A beginner's guide to drinking bourbon

• Bourbon has exploded in popularity, but learning how to enjoy this high-proof liquor takes practice.
• Bourbon can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, with a splash of water, or in one of many cocktails.
• There's no wrong way to enjoy bourbon; since we all have different palates, preferences will vary.

When learning about bourbon, there are certain lines you hear over and over again. One is "there's no wrong way to drink bourbon." For the most part, that's true. However, after immersing myself in bourbon culture, including traveling the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and talking to experts ranging from master distillers to bar owners, I've learned that some ways of drinking bourbon are more accepted and will lead to a better testing experience than others.

Below, we will cover how to drink bourbon, including picking glassware, choosing your bourbon, tasting it, and what to consider mixing with it, from what ice to select to what cocktails to make.

Choosing your bourbon

"The best bourbon" is a matter of personal taste. We all have different palates. Price, age, and proof don't necessarily correlate with a better bourbon. Your best bet is to try a variety of styles and flavor profiles to see what you prefer.

Three of the experts I talked to — Fred Minnick, author of "Bourbon Curious;" Jeremy Johnson, bar owner at Meta in Louisville, Kentucky; and Henry Kwok, owner of Henry's Place bourbon bar in Okemos, Michigan — recommended Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond as a good versatile and affordable bourbon. It tied with Wild Turkey 101, a favorite of Johnson's, in a blind taste test I conducted with 11 bourbon lovers. 

Maker's Mark is an excellent choice if you're looking for a wheated bourbon, where wheat is the predominant secondary grain instead of rye. Plus, it pairs well with various foods, according to Minnick.

Choosing your glassware

Glencairn glasses are the standard for bourbon tastings. Kwok likes that the unique shape helps you nose the bourbon, making it ideal for neat drinks. However, the small size doesn't work well if you want to add a giant ice cube. For that, Kwok recommends a Canadian Glencairn, holding twice the volume of a regular Glencairn, or rocks glasses. I use these whiskey glasses when drinking bourbon with ice. Kwok uses rocks glasses or martini glasses for bourbon cocktails in his bar.

How to taste bourbon

The taste of a bourbon is evaluated based on its nose (or aroma), palate (or flavors), and finish. Additionally, expert judges will look at the bourbon's color and "legs," the residue left on the sides of the glass after you swirl it around.  

We're going to focus on assessing the taste. Whiskey tastings work best neat or with a splash of water. Water changes how a bourbon tastes, so consider trying it both with and without it to find what you like. 

To assess the nose, swirl the bourbon around your glass, open your mouth, and put your nose close enough to the bourbon to smell it. Repeat this a few times. Freddie Johnson, a third-generation employee at Buffalo Trace Distillery who leads several tastings a day, pointed out that one nostril may pick up odors the other doesn't. So, make sure you use both as you nose the bourbon.  

If the aroma overwhelms your nostrils, smell something else — coffee beans, your clothes, your arm — and try again. What does the aroma remind you of? Caramel, vanilla, baking spices, and oak are all common answers, but it all depends on your personal experience. 

Next, take a big enough sip to coat your tongue but not much more. Notice what parts of your tongue are activated. Pay attention to what notes come through on the palate. They may be the same as the nose or entirely different. Mouthfeel is also important. Assess whether or not the bourbon burns your tongue or is smooth.

Lastly, the finish is how long the bourbon lingers and what flavors are present after swallowing it. 

Quick tip: Your first sip of bourbon of the day will shock your taste buds, so don't judge a bourbon by that first sip. Let your taste buds warm up before making an assessment. Freddie Johnson recommends taking that first sip with a bit of water already in your mouth to wake up the taste buds.

Ways to drink bourbon

The four primary ways to drink bourbon are neat, on the rocks, with a splash of water, and in a cocktail. We cover each in depth below.

Neat

When you drink "neat " bourbon, you're pouring it at room temperature straight from the bottle, not adding anything: no water, no ice, nothing. I always try a new bourbon neat first. From there, I have a good idea of what I want to add. Or, you might just want to keep it undiluted. It's up to you.

If you take a sip and don't enjoy the taste of the bourbon, whether it burns or the alcohol flavor is overwhelming, you probably don't want to drink it neat. Instead, consider one of the following options.

On the rocks

"On the rocks" just means "with ice cubes," and is an ideal way to drink bourbon if you want a cold drink with some water dilution. Big ice cubes are great because they have less surface area. "It doesn't melt as fast," said Kwok. "It slowly melts and dilutes the drink." The slow dilution means the bourbon's flavor sticks around longer. Our best ice cube trays guide includes some excellent large cube options. 

Quick tip: If you want the cooling benefits of an ice cube without the dilution, consider whiskey stones, stainless steel cubes you freeze and add to your bourbon.

With a splash of water

"Cask strength" and "barrel proof" bourbons are the only varieties that haven't been "proofed down" with water. So, in a sense, the industry acknowledges that most bourbons taste better with a bit of water.

 Adding water helps you recognize flavors you may not notice when your palate is overwhelmed with alcohol. Start with just a little water. At a tasting at Heaven Hill, the guide recommended starting with just two drops from a dropper and adding  more until the flavors pop for you. It will take some tinkering. 

In a cocktail

I'm not going to get into much detail about cocktails since we have an article covering 13 bourbon cocktail recipes, but some common bourbon-forward cocktails include Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and Mint Juleps. The experts I've talked to all recommend high-rye bourbons for cocktails. Jeremy Johnson uses Old Forester 100 in an Old Fashioned, the quintessential bourbon cocktail.

Here's a breakdown of the three most common bourbon cocktails and what you need to make them:

There's no wrong way to enjoy bourbon, but…

There's no wrong way to enjoy bourbon whiskey, but there are ways that are frowned upon. You won't see people doing bourbon shots. "The most insulting thing you can do to a friend or family member is shoot a bottle that they stood three days waiting in line for," said Freddie Johnson.

Bourbon isn't usually mixed with soda. However, when his father was going through chemotherapy and couldn't taste bourbon, Johnson added Diet Pepsi to it. Suddenly, his father could taste it. The soda appeared to neutralize the metallic taste caused by chemo. After that experience, Johnson no longer judged people who added soda to their bourbon. 

There's another way that had a lasting impact on Jeremy Johnson (no relation). When he finally got his hands on Pappy Van Winkle, an incredibly rare bourbon, he made Jell-o shots. "I started getting death threats from people," said Johnson. So, use caution when making bourbon Jell-o shots.

Insider's takeaway 

The best way to drink bourbon is however you enjoy it. It may take trial and error to determine which bourbons you like to neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. And, what works for you may not be ideal for others. Take your time drinking bourbon; enjoy the different flavors. And, of course, enjoy it responsibly.

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