Ha...I wish. We've had a few PR firms for distillers send us samples, but they're pretty small...just enough for a tasting or two, really.
Bourbon: What are you sipping on?
- Thread starter buckethead1978
- Start date
Was at Bourbons Bistro in Louisville the other night and one of the bartenders said Barterhouse was awful..I had never heard of it until I saw it on this board.
For Fathers Day I was lucky enough to receive some Ridgemont Reserve 1792 and Four Roses and a 1.75 of Eagle Rare. Ought to hold me for a couple of weeks.
For Fathers Day I was lucky enough to receive some Ridgemont Reserve 1792 and Four Roses and a 1.75 of Eagle Rare. Ought to hold me for a couple of weeks.
15yo is my favorite Pappy. Where in Louisville did you grab the ECBP? Been looking for that one and unable to snag.
There was a father's day "Whiskey treasures" event at Westport Whiskey & Wine. They had a bunch of hard-to-find stuff. It opened at 1pm, I got there at 12:55 and was about 50th in line. I got the last bottle of ECBP, and everything mildly rare was sold out by about 1:30 but some barterhouse.
There was a bunch of barterhouse, which isn't really selling well anywhere, one bottle of old blowhard that I passed on, the Stagg Jr, a few different Buffalo Trace Experimental Collections, and a few barrel selections.
Most everything else was gone before I even got in the room, but there had been 4 bottles fo G. T. Stagg, 2 Pappy 10 years and 1 Van Winkle Rye, and the guy in front of me got the last 2 bottles of Weller 12, but I wasn't interested in that anyway. There may have been a few other things, too, but they were gone before I got inside.
It was a madhouse, and not something I'll likely go to again.
This post was edited on 6/17 11:05 AM by ModernThirst_Bill
There was a bunch of barterhouse, which isn't really selling well anywhere, one bottle of old blowhard that I passed on, the Stagg Jr, a few different Buffalo Trace Experimental Collections, and a few barrel selections.
Most everything else was gone before I even got in the room, but there had been 4 bottles fo G. T. Stagg, 2 Pappy 10 years and 1 Van Winkle Rye, and the guy in front of me got the last 2 bottles of Weller 12, but I wasn't interested in that anyway. There may have been a few other things, too, but they were gone before I got inside.
It was a madhouse, and not something I'll likely go to again.
This post was edited on 6/17 11:05 AM by ModernThirst_Bill
Everyone seems to think the same about old blowhard, which I also saw available at bourbons bistro right after its orphan barrel release.
As a side note; I think bourbons bistro is incredibly overrated.
I live out of town and just happened to be visiting Lexington the next day and hit Beaumont and it was gone. I have bottles of the Four Roses Single Barrel LE going back to 2010 and the 2014 has been the toughest to get so far. The 2009 will be impossible too few were bottled.
Found a bottle of Blantons Gold Edition for about $70.
Anyone know much about it? I've not pulled the trigger on it yet.
Anyone know much about it? I've not pulled the trigger on it yet.
Good bump. I'm always up to talk about some bourbon.
Been drinking my way through the Four Roses Barrel Strength Private Selections lately. Took a bottle of OESQ to the bourbon society emeting on Monday, and it was 75% gone by the time Fred Noe started speaking. It was a very popular bottle.
We should have samples from Diageo arriving for Bulleit Rye and 10 year Bourbon by Friday, so I think those will likely be our next two reviews on the site after I finally put one together for that OESQ. There was just enough left in the bottle ater Monday for one or two good pours.
Been drinking my way through the Four Roses Barrel Strength Private Selections lately. Took a bottle of OESQ to the bourbon society emeting on Monday, and it was 75% gone by the time Fred Noe started speaking. It was a very popular bottle.
We should have samples from Diageo arriving for Bulleit Rye and 10 year Bourbon by Friday, so I think those will likely be our next two reviews on the site after I finally put one together for that OESQ. There was just enough left in the bottle ater Monday for one or two good pours.
Have found a few bottles of Stagg Jr. at different liquor stores, most recently while back home in Hopkinsville this weekend. A couple of small cubes of ice and it's one of the best tasting bourbons I've ever had.
