Four Roses
https://mellowmomentsclub.com
High West Whiskey Club
Maker’s Mark
https://www.makersmark.com/ambassadors/sign-up
Heaven Hill
Hey, this is timely. Bit of a hijack, but I’ve been meaning to start really experimenting with bourbons. I’ve half-started a couple times, but ended up reverting back to my (good) beer. Now that I’ve cut way back on my drinking I’ve found that sipping on a glass of bourbon while winding down an evening is very pleasant.
I haven’t tried anything that’s probably “impressive”; my introduction was a bottle of Evan Williams that I picked up just because it was really cheap. I’ve also recently tried Jim Beam Black, Knob Creek, and just cracked a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 tonight based on what I’ve seen. The day I got the Knob Creek I was deciding between that and Maker’s Mark, and the mental coin-toss ended up Knob Creek. Maker’s Mark is next 
If I understand my research right, it would be quite a contrast to the Wild Turkey.
Any tidbits of advice or brands are welcome if you don’t mind the aforementioned hijack. I wouldn’t mind thoughts on methods of drinking…neat, water, ice?
Bulleit rye comes to mind. While there is a certain dryness, to me there is a sugary after taste that follows.
Corn dominant (or perhaps even wheat) bourbons are more rounded (less sharp) and don’t leave an edge that reminds me of sugar on the after taste.
YMMV, of course.
This is something that you should probably look at if you’re exploring whiskies in general.
http://www.drinkingcup.net/american-whiskey-family-tree/
It’s a graph of sorts that shows which bourbons are related to the others. In particular, it points up the relationships where a specific mash bill is distilled, and then bottled as different brands based on aging.
For example, Old Crow, Jim Beam, Jim Beam Black, Booker’s and Knob Creek are all made from the same mash bill and distillation runs, and the only difference is where/how long particular barrels are aged. In other words, a recently filled barrel may end up as any one of the five whiskies depending on where and how long it’s stored. More interestingly, the bargain basement W.L. Weller and the super-esteemed Pappy Van Winkle work the same way.
While this is true, the aging and care make a lot of difference in the finished product. The difference between Old Crow and Booker’s is pretty significant. But to make up your own mind you should try them all… 
Yes. My in-laws live near Louisville and my wife took the tour about 7 years ago and signed me up (I didn’t go on that trip). According to the Ambassador website that I just checked, my barrel “is not in the warehouse yet.”
As for the Christmas items, sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re not. I’m wearing the socks from this year right now; they’re great. The plastic “bottle mistletoe” from last year (or the year before maybe?), not so much. We have an African fertility statue that we inherited from my wife’s grandmother on the mantel that’s wearing the earmuffs and scarf from a few years back. They fit him perfectly!
I was meaning as a way to perform a sort of controlled experiment- maybe try 3 of the 5 that are kind of spread out on the aging timeline and see what differences there are, all else being equal.
That family tree is interesting, thanks for sharing. Has anyone seen something similar for Canadian whiskys? My go-to is Forty Creek Barrel Select.
That sounds like an excellent party!
Can I sign up but skip the barrel? I don’t think I’ll make it out anytime soon, but who knows.
Their rye is MGP. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but some people think it is, YMMV.
Is that a good Canadian? I mostly associate the style with cheap and mediocre, but am willing to concede that I haven’t explored.
I don’t think that’s an option. It doesn’t matter, it’s all free. They just engrave your name, along with like 20 others, on a plate that they stick on a barrel and then send you a picture of it. I’m really not planning on ever visiting “my” barrel.
There is a lot of crap Canadian out there, just like there is a lot of crap bourbon. The one I keep in stock and often use for Manhattans is Crown Royal Northern Harvest rye.
I went to “Tales of the Cocktail” back in 2009, and one of the seminars I attended was about aging spirits and its effects- the Heaven Hill distillery guys hosted it.
They had exactly this- the same whiskey at different ages. They also had the same whiskey aged in different containers- it was scotch, but aged in used bourbon casks, or madeira casks, etc… And finally, they had samples of oddities like scotch aged in bourbon casks for 4 years (not surprisingly, it was a whole lot like bourbon).
All in all, it was an enormously enjoyable session, and not just because of a whole bunch of 1/3 oz shots of whiskey.
I’m still kicking myself for not buying out the supply at the grocery store when they were selling them for $11.
Another doper who’s also a Maker’s Mark Ambassador… thanks to this thread.
I love this place… and I do love Maker’s Mark. Makes a great Old Fashioned.
And I’m only an 8-hour road trip away from “MY barrel” when it’s ready!
Just chiming in to give a thumbs up for the Crown Royal Northern Harvest. Costco has it at least some of the time, and it’s much cheaper south of the border than north.
This is why we need a “like” button.
I am now.