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Bourbon guys (1 Viewer)

What's a good introduction bottle for Mezcal? 
I am definitely no expert, Joe. Have no clue what @AAABatteries and I were drinking but it was going down like water  :lol:  as with many boozes (for me at least) about the company and when you are having it.

I have 2 bottles in my bar both were inexpensive (50ish or less) and have that smoky flavor that I remembered being the thing for Mezcal.

Del Maguey Vida - Was on Anthony Bourdain's show, he drank the higher end one Chichicapa.

Montelobos Mezcal Joven - Has as a cool bottle. A bit less smoky flavored.

 
I am definitely no expert, Joe. Have no clue what @AAABatteries and I were drinking but it was going down like water  :lol:  as with many boozes (for me at least) about the company and when you are having it.

I have 2 bottles in my bar both were inexpensive (50ish or less) and have that smoky flavor that I remembered being the thing for Mezcal.

Del Maguey Vida - Was on Anthony Bourdain's show, he drank the higher end one Chichicapa.

Montelobos Mezcal Joven - Has as a cool bottle. A bit less smoky flavored.


Thanks. I'll see if I can find those. 

 
Reading reviews of bourbon online, I feel like a bourbon review parody site is needed. Reading stuff like this is just silly:

”The taste starts with soft floral honey that peaks with a rich butterscotch candy still in its wrapper before falling away towards a cedar box full of vanilla tobacco leaves.”

Still in its wrapper :lmao:
While I can appreciate that some folks have refined palates... sometimes this goes way way too far. That is a good example :lol:  

One of my buddies has one of the most legit collections I've seen. One time we were picking a barrel at another buddy's liquor store and he brought in a Willet C2D (if I recall correctly). That stuff goes for $400-500/oz at whiskey bars. He was pouring us off tasters like it was Evan Williams.

Only issue was, we had already tasted quite a few bottles... including 6 barrels of Old Kirk (7yo Barrel Proof Willett)... and he kinda forgot his truck door open with 3 large boxes of bourbon in plain sight. Tens of thousands in bottles. Various van winkles, BTAC, etc. Nobody touched it despite being out there for 20-30 mins? Some customer walked in and told us. Ooops. 
 

ANYWAYS... this guy is a maniac and he's a blast to pick with. On one barrel pick I had to take a photo of his tasting notes

"Jesus Christ! (in a bad way):lol:   :banned:  

 
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While I can appreciate that some folks have refined palates... sometimes this goes way way too far. That is a good example :lol:  

One of my buddies has one of the most legit collections I've seen. One time we were picking a barrel at another buddy's liquor store and he brought in a Willet C2D (if I recall correctly). That stuff goes for $400-500/oz at whiskey bars. He was pouring us off tasters like it was Evan Williams.

Only issue was, we had already tasted quite a few bottles... including 6 barrels of Old Kirk (7yo Barrel Proof Willett)... and he kinda forgot his truck door open with 3 large boxes of bourbon in plain sight. Tens of thousands in bottles. Various van winkles, BTAC, etc. Nobody touched it despite being out there for 20-30 mins? Some customer walked in and told us. Ooops. 
 

ANYWAYS... this guy is a maniac and he's a blast to pick with. On one barrel pick I had to take a photo of his tasting notes

"Jesus Christ! (in a bad way):lol:   :banned:  
“Rubbing alcohol” :lmao:

 
I am definitely no expert, Joe. Have no clue what @AAABatteries and I were drinking but it was going down like water  :lol:  as with many boozes (for me at least) about the company and when you are having it.

I have 2 bottles in my bar both were inexpensive (50ish or less) and have that smoky flavor that I remembered being the thing for Mezcal.

Del Maguey Vida - Was on Anthony Bourdain's show, he drank the higher end one Chichicapa.

Montelobos Mezcal Joven - Has as a cool bottle. A bit less smoky flavored.
We drank 8 Víboras Artesenal Mezcal.  I still have one of the empty bottles!

 
While I can appreciate that some folks have refined palates... sometimes this goes way way too far. That is a good example :lol:  

One of my buddies has one of the most legit collections I've seen. One time we were picking a barrel at another buddy's liquor store and he brought in a Willet C2D (if I recall correctly). That stuff goes for $400-500/oz at whiskey bars. He was pouring us off tasters like it was Evan Williams.

Only issue was, we had already tasted quite a few bottles... including 6 barrels of Old Kirk (7yo Barrel Proof Willett)... and he kinda forgot his truck door open with 3 large boxes of bourbon in plain sight. Tens of thousands in bottles. Various van winkles, BTAC, etc. Nobody touched it despite being out there for 20-30 mins? Some customer walked in and told us. Ooops. 
 

ANYWAYS... this guy is a maniac and he's a blast to pick with. On one barrel pick I had to take a photo of his tasting notes

"Jesus Christ! (in a bad way):lol:   :banned:  
:lmao:    Holy crap.  We do blinds and I feel like I’m so-so to bad at them and I at least come up with some notes.

 
Haven’t posted any bottle pickups in a while.  Really been on a rye tear of late:

- WT 101 rye (to replace the last bottle)

- Redwood Empire Emerald Giant

- Redwood Empire Rocket Top (Special Release)

- Midwinters Night Dram (probably my favorite bottle)

- Baby Saz

- Sagamore Double Oaked 

- Four Roses Single Barrel

- Early Time BiB

- Redwood Empire Lost Monarch - I’m telling you that this may be the best bang for the buck in whiskey right now.  It’s a bourbon-rye blend and freaking delicious.  $33 locally.  Almost always in stock.  

