Aldi Clarke's Bourbon

Peanut

This is pretty good stuff.

I was a bit reluctant considering the price (€14.99) and not much else to go on, but, having previously tried their very good Highland Black whiskey though, I thought it was worth a shot (or two).

Once you open the screw top, the whiff of sugary maple syrup is surprisingly pleasant. This continues after pouring, although it's probably not an incredibly complex aroma, it compares well with some more expensive whiskeys.

The initial taste suffers a bit from a fairly noticeable alcohol burn, which can be a bit harsh, but swirling it a bit and leaving it to settle for 15 minutes or so helps considerably. I suspect that this continues to improve after the bottle is first opened.

The flavour of the spirit is very pleasant - oak wood and vanilla sugar, but a lot more rich and rounded compared to something like Jim Beam. I would say that this is a superior drink - certainly along the lines of a more expensive mid-range bourbon like Maker's Mark.

I haven't tried mixing this with anything else but it should work quite well, although it's definitely worth trying on it's own, neat without ice.

emmet the rover

thanks for sharing i might try this as i like a occasional burbon as a break from scotch or beer and i love a bargin.

does it actually call itslef a burbon or is it something like "burbon style" i understand (and please correct me if iam wrong) that burbon is a very thightly controlled word that must meet certin requirments. for instance jack danlies is apperantly not a burbon (not that it claims to be)

Peanut

Yeah it's definitely a bourbon as opposed to something like JD, so it has more of a sweeter woody taste to it.

I think I read somewhere else that it might be made by Heaven's Hill distillery. The bottle itself says it's distilled in Kentucky "under supervision of the government of the United States of America" :pac:

el diablo

I love Jim Bean but I might actually give this stuff a go.:)


Has anyone tried Lidl's version of Bourbon? Western Gold, I think it's called.

Phil92

Tried the Western Gold once, and even though I don't have the best palate I'd say it's pretty damn awful.

el diablo

Phil92 wrote: »

Tried the Western Gold once, and even though I don't have the best palate I'd say it's pretty damn awful.

Have you tried the Aldi stuff?

Phil92

el diablo wrote: »

Have you tried the Aldi stuff?

Nope, but I'd say I probably will now, it sounds quite nice.

Ruben Remus

emmet the rover wrote: »

i like a occasional burbon as a break from scotch or beer

elmer

Apologies for reviving an old thread but i've just tried both jim beam and clarkes and have to say I prefer the clarkes as it has a more caramel taste. unfortunately I've run out of clarkes but have plenty of jim beam. Nice as beam is, clarkes is deliciously morish

syklops

Phil92 wrote: »

Tried the Western Gold once, and even though I don't have the best palate I'd say it's pretty damn awful.

I completely disagree, but taste is a very personal thing, so I would recommend everyone to try it and make their own decision. At about 16.99 its not a big gamble.

kayos

Peanut wrote: »

Yeah it's definitely a bourbon as opposed to something like JD

Well in fairness JD isn't a bourbon, its a Tennessee whiskey. And since being subjected to the smell of the vats in 110 degree heat very hard to for me to enjoy .

If you like bourbons Makers Mark, four roses small batch, Woodford reserve are all well worth a taste.

I've tried both the Aldo and Lidl bourbons, for me Aldi wins by a long shot.

BeerNut

kayos wrote: »

JD isn't a bourbon, its a Tennessee whiskey.

Tennessee whiskey is a type of bourbon.

kayos

BeerNut wrote: »

Tennessee whiskey is a type of bourbon.

Which has extra production steps when compared to Bourbon. I.e. the charcoal filter be it one or multiple passed. Then that's only the Lincoln county process variants.

There is a difference in taste imho. When it comes to JD #7 is the pits. Gentleman is a nice all rounder. Silver or Single would be the best options.

BeerNut

kayos wrote: »

Which has extra production steps when compared to other Bourbons.

FYP.

Mantel

I like Western Gold but tend to avoid it as I get pains in my chest after a little bit, it's perfect for bourbon and beans though. It's the only thing that does it to me so I tend to avoid bourbon and especially cheap bourbon just in case.

On a cheap bourbon note I see that Tesco have added a €15 bourbon to their selection to compete against Clarkes and Western gold. Not too sure of the name but I think it was Old Samuel, anyone tried that one?

dinorebel

Mantel wrote: »

I like Western Gold but tend to avoid it as I get pains in my chest after a little bit, it's perfect for bourbon and beans though. It's the only thing that does it to me so I tend to avoid bourbon and especially cheap bourbon just in case.

On a cheap bourbon note I see that Tesco have added a €15 bourbon to their selection to compete against Clarkes and Western gold. Not too sure of the name but I think it was Old Samuel, anyone tried that one?

Yes and it's not even close to Clarkes IMO.

Peanut

kayos wrote: »

If you like bourbons Makers Mark, four roses small batch, Woodford reserve are all well worth a taste.

Haven't tried Four Roses, have been eyeing it a few times though. Maker's Mark is nice although I think some people could find it a bit too sweet. It's a more refined type of oaky sweetness.

Knob Creek is similar although slightly less interesting IMHO. Found Woodford Reserve a bit dry or something, not bad though.

Tried this Beam small batch collection a few years ago, the Baker's and esp. the cask-strength style Booker's were pretty amazing.

Must pay a visit to Aldi again soon all the same

bnt

I saw this in Aldi yesterday and decided to give it a go, considering that i've had Bourbon perhaps once in my life before. (I've tried JD and Southern Comfort before, and was not impressed, so I wasn't exactly in a hurry to go Stateside again for spirits.) I'm finding it pretty good so far, and I see what a previous commenter said about it being "moreish": I've had a few sips already today, a day off work.

So I decided to look it up, prepared to find out that it's bog standard cheap swill and I have low standards, but it looks like I'm on to a good thing after all. The Independent (UK) has it on its 10 Best Bourbons list, holding its own against bottles many times the price.