A comparative tasting that is run or sponsored by a distiller
typically covers the range of that maker’s product line, or
some subset thereof. There is nothing wrong with that kind of
tasting, and it certainly serves the distiller’s purposes,
but if you want to mount one on your own there are much more
interesting ways to go.
Here are some suggestions for “suites” of American whiskies to sample together, along with the rationale for doing so, followed by a few general suggestions about how to approach a comparative tasting.
A distiller’s “mash bill” is the grain types and proportion of each used in a particular bourbon’s mash, i.e., its “recipe.” All of the following are bourbon, but with very different mash bills. I.W. Harper has a very high percentage of corn in its mash, about 86 percent, and consequently a much smaller percentage of rye than most other bourbons. Old Grand-Dad has a formula with more rye (about 27 percent) and relatively less corn in it. Evan Williams, at about 13 percent rye, represents the bourbon mash bill mainstream. Harper and Grand-Dad are the two extremes.
All bourbons are mostly corn, usually 75 percent or better. All contain 8 to 12 percent barley malt, which has little effect on taste. (It produces an enzyme.) The rest of the mash bill is “flavor grain” and while that is usually rye, sometimes it is wheat.
Here are two rye-flavored bourbons and two wheat-flavored bourbons to compare and contrast: Wild Turkey (use the 80 proof version) and Old Forester both contain rye, Maker’s Mark and Old Fitzgerald both contain wheat.
Bourbon is the most popular American whiskey, but not the only one. Tennessee whiskey, Kentucky whiskey and straight rye whiskey are its close cousins. A typical bourbon is 75 percent corn and 13 percent rye, while a typical rye is 23 percent corn and 65 percent rye. (The rest in both cases is barley malt.) Tennessee whiskey is like bourbon in its mash and everything else, except it is filtered through deep vats of charcoal before aging. Kentucky whiskey (at least in the case of Early Times) would be bourbon but for the reuse of some barrels.
Here are suggested representatives of each type: Jim Beam (bourbon), Old Overholt (rye), George Dickel (Tennessee whiskey) and Early Times (Kentucky whiskey).
If money is no object, why not taste exemplars of each American straight whiskey type? To give your budget a little break, you only have to buy three bottles as there is no super-premium Kentucky whiskey. Suggested representatives of each type are: Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit (bourbon), Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel (Tennessee whiskey) and Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye (rye). (See page 6, this issue, for our review of the Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye.)
This suite could also be called “masonry v. wood,” as most city warehouses are made of brick, while most in the country are made of wood covered with a skin of corrugated steel.
Old Forester and Old Charter are two fine examples of city bourbons, made and aged within a few miles of each other in Louisville. Wild Turkey and Evan Williams are two country bourbons, made near (but not in) Lawrenceburg and Bardstown, respectively.
How much does wood affect the taste of a bourbon? To find out, taste the same whiskey at several different ages. Jim Beam makes that easy, with so many different bottlings. Standard Jim Beam (the white label) is 4 years old, Jim Beam Black is 7 years old and Knob Creek is 9 years old.
Another possibility is this suite from Heaven Hill: Henry McKenna (4 years), Evan Williams (7 years) and Elijah Craig (12 years). Although they have different names, it is all the same whiskey except for the age and proof.
You can also do this with Old Charter, which has 8, 10, 12 and 13 year old expressions available, if you can find them. For a real hoot, include Georgia Moon corn whiskey in any of these suites as an example of what green bourbon tastes like right from the still.
Until the 1950s, bottled-in-bond bourbon (also called bonded bourbon) was virtually the only kind available. Though the term refers to bonded warehouses and the law that regulates them, it mainly means 100-proof bourbon (50 percent alcohol by volume), the way all bourbon used to be.
Wild Turkey, at 101 and readily available, belongs in this suite even though not technically a bond. Other possibilities include Old Grand-Dad (the leading true bond), Knob Creek, W.L. Weller Centennial, J.W. Dant, Eagle Rare and Old Ezra. Pick three or four of these for your tasting, depending on availability and personal preferences.
Some inexpensive bourbons are very good and since most of us can’t afford to drink Blanton’s every day (not the way we drink), a comparative tasting is a good way to determine which affordable bourbon you like best.
Who is best on the bottom shelf? Here are several candidates that should be available in most areas, each from a different distillery: Ancient Age, Hiram Walker’s Ten High, Old Crow, and Henry McKenna. Feel free to substitute the cheapest local store brand you can find for one of the suggested brands, so long as it says “bourbon” on the label.
Unless tasting age and proof differences is the point of the suite, try to match age and proof as much as possible. Age and proof differences can easily overpower more subtle distinctions, like mash bill. The recommendations above took this into consideration. Unless otherwise noted, the recommended expression of a suggested brand is the standard one, which should have the added advantage of being easiest to find.
The suggested “suites” are small (3 or 4 selections in each) because alcohol quickly deadens your taste buds, especially when you are tasting spirits. For this reason, you should also consider diluting the whiskey with room temperature water, up to a 1:1 ratio. By preserving your taste buds in this way, you actually will experience more of the complex flavors in each selection. Add a little water before nosing and a little more before tasting. (But no more than 1:1 total.)
There are many different ways to spin a comparative tasting, depending on your panel (i.e., the friends who will be tasting with you).
Some people swear by blind tastings (you don’t learn what you’ve tasted until the end), but if you use these suites you probably should reveal the overall theme at the beginning, so people know what to look for. There is also nothing wrong with revealing everything at the beginning and discussing each whiskey in context as you taste it. These are two different approaches, but both are equally valid.
People love to rank things. If you and your panel want to choose a favorite from among the brands tasted, fine, but don’t make that the entire focus of your discussion. Instead, explore the complex flavors careful tasting can reveal. What characteristics do you notice in the nose, on the tongue, in the finish? Compare and contrast your observations with those of the other panelists.
“Which one is best?” is really a much less interesting question than you might imagine.
For detailed instructions on how to run a tasting, see The Book of Bourbon by Gary Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan. On the internet, see the www.straightbourbon.com web site.
Copyright © 1999, Charles Kendrick Cowdery, All Rights Reserved.
Originally published in The Bourbon Country Reader, Volume 4, Number 1 (January, 1999).
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