Bourbon & Tennessee Whiskey

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Over the last couple months I’ve sampled two bourbon’s that I bought.

Wild Turkey American Honey
and
Jack Daniels Honey

Both rather inexpensive. I’m guessing they are lower proof but I really don’t pay attention to proof…just the taste.

After going to JJ’s BBQ in Nelson WI, where they have over 50 flavors, I’ve found the more expensive bourbon’s are, the more I don’t care for them.

That’s what is great about bourbon, lots of really tasty options for under $30. And lots of great stuff under $50 too. I’ve been really digging the higher proof stuff lately, which normally puts me in the higher price range unfortunately.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed and Old Forester 1920 are just rock solid bourbons. Both are strong(~115 proof), but both just carry super deep, classic bourbon flavors. Heavy caramel and vanilla flavors, and very oily/thick.

But a lot of days I’m looking for something a bit lighter and easier to drink I can reach for the Evan Williams single barrel or eagle rare.

Unfortunately, the bourbon boom has caused distilleries to charge astronomical prices for no reason. It used to be easy to decipher why something was priced the way it was, age and proof being the primary factors. Now you see a bottle of Kentucky Owl Confiscated for $130, a no age statement bourbon under 100 proof, makes me laugh. Or Peerless Rye(which is supposed to be quite good), a 24 month aged rye for $130. It’s just stupid.

We were trying heavy shots at $30 each. I wasn’t impressed.

I know a brain surgeon (no kidding) that was telling me how good JEFFERSON’S was. I bought a bottle… I gave him a bottle of Basil Hayden and he’s been thanking me ever since.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my tastes might not be like others so I have to try a bourbon before I lay out the cash just to have another bottle in the cabinet collecting dust.

However… I had a Moscow Mule (normally made with vodka) but made with bourbon. It was great! Light and refreshing. Great way to get rid of the dusty bottles.

PS now I’ve found that not every Ginger Beer is made the same and I have some dusty bottles of that laying around.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

However… I had a Moscow Mule (normally made with vodka) but made with bourbon. It was great! Light and refreshing. Great way to get rid of the dusty bottles.

THIS ^. My favorite is an old fashioned moscow mule. Exactly as it sounds. Bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, lime and ginger beer. The bitters mixed with the ginger beer is delicious. I use standard Evan Williams, but any bottle of Bourbon you bought that didn’t necessarily peak your interest and is collecting dust would be perfect. I’m easy to please with ginger beer, I like Gosling’s.

That sounds really good, I need to branch out to some more bourbon based cocktails, and I love a good old fashioned.

BK, can I ask how you normally drink your bourbon? If you are drinking it quickly, shots or even just large, quick, sips. Then something like Basil Hayden is going to be way ‘smoother’ and less jarring than a higher proof bourbon. I think Basil Hayden is 80 proof if memory serves.

I tend to sip whiskey pretty slowly though, so the higher proof stuff doesn’t completely burn my face off. It sounds really stupid, but really small sips get naturally diluted if you are swishing it lightly around your mouth.

Either way, no one can or should tell you what to like! If you like Basil Hayden’s, they’ve recently released a lot of other expressions in that line you might want to check out! There’s a new one finished in Carribean rum casks that I heard is light and quite sweet, might fit the bill if you’ve been liking some of those flavored whiskies.

404 ERROR wrote:

My favorite is an old fashioned moscow mule. Exactly as it sounds. Bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, lime and ginger beer.

This sounds absolutely delicious!

Brian Klawitter wrote:

PS now I’ve found that not every Ginger Beer is made the same and I have some dusty bottles of that laying around.

For those that use ginger beer for mixers, the best one I’ve found is Trader Joe’s store brand, not super sweet like most plus a 4 pack is usually $2.

I’m needing a new bottle myself and while I usually stick around $30, I think I’m gonna splurge and get some RockFilter, a newer distillery from Spring Grove. Not sure which variety yet, leaning toward the Giants of the Earth.
http://www.rockfilterdistillery.com/our-spirits-1

Dup Post

Brian Klawitter wrote:

However… I had a Moscow Mule (normally made with vodka) but made with bourbon. It was great! Light and refreshing. Great way to get rid of the dusty bottles.

There needs to be a more creative name for that, like an Alabama A$$ or Downhome Donkey…I’m sure our resident creative writer Phil will come up with something lol.

