As does Julian Van Winkle!
Very interesting–thanks for the articles, y’all!
Now that the OP has tried straight bourbon and not fled screaming into the wilderness, it’s time to start exploring. Try comparing a high rye and a wheated bourbon side by side.
Rye - Old Granddad Bonded, Four Roses Single Barrel, Basil Hayden
Wheat - Maker’s Mark, W. L. Weller
Then you can try a Jim Beam/Knob Creek comparison, which is the exact same mash bill just aged and blended differently.
I may need drive my Chevy to the levy in order to do that!
I sure hope this won’t be the day that you die.
Stranger
I’ve found Basil Hayden to taste as light as its colour would suggest. Not at all unpleasant, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for getting a feel for rye-heavy bourbon: it’s not really heavy on anything! I’ve often had Bulleit in the collection; rye’s pretty high on the agenda with that one, and the flavour gives you a bit more to get your teeth into.
Honestly…if you can’t keep opossums out of the tyres in your bourbon-ageing pit, how can we take you at all seriously? You probably don’t strain it through a sock to get the cigar butts out either, do you? Some people…
Pro-tip: pop a teat on the bottle while your hand-eye co-ordination is still up to scratch, and you can slurp it down happily all night.
No need: high rye bourbons are not the same as rye whiskeys!