by Mike » Sun Aug 19, 2012 3:00 pm
dickelfan, I am not sure bourbon is a beverage on which you should be spending your money. Few bourbons seem to suit your palate. I find very few bourbons about which I am unwilling to say something good........... Basil Hayden is one of those and even I recognize that I do so more out of some old prejudices than the reality. I think of it as a giant rip off and would much prefer to spend money elsewhere. I have not had any in years now, and if I run across a 50 ml bottle, I will buy it and drink it just to be fair about it.
Still, it seems you have very little to say in a positive way about some of what I consider excellent bourbons (and to be correct about it, Tennessee whiskies). I think you, and other new to bourbon drinkers, seem to often think each bottle of bourbon you buy has its own unique character, which can often have undesirable elements.
Now, I readily admit that my palate is not the best one on Bourbon Enthusiast, but I almost never find a wayward bottle of bourbon, and, sometimes if I do, going back to it another time will reveal the waywardness was in my palate, not in the bourbon. From your posts I see that you have given a nice lot of bourbons a go and have found few that you crow about. That is fine, of course, but may I offer a few suggestions without any intention of insulting your knowledge of whiskey or how to drink it, or your progress as a whiskey drinker.
Never forget that your palate can, and does, change. A lot of factors can influence your palate, including such obvious things as what you have been eating, and drinking, just prior to what you are now tasting. Bear in mind that if you are about to taste a 90+ proof whiskey, take a small sip of water first. If you do not, then a drier tongue will cause the alcohol to evaporate more quickly from your tongue and make the whiskey seem even more potent that it really is. A small sip of water twixt bourbons is also needed to lessen the influence of the last one on the present one. In order for your palate to respond properly to good bourbon (or any other whiskey), you must give it time. If you gulp down whiskey, your palate will be shocked and unable to discriminate the various flavors. So, sip whiskey, never gulp it.
The first taste you will notice with a sip is the degree of sweetness in the whiskey. As the whiskey travels slowly across the mouth other tastes emerge............ things like vanilla, leather, citrus, peppers, etc. etc. Toward the back of the mouth will be the tannins and the drying effects.
If you think Rare Breed is thin, then I suggest that you are not giving it proper attention at the front of the mouth. RB is a rich and creamy bourbon with much upfront character directly from the barrel.... sweet vanilla, oak, etc., followed by a nice chunk of rye bite. Rare Breed should absolutely be treated as a sipping whiskey. It is a first rate bourbon.
Take a bit more time with bourbon, if you still do not care for it, or find it too inconsistent, try Canadian whiskey or Irish whiskey or other malt whiskies (Scotch). They may be more to your liking. By the way, I think Bakers is a fine bourbon and have had it many, many times. At this particular moment, I do not have any, perferring instead to spend my 'Beam' money on the new Knob Creek Single Barrel.
These are only my suggestions that I hope might help you some as you explore American Whiskey. Another, by the way. One of the best of these whiskies, in my opinion, is Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. I think it has a delicacy that you might find to your liking.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas