Oh they're selling on election day alright! A buddy just texted me a photo of a monster line outside of Liquor Barn this morning...people camping out because you-know-what is released there today (PVW).
Bourbon: What are you sipping on?
- Thread starter buckethead1978
- Start date
Saw on twitter that people were lined up in Lexington and Louisville for Pappy. I live in Bowling Green hurried over to Liquor barn here and got in line about 20 deep.
They didn't have any of the 23 or Rye but had a few bottle of 20 and 15 and a bunch of bottle of 12 and 10 (around 40) Probably had about 50 total bottle I heard someone say 15-20 cases. I was able to get a 10 year and my girlfriend and her sister showed up and each got a bottle of 10.
I really thought it would be next Tuesday since today was election day.
It was perfect timing as I just finished the last of my 10 year from last year.
They didn't have any of the 23 or Rye but had a few bottle of 20 and 15 and a bunch of bottle of 12 and 10 (around 40) Probably had about 50 total bottle I heard someone say 15-20 cases. I was able to get a 10 year and my girlfriend and her sister showed up and each got a bottle of 10.
I really thought it would be next Tuesday since today was election day.
It was perfect timing as I just finished the last of my 10 year from last year.
I have no idea when it will arrive in Colorado. Usually it's here right about now through maybe Nov. 20th. I got a bottle of 10-year from 2013, but not during the usual release. I happened upon it back in April of this year when a gal at the counter said she had one that was never picked up back in the fall.
I miss the days, though, when they sat on the shelf and no one took them. In 2005 I bought one of each just because I liked the bottle and labeling (had no idea about the history of it). In 2008 I picked up 2 bottles of Lot B only because I loved it the first time. As recently as 2012 I was able to still find them on the shelves at BevMo in California (Lot B and ORVW10), and that was just before the huge explosion thanks to the NY Times article on the stuff. I never thought to buy them all - I only bought what I thought I could drink.
Today I still have 2/3 of the 2005 PVW15, 1/2 of the 2012 Lot B and 2/3 of the 2013 ORVW10 on the bar. The rye was gone long ago and I've not been able to get one since (I never stand in line or camp out). The 20 and 23 year are stashed in my safe and I've since added a 2011 of the 20 and 23-years (secondary market), but I'm thinking I may crack one of the 20-year bottles soon.
One of my favorites in my bar right now, though, is the James E Pepper 15-year. Outstanding and now impossible to find anywhere.
Any thoughts on The Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish? I'm not even sure when it comes out (I think mid-November) but maybe it is already out.
The LB on shelbyville rd is independent of the other 13 stores. The mgr there has a history of keeping the bottles internal. I'd bet they'll put them out when no one is looking.
All the woodford master's collections thus far have been pretty poorly received. I haven't heard yet on this latest release, but the previous versions are still out on shelves in a lot of places, so I would probably try to find it at a bar before buying.
Granted, I'm not a fan of Woodford anyway, so take that with a grain of salt.
I thought the four wood was decent. The ryes from two yrs ago were average. Last yrs malts were decent but just not worth $100. If I want $100 malt whiskey, it will be from Scotland.
The masters bourbon releases have been OK, non-bourbon, not so much.
The masters bourbon releases have been OK, non-bourbon, not so much.
Just got a bottle of Jefferson's 8 yr old..Heck of a deal on it too. $23.99 at the Wine Rack on Frankfort Ave in Louisville. This is good stuff.
That's pretty serious. I keep my Pappy in the back of my kitchen cabinet behind my cheaper bourbon. Figure any would-be theif would never sort past my Old Crow looking for pricey liquid gold.
All kidding aside, I do enjoy Pappy backlash at this point. I've spoken with restaurateurs who claim to have ordered since the Van Winkles begged to get the brand going and now they can't get a bottle. I paid maybe $50 for my first bottle of Pappy 20 and about $125 for my last I was able to find. One CHAIN liquor stores in my town (Friar Tuck) blatantly auctioned off their bottles last year. You could bid at the service desk and they posted the highest bid values for each level bottle throughout the store each day until they closed bidding.
