Discernment

“Life is too short to drink bad bourbon.” – Me

I’m not sure where to proceed from here. Oh, I know what I want to talk to you about, just not sure how to go about doing it. I promised you I wouldn’t be negative. Is the truth (at least according to my taste) negative? Well, let’s find out. I also want to throw in a little philosophy about life, at least as far as collecting, drinking, and enjoying bourbon is concerned. Kinda like a Bourbon Buddha.

You see, in the next few weeks it’s time to start discussing the big dogs – Old Forester, Woodford’s Reserve, Maker’s Mark, and the biggest dog of all, Buffalo Trace. There’s no way to discuss the history of these revered brands here in this little column, so I’m not even going to try. Books have been written about them.

You might end up asking, “Does this guy even like bourbon?” Of course I do – I love it! Yet, with all of the collecting/buying that I’ve done over the years, I’ve learned a few life lessons. I used to go for quantity. If there was a bottle of bourbon out there that sounded good, or had a neat looking bottle, or I saw in fancy advertising, I’d buy it. Now, in my golden years (that’s weird to say) I realize that quality is better than quantity. Remember my father’s old adage? “It’s all made to sell son.” I should’ve listened. Another life lesson.

Let’s revisit our local liquor store, with us standing in awe of the hundreds of bottles of delicious (allegedly) dark brown liquors. Shiny bottles with cool names all lined up in neat rows ready to be consumed by the bourbon-thirsty public. The plain, honest, truth is: most of them are just average at best. Many aren’t that good at all. And … most are definitely not worth the price.

The same applies to all of these distinguished distilleries. Their flagship bourbons just really aren’t that great. I know! You’re sitting there thinking, “What are you talking about Jon?!” Well, I’ll tell you. Given that they are all made to sell, they are safe. They’re all “good,” but they don’t have a lot of added character. I have found that I never have them in my nightly Glencairn for exactly this reason. I do use them as great mixers though.

I suppose in my older age that I’ve learned to be discerning. I don’t want “normal’ or “good.” I want something different and extraordinary. Life is too short. And if one is going to pay the price for a nice bourbon, one might as well snag one that’s magnificent. BTW, this can be applied to a lot of things in life. Give it some thought.

That doesn’t mean that I’m snobby, or elitist (I am, but not in this case). Great bourbons don’t have to be allocated or cost hundreds of dollars. There are truly remarkable gems out there, many from smaller distilleries. Several that I’ve already written about. Some from the big-name distilleries as well, just not their main bourbons.

Case in point: Old Forester. Not a huge fan of most of their stuff. Their “regular” stuff is okay. Their Whiskey Row Series, again solidly good (I use that phrase a lot), yet, all of these are kind of harsh and oftentimes medicinal to me. I think that a good description of their wares would be “the Scotches of Bourbons.” Not exactly correct, but close enough. Well, personally, I don’t want my bourbons to taste like Scotch. That’s Scotch’s job.

Then a friend got me a bottle of Old Forester Statesman (I have some great friends). Sweeter, with fruit flavors and a very nice brown sugar-spice, finish. Now this is something worthy of my evening pour! This 95-proof gem sells for about $50 to $60. Definitely worth a purchase.

As an aside, Old Forester Statesman was supposed to be a limited edition run to support the 2017 film Kingsman: The Golden Circle. It ended up selling so well that they kept going with it permanently. Back to dear-old-Dad’s adage; this time, on the upside. There, I quickly wrapped up Old Forester. Perhaps too quickly.

If you would like to have a fun little experiment, take an evening and have a blind taste test. Pour a glass, or two, or three with a taste of the bourbons mentioned above. Chances are they’re on your liquor shelf. Then, consult a few of my previous articles, and snag a bottle of one of the “gems” that I’ve discussed.

Have someone help you set it up. It has to be blind. Then taste each one-by-one with a little sip of water in between. I would bet my bottom dollar that the “gem” will be the winner. Side-by-side, you would be amazed at how bland and pedestrian the famous bourbons are. Of course, as I always say, it’s all according to taste.

So, over the next few weeks we’re going to explore these large distilleries with the critical eye of discernment. Right now, I’m off to dig through my collection and enjoy a dram of something special. I’ll know it when I see it. Happy hunting for the extraordinary.

Until next time – cheers!

Jon Smyrnis is a lifelong Indianapolis area resident. He enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, dining out, and, of course, fine cocktails and great bourbons.