Whiskey, Bourbon, and Other Fine Spirits!

Does anyone else have nights where the whisky just doesn't taste good no matter what bottle you pick up?

For example, I've had Old Forester 1920 several times over the last 4 months. There are days when it is some of the best bourbon I've had and other days it tastes like gasoline and very oaky. It's a really strange thing that I can't figure out why it is happening. It's happened with beer from time to time, but never as consistent with the bourbons.

Perhaps it is my taste is just wildly different from day to day.
 
AGbrewer said:
Does anyone else have nights where the whisky just doesn't taste good no matter what bottle you pick up?

For example, I've had Old Forester 1920 several times over the last 4 months. There are days when it is some of the best bourbon I've had and other days it tastes like gasoline and very oaky. It's a really strange thing that I can't figure out why it is happening. It's happened with beer from time to time, but never as consistent with the bourbons.

Perhaps it is my taste is just wildly different from day to day.
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I have that all the time. It's weird! I've got a bottle of Russel's Reserve that sometimes tastes great and other times I want to throw it out the window. And the same holds true with others also. Sometimes it just seems oddly bitter or something. I've wondered what causes it. Maybe fatty oils or something built up on the tongue or something? No clue, but I have had the same experiences.
 
thunderwagn said:
I have that all the time. It's weird! I've got a bottle of Russel's Reserve that sometimes tastes great and other times I want to throw it out the window. And the same holds true with others also. Sometimes it just seems oddly bitter or something. I've wondered what causes it. Maybe fatty oils or something built up on the tongue or something? No clue, but I have had the same experiences.
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I've been wondering if it had something to do with partially obstructed nostrils which affects your ability to taste things. I know that's kind of gross, but hey it is what it is.
 
I will say that sometimes I am not in the mood for whiskey, and I suspect that if I had some whiskey when I wasn't in the mood it probably wouldn't taste good. You know like say breakfast time...
 
thunderwagn said:
Dude, cocoa puffs and whiskey is delicious. Lol.
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You're such an asshole!
Quarantine must be getting to you.
Kidding man, glad that I am not in your shoes, and wish the best result for you.
Hope this cheers you up!
I bought this Cardhu in October 2019, about time I showed it some love and respect. Cardhu is an Isle Whiskey, has similar tasting notes to an Islay.
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AGbrewer said:
I've been wondering if it had something to do with partially obstructed nostrils which affects your ability to taste things. I know that's kind of gross, but hey it is what it is.
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If your nose is stuffy, you're missing out on most of the flavor. Most of our sense of taste is actually smell.
 
Craigerrr said:
You're such an asshole!
Quarantine must be getting to you.
Kidding man, glad that I am not in your shoes, and wish the best result for you.
Hope this cheers you up!
I bought this Cardhu in October 2019, about time I showed it some love and respect. Cardhu is an Isle Whiskey, has similar tasting notes to an Islay.
View attachment 12896
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Haha!
Do you have better selection on scotch in Canada vs American whiskey and bourbon?
 
thunderwagn said:
Haha!
Do you have better selection on scotch in Canada vs American whiskey and bourbon?
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Absolutely, yes we do.
I am a little gun shy on purchasing different Bourbon's. Recently bought the Elijah Craig Small Batch, it was $45, I did not care for it. I will go back to it and give it another chance at some point. The Buffalo Trace is a beauty though, but I haven't seen it in stores for a while.
 
Craigerrr said:
Absolutely, yes we do.
I am a little gun shy on purchasing different Bourbon's. Recently bought the Elijah Craig Small Batch, it was $45, I did not care for it. I will go back to it and give it another chance at some point. The Buffalo Trace is a beauty though, but I haven't seen it in stores for a while.
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You're not the 1st I've heard the from on the Elijah Craig, and paying that much for it really stinks. I pay about $20 for that bottle. I get Buffalo Trace under $25. It's always good and an American standard bourbon you just can't go wrong with. I do like the Elijah Craig. There's nothing spectacular about it, but for $20 I find it to be a really good everyday, easy sipper. At $45 I can understand being disappointed though.
Are your scotch whiskey prices also inflated?
 
Here are a few examples.
Truly the best value here is the Laddie, it is a beauty!
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What are your top 3 Barrel Proof whiskeys?

