I've recently been introduced to a couple of small batch Bourbons which taste quite different from the Scotches I usually enjoy.
I'm not going to name the brands so as to not influence the responses to my question. So the question I am posing to all the gentlemen and ladies of this forum and not to the young turks elsewhere, is what Small batch Bourbons would you recommend that I try next? To be consumed post ride of course.

See https://loumag.epubxpress.com/lou1
pages 56/57.

Hmmm.... Old Forester "Birthday Bourbon" eh? Well, I do have a birthday coming up. I will follow this post with great interest. I do like Woodford a lot and Jack is nice, but I fear these are not elite enough to qualify for this thread.

Try Booker's and Knob Creek.

As much as I love my commoner's No. 12 Dickel, I would be inclined to try their Special Barrel Reserve if I wanted to step up.

With small batch and single barrel bourbons keep in mind that each batch/barrel can be notably different from another. With that said, here is a site with many user reviews (most users seem to have a discerning palate with only a few moving their reviews into the pretentious). https://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php

A few of my favorites include: Ezra B Single Barrel; Eagle Rare 12 y.o.; Eagle Rare 17 y.o.; Elijah Graig 12 y.o.; Michters, Booker's (not for the beginner); Knob Creek; Maker's Mark Limited Edition Gold Wax; Rock Hill Farms; Wild Turkey 17 y.o.; and, Woodford Reserve.

Keeping this cycling related - I came to appreciate bourbons in the same way that I have different kinds of road bikes. That is my carbon/steel frame has a feel to it much like Maker's Mark in that it is smooth, compliant and can be ridden all day. My full carbon frame is more like the Eagle Rare 12 y.o. in that is fast, stiff, performs impeccably, but lacks subtle character. My titanium frame is like the Elijah Craig in that it always gives a memorable ride; perhaps not the fastest or lightest, but always good. My steel frames are like the Knob Creek, compliant, not especially demanding and very reliable. My old (no longer have it) full aluminum crit bike was like the Booker's - stiff, straight to the point, will get you there fast, but twitchy enough that beginners need to beware.

Keeping this 50+ related. I seriously doubt that as a younger man I would have enjoyed bourbons as much. This is due in part to the reality that taste buds diminish with age and many folks often need stronger flavors. However, with bikes, I believe as a younger man I was only interested in going faster. I've since come to appreciate many more aspects of what cycling can bring to the quality of life. So, what I look for in a bourbon is the same thing I look for in a bike....one that will bring a smile to my face each and every time. There can be different reasons for the smile, but the smile has to be there, or why bother?

NOS88 I enjoyed your keen perspective on bikes and bourbon. Very interesting.

I don't have refined tastes. Old No. 7 isn't glitzy but it makes my taste buds happy. I'm a bit more picky about my bikes.

I'm just a wino with a biking problem, so I have no bourbon preferences.

Yes, really, I am.

Never tried Bourbon- except as the chocolate biscuits. Gone off Scotch in the last few years- but I presume that bourbon is like other distilled spirits. It betters with age.

Perhaps I could grow into it.

My dad had a second cousin who made whiskey in small batches, but I don't think it would have qualified as bourbon. He spent a year and a day in the Atlanta federal pen for his efforts. This was about 80 years ago when times were hard.

Thinking of illicit stills-- Many moons ago when I was in France-

In Normandy there is a drink called Calvados. A spirit distilled from Apples and there are some good ones about and a few excellent ones. There are a lot of stills producing it and Although they are probably regulated- there is a market in "illicit" calva. At a race meeting we saw a 5 litre can going round the pits and wondered what it was. It was illicit stuff and you paid your money and filled up your bottle. We had to try it so dues paid and bottle filled. We all had a quick sip but I did note that as I raised the bottle to my lips- my eyes watered. 10 minutes later and there was no way I could drive back to the hotel. More than that- one of us who had tried a bit more than the others was walking rather funnily.

So back to the hotel and had a meal that seemed unusually jovial and left for the ferry the next morning.The one of us that had imbibed a bit more of the Calva than the others was not very well. I saw him 2 days later when I got a message to collect him from hospital. Alcohol poisoning.

Now he was a 10 pint a night man and had taken a good swig of the calva. He could drink but one mouthfull of what must have been somewhere near pure alcohol had sent him under. A Couple of months later and we were back in Normandy again but it was a completely alcohol free trip for all of us.

