Such great content! I am very new to the 'Journey' ... like since Christmas just passed (2022). So...the first pour that I really picked up some flavors in both the nose & palate was Four Roses Small Batch. It was an epiphany, of perception, if you will, for me because I finally could taste something other than burn!!! it was, maybe, the 6th or 7th pour I had...and it was great. Now a couple weeks later and probably a dozen more different pours .... I came back to that FRSB...and alas...it was different again. So...I completely understand how the palate changes now. I do not have that concrete perception that one pour or another will always be the same when consuming it at different times. I "go with the flow" now as my palate goes my tasting perception goes. It is becoming more and more enjoyable to sip bourbons. After a week or so of research and youtube variety...and you guys...I went out and got several bottles of Heaven Hill products and Sazarec and Beam...Four Roses ... etc. Not having sipped any of them before, and as I am going through them I am finding my likes and dislikes. I have several bottles now that are going to the back of the shelf! Maybe they will change over more time...but for sure they will be mixers and when they are gone I wont get them again.
Sounds like you are doing it right. Get involved with the community so you can try things again without buying. I can not tell you how many people comment that Jack Daniel's is terrible because they had a bad experience as a teenager, that have never even tried any of their premium offerings. Getting involved allows you to revisit things and try before you buy/rebuy.
Excellent video as usual! For me there is one that stands out over all others - I wish I had done my research with regards to pricing! When I first began my journey, I did not know about secondary pricing… I thought that was just the cost. So I paid way too much for a Weller Full Proof - I will never do that again!!!!
Since my journey is only 7 months old, this was great information to go with. Appreciate you guys breaking it down for us newbies to comprehend. I am definitely getting to know my local store owner so maybe he’ll surprise me with something one day.
As an intermediate bourbon drinker who’s starting to finally come across some special occasion whiskies, it would be great to know how the seasoned vet warms up their pallets to get the most out of an experience from a bottle you’ve waiting a while to open and are trying for the first time.
@@BourbonRealTalk congratulations on both the 6yr rye and 15yr bourbon prideful goat making Minick’s top 100 initial list, excited to see where it lands.
Great idea for an episode while the holiday season is upon us and we all feel a little looser with our wallets! My hardest lesson to learn and my tip would be to limit your “backups”! If you have 3 bottles of the same thing they become a commodity vs an experience. If you love it, save a sample or two for when you want to remember the experience when you had the original bottle, vs the mindset of, “I only have 3 bottles of eagle rare left, better not bring that to the party”
I certainly don’t want to run out of the stuff I love, but I am at the point in my collection (moderate/about 100 bottles) where I want my buying power to go to new offerings vs bunkering for FOMOs sake. It is liberating my collector mindset to open up a bottle I was “saving” to share!
Hands down the best bourbon channel out there...I've been a huge fan for a while now and I've learnt more watching this channel than any other. This guy knows his stuff... I recommend it to every new bourbon person I meet... Merry Christmas everyone cheers forever... YAHOOOOO
Two things are good things or reminders is try a pour at a bar if the bourbon is allocated or higher priced whiskey. Also lastly avoid flavored whiskey at all cost!! 🤣🥃
Thanks so much guys. I started my bourbon journey in late 2021, found your channel and it’s been my go to for this type of great advice. I have to say when starting out - try the different bottles, distilleries, price points, etc. so far I haven’t bought the same bottle twice! Love the show philosophy and the way you 2 communicate. Love you guys, love the content. Thank you so much
Super informative episode guys. . .as always. I feel the advice about establishing relationships with store owners and having patience when searching for a rare bottle is priceless. Good things take time, and in the meantime, there are plenty of great bottles on the shelf to enjoy. Cheers.
This is all good advice. I would add a lesson that I have learned and am probably still learning. It is easy for a collection to get out of hand. Ask yourself the following questions: How much space do you have? How quickly are you reasonably able to consume the booze that you have? How much time do you have before the booze goes bad? (This one applies more to wine and beer; liquor has a very long shelf life.) The answers to these questions will determine a reasonable maximum size for your collection. The suggestion about building a relationship with a good local store is a great one. I have developed relationships with a local liquor store and two wine stores. The people at these stores know their stock, and they can make good recommendations if I'm looking for something in a particular category but don't have a specific bottle in mind. Also, if local laws allow, stores may offer tastings. Bars are a great resource too. A well stocked bar is a great place to try things and venture outside of your comfort zone. Being adventurous is also good; it helps to develop your palate. Even if bourbon is your primary drink, a rum, a mezcal, a glass of wine, or whatever else looks interesting every now and then will help you become familiar with a wider variety of flavors. I'll hopefully be joining your Facebook group soon. A troll-free group sounds like a good place to be. I've decided to reactivate my ancient dormant account, access Facebook only via the dark web, strictly limit the information I put on my account, and not accept any friend requests. Although I still don't trust Facebook, I think this will reasonably mitigate my security concerns.
