Quote:
Originally Posted by RichGangi
I was extremely underwhelmed by the Pappys 15 yr. Was much harsher than I expected. I very much enjoy Blantons or Makers Mark more at this point. I'm still going to try the 20 and the 23 though.
Tried all of these to find out what the fuss is about. I tried the 15 first just offhandedly at a champagne tasting and almost didn't buy any Pappy's because of it, but
daCaptain's thread in OOT convinced me. I polished off both bottles about three months ago, so I can't give detailed tasting reports, but I think Pappy's 20 is the best value and well worth a spot in any collection.
It's a lot smoother than the 15y, and I'm a little surprised the younger one carries the Family Reserve label. It's sweet and fairly mellow, with little or none of the harshness. Very sippable.
The 23y is similar and a little bit woodier in flavour. It's bottled at a higher proof and although I do not normally take my whiskies with water, I recommend a splash of it with this. It opens it up a little and stops it from being just a mild glass of liquid wood. Slight differences in flavour from the 20y and I enjoy it a little more, but not enough that I'm willing to pay double. I'd rather add another similarly priced bottle of rye or something.
I haven't tried a huge breadth of boutique bourbons because Canadian availability isn't as good, but I've tried almost everything locally available and Pappy's 20y is my preferred bourbon.