Bourbon--Help!

[mrpipster]

Ok folks I have never been a bourbon drinker. It has always just tasted like cinnamon and burns so much to me.
Can anyone recommend a nice cheap,under $25 a bottle, that just tastes good with little burn to it?
I just feel that I am missing out on the bourbon/cigar pairing that so many folks rave about.
Thanks.

[sisyphus]

Elijah Craig Small Batch 19.99 at Costco. Or so I hear.

[mrpipster]

So that dose not have that much of a burn to it then?

[sisyphus]

No you'll have to read some reviews. I am 23 years clean and sober. I pine for it but have to live vicariously through friends.

Your best bet may be hitting a bar with a good selection of small batch and bonded bourbon and sampling til you find the one.

[keensmoke]

Buffalo trace is around $25 where I live, I love it.
I don't think there's a big "burn" to it. But part of that may just be technique. If you're sipping bourbon, you're taking a fairly small amount into your mouth at once. Not a full or even half full shot.
Roll it around on your tongue and get back in the recesses of your mouth to try to get all the nuances. Also, this one is 45% and some others go way higher - add a dash of water to open up the flavor. (Very little needed, or none at all for a 45% abv, but it may also mitigate that "burn")
Like starting with a pipe, it might just be that you need to build up your senses to it.

You cold also try ice... but that is going too far imo :>

[mrpipster]

Buffalo trace is around $25 where I live, I love it.
I don't think there's a big "burn" to it. But part of that may just be technique. If you're sipping bourbon, you're taking a fairly small amount into your mouth at once. Not a full or even half full shot.
Roll it around on your tongue and get back in the recesses of your mouth to try to get all the nuances. Also, this one is 45% and some others go way higher - add a dash of water to open up the flavor. (Very little needed, or none at all for a 45% abv, but it may also mitigate that "burn")
Like starting with a pipe, it might just be that you need to build up your senses to it.

You cold also try ice... but that is going too far imo :>

Thanks. I think I will try a couple at a bar thats between work and home tomorrow afternoon. I have read that Larceny is a good one to try for a newbie also. Have you tried that one? Thanks.

[keensmoke]

Thanks. I think I will try a couple at a bar thats between work and home tomorrow afternoon. I have read that Larceny is a good one to try for a newbie also. Have you tried that one? Thanks.

Yeah, sampling like that is a very good plan. I have had Larceny and it is definitely good. I'd rate Buffalo Trace or the Elijah Craig that sisyphus mentioned higher personally, but part of the fun will be finding what hits all the right notes for you.
Cheers and good luck!

[Bullwinkle]

Makers Mark

[MarineDad]

Evan Williams Black. One of the best values out there.

[Sir Saartan]

Evan Williams Black.

That's a great Bourbon.

Elijah Craig Small Batch.

That's another one

I'd like to add "John B Stetson" to the list.



I'd like to say that there are some whiskey that go very well with water. I know there are a lot of people who're gonna try to kill
me for saying that, but that doesn't make my claim false.

http://www.rebeccacreekdistillery.com/p ... r-whiskey/
The texas ranger whiskey is one of those. It is about twice the price of a bottle of Elijah Craig,
but you can mix it 1:1 with water. It sure changes a little in taste, but it has no burn whatsover at that point,
and to me it tastes absolutely great. If I was new to bourbon, that Texas Ranger mixed either 2:1 or 1:1 with
good fresh water would be a perfect starting point.

Lots of chocolate and caramel notes in the taste.