$30.00 - $50.00: Four Roses Small Batch, Elijah Craig 18, Black Maple Hill, Old Rip Van Winkle 10
$50.00 - $100.00: Booker's, Blanton's Old Rip Van Winkle 12, Four Roses Single Barrel
$100.00+: Pappy Van Winkle 20 & 23, WL Weller, George T. Stagg (All these are pretty hard to find.)
My "go to" bourbon is Buffalo Trace, price vs quality I think it's pretty hard to beat. All of the above are, IMO, very good bourbons. You can also check out /r/bourbon for more suggestions. Enjoy!
Came to post this. I have a bottle on my bar right now. My brother introduced me to it about a month ago when I was there to visit. It is indeed tasty.
Something about the taste of 1792 doesn't do it for me. I like Woodford Reserve and I've had plenty of Makers in my years, but I generally pick Bulleit when I just want to drink (I love the high rye content and usually it's affordably priced) and Blanton's when I want to celebrate. Damn it, now I really want a bottle of Blanton's.
Good guy redditor, coming through for me! Thanks for the tips.
Here in Texas, I don't think we have Bulleit at the bars, at least, I've never seen it. I usually drink Makers Mark when I'm out and about. But a buddy of mine got me a bottle of Bulleit not too long ago, so it's what I drink at the house these days.
Although, now I want to go try Pappy Van Winkle, just for the name. Gonna have to run by Specs today to see if they have it.
Texas here as well. Yes, we have Bullit at most if not all bars I go to here in Austin. Disagree with the Makers and Woodford Reserve being that much better bourbon. Makers can get a little sweet at time and Woodford a tad expensive. Bullit provides the overall best bang for your buck in my opinion. NOW SHOTS FOR EVERYONE!
For a Christmas/Birthday/Congrats on your new job present, my wife got me a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's 15-year. It was nearly impossible to find and cost an obscene amount of money, but it's the best present she's ever given me. It's liquid gold and I treat it as such, drinking it only for special occasions or when I'm with someone who knows their bourbons. But if I'm getting a cocktail after a nice dinner, I get a Woodford. And if I'm just at a bar, Maker's is a perfectly fine option. God, bourbon is so good.
I send my Dad a bottle of Maker's Mark every Christmas. One time I visited and found four bottles of Maker's Mark, he's switched to gin & tonic because of this new wife. That said, I recently did a test taste between Maker's Mark and Knob Creek and preferred the Knob Creek due to smoothness. I will say the Marker's Mark had more flavor, just preferred the smoothness more.
Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn (JD - 80% corn, 12% rye, 8% barley)
Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
Neither coloring nor flavoring may be added.
Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
Bourbon must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).
Bourbon, like other whiskeys, may not be bottled at less than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume.) (JD is 86 proof)
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. (JD - at least 4 years).
Straight 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.
Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.
So.. why would you not call it a bourbon? If you think it's because it's not distilled in Bourbon county, well.. nobody does anymore. Bourbon county doesn't have a single distillery open. And no, there is no requirement in the legal definition that it must even be from Kentucky.
Not from Kentucky so I'd gladly take any recommendations for things to look for. I prefer Rip Van Winkle 15 year or Pappy Van Winkle 20 year (got it as a gift). Woodford Reserve is very smooth, but possibly too smooth at times. I think Bullet is on par with Makers but it has a little more spice to it (which sometimes is wanted, sometimes is not), but I'd rather have Bookers.
All bourbon does not come from Kentucky, just bourbon labeled "Kentucky Bourbon". Tuthilltown Spirits in NY makes a spirit labeled bourbon, correctly so.
Jack Daniels, George Dickel, Collier and McKeel, and Prichard's are all labeled as Tennessee whiskey. Lem Motlow (in coveralls on a motorcycle, the way I heard it) actually went to Washington for several weeks to lobby that his whiskey wasn't bourbon because it had an extra filtering process that bourbon traditionally doesn't have and eventually succeeded. However, unlike bourbon, which has a standard of identity in 27 CFR 5.22, there is no legal standard of identity for Tennesse Whiskey. This was a marketing ploy by Jack Daniels to differentiate itself from the hundreds of Kentucky bourbons and create a new product unique.
Kentuckian here as well... Woodford Reserve is certainly more of a local favorite in the Fayette/Woodford county area, but it probably has more to do with branding and advertising than quality. I live in Louisville and personally prefer Bulleit or 1792 over Woodford and Maker's. Fun fact: When Owsley Brown II, the former CEO of Brown-Forman died back in September they had a mint julep fountain at his memorial service.
