Last year about this time Bill, member #6, asked Mark and I to host a “Whisky 101” tasting for his friends. Apparently Mark and I did not completely screw it up so he invited us back again this year to host a bourbon tasting.
We selected six particular bourbons so that each item had some easily recognizable difference from that last, something the tasters could look for with each sip.
Without bragging I think this was just about the perfect list for a bourbon tasting.
1) We started with Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003. This is a really good bourbon that gave us the opportunity to discuss single barrel vs. small batch.
2) Next was the Bulleit Frontier Bourbon. This one has more than twice the amount of rye in the mash bill than the Evan Williams. With this we could experience the spicier taste that rye brings to bourbon.
3) Then on to Marker’s Mark, which has no rye. That grain is replaced with wheat.
4) We then moved on to Maker’s 46, which is the same as the Maker’s Mark except that it is finished in barrels containing charred French oak staves. This is a great example of the influence of the wood on the taste.
5) We then hit the Angel’s Envy. This continued our discussion on the influence of the wood since this one is finished in a port barrel (previously used to age Port wine).
6) We finished with Very Old Barton 100 Proof. This is where we discussed price. This is a very inexpensive bourbon with an outstanding taste.
At the end of the tasting we asked the tasters to rank each expression, listing them from their favorite to their least favorite. Keep in mind that each was selected for this tasting because of their differences from each other. This ranking is simply based on their personal preference. Here is how we ended up when all the rankings were put together (“1” being the favorite):
1) Angel’s Envy ($42)
2) Maker’s 46 ($34)
3) Evan Williams Single Barrel ($25)
4) Bulleit Frontier Bourbon ($30 – 1 liter)
Very Old Barton 100 Proof ($15)
5) Marker’s Mark ($26)
As you can see there was a tie for 4th place. Again, each of this are good bourbons and having any one of them on your shelf is a great start to a collection.
Thanks to everyone who came out. We look forward to Bill’s next tasting…..maybe Irish?
Doug #1