Question For You Bourbon Drinkers

[menzies]

Do you see it as, and/or call it, Bourbon or whiskey?

 

[w8n4sun]

I call it whatever is on the label.

Jefferson aged at sea is one of my favorites.

 

[Lou_tribal]

I only drink Scotch lol

L

 

[Giggitoni]

I call it whiskey. It bothers me to say bourbon, for the same reason I say boat rather than yacht! Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if there is a difference, however, I’ve never taken the time to investigate. Perhaps after I retire...

 

[rsn48]

Don't desecrate good Canadian Whisky by calling Bourbon a whisky. Its a whisky wanna be.

 

[menzies]

Don't desecrate good Canadian Whisky by calling Bourbon a whisky. Its a whisky wanna be.

Hmmm, being from Ireland and grew up less than an hour from the oldest licensed distillery in the world, there are many there who would say the same about Canadian "Whiskey!"

 

[GFC]

Whiskey? bourbon? Scotch? What the heck are those?

If it ain't Patron, it ain't worth drinkin'

 

[PacificBlue]

I tend to keep them separate, like my Four Roses small batch select Bourbon and my Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye Whiskey, two different highways.

 

[menzies]

Whiskey? bourbon? Scotch? What the heck are those?

If it ain't Patron, it ain't worth drinkin'

Do you store it properly - in the freezer?

 

[kthoennes]

Freezer? Whatayacrazy?! It sits for years in barrels in nice mild Kentucky or Tennessee.

I've become bourbon person in recent years. Woodford Reserve, popular but way too harsh for me, goes down like fire. Basil Hayden, nice but gives me an instant headache for some reason. Evans Williams, the entry level version, pretty darn good for a lower shelf but not my most favorite. Rebel Yell. Nope, too harsh for me. Bulliet, very nice in my opinion, but not the top. Buffalo Trace, ditto, good. My wife recently bought me a bottle of Bib and Tucker. Wow, just like the silly sounding description says, leather, cedar, butterscotch, molasses, something old and antique-y about it, I really like it. I take my bourbon in a heavy cut crystal scotch glass with one big ice ball or big cube and Bib and Tucker stands up to ice without losing its complexity.

My favorite though is Jefferson, very small batch. Stands up to ice well. I've never had a bourbon that handles ice so well. Instead of getting watery or weak, it actually shifts the flavor profile and different notes come out as the ice melts. I see a previous poster mentioned Jefferson Ocean. I had that once and the difference was not worth the price to me, didn't blow me away, but I understand different voyages have very different flavors. (I think they're up to ten or eleven voyages.)

A bourbon fanatic would have a stroke but I do put a Cara Cara orange twist in my bourbon once in a while, and I do like Old Fashioneds. Bourbon lends itself well to a rich, mellow citrus note in my opinion, as long as it's not too sweet. All a matter of personal preference though. Welcome to bourbon.

 

[menzies]

Freezer? Whatayacrazy?! It sits for years in barrels in nice mild Kentucky or Tennessee.

That comment was regarding the Patron tequila.

 

[Bethany]

OMG that’s a good question

I like the smokey flavors of Scotch myself. One could also ask the question of is it Whiskey or Whisky?

 

[menzies]

Whiskey is the Irish spelling.

 

[tpbrady]

Tennessee does not make bourbon, only Kentucky does. Tennessee makes Tennessee whiskey. Some in Tennessee try to make bourbon, I wish they would just stick to Tennessee whiskey. I prefer the stuff that comes from the oldest registered distillery in the country.

 

[drb1025]

For a whiskey to be Bourbon, it has to be distilled in the US and made from at least 55% corn. It originated in Kentucky but is now distilled all over the US.

 

[menzies]

For a whiskey to be Bourbon, it has to be distilled in the US and made from at least 55% corn. It originated in Kentucky but is now distilled all over the US.

So if someone say, in Ireland, decided to make Bourbon following the correct mash etc. and called it Bourbon how could they stop them - is the name copyrighted?

 

[drb1025]

So if someone say, in Ireland, decided to make Bourbon following the correct mash etc. and called it Bourbon how could they stop them - is the name copyrighted?

They could make it the same way but it is not technically Bourbon because by definition, Bourbon is distilled in the US.

 

[menzies]

They could make it the same way but it is not technically Bourbon because by definition, Bourbon is distilled in the US.

