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Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:44 pm
by forumadmin
This is an automatically created topic for discussion about bunghole's review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008.

Unread postPosted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:45 pm
by Mike
Linn, I am with you on this B'day Boy, he does not yield all his treasures to a casual sip............all to the gooder.

Now back to the Weller Antique and Gene Autry on the tube...............Gene has the bad guys cornered at Dead Man's Draw and the outcome is in serious doubt. Uh, Oh, here comes Smiley Burnett.........that can only mean more trouble for Gene!

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:16 pm
by Mike
Forgive me for following on your review with my own. I tried BB again and was blown away. Mine really adds nothing to yours. It is just a difficult bourbon to pin down because of its greatness. You know it and so do I.

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:12 pm
by bunghole
Mike,

I am sure that I made a post to follow up your second set of tatsing notes, and it was good. Did I just hit preview, and not hit submit? I don't think so, but it's not here. Damn! I'll try again tomorrow. It was really good too, and I doubt I can recreate it.

Linn

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:41 pm
by BourbonDave
Bunghole,
In your review you descriped OFBB as "candy". I've not had the pleasure of trying this bourbon, but I'm curious as to which bourbons you also would describe as "candy-like"?

Regards,

BourbonDave

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:05 pm
by bunghole
BourbonDave wrote:Bunghole,
In your review you descriped OFBB as "candy". I've not had the pleasure of trying this bourbon, but I'm curious as to which bourbons you also would describe as "candy-like"?

Regards,

BourbonDave


OK Dave here we go.

Woodford Reserve Batch #40 was super candy. This really lasted until the pot-stilled Woodford distilate was added into the marriage. Selected honey barrels of Old Forester just have a real candy quality that is hard to come by. This year's Birthday Bourbon is a great example.

I have found that candy tones in the aroma; flavor, and finish of a bourbon are the easiest for me to discern. So the usual suspects are; vanilla, caramel, toffee, butterscotch (usually found in wheaters), nugat, and to a much lesser extent - chocolate. So you just have to hunt for them in every bourbon you drink. The better the overall balance of oak, and spice tones the more the candy like components stand out. Fruit accents can add to the candy qualities, and rarely if ever detract.


Old Rip Van Winkle and Pappy Van Winkle have some good candy qualities usually with butterscotch and pralines.

Old Charter 12 year old "Classic 90" has some excellent candy tones which contributes to it's well earned reputation of being easy drinking. The new 'Charter 101' offers up much the same qualities.

Virginia Gentleman 90 proof usually has some very good candy qualities, but the last bottle I had was sadly lacking.

I'll stop here and let others make some suggestions.

Linn

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:56 pm
by Mike
BourbonDave wrote:Bunghole,
In your review you descriped OFBB as "candy". I've not had the pleasure of trying this bourbon, but I'm curious as to which bourbons you also would describe as "candy-like"?

Regards,

BourbonDave


Good question Dave! My friend, Mr Hole (bung, that is) has given his well considered and useful take on this question and I have little to add...........except........I think Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond (for which I have a soft spot), in spite of its rye bite, has a nice load of candy corn.

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:26 pm
by BourbonDave
OGD BIB is still another I have not tried. I have tended to stay away from the higher rye bourbons except for Four Roses and AAA. I am currently drinking BT and OFS. I find quite a bit brown sugar and caramel in the OFS. I guess I still like WR, and am looking for a similar taste profile.

Since the current pot-stilledWR has many of those same "candy-like" qualities (I only live about 10 miles from the distillery), I'm looking for similar flavors. I did like C101, thanks to Linn. Any suggestions in this area? :)

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:50 pm
by bunghole
It's kind of funny that the Old Forester mashbill is high in rye at 18%. So you would expect a hot and spicey finish along with heavy spice tones in both the nose and flavor simular to that of Wild Turkey or Old Grand Dad.

I think the secret is in the heat cycled warehouses. They do make a difference.

Linn

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:52 pm
by bourbonv
Linn,
I will disagree - I think the secret is the yeast. From my experience, you get more spice notes from the yeast than from the rye grain.

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:20 pm
by BourbonDave
Bourbonv,
What bourbons do you feel has these "candy-like" qualities?

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:30 pm
by bunghole
bourbonv wrote:Linn,
I will disagree - I think the secret is the yeast. From my experience, you get more spice notes from the yeast than from the rye grain.


OK Mike, I'll go along with that. As Four Roses will tell you yeast does make a difference. But I'll also stick with warehouse type and location along floor location of the barrel or barrels does contribute mightily to the overall flavor. I'll add time to my list of no so secret secrets.

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 5:01 pm
by Mike
bourbonv wrote:Linn,
I will disagree - I think the secret is the yeast. From my experience, you get more spice notes from the yeast than from the rye grain.



Clarify this for me a bit, Mike. I know the yeast supplies certain kinds of flavors that often are fruity and can range (in my experience as a brewer) from cloves to allspice and nutmeg. But, I have been under the impression that what I call a spicy bite does come from rye, and rye also can add (in my opinion) some fruit and even its own kind of sweetness.

Am I mistaken about this?

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:00 am
by bourbonv
Four Roses has a strain of yeast that creates a very spicey flavored bourbon. A lot of ther spice notes come from the yeast, not the rye. In fact i think the rye is more responsible for some of the fruit notes than the spice notes. That is what I love about Old Grand Dad is the citrus fruitiness and I think that is more the rye than anything.

Re: Comments on bunghole`s review of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2008

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:07 pm
by bourbonv
For me, bourbons that have "candy like flavors" are those with strong sweet qualities. Th SOBC 20yo that Julian bottled had caramel and chocolate in spades and I would describe it as "candy". I have had some 5yo Old Crow bonded from the 1970's that had this same "Candy" flavors with caramel and chocolate. I have also had some Old Grand Dad that had a very citrus fruity sweetness that was more of a "Jolly Rancher" type of candy, but I would also describe it as "liquid Candy". The Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 2008 is another very fruity sweet bourbon that is candy, but to me more of "fruit jelly" type candy - you know, like the orange slices that are popular around the holidays. Think the cherry slice candies and it is close to the fruit sweetness of the 2008 Birthday Bourbon.