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What's your daily driver/cheaper bottle of choice? You seem to have similar tastes to mine, personally I love Eagle Rare for the price point but would like to f

What's your daily driver/cheaper bottle of choice? You seem to have similar tastes to mine, personally I love Eagle Rare for the price point but would like to find some other good ones.

tptacek 8y ago
My daily is Very Old Barton (so: much cheaper). My basic rule is that you can't go wrong with anything that is also sold in a bonded expression (and you can't go wrong with the bonded expressions themselves), and that it comes down to whether you like rye-spice-dry (Four Roses, Old-Granddad, VOB) or wheat-sweet-mellow (Weller, Makers, Fitzgerald).
- Infernal 8y ago
  Top comment - I’ve been drinking bourbon for years but don’t know much about it, I just try to get a bottle of something I haven’t tried before whenever I run out. Of those six you categorized, I’ve only tried Four Roses and Makers, and I do prefer the Four Roses but didn’t know why - now I will be sure to try Old-Granddad and Very Old Barton to see if your categorization holds! Also I could google it but it’s more fun to discuss - what is a bonded expression, and why do you consider a non-bonded expression of something available bonded to be better than a non-bonded expression of something that isn’t available bonded?
  - tptacek 8y ago
    Bonded whiskeys are legally certified to be (and kept in custody to ensure they remain): * The product of one distillery * The product of one distilling season * Aged at least 4 years * Bottled at at least 100 proof For the most part, as a consumer, you don't care about these particulars. For instance, 50% ABV is on the high side for what's pleasant without dilution. However, a distilling brand that can produce a bonded bourbon or rye expression is probably not playing games with their non-bonded bourbon or rye; that there is a bonded VOB strongly suggests that all VOB bourbon comes from VOB distilleries (and isn't sourced from MGP or simply relabeled Heaven Hill). So you can pay a little extra for the bonded VOB, or just buy regular old VOB trusting that their ability to produce bonded bourbon means their non-bonded bourbon is just as good (which is a safe bet). An annoying thing to be careful about: just because someone produces a respected (or bonded) bourbon doesn't mean their rye is trustworthy, and vice versa. Distilling brands do brand extensions into other whiskeys by sourcing from other distilleries and rebranding.
  - kasey_junk 8y ago
    Throw a Wild Turkey in there and if you spend a little bit more a Makers Mark also. When trying Wild Turkey make sure to take note of which heat version you are drinking.
    - Infernal 8y ago
      I've had the Wild Turkey 101 (aka about the most "regular" one I could find) and I don't recall it making any particular impression - though I don't keep notes either, nothing really stood out about it that I can remember less than a year later.
  - js2 8y ago
    You might find this interesting for comparing bourbons: https://www.gq.com/story/bourbon-whiskey-family-tree https://www.gq.com/story/bourbon-whiskey-family-tree That said, I find from year to year my preferences change, since I doubt it’s the whiskies themselves changing very much.
- js2 8y ago
  I live in NC where Old Weller Antique has become unobtainable. It’s annoying since it was my favorite wheater. So I make do with Makers. I’ve tried Larceny a few times but it isn’t winning me over (I know it isn’t a bourbon).
  - tptacek 8y ago
    Is there a place in the US where any Buffalo Antique is reliably obtainable? It's been years since I've been able to get my hands on any here in Chicago; I manage to get my hands on a bottle about every 18 months or so.
js2 8y ago
If you like Eagle Rare, give Henry McKenna a taste.

What's your daily driver/cheaper bottle of choice? You seem to have similar tastes to mine, personally I love Eagle Rare for the price point but would like to find some other good ones.

tptacek 8y ago

My daily is Very Old Barton (so: much cheaper). My basic rule is that you can't go wrong with anything that is also sold in a bonded expression (and you can't go wrong with the bonded expressions themselves), and that it comes down to whether you like rye-spice-dry (Four Roses, Old-Granddad, VOB) or wheat-sweet-mellow (Weller, Makers, Fitzgerald).

Infernal 8y ago
Top comment - I’ve been drinking bourbon for years but don’t know much about it, I just try to get a bottle of something I haven’t tried before whenever I run out. Of those six you categorized, I’ve only tried Four Roses and Makers, and I do prefer the Four Roses but didn’t know why - now I will be sure to try Old-Granddad and Very Old Barton to see if your categorization holds! Also I could google it but it’s more fun to discuss - what is a bonded expression, and why do you consider a non-bonded expression of something available bonded to be better than a non-bonded expression of something that isn’t available bonded?
- tptacek 8y ago
  Bonded whiskeys are legally certified to be (and kept in custody to ensure they remain): * The product of one distillery * The product of one distilling season * Aged at least 4 years * Bottled at at least 100 proof For the most part, as a consumer, you don't care about these particulars. For instance, 50% ABV is on the high side for what's pleasant without dilution. However, a distilling brand that can produce a bonded bourbon or rye expression is probably not playing games with their non-bonded bourbon or rye; that there is a bonded VOB strongly suggests that all VOB bourbon comes from VOB distilleries (and isn't sourced from MGP or simply relabeled Heaven Hill). So you can pay a little extra for the bonded VOB, or just buy regular old VOB trusting that their ability to produce bonded bourbon means their non-bonded bourbon is just as good (which is a safe bet). An annoying thing to be careful about: just because someone produces a respected (or bonded) bourbon doesn't mean their rye is trustworthy, and vice versa. Distilling brands do brand extensions into other whiskeys by sourcing from other distilleries and rebranding.
- kasey_junk 8y ago
  Throw a Wild Turkey in there and if you spend a little bit more a Makers Mark also. When trying Wild Turkey make sure to take note of which heat version you are drinking.
  - Infernal 8y ago
    I've had the Wild Turkey 101 (aka about the most "regular" one I could find) and I don't recall it making any particular impression - though I don't keep notes either, nothing really stood out about it that I can remember less than a year later.
- js2 8y ago
  You might find this interesting for comparing bourbons: https://www.gq.com/story/bourbon-whiskey-family-tree https://www.gq.com/story/bourbon-whiskey-family-tree That said, I find from year to year my preferences change, since I doubt it’s the whiskies themselves changing very much.
js2 8y ago
I live in NC where Old Weller Antique has become unobtainable. It’s annoying since it was my favorite wheater. So I make do with Makers. I’ve tried Larceny a few times but it isn’t winning me over (I know it isn’t a bourbon).
- tptacek 8y ago
  Is there a place in the US where any Buffalo Antique is reliably obtainable? It's been years since I've been able to get my hands on any here in Chicago; I manage to get my hands on a bottle about every 18 months or so.

js2 8y ago

If you like Eagle Rare, give Henry McKenna a taste.