Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

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Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby Mike » Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:58 pm

We have written briefly on this topic before but do so again because We have a crop of new Bourbon lovers to whom We need to minister (Royal 'We' with tongue in cheek).

As far as We are concerned, Bourbon is the national drink of America, so it deserves all the rights, privileges, and ceremony that goes with that esteemed distinction.

For many of the Bourbon unwashed, Bourbon is thought of as a much quicker way to drunkdom than beer, and gulping it by the mouthful does in fact provide a quick and often devastatingly ineffective way to deal with whatever crosses the path of the drinker. To the person so inclined to use Bourbon, We address no remarks other than 'GROW UP'!

For the Bourbon Enthusiast, however, We would like to provide Our opinions on how best to derive that most wonderful pleasure that can come from the proper appreciation and use of Bourbon. To say that there is an ART to Bourbon drinking is only to give it the respect it is due and to acknowledge the mystery that lies at its heart.........no one knows everything about Bourbon.

Bourbon belongs to no one............and to everyone.........but most especially to those who approach it with an appreciation for its seductive and awesome power. To those, it offers great rewards in its complexity of taste and in its (let Us be honest here) mind altering effects.

As a BourbonEnthusiast you should never be in a hurry when you approach your favorite Bourbon. Life is not best lived in a hurry and Bourbon does not look with favor on haste (let Us assert here that Bourbons have personalities and get that over and done with).

Pour about 25ml or 1 ounce in to a smallish glass with a mouth that is almost as open as the bowl of the glass and let the Bourbon breathe for at least a few minutes before nosing........swirl it in the glass and let your hand warm the glass in the meanwhile.

After a suitable while, place your nose above the glass and let the aromas waft up to your nose. Snif slowly at first and never inhale deeply. You are being the detective here, you are not seeking to clear your sinuses. You are looking for aromas that may be hiding from you, for aromas that you find familiar but cannot immediately place or recall, for aromas that are new but bring back some long past associations, for aromas that you cannot identify but that please you, and for aromas with which you will become familiar as you nose yet more bourbons. NEVER underestimate the importance of your nose in Bourbon enjoyment, which means that you must NEVER rush nosing Bourbon. It is an essential part of the Art of Bourbon Drinking. Do not set a time limit for nosing Bourbon............as long as it is enjoyable to you, do it.........and behold how it changes.

End of Part I of 'The Art of Drinking Bourbon'.
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: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby Palamambron » Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:08 pm

It strikes me as strange that one should nose bourbon so gently. When nosing scotch 2 deep fast consecutive whiffs are recommended. I'm gonna try tasting it your way. Instead of opening the flavor w/ mineral water (as w/ scotch) I'm just going to let it breath more. Thanks
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby arch108 » Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:05 am

Thanks for sharing the information. I found the information very helpful.
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby TomGreen » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:20 pm

Thank for sharing! Really useful info, I like find answers to all my question in this web-site!
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby costadelrica » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:56 am

I'm really proud to be part of this very good forum because here we can found good informations helpful & useful tooo, thanks for admins & active members :)
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby rikkey » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:14 pm

"As a BourbonEnthusiast you should never be in a hurry when you approach your favorite Bourbon."
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Last edited by rikkey on Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby gillmang » Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:31 pm

Lots of good thoughts there but I would also argue for the merits of the shot. The shot, or shooter as it is often called today, is an old American practice. Some bourbon actually tastes better that way than sipped slowly. It may depend on your mood,too. The shot seems an essential part of the boilermaker. You can sip both elements, yes, but a good swallow of beer followed, or preceded, by at least half a jigger of whiskey, can have great sensory, not just psychoactive, value. It's not a matter of intoxication as such because that is determined by how much alcohol you drink. You are no more grown up if you sip, pinkie outstretched, to insensibility on a silk divan than if you pound shots standing at the bar. Correlatively, a decorous absorbing of, say, 3 ounces over 1 hour is no less harmful than sending said liquor down the gullet Daytona Speedway-style. These days I Iike to drink faster, that way too you can try more drinks - if you take an hour or two to finish a dram and want to try three drinks, you might end up on the lash half the day or more. Not a good idea. But anyway at bottom, everyone will decide how to take whiskey, it's par excellence a personal thing extending down to preferred glassware, ice or none, mix or water or none, etc. There is no right and wrong here except if you drink too much over time.

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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby frankjay02 » Fri Jul 25, 2014 4:01 pm

I agree with the gentle nosing but to get the full aroma a few drops of water is needed to release the hydrophobic oils trapped in the alcohol. Alcohol is a unique substance that it mixes with both oil and water but the oils will try to escape the water and that is why we smell more aroma when some water is added. Some chefs use a bit of alcohol in marinades that have oil in them. Taking a few quick snorts is fine if you like it but to arouse the olfactory receptors, which are more sensitive than taste buds and have a direct link to memory btw that long deep nasal inhale will 'coat' the receptors with that fine aroma of bourbon.
I have done my share of shooters, shots, boilermakers, etc and I cannot say I have ever enjoyed the whole drinking experience when I did. That was recreational. And 3oz an hour can and will alter your blood alcohol level because the body cannot metabolize for the most part more than 1-1.25 oz's per hour of most alcohols. Well, that is my quarters worth, and as with all things in life...do it whatever what pleases you the most.
Frank in NJ
Life is too short to drink cheap beer or whisky.
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby Arunachalam » Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:03 am

Hi Friends,

Good Morning,

Thanks for sharing the nice information..
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby devilscut » Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:13 am

Why analyze it?? Just drink it!
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby sheikyerbouti » Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:16 am

Great tip.

I never understood adding water until a bartender recently did it for me and it really improved the aromatics. She just put in a slight chip of an ice cube.
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Re: Part l: The Art of Drinking Bourbon

Unread postby laficion » Fri Aug 21, 2015 10:18 am

Hi all,
Thanks for the great info on this thread.It's good to know.
Guy,
France
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