I recently got Hayes Parker bourbon instead of Jim Beam for a cheap bourbon, and it’s terrible and barely drinkable even with 7up or Coke.

As for cocktails a Bourbon Manhattens are solid too, but I prefer them with Brandy (don’t kick me outta the thread!)

Brandy is delicious but a brandy manhattan is a WI thing

Bourbon Godfather! It’s my new favorite drink.

Guckenheimer!

BigWerm wrote:

As for cocktails a Bourbon Manhattens are solid too, but I prefer them with Brandy (don’t kick me outta the thread!)

Wow I bet you have strobe lights on your ice castle too

I’m not a fan of Jefferson either. Their Ocean stuff is a crossover for scotch drinkers. If you like scotch you might like Jefferson Ocean.

Basil Hayden is a little hotter, probably from more rye in the recipe. If you like that spice you might want to look at Redemption. I’ve tried a couple of their’s and found both to be hotter. Currently half way through their $25 bottle of regular stuff and it is a little hotter than Basil Hayden. Tried their longer aged high rye version first and it was not for me. Finished it anyway.

My go-to are George Dickle and Woodford double cask.

philtickelson wrote:

BK, can I ask how you normally drink your bourbon? If you are drinking it quickly, shots or even just large, quick, sips. Then something like Basil Hayden is going to be way ‘smoother’ and less jarring than a higher proof bourbon. I think Basil Hayden is 80 proof if memory serves.

Phil, with a bourbon cube. I think I take small sips but then again I do find myself pouring another shot before the cube is melted too far. BH is 80%

And no sir! I do not like the jar of the stiffer bourbons. (Not that I don’t drink them occasionally.

The ginger beer, lime and bourbon is called “the wall” at Jimmy’s on the top of the St James Hotel in Red Wing. I was looking at their menu on line one day and it appeal to me. So darn refreshing and I have a lot of bourbon that I don’t care for to polish off.

This thread makes me to want to pick up a bottle of Basil Hayden on the way home tonight. I will let you know what I think of it if I can remember.

Really enjoying the Knob Creek Single Barrel 9 year. For a 120 proof it sure is smooth!

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mmmmmmm, those knob creek store picks are some of the best value in bourbon right now. You can often find 12, 13, 14 or even 15 year old store pick bottles, at 120 proof, for ~$40. That’s wayyyyy cheaper than most anything else at that age/proof.

Heck, Booker’s is the same juice(different barrels), aged 6-8 years at a slightly higher proof and it’s approaching $80 a bottle.

philtickelson wrote:

mmmmmmm, those knob creek store picks are some of the best value in bourbon right now. You can often find 12, 13, 14 or even 15 year old store pick bottles, at 120 proof, for ~$40. That’s wayyyyy cheaper than most anything else at that age/proof.

Heck, Booker’s is the same juice(different barrels), aged 6-8 years at a slightly higher proof and it’s approaching $80 a bottle.

I’ve been reading up on these brands that all use the same batches but age it differently and at different proofs. Pretty crazy. All I know is that Knob Creek is darn good and will have a regular spot in my cabinet next to my Blantons…..

Well its that time of year again… Anyone end up with some good finds yet??

Our cabin property is called the Buckhorn so when I found this in a Twin Cities store I bought it just because. This in the picture is the reserve bourbon but they also have a straight for a little less.

For as cheap as this was and at 92 proof it sure is a smooth sipping bourbon. I have a jug of 4 Roses small batch and this is easily as smooth as the Roses.

I’d buy this again as well as the 4 Roses small batch but it won’t be for at least ten years. I’ve had the 4 Roses for 4 years and its only down about 2″ in the bottle and this Buckhorn is still in the neck. I don’t get into this stuff very often and maybe a finger at best when I do.

Harmony Spirits made in Harmony MN makes some very good whiskey and bourbon

http://www.forbes.com/sites/fredminnick/2019/03/24/best-whiskey-how-bourbon-dominated-the-2019-san-francisco-world-spirits-competition/#5bfc1a06d3a5

Not sure if you guys saw this, but a $30 bourbon won best whiskey 2019. Henry McKenna 10-year-old Bottled-in-Bond

Ryan Lange wrote:

Harmony Spirits made in Harmony MN makes some very good whiskey and bourbon

Like pizze, everyone has their favorite. The bourbon I tried from Harmony was above my pay grade for the taste.

