Bourbon Tasting III: Go Blind

We tried to make this one as blind as possible. John brought six, I brought six and we didn't tell each other what we were bringing. Marya randomly choose and put in glasses marked on the bottom and she noted them on cards. Then I mix them up and labeled the fronts. As blind as we could make it without having Jeeves around.

The goal was to have everyone's number one move one and then the next most popular based on "points."

Attending: Marya, John, Ryan and Fuggles

The Lineup

• Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel (90 Proof)
• Four Roses Single Barrel LE (OESK) Ludwigs
• Lock, Stock & Barrel 13 Year Rye
• Maker's Mark Cask Strength
• Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey
• Noah's Mill
• Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Years (2014)
• Old Scout 8 Years (SF Wine Trading)
• Orphan Barrel Lost Prophet (22 years)
• Stagg Jr. (128 Proof)
• W.L. Weller Special Reserve
• Woodford Reserve Sonoma-Cutrer Finish

Yes, John snuck in a few non-bourbons.

Round One

Ryan 1. Stagg Jr. 2. Old Scout 3. Woodford SCF 3. Elmer T. Lee 4. Noah's Mill 5. Makers Mark Cask

John 1. Woodford SCF 2. Noah's Mill 3. Elmer T. Lee 4. Old Scout 5. Stagg Jr. 6. Maker's Mark Cask

Marya 1. Stagg Jr. 2. Elmer T. Lee 3. Noah's Mill 4. Woodford SCF 4. Old Scout crap. Maker's Mark

Stagg Jr., Elmer T. Lee & Woodford SCF moved on.

Round Two

Ryan 1. Old Rip Van Winkle 2. Lock, Stock Rye 3. Four Roses 4. Weller SR 4. Lost Prophet 5. Nikka Coffee

John 1. Old Rip Van Winkle 2. Lost Prophet 3. Lock, Stock Rye 4. Weller SR 5. Four Roses 6. Nikka Coffee

Marya 1. Four Roses 2. Old Rip Van Winkle 3. Lock, Stock Rye 4. Lost Prophet 5. Weller SR 6. Nikka Coffee

Old Rip Van Winkle, Lock Stock Rye and Lost Prophet moved on. Four Roses was supposed to move on, but some how Lost Prophet made it in. Being blind we didn't catch it until the unveiling.

Winners' Round

John 1. Lock, Stock Rye 2. Elmer T. Lee 3. Lost Prophet 4. Old Rip Van Winkle 5. Stagg Jr. 6. Woodford SCF

Ryan 1. Elmer T. Lee 2. Old Rip Van Winkle 3. Lost Prophet 4. Stagg Jr. 4. Lock Stock Rye 5. Woodford SCF

Marya 1. Elmer T. Lee 2. Old Rip Van Winkle 3. Stagg Jr. 4. Lock Stock Rye 5. Woodford SRF 6. Lost Prophet

The Winner

We didn't really crown a winner, but it would probably have to be: Elmer T. Lee. Although the new version is lower proof and costs more, it's still obviously tasty.

Summary

Well, what did we learn? Tasting 12 things is too many. We probably already new this, but there's just so much stuff out there. Which brings me to number two: there's so much good stuff out there.

In fact, the only horrible thing in our tasting was the Maker's Mark Cask Strength. The smell was described as "what you get when you turn over a big rock in the backyard" to "turpentine" to "kerosene" to "the old smelly cabinet in your dads garage that stored his old paint cans and chemicals." The taste sort of matched. John and I were both excited about this, because it's made a lot of people's "best of the year" lists. Don't get suckered!