Is Bourbon An Acquired Taste

The only tastes worth having are acquired tastes. — Gilbert Adair

As I entered my college years, I would always see my now wife's Grandpa and stepdad drink bourbon neat. I always thought that it was the coolest thing ever. One day decided I was going to try it. I took one sip and instantly felt like my insides were burning like I could not breathe; however, I was in too deep at this point to turn back now. I had to push through and finish my glass. As time went on, I started to gravitate towards the sweeter softer bourbons, such as Makers Mark, and I started to pick up on subtle differences in tastes between them. Some had a strong vanilla taste, others sort of had a citrus taste and I just started to appreciate the complexity of each pour.

As time went on, I got somewhat bored of the stuff I had loved up until that point and wanted to try some higher-proof bottles. This time around though the burn wasn't as bothersome, and the complexity was even deeper. My palate had expanded and now I actually preferred the higher proof pour.

There are so many reasons that bourbon is interesting, the culture, the collectability, the history, or as Walker Percy put it in his famous essay Bourbon, Neat, the aesthetic of bourbon. These are the very things that drew me to it at first, and as time went on and I made better and better memories with friends and family around bourbon I started to appreciate the complexities more and more.

So if you ask me I would say that bourbon can be an acquired taste. Maybe you're like me and at first, it just seems cool. If you are in that category, I recommend starting with the following pours: Makers Mark, Weller Special Reserve (if you can get it), or Woodford Reserve. To get started finding great pours near you, check out the app NEAT: Whiskey Finder!