The Golden Age

[angelshare]

When a giant leaves us (in the realm of bourbon enthusiasm, e.g., Mr. Sam Cecil, Mr. Booker Noe), I tend to reflect and get somewhat mournful and nostalgic about the end of an era. Having said that, such reflection caused me to ponder the question -

As a bourbon CONSUMER, when was the golden age? I know the bourbon BUSINESS may have seen better days, but, as someone who enjoys bourbon, when was the best time to be around to drink it?

I don't know if this is the golden age, but, really, when all is said and done, consider the following:

1) BE.com and other fora are available to facilitate the discussion of bourbon - has there ever been anything like this?

2) I can get bourbon uncut, unfiltered, straight out of the barrel (Stagg, Booker's) - when has this been possible? The 1800's?

3) Bourbons available - it seems to me that there are a lot of bourbon options out there. Historically, is this typical?

4) AAA and EW 1783 - ten years old, $10/bottle, great taste. A dollar a year for aging. This is nice!

5) There is a Bourbon Festival - was there ever a comparable event? If there was...well, it's nice that there still is!

Just some random thoughts - it just seems like a good time to be drinking bourbon!

[Strayed]

As Yogi Berra, another great hero from the past, never said, "Nostalgia just ain't what it useta be".

Two of the many things I've learned about bourbon are (1) for all of the reasons you listed, this HAS to be the golden age for those who enjoy bourbon whiskey, and (2) for a product whose image is practically the definition of "unchanging devotion to the values and methods of our forebears, down through generation after generation", it's surprising how radically different today's bourbon is from that of... well, uh... 1985???

Oh, and (3) am I now so old that I think of 1985 as not very long ago?

[sevenmag]

Bourbons available - it seems to me that there are a lot of bourbon options out there. Historically, is this typical?

Speaking from personal expierence, I'd say this isn't typical. But then in 1985 if I went in a state store there was just the usual fare. Jim Beam, Evan Williams, Early Times, Wild Turkey. That was about it. Now I can pick between likes of Knob Creek and Eagle Rare. That can't be a bad thing.

[OneCubeOnly]

In terms of high-end bourbons being available, if there's a 'Golden Age' I believe we're in it.

I suppose one could also argue that a past 'Golden Age' occurred just after the clear spirits became trendy. Chuck has talked before about distillers at that time having more bourbon than they could sell, and subsequently aging it longer. My understanding is that even the 'bottom shelf dwellers' were superb, merely because there was so much good stock around to get rid of.

[bunghole]

Golden Ages always amuse me. "These are the good old days!" Right? Single Barrels & Small Batches abound. Uncut & Unfiltered are buzz words.

I like to dream of how it was before the War of Northern Aggression. Drive your wagon and team out McCracken Pike down Glenn's Creek to Oscar Pepper's Distillery and pick out a few barrels that were distilled by Dr. James C. Crow. Yowzer! Single Barrel Bourbon by the barrelful! Uncut & Unfiltered too! Load 'em up and take 'em home to both drink and to continue aging. That must have been real nice.

Then there was the Age of Bottled In Bond from 1897 until Prohibition. Lot's of good bourbons in bottles. Quality you could trust. After repeal BIB took off again for a while and then petered out.

And of course we have right now, which is always a good time to be alive. Bourbon selection and flavor profiles are damn good, and are far better now than at any other time during my time on this earth thus far. "These are the good old days."

Pants Away, Baby!

ima

[Strayed]

... Yowzer! Single Barrel Bourbon by the barrelful! Uncut & Unfiltered too! Load 'em up and take 'em home to both drink and to continue aging. That must have been real nice.

You add a very good point to this... namely, WHOSE golden age is it, anyway? Neither you nor I would have ever tasted or even heard of Dr. Crow's fine bourbon in that "golden age". Of course in both Virginia and Ohio we'd have our own local distillers, and probably even a choice among two or three. And, people being the way we all are, we'd remember those as being the finest examples of what whiskey ought to taste like. But that doesn't mean they were. I'm not even so sure Crow's own whiskey was so great, only that Col. Taylor's fine product was named out of respect for him. And how many other really EXCELLENT distillers have disappeared into history without even a memory of them or their products?

The fact is, if you lived near where great bourbon was being barreled, it was a golden age; but you probably didn't know it 'cause you never had any other kind. And if, like most of us, you weren't that lucky, then... well, you STILL didn't know it 'cause you never had any other kind

Maybe the only real measure of a "Golden Age" is in the variety available and the number of people it is available to. Koji's customers in Kawasaki City can enjoy a far wider variety of bourbons than even the wealthiest and most elite member of Louisville's Pendennis Club a hundred years ago.

[bourbonv]

A Golden Age of Bourbon debate! Where have I heard that before? Let me think... just about every time I get together with Howie Stoops and John...

My opinion is that the Golden Age was really in the 1950's and 60's when there were a lot more distilleries operating and the accountants had not taken over. Just think, getting Old Fitzgerald made under the watchfull eyes of Pappy Van Winkle or J T S Brown made by the J T S Brown distillery, not Heaven Hill. You could still get Heaven Hill whiskey, but Maker's Mark was the crafted bourbon Mr. Samuel's wanted made by Sam Cecil. Brown Forman was making their fine products then but so was National Distillers making Old Grand-Dad, Old Taylor and Old Crow instead of Jim Beam. Very Old Barton was an 8 years old product, but Wils Turkey was a rectified bourbon distributed by Austin Nichols and their present distillery was making bourbon for the Ripey family. There were also many distilleries making products that were not big names like Willett, and Old Boone. You could get Fleischmann's bourbon out of Owensboro along with Medley products from that city. Schenley had distilleries making products such as Green River, Old Stagg and Pride of Nelson. There were many great rye whiskeys being made in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Old Overholt, Melrose, Rittenhouse, Mount (or is it Mt.) Vernon and others. To top it off it was all very reasonable in price.

It could also be argued as Linnsaid that the years just prior to prohibition would also be considered a Golden Age. Because of the reasons he listed and others such as lower distillation and barrel proofs giving great flavor to the products made. Also that was time when you could still buy bourbon by the barrel and the consumer could get barrel proof unfiltered bourbon anytime they wanted it by going to their local saloon or liquor store.

This does not mean that today is not good. I would say that we are on the verge of a new Golden Age but it is really all in the hands of the few distillers left. Julian Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace are doing a great job with supplying new and old products and styles. What we need now is some growth in competition with smaller distilleries forcing the big boys into paying attention to flavor and styles of their products, giving the consumer more choices.

Mike Veach