Have I tried all 7,347,632,467,230,876 bourbons that have blown up out there?

Uhhhhh, hell no… but maybe closer than most.

Do I have favorites?

Yep.

As a Kentucky boy who has drank a lot of bourbon and tried many different kinds of bourbon, not all but many, here comes my recommendations.

ONE. Drink that shit!

Quit storing that shit for years and whatever else you do besides drinking it. DRINK THE FUCKING BOURBON! That’s what it was made for. Open the damned bottle, smell it if you want, look at the color, hell, speak some french if you want but put some bourbon in your mouth and taste it. If you can’t hold it in your mouth, give it to someone who can and stop driving up the price of bourbon. Go drink a Zima.

TWO. Bourbon does not have to be made in Kentucky… but they REALLY know what they are doing.

Nope. There is no rule, law or decree that bourbon can only come from Kentucky. It can come from Egypt BUT… there is a reason that Kentucky bourbon is, in general, damn good.

They know what they are doing.

They didn’t just learn this moonshine business yesterday, last week, 5-years ago nor 10. We in Kentucky have been making moonshine for generations. We… I mean they… forget sometimes that I no longer live in the state that I was born and raised… anyhow, those in Kentucky have been putting moonshine in a barrel for generations. They have great limestone water. They have an abundance of lumber for the barrel’s. They make damn good bourbon! And I feel very strange saying they.

THREE. Read the damned label.

If the label says “distilled in Indiana”, it is in no way a “craft” nor “small batch” nor any other fancy marketing term they have come up with this week to sell a bottle of liquor. It can still be a great bourbon but it wasn’t “crafted” in small batches. There is a large mass production distillery in Lawrenceburg, IN called MGP and they are the source of a growing percentage of bourbon’s barrelled in this country and beyond. Essentially they make the moonshine and folks in California, Iowa, Utah, Washington and beyond barrel it.

FOUR. Stop believing those fabricated stories.

You know, the one where someone’s uncle’s cousin gave a 700-year old recipe to their sister’s husband who made the bourbon in the fancy bottle. Most of that is marketing… a.k.a. pure bullshit. Once again, see number three and quit believing everything you hear, or see. It may be good and tasty and let’s leave it at that and try your very best to not spread a lie. Thanks marketers.

FIVE. If you like it, drink it.

It’s really the best advice. If you open the bottle, and do open the damned bottle. If you open the bottle and taste it and you like it, drink it. Pretty simple.

My favorite, go-to bourbons are really just three. Old Forester 86 for mixing, Woodford Reserve (90.4 proof) for everyday bourbon that can be mixed or straight, and Blanton’s Single Barrel (93-proof) for sipping. Thanks to the hype, Blanton’s is now near impossible to buy so I really should tell you it is terrible and should be avoided at all cost. I REALLY like Blanton’s but, it’s hard to get right now so I have been forced to substitute Woodford Double Oak (90.4 Proof) for Blanton’s.

In general, I do not like any bourbon that is above 90-proof. Go ahead, I will wait and let you get that out of your system……………. Yes, in general, I do not like hot bourbon. Now, you drop a 2002 Limited Edition Barrel Proof George Stagg in front of me, I’m a join ya in a taste. I’m not buying the bottle but if you do and offer me a taste, I’m in. The same for Pappy Van Overhyped. I will taste yours and I actually like the 23-year old. The rest, nope. You’re being silly paying those prices for that quality of bourbon. Here’s some of what I like.

I.W. Harper, 15 Year old… it comes at you a bit sweet then blends in spicy and ends with a slow burn. It’s definitely not a “hot” bourbon and that’s a big plus for me. Big flavor at 86-proof that doesn’t take your head off. Yeah, I’m in on that. You should find this below $80, above that you have to weigh other options because you’re just throwing money away at that point. As a bonus on I.W. Harper, when you finish the bottle you have a nice and fancy decanter that you can reuse in the future. Guy Clark actually sang about this bourbon on “Black Diamond Strings”. The line goes… “drinking I.W Harper, playing Black Diamond strings”. He referred to it as One-double-u in the song which is the bourbons nickname.

Eagle Rare, 10-Year Old… When the earthy taste hits you, you think bourbon… or I do. I like that mossy flavor. I remember the first time I tried this when I was pretty young, I thought there was dirt in it because of the flavor. I still drank it, of course, but it had that strange “whang” to it. It sucks that Sazerac, a large alcohol corporation, bought these guys out but the bourbon is still good… for now. It’s a Buffalo Trace mashbill which means it has a low rye content and that’s fine by me. At 90-proof this one’s a bit warmer than the I.W.. Harper 15 Year Old. It was once billed as a single barrel but… and here comes the corporation… they replaced the hand bottling to automated lines and they had to remove the single barrel label. It is a sweeter bourbon and that tends to appeal to some. All in all this is a solid bourbon at a good price and you should find it under $40. Good stuff!

If you wanna hang with some folks that know WAY more than I do about bourbon, make your way to Barrel & Bond in Paducah, KY (https://barrelandbond.com/) or, head up to Louisville and stop in at Bourbons Bistro (http://bourbonsbistro.com/). These cats know what they are doing.