Comments on: A bourbon tasting with Tom Bulleit

By: kerri

kerri — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:56:15 +0000

I have turned so many people on to the Bulleit it is crazy, you guys should be paying me a salary, for real, love the Bulleit!

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:26:13 +0000

Thanks for the comment, John! Not everybody is going to go for a high rye bourbon, and they’re free to voice their opinions. I do find it funny, though, that Bulleit doesn’t seem to get a lot of love, but Four Roses seems to get almost universal praise.

Given that Bulleit is really a Four Roses bourbon, created from two of their 10 yeast-strain/mashbill combinations, it would be really amusing to see the same recipe bottled under both labels and see how their reviews differ.

By: John

John — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:04:40 +0000

I saw a site that really downgraded this bourbon with several poor reviews, but they didn’t understand, or even know about, the high rye content of the drink. Kinda like attacking a good Cabernet for not being champagne. It’s a different kind of bourbon. I love rye and I love this high rye-content bourbon.

It’s one of the few bottles I keep buying again and again, rather than trying another new brand.

By: A Four Roses bourbon tasting with Master Distiller Jim Rutledge | Scotch Hunter - A Guide to Single Malt Scotch

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:14:59 +0000

[...] to pour our drams. He’s been the Master Distiller at Four Roses distillery since 1995. Like Tom Bulleit, he was a very engaging, down-to-earth guy who enjoyed talking about whiskey, and seemed to get a [...]

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 05:45:34 +0000

I know you’re not a big bourbon fan. I wasn’t either, but have really come back around to appreciating them lately. It will be interesting to see if we can convert you into a bourbon fan at some point.

By: gal

gal — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 13:40:58 +0000

going to post a review on that baby soon (many thanks to the one and only Yossi ) . i am not big on Bourbons but hey, i am willing to give that a try!

By: James "Tour de Scotch" Saxon

James "Tour de Scotch" Saxon — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:01:44 +0000

Aw, Jeff, you saw through my cynical motives. I just thought that a more specific middle name was needed!

Thanks for your thoughts about the whiskies of the world. I’d forgotten that the shear variety of Scottish single malt is a pretty good and broad education into wider spirit sampling. It sort of relates back to that David Stirk article you referred to a few posts ago about the range of flavours offered by the whiskies of Scotland being greater than basically the rest of the alcoholic field. There’s a good spirits shop in the nearest city to me and a Whisky Shop just beyond it so I’ll be giving those a go.

I meant to applaud the thoroughness of your posts in my last comment but I forgot so in it goes here.

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:55:08 +0000

Matt,
Have you checked out straightbourbon.com? The Forums there are a great source of tasting notes and comparisons between bourbons (and other American whiskies).

You mention the choice over there. That’s another thing that has helped kindle additional interest in American whiskey on my part. I have access to just about everything, and at a great price. Might as well take advantage of that!

Oh, BTW…I just left a comment at the DTWC blog for the “Whisky of Choice” post.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:29:47 +0000

I was exited to see what you had written as I have found there is little info that can be deemed even from the Bourbon makers websites regarding flavour, taste, comparisons. I was beginning to think it was just me. What is available here in Aus over the counter is somewhat limited and I am finding all taste the same. Also tastings on bourbons in Aus are few and far between.

My impression is nice and light and very correct about it being tame.

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:18:11 +0000

James, your name is getting longer!

I sampled both bourbon and scotch at the beginning of my whisk(e)y journey and was quickly drawn down the scotch path. The bourbon’s all seemed way too similar. I also wasn’t completely sold on the barrel maturation approach for bourbon. The fresh char seemed to impart an overriding character that didn’t allow other tastes through.

After a year focused on scotch, I tried a couple of other bourbons and found more subtle distinctions between them than I had noticed at the beginning. Now I’m really gaining an interest in American whiskey.

I’ve only tried one Japanese malt. Yamazaki 12. At first, it seemed no different from a Speysider to me. Now, there definitely seems to be a different spice (slightly different wood influence?) in the Yama that i haven’t noticed in any of the scotches I’ve tried. I really like it and can’t wait to try more Japanese malts.

I think your taste buds should be more than ready to handle whiskies of the world. There are such a wide variety of flavors between the different scotch regions, you’re already used to detecting differences. Go for it!

Cheers,
Jeff