# Bourbon aficionados, a moment please. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [May 6, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607 "2013-05-06T12:13:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/1 "2013-05-06T12:13:35Z")
This Saturday I will be attending the Bourbon, Beer and BBQ festival here in Charlotte. I will have a tasting glass and six hours to try any of the bourbons on the following list. I will try to stick with ones I have not previously tasted, so that includes those listed below. Help me maximize my pleasure. Which ones should I definitely try? (I will not be driving, by the way.) [http://www.beerandbourbon.com/north-carolina/drink-menu](http://www.beerandbourbon.com/north-carolina/drink-menu) Ones I’ve had: Larceny Makers Makers 46 Evan Williams Black Label Evan Williams Single Barrel 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Small Batch Eagle Rare Single Barrel Blanton’s Single Barrel Baker’s Basil Hayden’s Booker’s Knob Creek Jim Beam 4Y Jim Beam Black Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Pappy Van Winkle 23yr (ok, even though I’ve had this once before, OF COURSE I will make a beeline for this table.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/2 "2013-05-06T12:27:18Z")
They have Irish, shine and flavored crap listed undar “Bourbon.” I wouldn’t trust them with anything. Just park at the Van Winkle booth all day. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/3 "2013-05-06T12:34:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They have Irish, shine and flavored crap listed undar “Bourbon.” I wouldn’t trust them with anything. Just park at the Van Winkle booth all day. Yeah, and vodka as well. I’m focusing on the real stuff. I’m curious as to how many Pappy tastes I can get. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/4 "2013-05-06T12:37:53Z")
Hmm, that is a strange list. Sorry, nothing more to add. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/5 "2013-05-06T12:55:36Z")
Maybe it would be easier to ask if anyone has opinions (good or bad) on the following: High West Rendezvous Rye High West Double Rye! High West Prairie Reserve Bourbon Campfire Whiskey Broadslab Legacy Reserve Broadslab Legacy Shine Buffalo Trace Small Batch EH Taylor Small Batch Knob Creek Rye Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Jim Beam Jacob’s Ghost Jim Beam Rye Prichards Double Oaked Jefferson’s Reserve 18yr Black Maple Hill Parker’s Heritage 1512 Barbershop Rye Jim Beam Rye Templeton Rye Whiste Pig Rye Sazerac Rye Rittenhouse Rye Tap 357 Maple Rye Whiskey ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/6 "2013-05-06T13:46:48Z")
Shine is just a marketing gimmick to get you to drink un-aged bourbon. Try one and you’ve tried them all. I have had and enjoyed the Sazerac Rye, Rittenhouse Rye, Knob Creek Rye, and Jefferson’s Reserve 18. I’ve tried and adored Knob Creek Single Barrel and every single drop of Black Maple Hill I’ve ever had. Truly marvelous stuff. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/7 "2013-05-06T13:52:13Z")
I will second Knob Creek’s single barrel. You MUST try it. I also really enjoyed Buffalo Trace as well. I’ve never tried a rye, although they seem to be gaining in popularity. How do they differ in style/flavor profile from bourbons? From the list of bourbons that the OP has tried, Eagle Rare is one of my favorites along with good old Basil Hayden. Never had that Van Winkle stuff but I have heard great things about it…and I live right across the Ohio River from the bourbon homeland! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/8 "2013-05-06T13:58:31Z")
If you’ve ever had a “peppery” bourbon, you’ve had one with a high rye content. Ryes are essential for a decent Manhattan. A lot of people find them too “spicy” for sipping neat, but I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/9 "2013-05-06T13:59:20Z")
I think I’ve got four bottles of Pappy up in my cabinets now. I keep 'em on hand for friends that are bourbon lovers, I like it okay but Stranahans is the only whiskey I sip neat anymore, I much prefer it to any true bourbon. I think I’ve got maybe a 25 or 23 up there, it’ll be for the ‘good’ friends. 😉 I looked for Stranahans on your list. Sorry it’s not there, it’s become exceedingly hard to get outside of Colorado now. Enjoy the show and yeah, park at Pappys. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/10 "2013-05-06T14:01:46Z")
