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freethefly

Finest Bourbon?

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So much talk about JD... ahemmmm... (just clearing the way for another smooth roll of the Mark... my choice for fine bourbon)... Gonna have to show LisaH the finer wine of the still... what's your poison?
Maker's Mark is mine.
"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

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That's a pretty short list! :S BTW - Crown Royal is blended whiskey.

From your list, Maker's Mark is the finest IMO. There should be a few more to consider:

Wild Turkey
George Dickel
Ezra Brooks
Evan Williams
Knob Creek
Bulleit
Woodford Reserve
Gentleman Jack
Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Out of that list, Bulleit is my favorite, although I have not yet tried Woodford Reserve, which I have heard is quite good. I don't mix it - I drink it on the rocks.

There are many more, but I have found the couple of brands I like and have stuck with them - Bulleit & Knob Creek.

Arrive Safely

John

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Quote

All bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskeys are bourbon...Whisky is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190 proof in such a manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whiskey, stored in oak containers (except that corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 80 proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identity are prescribed.

For a whiskey to qualify as bourbon, the law--by international agreement--stipulates that it must be made in the USA. It must be made from at least 51% and no more than 79% Indian corn, and aged for at least two years. (Most bourbon is aged for four years or more.) The barrels for aging can be made of any kind of new oak, charred on the inside. Nowadays all distillers use American White Oak, because it is porous enough to help the bourbon age well, but not so porous that it will allow barrels to leak. It must be distilled at no more than 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume). Nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor or sweetness or alter color. The other grains used to make bourbon, though not stipulated by law, are malted barley and either rye or wheat. Some Kentucky bourbon makers claim that the same limestone spring water that makes thoroughbred horses' bones strong gives bourbon whiskey its distinctive flavor. Kind of like that "it's the water" thing with Olympia beer.

Bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S., but all but a couple of brands are made in Kentucky. Only the state of Kentucky can produce bourbon with its name on the label. The name comes from Bourbon county in the central bluegrass region of Kentucky. This county was named in 1785 to honor the French royal family and was once the major transshipment site for shipping distilled spirits down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. Barrels shipped from there were stamped with the county's name, which then became the name of this kind of whiskey. Interestingly, there are no distillers in Bourbon county, Kentucky right now.

Source: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/29286



Ahhh... you're a man after me own heart. Maker's Mark on the rocks or for true slow sippin - neat. Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek are on my to be tried list. BTW, you begin to notice that once you cross the 40 age line. Whiskey/Bourbon is appreciated more in smaller quantities and slower, rather than faster and in shots? ...Kinda the same for women. ;)
Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

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That's a sad, sad, sad, list. Go drink more and come back for another post. Start with Knob Creek. Actually, no. End with Knob Creek because you won't drink anything else after you do.
"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

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Ahhh...Dickel!!!
I used to live a few hundred yards down the road from their distillery in Tullahoma, TN when I worked at Arnold AFB (AEDC).
God is that stuff good!!! And the smell in the air on a cool morning..,,,mmmmmmm:)

Dickel and Drop was a good local mixture too..:)

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Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve are both delighful :)
As Mentioned, Jack, though very dear to my heart, is NOT bourbon. Technically because it's not from bourbon county, KY. It's made in Lynchburg, TN, and is a 'tennesee sipping whiskey' or sour mash whiskey.

I thought Crown was a canadian whiskey (and not bourbon, because last time I checked, Canada was not in Kentucky), but i could be wrong.

Now I need to do a search and see if there's a Scotch poll, too.

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As already mentioned...Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve...however, there are a couple others that are not being mentioned...which is a serious tragedy.

Basil Hayden, Booker's and Baker's.

I have a bottle of Booker's that was given to me 7 years ago that I have not opened yet.....saving it for the right time...yes, it is that good.

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I thought Knob Creek was good until I tried Pendelton. Everything else that I have tried is a distant second.

We did a blind test party (using most listed above - not Mark though). There were lots of people tasting and every single person there picked Pendelton and the great thing is that it is not even expensive ;)

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