American Whiskey

[jade1955]

I'm really getting into American Whiskey of late.

At the moment I've got, at home.

Jefferson's Reserve (not much left of this one)

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon 12 Year Old

Four Roses Small Batch

A couple of my favourites

Woodford Reserve

Blanton's Special Reserve

What are your favourites?

Any recommendations from my trans-Atlantic cousins will be much appreciated.

[chrislj54]

Woodinville whiskey company in Washington State is good they have a Whit Dog whiskey and an aged one. They use all organic ingredients and learned from Dave Pickerell from Makers Mark.

[jade1955]

@chrislj54 Thanks Chris.

Looks interesting but unfortunately doesn't look like I can get that one in the UK. I'll put in on my list though.

[Avery Taylor]

I like Bulleit Bourbon. It is not that expensive, but still very good quality. Also Booker's Bourbon. It is 126 proof, and feels like fire, but it is still very enjoyable.

[RoryQ]

Maker's Mark : A good 'go to' bourbon ... Boring, but sadly my favourite at the moment.

Woodford Reserve : Doesn't do it for me, actually a little TOO refined.

Buffalo Trace : Viscious, satisfying.

Four Roses : Grand, but I was a bit underwhelmed the one time I tried it. Must revisit it.

Haven't gotten around to Bulleit in many years so that's possibly next on my list. I've seen the Elijah Craig too - looks interesting.

It's Tennesse sour mash, AFAIK, as opposed to bourbon, but some of Jack Daniels' more expensive offerings are pretty good - I think the Silver select? Jim Murray picks out the good ones in his guides.

This sounds disgusting, but I want to try out some of the cheap Bourbon from Lidl and Aldi. Some of their whiskeys they stock here are actually brewed by really good Irish distillers like Cooley. They're cheap but they're not nasty. I gather that in the US there are regulations governing the distilling of bourbon now which are supposed to mean that even the 'bad' bourbons out there aren't supposed to be that bad, in terms of the distilling process, time spent etc.

[Jack]

Early Times and Evan Williams.

(but no. not at all)

[jade1955]

I like Bulleit Bourbon. It is not that expensive, but still very good quality. Also Booker's Bourbon. It is 126 proof, and feels like fire, but it is still very enjoyable.

I haven't tried Bulleit. That Bookers looks good, made by Jim Beam, apparently. Not cheap. Works out around £75 + shipping ($117)

[jade1955]

Maker's Mark : A good 'go to' bourbon ... Boring, but sadly my favourite at the moment.

Woodford Reserve : Doesn't do it for me, actually a little TOO refined.

Buffalo Trace : Viscious, satisfying.

Four Roses : Grand, but I was a bit underwhelmed the one time I tried it. Must revisit it.

Haven't gotten around to Bulleit in many years so that's possibly next on my list. I've seen the Elijah Craig too - looks interesting.

It's Tennesse sour mash, AFAIK, as opposed to bourbon, but some of Jack Daniels' more expensive offerings are pretty good - I think the Silver select? Jim Murray picks out the good ones in his guides.

This sounds disgusting, but I want to try out some of the cheap Bourbon from Lidl and Aldi. Some of their whiskeys they stock here are actually brewed by really good Irish distillers like Cooley. They're cheap but they're not nasty. I gather that in the US there are regulations governing the distilling of bourbon now which are supposed to mean that even the 'bad' bourbons out there aren't supposed to be that bad, in terms of the distilling process, time spent etc.

I bought some Makers Mark to make Old Fashioneds' with last year.

I get what you are saying about Woodford. Four Roses has the same sort of refinement. (Well to my uneducated pallette anyway)

It certainly would be interesting to try some of the less expensive Aldi-Lidl ones, just to compare. Might pop out there later.

[RoryQ]

I think one of the better inexpensive bourbons is 'Rebel Yell'? Not tried it, though. I think that's a Tesco one.

BTW I mainly use bourbon for Old Fashioneds as well ... Possibly not the purest use for them. If I'm drinking something neat or with a little water I'm more likely to reach for the Scotch.

If you are into bitters you should check out The Bitter Truth offerings ... creole bitters, celery bitters, chocolate bitters... Some interesting stuff.

[gougetheeyes]

Michter's, for the love of god Michter's! Their Rye is one of my favorites and their American Whiskey is so solid.

Jim Beam Rye is also a great go-to and I push it on everyone at the bar. Really great for old fashioneds, too. You know you're drinking it but it doesn't have a bite and is a little more complex than you'd think initially (what with the Jim Beam name).

Whistle Pig is delicious, highly recommend it.

@RoryQ mentioned Buffalo Trace, which has got me into bourbons lately. I like to use the word "approachable" for it. Got hooked when the bartenders at a certain place always gave us shots and I finally asked what it was. Turns out they use it as their well, which is not to disparage it but it's a really inexpensive bottle and very nice.

