I'm not gonna lie, I'm totally tying the bourbon root beer float this summer. That sounds wonderful!
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Try crown royal black. It is very different from regular crown. I prefer it on the rocks. Nothing to mix with.
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This is bourbon thread dammit.
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Yes, crown black has become a staple of mine at some point in the last four years.
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Take off eh? This ain't no Canehdian whiskey thread ya hoser!
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Crown Black tastes remarkably like Bourbon though, as a side note.
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There's no way it's as bad as regular Crown Royal.
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It is absolutely true. The authentic bourbon flavor is in the Kentucky water. Its impossible to replicate unless you get water straight from Kentucky. Its the same case as any sort of beverage made from state to state. Coca Cola made in Colorado will taste different than Coca Cola made in California all because of the water that was used. Coca Cola just sells the concentrate and the bottlers, from state to state, finish the production with their water.

edit tidbit: Kentucky spring water, purified as it flows over limestone rock formations, is perfect for Bourbon distilling because it is free of minerals that affect taste. This iron-free limestone water is part of what makes Kentucky Bourbon world-renowned.
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:-) not really...
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Actually serious. I'm not even all that fond of floats in general, but I crave these from time to time. Usually have several a summer.

I use my mixing bourbon, not my sipping ones for these. Definitely don't go top shelf on the whiskey, but I would reccomended a quality ice cream. I prefer a vanilla bean, but ymmv.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2934989.html

GREENSBURG, Pa. — Fifty-two bottles of well-aged whiskey disappeared between his lips, police said, and now it's time for a western Pennsylvania man to settle up.

John Saunders, the former live-in caretaker of a Pittsburgh-area mansion, faces criminal charges for allegedly drinking more than $100,000 worth of the owner's whiskey.

Owner Patricia Hill found nine cases of whiskey hidden in the walls and stairwell of the century-old Georgian mansion built by coal and coke industrialist J.P. Brennan after she bought it in 2012. The Old Farm Pure Rye Whiskey was produced in the early 1900s by the nearby West Overton Distilling Co.

"My guess is that Mr. Brennan ordered 10 cases . pre-Prohibition," said Hill, a New Yorker who bought the house to convert it into a bed-and-breakfast. "I was told by his family that family members used to greet him at the door each day with a shot of whiskey."

Scottdale police told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ( ) that Saunders drank dozens of bottles whiskey valued at $102,400 by a New York auction house.

Saunders, 62, of Irwin, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Hill told police Chief Barry Pritts she stored the whiskey in the original cases, which contained 12 bottles each. After Saunders moved out, Hill said she discovered last March that the bottles in four cases were empty.

Saunders initially denied drinking the whiskey when questioned by police, but Pritts said a DNA linked him to three of the empty bottles.

A phone listing for Saunders could not immediately be located Friday.
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I quit drinking pop/soda a while back, and at the time I didn't realize exactly what I had done to my drinking experience. :-)

As a result I'm now searching for the right bourbon and this thread has been very helpful! I'm thinking I'll give Knob Creek a try next.
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You will not regret it, I assure you.
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I may have mentioned that my memory sucks, so if I'm said all this before - well, I"m saying it again. The folks @ Sazarac have been trading the liquor in their portfolio (basically, they sell company A a brand name w/recipe & enough reserve liquor to market until company A gets their own supply made/aged from the recipe) Long story short, they wound up owning most of my favorite bourbon brands (beside the Wild Turkey portfolio) and some of the stuff that used to be available in Kentucky, but not here in KS/MO may start showing up on your shelf. One to point out - Very Old Barton (VOB) is now a Sazerac label. This was (as you might guess) a Barton brand, but anyhoo - this was always a decent drink, and danged good for the money, per my bourbon buds who had access to it (folks in Kentucky and nearby, mostly)
So if you see a new bottle on the shelf of Very Old Barton - give it a try. They market it at 80-86-90-100 proof. For my money, 90 proof is the sweet spot.
You may never have heard of this stuff unless you're from it's old market-area, but if you see it on the shelf it may be worth a try, esp. if it's a good price while they expand.
Another 'good buy' bourbon from Sazerac, their Old Weller has another 'sweet spot' bottle to recommend. Their regular bourbon is a good buy, their 107 proof is a good hi-proof if you enjoy that sort of thing - but their 12 year old Old Weller is the stuff I tout to anyone interested. More time in the oak = smoother. The really good barrels of this stuff get set aside and marketed under fancier labels, but this one is hard to beat for the money.
One final bargain - Benchmade 8 year, an old 'cut rate' label that these folks bought, cleaned up and now sell w/a pretty decent bourbon for not a lot of cash. If you know someone who likes bourbon & coke or bourbon w/ginger ale/7 up, try this. I was impressed.

More on all their stuff here: Sazerac's great-bourbons
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Crown royal black is pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of the regular Crown. My favorite is Devil's cut and Larceny.
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