My First Drink of Bourbon

Drinking with Friends
   Reading time 7

My First Drink of Bourbon

I like bourbon, but let me state that I’m not a big drinker. I have a drink about once (sometimes twice) a week, always mixed, never straight.

Jim Beam

Jim Beam Kentucky Straight BourbonMy first actual drink I don’t remember, but I know that I started off with Jim Beam. It was Jim Beam and Coke, ah, I remember now, it was at a local restaurant about 10 years ago. At that time I had pretty much been a rum and Coke person, and I was recommended a Jim Beam and Coke as they were out of rum. When the waitress brought it to me, I took a sip, and well the rest is history, I now prefer Bourbon over Rum.

Jim Beam was what I bought for the first couple of years as it was what I knew and well, I’m cheap. I have a tendency to not splurge on things for myself. So I would get myself a bottle of Jim Bean as it was cheap. I find the taste of Jim Beam to be a little strong but it does the trick.

You can read in great detail from a Bourbon Steward, their review of Jim Beam below.

Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon review on Liquor.com

Makers Mark WhiskyMaker’s Mark
I pretty much stuck with Beam for years when a friend of mine who loved Makers Mark recommended that I give it a try. I gave it a try and all they had was Pepsi. I made myself a drink, but I have to say that it just didn’t click with me. For many, the red waxed sealed Maker’s Mark is where they begin their journey into bourbon. It is likely because it is lower cost than most big brands of bourbon, and it is also the only bourbon that runs TV commercials, so it is very understandable why this is their first.

Since that time I have had Makers Mark twice now and I can say that I honestly didn’t like it either time. I mean it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. I found Makers Mark to be strong and tart. You can read in great detail from a Bourbon Steward, their review of Maker’s Mark below.

Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon review on BreakingBourbon.com

Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight BourbonBasil Hayden’s
My current favorite is Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon, In fact, I’m having a glass right now as I write this post. I actually got turned on to Basil’s at the local Dinner Theater, where my wife and I were taking in the local production of Anne. During intermission I went to get a drink, they had several selections of Bourbon and the bartender recommended Basil Hayden’s. I got it mixed with Coke and after my first sip, I was hooked. It is smooth and had a great taste to it when mixed with Coke. I’m not a Bourbon Steward by any means, so I’m going to leave that to the experts. You can read in great detail from a Bourbon Steward, their review of Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon below.

Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon review on Liquior.com

Evan Williams Single Barrel BourbonEvan Williams, Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch & Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon

I was at the ABC store and I decided on a whim to try a bottle of Evan Williams instead of the Jim Beam that I had been drinking for the past few years. That evening, I cracked open the bottle and poured myself two fingers and Coke and I have to say, I liked it, I liked it much better than Jim Beam. I was starting to put together that in the world of Bourbon, you get what you pay for.

For Christmas a few years back, one of my co-workers asked me what I drink. I said bourbon, usually Evan Williams or Jim Beam, but I prefer Evan Williams. I was shocked a month later when he handed me a bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon. I was excited as I had heard that Small Batch Bourbons were better than regular production and Single Barrel was even better. That evening I poured myself a drink and I have to say, that everything I had heard was 100% accurate. I preferred the Single Barrel and I on occasion will treat myself to a Single Barrel bottom around my birthday every year since.

I find the small batch and single barrel bourbons to be much smoother and have a less bitter taste than the regular runs. You can read in great detail from a Bourbon Steward, their review of Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon below.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon review on The Whiskey Shelf

Elijah Craig Small Batch BourbonElijah Craig Small Batch 1789

My first delve into the higher-proof Elijah Craig Small Batch 1789, was when the clerk at the ABC store recommended it to me. And I have to say, this was the first time I stepped it up a level into the small batch world of bourbon, well more like the first time I was the one paying for it. I liked the taste of Elijah Craig and I have to say that the bottle emptied rather quickly, in fact too quickly for my tastes (which translates to, I drank the bottle quickly). I like the smooth taste, it had a vanilla and caramel taste to it (I love Caramel) and it had a sweet aftertaste. It mixed well with Coke, almost too well. Now if you want something that mixes too well when I was in Japan, we would go out to Judy’s Bar (MCAS Iwakuni) and order Suntory Sweet Whiskey and Coke. That stuff would get you drunk in no time, mostly because you couldn’t taste the whiskey and that was dangerous.

You can read in great detail from a Bourbon Steward, their review of Elijah Craig Small Batch 1789 below.

Elijah Craig Small Batch 1789 review on Liquior.com

I have also had a glass of Woodford Reserve and Blanton’s

More Next Month for Bourbons.

Average Jow Weekly Logo
Average Joe

Welcome to the Average Joe Weekly blog. This is basically my place on the web where I can help spread some of the knowledge that I have accumulated over the years. I served 10+ years in the Marine Corps on Active Duty, but that was some 25 years ago.

Avatar photo

By Average Joe

Welcome to the Average Joe Weekly blog. This is basically my place on the web where I can help spread some of the knowledge that I have accumulated over the years. I served 10+ years in the Marine Corps on Active Duty, but that was some 25 years ago.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.