# Sorry, as much as I have tried to like it, bourbon just doesn't suit me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [June 8, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221 "2020-06-08T00:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/21 "2020-06-08T20:11:55Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Like what? We need some recommendations (preferably some that won’t cost triple figures). My favorite somewhat cheap one is Buffalo Trace. Woodford is good too, not obscenely expensive but probably one of the pricier ones at a non-specialty supermarket. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/22 "2020-06-08T21:11:59Z")
Personal favorites in no particular order: Wild Turkey (101, Russell’s Reserve, Rare Breed, really anything but the weak-ass 81) - This is what get bought in handles around _Casa Silenus_. It’s the wife’s favorite bourbon by far, and exhibits a lot more rye flavor than its mash bill should warrant. If I was ever restricted to just one bourbon for the rest of my life, the 101 would be it. Evan Williams BiB - One of the hidden beauties out there that I kinda don’t want to tell people about. Regular Evan Williams is a serviceable, cheap-ass bourbon. But the Bottled-in-Bond version is outstanding! Belle Meade Cask Strength - It’s a MGP sourced bourbon, but Green Brier puts out several versions of the spirit that show just what aging and finishing can do. The one finished in XO Cognac barrels is tasty! But, as usual, my liver belongs to the over-proof monsters like the Cask Strength, which weighs in at 110 proof. Jack Daniels Sinatra Select - Take your run of the mill Jack (which is a decent enough whiskey and available in freaking every country on the planet, more or less) and…elevate it. Pricey, but worth it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/23 "2020-06-08T21:24:58Z")
> [@K364](#): > > hahaha > > Try this before you give up: > > - buy a bottle of Woodford Reserve > - a double shot in a whiskey glass (3 oz) > - add a small ice cube. You want a little bit of dilution that changes the flavour profile and softens the hard alcohol taste\*. > - take a medium swig into your mouth and rinse around thoroughly. Swallow. This will prime your mouth. > - now breath in the amazing bouquet, take small sips and enjoy > > - [https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/yes-you-should-add-water-your-whisky-heres-why-0167281/](https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/yes-you-should-add-water-your-whisky-heres-why-0167281/) Whoa, this is weird… I JUST did that exact thing last night! Most whiskies are too harsh for me, but I tried a sip of a friend’s bottle of Woodford and loved the smoothness. I looked up the price, and put it on my Eventual Bucket List with Talisker and Redbreast (smoothest Irish Whisky I’ve had). But just yesterday, I was at a local liquor store, and saw a small bottle (375ml, that made it affordable). I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. So, we had a cool breeze last night, and I cracked that bottle as the sun went down over the lake. Just a large shot over a big ice cube in my favorite glass. Sniffing the earthy notes of leather and Grandpa’s pipe went well with loons and an owl calling. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/24 "2020-06-08T21:25:55Z")
Jack Daniels would probably be upset because they always call their products Tennessee whiskey , not bourbon. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/25 "2020-06-08T21:30:13Z")
The Lincoln County process doesn’t change much, no matter what they claim. If it’s made from majority corn and aged in new charred oak, in the USA, it’s bourbon. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/26 "2020-06-08T21:35:51Z")
Jim Beam is one of Satan’s nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/27 "2020-06-08T21:37:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Lincoln County process doesn’t change much, no matter what they claim. If it’s made from majority corn and aged in new charred oak, in the USA, it’s bourbon. Don’t say that to a dyed in the wool Kentuckian. They may have two of the biggest asshole senators, but they’re serious and proprietary about their whiskey. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/28 "2020-06-08T21:38:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Jim Beam is one of Satan’s nicknames. I would totally buy a whiskey called Mister Scratch. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/29 "2020-06-08T21:54:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Jim Beam is one of Satan’s nicknames. And yet, take that same crappy bourbon and age it properly, then blend it right and you end up with Knob Creek, which at 7 - 9 years and 90 proof is ample evidence of God’s Love. As for Kentuckians…nah, can’t say anything bad about the people. Every one that I’ve ever met has been Good Folks. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/30 "2020-06-08T22:32:51Z")
