Maker's Mark or Knob Creek?

[Runs With Scissors]

Just askin'.

[PlainJain]

Maker's, baby! Though they're both good.

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Maker's Mark only because you don't have Woodford Reserve on there. That's the best thing ever.

[NAF1138]

Knob Creek if those are my only options. Buffalo Trace if I get my pick of anything withing a similar price range.

This (http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/newbs/vw/website3.nsf/docsbykey/HNEY-5FFM32?opendocument) if I have my choice of anything at all.

[Crawlspace]

Knob Creek by a wide margin. Makers is good for mixing though.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

Never had Makers. Willing to try, though.

[Snarky_Kong]

Knob Creek if those are my only options. Buffalo Trace if I get my pick of anything withing a similar price range.

This (http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/newbs/vw/website3.nsf/docsbykey/HNEY-5FFM32?opendocument) if I have my choice of anything at all.

This is an intelligent man.

[eenerms]

Wow pretty close...

[ryan]

Makers by a very small margin...

[norinew]

This (http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/newbs/vw/website3.nsf/docsbykey/HNEY-5FFM32?opendocument) if I have my choice of anything at all.
Might I inquire as to the price range of this product? I may have just found my hubby's Christmas gift! :cool:

[Only Mostly Dead]

Knob Creek if those are my only options. Buffalo Trace if I get my pick of anything withing a similar price range.

Agreed!

[NAF1138]

Might I inquire as to the price range of this product? I may have just found my hubby's Christmas gift! :cool:

It's in the $100 range, depending on where you find it. I got a bottle as a christmas gift a few years ago and it's great.

[Alpha Twit]

Never tried Knob Creek but Maker's is nice.

[Ellen Cherry]

I've tried them all (except for the Pappy's); the distilleries are all within a few miles of where I live. Woodford Reserve is mighty excellent, though I am partial to the Four Roses Single Barrel.

[Stranger On A Train]

Maker's Mark for Manhattans, Knob Creek for sipping neat around the fire. Woodford Reserve is superior to both, but none hold a candle to A. H. Hirsch 16 Year Pure Pot Still.

Stranger

[silenus]

Maker's Mark 46.

[MeanOldLady]

I almost want to say Makers, because they send me cool shit in the mail (the Makers giftwrap paper is key), but the answer is Knob Creek.

[Snarky_Kong]

Maker's Mark for Manhattans, Knob Creek for sipping neat around the fire. Woodford Reserve is superior to both, but none hold a candle to A. H. Hirsch 16 Year Pure Pot Still.

Stranger

This (http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2009/06/18/the-last-of-the-ah-hirsch-aka-michters-16-yr-old-bourbon-is-being-released/) stuff? Well, there goes my weekend shopping plans.

[monkeylucifer]

Knob Creek all the way.

[lindsaybluth]

Knob Creek in a landslide.

[MegaBee]

Why you gotta make me choose?

[Tequila Mockingbird]

I prefer Maker's Mark

[silenus]

Why you gotta make me choose?

This, of course, strikes to the crux of the matter. All right-thinking people keep both on hand, along with any number of others. Curent stock at our place is Maker's 46, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig 12, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Wild Turkey 101, Bulliett, a couple of ryes and a bottle of Redemption, which is just barely bourbon. I'm sure they kept it in the barrel not one minutes over two years, and it tastes it.

[lindsaybluth]

You have 10 bottles of whiskey at your house? What are you, made of silver bullion?

[MeanOldLady]

I approve of his collection, and would like to be his friend.

[silenus]

You have 10 bottles of whiskey at your house?

No. That's just the bourbons and ryes. The scotch rack is slightly larger. :D

[Snickers]

Definitely Knob Creek. Evan Williams is nice. Woodford Reserve is nice. Any of these are miles better than Maker's.

[Gordon Urquhart]

I like both, but Knob Creek is much better neat -- which is why I chose it. It's so good neat that I don't like to use it in cocktails (or even add water to it), but I have no hesitation making a Manhattan with Maker's Mark.

[Labdad]

Knob Creek if those are my only options. Buffalo Trace if I get my pick of anything withing a similar price range.

This (http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/newbs/vw/website3.nsf/docsbykey/HNEY-5FFM32?opendocument) if I have my choice of anything at all.

Is it going into a Manhattan, or am I sipping it neat? Knob Creek for sipping - Markers Mark for the Manhattan.

