Beer is my drug of choice. I drink a lot of it. Tonight, a glorious evening, after a day of working in the yard, I blew through my four remaining beers and wasn’t really where I wanted to be. So, rather than drive to the liquor store after having drunk some alcohol, I dug out a partial bottle of Knob Creek I had in storage. It was weird how much it changed my mood. I went from happy glow to cranky. Irritable even. Now that I’m starting to come off that buzz I’m feeling jittery and well, still cranky.
It did not pair well with my evening meal, fish and chips done in the air fryer.
No offense to anyone that loves the stuff but after years of trying to develop an appreciation for it, further evidence that it is not the drink for me.
I agree. Never have developed a taste for bourbon like I have for scotch. Scotch is the de facto national drink of Thailand, and if you live there, you learn to like it or you stop drinking for the most part. That’s only a slight exaggeration. But bourbon? Blecch. Horrid stuff.
Mrs. L and I were just marveling over how our tastes have changed over the years. We both stopped with beer years back, turning to wine instead. We both like bourbon fine. Scotch, which I used to hate, is my favorite now.
I’ve had to shake an alcohol problem recently, and I have to tell you, I feel stupid for all the time I spent developing a discerning palate for strong liquor. Forced myself to drink vile liquids until I convinced myself that I liked it, when it was in fact my body adapting to the drug. What was the point? To prove that I was sophisticated?
If something tastes bad right out of the gate, that’s your sense of taste warning you to stay away from it. It’s usually wise to take the hint.
Not a big fan of bourbon. But once in a while I enjoy it. And I have it in my liquor cabinet for chocolate desserts and spiking whipped cream.
And a dollop in fizzy lemonade is wonderful. IMHO.
But if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. Find somebody who will take the Knob Creek off your hands, or feel free to dump it down the sink. It’s useless to you and taking up space.
I’m approaching this as a comparison of bourbon to other types of whiskey, not as a comparison of bourbon to other forms of alcoholic drinks ( beer, wine, liqueurs, vodka )
It’s my least favorite form of whiskey, but only in relative terms. Too cloying somehow. I’ll drink it if offered to me as the only choice without being seen as a jerk, but it’s the only whiskey I prefer drinking it mixed with something, usually cola. Funny thing is, I never drink soda/cola by itself. Isn’t that ironic?
I tend to prefer high-rye bourbons Basil Haydn’s, Old Grand-Dad, Four Roses to wheated bourbons or bourbons with a higher percentage of corn in their mash bill like Maker’s Mark (the wheated example), Knob Creek, or Jack Daniels (I know, “Tennessee whiskey”), which all have a sweeter flavor profile. I like the dryness and spiciness of rye.
I mean, I’ll drink any of it, and variety is the spice of life, but my preference leans towards the bourbons with a higher proportion of rye in them.
I stay away from most of the commercially popular brands of bourbon, too sweet for me. If you want more of a man’s bourbon, look for those with a high rye mashbill. I have a barrel of bourbon currently resting at a local distillery, my mashbill is 51% corn (the minimum required), 35% rye and 14% triticale (a wheat/rye hybrid). I’m only 14 months into it’s planned 56 months of aging. The heart of the new made was really smooth for something that came in at 122 proof. A good starting point for this type of bourbon would be 4 Roses or George Remus. Bulliet or Old Forester are good too.
In a rum guy. A while ago I tried to get into bourbon as well but just couldn’t do it. I tried a litlle bit of everything–the usual suspects, locally distilled products, recommendations from trusted sources. Nothing took. I never found anything that gave me the joy that I experienced with a nicely aged rum.
I will say for myself, it took me until my mid 40’s until I could actually taste anything in any whiskey. Prior to that all I got was the burn and alcohol. I never understood what the appeal was.
Then, gradually, maybe my tastebuds got deadened enough? Now that I’m older, I can taste different flavor profiles in hard liquors. I like Irish, and Bourbon, and am starting to find Scotches to be OK. I don’t like Rye, as I find it “spiky” (just like those little rye grains).
So, to each his own, everyone has different tastes. But in my own observation - tastes can change over time.
Heh. Woodford Reserve is the first bourbon I ever tried. I dunno if that’s why, but it’s still my favorite by a country mile. I can sit with a big old brandy snifter of Woodford Reserve, sniffing it and drinking it drop by drop, for an hour or so. The aroma knocks every other bourbon aside, all caramel sundae and spice.
I’ve tried bourbon with a few drops of water, and sure, there’s chemistry behind it, but it just tastes to me like not as good bourbon. Neat for me, please.
The taste of chocolate is warning you to stay away from it, we just managed to craft it towards our taste.
Bourbon is still my favorite, but it did take a long time getting to drinking alcohol without gagging. I also discovered that not all Scotch and tequila is terrible, though I won’t often seek it out.
