# What does Bourbon taste like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [April 2, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773 "2009-04-02T22:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/1 "2009-04-02T22:04:25Z")
I got a flyer for a buy one get one free Kentucky Bourbon burger (the one in the commercial with the “alcoholic surgeon” [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8\_kJGC2qoQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8_kJGC2qoQ)) from Carl’s Jr in the newspaper. I don’t drink and don’t even like the smell the regular alcohol. However, I’m curious as to why a chain restaurant would sell this type of burger and how it would taste? The burger is targeted towards adults, but would say 14 year old eat it or take one bite and spit it out? Also, thank you all for the carrot cake recipes. I plan to use them throughout the year. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/2 "2009-04-02T22:12:26Z")
Bourbon pretty much tastes exactly like it smells, but I’m confident that a bourbon flavored burger would have an extremely subtle bourbon flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/3 "2009-04-02T22:26:11Z")
Bourbon is corn whiskey, right? I think my Dad’s Uncle in Michigan drank the stuff, and if I remember correctly it’s a sort of rye/scotch mixture but sweeter to the taste buds. I don’t know if any other country markets a drink called bourbon, do they? We never talk of it here in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/4 "2009-04-02T22:40:24Z")
I put bourbon in my chili. I also make a bourbon-paprika sauce for scallops. It has a very sweet odor and quite a mild taste. I usually just deglaze the pan with it to add the flavour. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/5 "2009-04-02T23:27:27Z")
As per the question in the OP, Bourbon tastes like turpentine. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/6 "2009-04-02T23:31:11Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > As per the question in the OP, Bourbon tastes like turpentine. Well, I’ve never tasted turpentine, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t taste like Pure Liquid Bliss, so that can’t be right… ---
**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:** [April 2, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/7 "2009-04-02T23:33:22Z")
Bourbon is a common enough flavoring in marinades, sauces, glazes, and the like. The taste is a bit reminiscent of brown sugar, molasses, with a little bit of toast, nuttiness, and oak in there. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/8 "2009-04-02T23:33:49Z")
Bourbon tastes nothing like turpentine smells. My favorite bourbon, Woodford Reserve, smells and tastes like someone took the world’s best caramel sundae and distilled it into a mildly sweet essence. It’s incredible. I can sip on a glass all night. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/9 "2009-04-02T23:34:38Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Bourbon is corn whiskey, right? I think my Dad’s Uncle in Michigan drank the stuff, and if I remember correctly it’s a sort of rye/scotch mixture but sweeter to the taste buds. > > I don’t know if any other country markets a drink called bourbon, do they? We never talk of it here in Canada. Just the U.S., as far as I know, particulalry Kentucky. Bourbon is generally pretty sweet (for liquor) and less complex than, say, a good scotch. I’d agree a bourbon flavored burger would have to have a really mild bourbon flavor unless you pretty much pickled it in bourbon. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/10 "2009-04-02T23:36:27Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > I also make a bourbon-paprika sauce for scallops. That sounds awesome. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/11 "2009-04-02T23:36:27Z")
Bourbon, in food (like this burger), tastes sort of like caramel flavored smoke. I desserts it tastes a little different, but I think thats what you will notice most in a burger. Burbon itself tastes like…bourbon. Sort of like how it smells I guess? I can’t think of how to describe the flavor without compairing it to something else. It is sort of peppery and sweet with a caramel and vanilla type of flavor. Maybe hints of really dark chocolate and oak too? All dissolved in alcohol. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/12 "2009-04-02T23:37:48Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > It is sort of peppery and sweet with a caramel and vanilla type of flavor. Maybe hints of really dark chocolate and oak too? All dissolved in alcohol. Ah, yes, vanilla. I forgot that one. Definitely notes of vanilla in a lot of bourbons. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/13 "2009-04-02T23:55:38Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > That sounds awesome. 🙂 It is, even if I do say so myself 😃 I just wing it every time though, one of these days I have to make a proper recipe out of it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/14 "2009-04-03T00:01:25Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > vanilla type of flavor > [@pulykamell](#): > > Ah, yes, vanilla. I forgot that one. Definitely notes of vanilla in a lot of bourbons. Unless I badly misremember two different things Alton has taught me, that makes sense. One is that bourbon gets its flavor from chemicals it extracts from the layer of wood in the barrel it is aged in just below the flame-charred surface layer. The other is that artificial vanilla flavoring is made from … alcohol and wood. ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/15 "2009-04-03T00:04:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Bourbon is a common enough flavoring in marinades, sauces, glazes, and the like. The taste is a bit reminiscent of brown sugar, molasses, with a little bit of toast, nuttiness, and oak in there. I just want to point out that this is a fantastic description (even without that pesky vanilla)! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/16 "2009-04-03T00:10:18Z")
> [@Jormungandr](#): > > I don’t drink and don’t even like the smell the regular alcohol. However, I’m curious as to why a chain restaurant would sell this type of burger and how it would taste? The burger is targeted towards adults, but would say 14 year old eat it or take one bite and spit it out? Everyone else is answering your question straight, so I’ll reply to this part. I dislike alcohol too. Most alcoholic beverages have a really unpleasant taste for me. The Kentucky Bourbon burger, on the other hand, is quite possibly the best BBQ burger you’ll find outside of a five star restaurant. I _loved_ it. There is no taste of alcohol (and there usually never is in cooked meals, especially when it comes to casual dining). I’d rate it at least as good or better than Red Robin’s Whiskey River BBQ burger. It was spicy due to the pepperjack, but not overwhelmingly so. The BBQ sauce had a pleasant tang. It was very, very well-made. Now I want one again… ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/17 "2009-04-03T00:37:14Z")
Bourbon tastes like cough medicine. In the burger or scollops it may be great though. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-bourbon-taste-like/491773/18 "2009-04-03T00:41:12Z")
Hey, sometimes cough medicine is [just what you need](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_Moe%27s)!