Boozin' Bourbon Tasting
Blind Bourbon Tasting
With World Whiskey Day quickly approaching, Sam and his good friend, Eric and I decided to spend our Sunday with a good old fashion bourbon tasting. Luckily for me I was asked to play hostess. Of course, I obliged and immediately decided to make it a blind tasting consisting of ten different bourbons poured out over the course of 2 hours. There was much speculation to which bourbon would reign supreme and of course the guys were already betting that their favorites Jim Beam and Makers Mark would be the supreme leaders but surprisingly to all of us, that was not the case. The results were interesting as was the process of seeing Eric and Sam taste the notes of each whiskey. The best part about being hostess? Knowing exactly what brands these guys usually favor and seeing their reactions when they thought Woodford Reserve was Jim Beam. Their feedback consisted of comparing the whiskies to different types of kisses. My favorite from Eric: Like a kiss from Miss Elizabeth: fucking awesome! (Woodford Reserve) and Sam's, Babe I know this one's Jim Beam...I can't see it in your smirk. (Nope, it was Buffalo Trace...my personal fave. Hence the smirk!) Let's also not forget about how "tipsy" they got over the course of the 2 hour tasting. I have to admit this wasn't any highbrow tasting. There was no proper etiquette but you know we were just enjoying our Sunday afternoon. As for the bourbons that were part of the challenge? Check out the list below and the tasting results by person.
The Tasting Selects: Fighting Cock / Devil's Cut / Four Roses / Old Grand Dad 114 Reserve / Bulleit / Maker's Mark / Wild Turkey / Woodford Reserve / Jim Beam / Buffalo Trace
Eric's Taste Results:
WINNER: Woodford Reserve
Second Place: A tie between Old Grandad 114 and Buffalo Trace
Noteworthy: Four Roses, Jim Beam and Bulleit
Bottom Shelf: Devil’s Cut, Fighting Cock, Wild Turkey and Makers Mark
Sam's Taste Results:
WINNER: Woodford Reserve
Second Place: Buffalo Trace
Noteworthy: Old Grandad 114, Four Roses and Jim Beam
Bottom Shelf: Devil’s Cut, Fighting Cock, Bulleit, Wild Turkey and Makers Mark
Interesting note: when going to the grocery store for the guys, almost 100% of the time they would request Wild Turkey or Makers Mark so they were surprised (as am I) to see their tried and trues not make it to the top of their list. Just goes to show brand loyalty and commitment...or maybe they're creatures of habit. Either way they were both amazing sports to entertain me on this mad quest to find the best bourbon for our Sunday hangout.
Overall Winner and favorite: Woodford Reserve