from, well, scotch and cognac. My top 5 would be:

Maker's Mark 46

Woodford Reserve Small Batch

Elijah Craig 12 yrs,

Willett Pot Still Reserve

1792 Ridgemont Reserve

[CanuckSARTech]

I've been noticing that in the past few years, bourbons have been coming out in special editions: aged, single barrel, special selections... A bit like scotches have been doing for the past 15 years or so. This kind of tells me bourbon will soon be the new scotch or cognac on an international level.

Now, I like bourbon and I find it to be a nice change of pace from, well, scotch and cognac. My top 5 would be:

Maker's Mark 46

Woodford Reserve Small Batch

Elijah Craig 12 yrs,

Willett Pot Still Reserve

1792 Ridgemont Reserve

Good observation. Different rum manufacturers have been doing this also lately, more so in the last 1/2 dozen years or so. There seems to be a huge overall push for aged/special blends/selections, etc., in many different "luxury" fields (wines, cigars, scotches, rums, bourbons, etc.).

Definitely a huge connoisseur market out there in the world since the mid 90's.

[TankerT]

Michtners

That's my current Bourbon.

[Rushman]

Interesting thread. I know nothing about bourbon. I'm a scotch guy.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.631739,-87.070604

[TankerT]

Interesting thread. I know nothing about bourbon. I'm a scotch guy.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.631739,-87.070604

It's an interesting leap.

I normally have 5-10 bottles of Scotch in the house. But, i normally keep 1 bottle of Brandy, 1 bottle of Gin, 1 bottle of Burbon and 1 bottle of Rum in the house. (And, some others based on what I feel like...)

Give a few a try... definitely a different take in some ways on whisk(e)y...

[brazoseagle]

Interesting thread. I know nothing about bourbon. I'm a scotch guy.

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I am here: http://maps.google.c...1739,-87.070604

You mean to tell me that during your time in Grand Ol' Houston, you didn't taste up on some Bourbon?

[Rushman]

You mean to tell me that during your time in Grand Ol' Houston, you didn't taste up on some Bourbon?

taste yes, get educated no. I'm a single malt scotch guy (prefer specialty bottlers over distillery bottlings) from way back and never really crossed over to bourbon. Yet!