Thank you gentlemen for this enlightening discussion on how bourbon has changed over the years. I would like to add some other factors into this complex equation.
I have been a member of Bourbon Enthusiast for about 11 months now, and not only have my own tastes changed considerably over that time, but I find that my tastes can change even over a few days.
I have been doing reviews of some less costly bourbons and I am finding that they are very good almost without exception.
While it may be true that the marketing and accounting people have too much say these days, it seems that the industry produces very few (I have encountered no 'rot gut' bourbon since I joined BE) and the opportunites for specialty bourbons (e.g. Bernheim, Bulleit, etc) is growing.
The industry overall seems to me to be quite healthy............we seem to have a wealth of good choices in bourbon.........what are your opinions?