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This is an automatically created topic for discussion about Photoqwest's review of Evan Williams Black.

I respectfully disagree with your last statement. I quite enjoy drinking this neat, and find it to be on par with most bourbons at twice the price ($15-20 range).

JPBoston wrote:I respectfully disagree with your last statement. I quite enjoy drinking this neat, and find it to be on par with most bourbons at twice the price ($15-20 range).

I respectfully agree with J.P. (hah! betcha didn't expect that, didja? ), although I'd probably limit my comparison to "many" rather than "most".

As for Photoqwest's reference to "Coke, Sours, and Old Fashions", I respectfully offer that Evan Williams Black would probably compare well even with 23-year-old Pappy in Coke, too, in that anything poured into a CocaCola is going to taste like CocaCola and "some kinda booze". I suppose the same could be said of sours and old fashions, except that (1) a sane person would never make one of those with either a really expensive bourbon OR with Jack Daniel's. And (2) what both of those drinks want (and yes, this does reference another discussion with JPBoston) is a less-intrusive "bourbon"-like whiskey, such as Early Times, or perhaps a blended whiskey like Kessler.

The only difference is, I base my opinion on taste... versus some convoluted memory of past glory in ET. But thanks for following me into a review thread of EWB, in order to further push your love for whiskey-flavored gasoline.

JPBoston wrote:I respectfully disagree with your last statement. I quite enjoy drinking this neat, and find it to be on par with most bourbons at twice the price ($15-20 range).

Each of us has our own likes and dislikes. I would not turn EWB away if offered neat, however I prefer to drink others neat. This has become my number one whiskey for mixed drinks though. I love the spiciness it adds the drink.

EllenJ wrote:for Photoqwest's reference to "Coke, Sours, and Old Fashions", I respectfully offer that Evan Williams Black would probably compare well even with 23-year-old Pappy in Coke, too, in that anything poured into a CocaCola is going to taste like CocaCola and "some kinda booze". I suppose the same could be said of sours and old fashions, except that (1) a sane person would never make one of those with either a really expensive bourbon OR with Jack Daniel's. And (2) what both of those drinks want (and yes, this does reference another discussion with JPBoston) is a less-intrusive "bourbon"-like whiskey, such as Early Times, or perhaps a blended whiskey like Kessler.

You are right when you say that anything mixed with CocaCola will taste like CocaCola and some kinda booze, however, EWB and Jack holds its own with CocaCola and does not get lost in the mix. There is a nice spiciness added to the mix, where as Jim Beam White is so mellow and sweet it gets lost in the mix. I like to be able to taste the whiskey in my mixed drinks and not lose them. But that is just me. I mix my sours with a little more whiskey than most and use a good strong flavored bourbon as a posed to a less-intrusive one. I know that is not the norm, that is just my preference.

Actually, if I WERE going to mix whiskey with Coke that's just what I would do, too. The fact is, though, that I just wouldn't do that to whiskey I liked. And it seems to me that many (if not most) of those who DO enjoy that combination are really looking for something that tastes like Coke without anything in it, but gets them drunk. Now, there's really nothing wrong with that, either (I guess), but needless to say those aren't people who care much to contribute to a discussion of the benefits of one kind of bourbon over another . I personally enjoy a Cuba Libre on occasion, but I'd choose a bland white rum to go into it instead of the Wray & Nephew overproof rocket fuel (or its Cuban equivalent) that Papa Hemmingway would have preferred.

I like to think of EWB and cola as a gateway I like it neat, but hard to find a better value pour to throw into a mixed drink.