Templeton Rye is a new favorite, out of Iowa, fun stuff.

Dickel is also great, fairly inexpensive, more bourbony, kinda nutty.

Old Portrero.

Good God I could go on. I am super happy to talk about whiskey all day long. In fact, I usually end up doing it at the bar five days a week whether people want a discussion or not. @jade1955 hope this helps! And doesn't put too big of a dent in your wallet! (Can you ship booze internationally, person-to-person? There's actually a great Maryland rye (now made in Kentucky) that's like $13 a bottle and I think you can only find it in MD, but it's called Pikesville Rye and is so good..)

[jade1955]

@gougetheeyes Thanks for that. Dosn't look like you can get Whistle Pig/Templeton Rye/Dickel or Old Portrero.

in the UK.

As far as shipping whisky to the USA, I found this interesting article So, how are you shipping your whisky purchases into the U.S.? | Whisky Advocate Blog

[gougetheeyes]

Well, that's a bummer. Interesting comments on that article though.. I wonder if you contacted the companies directly and explained your situation and love of the brown stuff to them if they'd ship a bottle.

[jade1955]

I could try that.

The shipping costs make it a bit prohibitive as well. To ship a bottle of Scotch to the USA would cost £20.66 ($32.37)

Buy Whisky Online | Single Malt Whisky & More - Master of Malt ship to the USA @£19.95 a bottle or 2 bottles for £24.95, which is actually pretty damn good. Quick delivery as well, takes about 5 days to deliver to the States. I suppose if you are after something a bit special it would definately be worth it.

[khubilai]

Also Booker's Bourbon. It is 126 proof, and feels like fire, but it is still very enjoyable.

Agreed. It definitely benefits from 1 ice cube.

Templeton Rye is a new favorite, out of Iowa, fun stuff.

Agree big time on this as well. The Michters is really good too, but if you can get your hands on Sazerac Rye, I think that might be my tops. I was able to get it a few years ago, but limited distribution means it tends not to be sold to retail stores much.

[posterboy7596]

Jim Beam Black Label has long been my favorite. I love the syrupy smell in the bottle, and the following very strong bite is what I prefer. I'm a Kentucky boy as well, so it's fairly inexpensive around here. My other favorite would be Elijah Craig. It seems well balance, but still very much "bourbony". I also like Evan Williams White Label pretty well. It's may not be cool enough for some people, but it has quite a lot of flavor for a 100proof bourbon.

[Jack]

Anyone had Jim Beam Devil's Cut? i like Jim, i just haven't tried this'un out

[Tight-Lines]

Anyone had Jim Beam Devil's Cut? i like Jim, i just haven't tried this'un out

Yep. Pretty good.

[Abellve]

I'm really into Finger Lakes Distilling's rye...which is saying something as I was never a fan of rye until I had theirs -- always scotch or good bourbon. Unfortunately they don't distribute much further than their immediate area -- nice little distillery though. Scroll down for a couple of pics.

Here

For more accessible stuff i'll have Booker's, Woodford, Bulleit and Basil Hayden.

[gougetheeyes]

I'm really into Finger Lakes Distilling's rye...which is saying something as I was never a fan of rye until I had theirs -- always scotch or good bourbon. Unfortunately they don't distribute much further than their immediate area -- nice little distillery though. Scroll down for a couple of pics.

Here

For more accessible stuff i'll have Booker's, Woodford, Bulleit and Basil Hayden.

That distillery looks like heaven. And it looks like they sell it at the liquor store I always go to here in Brooklyn! Thanks for the heads up dude!

Finger Lakes Distilling

[Abellve]

Absolutely. Check out their website, the details on that place are pretty awesome. Their gin is great too...speaking of gin, i hear there's some good distilling happening right there in Brooklyn. I may have to ride in for a tattoo and a bottle or two.

[gougetheeyes]

i hear there's some good distilling happening right there in Brooklyn. I may have to ride in for a tattoo and a bottle or two.

I can see the roof of this place outside my window. Met a couple of those dudes, too, super nice.

New York Distilling Company

[Abellve]

Oh that's definitely going to happen. Thank you.

[Turquoise Cherry]

@jade1955 Knob Creek Bourbon is very nice. It's another of the Kentucky bourbons. I'm not a whiskey/bourbon drinker myself, but people I know who like Maker's Mark also tend to like this one, if that means anything.

Knob Creek 9 Year Old : Buy Online - The Whisky Exchange

[jade1955]

@Turquoise Cherry Thanks for that. The Whiskey Exchange has got a very good selection.

[Therinx]

Also Booker's Bourbon. It is 126 proof, and feels like fire, but it is still very enjoyable.

I second that.