An OFTD (Old Fashioned Throw Down)
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:01 pmToday I bought two bourbons which have been absent from my closet for a long time. Since each of these bourbons has long been known to me, and appreciated by me, I decided to do a throw down, mano a mano. The contenders are Wild Turkey's Russell's Reserve Single Barrel (110 proof) and Beam's Baker's (107 proof). Both cost in the $50 range and I consider both, in my experience, first class bourbons....... neither of which I have imbibed in many moons.
The color of these two is very much the same and is redolent in amber. The Russell's Reserve has a more woody aroma and is almost piney. There is a slight lemony aroma also, mixed in with some leathery tones. The Baker's has a softer nose that speaks of the barrel, and, of yeast. Both have been reduced to about 100 proof, and neither betrays any signs of alcohol to my nose.......... a very good sign.
The Russell's has that characteristic rye bite of a Wild Turkey bourbon, along with some rich and mildly creamy burnt brown sugar. The alcohol asserts itself about mid palate in concert with the rye spice. This is a robustly flavored bourbon and the wood, as suggested in the nose, has a mild taste of pine.
The Baker's also has some nice creamy richness but lacks the spicy bite of the Russell's. The sweetness in the Baker's is of a rounder character and consequently a bit softer, and more subtle. As with the Russell's, the alcohol totes the flavors across mid-palate and into the deep throat. But, in the case of both these bourbons, the alcohol never dominates to the exclusion of the oak and its flavor components.
Both these bourbons are excellent and are prototypical of their respective distillers. The Wild Turkey has the well known and appreciated spice, and the Beam has that almost soft quality owing principally (I think) to the character of the yeast it uses in Baker's.
When I sip the Russell's, I think, 'now this is America's whiskey'. When I sip the Baker's, I think, 'now this is subtle American whiskey'. On this occasion, first I prefer one, then I prefer the other. Were I forced to choose one over the other, I think I would take the Baker's, and opt for the subtlety.
Russell's Reserve is not the best Wild Turkey bourbon I have had (anyone remember WT Tribute?), but I am not at all sure that there is a better Beam bourbon than Baker's. To me it drinks older than its seven years, and I lay that at the feet of the yeast Beam uses, and I do so without a shred of evidence to support that contention.
The color of these two is very much the same and is redolent in amber. The Russell's Reserve has a more woody aroma and is almost piney. There is a slight lemony aroma also, mixed in with some leathery tones. The Baker's has a softer nose that speaks of the barrel, and, of yeast. Both have been reduced to about 100 proof, and neither betrays any signs of alcohol to my nose.......... a very good sign.
The Russell's has that characteristic rye bite of a Wild Turkey bourbon, along with some rich and mildly creamy burnt brown sugar. The alcohol asserts itself about mid palate in concert with the rye spice. This is a robustly flavored bourbon and the wood, as suggested in the nose, has a mild taste of pine.
The Baker's also has some nice creamy richness but lacks the spicy bite of the Russell's. The sweetness in the Baker's is of a rounder character and consequently a bit softer, and more subtle. As with the Russell's, the alcohol totes the flavors across mid-palate and into the deep throat. But, in the case of both these bourbons, the alcohol never dominates to the exclusion of the oak and its flavor components.
Both these bourbons are excellent and are prototypical of their respective distillers. The Wild Turkey has the well known and appreciated spice, and the Beam has that almost soft quality owing principally (I think) to the character of the yeast it uses in Baker's.
When I sip the Russell's, I think, 'now this is America's whiskey'. When I sip the Baker's, I think, 'now this is subtle American whiskey'. On this occasion, first I prefer one, then I prefer the other. Were I forced to choose one over the other, I think I would take the Baker's, and opt for the subtlety.
Russell's Reserve is not the best Wild Turkey bourbon I have had (anyone remember WT Tribute?), but I am not at all sure that there is a better Beam bourbon than Baker's. To me it drinks older than its seven years, and I lay that at the feet of the yeast Beam uses, and I do so without a shred of evidence to support that contention.