Stagg Jr. (Batch 14)
Bookers (Granny's Batch)
Rare Breed (2020 bottle)
 
Ardbeg Uigradail
New Riff single barrel rye
Makers Mark cask strength (I love wheaters)

Ask me again tomorrow and I'll probably have a different list.
 
thunderwagn said:
Ardbeg Uigradail
New Riff single barrel rye
Makers Mark cask strength (I love wheaters)

Ask me again tomorrow and I'll probably have a different list.
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That Ardbeg really sounds interesting. I may have to pull the trigger on that one if I can find it.

I've been wanting to get something from New Riff, but can't seem to find it anywhere. Hopefully it shows up this holiday season. Who knows. Care to give a review on it?

Got a bottle of the MM Cask about 6 months ago. I had to let it sit a couple months before it started tasting good. At first, I thought I had made a mistake buying it, but it just needed a bit of time to open up.
 
thunderwagn said:
I have that all the time. It's weird! I've got a bottle of Russel's Reserve that sometimes tastes great and other times I want to throw it out the window. And the same holds true with others also. Sometimes it just seems oddly bitter or something. I've wondered what causes it. Maybe fatty oils or something built up on the tongue or something? No clue, but I have had the same experiences.
Click to expand...

So I did some research and found out that bread or unsalted crackers are great palate cleansers for bourbon. Also, distilled water is another one. I tried the bread option the other day when I had a swig of Booker's Bourbon that didn't taste right and viola, the whisky tasted good again. Was it the placebo effect...who knows. But who cares if it works!

I also noticed that brushing my teeth with no toothpaste (just the toothbrush) about 1 hour before having a bourbon seems to take care of the issue as well. Of course, i'm rinsing with tap water for about 20 seconds after brushing.

Just a few things that I thought might help y'all through the bad whisky days.
 
AGbrewer said:
So I did some research and found out that bread or unsalted crackers are great palate cleansers for bourbon. Also, distilled water is another one. I tried the bread option the other day when I had a swig of Booker's Bourbon that didn't taste right and viola, the whisky tasted good again. Was it the placebo effect...who knows. But who cares if it works!

I also noticed that brushing my teeth with no toothpaste (just the toothbrush) about 1 hour before having a bourbon seems to take care of the issue as well. Of course, i'm rinsing with tap water for about 20 seconds after brushing.

Just a few things that I thought might help y'all through the bad whisky days.
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Interesting. I wonder if that plays into deposits on the tongue like I mentioned. I know nosybear mentioned the nose affecting being able to taste. I get that, but this isn't a not being able to taste or smell thing. To me it's a doesn't taste good thing. And I also find it seems to be certain whiskies that this happens with. My biggie is Russell's Reserve.
I might need to pick up some oyster crackers!
 
thunderwagn said:
Interesting. I wonder if that plays into deposits on the tongue like I mentioned. I know nosybear mentioned the nose affecting being able to taste. I get that, but this isn't a not being able to taste or smell thing. To me it's a doesn't taste good thing. And I also find it seems to be certain whiskies that this happens with. My biggie is Russell's Reserve.
I might need to pick up some oyster crackers!
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It's probably a little of both the deposits on the tongue and a partial blockage of the nostrils.

Funny you mentioned Russell's Reserve. I've had that one a few times and never liked it even though I'm a huge fan of 101 and Rare Breed. Of course it was a single barrel version of Russell's, so maybe it was just that barrel.
 
thunderwagn said:
Interesting. I wonder if that plays into deposits on the tongue like I mentioned. I know nosybear mentioned the nose affecting being able to taste. I get that, but this isn't a not being able to taste or smell thing. To me it's a doesn't taste good thing. And I also find it seems to be certain whiskies that this happens with. My biggie is Russell's Reserve.
I might need to pick up some oyster crackers!
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Oyster crackers are good for clearing the palate, we use them often when judging. Plain bread does pretty much the same thing. But we generally use the crackers or bread between beers or before starting. If it tastes bad to you from the start, it may just taste bad to you.
 
Nosybear said:
Oyster crackers are good for clearing the palate, we use them often when judging. Plain bread does pretty much the same thing. But we generally use the crackers or bread between beers or before starting. If it tastes bad to you from the start, it may just taste bad to you.
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Strange thing is that sometimes a particular whisky tastes great and other days it's meh.
 
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