Are there rules when it comes to bourbon?
At first, you might be tempted to say no way. After all, Maggie Kimberl, president of the Bourbon Women Association and content editor at American Whiskey Magazine, says "I always follow Freddie Johnson's (of Buffalo Trace) rule that bourbon is meant to be enjoyed with friends and loved ones, and instead of saving the ‘special stuff,’ you should share it because that's the whole point.”
I totally agree. It’s nobody’s job to tell someone else how to drink their bourbon.
“My other rule,” Kimberl says, “is that if someone wants to put your bourbon in diet Coke, drink it on the rocks, or mix it into a cocktail, let them."
And I love what Peggy Noe, founder of the Bourbon Women Association, and the world’s first female master bourbon taster, had to say: “I truly believe that part of the reason the bourbon industry is special and different from any other spirit, and/or the wine industry is that we did not force rules on consumers, or make them feel uneducated (like ordering the 'right' wine at dinner).”
All that said, there is a time and a place for “rules,” and I have one nonnegotiable bourbon rule, myself. This one has to do with being a good guest. If I’m at someone’s house and they tell me to help myself to bourbon from their bar, there are two bottles I won’t touch: the one that’s not opened, and the one with only one drink left.
Why?
That first drink could be from a bottle they’re saving for a special occasion. Maybe it’s rare, maybe they camped out overnight to get it. Maybe it’s a single-barrel pick they can never get again. Same for the last drink in a bottle. I know from my own bar that I have an array of one-drink-left bottles that I can’t bring myself to finish off because once it’s gone, it’s gone.
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It’s comforting knowing – even if I never get around to drinking it – that I have that one final sip of, say my Wild Turkey Diamond, that 2012 Old Forester Birthday, or my Old Carter Batch 1.
I’d be heartbroken, honestly, if I went to reach for one of those and found it empty. So I take care not to take the first or the last drink of anyone else’s collection.
So, what are some other bourbon folks’ non-negotiable rules when it comes to Kentucky's native spirit? I wondered, so I reached out to a few industry insiders. Here’s what they shared.
Don't take the fun out of the bourbon
"My No.1 rule is don’t take the fun out of bourbon. However you drink it or whatever bottle you open, it shouldn’t turn into a contest on who knows the most. Drink it with someone. Enjoy it with someone. Then repeat." – Justin Thompson, editor-in-chief, co-publisher of The Bourbon Review
Know when to move on to 'common' bourbon
"I’m a pretty big ‘anything goes’ type of bourbon consumer … but if you’re going to have a second bourbon, and the first one was from a ‘nice bottle,’ move to something more common/affordable for the second tipple… because I know my senses are no longer at peak. Alcohol is anesthetizing and my senses aren’t as sharp so I’d rather move to an old familiar and save more of the special occasion bourbon for the next special occasion.
Plus, if I’m going in for a second drink then I’m in a social situation and not really paying close attention to the bourbon outside of, ‘dang, this is a tasty bit of business.’" – Colin Blake, director of Spirits Education, Moonshine University
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Wait for the invitation before you dive into 'the good stuff'
"If you see an open bottle of a rare (and therefore probably expensive) bourbon in your host's collection, wait until you either hear, 'Please help yourself to anything that is open,' or a direct invitation to sample it. Do not ask for it first. And if you are doing your own pouring, no more than a finger in a Glencairn glass. Though I hope you are as lucky as the late Jim Beam master distiller Booker Noe and have, as he always declared about himself, 'fat fingers.'" – Susan Reigler, bourbon writer and co-author of "Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon?"
Drop the pretentiousness around bourbon
"My singular bourbon rule is to drop pretentiousness. You could have a $15 bottle to $1,000 bottle of whiskey, and I say drink it however you please. It’s become a weird status thing to have the biggest collection or save the most expensive bottle when we should just be enjoying the bourbon with good times and great friends.” – Felicia L. Corbett, head potions master at Trouble Bar
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Don't sleep on the bottom, mid-tier picks
"My biggest rule of thumb would be to never judge another person's bourbon choice. As we've seen with blind tastings over and over again, bourbon doesn't have to be expensive, or even popular, to be enjoyed. This leads me to the next one – don't sleep on the bottom and mid-tier shelves! Bourbon has become so popular these days, and sometimes I just want a solid bourbon I know I can find in stores." – Danielle Huenefeld, Sour Mash Tours
Let the host guide the bourbon experience
"Let the host guide your experience. For instance, if you are attending a function and the host has a bourbon selection, let him or her suggest what we should have a pour of. And return the favor. If I didn’t bring a bottle, I would be sure to bring one next time to share. Pay attention to what they like to really go that extra mile." – Adam Walpole, executive bourbon steward at Hermitage Farm and Barn8 Farm Restaurant & Bourbon Bar
If you've got a rare bourbon, share it or sell it
"If you are a bourbon collector or sitting on a lot of rare bottles, are you just waiting to sell, waiting for the right occasion or people to share them with, or just bragging rights? I see those who love to open a bottle of rare whiskey to share with friends, and then I see those that display them but keep them off-limits. My theory is if you got it, share it. If not, start selling them to others to enjoy." – Mike Bass, Punchbowl Project
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Every new pour should be tasted neat
"I always think it's rude when someone pours more than two ounces from a bottle they don't own. If someone is gifted a bottle at the party you're at, for the love of God, don't mix with it. When someone pours you a glass of bourbon, don't shoot it. I think every new pour should first be tasted neat. Then do whatever the hell you want to it.
And tip 20%. Even if it's a $100 pour." –Tyler Ohlmann, collector and Certified Bourbon Steward
