So....friend of the show "Mo", asked me the other day, after we had finished filming one of the Bourbon Bunker tasting sessions, "So what do you drink on a regular basis? Craft whiskey or Big Bourbon? It's a pretty common question that many whiskey drinkers get.
The short answer is it depends. And I'll be honest, I don't only drink Craft Bourbon. I do drink my fair share of Big Bourbon brands. I have some that I always gravitate towards and have several of their bottles on my shelves. Plus one of my local stores usually has some great barrel picks from Big Bourbon, so it's hard to turn it down (Thanks Dave!).
The long answer is that it depends on the mood I'm in, what I'm doing, what I ate that day, and the reason why I am having a drink.
If don't want to think about the whiskey and just sit and enjoy while I'm watching a movie or something, talking with friends, etc. I'll likely pick something that I am familiar with, (whether that be Craft or Big Bourbon). If it's Craft whiskey, it's probably going to be one of the following:
Cedar Ridge
New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon
10,000 Drops
Driftless Glen
45th Parallel
If it's Big Bourbon, I'm likely reaching for one of the following:
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond
Old Forrester Statesman
Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond
But, if I want to challenge my pallet, and go on a new journey, I will pour myself one of the many single barrels I have. And, I will frequently go to my notes to see if I am tasting the same things I tasted before - that is if I already have it open.
Or, I may crack open a new bottle that I haven't tasted yet, and start taking notes. I'm not a professional taster and I'm not on a schedule to get out notes and thoughts about a whiskey. So, I have the luxury of taking my time to open bottles. Seems like I always have a few bottles that I just haven't gotten around to tasting yet. But, they all get eventually get opened.
You might be thinking the lists above are my "list of 5". Not necessarily. If you don't know what I'm referencing, see this previous blog post.
So, the answer is complicated. It really depends on any given night and the way I feel. All the whiskey's/bourbons are different, and it depends on my mood and what I am wanting that evening. Something friendly and warm memories or an adventure.
If I'm writing a blog post about a distillery we filmed at or working on the video's, I'm drinking their whiskey. It helps take me back to the distillery and when we were filming.
You might be asking your self, what is he drinking while he's writing this blog post? Welp...it happens to be from a distillery we will be filming at in 2024. We haven't even been there yet, and I was lucky enough to score a bottle. It could be Blaum Brothers. It could be Pursuit Spirits. It could be Sideshow Spirits.
However, all bets are off if someone stops over and says ..."Jeff, I want to try some whiskey, whattya got?"
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