I was out shopping for bourbon yesterday since I was running low on W. L. Weller and the Knob Creek I had left since I first discovered W. L. Weller. Unfortunately, there seems to be some sort of supply-side disaster, as they can't get the Weller in my liquor store anymore. I was going to go back to purchasing a fifth of Knob for $29, but for a buck more, the guy at the store recommended Woodford Reserve. Good salesmanship? Maybe, but I figured trying something new was worth a buck to me if I can't get the Weller, which I prefer to Knob, for just $18. So, I figured I'd do a comparison of at least the Knob and the Woodford, since I still have some Knob left.

I started w/ the Knob. It's a pretty harsh bourbon, but very woody and flavorful. Being 100 proof instead of the usual 80, it's no surprise that it's extra-fiery.

I took a whiff of the Woodford, and it did a number on my nose. I'm used to sniffing beer, not liquids a little more volatile. It hurts to take too deep a smell of. It has kind of a funny aroma I can't place. The flavor is similar, but I can actually make it out a little better what I was smelling. It tastes a little of vanilla, apple, and not as much wood as the Knob. It's not as fiery, either, although it does taste smoother than its 90.4 proof would suggest. This is a little different from most bourbons I've had. I almost don't like it because it's relatively sweeter tasting and smooth compared to what I expect from bourbon. I could see many people liking this better, though.

I think I'll have to see how the Woodford mixes to give a final review. But not tonight. I don't want to get plastered.

W. L. Weller and The Knob are they better quality than Jim Beam?

I absolutely love Knob Creek. I couldn't imagine anything sweet like vanilla being in bourbon, that sounds pretty repulsive to be honest. I hate drinking anything sweet which is why I love bourbon so much, leading to me believe that I wouldn't like this at all.

What do you mix with? I just usually have bourbon and water.

Knob Creek is much better than Beam

Wookie, which Weller?

There was some sort of issue with whiskey distributors about a month ago around here. For a while you couldn't get Dickel #12 anywhere in town, and you know it's bad because the stuff is made just down the road.

This thread puts me on Scot tilt.

Yes. I like the Weller better than both Knob and Beam, and Knob is def. better than Beam.

My favorite cocktails involving bourbon are Manhattans, Godfathers (2:1 bourbon:amaretto), and a couple more obscure concoctions involving Benedictine and maybe lemon juice.

The 107. That's all I can/could get in my local liquor store.

Yeah, maybe I should have gone with the Dickel. I wasn't really looking for something that would break the bank, just a solid whiskey to put in my cocktails. I have the better part of a bottle of Blanton's for drinking neat.

I use Knob as my "mixer" and Blanton's as my guilty pleasure. I also like Basil Hayden's, but after getting hooked on Blanton's I haven't gone back.

I first heard of Weller in that "Best Value Spirits" thread a couple years ago. I picked it up and was blown away by it. It's <$20 and better tasting than most that are twice the price. I haven't bought a bottle for awhile, but since reading this thread I'm pretty sure a stop by Binny's may be in order tonight. I'll let you know if we're encountering the same tilt inducing supply side disaster.

4_2_it - I think you have a sixth sense for the word "Blanton's."

I still have a certain empty bottle of Blanton's sitting on my liquor shelf.

I also have Wookie to thank in regards to W. L. Weller. Great stuff, imo.

I was out whiskey shopping again, and rather than post the results in a new thread, I'll add to this one. I killed off my bottle of Bushmills recently, and I was going to restock. However, I decided to peruse the other options rather than immediately grabbing my standby. I remembered Irish Lefty's recommendation for Tullamore Dew, so I was thinking about that, but then something else caught my eye. I saw a bottle of The Irishman Single Malt Irish Whiskey for $17.99 for a fifth. Single malt sounded interesting, and the price was cheap. In fact, it was cheaper than the blended version from the same brand. The single malt was in a considerably fancier bottle, though (cork vs. screwtop, the single malt had a plastic box around the bottle, and even fancier gold lettering), so I definitely would have guessed that that the single malt was their better product. I wasn't sure if it was on special, or maybe if it was mislabeled or what. I took it up to the register and they indeed charged me only $17.99, so I took it before anyone wised up, but also hoping that I wasn't the one who was the sucker.

Trying it now, this whiskey is very, very good. It's not quite as smooth as some Irish whiskeys, but that's more to its credit than its detriment. It's fiery and woody, and it lingers on the tongue very nicely. It still has that distinctly Irish flavor to it that I don't really know how to describe. It's lighter and sweeter tasting than any other whiskey. Anyway, if you can taste the difference between bourbon and Irish whiskey, this has that same quality in spades. This whiskey was an absolute steal at $18. I'd have been pretty happy with it in the $30-$40 range, maybe more. I have no idea if my ability to buy this so cheaply was a total fluke, but any of you guys see this for $18, snatch it up immediately. Buy more than one bottle. This is the W. L. Weller of Irish whiskey, and I might even prefer it to the Weller for drinking straight.

The other whiskey I bought was a liter of the George Dickel. I think that's going to be my go-to mixing whiskey until my liquor store gets the Weller back. The Dickel is good stuff, solid for mixing, and the price is right. I like the Knob Creek a little more than the Dickel, but not enough to pay KC's premium if I'm going to be mixing with it.

Somewhat off topic from this thread, I also picked up a liter of Cruzan Estate light rum, which, if you ever see it, is another must-buy. For me, it's cheaper than Bacardi, and it's way, way better. They actually age this rum in oak briefly. I have no idea how this rum is so cheap, but there's pretty much no other light rum worth buying. I may have to pick up their dark rum and see how it stacks up against Mount Gay and Meyers.

My uncle introduced me to Cruzan rum and I love it. Their flavored rums in particular are amazing, they really taste like the thing they're supposed to be the flavor of rather than, well, flavoring. Cruzan Coconut >>>>>> Malibu.

I also really like Appleton for rum. Also about same price as Bacardi if not cheaper and far superior.

Huh. I haven't seen their flavored rums. I only saw the light, the dark, and the single barrel. I'll keep my eyes open, although I'm not much of a Malibu drinker. Have you tried the Cruzan dark, or only the light?

I've tried the light. Can't remember if I picked up a fifth of the dark ever. It's been a while since I did straight rum.

Cruzan Rum, light or dark, is my rum of choice.

As for whiskey...I've got bottle of Makers Mark (great as a shot), Jack (best mixer), Johnnie Walker Black (never tried it) and the latest from Crown Royal - their XO brand. The XO is by far the best.

Had this over the weekend, with rocks imo.

Got this email today if anyone is interested...

I'm very pleased to tell you that The Balvenie Vintage 2008 has now been released.

Selected by Malt Master David Stewart, together with a team of our very own Balvenie craftsmen, The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1976 is a bottling of two oak casks that had lain undisturbed for over 30 years. Visit my column to read more.

With a yield of just 433 bottles, which are expected to be quickly snapped up, don't delay if you fancy a bottle. Visit our online shop to find out more.

As a final aside, I'm very pleased to tell you that our Single Barrel 15 Year Old and last year's limited edition SherryOak 17 Year Old have won a gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco Spirits competition. Let's hope it's a good sign for the year to come.

Kindest regards,
Rob MacPherson

Rob MacPherson
The Balvenie Distillery