Funny that I see a thread about this.. I bought a book solely dedicated to black bass two years ago and read a part in it where someone used bourbon on their baits and used it to catch lots of bass in the 80s.

I decided to mix up my own bass attractant: Evan Williams Bourbon, oil, garlic and salt. I just dip the bait down in it and make sure it doesn't get on my boat.

I have caught SEVERAL bass on it over 3 lbs, but not any solid fish (5+) yet. It obviously doesn't scare them all away, but you gotta be careful with this one, though. I was fishing a tournament in the fall a year and a half ago and stuck a 6 lb.+ catfish on a soft plastic. Some people may say it was a waste of good bourbon, but it was worth a try