They have definitely worn out their welcome.
I call them unicorns. I don't chase them anymore. Not worth the hustle to acquire and the 23 is good but not worth $250. I do like the 15yr 107 and 10yr for the price.
I looked for them the other day, but this has gotten ridiculous. So many great whiskey's out there that are easy to get. I'm not waiting in a 6AM line for anything that I think is too pricey to begin with.
Had the Parker's 8th last night. Totally expected it to be light and delicate and this stuff is thick. Guess that is because other wheated type whiskey's are always cut to around 90 proof, but this stuff is much higher. I also thought it was much better on ice than neat. Plenty of flavor and it seemed really balanced to me. Not too much of any one flavor. I like it, but at the price I paid it will be a special occasion whiskey (#9, Bowl game win).
This post was edited on 11/6 11:26 AM by TKE_
Had the Parker's 8th last night. Totally expected it to be light and delicate and this stuff is thick. Guess that is because other wheated type whiskey's are always cut to around 90 proof, but this stuff is much higher. I also thought it was much better on ice than neat. Plenty of flavor and it seemed really balanced to me. Not too much of any one flavor. I like it, but at the price I paid it will be a special occasion whiskey (#9, Bowl game win).
This post was edited on 11/6 11:26 AM by TKE_
Glad you found a bottle!
I agree with you. It was totally out of left field for me. I completely expected it to be very similar to Bernheim, but it might as well be different juice. I have a bottle and a half left, and I may try to find another (though definitely not at gift shop prices).
I love it. Definitely one of the best I've tried this year. I tried this year's Stagg last night. Very good offering form Buffalo trace, but I still compare it every year to the 2009 release that is, frankly, one of the best whiskeys I've ever had, if not THE best. It doesn't stand up to that, but this year's is still very good. Still need to try the 2014 BTAC Weller, too.
Bought a bottle of Weller Antique yesterday. They were only allowing 1bottle per person of any Weller,and the Weller Reserve was only in plastic bottles. What's up with that?
This post was edited on 11/8 9:47 AM by bigbluedon
This post was edited on 11/8 9:47 AM by bigbluedon
Buffalo trace is really tight on liquid. The regular weller brands come in about once a month in small qtys.
Got a bottle of Smooth Ambler Old Scout 8yo Cask strength last week. That is my go to bottle right now. It's so good. Got a sample of 7yo on its way. Looking forward to that pour.
I went to a local store in Louisville that I go to about every other week and while looking in their display case, one of the workers stated they had 1 bottle of Old Rip 10yo left and if I was interested. I told yeah and when I asked how much, they stated $150. Told them no thanks. Told them I am not paying that price when I know it retails for $50.
Friend of mine in Bardstown may have a bottle of Willett XCF for me. Hopefully he can come through. I really love the barrel strength bourbons.
I went to a local store in Louisville that I go to about every other week and while looking in their display case, one of the workers stated they had 1 bottle of Old Rip 10yo left and if I was interested. I told yeah and when I asked how much, they stated $150. Told them no thanks. Told them I am not paying that price when I know it retails for $50.
Friend of mine in Bardstown may have a bottle of Willett XCF for me. Hopefully he can come through. I really love the barrel strength bourbons.
So, I'm pretty new to the bourbon game. I've only dropped $50 on a bottle once in my life, so far. Was traveling around the state for work and decided to stop at a random side of the road liquor store earlier this week and on the shelf behind the counter saw a bottle of George T. Stagg, Sazerac, Four Roses Small Batch 2014 LE, and Old Forester 2014 Birthday Bourbon. I have a buddy who has been searching high and low for the Birthday Bourbon; so, I grabbed it for him, but passed on everything else... After speaking to another friend, I realized what a huge mistake I made in passing up the BTAC stuff. Called the place up later that same day and they had sold both bottles. As I was told, I might search for a few years before coming across that again.
