I associate Kentucky with being the birth place and final resting place of Muhammad Ali. I won’t let Mitch McConnell infringe upon that.
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However, they will be pre-marinated.
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I’m not a fan of bourbon-barrel-aged Scotch either. It makes the Scotch taste like Bourbon.
Which, BTW, is made by Beam. They also make the best bourbon you can buy for the money IMO - Bookers.
The way that they explained it to me when I visited there in 2008 was that Knob, the regular Jim Beam and Bookers were basically all the same mash, but aged differently, etc… Bookers is not cut, it’s straight from the barrel and can by close to 130 proof.
Bakers is a different mash, as is Basil Hayden - all made by Beam and have been for quite some time.
The parent company, Beam Suntory, also makes a bunch of things that didn’t used to be under the Beam name in KY including Makers. The entire list of names under that umbrella is pretty long -
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It is coincidentally my name.
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Alcohol abuse of the worst sort.
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Jim Beam? Good riddance.
Together with Jack Daniels, that brand is largely responsible for the abysmal reputation bourbon has here in Austria.
(On my last visit to the US, I confirmed my theory that you guys do know how to distill a decent drink, you just keep the good stuff to yourself rather than exporting it.)
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Yes, I agree. I wasn’t trying to fix the sentence, though; I was explaining how the sentence was wrong. This is bigger than one sentence – much, much bigger.
As far as the Jim Beam-labeled products go, the black label is far better than the white label, but their mid-to-top brands as mentioned above are first-rate.
Jack Daniel’s, on the other hand, saves their best (Silver Select) for export, only in duty-free shops. If I wanted to buy a bottle, I’d have to buy it on the way out of the US and bring it back with me. At least, that’s how it was some years back when I had a taste of some.
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Interesting. I don’t believe the places that admit to offering either Jack Daniel’s or Jim Beam in Austria ever offer anything but the cheapest kind.
As for bottles… I make sure to always have a bottle of Lagavullin at home, but I don’t actually need to have more than one bottle of whisky at home.
And the next time I get a chance to drink bourbon on US soil, I’ll probably go straight for some of the less internationally infamous brands, even though I might be missing out…
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Buffalo Trace (43% ABV) is a good, solid “everyday” bourbon, and I’ve always been fond of the “Bottled in Bond” bourbon and rye whiskeys (which are, by law, 50% ABV, aged at least four years, and are from one single distillery during a single distilling season).
Of course, as will all things, the sky’s the limit, and there are some magnificent bottles out there if you’re willing to pay the freight. I’ve been carefully rationing some George T. Stagg (barrel-strength, unfiltered, and extra-aged) that I bought in better times - but I bought it to drink it, not collect it. That one, depending on year, sometimes exceeds 70% ABV, and in any production year, needs to be diluted to drinking strength.
One key thing about bourbon that is often overlooked is which grains (besides the required minimum 50% maize) are used in the mash. Bourbons made with wheat (such as Maker’s Mark) tend to have a milder taste profile than those made with rye (such as Old Grand-Dad), which have a bit more of a spicy flavor.
Ooooh, I haven’t had that in years. I love it, but some years back the price went bonkers (from about $55 to over $100). It’s dropped down to about $80 or so where I live, but that’s still a bit too much. I have some Ardbeg that I bought before single-malt prices went through the roof, though.
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I can confirm the same for your schnapps aka eau de vie. You heartless bastards.
Probably true. I get my home supply from various visits to the countryside, where they serve and sell the local produce. I’m not even aware of any brands that are big enough to run an export business.
It goes for €75 a bottle here in Austria, so around Christmas time, I casually remind my parents what kind of whiskey I like… And if I have some when I’m going out, I end my nights slightly soberer but a lot happier than I would if I tried to optimize for price.
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