BourbonEnthusiast

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BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby Mike » Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:55 pm

We have lost a valuable member in John Lipman's departure, and I really regret that. I think it was premature of him to do so.

Let me remind you, this is a Bourbon Enthusiast site. I have only one opinion, but I work at giving you my best and considered opinions here. They make be wrong in the eyes of other experienced bourbon drinkers.

This is NOT to say that the inexperienced bourbon drinkers should not offer their opinions. This is the very site where I learned about bourbon, and modified my opinions, for better or worse. Changing your opinion should be considered a given here. I, for one, am suspect of your sincerity if you hold a consistent opinion........ you are not growing by trying the same ole same ole.

BourbonEnthusiast is not a site for you to look only for confirmation of your taste in bourbon. It never has been, and if it becomes one, I will also leave it. Bourbon is a dangerous substance, without doubt. But living is dangerous.

I have long believed that BourbonEnthusiast is where you can learn why Bourbon is more that dangerous.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby 393foureyedfox » Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:49 am

ive changed my mind on everything ive tried, except KC120 and bookers. those were instant likes and remain so.

i really like OGD 114 now, but did not at first. i learned it needed some air time first.

i liked VOB BIB at first, now not so much.

loved Charter 101 at first, then i could barely finish the bottle.

Ive had love-indifference spirals with HH BIB's. currently im a fan, but you know youre drinking a cheapie, but who cares?

and so it goes....
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby Wasatch » Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:10 pm

I've learned alot about bourbon and whiskey from BE.
Cheers!
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby thomas15 » Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:33 am

I'm basically a Bourbon newb although I have been a Bourbon fan for many years. Only as of late have I made the effort to learn about Bourbon, how to taste, how to buy and so forth. And now I hold that drinking Bourbon means just that, not mixed with coke or 7-UP, but a little water or ice is ok. So now I try to determine if I really enjoy the drink or just like the idea of being a Bourbon enthusiast.

So where do we start? Being a lone wolf in this hobby means that I have to make some decisions, try some different brands and take a few chances. I also have to give the each offering a fair chance. This is time a consuming endevor. Do I conform to the norm or majority view or try to make my own informed decisions? Do I like something just because everyone else likes it or do I swim against the tide for the sake of being different and like something that everyone else hates?

And then there is the prospect of becoming a Whisky snob. This is something I don't want to become and yet how do I learn the hidden treasures of the drink without nipping at the edges of snobdom? How do I objectivly sample a fine brew in a plastic cup? But do I need to go full glencarin? And do I try to be noble and suffer through EW Black and learn the ropes, avoiding 4 Roses SB just to keep myself humble?

When I was a kid my Grandfather lived with us. Grandpap was a WW-2 infantry vet (wounded with Purple Heart) and worked for NJ Natural Gas. First thing pap did when he got home from work was head to the pantry, set down his cigar, poured a shot glsss, emptied said shot glass, poured another glass, picked up his cigar and headed for the easy chair. Grandpap enjoyed his whiskey and cigars and so do I. Difference is grandpap drank Seagrams and smoked Dutch Masters. I on the other hand have several degrees, sit at a desk and insist on a quality KY Bourbon and a hand rolled smoke. So I'm always thinking about grandpaps simplicity and trying to balance this with my desire to know quality.

This is why I like this forum. I, like many others here really desire an increased knowledge, it adds to the experience.

Thanks for reading , Thomas15
Whiskey for Breakfast (in the key of Glock).
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:20 pm

You know Thomas, after about 50 years of drinking bourbon and smoking cigars, I have learned one thing. Good bourbon does not come cheap and neither do cigars. I don't have a problem with anybody drinking and smoking the cheaper stuff. To each, his own. But on a very long journey, I've found that I am now content with buying less but buying better. Again, to each, his own.
Joe
Colonel Joseph B. "Bourbon Joe" Koch

Bourbon, It's cheaper than therapy!
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby Mike » Wed Sep 18, 2013 11:03 pm

Nice post Thomas15, keep it up!
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby devilscut » Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:06 am

Great answer Joe bourbon. I'm in the same thought about it as you, and probably have been drinking bourbon about the same amount of time. Although I just started smoking cigars about five
years ago. Years ago, I smoked those nasty cigarettes. I gave that up 27 years ago.
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby gillmang » Sun Sep 22, 2013 12:42 pm

Learning a lot about bourbon, or anything, doesn't mean you have to become a snob. It just means you know a lot about something. Some people do combine both, but that is their choice, and when I meet one, I know one (and try to avoid them).

The best way to avoid being a snob is to keep learning - don't assume you know it all - and you can learn from people who aren't "experts". Recently, someone who knows little about whiskey told me that after tasting a number of small batch whiskeys and a mass market blend I proffered to him (these are my terms, to him they were all just whisky), he thought the blend was "processed" and preferred one of the others. I wouldn't have put it that way, but I see what he means: I learned something new.

If your gran-dad liked Seagram, that's fine - lots of people did and still do. I am sure he enjoyed it every bit as much as people who enjoy supposedly better whiskey at a higher price. If he had had the chance to drink a more expensive brand, maybe he wouldn't have liked it - there are numerous expensive brands of bourbon sold today I think are crap, frankly. There are many I think are great though, and many inexpensive bourbons I think are great too, like Four Roses Yellow Label, say, or Old Forester 100 proof. Just try a range of things and decide what you like. Don't drink it because the tastemakers "say" it is best. Don't avoid it just because it has a low price tag. Decide for yourself what is good, keep an open mind, keep learning. Knowledge is a good thing. And you won't be a snob.

Gary
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Re: BourbonEnthusiast

Unread postby 393foureyedfox » Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:57 pm

a humbling thing to keep in mind is that even the experts on any topic in the universe, dont know everything. and even if they get 'relatively' close, often something they thought they knew was wrong and forces them to rethink everything from that level upward. keep that concept in mind, and you shouldnt be a snob on anything.
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