Introduction
My third guest on my new Whiskey & Friends series is someone who has enjoyed whiskey longer than I’ve been alive. He may have taken a break from drinking it while I was younger, but no doubt picking it back up again when I became of drinking age, and especially since he’s been retired. This lucky bastard now gets to drive all over the county in his motorhome visiting distilleries at his leisure with his amazing traveling partner and lifelong companion, Nukka, and his whiskey hating wife. Ha, I kid. His wife doesn’t hate whiskey. But her expressions were all too obvious while also uttering a boisterous “bleh!” upon sipping one of our drams. Nevertheless, once I became a whiskey connoisseur, I was quick to realize his agnosticism in whiskey diversity, literally enjoying everything under the whiskey umbrella (except flavored and fruity shit). For the longest time I swore I knew the man and assumed he just had no taste and couldn’t distinguish any whiskey differences; however, throw some very similar whiskeys in front of him and he’s easily able to differentiate and rate them with acute precision. I now understand him to simply be an all-welcoming and true gentleman to all whiskeys presented to him with little to no prejudices. I almost envy it, as I would indubitably save money if I could enjoy a $20 bottle nearly as much as a $100 one. One characteristic I possess that I did not inherit from him is my enjoyment for variation. I’ve slowly gained insight into his liking, and we both decided on picking 6 Kentucky bourbons 100 proof or under. He doesn’t quite have the appreciation that I do for barrel proof whiskeys. My biases most definitely surprised me, as I found this blind tasting to be more difficult than most. My speculations were rarely correct which yielded much worse guesswork on which glass was which whiskey.
I now present, “What an Honor, Drinking with Father.”
The Whiskeys
The whiskeys that were relished were as follows (in no particular order):
- 1972 Single Barrel
- Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
- Maker’s Mark No. 46 French Oaked
- Eagle Rare
- Four Roses Single Barrel
- Henry McKenna Single Barrel
Our Thoughts
- Bourbon #1
- Mike: slight ketone finish, smooth and mild
- Kyle: Smells great, not super hot. Smooth and a little boring. Palate is slightly hotter than smell, but just instantly. Very typical bourbon with the sweetness and all the toffee and caramel notes. Drops off rather quickly however.
- Bourbon #2
- Mike: Found it similar to #6 with higher malt/corn flavor. Finishes a little hot. Decent whiskey
- Kyle: Smells of warm sweet vanilla. Palate is high corn, starts very smooth and finishes slightly hot. Still receive the sweet toffee along with a buttery, yet dry finish.
- Bourbon #3
- Mike: Definitely hotter than others. More ketone. Finishes a little bitter, slightly hot
- Kyle: Smells really sweet. Almost fruity, pear like? Pear comes out a tiny bit. Tastes like dry oak.
- Bourbon #4
- Mike: Can smell the corn for sure. Start very smooth, then finishes warm
- Kyle: smooth smell, almost BT like. Taste felt quick but agreed with him as it finishes slightly hot
- Bourbon #5
- Mike: Sweeter than the others. Very corny with an easy finish.
- Kyle: Sweet smell with a bubblegum end. Palate is smooth, sweet and quick with light oak. Not hot at all.
- Bourbon #6
- Mike: Malty and sweet. High corn content noticed
- Kyle: Nose seems more alcoholic. Palate is spicy and dry. Taste more corn mash.
Ratings & Conclusion
Results:
- Bourbon #1 = 4 Roses
- Bourbon #2 = Elijah Craig Toasted
- Bourbon #3 = Eagle Rare
- Bourbon #4 = Henry McKenna
- Bourbon #5 = Maker’s Mark
- Bourbon #6 = 1972
Conclusion:
Both of us easily agreed with #1 being our favorite, which happened to be Four Roses. Unsurprising as that one always rates high on my list. Unexpectedly however, Maker’s Mark made it to #2. I actually had a really tough time placing my 2nd through 4th favorites. A close third was Henry McKenna (also another one of my favorites) and 4th was 1972, followed by Elijah Craig then finally Eagle Rare.
Each whiskey definitely had their uniqueness, and we both really enjoyed all of them. I can’t understand my inconsistency however. I haven’t done full reviews on all of these and frankly don’t have a specific palate for each one, but was still surprised at both my guesses and ratings. I’m beginning to think that blind tastes with more than a few whiskeys is just damn difficult. Hard to invest the proper time for the nose and palate, and each sip renders the next slightly different than reality by the residual whiskey greatly affecting the savor of the next. With that said, I don’t think I’ll ever let those inconsistencies hinder me from doing any whiskey blind tastings! Like all my Whiskey & Friends events, it’s equally about the “friends” part as it is about the “whiskey.” And there are not many places I’d rather be than imbibing with good company.
Kanpai papasan!