Seeking Exceptional Bourbons

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mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,414
7,335
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
I've become partial to Irish Whiskey over the years, but if I'm not sipping on spirits from the Emerald Isle then you bet I'm drinking bourbon. Below are a few suggestions;

Western Reserve Distillers 15 yr Cask Strength Bourbon

Booker's Bourbon, a higher end offering from the Jim Beam distillery... always excellent

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, offered from the Buffalo Trace distillery

Four Rose's Small Batches are usually pretty good, and I've often celebrated special occasions with friends over a bottle.

If you're willing to try an Irish Whiskey, Red Breast 27 yr... you won't be disappointed!

Congrats on your pending retirement!
Streeper541, I just looked up 'Red Breast' 27 year old and on Amazon it's a whopping £499:95 for a 70cl bottle!!!

Redbreast - Single Pot Still Irish - Batch 2-27 year old Whiskey : Amazon.co.uk: Grocery

I'll stick to Jameson & Bushmills for my Irish spirit :)



Regards,

Jay.
 

Streeper541

Lifer
Jun 16, 2021
3,059
19,333
43
Spencer, OH

LotusEater

Lifer
Apr 16, 2021
4,110
56,176
Kansas City Missouri
So far, Angel's Envy is at the top of my favorites. That stuff is so fragrant and juicy.

Also, I bought my retirement bottle. It's a Willet Family Estate Single Barrel 6 year old Bourbon, Barrel #5250, 124.2 Proof.

212 more days! puffy
Angel’s Envy is my go to with Four Roses single barrel a close second.
I’m surprised that Angel’s Envy didn’t get a little more love from the members here.
 

LotusEater

Lifer
Apr 16, 2021
4,110
56,176
Kansas City Missouri
I'm not a fan of the nutty flavor profile in Heaven Hill (Angel's Envy) and Jim Beam portfolios. Everyone perceives flavors differently.

I do like the Four Roses line up as well as a lot of the MPG sourced products. And there are a few new guys on the block making good bourbon - Wilderness Trail, New Riff, Woodinville, just to name a few.
I agree re everyone perceives taste differently. I mentioned to a friend of mine who also really likes Angels Envy that some people pick up a strong peanut or nutty flavor from it - neither of us do?
Probably a good thing - I might not like it as much if I did
 

autococker07

Might Stick Around
Mar 29, 2022
82
799
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Try Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel proof if you have not. It is the best bourbon I have ever tasted..... (yeah yeah yeah, "Tennessee whisky" is still a bourbon, but with extra filtering).

and I HATE jack.....

it is also a great bang for the buck, at $60ish a bottle.... don't let that dissuade you, the stuff is way way under appreciated. Gold label, Single Barrel, Barrel proof. good luck!
 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,408
11,297
Maryland
postimg.cc
A few words of advice, stay clear of Lusty Claw. Wife bought me a bottle, it was somewhat expensive and had a fancy bottle. Do a google search and read some reviews, you will thank me.
Yikes.

Share with: People who are more interested in cool bottles then cool Bourbon. Worth The Price: The bottle will make a cool decanter when I dump the whiskey down the drain. Bottle, Bar or Bust: Bust. Unless you just want a cool looking bottle for your shelf. But please don’t drink it. Overall: The website calls this “Not only one of the world’s best bourbons, Lusty Claw is one of the World’s best whiskey’s”. What it should say is “We know the stuff in the bottle is terrible so we spent all of our money on a really cool bottle.”
 

boston

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 27, 2018
542
1,240
Boston
Old Grandad bottled in bond for me. And many others. I don't go too nuts about it.

I used to enjoy pappy van winkle but it became scarce. Liked the 12 or 13 year old (don't remember) better than the 20 or 21 (don't remember that either). This was before Julian Van Winkle III sold to buffalo trace. There was a time when he could not sell what he had, and he told me so. Honest. It was 25 ish years ago though. Good whiskey but...it's just whiskey.
 

OldManFrog

Lurker
Aug 2, 2022
26
134
56
The Woodlands
I was going to suggest the Four Roses Cask Strength or their single barrel stuff.
My go to bourbons after that are Angels Envy and Uncle Nearest 100 proof - both are around $50 a bottle.
Whistle Pig is another I like but I usually drink their rye whiskey.

You mentioned Pappy - I’ve never had it but if you are willing to spend a couple grand on a bottle it is definitely considered “exceptional” by many

I’m in the market for a couple of new to me bourbons myself so I’ll be interested to see what others suggest.
Second on the Angel’s Envy. I always have a bottle of this in the house. One of my faves for sure.
 

Steddy

Lifer
Sep 18, 2021
1,170
20,665
Western North Carolina
So far, Angel's Envy is at the top of my favorites. That stuff is so fragrant and juicy.

Also, I bought my retirement bottle. It's a Willet Family Estate Single Barrel 6 year old Bourbon, Barrel #5250, 124.2 Proof.

212 more days! puffy
Hah! This is also my unicorn bottle I’m saving for something special like a retirement or maybe leave it in my will for my son.

I read all seven pages of this thread and was expecting Willet Family Estate (not the rye) to show up as a suggestion. See, you don’t need us.

I’ll only mention what has not been suggested at this point.
Knob Creek Single Barrel: It’s 120 proof and satisfies that “I need something strong and concentrated” itch.

Old Forrester Statesman: It’s unique to me in that it has brown sugar and nut flavors, a nice change of pace.

My three staples:
Elijah Craig Small Batch: One of the cheapest bourbons I can sip neat and truly enjoy.

Four Roses Small Batch.

Wild Turkey 101: If I’m in the mood for bourbon on the rocks I want something strong enough to stand up to the ice and following dilution. I also like mixing with it. It makes no sense to me to pour pricier bourbon over ice.

Don’t forget you need a cheaper bourbon to cook with! I love Henry McKenna, the cheap $12 bottle.
Sliced apples sautéed in butter and brown sugar with Bourbon.
Country Ham seared in butter with a bourbon deglaze.

Congrats on your retirement!

0388E9C7-0586-4AE8-9AD5-90C8C6E86A2F.jpeg
 

n_irwin

Can't Leave
Apr 15, 2022
320
1,369
Oklahoma, USA
I just hopped on this thread and didn’t read through the seven pages, but I’d be surprised if this one was mentioned as it comes from a smaller producer. The OP mentioned that he likes the sweetness of corn. The Blue Corn offerings from Bluegrass Distillers are delicious. I know you can find them in KY stores; I’m not sure how easy it would be out-of-state. But they are worth a try if you can find them.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,835
13,901
Humansville Missouri
The title pretty much says it all...

I have been playing with Whiskeys and Bourbons for a while now (yes, I know all bourbons are whiskeys) and I have come to the conclusion that I really like the sweetness corn brings to the table. I have also concluded I really don't like peaty whiskeys.

I am looking for 2 things I am hoping some of you can help with.

1. I am retiring at the end of this year and would like to buy 1 exceptional bottle of Bourbon for that event. Price is not much of a factor.
2. I am also looking excellent Bourbons to stock for regular consumption and price plays no role as I know some bourbons are reasonably priced but are exceptionally fine. I would like to narrow down the field by using your experiences so I don't end up with a bunch of mistakes in the cabinet.

Help a brother out with some suggestions?
Blanton’s

Because it was the very first boutique bourbon.
 
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