What a great thread; I didn't realize small batch bourbons existed. Here in Canada, the Liquor Control Board stores sell a good selection of Scotch whiskeys, but the bourbon selection is pretty limited. I buy most of my hard liquor in Washington state at the duty free (you can bring back a 1.14 liter bottle (40 oz) of hard stuff after 48 hours away, but it's mostly Jack Daniels and Maker's Mark.
There is nothing worse than cheap bourbon. When I was in high school, I drank three cans of warm Olympia beer followed by a styrofoam cup of Old Crow. A little while later, I threw up all over myself and was hors du combat for the rest of the evening's festivities... For the next few decades, I would feel sick at the smell of bourbon. But by way of good scotch and good rye (Canadian whiskey, another good topic!), I have reacquired a taste for bourbon.
I will have to seek out some of your learned recommendations. Thank you!
-L.

Jack Daniel's is not bourbon. It is whiskey. To be called a bourbon it must be made in Kentucky. Jack is made in Tennessee.

Different from, not different to.

Im a scotch guy myself, but was happy to see NOS88 include my fav......Woodford Reserve. Goood stufffff!

True, it is Tennessee sour mash whiskey, as is my brown liquor of choice, George Dickel No. 12 sippin' whisky (makes JD seem like greasy kid's stuff imho). I'm also pretty fond of Wild Turkey which is bourbon.

This is not quite true. Bourbon has also been made in the following states: Pennsylvania, Colorado, Tennessee, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and one or two other states that I can't remember right now. I beleive it is Jack Daniel's practice of filtering the wiskey through sugar maple charcoal that makes it a non-bourbon. Here are the legal requirements for a whiskey to be a bourbon:

On 4 May 1964, the United States Congress recognized Bourbon Whiskey as a "distinctive product of the United States." The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (27 C.F.R. 5.22) state that bourbon must meet these requirements:

Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.
Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
Bourbon must contain no caramel coloring (E-150)
Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak aging barrels.
Bourbon may not be stored in the barrel at higher than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).
Bourbon, like other whiskies, may not be bottled at less than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume.)
Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.
Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.
If an age is stated on the label, it must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle.

Here's a link for more details: https://www.straightbourbon.com/faq.html#6

As with French-appellation wines, there are strict laws governing just what a Bourbon must be to be labeled as such. For example, at least 51 percent of the grain used in making the whiskey must be corn (most distillers use 65 to 75 percent corn). Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years in new, white oak barrels that have been charred. Nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor, add sweetness or alter color. Though technically Bourbon can be made anywhere, Kentucky is the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle. And as Kentucky distillers are quick to point out, Bourbon is not Bourbon unless the label says so.

With all due respect, (given your state makes some great whiskey) I tend not to base my taste judgments on what a label says. I believe that the law allows labeling with the term "bourbon", but not Kentucky Bourbon. Regardless, it is the filtering process that Jack Daniel's uses that impart a flavor not found in bourbon and that excludes it from being one. One interesting thing about bourbon that is also true in the bike world. Most folks don't know that the different "brands" of bikes or bourbons for that matter, are actually produced in a very limited number of places. The signature eight distilleries in your fair state produce an overwhelming portion of trhe bourbon: Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam Brands, David Sherman, Four Roses, Maker's Mark, KBD,LTD., and Wild Turkey.

Woodford +++++

Well I went and bought a bottle of Woodford Reserve yesterday and am sipping some right now.I must say that it definately is a fine tasting drink with a nice after taste. Different than Makers Mark and Knob Hill which I have just finished. I know I'll be buying another botlle of it when I buy Bourbon again. Thanks for the recomendation.

Sorry, but it's craft beer only for me. Been making beer for about 10 years now. Nothing in my opinion tastes better.

Currently I have a strong scottish ale and a maple barely wine on tap, goooooooood!

Sarge

Bourbon is my favorite hard liquor, although I am not much of a drinker. I am certainly not an expert, but Evan Williams No. 10 (aged 10 years?) is excellent for the price - less expensive than other brands I have tried but very smooth. It is way better than any Jack Daniels, Wild Turky or well-known brands I have tasted.

Amen to Mr. Dickel's libation! As far as bourbons, I like Maker's Mark and Knob Creek.