by Mike » Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:47 pm
Some interesting observations in this post. To take things a wee bit further, can cheap, (90 proof VOB at about $10, even though no longer widely available) make an expensive 'experimental' bourbon better? Well.........
I took 20 ml of Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Four Grain and 30 ml of VOB, and behold, better than either.
Now, don't get me wrong, I may be among the few who truly like WRMC Four Grain 92.4 6 year old bourbon, or its unique qualities (not for everyday consumption, mind you). The remnants of the copper pot, which impart a 'metallic' twange not dissimiliar to tannins, and a slightly acidic component make the WRMC Four Grain its own animal, very much unlike most bourbons. My palate for reasons of pure luck, or, if you prefer, an indescriminateness bordering on promiscuousness, does not reject much in the way of new tastes.
Still, if its qualities can be combined with those of another, but somewhat flawed bourbon (VOB 90 Proof 6 year old), could they make the $89 cost of the WRMC Four Grain less difficult to bear? Might all not be retrieved?
Retrieved is in the mind of the beholder. The VOB adds some barrel qualities lacking in the WRMC Four Grain, but allows its twange to live on in a sweeter form. This vatting contains no bourbon older than 6 years, and, although not cheap by any means (because of the cost of the WRMC), it has the qualities of much older bourbon (my opinion), and I tend to favor those qualities.
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