[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
There’s also a bottle of Basil Hayden’s, which is good, but like Makers is just an upbranding of Jim Beam I believe.
[/QUOTE]
Not that anyone called me on it, but I’m correcting myself. Makers isn’t a Beam brand. The Beam up brands are Bookers, Bakers, Basil Hayden, and Knob Creek.
[QUOTE=silenus]
ultra, 'tis a pity bourbon doesn’t seem to be your tipple. How are you with single-malt Scotch?
[/QUOTE]
That I’m a little more comfortable with.
Then I think I’ll start a thread for that. Can’t ignore the smokey goodness that is produced by our Hibernian brethren.
All this talk about bourbon convinced me to stop at a store on my way home from work to try something new. I haven’t met a bourbon yet I wasn’t fond of, but I have quite a few more left to meet. It was a tough battle but I finally decided on taking home a bottle of Old Weller Antique. I’ll find out soon enough if I made a good choice.
On a side note how often would any of you say you indulge?
You did. Old Weller Antique is one of the great values out there. Try it with just a splash of water.
Indulge? I usually have a touch every other night or so.
[QUOTE=Brandon]
On a side note how often would any of you say you indulge?
[/QUOTE]
Only between beers. 
How often do I indulge? I’m partial to a glass on the odd night when I’m feeling particularly introspective or pontificative…
What’s that?
You want me to drink you?
Now?
But I’m right in the middle of… Oh, alright, just one little glass. With some ice, and a dash of the purest mineral water to bring out the flavour…
Excuse me, I er… have to go. 
[QUOTE=silenus]
Try it with just a splash of water.
[/quote]
Having been a beer man for most of my youth, and a wine man for the last ten years or so, I’ve only just begun to develop an appreciation of spirits. So, after imbibing probably more than my share of Martinis, Margaritas, Cuban Breezes, etc., I’m about to begin investigating bourbons and scotches. With both of these, I often hear mention of a ‘splash’ of water, and not wanting to either over-dilute or insufficently-dilute the subjects of my experimentation, I have to ask, how much is a ‘splash’ of water?
[QUOTE=silenus]
Indulge? I usually have a touch every other night or so.
[/QUOTE]
I touch of booze every other night, or a touch of bourbon every other night? I’m rocking along at about a drink or two every night, and once or twice a week, maybe three. Should I be concerned about overdoing it?
Ahem…make that “A touch of booze…etc.”
And this is only a one-drink night…I swear!
If you are concerned about overdoing it, then it isn’t a problem. When you are no longer concerned, it has become one.
I usually have a little bourbon every other night or so. The nights without bourbon are usually filled with beer, scotch or wine.
A splash is a variable measure. To me, about a tablespoon of cool water added to a glass of whiskey is sufficient. Any more than that and you risk getting some disease from all that H[sub]2[/sub]O!
Great. Thanks for the info, silenus.
My favorite is Knob Creek. I’ve tried some other, more expensive bourbons, such as Buffalo Trace, Whiskey River and a couple I can’t recall. I keep coming back to Knob Creek, though.
My daily pour is Old Crow. Because of its low price, many bourbon lovers assume Crow is some foul rotgut. Actually, it is better than many bourbons costing twice as much.
I take my bourbon either over ice or with some Vernor’s Ginger Ale.
I just deleted a rant about ruffians who slam down shots. I don’t want to bore you.
Knob Creek is a definite winner. 9 years is the perfect amount of aging for that mash bill. I’m drinking some right now, as a matter of fact.
Shot-slammers belong at places other than where I am at.
[QUOTE=AskNott]
My daily pour is Old Crow. Because of its low price, many bourbon lovers assume Crow is some foul rotgut. Actually, it is better than many bourbons costing twice as much.
[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Old Crow is pretty good, especially for a 3 year old bourbon.
Ok…another one on the list. Off to Bevmo we go.
[QUOTE=mrklutz]
Drat. You mean a bottle the size that they give you on airplanes, don’t you? For a brief moment, I had a shining vision of a bottle of Booker’s the size of an airplane. Brings a tear to the eye, it does.
[/QUOTE]
Bit hard to call it a single barrell bourbon, wouldn’t it be?
As for me, my funds rarely permit me to keep bottles in stock (also, my penchant for drinking half a bottle in a night). For a few days back in the winter, I had a bottle of Bulleitt, a bottle of Knob Creek, and a bottle of Russell’s Reserve (signed by Jimmy Russell) all open at once. It made me very happy.
Perhaps the best I’ve tried was a limited edition bottle of Wild Turkey Tribute (#1027 of 5500), 101 proof, aged 15 years in sugar-coated barrells. Had a touch of sweetness that nicely complemented the usual harshness of Wild Turkey.
For economy’s sake, my usual bottle is Evan Williams. Were money not an issue, Wild Turkey 101 (really, they should call them Wild Turkey and Watered Down Wild Turkey) would be my everyday drink.
As a few have said, other than a bit of water in the George T. Stagg, I usually stick to neat. I have been known to go for some ice when nobody’s looking and I can get away with being a pussy.
[QUOTE=Sunrazor]
I know this is gonna’ sound pedestrian as hell, and there will be objections that it’s not really a bourbon, but my everyday pour is Jack Daniels on the rocks. But in defense, I read an article once about bourbons, and as nearly as I can tell, Jack qualifies – according to what I read, it doesn’t have to be made in Kentucky, it just has to be made of at least 50% corn mash and aged at least two years in charred oak barrels. Of course, the distillery denies that the stuff is bourbon, and refuses to put the word on the label, which, according to straightbourbon.com, is one of the criteria. But by golly, the stuff sure tastes a lot like bourbon!
If I could afford it, I’d have Maker’s Mark in the liquor cabinet all the time.
[/QUOTE]
It doesn’t taste like bourbon to me, but that’s neither here nor there. The reason it’s not bourbon is because it’s “charcoal mellowed,” which bourbon isn’t. Jack Daniels is called “Tennessee Whiskey.”
Oh, and I agree about Makers Mark. It’s the best mixing bourbon. Straight, I’ll take Evan Williams or Knob Creek.
I know this thread has been kinda stagnant for the past couple of days but I just wanted to hop back in and thank silenus and anyone else mentioning Old Weller Antique. I absolutely enjoyed it and we had some rain out here the past couple of days, so I got to sit on my patio sipping away reflecting on life and experiencing the storm. It has easily become one of my favorites and it is an incredible purchase for the price.
Told ya!
Glad you liked it. Jim Murray praised it to the skies in his “Complete Guide to Whiskey,” which is where I first heard of it. One sip was all it took.