This post was edited on 11/8 3:33 PM by scotmcieku18
This post was edited on 11/8 3:35 PM by scotmcieku18
This post was edited on 11/8 3:33 PM by scotmcieku18
This post was edited on 11/8 3:35 PM by scotmcieku18
Stopped at another random spot after that and the guy behind the counter told me he had a bottle of Stagg Jr. Grabbed it just to be safe. Still haven't tried it. Seems like people either really love it or hate it.
Crushed a bottle of weller 10yr 107, Liquor Barn barrel selection. $24. Worth every penny. Great bottle.
Just got a bottle of Jefferson's 8 yr old..Heck of a deal
on it too. $23.99 at the Wine Rack on Frankfort Ave in Louisville. This
is good stuff.
I'll second on that, Don. I picked up Jefferson's single barrel on a whim. Not even sure who its made by, but man was it great stuff! I'll be back.
This post was edited on 11/17 8:22 PM by March 22
on it too. $23.99 at the Wine Rack on Frankfort Ave in Louisville. This
is good stuff.
I'll second on that, Don. I picked up Jefferson's single barrel on a whim. Not even sure who its made by, but man was it great stuff! I'll be back.
This post was edited on 11/17 8:22 PM by March 22
The new Orphan Barrel release is due out soon. I have a sample on the way to review, and this one shows real promise. $125, and it's Buffalo Trace distillate this time...Mash #2, 22 years old. 90.1 proof. Called "Lost Prophet"
DEFINITELY on the Michters. I'd take the Single Oak, too, but those are hit and miss, because you don't know what's in them until after you taste them and post about them on their site.
I have a single oak that is wheated and fantastic, and did a side by side with my cousin who had one that tasted young and bitter. They're experiments, so it's hard to say ahead of time. You log onto their site, post your impressions, and afterward, it gives you the details (mash bill, age, etc) of that barrel.
I've had a couple, but the good one was from barrel 175. It happened to be 9 years old and wheated mash bill...so it's like an extra-aged Weller with some oak spice. Very tasty.
This post was edited on 11/18 2:17 PM by ModernThirst_Bill
I have a single oak that is wheated and fantastic, and did a side by side with my cousin who had one that tasted young and bitter. They're experiments, so it's hard to say ahead of time. You log onto their site, post your impressions, and afterward, it gives you the details (mash bill, age, etc) of that barrel.
I've had a couple, but the good one was from barrel 175. It happened to be 9 years old and wheated mash bill...so it's like an extra-aged Weller with some oak spice. Very tasty.
This post was edited on 11/18 2:17 PM by ModernThirst_Bill
A beam rep asked me if I needed a sample of any of their stuff for a review, and I told her I'd done everything but Baker's, and just hadn't bought a bottle lately. So she offered to send me a sample.
A few days later, two fifths of it arrived at my door. Two full fifths. That's insane. Usually, samples are little 200ML bottles with laser-printed labels stuck on them.
I like all the Small batch stuff except Basil Hayden (too weak...I'd probably like it at barrel proof...basically like an extra aged Old GrandDad 114). I don't like any of the Beam stuff with the Beam name on it (not even the signature craft stuff). There's a weird "stale cardboard" taste to all their Beam branded bottles.
Nice! let me know what you think of it. I had a taste, and liked it a lot, and a couple of much more knowledgeable people than me raved about it recently.
I may need to hunt down a bottle myself if I keep hearing good things.
I may need to hunt down a bottle myself if I keep hearing good things.
Interesting that its a BT. Definitely promising. Even at worst, cant really be worse than the last 2 (from what Ive heard).
I will say this: If Diageo had been up front about them, there would be far less complaining about them than there is. They made them out to be "lost barrels" and extremely rare, when in truth, there were probably 50,000+ barrels of barterhouse alone. Their price isn't out of whack with bourbons of their age, you'd just expect it to be "better" at that price as well.
All that aside, at least two of them aren't BAD bourbon, they just aren't great bourbons, and you have to pay great bourbon rpices to get them. I thought Old Blowhard was WAAAAY too woody, and I wouldn't drink it. Barterhouse was "okay" and the latest, Rhetoric, was slightly better.
realistically, 20+ years is probably just too long in the barrel for bourbon. This BT juice won't escape that either.