Have never found a bottle of the premium Stagg but did have a pour while on vacation when we stopped by Pebble Beach, was surprised they had it on their spirits list. Can't remember the proof but it packed a punch.
Saw a 15 year old bottle of Pappy in a liquor store in Pacific Grove--they wanted $1,000 for it. Ummmm, no.
Have never found a bottle of the premium Stagg but did have a pour while on vacation when we stopped by Pebble Beach, was surprised they had it on their spirits list. Can't remember the proof but it packed a punch.
Saw a 15 year old bottle of Pappy in a liquor store in Pacific Grove--they wanted $1,000 for it. Ummmm, no.
Stagg Jr is good. It gets a little bit of a bad rap from a lot of bloggers because they want it to be George T. Stagg. It's a really good bourbon in its own right, but it isn't GTS.
The 2014 release was one of the better noses on a bourbon I've had this year. Good flavor to go with it. It does need a splash of water or two to bring out the sweetness and caramel a bit, though.
All the Pappy is so far beyond the pale in terms of price. It's very good bourbon (the 15 and 20 year, anyway), but it's simply not $500+ good. I'd take the higher proof releases of George T. Stagg over any of the current Pappy iterations regardless, even though I'd put the 15 and 20 in my top 10 bourbons list.
The 2014 release was one of the better noses on a bourbon I've had this year. Good flavor to go with it. It does need a splash of water or two to bring out the sweetness and caramel a bit, though.
All the Pappy is so far beyond the pale in terms of price. It's very good bourbon (the 15 and 20 year, anyway), but it's simply not $500+ good. I'd take the higher proof releases of George T. Stagg over any of the current Pappy iterations regardless, even though I'd put the 15 and 20 in my top 10 bourbons list.
Finally opened and reviewed the EH Taylor Single Barrel yesterday...not overly impressed. Kind of a "hollow" bourbon...lots of corn up front, lots of spice on the back, nothing in the middle.
The Buffalo Trace flavors are there, but not as well developed as some other BT offerings. The EH Taylor line has been a bit of a let down for me so far.
The Buffalo Trace flavors are there, but not as well developed as some other BT offerings. The EH Taylor line has been a bit of a let down for me so far.
Finished my last splash of Stagg Jr. last night, hated to see it go. One of the best tasting bourbons I've ever had.
Picked up a bottle of Elmer T Lee single barrel this weekend at the recommendation of the liquor store owner, supposedly their last bottle. Can't say I was that impressed. Are they that hard to find?
Picked up a bottle of Elmer T Lee single barrel this weekend at the recommendation of the liquor store owner, supposedly their last bottle. Can't say I was that impressed. Are they that hard to find?
They've been really hard to find since Elmer passed away a year ago.
Elmer hand-picked his barrels from Buffalo Trace stock, and people were afraid that with him gone, the label would be discontinued, or the quality would slip since it would be someone else choosing the barrels. It was a very common "everyday" bourbon for a lot of people, around $30. Since people were afraid it would go away, they started hoarding it.
They self-fulfilled their own prediction, and self-created their own shortage. Afraid that it would go away, they bought up all they could, making it hard to find on shelves, which made others buy it up whenever they saw it, since they don't get to buy it often. So now it's very difficult to find since it sells out quickly upon reaching the shelves.
But it's still a $30 kind of bourbon. It's good, but it's not wildly different from anything else Buffalo Trace makes in terms of quality and profile. Same mash bill as Blanton's, Hancock Reserve, Rock Hill Farms, etc.
Elmer hand-picked his barrels from Buffalo Trace stock, and people were afraid that with him gone, the label would be discontinued, or the quality would slip since it would be someone else choosing the barrels. It was a very common "everyday" bourbon for a lot of people, around $30. Since people were afraid it would go away, they started hoarding it.
They self-fulfilled their own prediction, and self-created their own shortage. Afraid that it would go away, they bought up all they could, making it hard to find on shelves, which made others buy it up whenever they saw it, since they don't get to buy it often. So now it's very difficult to find since it sells out quickly upon reaching the shelves.
But it's still a $30 kind of bourbon. It's good, but it's not wildly different from anything else Buffalo Trace makes in terms of quality and profile. Same mash bill as Blanton's, Hancock Reserve, Rock Hill Farms, etc.