Agree about the 20 year old Rip Van Winkle being the ultimate, but this (http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php?id=120&task=displaybottling) finishes a VERY close second!

[NAF1138]

I see a lot of people talking about using makers in a Manhattan, but I want something spicier in a Manhattan. A real rye preferably (not Canadian whiskey, but something that actually features rye), but if that isn't available my go to is usually Wild Turkey 101.

When did Maker's become popular for Manhattans?

Labdad: That looks...really good.

[thinksnow]

You have 10 bottles of whiskey at your house? What are you, made of silver bullion?Careful how you phrase that. There is whiskey, and then there is Whiskey. Frex, I've got
Bourbon Maker's Mark
Maker's Mark Mint Julip
Wild Turkey 101
Knob Creek
(a small trace left of) Buffalo TraceScotch Glenlivet
Glenfiddich
Macallan 12 year and Whiskey Jameson Original
Jameson 18 year
Bushmills Original
Bushmills Black Bush

[Iggins]

Knob is better than Makers, but only marginally. Both good!

I have a bottle of Maker's 46, given as a gift. Splendid.

I've been drinking Bulleit lately, a bit of an addiction.

If you want to talk/try bourbon in PDX, try http://popehouselounge.com/

[delphica]

I enjoy both of them a lot, but generally go with Maker's. Some of that may be habit ... a delightful, warm, friendly habit like hanging out with a dear, dependable and trusted friend.

I do get Knob Creek once in a while just to mix it up.

(NB: I mean "for variety," not to mix with things.)

[Labdad]

I see a lot of people talking about using makers in a Manhattan, but I want something spicier in a Manhattan. A real rye preferably (not Canadian whiskey, but something that actually features rye), but if that isn't available my go to is usually Wild Turkey 101.

When did Maker's become popular for Manhattans?

Labdad: That looks...really good.

For the record, I prefer rye in a Manhattan myself. But if the choice is Knob Creek or Makers mark, make me a Makers Manhattan and give me the Knob Creek neat with water back.

And w/re rye, Black Maple Hill makes a 23 year old rye that is the finest whiskey I've ever tasted:

The newest bottling from Black Maple Hill also clocks in at 95 proof. At five years older than the 18-year, this whiskey is surprisingly light, with a very bright and sweet aroma that comes across somewhat hot. Once tasted, the heat evaporates, replaced with an oaky smoothness. As with the 18-year, notes of pear, apple, sourdough and brown sugar dominate, but the effect is mellowed by the additional aging, and the finish is like a train leaving the station — slow, prolonged, and touched with notes of gladness and sorrow. This whiskey was so good it made me downright emotional.

[lieu]

I keep Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey and Crown on hand for guests but the only one I EVER drink anymore is Stranahan's Colorado (http://www.stranahans.com/), neat. One sip and I swore off everything else and that was a whole lotta sips ago.

Now like Silenus and a few others, the Scotch shelves (3) are packed with choices.

[silenus]

And w/re rye, Black Maple Hill makes a 23 year old rye that is the finest whiskey I've ever tasted:

It would be a sin to make a Manhattan with that!

My personal choice for a Manhattan is Russell's Reserve Rye. If I'm out of that, then Sazerac Rye. Then and only then (or in public) will I have a Manhattan made with bourbon.

[Labdad]

It would be a sin to make a Manhattan with that!

Indeed it would! I sip that from a quarter-ounce tasting glass. It's too precious to serve up in a 1.5 oz. shot.

[bouv]

I actually really, really hate bourbon, but I voted for Knob Creek because mny inner 12 year-old giggles at the word 'knob.'


Heh heh...knob...

[MeanOldLady]

I've never even seen Black Maple Hill 23 Rye. The worst part about living in a state where liquor can't be shipped, is I can't even shop online for hard-to-find items. I have to embark upon a journey to visit every boozery in town... which I don't mind doing, I'm just saying is all.

[silenus]

I've seen it. I just can't afford it.

[MeanOldLady]

:dubious: Your massive, zillion-bottle bourbon and scotch collection says otherwise.

[Cowgirl Jules]

I voted for Maker's, but I've been drinking Maker's 46 as my usual since I found it. It's a little mild sometimes though. I like the vanilla in Maker's Mark. Knob Creek is also good, but I don't like is quite as much as Jefferson's Reserve, Woodford Reserve, or Elijah Craig.

Thanks for the link, lieu. My husband's in Colorado at the moment, so I emailed him to see if he can find it for me.

