Well, it appears I have hit the character limit in my other post on Scotch, so I've seperated out my notes on Bourbon from that thread and posted them here in a separate thread.
BOURBON
Here are some impressions of different bourbons I've tried:
Ancient Age NAS
Very strong rye on the nose. Tastes isgrainy and sweet, with rye still dominating. Interestinly, this one does not have a real "finish", but rather just sort of dies after a few seconds of being swallowed.
Bakers 7
Now we're talking! A great bourbon. On the nose it is passion fruit and malt. Taste is sharp and very big/full. Finish has mango and tropical fruit on top of the vanilla. Long ginish. A "big"and very satisfying bourbon.
With water added, this one smooths out but loses a bit of character and a lot of the bigness goes away. I recommend drinking it straight.
Bernheim Original
Ah, an all-wheat bourbon, interesting. I expected something quite different than your typical bourbon and I was right. Unfortunately it is not better than most of the bourbons on the list here. I will say that this is an exceptionaly smooth bourbon, but it misses a lot of the spiciness and kick that make bourons so interesting. Avoid this bottling unless you are just wanting something "nice" and easy, but without a lot of character.
Basil Hayden
Very smooth indeed. Has very much an orange and malty nose. Taste is a mix of Orange Serbert and Vanilla ice cream. Quite delicious. Finish is pretty short and subdued. Overall a very drinkable whiskey indeed.
Bookers
Had this at a bar the other day. Very impressive, very potent. It's got a very thick, viscous feel to it, with super intense caramel and vanilla, and layers and layers of oak in the finish. Almost as good as the Van Winkle bourbon, but just barely misses out because the Van Winkle is slightly smoother, and has greater depth and complexity on the initial taste.
Buffalo Trace NAS
No Age Statement on this one, but it has to be fairly old, as it is very, very smooth, with almost no alcohol sting. Goes down very nicely indeed. Very much an echt-bourbon flavor profile, similar but Bulliets, but much fuller, and even smoother. Great big caramel, vanilla, and oak. Exceptionally good and a great bargain. Highly recommended.
Bulliet NAS
NAS stands for no age statement, so this is probably a fairly young whisky. Doesn't matter, it is one of the better whiskies on this list. Very balanced, smooth, and soft on the nose. Very malty. Almost scotch-like in it's maltiness. Finish does not turn hard or sharp like most other bourbons, but stays soft and malty. Delicious.
Classic Cask 20
Picked this up on sale for $50 at my local liquor store. It is perhaps the most interesting bourbons on this list. Most bourbons get more vanilla and woody tasting as they age. Also, longer age tends to intensify the overall experience of it. I expected this one to be a bit like the Van Winkle I love so much. But in fact it was almost completely the opposite. Where the Van Winkle is toasty, bisciuty, caramel, and big oak, the Classic Cask emphasized the other side of bourbon - maple syrup mixed with passion fruit and lavander. The almost citrusy flavor of intense fruit is the dominating element of this whisky, and it carries through to the finish, which is only somewhat oaky. A nice compliment to something like the Van Winkle.
Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10
What an interesting bourbon! Nose is very soft indeed, very similar to Bulliets in it's overall reticence. If you really get down in the glass, it's got a touch of red grape or maybe raisin riding on the traditional bourbon aroma. Taste starts off the same way, very soft when it first hits the mouth. But then it transitions almost immediately to sharp rye with a caramel apple flavor. Not a big full bodied bourbon, somewhat thin actually, but very tasty. Finish is intense, sharp, and somewhat fruit like, a bit citrusy. Very good bourbon.
With a bit of water this one smooths out a bit, but loses some of that interesting sharp transition. Also recommend drinking this one straight.
Elijah Craig 12
Easily the smoothest of the bourbon's here. Very mellow on the nose, with a good balance between caramel and vanilla, with a bit of all-spice thrown in. Taste is remarkably smooth, again everything in very good balance, nice and sweet, smooth, full, and good oaky finish. Great whisky, 2nd only to the Van Winkle in my experience.
Elmer T. Lee
No Age Statement, but I've heard that the age on recent batches is around 14 years. Not so much maple on the nose, more like molasses. Vanilla potpouri, with a strong bitter chocolate/coffee finish. Not the smoothest bourbon here, but smoother than most. At $30 it's a good value.
Evan Williams 7
Very sweet up front, reminds me of cotton candy. Suprisingly smooth since it's only 7 years old. Middle transitions to a clove like flavor, and a short, not particularly woody finish. Very little vanilla. Reminds me of a slightly better version of the Makers Mark.
George T. Stagg
I picked up a bottle of this legendary bourbon by pure luck. I was in the store to buy a bottle of scotch for a friend as a gift, and just happened to check out the bourbon section. And there it was, the holy grail of almost every enthusiast. Often pre-ordered and sold out before it even hits the shelves. And on sale at $47!!!! Snatched that puppy up post haste. AND it lives up to the hype. Best bourbon I've ever had, bar none. Easily better than the Old Rip Van Winkle. The taste if reminiscent of pipe tobacco, with a sweet overlay. The finish lasts 15 minutes, literally. And at 130 proof, you can only take the smallest of small sips. A glass of this lasts and lasts, insanely good.
