bottles of bourbon that do not taste like wine

English translation: they have bought the whiskey because of a WINE expert's opinion

14:47 Jul 26, 2013

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Marketing - Food & Drink / Article on Whiskey and Bourbon

English term or phrase: bottles of bourbon that do not taste like wine

Will the monied, armed only with the quarter-knowledge of a wine professional evidently unstudied in his new subject matter, track down all the bourbons on the list that break whatever threshold the keepers of Parker’s 100-point system deem appropriate for their bar before they tire of owning multiple bottles of bourbon that do not taste like wine?

Please see more at: http://whiskeywonka.com/2013/05/09/money-talks-and-bullshit-...

I don't clearly see the point here: is the author speaking ironically about the wine expert who made a foray into bourbon territory, and for whom best bourbon should "taste like wine"?

Thank you in advance.

Sterk KudoZ activity Questions: 1564 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (73 closed without grading) Answers: 0 Ukraine
Local time: 08:57

Selected answer:they have bought the whiskey because of a WINE expert's opinion

Explanation:
I read the article which I thought was quite entertaining - the key being the title "money talks and bullshit walks".

I would say that first the author is not happy about a wine expert such as Robert Parker presenting himself as a bourbon expert; second, the author is concerned at the impact this may have on the fine bourbon market - i.e. inflate prices/reduce availability for genuine bourbon lovers. The author considers that the basis of this sudden new interest in bourbon is, essentially, bullshit (winelovers buying whiskey because a wine guru tells them to). The author hopes that this will be a temporary situation - the winelovers will come to their senses and remember that it is wine that they really like... At the end of the day "bullshit will walk".

Selected response from:

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 07:57

Grading comment

Thank you, that's clear now.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

3 +5

they have bought the whiskey because of a WINE expert's opinion

Mark Nathan

4 +1

this is complicated and you need to see the explanation below

Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz

bottles of bourbon that don't taste particularly special

B D Finch

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

this is complicated and you need to see the explanation below

Explanation:
Essentially, your interpretation seems correct to me, except for the quotation marks that make it look like you believe that the author believes that the wine snob in question consciously believes that bourbon should taste like wine.

I believe that the author does not believe that the wine snob consciously believes that bourbon should taste like wine. Far from that! On the contrary, the wine snob doesn't believe anything consciously, he just doesn't have a clear idea of what he's doing and is therefore swayed by his wine tastes that (as we all know but the wine snob doesn't realise) don't apply to bourbon.

Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Poland
Local time: 07:57
Native speaker of: Polish

19 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

they have bought the whiskey because of a WINE expert's opinion

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 07:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 12

Grading comment

Thank you, that's clear now.

1 day 36 mins confidence:

bottles of bourbon that don't taste particularly special

Explanation:
Though I agree with Mark's answer as far as it goes, I think there is a major omission there: the use of irony. When something is said to "taste like wine" (the something generally being water), it means that it tastes unexpectedly good.

www.heraldscotland.com/in-the-desert-the-water-tastes-like-...‎
"In the desert the water tastes like wine, and in Kilmarnock a decent meal is a welcome treat."
(i.e. the author has a very low opinion of Kilmarnock cuisine.)

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/bluegrass-songbook/006493....
"I'm goin' where the water tastes like wine-- (2x)
This New York water tastes like turpentine--
I'm goin' where the water taste like wine."

B D Finch
France
Local time: 07:57
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 10

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bottles of bourbon that do not taste like wine

English translation: they have bought the whiskey because of a WINE expert's opinion

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