All the myths about absinthe are just that–myths. Absinthe contains a neurotoxin called thujone that comes from the wormwood that’s used in making the drink. However, the amount of thujone that it’s actually in absinthe is so small that you’d never be able to drink enough for it to affect you–the 180 proof alcohol would kill you first. Hallucinatory effect? Total bullshit.
The real reason that absinthe was banned was because French winemakers were complaining that absinthe sales were hurting their bottom line.
Rezzed for y’alls pleasure and to rival the Happy Hour thread. Also, I’m a bit curious:
My father recieved a fancy-looking turkey-shaped Wild Turkey bottle when I was born, and he was considering busting it out for my 30th in about a month. What might you bourbonophiles expect from this? Would it be more poisonous than it was to begin with, preserved as it was when it was bottled, or worth keeping around for some reason?
Maker’s has a nifty bottle. Also, it’s a very friendly bourbon… it doesn’t seem to disagree with anybody’s pallette. I still need to try Knob Creek though.
Knob Creek. I was a Jack Daniels man for years, then made the mistake of trying Knob Creek, and there’s no going back. Makers Mark is better than Jack, but it’s no Knob Creek.
I still think Maker’s Mark is just all around great. Its relatively cheap and its just awesome. A lot of people like Woodford Reserve, I think Maker’s Mark is hands down better and cheaper to boot.
I’m not a bourbon guy, but my dad is, and he swears by Wellers. When he doesn’t feel like shelling out that much he typically drinks Evan Williams. Me, I like the taste of bourbon as a flavoring in other things, but I’m not so much for it straight. I like bourbon in eggnog, and my mom makes a homemade cranberry sauce that uses it (poured on straight out of the oven, so the alcohol cooks off), and it is essentially the tastiest thing ever. That gave me the idea of making a mixed drink of bourbon and cranberry juice, which is pretty tasty in its own right, as long as you’re using real cranberry juice and not that cocktail shit.
Back to bourbon, eh? I just attended a tasting by the Master Distiller for Woodford/Basil/Bookers/etc. and felt pretty good about my earlier statement. He also said that as long as it is called bourbon, then chances are it’s a pretty good product.
After that, it’s really a matter of personal taste, as each is made somewhat differently in regards to grains used and process.
However, and this is the informative bit, if you want to get into bourbon that is more bourbon than other bourbon, here’s how:
As it ages in the barrel, our lovely Kentucky weather causes the barrel to breathe the bourbon in and out as the seasons change. That’s why we make the best, because our climate has very distinct seasons. As it does so, some alcohol is lost (bourbon can be barreled at no higher than 160 or 165 proof, can’t recall which.) When it’s time to bottle, they take it out of the barrel, add water to the desired proof, and away it goes.
So if you want to find the “connossiersersiersoire” bourbon, you need to look for the highest age (most flavor from barrel) and highest proof (least diluted from barrel.) Using those two guidelines, you don’t have to worry about much else. If there’s something that’s 12 years old and 115 proof, but only costs twenty dollars, then congratulations. Don’t second-guess yourself, buy that sucker and enjoy.
Yep, Lville it is. Another tidbit that I didn’t realize is that there are only ten distillers in all of Kentucky. Each just makes a dozen or more brands. As for speciality bourbons (once it is blended, it ain’t bourbon), we occasionally get a barrel that got screwed up in some way, or was in a fire, had some funny wood, etc.
That isn’t to say that a blend of bourbons wouldn’t be delicious, but I think you can’t call it bourbon any more at that point.
Knob Creek is now my favorite bourbon. So silky smooth, such a pleasant finish, it has nearly washed away the hellfires of frustration, anger, and disgust I have for my asinine, incompetent, and chronicly pathetic CFO whose chief aim in life seems to be to waste money while simultaneously making everybody’s work less efficient and more difficult.