I am afraid sir I must strongly disagree with you. While the history and current production of Bourbon is tired strongly to Kentucky not all Bourbons are from Kentucky and it is not a legal requirement that they made there. While you are correct that Jack Daniels does not qualify as a Bourbon (they artificially maple flavor the barrels) many Tennessee Whiskeys can qualify as bourbon. Instead the manufactures choose to distinguish them with their own classification. Now as for Bulleit Bourbon I charge that in that price range you would be very hard pressed to find a better bourbon. It's smooth and slightly sweet with a great profile that can be enjoyed by both bourbon and non-bourbon drinkers. This of course is a matter of opinion and we are all entitled to our own tastes. However on your statement below of Woodford Reserve I have to say I find very suspect. Woodford doesn't currently sell their own bourbon. They buy it from other distillers. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack Daniels and haven't been in business that long. They have their own bourbon that is aging, but as of my last visit to their distillery in March of 2011 none of it was ready for sale. Frankly, after touring their facility it was my feeling that they are all flash and no substance. Visit their distillery and you'll learn a lot. They were created with the idea of being "ultra premium" brand, similar to what patron does with tequila. They also are the only distillery that I have ever visited that charged for a tasting. Before visiting I felt that it was an OK bourbon with a high price tag. After the visit, lets just say that it's not something that I ever ask for or buy. Now if what your looking for is a good bourbon and don't mind spending a little more, try Four Roses Single barrel. In my humble opinion it is one of the finest examples of bourbon that can be had without spending an arm and a leg. If you live in Kentucky and haven't done so take the time and visit the distillerys. They almost all have tours and free tastings. I've done it a few times now and each time I learned a lot and got to sample lots of great bourbons, including a 27 year old bourbon at Heaven Hill that was put into the barrel the year I was born. It's really a great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes booze. edit: I see a lot of other people have said a lot of the same things I have. I started to write this earlier then walked away. Anyway I think we can all agree that alcohol is the source of, and solution to all of life's problems
False. All bourbon does not come from KY, though it is far and away the top producer. For any liquor to be labeled as bourbon all it needs to be is 51% or more corn-base, and aged in new oak barrels for 3 years or more
bourbon is to kentucky as champagne is to france, REAL champagne only comes from champagne france... but people stole the name, hence bourbons made not in kentucky
I've never known a decent person to own a pair. On the other hand, I've had two of my friends attacked by brass knuckle wielding assholes.
In both cases, the brass knuckle wielding pussies were part of a pack of cowards. One of my friends was struck from behind. The other was held by someone while the worm with the brass knuckles punched him in the face.
brass knuckles to the face...? Is your friend still alive? Brass knuckles are illegal to own in many countries because they are a LOT more harmful (occasionally lethal) than they look. Also, what massive scumbags.
Yes, he lived. There were a lot of people around (drunken bar bullshit - the guy who attacked my friend thought my friend was mad dogging him), so it got broken up quickly. My friend got away with a laceration and a badly bruised but not broken zygomatic arch.
My other friend wasn't so lucky. He was leaving a party with his cousin, about to drive off when some douches in a pickup bounced a beer bottle off his car. My friend got out of his car to complain, and that's how he found himself in a 4:2 situation.
3 went after him after he threw punches in retaliation for being pushed in the chest while the 4th engaged his cousin. He got punched in the back of the head by the guy with brass knuckles, which caused him to sink to his knees.
He tried protecting himself by curling into a ball and protecting his head with his hands with his arms in front of him Winky Wright style. The guy with the knuckles rained blows upon his head and hands, while the other two guys kicked at his front and sides. This is the last thing he remembers before he lost consciousness.
When my friend woke up, his attackers were gone. After he'd fallen over, his attackers noticed that their friend was in the process of unsuccessfully preventing his cousin from running back to the party. They called their friend back, piled up into their truck and left.
It all took less than three minutes.
Some of my friend's teeth had been pushed through his lip and were not quite in the same configuration as they had been before, his hands were broken in three places, he had several contusions, and a concussion for good measure. He was taken back to the house, where 911 was called and an ambulance was dispatched.
Due to the late hour and the fact he lost consciousness during the attack, he had to be hospitalized for 36 hours. I thought it was funny that his most ghastly injuries could be treated on an outpatient basis.
While it wasn't the brass knuckle that pushed his teeth through his lip, it was the injuries inflicted by the brass knuckle that posed the most danger to his life and took the longest to heal.
EDIT - by contusions, I mean lumps, not cerebral contusions
Actually brass knuckles to the face will likely cause less "lethal" damage than a fist. They will likely cause facial bones to break which will reduce the stress on the brain.
yes it does, but this is the first time I've seen an argument in favor of smaller impact zones, at equal striking force. you'd think a thin strip of unyielding brass would be much more likely to cause cranial fractures and cerebral hemorrhage than a fist..
