Rare Breed vs Baker's

Talk about rare, export, annual release and other types of similar bottlings here.

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Rare Breed vs Baker's

Unread postby Mike » Thu May 31, 2007 6:49 pm

Amazingly similiar to my palate, RB has a bit more 'bite'. Both are viscous, and rich. The alcohol is well contained by both, but not an insignificant player. Certainly two of the finest bourbons available today.

Please add your assessment of these very significant players in today's bourbon market.

Time to get off the sidelines and into the game. Get in the game! Don't hide you lamp under a bushel. You are not being judged! Jump in, it can make a difference in how you appreciate bourbon!

Drinking boubon is a learning experience, as is expressing your likes and dislikes............it is a worthwhile thing...................DO IT, jump in, your BE names say you are creative people, don't hold back, it is a game.........nothing rides on the outcome.........I have embarassed myself here............so what?

It is far more important that I learn about bourbon and myself here than it is that I please people who might disagree. I am very glad that I have participated in the BE experience and found the characters here and appreciated them and hope they appreciate me. I take note of your profiles and see your background and interests................by God, I say you owe us more than you are giving us. Take the risk, jump in, don't always be a sideliner!
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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Unread postby angelshare » Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:30 pm

What the heck - with an invitation like that, who can resist!

Both are overpriced.

Both are nicely undiluted.

Both are marketed to the enthusiast.

Rare Breed is better marketed.

Baker's has a bigger brand name to support it.

Baker's is better tasting. Rich and robust, it is a nice example of the JB product line. RB is hotter than it is flavorful, and WT does much better with other bottlings.

That said...

WT 101 and JB Black are the real contenders in a WT/JB shootout for somebody on a bourbon budget.

Kentucky Spirit and Bookers are much more worthy opponents on the super-premium category from each distillery.

No offense to Baker's or RB fans out there - your palate requires no justification. Those are just our opinions!
Dave & Tina
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Unread postby Mike » Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:08 pm

Dave and Tina,

I respect your opinions on bourbons enormously (I have appreciated Old Rip Van Winkle 10 YO much more because I know you think so much of it.............your opinions matter to me), and we are just down to differing tastes at this point.........always at the heart of the matter when you get down to it.

I went back and tried Kentucky Spirit and Booker's and revisited Rare Breed and Baker's. I had to dilute Booker's to around 110........I simply cannot tolerate 126+ proof whiskey anymore (if I ever could).

Booker's is a fine whiskey with a definite citrus/orange and char aroma (at least in this sample). In my opinion it is not the equal of Baker's. To my palate it is not as creamy and thick (or as tasty) as Baker's.........both qualities I value highly in bourbon.

As to Kentucky Spirit, it is also a top notch bourbon and the profile is quite similiar to Rare Breed, but I still prefer Rare Breed over KS. It seems a tad richer and more complex and its aroma is a bit more compelling. I still find Baker's to be close to Rare Breed in richness, but with that same citrus/orange that Booker's has, although in a less noticable amount.

It is my opinion that the 7 or 8 extra proof in Baker's and Rare Breed contribute to their complexity and interest..........I have no idea as to why but they just seem more robust and richer than the 101 KS or the suitably diluted Booker's. And, to borrow from John Lipman, the aromas of the remnants in the glasses, after the passage of time, offer (in my opinion) another reason to choose Rare Breed and Baker's over Kentucky Spirit and Booker's. They smell better!

The WT 101 and Beam 8 YO are also, in my opinion, excellent bourbons, with the Beam 8 being a bit more subtle and less 'raw'. In terms of value, it is, as you say, less costly to drink the WT 101 and Beam 8 YO. They are about $10 less than Rare Breed and $20 less than Baker's, not an insignificant amount. But, several BE stalwarts notwithstanding, I don't personally consider either the equal of RB or Baker's............naturally that is just my opinion.

Each responsible bourbon drinker must make her/his decisions as to what he/she likes and will purchase based on their tastes and wallet. There are some whiskies for which I am unwilling to pay the asking price and I admit that I have sometimes paid more than a whiskey was worth.........I am fortunate in that I can often pay a premium (I have so few other vices, my children are all gone and I have no college tuition to worry about) just to try a whiskey.

As a rule of thumb, the more expensive whiskies are somewhat better than the less expensive ones...........but not always, and often by only a very small amount if they are better.
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
Mike
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Unread postby angelshare » Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:28 pm

Your points are well taken, and, in the end, your own palate is always right! With your inspiration, we might do a Booker's/Baker's side by side in the next day or two. Based on your many previous insights which have both informed and entertained us, I'm betting we'll have a lot of common ground afterward.

It sounds like our biggest difference is our opinions regarding Rare Breed, which really disappointed us over the last couple of years. I don't know whether we changed or RB did, as ten years ago we were never without RB in the whiskey room. Now it usually just makes an appearance if we receive it as a gift. To be fair, it's not bad by any means; it's just doesn't command the $37 VA ABC price. When we get it, we drink it.

Within the WT line, Tribute aside, we think a great bottle of KS is unbeatable, but it seems to vary from bottle to bottle. Do you think that's the case?
Dave & Tina
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Unread postby Mike » Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:55 pm

You know guys, sometimes it seems the more I know about bourbon the less I know about bourbon.

Joe Bourbon says that KS is a great deal like the 12 YO WT that I like so much.........and I can see the similiarities. But for some reason, as great as KS is, it has always seemed to lack something that I can't put my finger on (maybe it is the variability you speak of)...........and if I did a blind tasting, I would no doubt be made the fool once again.

Maybe I am just in a Rare Breed, Baker's phase, although I have always liked them. That rich buttery taste along with slightly higher proof that both Baker's and RB have seems to give them something extra. On occasion though, I have to add just a splash of water to tame them a bit. They are on the edge of being too much.

One complicating and interesting thing about sipping bourbon for some of us is that our tastes change and the bourbon itself changes.

As to the Tribute, I have never waivered in my love of that bourbon, and I have bought every bottle I ever came across. The aroma of Tribute is just incredible and the taste is almost as good.
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
Mike
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Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 5:36 pm
Location: Savannah, GA


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