I'm A Wuss.......

[Geekboy]

but that being said......I started out over two years ago getting deeply involved in the correct chemistry of Old Fashioneds.

I envied all of you 'drinking whiskey neat' people. All of you have been very supportive in saying that enjoying bourbon no matter how you mix it is all that matters, and for that I'm very appreciative that you haven't hammered me about it.

I have earnestly wanted to get to the point where I can just 'tasting wise' get to the point where I can enjoy the wonders of bourbon by drinking it straight.

I'm getting closer. Now.......I have been able to put a cube of sugar and add two dashes of Angostura Bitters to it and about 2ounces of one of several bourbons I like (Buffalo Trace, Elijah Criag, etc.) to the glass with about three ice cubes and have found this to be remarkably pleasing!!!! This, without the fruit, ie, oranges and cherries and water.

I want desperately to get to the point where I can get to the 'purity' of the boubon how it is intended!

This whole process is deeply pleasing.

Although........I think I will ALWAYS need ice! HA!

[cowdery]

We feel your pain.

If you have not done so, try your favorite bourbon diluted with room temperature water. This is the best way to soften the liquor while preserving the taste and aroma. Start with one part whiskey to one part water and work your way up or down from there until you find something you like.

This is perfectly acceptable and will not, in any way, call into question your manhood.

What you are doing is perfectly okay too.

[Geekboy]

Chuck, I own your book!

Thanks for the advice!

I'd love to see you do a yearly 'tasting' book like Jim Murray. I 'REALLY' like your analysis and your book is outstanding!!!

Thanks for the input.

Best wishes......
rt

[TNbourbon]

I'm a diehard! Whiskey neat, all the time. So, at the risk of committing apochrypha (both here and there!):
http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/s ... tcount=547

[Mike]

Well, I rarely drink anything anymore but bourbon. I will still have an occasional liqueur, cognac, or scotch, but not often. About the only mixed drink I ever imbibe is a 'Peach Fuzz', made in a blender with fresh South Carolina peaches (they seem to beat Georgia peaches most of the time........who knows why), vodka, lemonade, and ice.

Why bourbon.........and why almost always straight? I don't know the answer to that except to say it is my personal preference! There are aromas and tastes and flavors in bourbon that just seem to suit my palate.

The flavors are tasty, complex, rich, interesting, challenging, and I don't mind the nudge toward greater civility that I get from the alcohol.

I can't remember settin out to drink bourbon (or other spirits) straight, I just seemed to prefer it that way. Most all of my drinking friends drink it straight too, but not all. Some say a bit of water opens up the flavors and who am I to argue what it does for them. I think letting the bourbon sit in the glass for a while opens it up, whereas water just weakens the flavors.

Geekboy, keep on trying and tasting and you will find your preference. Now, just you come on over here to my house and we will open up my liquor cabinet and just have a fine ole time. I got a few bourbons open and ready.

Few things in life compare to drinking with friends and comparing spirits and tastes. Yep, if there was no bourbon, I would have to invent it.

[cowdery]

Chuck, I own your book!

Thanks for the advice!

I'd love to see you do a yearly 'tasting' book like Jim Murray. I 'REALLY' like your analysis and your book is outstanding!!!

Thanks for the input.

Best wishes......
rt

Thanks for that. I'm writing as fast as I can. Jim really is the "hardest working man in whiskey writing." I don't know how he manages to write as much as he does or, for that matter, drink as much as he does.

[EllenJ]

but that being said......I started out over two years ago getting deeply involved in the correct chemistry of Old Fashioneds.. .I have been able to put a cube of sugar and add two dashes of Angostura Bitters to it and about 2ounces of one of several bourbons I like (Buffalo Trace, Elijah Criag, etc.) to the glass with about three ice cubes and have found this to be remarkably pleasing!!!! This, without the fruit, ie, oranges and cherries and water.

GeeBee... You're absolutely correct about the fruit (well, juice at least; I don't see anything wrong with visually dressing up the package). In fact, technically, "cocktails", such as an "old fashioned whiskey cocktail" (it's original name) are mixtures of spirits, tinctures such as bitters, and perhaps water only. Drinks made with a substantial amount of fruit juice are properly called "mixed drinks" and fill the same tier in the cocktail world that blended whiskey does for us bourbonheads. Not that I would eschew an occasional pina colada or absynthe harvey wallbanger, of course

For a real treat (not to mention authenticity), try making your old fashioned with a really good rye whiskey. The drink predates bourbon, and rye was the whiskey of choice at the time (~1806 according to Gary Regan). No wishy-washies, though. Use something really good for this cocktail -- I'd suggest Old Rip Van Winkle or Michter's 10 year old. LeNell's would be awesome, if she ever gets it out [friendly, teasing grin].

[gillmang]

Jim Murray doesn't drink down all the whiskies rated in his book, he tastes them in his mouth and then spits out the liquor. When he finds a really good one, he will have a small taste. He also owns an alcohol testing machine to ensure he does not exceed a certain amount of ethanol intake. All this was stated by Jim Murray in a radio interview I heard. I am sure (probably on tour) he gets down a certain amount, but clearly he keeps a clear mind generally. It would be impossible to write the amount and detail he does if he was constantly imbibing large amounts of liquor.

Gary

[cowdery]

I can verify, first hand, that Jim does, on occasion, swallow.

[bourbonv]

I know from experience, that Jim does indeed swallow quite often when he likes the brand. He loves George Dickel and never once spit any out while researching Dickel at the U D Archives in the mid 90's.

Mike Veach

[Virginia Gentleman]

I know from experience, that Jim does indeed swallow quite often when he likes the brand. He loves George Dickel and never once spit any out while researching Dickel at the U D Archives in the mid 90's.

Mike Veach

I am not so sure he still loves Dickel. In his 2006 Bible he lowered the score to a 71 I believe. I don't have the book in front of me. Just going on memory.