Thursday 9 January 2014

WHISKEY: American Bourbon Adventures

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What's better on a cold winters day to talk about warming your socks off with some whiskey?! Those who know me well, know my appreciation for a good bottle of whiskey of the bourbon variety. My love for the bourbon began with Jack Daniels just before moving to university, treble whiskey & cokes became my drink on a Friday night at the student union. My move to the US has renewed my interest in exploring and finding out more about my favorite liquor. So iI thought I would share a couple of my American favorites from the last year. Most of these bottles are in the $20 - $30 price range for a 750ml bottle - while you can use any of them as a cocktail mixer - all are perfect for serving and enjoying on the rocks. We're trying to act a little grown up here.

Sadly whiskey is still seen as a bit of a man's drink - only a third of whiskey drinkers in the UK are women, where the white spirits (rum, vodka) within cocktails still reign. Whiskey is often considered too strong, people turn their noses up, it's unfeminine. For me, whiskey drinking is an experience, it's not a drink you can just down (well you could) you slip, you inhale the alluring scent, you get taken in. Whiskey is bold, you can smell it, taste it, feel it's heat. That's what I love about it. But us girls don't need to be scared of it, it shouldn't be seen as a man's drink.

So where to start?!

Whiskey

Jack Daniels

So let's start with an old favorite, everyone knows Jack, he's been around a while, is going well, student favorite - probably your first introduction to the spirit (he was mine), stands strong and in honesty is a perfectly fine go to bourbon. Stick with Jack and he's fine to use in your coke but not one I opt for drinking straight.

Makers Mark

A littler pricer than Jack Daniels it's worth the investment although you're probably just paying for the fancy wax seal this bottle has (yes really). This bourbon is of the wheat variety - and one we started off the year with, to be honest, it's okay for just a go to whiskey - you get what you pay for - a light, predictable bourbon.

Eagle Reserve

The fancy bottle is one of the plus factors with Eagle Reserve - tall slender and finished off with a cork. It's fancier somewhat than the bourbon itself which is certainly the most sweet of all these straight varieties, and while it's smooth it still packs plenty of punch. While I'd buy it again, it wouldn't be my go to bourbon no matter how impressive the cork is.

Wild Turkey (with honey)

Now I've been hearing about these honey bourbons for a while, not being a particularly big fan of honey I opted never to try them. Well that was a mistake, honey in a whiskey is divine. This bourbon knocks off your traditional assumptions of a bourbon, it doesn't even have the strong bourbon smell - instead one that's fruity. It's smooth, it's very sweet and perfect for both on the rocks, hot toddies and cocktails - the honey taste adds that something special. If you aren't a fan of the strong whiskey's this will be a good bet.

Bulleit Rye

Because I ended up drinking the aforementioned Turkey Hill rather quickly, we managed to sneak in a cheeky whiskey purchase to round off the year. I'll be honest in admitting i've never heard of rye whiskey but everything whiskey related is worth trying once. Rye whiskey turns out to be one that's similar to scotch but would happily please a bourbon drinker. It's smooth, so very smooth, leans to traditional scotch but lighter, sweeter (not to the full extent of a bourbon) with a spicy (due to the rye) kick. It's perfect for enjoying on the rocks or just a little dash of water or ginger ale. Don't go looking for a complex whiskey here, it's not, it's understated but delicious - it does what it needs to perfectly. This whiskey bottle is not going to last long at all and for $26, it's my hit of the year.


Even as I write these I can see my tastes have developed and changed across the year - you can tell that through the brand names and the varieties. With there being so many varieties out there you can take your time investigating and finding out which one(s) suit your tastes and needs (if you need a mixer stick with Jack, love whiskey on the rocks invest in Bulleit Rye or if you love everything - Wild Turkey with honey).

What's your take on whiskey? Love? Hate? Care to share your favorite?

Final word that all whiskey's expensive and inexpensive should all be drink responsibly and in moderation. 

12 comments:

  1. I'm yet to try honey whiskey, but like you I never knew how to imagine the taste of honey in whiskey. I only drink whiskey with coke, but not very often. I'm a fan of cream whiskey with ice, Baileys being my favorite. I prefer the original, but they have different flavors too and they're quite nice, but sweeter than the original.

    imeowlife. ,Dixx

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    1. I'm not a big honey eater so I wasn't expecting to like it has much as a I did - it's certainly very smooth and enjoyable if you're not keen on a sharp whiskey. As for Baileys I've actually never tried any of them, I keep meaning to look into it more so I'll have to try it this year.

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  2. I'm just eying up your bottle of Kraken rum to be honest - yum!
    I'm not a whiskey drinker but then I've not really tried many, I'm sure I could grow to love it!
    This was a really interesting read as a non-whiskey-drinker haha :)

    Jess xo

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    1. Love Kraken rum - i'm not a big rum drinker - although I can tending towards the dark rums (white rums taste like paint stripper to me) and I couldn't tell you the differences like I can whiskey, but yeah gotta love a good shot of the Kraken - love the bottle and label design too, there's nothing like it.

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  3. I used to love whiskey in college. When someone had a bottle of jack daniels & sour mix I was happy! Now...yeesh I don't think I've had a whiskey drink in forever. I did have an old-fashioned drink last year and I didn't like it so I think I need to find a new whiskey drink that will make me happy again! =)

    Ergo-Blog

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    1. I'm actually the same with rum, but after a bad bad night with it at university I've stayed away from it and only slowly returning to it. But whiskey sours on the other hand - love them!

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  4. I love this! It's like a mini guide :) I'm not a lover of whiskey - I hate the taste of Jack Daniels - but it's something I've always wanted to get into. I love that it's such a classic drink and have always wanted to enjoy it. Perhaps I should try some other whiskeys that you've suggested. Then again i used to hate beer - again, something perceived as such a man's drink - but I love it now! Maybe it just takes more time to appreciate it. A friend recently suggested I try rum and Dr Pepper too so that's a must try for me as well.

    Great post, it's written really well, I love how you've made essentially a mini guide without writing huge blocks of text or putting way too much unnecessary information for each kind of whiskey. It's straight to the point and perfect for someone like me who doesn't know the first thing about whiskey but wants to learn more without feeling too overwhelmed :) x

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    1. I'd glad you found it useful - I know when you're stood in front of rows of whiskey it's somewhat daunting as to what to buy and try, especially when you consider it's not the cheapest thing to be risking a chance on. Personally I'm not a huge scotch whiskey drinker, at least not yet and bourbon can be really sweet so it's finding that balance and your tastes.

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  5. This is really cool, thanks for sharing your advice! I tend to drink wine or occasionally vodka. Spirits are quite strong for me but I'd like to give your suggestions a try :) x

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    1. See I've never been that much of a vodka drinker (although I want to be mainly because there's so many varieties), I find that really strong (odd when I drink strong whiskey)! We did find a lovely locally distilled vodka at the weekend called Valentine Vodka which is delicious!

      I do have a weakness for flavoured Smirnoff vodka in a coffee though when I'm ebaying late into the night ...

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  6. Really great post! I'm not that big a whiskey fan, but only really because I haven't tried that many. Although I my current drink of choice is Honey Jack Daniels with coke, it's very nice! You've made me want to branch out a bit further into the world of whiskey xx

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    1. I nearly opted for the Jack Daniels honey version - that's on my list to try and agreed it's great with coke!

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