bourbon, yet again
Ok, so I've been buying and tasting bourbon regularly since my last post on the subject, and had a couple things stick out.

First - I spotted the distinctive Blanton's bottle on the shelf at a bar, and decided to give it a taste ($7-8 might be a bit much for a bar drink, but it's a hell of a lot better than $35 for the bottle). I was aware that Eagle Rare and Blanton's were from the same distillery, but so is Ancient Age ($10/liter), so I was expecting some variety.

Instead, all I got was a disappointment. Blanton's was completely indistinguishable from Eagle Rare. Granted, I wasn't tasting them side by side, but this shared every single aspect I could recall of the nose, flavor, mouthfeel, and finish as Eagle Rare. Which was disappointing, to say the least - I really didn't think Eagle Rare was that good to begin with.

Summary: There's better stuff for cheaper. If you absolutely can't resist buying one of these, spend $25 on Eagle Rare instead of $35 on Blanton's.


Next on the list is Jim Beam Black. This one was a surprise; it's unusual for a mass-market brand to offer a higher priced version of their liquor that's worth drinking. (Bacardi, anyone?) At just under $20, it's getting close to the price range of the premium, smaller-batch stuff.

Quick side note - I've been trying to find a decent bourbon under $15. Yeah, "decent" is subjective, and I know people who would say it's not worth drinking unless it's $25 or more, but when you have parties/bonfires and the group can down two bottles over the course of the night, there's an incentive to economize. Anyway, each one I've tried so far has been flawed in at least one way - occasionally to the extent that I'll have to beg my friends to drink it because I can't stand to.

Jim Beam Black, were it $5 less, would become the only "cheap" bourbon I'd buy. Nothing about this immediately sticks out as "wrong" like the rest of the stuff I've been tasting; it has a light caramel taste which blends well with the charred oak finish; the burn is present but tame compared to the cheaper stuff (and Eagle Rare/Blanton's for that matter).

It's good - it's everything a bourbon should be. I guess I might call this a "reference" bourbon - the sort of thing to give someone who hasn't tasted bourbon before, rather than something like Jack (which probably turns away more drinkers from bourbon than anything else). It's just not... exceptional. There's very few little nuances to pick out and enjoy.

Overall: a good buy if it's on sale. If not, you're looking at being able to spend $2-3 more and getting something significantly better, such as the Evan Williams I reviewed earlier.
- posted by vcmc @  7/25/2006 12:16:00 AM  |  0 comments