jcg9779 wrote:Bought my first bottle of PVW 23 tonight - trying to decide if I should open it now or save it for a special occasion!
Open, Open NOW......for bourbon drinkers there are no real special occasions, there is (and always should be) the here, and the now........... TASTE, SIP, LEARN, bourbon is NOT a sacred substance, it should never be considered (my opinion) as such. The bourbon I cannot drink just because I think it would be good for a 'special' time, has become more a symbol of something than a first rate sip. No bourbon is sacred. I am agin holding any bourbon for a special occasion..........although I understand that impulse and have indulged it myself, I think it is wrong. Drink what you want when you want it........if you wait for the 'right' time, it may escape you. I am going agin the grain I know........but this is my honest opinion. Life is day to day........special occasions mostly fall flat.
Bourbon (or any whiskey) reveals nothing without its being opened.............be brave, drink, or better yet, sip. PVW 23 is not a drinking whiskey, but most decidely a sipping whiskey. It is by no means an ordinary whiskey...........do not judge it by ordinary whiskey standards. You may very well dislike it, it is tannic and dry.........be prepared!
It is my experience that ultra aged bourbons are very difficult to evaluate..........before forming an opinion go back to it several times over several weeks (in this time frame, have a sip of a good Cognac) and consider it from different standpoints.........sweetness, delicacy, dryness, complexity, balance. You have spent a bundle for a bottle of bourbon, give it a lot of attention.............and don't be afraid to say it does not suit you, BE HONESt (that is very important for your future as a good judge of bourbon, indeed for your future as a good human)!
Tell us your honest opinion, remembering that you can change it at any time as you drink and experience other bourbons. Never think that you owe yourself or us consistency in you bourbon evaluations as you gain experience. To do so (in my opinion) is to be foolish.