Let's play a game.....

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Let's play a game.....

Unread postby RaksAbijah » Sat Jul 27, 2013 5:17 pm

I have twelve bottles of bourbon.....I would like suggestions on how to group them for future flights. Groupings could be considered by price, style, or whatever criteria you choose (as long as you mention it). If you would like to suggest a bourbon that is not on the list, please mention it and I may try to add it in. PLEASE do not use abbreviations!

I have the following bottles:

Ancient Age
Revel Yell
Evan Williams (Black)
Rebel Reserve
Jim Beam Black (Double Aged 8yo)
George Dickel #12
Fighting Cock
Russell Reserve 10yo
Old GrandDad 86
Wild Turkey 101
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Evan Williams Single Barrel 2002

Regards
Abijah
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:32 pm

I'll give it a shot:

Decent Whiskey:
George Dickel #12
Russell Reserve 10 y/o
Evan Williams SB 2002
Rare Breed

Mediocre Whiskey:
Evan Williams Black Label
Wild Turkey 101
Old Granddad 86
Jim Beam Black
Fighting Cock


Crap:
Ancient Age
Rebel Yell
Rebel Reserve

There you have my opinions.
Joe
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby RaksAbijah » Sat Jul 27, 2013 9:43 pm

Thanks for the input.

If you were to create a set of bourbons above *decent*, what would that consist of?....

As an aside, I rather like the Rebel Yell.... Not love it, though...It's subjective, eh?

Oh - and the Ancient Days is wonderful with good vanilla ice cream....Or vanilla ice cream is good with Ancient Days.

Evan Williams is growing on me.

The deal is that I must finish the bottom shelf stuff before I can open anything else....damn.
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby GaryV » Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:43 pm

I get the feeling that "the deal" isn't your idea but the law as stated by your better half :D . Therefore, I'd propose 2 flights:

Flight #1
Fighting Cock
Russell Reserve 10yr
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Evan Williams Single Barrel 2002

Flight #2
You're carrying a box containing everything else and "accidently" drop it, shattering the bottles and forcing you to open others (if your Ancient Age happens to actually be Ancient Ancient Age 10yr, put it in flight #1)

Good Luck!
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby RaksAbijah » Sun Jul 28, 2013 4:36 pm

I get the feeling that "the deal" isn't your idea but the law as stated by your better half :D .


Actually, the restraint is all self-inflicted. If my other half had anything to say about it, there would be a bunch of half drunk bottles hanging about.

How long can an open bottle keep its integrity? I've heard that a whiskey can evolve as it goes down, but I've also heard that once it gets to the halfway mark you should think about using it up. Topic for another thread maybe?....
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby Mike » Sun Jul 28, 2013 5:02 pm

There are many ways to do this sort of thing, the ones you suggested, and there are other possibilities. Higher proof against lower proof to see if you prefer your whiskey on the softer side or the more robust side (e.g. Evan Williams Single Barrel against Wild Turkey Rare Breed or Jim Beam Black against Fighting Cock). Another might be more expensive against less expensive (e.g. Evan Williams Single Barrel against Evan Williams Black or Wild Turkey Rare Breed against Wild Turkey 101). If you wanted to compare what I would call 'softer' bourbons, I would put Evan Williams Single Barrel against Jim Beam Black.

Some suggestions: To start off I suggest that you only do two, or at most three whiskies at a time so that you can get used to them. I think more than three (preferrably two) gets somewhat confusing, and if you do not watch it, things can easily get out of hand (spilled bourbon on the floor...... or you on the floor). Since (unless I am mistaken, you only have two wheat bourbons (the Rebels)), these are not great representatives of that style of bourbon. Get some pretty inexpensive Old Weller Antique to round out your wheat selection a bit.

My opinion is that the Wild Turkey Rare Breed, the Evan Williams Single Barrel, and the Dickel are the best of this bunch, and they are quite different, so if you are going to go with the 'best', those would be the ones I would choose.
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby RaksAbijah » Sun Jul 28, 2013 5:48 pm

.....So what this is boiling down to is that I *do* need to open all of the bottles to accommodate the potential for tasting categories...? This could get ugly.
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby Mike » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:06 pm

RaksAbijah wrote:.....So what this is boiling down to is that I *do* need to open all of the bottles to accommodate the potential for tasting categories...? This could get ugly.


WARNING, THE FOLLOWING IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN OPINION:

A true BourbonEnthusiast has NO unopened bottles among those which are not duplicates. You do not have to have them all open immediately, but you do need to choose how you think you should proceed in your tastings, there really is no wrong way.

Choose which way of comparing seems of greatest interest to you, no one is monitoring or judging, not even to the extent of your deciding that you prefer Scotch over Bourbon, or worse yet (just kidding) that you can quickly and easily settle on one bourbon which suits you.

With bourbon, as with ideas, as with politics, as with religion, I am of the seeker sort..... which is not for everyone, and has its serious drawbacks, there for all to see.

Your choice of the word 'play' was/is most appropriate. Play the game you want to play.
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
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Re: Let's play a game.....

Unread postby Birdo » Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:15 am

Favorites:

Wild Turkey 101
Rare Breed
Fighting Cock

Good:
Beam Black
OGD86
Ancient Ancient Age
Evan Williams Single Barrel

Mixer fodder:
Ancient Age
Rebel Yell
Evan Williams Black
Russel Reserve
Makers

Don't Know:
Dickel, Rebel Reserve

THIS OPINION IS WORTH WHAT YOU PAID FOR IT!!! Have fun and drink them all over a sensible period of time. Have a party and serve the ones you don't like mixed.
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