Side by side........two must have bourbons

[Mike]

For no good reason, I decided to sip a little Old Grand Dad BIB side by side with Wild Turkey Rare Breed. These are two excellent whiskies in my judgement. See my reviews for a more in depth assessment of each.

The Old Grand Dad has a nice corn sweetness upfront that is followed by a slice of spice that seems to parry the sweetness very well. The oaky aroma in the nose barely makes it into the taste so the finish is more on the sweet side than the dry side. The peppery spice and alcohol, do however, battle the sweentess to a draw. A fine bourbon indeed.

Twixt you and me, if I went to someone's home and they claimed to love bourbon and didn't have some OGD in their bar, I would be suspicious.

Rare Breed is a bit higher in proof - 108.6 vs 100 for OGD BIB - and has a more complex nose and taste. In addition to the oak being more prominent in the armoma and on the palate, I find the RB to be a bit creamier and thicker.

Twixt you and me, if I went to someone's home and they claimed to love bourbon and didn't have some RB in their bar, I would be even more suspicious.

I would choose RB over OGD most of the time (although you will always find OGD in my bar), but if someone were to take OGD over RB I would not argue with them, they could make a strong case.

[Bourbon Joe]

Today, I prefer Rare Breed, but when I was in my 20's, I drank OGD almost exclusively. Both fine bourbons but RB gets the nod these days.
Joe

[MikeK]

Mike, I guess I pass your test as a true believer. I usually only have 6-8 bottles open at a time, because I am one of those freaks that thinks bourbon will spoil over time once opened. (Well I can taste the difference, even others can't) Well among those current 6-8 are both of your picks. Both mighty fine choices, I agree.

OGD is an oddity. I bet many enthusiasts don't frequent it. But is is such a different beast in many ways that one must partake as part of a proper bourbon education. It is also unique as the only historic brand that Beam bought and didn't screw with significantly.

WT is a funny brand with me. I was first introduced with RR-101. What a classic! I am still blown away every time I have some. I then tried RB and KS. At first I didn't like them at all. I have a funny palate that seems to be ultra sensitive to certain flavors. For about a year, every bottle of RB or KS I tried had a huge minty toothpaste flavor to me. Icky!

A while back I happened upon RB on sale at about $24. At that price I decided to buy it and lock myself in a room with the bottle until I came to terms with it. To my delight the over-mintiness was gone, it must have been a blip in the supply chain. It was very good, with a monsterous amount of flavor. I have also been enjoying a bottle of KS, a pewter top from the late 90's. I also like this a great deal now.

I think both the RB and KS are great pours. They have a massive flavor that I miss from years ago. At present, KS is my pick of the two. I call RB the velvet hammer. It has a huge and fine flavor, but my palate doesn't pick up any subtleties in it. The KS is also huge, but I find a lot more dancing around on that huge flavor.

RB is a blunt hammer blow to the head. KS has nice engravings on the hammer head, so when you get hit it leaves a more intricate mark on you.

[Mike]

I think both the RB and KS are great pours. They have a massive flavor that I miss from years ago. At present, KS is my pick of the two. I call RB the velvet hammer. It has a huge and fine flavor, but my palate doesn't pick up any subtleties in it. The KS is also huge, but I find a lot more dancing around on that huge flavor.

RB is a blunt hammer blow to the head. KS has nice engravings on the hammer head, so when you get hit it leaves a more intricate mark on you.

Excellent comments, Mike. I just had to drag out my new bottle of KS and give it a sip. It is exactly as you say. KS is a little less forceful. That extra 4 or 5% alcohol is telling. Most days I prefer KS (JoeBourbon made the remark that it is a lot like the old 12 YO I am crazy about), on others I prefer the slightly more robust taste of RB.

Subtle is not a word that usually applies to WT bourbons, but thick and complex certainly are, descriptions that fit both RB and KS. My earliest memories of bourbon actually tasting good are of WT 101. I was about 8 years old (OK, maybe it was 22 years old). I have always liked Wild Turkey bourbon..........more now than ever.

JIMMY RUSSEL FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!! BOURBON FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!