Bourbon Whiskey Tasting – Portland Craft

With a liver barely surviving the delicious scathing that all the scotch had delivered from this month’s Hopscotch Festival, I thought it could suffer some more abuse at the hands of a different kind of whiskey. But with little experience with bourbon, apart from the random interactions delivered from pesky acquaintances in the form of late night shots, I thought I would give it try closer look with my developing taste pallet.

But before my liver could even handle the challenge, my stomach was in need of a good layer of coating.  So it was off to Portland Craft for a very long list of craft beer and one heck of an amazing burger. Don’t knock it till you try it, but the pickled beets toppings was a whole new experience.

For those of you who don’t know the difference, American bourbon whiskey is a barrel aged with a grain mixture which must be at least 51% corn. Similar to how Scotch must be made in Scotland, Bourbon is purely American and less stringent on the rules. Though there’s isn’t a minimum aging period, to call it Straight Bourbon, it must be aged for two years and have no color or flavor additives. I could go on but there’s booze to be drank!

So, on to the tasting! But judging from my penmanship, I was hardly in a frame of sober clairvoyance and cognitive judgement. Firstly, I would like to point out that the bourbon flights sadly didn’t offer any higher tier selections but it was still fun, nonetheless. Plus as an introductory into the world of bourbon, this was a good stepping stone for when I come across the good stuff.

Buffalo Trace

Off the bat, Buffalo Trace was the best smelling of the group. A very strong vanilla scent lingered through the nasal passage and right into the taste buds. My first impression that judging by the smell alone, this was going to be a clear winner as the scent would only enhance the taste. As I tasted the others, I made sure to leave this one for last because it the last thing I wanted to taste.

Bulleit

With a softer hint of vanilla, I was quite shocked at the waves of notes my taste buds went through on this ride. When you gently sip this one down, the bourbon hits the tongue as if it were strumming it like a guitar in a southern blues song. At first, I thought this was a fluke, but it happened at every sip and only with this brand.

Knob Creek

This first you notice about Knob Creek is that the smell is a more pleasant vanilla scent kinda of like the opposite of taking a giant wiff of vanilla extract. But the more defining characteristic of this bourbon is the peppery taste.

Woodford Reserve

This bourbon was for sure the softer smelling of the group and the taste didn’t let you forget. My initial reaction was far from positive and I don’t believe it garners any further observation.

Verdict

In the end, the clear winner was most definitely the Buffalo Trace. Also, what really was an interesting afterthought was that lower tier bourbon was way more fun to drink neat than any bottom shelf scotch. I can’t even fathom what top shelf bourbon has up its sleeve.