Email me when you send your member request. Your account will look fake the way you described it, and we do not accept fake accounts. Just let me know when and I will accept you. randy@bourbonrealtalk.com
The first taste of whiskey should be "chewed" insuring that your entire mouth is coated. It will make the second taste much more complete, especially if it is a different whiskey. Great points Randy and Wes. Enjoy you guys and the info you bring to the table very much.
Great show. There are SO many different channels you can listen to...information overload. Love that you two speak the truth and from the heart. FOMO is a very real thing...glad I am not the only one impacted by that along the way. My pallet is still newer...so the $20-$60 range is just fine for me. Will work my way up....but still need to figure out what I like best before hunting down anything in the upper ranges! Cheers and Merry Christmas!!!
Great episode! I’ve been on this path for about a month and I went all in! I have about forty five bottles already. Some scotch, some Irish, and Japanese. I like to start with EW 1783 or Michters sour mash, something low proof. I also try to have the same type of drink as the reviewer to compare. Your videos have been full of info, history, and really enjoyable! Thanks guys!
Great video and content per the usual gents!! Wes, we all know that when you spoke about a special experience at a small craft distillery, you were thinking of Frey Ranch hahah!
We have many viewers who are in the same boat as you. Scotch got the upper hand in international markets due to US distilleries being shut down during prohibition and WW2, so I feel compelled as an american to support US products first, but I do enjoy scotch from time to time.
@@BourbonRealTalk Interesting reply. I thought one of your "what I wish that I knew" was that everyones palate is different. So would you still drink bourbon to support US products if you liked scotch more? Are you going to shy away from Beam products since they are owned by Suntory? I am one of those rare people that enjoy all categories of whisky. My purchases are usually 2 bottles of scotch to one bottle of bourbon/rye/etc. acquired.
New to the channel, watched a couple videos, instant sub. Wondering if you (or anyone reading this) have ever had a day where just all of your whiskey tastes bad? I’m having that problem today and I’ve never experienced that before.
It happens to me all the time. When I go to get a pour I usually pick a bottle and take a small sip. If it doesn't taste good to me I try something else that I think won't have the offputting element of the other bottle. If that tastes bad I usually go to cocktails.
Great video. I think a very important one (which you guys touched on) is to not immediately start searching out the allocations. I think its more important to figure out what you personally like than get allocations, plus the amount of people i see who dont know how rare some bottles are that they try to get and just frustrate themselves. Knowing the rules to the game is very important.
Y'all are good people. I've been on my journey for many years but this was still helpful and really solid advice. You have a good community of folks who came up with this list. Cheers
unfortunately the state of PA runs all liquor stores so the store operators typically have no vested interest in customer relationships.. there are a few managers that are just friendly so i try to find them
Thanks - it turned into more of a Principles For Whisky Beginners than things y'all wished you'd known when you started, but that's still a good thing to put out there. I'm really looking forward to part 2. There are any number of things I could name that I wish I'd known when, just over a year ago, I started drinking whisky. I think the most helpful thing, though, would've been if I'd known just how subjective whsiy tasting and reviewing is. Back then, if someone said that X Whisky tastes thus and so, and Y Bourbon is bad because of this and taht, I figured he knew what he was talking about. Today I realize that he's giving his honest opinions, but that what I get out of X Whisky or Y Bourbon might be entirely different (a real example - I love Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon, and after drinking it for a year I'm still learning all that's in the nose and the taste, but another guy tried it and says it's a one note bourbon). I wish I'd known that then. I also wish I had access to y'all's online community, but I'm almost never on Twitter, I'm totally off Facebook, and you're not on MeWe, so I'll just have to settle for the videos. 😀
Yeah, We talk a bit about trusting reviews towards the end of this video. That is a solid point. We have a solution coming for your social media issue. It will start 1/1/23, but it isn't announced yet.
My advice is always revisit bourbons you don't particularly enjoy the first time you tried it. I have retried several bourbons I didn't like only to find out, as my palate developed, I now do like them. For example, I wasn't blown away by Weller Special Reserve (Green label). I loved Weller Antique. A year later, I really enjoy a pour of the green label Weller.
This is good advice, and aside from us talking about your palate changing over time, I am not sure we specifically mentioned this. It might be in episode 2.
I have to say that I have started doing whisky auctions and they sometimes have better prices for things than in the US. The shipping is more expensive but the prices can be almost half of what they are. You can also store bottles so that you can save on shipping. Scotch Whisky Auctions is one of the best I have found. These have some hard to find bottles and the auction process is fun. There is usually one every month! Whiskyauctioneer is another one you just have to watch if you are bidding on things in the EU or UK. You have to pay separate shipping costs for each Country. Hope this helps some people that are into collecting.
It definitely makes it easier to find the rare stuff, and it is so rewarding when it finally happens. I think some people see it as manipulation, but I see it as making friends with the possibility of an opportunity to buy something rare. Congrats!