Had a couple of Bulleit samples from Diageo I had to work through and review this past week/Weekend (the Rye and 10 year bourbon). Both were pretty solid, considering the price and such.
Next up will be Smooth Ambler Old Scout bourbon and Rye. Both are MGP products, like the Bulleit Rye and older Willett Ryes, so I expect their rye to be in the same vein as those.
So nothing particularly rare or overly expensive at the moment, but they're all long overdue for a tasting.
This post was edited on 8/4 9:58 AM by ModernThirst_Bill
Next up will be Smooth Ambler Old Scout bourbon and Rye. Both are MGP products, like the Bulleit Rye and older Willett Ryes, so I expect their rye to be in the same vein as those.
So nothing particularly rare or overly expensive at the moment, but they're all long overdue for a tasting.
This post was edited on 8/4 9:58 AM by ModernThirst_Bill
I just hit the US from 7 days in the Scottish highlands. I hit about 8 distilleries and had about a million "drams" of single malt. Frankly, it was awesome and a real eye opener.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
Posted from Rivals Mobile
If price is no issue, I will take GTS. The 09 is still probably the top whiskey I've had the last 5 years. A couple of the following years were good, but not quite up to that level.
Stagg Jr is excellent, and dollar for dollar is a great deal IF you can find it at MSRP. It has been note consistent than GTS, that's for sure. This last release was great.
Stagg Jr is excellent, and dollar for dollar is a great deal IF you can find it at MSRP. It has been note consistent than GTS, that's for sure. This last release was great.
I think Stagg Jr. comes in so 'hot' when neat that it's just too much. It's amazing what 15 minutes of resting in the glass does for this bourbon. I let it rest and add one big cube and it's nothing like it is neat.
Looking for some Rock Hill lately and having trouble finding it again.
Has anyone ever had Blantons Barrell Proof that's only released overseas?
Looking for some Rock Hill lately and having trouble finding it again.
Has anyone ever had Blantons Barrell Proof that's only released overseas?
A splash of water or a single cube brings out completely different aromas on Stagg Jr. than trying it neat. It's an aroma-bomb with a splash of water.
The entire Orphan Barrel project from Diageo has been a big disappointment. Barterhouse is okay for me, but not worth the price of admission. Rhetiric is a little better. Old Blowhard is like chewing on wet cardboard
That's aside from the whole fiasco of the "story" they tried to pass off behind the barrels, which kind of blew up in their faces.
All in all, it's a good example of a company that really doesn't yet understand the American Whiskey market. They do it with Bulleit, too, but the price isn't high enough on that for anyone to really get up in arms.
Elijah Craig 12 in my Old Fashioned. Except I make mine the original way... no fruit. 1 sugar cube, 3 or 4 dashes angostura bitters, about a tablespoon of club soda... muddle. Add two ounces of EJ 12 stir, add a large ice cube, squeeze zest of orange into the drink and add it. perfect. IMO, the orange and cherry should only be used if using a cheaper bourbon.
I really like the Double Oak W. I know my tastes are different than some here, but I enjoyed it. Regular Woody is boring to me, good, but boring. Feel the same about MM and 46. 46 is a more flavorful, exciting version of the original.
The 10 year is exceptional. There are 2 series of it this year, both are good, but one is awesome...I'll have to look up the bottle number when I get home.
Agreed that the 10yo Michter's is great, but good luck trying to find it around Louisville. I am only able to find the 10yo Rye, which is also good, at around $100.
It's limited release, so you just have to catch it on the day it comes out. I found it on the shelf at Liquor Barn for $80. Wasn't even in a separate display or anything.
The 10yo Rye is really nice too. MGP product, IIRC.
The 10yo Rye is really nice too. MGP product, IIRC.
Found a random bourbon collection for sale in Cincinnati. The prices seem crazy high to me.
This post was edited on 8/25 5:21 PM by nkyphatcat
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/clt/4624339158.html
This post was edited on 8/25 5:21 PM by nkyphatcat
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/clt/4624339158.html
Aside from the fact that it's illegal, I hate when people horde bottles and try to sell them at exorbitant costs on the secondary market. Big reason it's so hard to find a lot of the good bottles these days. Search craigslist in Louisville, and you'll see all sorts of guys doing it.
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