Jack Daniels NAS
(not a bourbon)
This is the standard black label #7 Jack. The nose is again strong on rye, but also strong on vanilla (unusual). Taste is fairly astringent and grainy, but with a good woody malty flavor that redeems it quite a bit. Finish is almost dark chocolate sweetness. Not a bad bourbon at all. Not great, but suprisingly good.
Jefferson Reserve 12-17
This is a vatting of their 12 to 17 year old stock. It's a tricky bourbon. It's very soft on the nose and is starts off quite smooth and malty, but very sweet ala Evan Williams. But where EW stays smooth right to the end, the Jefferson Reserve explodes with a hard rye and corn sweetness about halfway through. It just builds in intensity for about 15 seconds, overtaking the whole nasal cavity. Then it transitions to medium strong vanilla with a bit of red licorice. Good stuff.
With water this one becomes a very weak, poor tasting whiskey. Drink straight only.
Jim Beam Black Label
Smoother than the Jack Daniels #7 but less smooth than the Bulliet or Evan Williams 7. Flowery on the nose, particularly violets. Taste is typical bourbon, but with a lavendar and vanilla potpouri flavor. Finish follows along the same path, more vanilla potpouri. Good overall, but not great.
Knob Creek 9
Nose is very overpoweringly alcoholic. Taste is more balanced than Makers Mark, but less smooth overall. Stronger wood/oak/vanilla finish, not as sweet upfront.
Makers Mark
Strong caramel/vanilla nose, very sweet. Smooth upfront, caramel is over-riding flavor. Transitions to a sharp grain intensity toward the end, with a not particularly strong finish.
Adding water certainly smooths this out even more, and brings out an orange marmalade on toast type of taste, while still retaining a bit of the sharp spiciness. I like this one better with just a touch of water.
Old Rip Van Winkle 15
Easily the best bourbon I've had so far. Even at 107 proof, it's nose is not overpoweringly alcoholic. Cereal and toaste in the nose. Taste is exceedingly smooth and thickly viscous on the tongue. Bread pudding in the middle portion, with a finish of layers and layers of oak/vanilla. Outstanding.
Pappy van Winkle 20 year
Picked this up recently to celebrate a promotion at work. Expectations were huge after the greatness of the van Winkle 15 year bottling. Unfortunately this bottle was a bit of a letdown. Much more oak and smoke in the finish (very cigar-like), but the intense maple, toast, and thickness of the 15 is absent. At twice the price of the 15, I strongly recommend sticking with the Old Rip Van Winkle 15.
Old Whisky River 6
Strong alcohol nose. Palate is not particularly sweet, with a strong menthol flavor and smell. Finish is medium wood and shortish. Not one of the better bourbons on this list.
Wild Turkey - Russel Reserve 10
Very, very similar to the Woodford Reserve. But where WR is thin and licorice on the palate, the WT-RR is slightly fuller and stays with a lavendar and mint flavor toward the finish. Have to give this one a thumbs up, very tasty and quite smooth.
Woodford Reserve
Strongly alcoholic on the nose, but not overpoweringly so. Aniseed and peppermint also prominent on the nose. Taste is disappointingly "thin", with a strong licorice flavor dominating toward the rather light finish. Disappointingly mediocre.
With water this one improve a LOT. The thin-ness noted before now becomes a softness and a smooth flavor of maple syrup and orange fruitcake. Extremely good with 4 parts whiskey to 1 part water.
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Currently in rotation: Denon AH-D5000, Audio Technica a900, BeyerDynamic DT250-250, AKG K271s w/Heaphile cable, Sensaphonic Prophonic 2X-Soft
Former cans - Sennheiser HD600's and 580's, Shure E5, Sony V6, Sony CD1700, Sennheiser HD280, Sennheiser HD497, AKG K271S, Ultrasone HFI-700, Etymotic ER-6, Etymotic ER-4S
Great notes. I haven't tried all of these, but I have tried most and generally agree with your impressions. To me the Elijah Craig 12 really stands out as one of the best, especially given its low price. One more that you might want to check out is Blanton's Single Barrel.
I usually don't like Bourbon, but a friend of mine won a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle in a raffle, and I have to say it is simply an outstanding liquor.
I usually sip the original Blanton's, but they have so many "editions" now for the export market. Have you tried any of them?
Just a note, if anyone is interested in making a good mint julep, you need a full proof bourbon (about 90 proof or greater). Anything less and the silvery cup doesn't frost. Also, of all the bourbons I've used, the Maker's Mark makes the best julep. It's caramel and molasses flavors marry very well with the mint. If you use a higher proof bourbon for the julep, watch out, because you will need to add a lot more sugar and mint in order to get decent flavor, and it becomes sickeningly intoxicating no matter how much chipped ice you pour it over.
Not a mint julep fan, but I do love a good manhattan. IMO Makers Mark is the best bourbon for a Manhattan because it has a sharpness and citrusy flavor that cuts through the ice and the sweet vermouth very nicely.
Did you ever open up that port finished bourbon you posted about in the other thread?
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Currently in rotation: Denon AH-D5000, Audio Technica a900, BeyerDynamic DT250-250, AKG K271s w/Heaphile cable, Sensaphonic Prophonic 2X-Soft
Former cans - Sennheiser HD600's and 580's, Shure E5, Sony V6, Sony CD1700, Sennheiser HD280, Sennheiser HD497, AKG K271S, Ultrasone HFI-700, Etymotic ER-6, Etymotic ER-4S
Bourbon!
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