[brianjedi]

Maker's or Woodford. Never had Knob Creek, but I've driven by the distillery a few times.

[silenus]

Hey, that collection took years to amass. The Scotch collection is shrinking, slowly but surely, since I'm not really replacing bottles as they give up their last drops.

[NAF1138]

And w/re rye, Black Maple Hill makes a 23 year old rye that is the finest whiskey I've ever tasted:

Stop it. I can't afford to buy new Whiskey right now!

I keep Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey and Crown on hand for guests but the only one I EVER drink anymore is Stranahan's Colorado (http://www.stranahans.com/), neat. One sip and I swore off everything else and that was a whole lotta sips ago.
.


You too!


This may have just become my favorite thread ever.

[lindsaybluth]

Hey, that collection took years to amass. The Scotch collection is shrinking, slowly but surely, since I'm not really replacing bottles as they give up their last drops.

Just know that it comes from a place of pure envy, not populist outrage ;).

Careful how you phrase that. There is whiskey, and then there is Whiskey.

Yes yes, even with a vagina I am well versed on all of the differences and enjoy quite a few; it's easier to group them all as "whiskeys". I still maintain that all scotch tastes like trumped-up paint thinner (yes, I've had stuff as good as Balvenie Doublewood and the Glen's).

[silenus]

Just know that it comes from a place of pure envy, not populist outrage ;).

We're covering the French Revolution in my AP Euro class this week, so I wanted to make sure. Maybe if Louie had spent more time slugging back shots with the masses instead of sipping champagne he'd have come to a better end. :D

[Saint Cad]

On iceso it looks like Knob Creek. Interesting that one is good by itself while the other is better for mixing but then again I got some honey Seagrams 7 (seems like the new trend is a honey whiskey) and promptly ruined it by adding 7up to make a 7&7.

[sitchensis]

Jim Beam, One of the finests burbons around and a quarter the cost.

[Pork Rind]

And w/re rye, Black Maple Hill makes a 23 year old rye that is the finest whiskey I've ever tasted:

I absolutely agree. I have two bottles I'm afraid to drink because I worry that I'll never find an adequate replacement. The 18yo is very nice as well, and less intimidating, so I go through it reasonably quickly.

[lindsaybluth]

Jim Beam, One of the finests burbons around and a quarter the cost.

Oh yeah? If you believe that, well I've got some subprime mortgages to sell you...

[pulykamell]

Jim Beam, One of the finests burbons around and a quarter the cost.

Naw. Jim Beam (at least the regular 4 year) is just utility bourbon. I don't like drinking that stuff neat. It's not terrible, but it's not anywhere near the same league as Maker's or Knob Creek, both solid mid-range bourbons (though I prefer Knob Creek.) And I'm not sure where you are that it's a quarter of the price. Around here, a fifth of Beam is about $17, a fifth of Makers is about $25, and a fifth of Knob is around $30.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

I am proud, yet humbled as a bourbon drinker. You guys rawk!

Let's hear from those pussy [whatever] drinkers!

[Oslo Ostragoth]

Naw. Jim Beam (at least the regular 4 year) is just utility bourbon. I don't like drinking that stuff neat. It's not terrible, but it's not anywhere near the same league as Maker's or Knob Creek, both solid mid-range bourbons (though I prefer Knob Creek.) And I'm not sure where you are that it's a quarter of the price. Around here, a fifth of Beam is about $17, a fifth of Makers is about $25, and a fifth of Knob is around $30.

You can get a fifth of Knob for $30? Where do you live?

[pulykamell]

You can get a fifth of Knob for $30? Where do you live?

Chicago. Feel free to look it up here (http://www.binnys.com/spirits/search/?advs=2&ast=&asc=&astxt=knob%20creek). (That's a link to Binny's, a local liquor megastore.) If you look online, you can find it for even cheaper.

ETA: Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I've seen it in the mid-$20s at Costco, too.

[Labdad]

Naw. Jim Beam (at least the regular 4 year) is just utility bourbon. I don't like drinking that stuff neat. It's not terrible, but it's not anywhere near the same league as Maker's or Knob Creek, both solid mid-range bourbons (though I prefer Knob Creek.) ...

You realize, don't you, that Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Baker's and Booker's are all made by Jim Beam, and all made at the same distillery? They all start out from the same barrels - it's just a matter of aging and where in the warehouse the barrels came from. (The ones in the very center of the rack are less subject to temperature fluctuations and are therefore smoother.)