This post was edited on 11/19 3:50 PM by ModernThirst_Bill
All that aside, at least two of them aren't BAD bourbon, they just aren't great bourbons, and you have to pay great bourbon rpices to get them. I thought Old Blowhard was WAAAAY too woody, and I wouldn't drink it. Barterhouse was "okay" and the latest, Rhetoric, was slightly better.
realistically, 20+ years is probably just too long in the barrel for bourbon. This BT juice won't escape that either.
This post was edited on 11/19 3:50 PM by ModernThirst_Bill
I said it earlier and stand by it, age is a factor, but certainly not the only factor when it comes to taste. There is such a thing as too long in a single barrel where the whiskey pulls out flavors that aren't desirable. I don't know how Pappy does it or how they treat their barrels, but apparently they have it figured out. 8-12 years seems to be the sweet spot for most.
Hated Barterhouse. Not Basil Hayden hate on taste alone, but the fact I paid $20 for the drink... Yes, Basil Hayden's hate.
Hated Barterhouse. Not Basil Hayden hate on taste alone, but the fact I paid $20 for the drink... Yes, Basil Hayden's hate.
On a funny note, when I bought the bottle of Michters toasted barrel the man working the counter said to me "living in Kentucky you have easy access to all the stuff." I told him that it was just the opposite and that most allocated whiskeys never see the shelves been Kentucky.
Part of Pappy's success with older bourbons is that they're wheated. Wheat is a more complex grain (chemically) than Rye, so there is a lot of thought that it takes longer to break down completely in the barrel than rye. That being said, Pappy declines precipitously beyond 20 years. The 23 is nowhere near as nice as the 20, while the 15 can give it a run for its money. In all honesty, JVW was probably as surprised initially how nice his whiskeys taste at that age as consumers.
For whatever reason, Buffalo Trace products actually tend to age well, IMO. Those GTStagg bottles do real well for rye bourbons in that 15-18 year range, which doesn't happen often elsewhere. Eagle Rare 17, William Larue Weller, etc....the antique collection is good whiskey at an older age.
The sample from Diageo arrived today, so I'll hopefully get to that soon.
This would really screw up life - if it isn't already doing so:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fear-of-a-bourbon-shortage-puts-enthusiasts-over-a-barrel-1418004595?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLE_Video_Third
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fear-of-a-bourbon-shortage-puts-enthusiasts-over-a-barrel-1418004595?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLE_Video_Third
The days of us walking past Pappy sitting on a shelf are long gone. One good thing from all of this is the distilleries are making more really good stuff these days. When I was in MD two weeks ago the clerk at the liquor store told me "You're in KY? You guys have tons of this stuff there". I told him "half the stuff you have here never even sees a shelf in KY".
I like Stagg Jr...quite a bit actually. The 4R barrel select stuff is great. Unfortunately, it's also going up in price.
Stagg Jr is the perfect example of a bourbon that needs a splash of water or a small ice cube. It's hot on the nose and the palate straight from the bottle, but a small splash of water brings out all sorts of brown sugar, caramel, etc. Fantastic nose, actually.
All the 4R stuff is good, particularly the Q recipes right now. I generally prefer the E recipes, OESF, OESQ, OESV, etc but I've tasted some great bourbons of all recipes around 9-10 years old lately. That whole barrel select program will cease sometime in 2015, from what I've been told, so stock up on 4R barrel proof bourbon now.
All the 4R stuff is good, particularly the Q recipes right now. I generally prefer the E recipes, OESF, OESQ, OESV, etc but I've tasted some great bourbons of all recipes around 9-10 years old lately. That whole barrel select program will cease sometime in 2015, from what I've been told, so stock up on 4R barrel proof bourbon now.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
Basketball ***** GAME CHAT: UK vs. TENNESSEE - NCAA SWEET 16 *****- Latest: TheySoSensitive