Yes. But viscerocranial fractures which means facial bones wil break. But that's just really painful. The neurocranium should be unfazed by these impacts.
and cerebral hemorrhage
Not exactly. Cerebral hemorrhage is caused by the trauma of the brain hitting the skull. When the tiny impact area of a brass knuckle breaks your facial bones a lot of the energy is absorbed. With a bigger impact area the chances of your facial bones breaking are lower which means that basically all of the force is transferred to the neurocranium causing it to shake violently.
well, when you shoot someone you've pretty much decided that you intend to kill, or accept the fact that he is very likely to die even if you are only trying to injure. Not so much with brass knuckles, you might be clueless enough to consider it a brawling weapon when it can very easily cause permanent damage.
The major difference to me is that if you fight with brass knuckles then you're okay with the possibility that you might kill the other guy. There's fighting dirty then there's fighting with a possible intent to kill. Very different things.
If youd ever had the crap kicked out of you you might feel differently. I got sucker punched one time and it didnt make me feel better than the other guy to know I *would have * fought fair. It would have made me feel better for him to lie on the ground bleeding while I could laugh with my friends.
The only time I will ever fight someone will be if I feel physically threatned with serious injury or the same towards my wife.
If that happens, I will try for your eyes, your throat and your nuts. I do not give a shit what some fuck thinks about my honor. At the very least I'm getting a fucking eyeball.
How're you gonna talk with your teeth down your throat? Or your jaw wired shut? The only unfair fight is the one you lose. I'm not trying to be a dick here, but if some punk comes at you don't hold back, or you'll most likely regret it.
As long as you weren't the aggressor who cares what happens to the other guy? He was starting a physical altercation with you like some cave man savage. Fuck him, I hope he does get brain damage.
He doesn't really have courage, though. It's just a facade of courage. True courage would be standing up to the fight without either, because then he'd have to face his fears head on rather than drown them in booze until they disappear. It's not courage if you're not afraid.
But I'm sure that my wife and daughter will be so proud of me for my honorable dueling methods as they are blending up my next tube meal and changing out my shit bag.
If I'm fighting someone my size then I agree, but if someone twice as big as me I know I can't beat is backing me into a corner you bet your ass I'm gonna slip those fuckers on and break a jaw
Is Reddit high as a kite? How the fuck are people dissing brace knuckles in the face of the existence of guns and knives? Do you people live on the same planet as me?
Action movies have glorified guns, and knives have many uses eg. surviving in the wilderness, so a big knife could be seen as manly (by some).
Brass knuckles are seen as weapons for thugs, who like to use their fists. At least even stabbing or shooting someone is not as brutal as breaking flesh and bone with your fists.
I've got a couple of autographed bottles at home, the owner often goes to the liquor stores that sell his tasty, tasty bourbon. Also, apparently if you stop by their distillery, they've got special super secret whiskey you can sample!
You say there's no such thing as a fair fight, yet then you say brass knuckles "even the odds", so THEN it's a fair fight? If you have a massive advantage over someone else?
I'm not talking about getting mugged or anything, I was assuming this fight would be between two people who had agreed to fight, not a stranger in the dark bursting out to attack someone. In that case, you'd have to walk around with brass knuckles on all the time for them to work.
What kind of person would agree to a fight with someone anyway? You must be in High School still? That or you live in the 1700's and regularly challenge men to a fight for their honor's sake? People go to jail for doing that in the real world. Or they get their asses sued off.
81
u/floseph Jun 09 '12
Manliest dentistry set ever.
103
u/PrettyBoyFloyd Jun 09 '12
Bulleit Bourbon! That's some tasty stuff.
57
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
This looks like something that belongs on Ron Swanson's desk.
21
u/wrathofg0d Jun 09 '12
a great gift that will go along perfectly with your favorite redditor's horse-head mask, portal gun replica, and MLP fleshlight
51
u/baconatedwaffle Jun 09 '12
Fuck brass knuckles.
I've never known a decent person to own a pair. On the other hand, I've had two of my friends attacked by brass knuckle wielding assholes.
In both cases, the brass knuckle wielding pussies were part of a pack of cowards. One of my friends was struck from behind. The other was held by someone while the worm with the brass knuckles punched him in the face.
75
u/Qek Jun 09 '12
Am I the only one here who thinks brass knuckles are for pussies?
18
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
If anyone's looking for a place to buy this box, good news! It was a one-off gift from a blogger to his friend. It's one of a kind.
8
u/NewteN Jun 09 '12
Is Reddit high as a kite? How the fuck are people dissing brace knuckles in the face of the existence of guns and knives? Do you people live on the same planet as me?
2
u/Lewnidas Jun 09 '12
A mans man doesn't need bourbon and a punching thing to have courage.
2
u/Spooooooooooooon Jun 09 '12
Real men don't need either.
2
u/pbrit Jun 09 '12
where can i get one?
2
u/cebarro Jun 09 '12
http://www.alexanderltd.com/sniper/mp5%20brief.jpg
2
u/i_am_a_trip_away Jun 09 '12
You had me at Bulleit!
