Delilah's in Chicago

Well, ever since I got into Bourbon, I have been trying to find a local place to sample different kinds. Through some research, I found that there are several bars in the city of Chicago that have a large whiskey selection. One in particular, Delilah's, is universally chosen as the best, and actually has a national reputation and one of the great whiskey bars. My brother-in-law recently invited me to spend an evening in the city, followed by Blackhawks hockey game the next day. This was a great opportunity to finally visit Delilah's. The short version of my visit is that tasting several new whiskeys was a lot of fun, but the overall experience was a bit of a disappointment.

Delilah's is small, very dark bar in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. The decor is punk rock meets Elvis. There is really nothing special about the place physically, but I didn't care, I was there for the bourbon. And they do have a lot of bourbon. Two things, however, kinda put a damper on the experience. First, the bartender that night was a real drip. I tried to engage him in talk about whiskey and bourbon, but he didn't bite. All he wanted to know is what I was ordering next. He was actually rude to my brother in law. This is a small place, when your bartender is a killjoy, it affects the entire atmosphere. The second thing that tempered my experience is that I was the only whiskey drinker in the bar! My brother-in-law and his buddy are not whiskey drinkers, and neither was anybody else when I was there. I had anticipated that I would be talking bourbon with somebody that night, but it just was not meant to be.

As mention earlier, the tastings of the different whiskeys was very fun. I tried four that night. After about four or five whiskey tastings, you taste buds are about shot. Here's what I tried:

• Old Commonwealth - I tried this on the recommendation of a member of the Straightbourbon.com message board. This was tasty, but a little 'hot' for my liking. It's 100 proof, and I don't mind high proof bourbon, but the alcohol was a little too pronounced. This is a hard to find bourbon though, so I was really happy to try it.
  
• Delilah's House Brand (Wheater) - This is created by the folks who make Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, known for their 'wheat' based mash bill. I have tried the Pappy Van Winkle 15 year and 20 year. This bourbon was about the same, except it is aged 10 years. It was just a little 'thinner' and less complex than the older version. Very nice.
  
• Delilah's House Brand Rye Whiskey - I couldn't get much info on this one, but it was the best whiskey I tasted that night. Nice rye spiciness and excellent balance.
  
• Jameson's 18 year old - Jameson's regular whiskey is usually my first choice when I venture away from bourbon. I really enjoy it. I have been wanting to try the 18 year old, but it's $80 a bottle, so this was the perfect opportunity to try it economically. I was disappointed. It didn't taste that much different from the regular Jameson. It was a little smoother, but for the price, not that much better. I am hoping that since this was my fourth whiskey of the night, that my taste buds were dulled. I will give it another try sometime in the future.
  

In conclusion, I'm glad I went to Delilah's, even though I was a little disappointed with the visit. Next time I'll make sure I go there with some whiskey enthusiasts and hope that I have a different bartender. By the way, the 'Hawks' won 4-2.