As a WI bartender and restaurant manager, I always find these posts interesting. I was lucky enbough to spend some time bartending/managing on the west side of the river and all the way out into the mountains of CO.

A couple of days ago I was reading something on FB regarding Old fashions (OF). Not needing to get into what perplexed me about them, but many that I make are from Bourbon as well, high end to rotgut… And I have made them with Fireball, Rum and Vodka, too…

BK, I was intrigued by your comments regarding the bourbon moscow mule… Do you find that you can make them in a glass??? God forbid, I don’t have ginger beer here in the far north, but my locale doesn’t have copper and tween the two, it’s an easy cop out. Same for Mojitos, which when I’ve had them in FL, seemed like a mint rum OF… I am intrigued by the mule OF and would like to offer this as a summer refresher calle the Lynchburg Lemonade… Well its seems to me to be far easier if you in a pint glass filled with ice, pour your favorite bourbon over the top and just add lemonade instead of all the triple sec, etc.

Enjoy!!!

Mark

Mr. Benson,

I only use glass for the bourbon mules.

Personally, I don’t see (or taste) any difference in a copper cup over a glass. Heck, most of the copper cups I’ve seen up close are stainless on the inside.

Is it just me? I think a good bourbon should NOT be mixed with anything but a bourbon cube. There’s Jack, Windsor, and a host of other whiskeys for mixing.

I didn’t go back and look though the last 4 pages but here’s what I found on the web (promoting) copper mugs. I think the highlighted portion of this long read tells the tale.

“Since Moscow Mules first appeared in the 1940s, copper mugs have been essential for proper presentation. But is copper really better? For some traditionalists, even asking the question, “Why is a moscow mule served in a copper mug?” is blasphemous, since decades of ceremony insist that they be used. Yet, for the discerning drinker, it’s important to know the facts. So we must look beyond the ginger beer and vodka to investigate the true benefits of copper Moscow Mule mugs.

The most scientific benefit of using copper moscow mule mugs is temperature. For centuries, the best drinkers have known that chilled drinks in copper cups offer an extra-cool sensation, due to the metal quickly taking on the icy temperature of the cocktail. The rim of the mug becomes chilly almost instantly, offering a frozen sensation on your lips. The cold metal is highly effective at insulating the cold temperature of any liquid, especially good for summertime drinking, and deflecting heat from the sun. The handle of the mug helps maintain drink temperature, as well, keeping the near 100 degree body heat of your hand away from the walls of the mug, and your Moscow Mule safely chilled inside.

The taste benefits are a bit more subjective, and will obviously vary, depending on the recipe you use. There are, however, clear indications that using copper mugs for Moscow Mules enhance the individual flavors of the ginger beer, vodka, and lime. Some experts say that when vodka touches the walls of the mug, the copper begins to oxidize, slightly boosting the aroma, and enhancing the taste of the vodka.

Cold copper also has a tendency to increase the amount of bubbles in the carbonated ginger beer, bringing maximum fizziness to the Moscow Mule, when compared to being served in a plastic or glass container. The lime juice is also brought to life by the extra-cold copper, heightening the tangy citrus notes and reducing the acidity to better compliment the spicy ginger beer. When these three flavors reach their maximum potential, they work together to prove that the Moscow Mule deserves its home among classic American cocktails.

Arguably, the clearest reason to use copper mugs for Moscow Mules is the presentation. A martini just doesn’t seem right unless it’s served in the classic, stemmed glass vortex, with the spirits swirling around a sunken olive. The same is true for any well made drink.”

Personally I like my martinis in a lowball glass….

Presentation? I usually can’t see straight enough to care about that anyway

Just tried some Stagg Jr. bourbon the other day and wow, I think I have a new favorite! Please scour your local shops and buy any you can find and drop them off at my place!

The batch I tried was 127.9 proof, so it’s high proof stuff, but just a fantastic drink. I did find a bottle awhile back of the more recent batch which I think is ~132.4 proof or something.

Anyways, back to your moscow mule talk :).

Personally, when I first started bartending at a fine institution called the Fireside Dinner Theatre in Fort Atkinson, WI, near the Rock River… we used a highball glass, vodka and 7up… FWIW… Back to the good stuff poured over a cube or two, splash of water!!!

Mark

Got real lucky and scored a bottle of George t. stagg and van winkle 12 year