Is Bourbon Boring?
Before I began my whisky journey, I was probably drinking more bourbon than scotch single malts such as the likes of Jim Beam as a mixer or Maker’s Mark when I could afford to treat myself. The general flavour profile of bourbon works well for all occasions in my opinion, whether that be in a cocktail, as a session whisky or a sipper.
During the early stages of my whisky journey, when I started to expand my horizons and widen my budget, the majority of my purchases were bourbons. I got through a decent amount in a relatively short amount of time compared to the amount of single malts I had been through. However, the rate at which I was going through the bourbon category slowed down quite quickly and my attention was gradually diverting more toward the scotch single malt category.
I am now at the point where I feel like I experienced all I can with bourbon, and I have tried no more than 50. That being said, I always have a bourbon to hand on my whisky shelf. Eagle Rare 10 is always on my whisky shelf and if I can’t get hold of it, I have Four Roses Small Batch as a readily available back up to turn to. I must add that being in the UK is a limiting factor when it comes to buying bourbon because firstly they are overpriced over here and secondly if you are looking for more sought after bottles they are most likely to sell out in an instant. It was a lot easier to get hold of the likes of Elijah Craig 12, Weller and Blanton’s 5 years ago and now it is almost impossible unless you are willing to pay over the odds.
The decline in my interest in bourbon is partly due to availability and price. However, it is mainly due to the lack of variety in flavour that I am finding with each new one that I try.
There are only so many variations on vanilla, oak and cinnamon I can unpick. When I watch the very entertaining ADHD Whiskey review bourbons I do wonder if my palate is just not fine-tuned enough for bourbon. I can pick up on the progression from the likes of Buffalo Trace to Eagle Rare and then Stagg Jr. Also, there are noticeable differences between wheat, rye and corn led bourbons. So, there is a degree of variation but still not enough to keep me invested in the category.
All of what I have said so far is my general feeling towards the category based on my experience. I wondered if what I have actually experienced supports my viewpoint, so I gathered all my tasting notes (nose, taste and finish) that I had to hand and plugged them into a word cloud generator so see how I define bourbon as a category.
Nose
Taste
Finish
Bourbons included.
1792 Small Batch, Baker's 7 Year Old, Basil Hayden's, Benchmark, Bernheim, Blanton's Original, Booker's, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit bourbon, Colonel EH Taylor Small Batch, Eagle Rare 10 Year Old, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Evan Williams Extra Aged, Four Rose Single Barrel, Four Roses Small Batch, Jeffersons, Jim Beam White Label, Knob Creek Small Batch, Larceny, Maker's Mark, Michter's Small Batch, Old Forester, Old Grand Dad, Stagg Jr, Wild Turkey 101, Wild Turkey 81, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select.
The result confirmed my feelings about the category. Not surprising to find that oak and vanilla feature heavily. I think the range of bourbons covered here provide decent coverage of the category. There are a couple of bourbons that I have tried but did not have notes to hand but I wanted to mention just to show that I have tried to be open minded and try something different within the category.
Angel’s Envy is one that sticks in my mind for all the wrong reasons. This one is matured in port barrels for part of the maturation process and I found this influence a bit too sickly sweet for my liking. It just didn’t appeal to me. This one costs in excess of £100! Fortunately, I got this for approx. £30 a few years ago when I visited the USA.
There is also Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea. This one has been matured on a boat with the idea that the bourbon would take some of the sea salt influence. I was expecting the level of coastal-ness on par with Old Pulteney but was left disappointed with how timid it was. This one costs £120!!
Of course, all of this is just my opinion. There is no snobbery intended here whatsoever, I am really fond of bourbon, but I am not feeling inspired by it and am finding that I am slowly losing interest in it as a category of spirit.
I wonder what the general consensus is amongst whisky anoraks. Am I alone on this? Do you agree or strongly disagree? I’d be keen for some suggestions that would challenge my view. But for now, I am not convinced that bourbon can provide the degree of variety and complexity of flavours that scotch single malts do. That being said, I never go without a bottle of Eagle Rare 10 and I absolutely dread the day it eventually becomes an unobtainable thing of the past like the Elijah Craig 12.
About the author
Jag
Jag got the whisky bug back in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since. He has benefited from the excellent advice gathered from the online whisky community and felt compelled to give something back to the community by adding his voice.
He started TheFlavourChase in 2018 to share his ongoing journey into the world of whisky, however life takes over so now he tries to write as and when he can. Whether you are at the start or well into your whisky journey he hopes you find his articles helpful . His intention is to share his journey, viewpoints and provide tips to help you on your Flavour Chase.