The Bourbon Thread

joe

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It's the day before a holiday and (for once) there's not a ton of NYCFC news, so have at it.
 
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There is ONE way you should be making an Old Fashioned. Take some maraschino cherries and some oranges...and throw that bullshit in the trash. No. Muddling.

Get yourself a mixing glass. Throw in a bar spoon of white sugar. A bar spoon of brown sugar. A splash of water. Mix that up a bit to get the sugar to dissolve a bit. Add three dashes Angostura bitter, one dash of orange bitters and 2oz of a high quality bourbon OR rye. Mix without ice. Add ice to the mixing glass and stir for 20 seconds to get a nice dilution going. Strain over a fresh, large cube in a tumbler. Cut a small slice of orange peel and pinch it over the glass to release the oils. Drop the peel in the glass.

Drink it up and realize that you're been drinking wrong your entire life!
 
Handle flavor-wise or tolerance-wise?
 
Legally not a bourbon, but Jack Daniels is the only one I can handle.
Legally JD is a bourbon. It meets all the regulatory qualifications for that designation. The company, however, prefers not to label it as a bourbon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Daniel's
https://www.quora.com/Is-Jack-Daniels-a-bourbon-whiskey

By the way, I learned this when I took a tour at Kings County Distillery in the Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Highly recommended.
http://kingscountydistillery.com/
DSCF6635.jpg
DSCF6545.jpg
 
There is ONE way you should be making an Old Fashioned. Take some maraschino cherries and some oranges...and throw that bullshit in the trash. No. Muddling.

Get yourself a mixing glass. Throw in a bar spoon of white sugar. A bar spoon of brown sugar. A splash of water. Mix that up a bit to get the sugar to dissolve a bit. Add three dashes Angostura bitter, one dash of orange bitters and 2oz of a high quality bourbon OR rye. Mix without ice. Add ice to the mixing glass and stir for 20 seconds to get a nice dilution going. Strain over a fresh, large cube in a tumbler. Cut a small slice of orange peel and pinch it over the glass to release the oils. Drop the peel in the glass.

Drink it up and realize that you're been drinking wrong your entire life!
Cheap maraschinos should pretty much go in the trash regardless. Luxardos are fantastic though.
 
Old Fashions? Isn't that what Don Draper drinks?

Anyway, I could have sworn I read an article years ago that by law bourbon has to be made a certain way and since Jack Daniels makes their bourbon then strains it through a charcoal filtering system they can't legally call it a bourbon. Live and learn I guess.
Handle flavor-wise or tolerance-wise?
Both. :)
 
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Old Fashions? Isn't that what Don Draper drinks?

Anyway, I could have sworn I read an article years ago that by law bourbon has to be made a certain way and since Jack Daniels makes their bourbon then strains it through a charcoal filtering system they can't legally call it a bourbon. Live and learn I guess.

Both. :)
Yeah booze laws are pretty crazy and all over the place. I believe that bourbon must be at 51% distilled corn, aged in NEW oak barrels and aged for a minimum amount of time (which I forget).
 
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Yeah booze laws are pretty crazy and all over the place. I believe that bourbon must be at 51% distilled corn, aged in NEW oak barrels and aged for a minimum amount of time (which I forget).
Wikipedia says no specific aging requirement, which differs from my head, which says three years.

2 caveats (from the same wiki page)
  • Straight bourbon (no added coloring, flavoring, or other spirits) must be aged a minimum of two years
  • Anything aged less than four years has to be labeled as such
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_whiskey#Legal_requirements
 
More trivia from the distillery tour. As SFphoto SFphoto says, bourbon MUST be aged in new oak barrels.
As it happens, Scotch and Irish whiskey MUST be aged in previously used oak barrels. So Kings County and other US bourbon makers break down their barrels and ship them to the British Isles, where they are bought by whiskey makers. This is also why Scotch is aged longer than bourbon. It's like re-using a tea bag. The oak has lost some of its flavor by the time it is used for Scotch.
Also, Kings County sells a non-aged (and therefore non-bourbon) whiskey they call moonshine. It's clear, and has a punch.
 
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Is there anything in particular I should go out of my way to try?

One time I did a couple of those split bottles of Wild Turkey on a flight to Atlanta and my face went numb. Makers Mark? Knob Creek?

Definitely not Old Panther

old_panther.jpg
 
I am partial Basil Hayden's. It's fantastic. A little spicier finish as it has more rye than usual.

Another favorite is Blanton's Single Barrel. Very smooth, almost vanilla like finish... mmmmm Gonna pour me a wee dram getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. :)
 
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I'm partial to Makers Mark.


A very well made textbook bourbon. Also the first bourbon I really liked.

My top 3 bourbons right now:

Angels Envy
Four Roses Small Batch (almost half the price of Angels Envy
Makers Mark

My favorite whiskey without question is Jack Daniels Single Barrel.
 