That's my question; says who?

 

[drb1025]

That's my question; says who?

Hmm, good question so I looked it up:


The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, codified under 27 CFR §5.22(b)(1)(i), states bourbon made for U.S. consumption must be:

Produced in the United States
Made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn
Aged in new, charred oak containers
Distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume)
Entered into the container for aging at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume)
Bottled (like other whiskeys) at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume)

 

[kthoennes]

I think the authority for the nomenclature falls into the same category as France's attempt to control "champagne" and cheese names. Or the US dairy industry's attempt to outlaw the phrase "soy milk." Gaston can pass all the EU rules he wants and run off to the WTO with a petition, but it pretty much comes down to consensus and convention. When it comes to bourbon on the other hand, that's different. That's just a universal law of metaphysical reality, like Planck's Constant or the acceleration of gravity at 9.8 m/s^2. I don't care if you follow the mash rules or not, if it's not made in Kentucky or maybe Tennessee, you can call it whatever you want but it's not really bourbon.

 

[drb1025]

I think the authority for the nomenclature falls into the same category as France's attempt to control "champagne" and cheese names. Or the US dairy industry's attempt to outlaw the phrase "soy milk." Gaston can pass all the EU rules he wants and run off to the WTO with a petition, but it pretty much comes down to consensus and convention. When it comes to bourbon on the other hand, that's different. That's just a universal law of metaphysical reality, like Planck's Constant or the acceleration of gravity at 9.8 m/s^2. I don't care if you follow the mash rules or not, if it's not made in Kentucky or maybe Tennessee, you can call it whatever you want but it's not really bourbon.

And some say if it ain’t brewed in St. Louis, it ain’t beer.

 

[Crusty Chief]

And some of us aren’t picky at all! We just enjoy stuff as is! I like em all!

 

[kthoennes]

And some say if it ain’t brewed in St. Louis, it ain’t beer.

And my wife will tell you if the cheese curds don't come from Wisconsin, they're not real cheese curds. Oh, and pizza has to come from New Haven, Connecticut. And lobster rolls have to come from Connecticut too, and the lobster has to be buttered and otherwise naked, or else it's a lobster salad sandwich.

 

[Boat]

A buddy who calls himself a "bourbon drinker" can talk about this ad nauseam.

He talks about buying your own barrel and "private reserve".

Quarantine with a still could be productive. "Honest officer, I needed hand sanitizer and it was too dangerous to go to the store".

 

[catalinajack]

I don't know about the cheese curds - who would eat that anyway - but your wife is absolutely correct on the lobster rolls and New Haven pizza. As for the rolls they must be New England style, slab-sided with no crust. And the pizza, Pepe's, Modern, or Sally's. All other pizzas are wannabes. Chicago deep dish? A loaf of bread with sauce and cheese bearing no resemblance to real pizza.

And my wife will tell you if the cheese curds don't come from Wisconsin, they're not real cheese curds. Oh, and pizza has to come from New Haven, Connecticut. And lobster rolls have to come from Connecticut too, and the lobster has to be buttered and otherwise naked, or else it's a lobster salad sandwich.

 

[Gabe n Em]

Yes.

But also: rum

 

[Datenight]

And lobster rolls have to come from Connecticut too, and the lobster has to be buttered and otherwise naked, or else it's a lobster salad sandwich.[/QUOTE]

Bun grilled with butter and the lobster hot!

Rob

 

[O C Diver]

You all need to get out of Connecticut and expand your horizons on lobster rolls. That starts with knowing that the colder the water (which isn't Connecticut), the better the lobsta.

Ted

 

[kthoennes]

And now I live in South Dakota where you can't get a decent stuffed clam for 1500 miles, unless I drive three days to Ed's or Bill's in Westbrook, and where proper steamer clams have thin, easily breakable softshells, not "littleneck" steamer wannabees. And now I can't even go to Anthony's in Middletown (RI) without a 14 day quarantine.

(Sally's, Pepe's and Modern, in that order. RIP Flo!)

 

[GFC]

I don't care if you follow the mash rules or not, if it's not made in Kentucky or maybe Tennessee, you can call it whatever you want but it's not really bourbon.

Oh, wait, do I detect a tremor in the force? Bourbon from TN? Say it ain't so!