Hi everyone - I'm new and I have a slight concern

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Hi everyone - I'm new and I have a slight concern

Unread postby MisterBigMack » Sun Nov 13, 2016 11:22 am

Hi everyone

I'm generally new to the world of bourbon (or straight drinking bourbon)

In the last couple of months I have purchased a couple of bottles (my mum got me a bottle of eagle
Rare when she went to America on a holiday) but I have also bought a bottle of makers marks, bottle of four roses yellow label and Woodford reserve distillers select

In the past when I have drunk bourbon I have always never liked it (I have always made the urghh too much alcohol face)

Last night I decided to open all the bottles and try a small amount of each one and see if I can notice the differences in them - I have watched various bourbon reviews on YouTube and when you drink each one - you nose it and get various characters and notes in it, along with the tastes and the finish and if it's a quick one or a long one

Well to be fair I tried all of them and I did recognise that some of them had a quick or long finish - but the actual tastes and the nose notes - I wasn't able to distinguish betwien them all - I just smelt "bourbon" - I was able to drink it and not get the "urgh too much alcohol taste" - that I mentioned before (I probably put this down to maturity from myself)
But even when I added a little bit of water - I didn't get any obvious notes that they mention on the review videos - or even when they say on the four roses or makers mark website in what you are supposed to taste!

How can I improve my taste? Or will it improve as I drink more of it?

I love the concept of bourbon and the bottles look fantastic on my cabinet - and with watching the reviews - people have such a passion for it and I'm concerned why i can't really taste anything - sorry, I can taste and smell sweetness and a bit of vanilla -but all the other notes, like floral notes - I don't get anything!

Thanks for reading and hope someone can put my mind at rest - hope I can something out of it!

Andy
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Re: Hi everyone - I'm new and I have a slight concern

Unread postby Squire » Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:17 pm

Andy I know experienced wine drinkers who dislike any whisky. They're good tasters who can easily find the scent notes we talk about when nosing a whisky but find the high alcohol level so numbs their palate they cannot find much of the tasting notes we whisky fans sense.

For one thing Bourbons are stronger (90-140 proof) than the World standard 80 proof and as a consequence it can be harder to find subtle taste notes behind that additional burn. I should point out professional tasting panels employed by major Bourbon distillers water down their samples to 40 proof when making up their house blends so I don't think it's really necessary to try to drink full horsepower Bourbon in order to get full flavor.

If I were relatively new to Bourbon and was finding the drink challenging I would do as the pros do and water it down to 40 proof or perhaps even less. If the Bourbon flavors were still not to my liking there's always cocktails.

Another point, when some of the most well known Bourbon brands were designed so many years ago it was anticipated the primary use would be in cocktails or mixed drinks over ice. Yes, even Pappy Van Winkle himself drank his Bourbon over ice with water and a squeeze of lemon.
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Re: Hi everyone - I'm new and I have a slight concern

Unread postby Hkoala » Tue Mar 14, 2017 11:14 am

I've found that most bourbons, if I drink from Glencairn glasses, the alcohol smell overwhelms me. I have a cheap acrylic, stemless red wine glass. It is larger with a bigger opening, which doesn't concentrate the nose as much. I have also found that some of the bourbons are just easier on the palate. I like barrels chosen by the liquor store I buy from, and prefer the "G-Will" (my Minnesota local liquor store) selections of Elijah Craig NAS and the Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirits. They both go down smooth. My brother uses the Glencairn glasses, but I don' t know if his nose is more or less sensitive then mine. I would recommend trying different shapes of glasses. They will funnel the aromas differently and it will go onto your tongue differently as well. Experiment with what you have at home first. Good Luck
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