I think part of it for me is that for some reason the name bourbon just sounds cool. Anyone else agree that different drinks give a different “buzz”? I’ve heard it argued that it’s all the same drug and any difference in how it makes you feel is in your mind. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/31 "2020-06-08T22:41:31Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I think part of it for me is that for some reason the name bourbon just sounds cool. Anyone else agree that different drinks give a different “buzz”? I’ve heard it argued that it’s all the same drug and **any difference in how it makes you feel is in your mind**. Which makes it real to you, which is all that matters. It may be entirely psychological, but tequila makes me stupider/crazier than other alcohol. Experience has shown that more than 2 margaritas in a session is HIGHLY contraindicated. The same amount of bourbon just gets me mellow. The key thing about whiskey is that even absolute plonk can be sipped, savored and enjoyed over a longer time than things like vodka, gin and blanco tequila. It’s just a characteristic of the creature. Oak gives myriad flavors to be investigated. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/32 "2020-06-08T23:11:39Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I think part of it for me is that for some reason the name bourbon just sounds cool. Anyone else agree that different drinks give a different “buzz”? I’ve heard it argued that it’s all the same drug and any difference in how it makes you feel is in your mind. I used to drink a good deal (or went through periods where my drinking was heavier followed by more normal/low drinking periods, and now I might have a drink on the weekend) and, personally, I never noticed any sort of correlation between what I’m drinking and the type of buzz I get. The only difference for me is how fast the onset is, based on the beverage’s ABV and how quickly it is imbibed. Many people swear they get different buzzes – I don’t. I am mostly a happy and talkative drunk. What kind of buzz I get is dependent on what mood I’m in when I’m drinking, and I have to be in a really dark and angry place for alcohol not to relax me and make me happier and more talkative. It’s very rare. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/33 "2020-06-08T23:19:00Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > 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. > > Carry on. Maybe it’s just not great for getting drunk on, especially if you usually do it with beer. Most of the commenters so far seem to be talking about ways to savor it, which seems pretty far off the mark of the way you seem to be drinking it. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/34 "2020-06-08T23:51:43Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Maybe it’s just not great for getting drunk on, especially if you usually do it with beer. Most of the commenters so far seem to be talking about ways to savor it, which seems pretty far off the mark of the way you seem to be drinking it. Yeah, after a hard day of sweaty work I would be more likely to reach for a cold afternoon beer or two than head for the liquor cabinet. Then grab a quick nap. A bourbon highball or a martini is more for evening decompression while waiting for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/35 "2020-06-09T01:05:43Z")
Waiting for dinner, or after dinner. Got out of the dessert habit years ago, but it’s still nice to have a little treat in the evening. So I sit on the porch (no family, no music, no Dope) with an Old Fashioned or a smooth whisky on the rocks. Or my new drink: key lime juice, whisky or rum (or both) on the rocks… with a splash of lemon LaCroix, and a dash of real maple syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/36 "2020-06-09T01:24:11Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Don’t say that to a dyed in the wool Kentuckian. They may have two of the biggest asshole senators, but they’re serious and proprietary about their whiskey. I think you’re referring to the urban legend that bourbon must be made in Kentucky or Bourbon county and both are completely untrue. Tennessee whiskey must be made in Tennessee but Kentucky doesn’t have a claim to anything. I love bourbon but I tend to be partial to wheated or four grain. I’ve been playing with an oated bourbon recipe lately and some historical distillation styles but they are years from bearing fruit. I really hate all malt spirits and the more malted barley it has the less I like it. So how about a trade you get all the scotch and I’ll take all of the bourbon? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/37 "2020-06-09T02:53:28Z")
I think I have the same problem with whiskies that I have with beers and coffees. I’m an amateur, so I need the good stuff. The way that relates to bourbons is that a lot of cheaper stuff is just too harsh for my palate. I read a lot of reviews before I buy anything, and one upper level reviewer referred to an Islay Scotch as having “notes of paint thinner” (as if that were a good thing!) Good example is the Trader Joe’s liquor rack. The eye-level shelf has a cheap “TJ’s Kentucky Bourbon” which has that harshness. So I have to move down to the Maker’s Mark/Knob Creek shelf and pay a lot more. Gladly, I would add… ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/38 "2020-06-09T04:34:21Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > 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. > > Carry on. This resonates with me. My Grandma loved her bourbon and I grew up loving the smell. But honest to god, if I drink it (and I like the taste, don’t get me wrong) I start to think of awful and sad things, like dead puppies. I don’t touch it any more, but I still love the smell. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/39 "2020-06-09T04:38:58Z")
I know this isn’t the point of the thread, but it’s a complete myth that one alcohol causes a different mood or type of “drunk” relative to any other. The only real difference is the circumstances in which each type of ethanol is imbibed. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221/40 "2020-06-09T08:14:45Z")
Last time my inlaws came they drank all my Jack Daniels and, as a replacement, left us with a bottle of Jim Beam. I am not a fan of Jim Beam. OTOH some visiting guests from Iowa brought us some Cedar Ridge Bourbon, which I found excellent. > [@silenus](#): > > This, except with a **good** bourbon. The wife really likes Woodford Reserve, whereas I find it distinctly meh. _Chacun a son gout_ and all that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-as-much-as-i-have-tried-to-like-it-bourbon-just-doesnt-suit-me/855221.md?page=3)