Granted, Knob Creek tastes better than regular 4 year Jim Beam, but they both began from the same mash.

[silenus]

No they don't. The grain bills for each are different. Just because the same distillery produces them doesn't mean they all have the same recipe. Even if they did, so what? Mouton Rothchild and Mouton Cadet are made by the same chateau from the same grapes, but to say there is a few parsecs of difference between the two is ridiculous. Aging, blending and polish are everything.

[pulykamell]

You realize, don't you, that Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Baker's and Booker's are all made by Jim Beam, and all made at the same distillery?

Yes. That's partly why I specifically name the 4-year Jim Beam in my post (which is what I assume people are talking about when they generically refer to "Jim Beam.")

They all start out from the same barrels - it's just a matter of aging and where in the warehouse the barrels came from. (The ones in the very center of the rack are less subject to temperature fluctuations and are therefore smoother.)

This I know nothing about it, but, assuming it's true, I don't understand your point. You admit that Knob Creek is better than Jim Beam (White) yourself.

[MeanOldLady]

Ain't nothin' wrong with Jim Beam. No, I wouldn't put the standard white label on my list of Fine, Must-Drink Bourbons, but I wouldn't shake a stick at it. To me, it tastes most like "what bourbon is supposed to taste like," if that makes sense to anyone. It's a little rough around the edges (I'm actually a strange duck who goes for that sort of thing), but still not bad. Jim Beam Black is worth a shot, for any Beam naysayers.

[silenus]

If you like it rough ( ;) ) try the aforementioned Redemption bourbon. Different shaped bottle, and it's barely 2 years old.

I, of course, meant "isn't a few parsecs" in my previous post.

Where's my coffee?

[pulykamell]

Jim Beam Black is worth a shot, for any Beam naysayers.

Yep. And that's the reason for the "partly" in "that's partly why I specifically name the 4-year Jim Beam in my post." I like Jim Beam Black.

But don't ever, ever try Jim Beam Stag. I bought a bottle of Beam White (like I said, utility whiskey) which came with a little sampler of Stag. I didn't really look at the bottle too closely to see what it was supposed to be and poured myself a shot. Ugh. Who put candied cherries in my motherfucking whiskey? Terrible, terrible, stuff. Tasted like a cross between a cherry cordial and cough syrup. Ugh.

[silenus]

Missed the edit window (again!): The mash bills are the same for Beam, Booker's and Knob Creek. Same initial bourbon, just aged and blended completely differently. Beam is bottled at 80 proof, Knob Creek at over 90 and Booker's at barrel strength.

Baker's and Basil Hayden's use a high proportion of rye in the mash. They are therefore lighter in body and spicier than the others. As much as I like rye, I really don't care much for these two bourbons. I'd much rather have a Booker's with a just a touch of branch water.

Cherry bourbon is the new trend, and it must be stopped at once. The stuff is vile.

[Labdad]

Ain't nothin' wrong with Jim Beam. No, I wouldn't put the standard white label on my list of Fine, Must-Drink Bourbons, but I wouldn't shake a stick at it. To me, it tastes most like "what bourbon is supposed to taste like," if that makes sense to anyone. It's a little rough around the edges (I'm actually a strange duck who goes for that sort of thing), but still not bad. Jim Beam Black is worth a shot, for any Beam naysayers.

MeanOldLady made my point, such as it was: that regualr old Jim Beam isn't that bad, and is better than a lot of other well bourbons. And I wasn't sure, pulykamell, if you knew that Knob Creek was a Beam product.

I've traveled a bit in eastern Europe, where it seems the only bourbon in many bars is Four Roses. :eek: Seeing a bottle of Jim Beam on the shelf in a little bar in Croatia brought joy to my heart and palate.

The grain bills for each are different. That may be the case today, I don't know. But the late Booker Noe (former master distiller at Jim Beam) was a friend of mine, and in the late 80's and early 90's, I was his houseguest every year for a weekend in Bardstown. Four or five of us would fish with Booker at the ponds on the grounds of the distilleries in Clermont and Boston, KY. The first time I met Booker he took me on a personal tour of the Clermont distillery, beginning with dumping the whiskey from the barrel, and ending with fementing of the mash. A back-to-front tour if you will. It was then that I asked Booker if there was any difference in the mash of the four premium Beam brands, and was told there wasn't. It was all in the aging and barrel choice. When you spend a couple of days fishing with a distiller, then drink with him at his home in the evening, and do this for five or six years, you end up learning a lot about his whiskey! :D Anyhow, that's my "cite" for my assertion.