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I believe that bourbon must be at 51% distilled corn, aged in NEW oak barrels and aged for a minimum amount of time (which I forget).
Wikipedia says no specific aging requirement, which differs from my head, which says three years.

I will chime in with some lawyerly guidance. ATF is the agency that regulates labeling/advertising of alcohol. The pertinent definition (in the Code of Federal Regulations) at 27 C.F.R. § 5.22 is as follows:

Standards of identity for the several classes and types of distilled spirits set forth in this section shall be as follows (see also § 5.35, class and type):

(a) (a) Class 1; neutral spirits or alcohol [vodka and grain alcohol] [...]

(b) Class 2; whisky. “Whisky” is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190° proof in such manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whisky, stored in oak containers (except that corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 80° proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identity are prescribed.

(1)(i) “Bourbon whisky”, “rye whisky”, “wheat whisky”, “malt whisky”, or “rye malt whisky” is whisky produced at not exceeding 160° proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored at not more than 125° proof in charred new oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type.

(ii) “Corn whisky” [...]

(iii) Whiskies conforming to the standards prescribed in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section, which have been stored in the type of oak containers prescribed, for a period of 2 years or more shall be further designated as “straight”; for example, “straight bourbon whisky”, “straight corn whisky”, and whisky conforming to the standards prescribed in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section, except that it was produced from a fermented mash of less than 51 percent of any one type of grain, and stored for a period of 2 years or more in charred new oak containers shall be designated merely as “straight whisky”. No other whiskies may be designated “straight”. “Straight whisky” includes mixtures of straight whiskies of the same type produced in the same State.

(2) “Whisky distilled from bourbon (rye, wheat, malt, or rye malt) mash” is whisky produced in the United States at not exceeding 160° proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored in used oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type. Whisky conforming to the standard of identity for corn whisky must be designated corn whisky.​
 
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My favorite whiskey without question is Jack Daniels Single Barrel.
At the moment I have some Laphroaig I'm enjoying but really I'm a Glenmorangie fan. The Laphroaig is really good but it's very peaty and for me a bit much. I do like it but it's just not my thing. The Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban though is quite smooth and just darn tasty. And yes, "darn tasty" is an Official Scotch Taste Ranking™.
 
Is there anything in particular I should go out of my way to try?

One time I did a couple of those split bottles of Wild Turkey on a flight to Atlanta and my face went numb. Makers Mark? Knob Creek?

Definitely not Old Panther

old_panther.jpg
Blanton's and Basil Hayden's before any of those.

Maker's is solid grocery bourbon, not life changing but I enjoy it.

Knob Creek can have a bite similar to (although not as strong as) Wild Turkey; I wouldn't start there if you're having trouble finding something you like.

Hudson Baby Bourbon is local and delicious: http://www.tuthilltown.com/tuthilltown-spirits/hudson-baby-bourbon/
 
I will chime in with some lawyerly guidance. ATF is the agency that regulates labeling/advertising of alcohol. The pertinent definition (in the Code of Federal Regulations) at 27 C.F.R. § 5.22 is as follows:

Standards of identity for the several classes and types of distilled spirits set forth in this section shall be as follows (see also § 5.35, class and type):

(a) (a) Class 1; neutral spirits or alcohol [vodka and grain alcohol] [...]

(b) Class 2; whisky. “Whisky” is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190° proof in such manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whisky, stored in oak containers (except that corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 80° proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identity are prescribed.

(1)(i) “Bourbon whisky”, “rye whisky”, “wheat whisky”, “malt whisky”, or “rye malt whisky” is whisky produced at not exceeding 160° proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored at not more than 125° proof in charred new oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type.

(ii) “Corn whisky” [...]

(iii) Whiskies conforming to the standards prescribed in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section, which have been stored in the type of oak containers prescribed, for a period of 2 years or more shall be further designated as “straight”; for example, “straight bourbon whisky”, “straight corn whisky”, and whisky conforming to the standards prescribed in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section, except that it was produced from a fermented mash of less than 51 percent of any one type of grain, and stored for a period of 2 years or more in charred new oak containers shall be designated merely as “straight whisky”. No other whiskies may be designated “straight”. “Straight whisky” includes mixtures of straight whiskies of the same type produced in the same State.

(2) “Whisky distilled from bourbon (rye, wheat, malt, or rye malt) mash” is whisky produced in the United States at not exceeding 160° proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored in used oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type. Whisky conforming to the standard of identity for corn whisky must be designated corn whisky.​
Damn you for making me read the CFR during my vacation.
 
I am partial Basil Hayden's. It's fantastic. A little spicier finish as it has more rye than usual.

Another favorite is Blanton's Single Barrel. Very smooth, almost vanilla like finish... mmmmm Gonna pour me a wee dram getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. :)

Basil Haydens is hard to beat for it's cost. The only similar one I like a bit better is Corner Creek, it's harder to find but worth the search.

http://www.cornercreekbourbon.com/