Rant/Rave: Bourbon

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GeddyWrox
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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by GeddyWrox »

Tried Wild Turkey Longbranch over the weekend. It was really good, but almost too smooth for me. It had a caramel/vanilla sweetness to it, too. I could tell it was very well crafted, and I wouldn't be mad in the least if I had paid $45 for the bottle. But I actually prefer less sweetness and more bite.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

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GeddyWrox wrote:Tried Wild Turkey Longbranch over the weekend. It was really good, but almost too smooth for me. It had a caramel/vanilla sweetness to it, too. I could tell it was very well crafted, and I wouldn't be mad in the least if I had paid $45 for the bottle. But I actually prefer less sweetness and more bite.
Drinking any rye? The switch to that from bourbon will get you less sweetness, less barrel- and age-worship*, more spice, more floral notes, and a drier overall product. Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond or Pikesville (Rittenhouse with more age and an extra 10 proof) out of Heaven Hill are both pretty awesome, the Pikesville will set you back ~$50.

*Distillers can get away with a young rye a lot better than they can a young bourbon. Consumers love age on bourbon, rye drinkers tend to like the spice and floral notes and are not so hell-bent on age. A young bourbon (< 3 years) IMO isn't great, there's not enough complexity, the tannin and vanilla from the barrel isn't pronounced enough yet, but a young rye that doesn't have the character of the cereal overridden by barrel influence can be pretty great.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by GeddyWrox »

Yes, there are a few ryes I like quite a bit! Bulleit Rye of course, High West Double Rye is quite good IMO... and I actually just finished going through a bottle of the Rittenhouse not too long ago.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

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Image

Picked this up the other day. I knew I shouldn't have as it is finished in cognac barrels and I hate any whiskies finished in cognac, wine, or sherry barrels. I wanted to like it tho. Oh well.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by G. Keenan »

thrill wrote:Image

Picked this up the other day. I knew I shouldn't have as it is finished in cognac barrels and I hate any whiskies finished in cognac, wine, or sherry barrels. I wanted to like it tho. Oh well.
++

I feel the same about beers that have been barrel aged so that they taste like beer with a bourbon/whiskey aftertaste. Why does anyone want to drink Rye with a hint of Cognac? Or beer with a hint of bourbon? It's just gross.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by 33anda3rd »

thrill wrote:Picked this up the other day. I knew I shouldn't have as it is finished in cognac barrels and I hate any whiskies finished in cognac, wine, or sherry barrels. I wanted to like it tho. Oh well.
I just tried this last week, it is the only wine barrel aged rye I've really liked:
[SHOW]
Image
As I understand it, it's a blend of MGP rye, Kentucky rye, and a rye that they make at their distillery in Sonoma. It's finished for just a matter of a few months in Cabernet and Port barrels. I found it to be tasty. 45% ABV IIRC.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by tlombard »

GeddyWrox wrote:Tried Wild Turkey Longbranch over the weekend. It was really good, but almost too smooth for me. It had a caramel/vanilla sweetness to it, too. I could tell it was very well crafted, and I wouldn't be mad in the least if I had paid $45 for the bottle. But I actually prefer less sweetness and more bite.
My first (and only) experiences with Wild Turkey was the stuff behind the bar at Sunset Lanes in Shrewsbury. That stuff was better suited to the gas tank of my car than a human body. I'm just saying that I understand what you mean but it being too smooth for you. Nothing with the Wild Turkey label should be anything smoother than rocket fuel in my opinion.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

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GeddyWrox wrote:Tried Wild Turkey Longbranch over the weekend. It was really good, but almost too smooth for me. It had a caramel/vanilla sweetness to it, too. I could tell it was very well crafted, and I wouldn't be mad in the least if I had paid $45 for the bottle. But I actually prefer less sweetness and more bite.
My first (and only) experiences with Wild Turkey was the stuff behind the bar at Sunset Lanes in Shrewsbury. That stuff was better suited to the gas tank of my car than a human body. I'm just saying that I understand what you mean but it being too smooth for you. Nothing with the Wild Turkey label should be anything smoother than rocket fuel in my opinion.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by GeddyWrox »

Man oh man... You sound like me a few years back. I used to think of WT as generic swill. I had never even tried it, having already pre-judged. Wild Turkey 101 is gooooooooood. I haven't tried their rye or their entry-level bourbon, but that 101... man oh man. For <$25, you can't beat it, IMO.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by thrill »

33, I'm sure you've probably covered them before, but what are your thoughts on FEW? It's a little harder to run into in Arizona and Florida, but seems pretty widespread here in the Peoria area. I really like the Rye.

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