Booker's son, Freddie, is master distiller at Beam these days. I know Freddie, but haven't seen him in seven or eight years. But I keep in touch with him and I'll ask.

[pulykamell]

Interestingly, I could find the mash bill for Knob Creek in their FAQ (78% corn, 13.5% rye, rest barley), but the Jim Beam website lists their mash as "secret." Also, it seems like Knob Creek uses 40% setback (sour mash), while the regular Jim Beam White uses about 25% setback.

[silenus]

I bow to Labdad's cite. :D

Ask Fred about the Basil Hayden. Every source I've checked say that it has a higher amount of rye in the bill, and it tastes that way to me.

[MeanOldLady]

I know, right? Best. Cite. Ever.

[Labdad]

I bow to Labdad's cite. :D

Ask Fred about the Basil Hayden. Every source I've checked say that it has a higher amount of rye in the bill, and it tastes that way to me.

And YOUR palate jibes with mine! silenus, when it comes to whiskey, I disagree with you only rarely, and when I do, I do so at my peril.

[pulykamell]

I've traveled a bit in eastern Europe, where it seems the only bourbon in many bars is Four Roses. :eek: Seeing a bottle of Jim Beam on the shelf in a little bar in Croatia brought joy to my heart and palate.

What's wrong with Four Roses? Different palates, I guess, but I find it superior to Jim Beam White. (And about on par with the Black, but definitely inferior to the Small Batch line.)

But anyway, cool cite. :)

[lieu]

Thanks for the link, lieu. My husband's in Colorado at the moment, so I emailed him to see if he can find it for me.A year or two back they moved their operation nextdoor to the Breckenridge Brewery in Denver and use their mash. I've always been able to find Stranahans' Colorado in Denver and Breckenridge so hopefully he'll have some luck. I get it in Texas but I really had to push my supplier. It's small batch, hard to secure and when they did the move I mentioned you couldn't find it anywhere for about 4 months. I keep a case (6) stashed for if its availability suffers again.

I going to have to try both the Pappy and the Black Maple Hills. Those sound too good to pass up and obviously the folks in here know a thing or two about good whiskey and calling shots.

[silenus]

You'll love the Pappy. Every variation of Van Winkle's I've had has been superb. The Black Maple Hills is firmly in place on my "Must Try" list. Maybe for Christmas...

puly, try to find Four Roses Single Barrel. Interesting stuff. I, too, like the regular Four Roses over Beam White.

[lindsaybluth]

Ugh. Basil Hayden's is gross. I like the rest from the family just fine, but Basil Hayden's chaps my ass.

[pulykamell]

puly, try to find Four Roses Single Barrel. Interesting stuff.

I'll have a look for it. It's time to mix up the bourbons a bit. I've been pretty boring just keeping the standards like Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve around...and a little Wild Turkey 101 when I mostly want the alcoholic kick. (Although I find it pleasantly peppery and drinkable, too.)

[silenus]

If you want to mix things up, explore the various small batches that Wild Turkey puts out: Russell's Reserve, Rare Breed and Kentucky Spirit. They are, respectively): 10 yo single barrel at 90 proof; 6, 8 and 12 yo blended at barrel-proof; and single-barrel at 101.

[lieu]

So with the Pappy the consensus is to get the 20 as opposed to the 15 or 23? With the Black Maple Hills the 23 is worth the difference over the 18? My guy started looking yesterday and will call today to let me know what he was able to find.

[Labdad]

w/re Black Maple Hill, we were talking about two of their products. Their 20 year old bourbon and their 23 year old rye.

Both are worth seeking out, imo.

I have not tried the Black Maple Hill 18 year old rye. Pork Rind endorsed it, and indicated it was less expensive. Pork Rind also agreed with me that the 23 year old rye was the finest whiskey ever.

I'll let the others sort out the Old Van Rip.

[Mr. Excellent]

Hey, that collection took years to amass. The Scotch collection is shrinking, slowly but surely, since I'm not really replacing bottles as they give up their last drops.

Impressive! I've never understood people who can manage to collect good Scotches, though. I mean, they're so tasty! A bottle of Scotch that comes into my home will last perhaps a month, tops, before it gives up the ghost.