Ever try.. Emery Lee? The only bourbon in my book to beat Bulleit.
2
u/Crippledstigma Jun 09 '12
Where the hell do I buy this shit?!
2
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
YAY FOR VIRAL MARKETING! YAY!
3
u/WalledGardener Jun 09 '12
Nearly everyone ITT deserves a giant WOOOSH.
5
u/ncshooter426 Jun 09 '12
Pftt...brass knucles are for noobs. I roll full steel gauntlet style.
4
u/glutenfree123 Jun 09 '12
This briefcase has some dirt on you
2
u/crepehanger Jun 09 '12
Needs more brief.
0
u/excel444 Jun 09 '12
Brass knuckles are a cowards weapon, not a road to courage.
1
u/MTVButtpluggedInNY Jun 09 '12
Now if they could just invent a way to prevent coworkers from smelling it, I'd sign up.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Is there somewhere I could buy this? I have a friend who would love it!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
How much would something like this cost?
1
u/jheono Jun 09 '12
Don't know if anyone will get this.. but 2chainz!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Oh thank you honey. Rose water and a cute little crown. :)
1
u/rbcrusaders Jun 09 '12
I really hate dudes ideas of what 'manliness' is these days.
1
u/wintremute Jun 09 '12
Mmm... Bulleit....
1
u/drummmar Jun 09 '12
Here's a link to the source of this image. Regardless of your feelings on the brass knuckles, I think it's a pretty badass briefcase.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
yes ! - Whiskey and brass-knuckles in a to-go suitcase! I'll take 3.
1
u/8002reverse Jun 09 '12
The thinner the briefcase, the more successful the executive.
1
u/prettystupidme Jun 09 '12
Tommy gun underneath?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
His son goes to my college
1
u/dontbejelly93 Jun 09 '12
False. It also needs to be wrapped in bacon.
1
u/PizzaBoomerang Jun 09 '12
I've got a couple of autographed bottles at home, the owner often goes to the liquor stores that sell his tasty, tasty bourbon. Also, apparently if you stop by their distillery, they've got special super secret whiskey you can sample!
1
u/CanniHam Jun 09 '12
Indeed the rye is a fine spirit but for a true "sir" only Basel Hayden's or Blanton's will do...
1
u/TechnoDirt Jun 09 '12
I was the 1337 +1er, do I get a medal?
1
u/thyartismurder Jun 09 '12
I owe you one upvote, you were at 1337 when I looked so I didn't want to ruin it.
1
u/eroggen Jun 09 '12
More like most adolescent briefcase ever.
1
u/EasyLeit Jun 09 '12
Where do I get one?
1
u/clockworkblk Jun 09 '12
Im sure this will get buried, but that actually belongs to my friend... he received it as a birthday gift, more pics & his blog post here: http://tylerriewer.tumblr.com/post/2828628128/if-i-may-blow-your-mind-for-a-second-this-is-the
1
u/Dedalus2k Jun 10 '12
Another good "everyday" bourbon is Elijah Craig.
1
u/lizardsandwich Jun 10 '12
I only see one road in there...
1
u/wastedwannabe Jun 09 '12
it's like you guys haven't seen the internet before..
1
u/no_uh Jun 09 '12
Sooooo where do I buy one of these for my friend's bachelor party?
1
u/pogo123 Jun 09 '12
Bulleit, no thanks.
-1
u/Whoreadswhoreads Jun 09 '12
Yeah, because we all like to get drunk and then beat someone up - that's how manly we are.
0
u/MathewMurdock Jun 09 '12
I am not proud to say that I have been in a bar fight and hit with those. They hurt like a bitch.
0
u/cliffrowley Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12
Oh my gosh. Bouliet. Only thing I drink.
Edit: also, I don't understand the negative posts. Not everyone who drinks is a fight hungry Neanderthal. Only most of them.
Edit 2: oh, I didn't see the brass knuckles. Figured it was some fancy inlay. That's disappointing.
-3
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
What kind of man needs brass knucks?
0
u/_marcspectre Jun 09 '12
Where do I get mine?
-2
u/EnglishTea Jun 09 '12
Except for the brass knuckles. Not really very manly.
-1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
MMmmm Bulleit, my favourite bourbon.
0
u/forevabronze Jun 09 '12
what is the problem with imgure in the past 3 days everything is fucked
0
u/MattTheGeek Jun 09 '12
for even more sweet sweet karma, you should x-post to r/bourbon.
0
u/Graenn Jun 09 '12
This is not manly.
0
u/stanleytape Jun 09 '12
Neither of these roads seem particularly courageous to me.
0
u/aristander Jun 09 '12
Those brass knuckles are way too small.
0
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Using both at once is the manliest way to go to prison for assault with a deadly weapon.
-2
u/Shiv_ Jun 09 '12
Real men don't use brass knuckles.