Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)
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I don't know what would be new, but Tennessee whiskey or Bourbons with high wheat presence in the mashbill might work.
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Bulliet bourbon might work. It’s one of my favorite for the price
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@Yogi217 I have no idea as to where you’re located,or which bourbons you’ve tried,but this is one of the sweetest,smoothest most delicious bourbons I’ve had in a long time. It is in fact sourced from Tennessee,and has 84% corn in the mashbill, which gives it that sweetness. I paid $60 a bottle,seen it for as high as $86.
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I don't know what would be new, but Tennessee whiskey or Bourbons with high wheat presence in the mashbill might work.
Bulliet bourbon might work. It’s one of my favorite for the price
@Yogi217 I have no idea as to where you’re located,or which bourbons you’ve tried,but this is one of the sweetest,smoothest most delicious bourbons I’ve had in a long time. It is in fact sourced from Tennessee,and has 84% corn in the mashbill, which gives it that sweetness. I paid $60 a bottle,seen it for as high as $86.
Thanks guys!
I'm 90 min north of NYC in CT.
@Sage954 Love Bulliet. Going to try the 10 year stuff soon.
@Jett129 I think they have that at my local shop. I'll try it if they do or see if they can order it for me if they don't have it stocked.
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I like the Bulliet Rye much more than the bourbon. Was really excited when they came out with the 10 year old,and really wanted to like it,but didn’t. I’m pretty sure all their juice is sourced from Four Roses,which I also happen to like. Especially their single barrel. Makers 46 is also on the sweet side. If you can’t get the Smooth Ambler in CT,Astor Wines is the only one who has it in NYC.
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Four Roses is a great example of a high wheat mashbill. I was making old fashioneds with it last night, great stuff. Im with you on the Bullet rye over their bourbon.
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I just checked my shops website a d they did not list smooth ambler…. Bummer. I think I confused with another bottle that looked similar.
Aren't rye whiskeys dryer?
I had the wild turkey rye a while back and was very impressed with the cost to taste ratio.
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Had to check this out before I posted,but Four Roses doesn’t use any Wheat in their bourbon recipes. They’re predominantly 75% corn which is what gives it the sweetness. The main distilleries that use Wheat are, Buffalo Trace,Makers,Luxor(Rebel Yell),and Barton(1792) Pikesville Rye uses corn as it’s secondary grain,which makes it sweeter than most Ryes. It’s my current favorite.
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Also wheated: Makers Mark, Weller (multiple brands), Larceny (almost certainly same juice as Rebel Yell, they are both distilled at heaven hill), Bernheims (actually a wheat whiskey)
Those are off the top of my head
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I didn't say Weller because they're all under Buffalo Trace. Larceny is Heaven Hill,and Rebel Yell is made by Luxco,both wheaters ,but I doubt that it's the same juice.
Hmm the info I had a while back had RY being distilled at HH, although these things are often purposely obfuscated and can change. Also possible the info I had was wrong. True about weller and BT but not all that helpful for someone actually looking for a bottle, given that BT is both the distillery and a bottle you can buy. Liquor store employees vary widely in knowledge (and giving a fuck) and bourbon brands require more folk knowledge than most things you can buy.
I steer clear of “finished bourbons” (which are not legally bourbon any more). It’s usually a way for a label to take someone else’s distillate and “add value” but I’m happier when the bourbon has value because it’s an awesome bourbon. That’s not to say they’re all bad, but not worth it for me. I’m far more likely to take a flier on a straight bourbon I’ve never heard of. But to each his own. If you find a finished bourbon you like then drink away!
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I totally agree with you,as I went through a stage where I was drinking bourbons that were finished and sometimes sourced. I have come back to the point that I mainly want to drink bourbons unfinished and from the source. Smooth Ambler and High West being exceptions to that rule. I also agree that not many liquor store employees are very bourbon knowledgeable.
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Had to check this out before I posted,but Four Roses doesn’t use any Wheat in their bourbon recipes. They’re predominantly 75% corn which is what gives it the sweetness. The main distilleries that use Wheat are, Buffalo Trace,Makers,Luxor(Rebel Yell),and Barton(1792) Pikesville Rye uses corn as it’s secondary grain,which makes it sweeter than most Ryes. It’s my current favorite.
Yeah, not sure where I (mis-)/read that re: Four Roses, though I stand by it being nice and smooth for the money.
I have liked low rye, unwheated mashes for bourbons, and straight rye for rye best, generally speaking. I like for the two spirits to be distinct from one another and value the distinctions.
Not sure if anyone mentioned Tennessee whiskey as another option for smooth "bourbon." The charcoal filtering may/may not do the trick for whomever posted the initial question.
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I totally agree with you,as I went through a stage where I was drinking bourbons that were finished and sometimes sourced. I have come back to the point that I mainly want to drink bourbons unfinished and from the source. Smooth Ambler and High West being exceptions to that rule. I also agree that not many liquor store employees are very bourbon knowledgeable.
I’m a high rye fan and think MGP does a phenomenal high rye bourbon. As you probably know, until very recently MGP didn’t even have a house brand. So, sourced brands were actually the only way to get it. I now seek out their amazing Remus Repeal Reserve, but I don’t have the dim view of sourcing that I once did. As you mentioned High West does a great job. That said, if you eschew sourced bourbons entirely you are left with no shortage of products to choose from. My only wish is that they’d be forced to be more transparent about it, and that they couldn’t label with a fictitious distillery name that has no actual distillation capability.
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At the end of the day,I just, flat out ,love bourbon. I cast a pretty wide net as far as my current bourbon tastes go. I find myself looking for value,and would much rather spend $450 on a pair of jeans,than a bottle of overhyped whiskey. One of my local liquor stores participates in the barrel programs that some of the distilleries offer,where they go down to KY and pick out barrels of bourbon that they like and the distillery bottles it for them. They get a barrel every year from Four Roses,Eagle Rare,Makers,Woodford and Old Forester. They sell them for really reasonable prices. $34.99 for their single barrel Eagle Rare and $49.99 for their bottle of Four Roses.They’re always really good,and sometimes great. Years ago I fell for the Templeton Rye story,and while it was good I felt stupid. Smooth Ambler is transparent about sourcing their whiskey,and I was really excited when they finally had their own product. Unfortunately it wasn’t very good. Been enjoying this thread.
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I'm enjoying reading all of your posts. I don't know much about the technicalities of bourbons (yet). The past few months, as the ipas have been killing my gut, I've switched to bourbons because I prefer them so much more to any other spirit.
I was given this as a gift this past weekend from my brother-in-law, who works for a major distributor in the Boston area.
He said it's 100% organic wheat, distilled by the brand, off the coast of Washington. Definitely on the sweeter side, but nothing crazy like that maple I posted. Definitely enjoyed it this weekend.
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@Yogi217 crazy that you have that bottle! I used to live on Bainbridge island in the mid 90s when I was in middle school. Last Christmas (2017) we visited my in-laws in Seattle and I picked up a bottle of their Douglas Fir gin. Apparently they have to clip the buds directly into the alcohol to preserve the flavor. So it’s clear these guys go the extra mile with their offerings.
I didn’t actually get the opportunity to visit the distillery but I hope to some day. I did get to visit copperworks (in downtown Seattle) and brought back some gin from them as well. I almost always try to visit a distillery or brewery when I go somewhere.