[TruCelt]

You forgot to put in an option for "It wasn't untilt he word 'bottle' appeared in post 12 that I developed some idea of what the topic here is."

As to why I bothered to read it at all, well, I dunno. . .

[Snickers]

I've never even seen Black Maple Hill 23 Rye. The worst part about living in a state where liquor can't be shipped, is I can't even shop online for hard-to-find items. I have to embark upon a journey to visit every boozery in town... which I don't mind doing, I'm just saying is all.

Huh? Did you move? Booze can be shipped to customers in MN. (Well, at least wine can. Not sure about hard liquor. An adult does have to be present to sign for it on receipt, but that's pretty standard.

[Cowgirl Jules]

Lieu, my husband's coming home with a bottle of that Stranahan's you recommended. He's a very good husband.

[MeanOldLady]

Huh? Did you move? Booze can be shipped to customers in MN. (Well, at least wine can. Not sure about hard liquor. An adult does have to be present to sign for it on receipt, but that's pretty standard.Juh? I know local stores can make deliveries, but I can't go to, say, Bevmo.com and have them ship booze to me.

[pulykamell]

Juh? I know local stores can make deliveries, but I can't go to, say, Bevmo.com and have them ship booze to me.

Wine shipment has been allowed in Minnesota since 2005 (http://www.wineevents-calendar.com/interstate_wine_consumer_sales_i_the_laws_they_are_achangin_i_but_not_enough).

Don't know about spirits, though.

[pulykamell]

Well, Binny's (http://www.beerliquors.com/edelivery.htm]on this liquor store's website[/url] Minnesota is not excluded from spirit deliveries. BevMo won't ship hard alcohol anywhere except California and Arizona, according to their website. The Chicago-based [url="http://www.binnys.com/) website has no problems that I can see from shipping to Minnesota. If I put a bourbon in my cart and type in a Utah zip code, it gives me an error saying they're not allowed to ship there. If I put in a Minneapolis zip code, no problem.

Your welcome.

ETA: Where the heck did the rest of my post go? Anyhow, I also had a link to this online liquor store (http://www.beerliquors.com/edelivery.htm), which does not have Minnesota excluded from spirit, wine, or champagne shipping. Also, the problem with BevMo is they will only ship spirits to California or Arizona. It's just their own policy.

[MeanOldLady]

Oh hell yes.

[silenus]

I have got to hit Liquorama this weekend. Been too long since I've had the Pappy.

[lieu]

Yes, he certainly is, Cowgirl Jules, and I hope y'all enjoy it every bit as much as some of the rest of us have and will.

I tried a couple of those online links but couldn't find any Pappy or Black Maple available, bourbon or rye. Will keep at the the conventional route.

[Cowgirl Jules]

Lieu, I have to admit that I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped I would. It has a sharp, spicy flavor that I just can't identify. I'm back to the Maker's 46 tonight, although I'll give the Stranahan's another go one of these days.

[that_darn_cat]

Tipping the balance to Makers Mark for the moment, mostly because it's been a long time since I've had Knob Creek. Currently more than buzzed on Evan Williams SourMash. What can I say, I work for a non-profit. ;) If anyone would like to change my mind with a tasting, PM me. :D

[lieu]

So sorry it didn't work for you, Jules. If you want, I'll pay for whatever you spent plus shipping and you can send it my way. Just PM me.

[Cowgirl Jules]

Oh, no lieu, but thank you! I'll keep it around; maybe a guest will like it more than I do. And it's not horrible, it's just not quite to my taste. I do love trying new things like this.

[lieu]

While I first didn't have any success finding the Pappy or Black Maple Hill online, I was thrilled to get a call from the friend's store yesterday, he had both the 15 and 23 y.o. Pappy if I wanted them. That would be a "Yes" to both. I wasn't sure how long I ought to wait to try the 15; a week, a month. I settled on 8:30. Very nice, I can definately understand the admiration. Smooth, strong, leaves a pleasant warm glow, that 'traditional' bourbon flavor perfectly presented. Now I just need the perfect guest to stop by so I've reason to crack open the 23.

Good as it is though I'm still partial to Stranahan's basic flavor as opposed to that 'traditional' bourbon flavor. I'll have to study up on what differentiates them so I can describe it better next time. And the hunt remains on for the Black Maple Hills.

[Cowgirl Jules]

I'd be interested to hear your take on what that Stranahan's flavor is, lieu. I couldn't pin it down, although it's very different from the traditional bourbon taste.