quality of bourbon and mixed drinks

Jack Daniels is not bourbon.

-- Larry

My question was basically if the cheaper stuff (whatever it is) is good for mixed drinks? If that made a difference or not?

Obviously, if you are drinking something neat you want a decent whisky or whiskey. :-)

~ On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:13:51 -0700, "Robert Anderson" ~ wrote: ~ ~ >Does it make a difference whether one uses Jim Beam or Jack Daniels in a ~ >mixed drink? I personally have never purchased a bottle of either of these ~ >but I see them both at the store for cheap! ~ >

~ >I always drink my scotch neat and my bourbon mixed. ~ ~ Jack Daniels is not bourbon.

Sure it is; they just choose not to put "bourbon" on the label for marketing reasons.

There are dozens of bourbons, but only two officially recognized Tennessee whiskeys -- Jack Daniel's and George Dickel. Both follow the federal regulations for bourbon whiskey -- in part, that at least 51 percent of its grain must be corn, and that aging take place in charred, new white-oak barrels -- and could be sold as bourbon. But each has an extra step for additional smoothness: charcoal mellowing, nicknamed the Lincoln County Process.

A good story, and one that plays up my favorite bourbon (even if it calls itself "Tennessee Whisky"), George Dickel.

Cheers,

Aaron

Aaron Leonard wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Thanks, I didn't know that. You have added to my already immense store of whisk(e)y related trivia.

: My question was basically if the cheaper stuff (whatever it is) is good for : mixed drinks? If that made a difference or not?

It makes a difference if you can taste the difference. It's all about _your_ taste buds. Try a cheaper one. If you like it, go with it.

Justin

No it's not -- it's considered Tennessee sour mash whisky. The extra filtering/mellowing step differentiates it from bourbon.

Some Tennessee folks -- like my old Army buddy, McBroom P. shirley Jr. (in case he's out there) -- are very sensitive about this.

And I too consider the George Dickel far superior to JD.

-- Larry

Yes, it makes an immense difference, but my experience has been different from what I expected. Case in point: I like manhattans, but only with cheap stuff. I have tried making them with decent (drinkable neat) bourbons, Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve, for example, but the complexity does not marry well with vermouth. Rather, a simpler bourbon is to my liking, such as Maker's Mark or Knob Creek. Technically a manhattan should use rye whiskey, and, incidentally, I like them best with Jim Beam rye, which is really cheap. I've not been able to acquire "good" rye whisky, so I can't comment on that.

John