Help me pick out a nice Bourbon to send as a gift

With the other thread on Scotch, I figured that I would start my own with my family's preferred whiskey.

Fine, you caught me, it is a gift to myself. Or my brother or dad, in which case I would be sure to consume a considerable amount of it.

In any case, I love bourbon. Maybe it is genetic (my moms family is from Kentucky, and my dad's go to drink is bourbon), maybe I just like the way it tastes. In any case, I love bourbon. With this being the case, it is slightly alarming to me that I have never really experimented much with the drink:
Makers Mark--Meh
Jim Beam White Label (4 years)--I like it, but it doesn't rock my socks
Wild Turkey 101: Bad experience
Old Fitz: My go to cheap alcohol if I can find it
Very Old Barton: I liked it the one time I had it, but that was a long time ago and I can't find it.
Kirkland (Costco): My favorite so far for the price. I'm pretty sure it is actually Beam 7 or 8 year.

And... that is it. So, is there anything out there that I should definitely try?

Oh, and apparently I've also had Buffalo Trace. I have no recollection of this.

Bring from kentucky I take great pride in burbon, although I don't drink the stuff.

Makers mark is made 15 minutes from my house. That wax cap is a cultural icon.

Expand your horizons a bit and try Rye Whiskey. Old Overholt is my choice.

http://rebelyellwhiskey.com/home.html

I like it. Keith Richards drank it. How much more do you need?

BoostedBrandon wrote: Makers mark is made 15 minutes from my house. That wax cap is a cultural icon.

I have been to Maker's and done the tour. I remember the road leading in to be exceptionally fun and twisty. I worked over the rental Cadillac CTS that I had for the trip as I was manually downshifting the automatic transmission on the twisty parts.
I am not really that experienced but I hear good things of the Woodford Reserve. http://woodfordreserve.com/default.aspx

I have a buddy who is a Jack Drinker (I know, not Bourbon) but he raves about new Jack Honey.

Oooo, I'm actually a bigger bourbon fan than scotch! Allow me to list three you're going to need to try:
Maker's 46: I love regular Maker's (make mine neat, please), but it's a different kind of bourbon. Maker's 46 is traditional, and very good. When you drink it straight, the rougher ones (Jim Beam, to name a name) really show their true colors... not 46. Smooth like a freshly wax Maseratti.
Booker's Bourbon: uncut, unfiltered. Part of Beam's small batch collection, this is what Jim Beam should be... at 120+ proof, it's not for nancies, but it's not rough.
Elijah Craig (18 year prefered, 12 is more reasonably priced): It's distiller, Heaven Hill, is the last family owned distillary in Kentuckey. It's worth buying a bottle just for that, it sure doesn't hurt that it's a nice dram.

Oh and the previously mentioned Woodford Reserve is pretty solid, though a bit overmarketed. Jack Daniel's Honey, however, is not. Get that stupid flavored liquor out of this thread.

Knob Creek whiskey is pretty decent, about the same level as the Woodford Reserve. If you're looking for more exclusive- Tuthilltown Spirits in NY. You can find places that will mail it to you. Their Baby Bourbon and 4 Grain are both freaking fantastic, and the bottles are hand-labeled and waxed, definitely a cool touch.

I LOVE Four Roses. If you hadn't have it, get it. I prefer the regular to the single barrel.

Also if it isn't from Kentucky, it isn't Bourbon.

Woodford or Four Roses.

We likes the Bourbon here at my house in KY.

Since it's the holidays you should spoil yourself and grab one bottle from each distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. One of my friend's had this waiting under the tree from her father last year at Christmas - she said it was the only way she made it through Christmas in Alabama (she's originally from Wisconsin and loves snow so a non-white Christmas was hard).

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Bob

93EXCivic wrote: Also if it isn't from Kentucky, it isn't Bourbon.

QFT. The rest is just whiskey. Oh and it also has to be 51% corn too.

Woodford, Four Roses, and Maker's are my fav's.

Also personally, the higher the proof, the more they taste like a modified paint thinner/peeler and get so rough, they are unsippable.

The splurges are Evan WIlliams Single Barrel, Elijah Craig, or Four Roses. Wild Turkey 80-proof is very reliable and more drinkable than the 100. Very Old Barton, as you mentioned, or Henry McKenna for everyday use.

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. I posted it under the scotch thread, but it's more appropriate here.

See the little spaces on either side of the label? The distiller's fill those in by hand and sign them. Each line was clearly filled in with a ballpoint pen, by a person, after the label was printed. Apparently they play music or read to every batch, and will write down what that batch got to listen to. A buddy of mine got a bottle than had been listening to Tom Waits. Does that matter? Not really, but it's cool. And it is the best whiskey I've ever had.

I'm a Wild Turkey 101 and Wild Turkey with honey kind if guy. Whiskey brings out the Native American in me.

Bourbon makes my clothes come off.

TMI?

bludroptop wrote: Bourbon makes my clothes come off.

Me too. Lets not hang out together. (pun definitely intended)

Note to self: Do NOT bring bourbon to the Challenge.

Jack Daniels Single Barrell is what got me hooked on bourbon. It is addictive. I went from that to Evan Williams Single Barrell, which is noticeably not quite as good on the rocks, but is every bit as good mixed. Evan Williams black is my DD. Every one who tries it can't believe it's only $20 a handle.

For me it's Wild Turkey 101 on the rocks, please. For a treat, I like their Rare Breed barrel proof as well. Not much on Woodford of Knob Creek myself. I've heard good things about Stranahan's but haven't found it locally yet. Having read this, I will now have to find Booker's and give it a shot. I do like high proof spirits, and ol Jim Beam was a faithful companion in college until I took up with the Kickin Chicken, so the Booker's is probably right up my alley.

For a big twist, I really like the Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon. And it isn't no sissy weaksauce stuff either. The ST vodka is freakin 80 proof. I was expecting like 45-60.....

All the B's - Booker's, Blanton's & Basil Hayden - are pretty nice, and fairly easy to find. A friend recently brought over a bottle of Old Bardstown, which I had never previously heard of, and I rather enjoyed it. Rowan's Creek is enjoyable, and Rittenhouse Rye is a very solid one at a decent price. All of the Pappy Van Winkles I've had have been damn fine, and you can drop some coin on the older varieties - worth it for a special occasion, if you ask me.

Old Overholt is my go-to for sipping or mixing. There are certainly more complex ryes out these, but nothing can touch it at the price point.

Hey, I looked up the Booker's, and I HAVE had it! While on a business trip I sampled it and was quite impressed but could never remember what it was afterward. (Did I mention its 120 proof?) When I looked it up just now, I recognize the bottle.

So, another vote for Booker's!

alex wrote: All the B's - Booker's, Blanton's & Basil Hayden - are pretty nice, and fairly easy to find.

Oooh, so close! Jim Beam's Small Batch collection is Booker's, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's.

I live about an hour from Tuthilltown - they make some good stuff; their white dog (I forget what they actually label it as) is pretty robust. Rittenhouse Rye and Woodford Reserve make really nice Manhattans; Rebel Yell is not bad at all as a neat pour, and Wathen's and Pappy Van Winkle make for nice special occasion drams.