National Bourbon Day - Thoughts From The TDG Staff

HAPPY NATIONAL BOURBON DAY!

To commerate such an important date in our year, I collected some thoughts from my fellow TDG bourbon enthusiasts to share with ya'll. IMPORTANT BOURBON DAY NOTE: You're required to say ya'll on NBD. Kind of like how you have to use ARRRRGHHHHH! a lot on National Talk Like A Pirate Day.

JDMill on why he's such a fan of Jim Beam...

Let's be honest, around these parts I'm the dirty drinker of the bunch. I've admitted to the fact that I'm a Miller Lite drinker. Not to say that I don't enjoy Spotted Cow or an Alaskan Amber here and there. On the contrary, I do, very much. Part of it is the fact that I'm cheap, and part of it is that... nope. It's just that I'm cheap.

I'm really no different when it comes to bourbon. When I say I'm a bourbon drinker, I mean that I enjoy whisky over other types of booze, and I mean that I enjoy bourbon specifically over other kinds of whisky. It means that I appreciate the heritage of bourbon (the most American of all spirits) and the flavor of bourbon and so, when I drink hard alcohol, I choose to drink bourbon.

If you watched the TDG Hangout, you know that I'm a Jim Beam man. Drinking Jim Beam on the rocks in public is a fun game. Dedicated bourbon drinkers tend to think Beam is swill, while non-whisky drinkers tend to lead into the same conversation.

"What are you drinking?"

"Jim Beam."

"With what?"

"Ice."

"Ewwww."

"What, you don't like ice?"

I typically have a bottle of Jim Beam and a bottle of Maker's Mark in the house, and those two suit me just fine. While eating a fine meal at a restaurant is generally when I will venture out into more spendy bourbons. Recently I have enjoyed Booker's, Micter's and Baker's at separate times and enjoyed all of them very much, but still haven't brought myself to buy a more spendy bottle to have at home. For me, that type of purchase requires a special occasion or a specific professional win.

With this in mind: a declaration. You, TDG Community, you have my word. I will celebrate my next special occasion with the purchase of a bottle of a fine bourbon for consumption in my home.

A busy Matt on his Bourbon Day sippers of choice...

I would just like to add that Angel's Envy and Four Roses are awesome, and I will enjoy drinking them both tonight on National Bourbon Day.

GopherNation shares his bourbon theme for the day...

I think this is going to be an Elijah Craig theme for me tonight. I'll start with the EC12 Single Barrel and follow that up with an EC 18 Single Barrel. Then if I'm in a really good mood (which I should be) I'll open my bottle of the EC Barrel Proof which is 134.2 proof. I absolutely love the deep and dark color of this recently released bourbon. Haven' had the right occasion to open it yet, but it is National Bourbon Day.

This was not intentional but Elijah Craig is considered the founder of bourbon whiskey (The Reverend EC). So my EC theme is now in honor of him.

GoAUpher can't choose which bourbon to celebrate with first...

Since I haven't picked my first sipper of the day yet, I figured I'd share why I have each of these bottles and a few thoughts on each so that you could help me decide. From left to right:

- Wild Turkey Rare Breed (108.2 Proof): My wife got this as a surprise to cheer me up after a minor outpatient procedure meant no golf for a month. It's pretty smooth for a barrel strength, but only if you take small sips. Bigger sips result in a lot of kick given that this isn't the strongest barrel strength out there. As my wife likes to say, it's meant to grow hair, not be sweet.

- Blanton's Single Barrel (93 proof): Why do I own this one? Simple. It's probably my favorite bottle ever. Sure, I also knew it was a tasty bourbon, but they could have bottled the world's worst bourbon and I'd have bought this thing (though not at Blanton's prices). Probably my favorite sipper right now and one that I think anyone would enjoy.

- Four Roses Single Barrel (100 Proof): The bourbon that got me into bourbon. The fact that I can find it for $13-$17 cheaper than normal at a local Woodman's means this one will always be in my rotation. Delicious neat, but it gets sweeter on the rocks (which is how I first had it) and that's probably why it hooked me. Another one that I think anyone would enjoy.

- Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition 2013 (119.4 Proof): My description of this bourbon is that it's the regular 4RSB on steroids. That's a VERY good thing and it's why I bought it. I have GN to thank for this bourbon. He alerted me to the fact that it was shipping and as a result I was lucky enough to snag a pair of the limited number that made it to Madison (one for me, one for GN).

- Willett Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel (94 Proof): Bought it for the bottle. Had no idea what it was like, but I've enjoyed it a great deal the few times I've had it. Nice flavors and nothing overpowering. Fun to pour out of the still shaped bottle too.

- Elijah Craig 12 Year (94 Proof): Bought it on GN's recommendation last week and have only had time for a small sip. Can definitely say it's very tasty and a good value.

- Yahara Bay V (90 Proof): Made by a local Madison distillery so I thought I'd give it a look. A pretty good bourbon, but not one I'm likely to buy in the future given the fact that I can get better ones for less (looking at you Elijah 12 Year and super discounted 4RSB).

What about you?

What will you celebrate National Bourbon Day with?

And for that matter, what should I celebrate NBD with?

Are there any bourbons you wish you had on hand for NBD?