I'm gonna say it: Maker's Mark whiskey is better than Jameson.

[LostInAnomie]

Better flavor, better price, less pretension.

Flame away.

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. Don't get me wrong I love Irish whiskey but...

there's just something magic about a nice bourbon, for me I think it's that nice vanilla-ish aroma you get before you take that first sip...and I think they are smoother going down :hide:

[LostInAnomie]

3. Indeed.

American bourbon is one of the America's greatest contributions to humanity.

[Reverend_Smitty]

5. I'll go even one step further...

I think Evan Williams is a perfectly acceptable whiskey, it's cheap ($18 for 1.75L), a million times better than over-priced Jack Daniels (yes I know technically it's a Tennessee whiskey) and extremely drinkable in a mixture or on the rocks.

But I would love to try some of this http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/newbs/vw/website3.nsf/docsbykey/HNEY-5FFM32?opendocument

/$FILE/f23yo.jpg
I hear the 23 year old is supposed to be "actual nectar of the gods" but absolutely impossible to get a hold of

[LostInAnomie]

6. I've never been that impressed with Jack Daniels

It's better than a lot of others, but I consider it the baseline for whiskey. Anything worse sucks. Anything better is pretty good to good.

I've never had Evan Williams. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to buying whiskeys. I don't want to spend $20 on something that I might hate. Most of the time I'll just spend the extra $3 to buy Maker's Mark which I know is damn good.

[Reverend_Smitty]

8. I've always had a hard time drinking Jack on the rocks

but I have no problem drinking Evan straight up, hell I've done warm shots of it and not a hint of burning...it's really good for a "cheap" whiskey.

I stumbled upon it by accident in college. I didn't want to drop $30 on a bottle of Jack because I was poor and figured I'd take a chance with the Evan...worst case scenario I would mask it with tons of cola and it would get you just as drunk. But I was pleasantly surprised and now I always have a bottle of it behind my bar

[pitohui]

22. no problem here with jack but i agree abt the evan williams

don't drink much of the hard stuff these days but i always thought evan williams was a nice affordable option

[flvegan]

2. That would be correct.

[LostinVA]

10. Unless you talk to my wife

Those are fighting words to her.

[flvegan]

11. Yeah, well

I welcome her UFC "fighting in the bed this morning" challenge.

[LostinVA]

12. Watch out

She's a pretty scrappy little fighter, and she doesn't play by the rules.

[flvegan]

14. If

we're in bed, I just don't care.

Gotcha.

[LostinVA]

24. Damn it

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. It's just a question of marketing

in the UK, Maker's Mark is more expensive:

Bill Samuels, President of Maker's Mark has great energy and enthusiasm for telling anyone about the fine Bourbon his family has made for generations. It's easy to see why, this is amazing stuff.
Tasting Notes : Rich and incredibly smooth, with perfumed aromas of sweet vanilla oak and a lovely rich palate with a well rounded finish.
Producer : Makers Mark
Method of Production : Small scale production allows real attention to detail. Wheat used (rye is never used) is top quality and water comes from their own spring. The wheat is rolled rather than hammered as it is kinder to the grain, before being gently cooked. Distilled in an old copper doubler still the spirit is run off at relatively low proof maintaining its body. 8 years ageing in charred oak barrels adds sweet vanilla notes. The whisky is diluted to 45% before bottling.

£24.99

http://www.oddbins.com/products/productDetail.asp?productcode=97123

Matured in American oak, this product of the River Liffey and a pot still full of malt is hugely popular the world over.
Tasting Notes : Light, aromatic, soft and particularly smooth with sweet richness and sherry tones before a drier finish.
Producer : Jamesons
Method of Production : A 50/50 blend of grain whiskey and smooth triple distilled, pot still malt. Extra smoothness was imparted by ageing most of the whiskey in old Bourbon casks, 10% was put into sherry casks giving richness. The spirit was diluted to 40% abv with pure water before bottling.

£16.49

http://www.oddbins.com/products/productDetail.asp?productcode=30365

I'd say the description for Maker's Mark is more pretentious too. As far as taste goes - I'm not a fan of bourbons, but I don't think I've ever had Maker's Mark, so I can't truly judge. Jamesons is better than most Scottish blends, though.

[Mojambo]

7. Absolutely agree. n/t

[Pierre.Suave]

9. I guess I will have to break down

and go get some Makers Mark.

I usually drink Johnny Walker Black or Jameson.

The bottle of Johnny Walker Blue I had was, shall we say, INCREDIBLE!!!!

[XNASA]

13. MM is bourbon.

And nothing is better than bourbon.

So I'm in agreement.

[LostInAnomie]

15. Actually, it's bourbon whisky

Check out the label.

[XNASA]

17. All bourbon is whiskey.

But not all whiskey, or whisky, is bourbon.

[democracyindanger]

16. Crazy talk.

Just plain crazy talk.

[emilyg]

18. My friend in Ky.

agrees with you.

[Redstone]

19. But they're not the same thing, so you can't compare them.

Jameson's is Irish whisky, and when combined with Irish Mist (even though I prefer Tullamore Dew) is one experiences that I believe everyone should have); but Maker's Mark (Which I also like very much) is its own, and equally enjoyable experience.

It's like saying that Scotch is better than Bourbon or Sour Mash whiskey. You just can't do that, except as a matter of personal preference, because it's the classic apples-and-oranges conundrum.

Redstone

[LostInAnomie]

20. That's like saying you can't compare Mountain Dew to Mello Yello...

... because the mixes are different. If the end product is a whiskey they can be compared.

[pitohui]

21. no flames here, i think i agree

but i prefer bourbon to irish anyway

[backscatter712]

23. Maker's Mark is good stuff.

But then again, I also enjoy drinking 12-year-aged The Macallan.

[quiet.american]

25. Cheers! Fellow bourbon drinkers! You folks are getting harder to find. :)

I have to admit, there's nothing like Kentucky bourbon, so no flames here. Maker's Mark is my third choice. I always end up going back to my first -- Wild Turkey -- I like the "bite," and in twenty-some years of wetting my whistle with whiskey, this is my ole reliable -- always good.

There's also a newer bourbon I like as a second choice -- Bulleit Bourbon -- when it's good, it's nirvana. The only problem I've found with this is that the batches aren't consistent -- sometimes it's indescribably delicious, other times, too bitter.

Maker's Mark is next on the list. Smooth.

Then, Woodford Reserve. The only reason this is fourth on my list, is that I prefer bourbons with bite, and this one is *too* smooth, almost without a taste, until its aftertaste appears. (The bottle design is quite nice, though.)

[crimsonblue]

26. harlot

[MilesColtrane]

27. Like saying bass is better than salmon.

Fish is fish, and whiskey is whiskey, but comparing different species makes no sense.