I haven’t had the EH Taylor Small Batch, but I had the Single Barrel and the Straight Rye at a similar event and they knocked my socks off. (At $67 a bottle, they should.) Keep in mind that at an event like this you probably have four or five samples max before your brain and taste buds aren’t able to appreciate complexity anymore, so get to the good stuff early. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/11 "2013-05-06T14:43:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Shine is just a marketing gimmick to get you to drink un-aged bourbon. Try one and you’ve tried them all. I have had and enjoyed the Sazerac Rye, Rittenhouse Rye, Knob Creek Rye, and Jefferson’s Reserve 18. I’ve tried and adored Knob Creek Single Barrel and every single drop of Black Maple Hill I’ve ever had. Truly marvelous stuff. Excellent. Thanks. > [@DoctorJ](#): > > I haven’t had the EH Taylor Small Batch, but I had the Single Barrel and the Straight Rye at a similar event and they knocked my socks off. (At $67 a bottle, they should.) > > Keep in mind that at an event like this you probably have four or five samples max before your brain and taste buds aren’t able to appreciate complexity anymore, so get to the good stuff early. That’s why they also have beer and BBQ. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/12 "2013-05-06T14:45:08Z")
If you bounce between van Winkle, Black Maple Hill and BBQ you will be well-served (in more ways than one.) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/13 "2013-05-06T14:49:27Z")
We got VIP tickets, so we get 2 hours head start. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/14 "2013-05-06T15:05:29Z")
From that list, I’ve had: Larceny (maybe my favorite of the list) Basil Hayden’s (really good, but almost too smooth) Buffalo Trace (fantastic) Knob Creek (great, esp. for the price) Knob Creek Single Barrel (fantastic) Knob Creek Rye (damn good rye) I personally prefer rye, but it’s harder to find small batch runs, and it’s usually more expensive than the equivalent bourbon when you can find it. My current favorite, Williet isn’t on the list. However, Whistle Pig is on there. I’ve been eyeing it for a few weeks now, but haven’t been able to justify paying almost twice for what I pay for Willet. If I were going instead of you, I’d make sure I got a taste of it. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/15 "2013-05-06T15:09:23Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > From that list, I’ve had: > Larceny (maybe my favorite of the list) > Basil Hayden’s (really good, but almost too smooth) > Buffalo Trace (fantastic) > Knob Creek (great, esp. for the price) > Knob Creek Single Barrel (fantastic) > Knob Creek Rye (damn good rye) > > I personally prefer rye, but it’s harder to find small batch runs, and it’s usually more expensive than the equivalent bourbon when you can find it. My current favorite, Williet isn’t on the list. However, Whistle Pig is on there. I’ve been eyeing it for a few weeks now, but haven’t been able to justify paying almost twice for what I pay for Willet. If I were going instead of you, I’d make sure I got a taste of it. Thanks! Whistle Pig is now on the priority list. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/16 "2013-05-06T16:44:22Z")
I can jump in and say that Whistlepig is pretty delicious, albeit pricey. I tend not to favor ryes all that much, but that one is a huge exception. Still a bit hard to grab it regularly at the price, but I’ll get a bottle once a year or so, and split it between sipping and cocktails over the following month or two. The other big one I’d suggest on the list of ones you haven’t had yet is the Knob Creek Single Barrel, which has also been mentioned already. I’ve had a few of the others on the list, but I tend to think of them more as “good values” rather than “excellent bourbon/rye”. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/17 "2013-05-06T18:41:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They have Irish, shine and flavored crap listed undar “Bourbon.” I wouldn’t trust them with anything. Just park at the Van Winkle booth all day. Nailed it ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/18 "2013-05-06T21:14:31Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They have Irish, shine and flavored crap listed undar “Bourbon.” I wouldn’t trust them with anything. Just park at the Van Winkle booth all day. And apparently tequila, in addition to that and the vodka mentioned. (Hornitos makes bourbon now?) What a bizarre menu. I’m not a huge fan of the wheat-instead-of-rye bourbons like Pappy and Makers, but with the 23 yr being there, I’d find it hard not to park myself there. Otherwise, I’d be working my way through all the ryes (which are not bourbons, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/19 "2013-05-06T21:53:41Z")
As to the non-bourbons, I don’t really find it bizarre. It’s a marketing event at its heart. The festival wants to be able to advertise a large number of participating vendors, and the brands want to be out in front of a large crowd of potential new customers. The Bourbon, Rye, Vodka, Tequila, Beer and BBQ Festival doesn’t have the same ring to it… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607/20 "2013-05-06T22:06:00Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > As to the non-bourbons, I don’t really find it bizarre. It’s a marketing event at its heart. I get the marketing aspect of it as far as the name goes. But as far as the menu goes, they could have broken it down more sensibly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bourbon-aficionados-a-moment-please/657607.md?page=2)