After pimping all the Redwood Empire bottles above, I will say I got their bourbon Pipe Dream and didn’t care for it.  Had a weird corn dust or pecan shell note that I’m not a fan of.  I also passed on their special release bourbon Grizzly <something> - cool ### bottle but after trying the regular bourbon I’m kind of glad I didn’t pay for it.

 
Thanks

saw it at a new local place someone told me about but it was $100+ so figured I’d ask before diving in


Everything I've seen agrees with icon - it's too much $$ for what you get.  On the other hand, the regular Owl bourbon and especially the rye are really well thought of.

ETA - I've not had any of them just to be clear

 
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The Kentucky Owl question got me thinking. I feel like the bourbon retail market has shifted in response to its popularity (duh). When I got hooked on bourbon it was easy to go into a random liquor store and find some decent, unique, and well priced bourbons.  Occasionally a real treasure. I can remember not too many years ago seeing piles of Weller Antique and 12 Year cases at my local store. I thought I bought a ton at the time but I had no idea what was coming.

Now the retail shopping experience is more about not getting suckered by the designer brands and manufactured scarcity like Kentucky Owl. Some of them are even decent products but the price points they sell at are so much higher than what they would have been at pre-craze. But in a retail store it's all about avoiding the traps now rather than finding the treasures.

My Top Bourbon Trap Brands

Kentucky Owl

Heaven's Door

Smooth Ambler 

Barrell 

Belle Meade

Angel's Envy

Tin Cup

Templeton

High West

Whistle Pig

Widow Jane

Don't get me wrong, some of these age some fine product. It just isn't worth the retail price they market it at in many cases. And some are more egregious in their tactics than others (yeah, looking at you Kentucky Owl). But these are the brands for me that I look very carefully at before buying if I buy them at all.

 
Interesting post @Ron Swanson

And I totally agree with your sentiment but definitely disagree with some of your list.

Specifically Barrell and High West.

Dovetail, Armida and Seagrass are all really good if you like finished whiskey

And High West is maybe in my top 5 and definitely top 10 of distilleries out there.  Double Rye is fantastic for the price, MWND is on of my favorites and their Bourye is delicious.

Most of the rest of your list I would agree with although Belle Meade puts out some good stuff and I’m still a big fan of WP10 store picks.

 
Interesting post @Ron Swanson

And I totally agree with your sentiment but definitely disagree with some of your list.

Specifically Barrell and High West.

Dovetail, Armida and Seagrass are all really good if you like finished whiskey

And High West is maybe in my top 5 and definitely top 10 of distilleries out there.  Double Rye is fantastic for the price, MWND is on of my favorites and their Bourye is delicious.

Most of the rest of your list I would agree with although Belle Meade puts out some good stuff and I’m still a big fan of WP10 store picks.
Not sure I articulated it correctly. And I knew High West would be contentious. I like some of their products. I love some Barrell products. But I do look at them more closely before making a buying decision because I view their brands as more prone to hype and marketing. You can add Smoke Wagon to my list but it is good as well.

 
Not sure I articulated it correctly. And I knew High West would be contentious. I like some of their products. I love some Barrell products. But I do look at them more closely before making a buying decision because I view their brands as more prone to hype and marketing. You can add Smoke Wagon to my list but it is good as well.
Makes sense.  I try to do my research for anything I buy unless it’s a store pick or special release where I have to make a call on the spot. 

 
Makes sense.  I try to do my research for anything I buy unless it’s a store pick or special release where I have to make a call on the spot. 
That actually brings up a great point that probably explains why I feel the way I do. In the "old days" I felt comfortable buying just about any old bourbon I found and trying it out. Prices were more reasonable. And it was part of the fun.  Now I feel like I have to research to avoid the traps. Not as much fun.

 
Smooth Ambler 
Got talked into picking this one up today and shared a dram with my dad, at his behest. It's out of my normal price range, but if I ever feel like splurging, I'll pick it up again.  This is why I didn't give up on bourbon and didn't want to be a scotch-only snob. The salesman at the store tried to frame it as a daily drinker and I can see that; he just didn't realize he was dealing with a low-rent guy.  He did direct me to a couple of lower-cost brands that he thought would meet my criteria of not wanting to be punched in the face with the first sip, and ironically the first one was Four Roses, which I was in the process of grabbing when he came up to me.

This will definitely scratch my bourbon itch for a while.

 
The Kentucky Owl question got me thinking. I feel like the bourbon retail market has shifted in response to its popularity (duh). When I got hooked on bourbon it was easy to go into a random liquor store and find some decent, unique, and well priced bourbons.  Occasionally a real treasure. I can remember not too many years ago seeing piles of Weller Antique and 12 Year cases at my local store. I thought I bought a ton at the time but I had no idea what was coming.

Now the retail shopping experience is more about not getting suckered by the designer brands and manufactured scarcity like Kentucky Owl. Some of them are even decent products but the price points they sell at are so much higher than what they would have been at pre-craze. But in a retail store it's all about avoiding the traps now rather than finding the treasures.

My Top Bourbon Trap Brands

Kentucky Owl

Heaven's Door

Smooth Ambler 

Barrell 

Belle Meade

Angel's Envy

Tin Cup

Templeton

High West

Whistle Pig

Widow Jane

Don't get me wrong, some of these age some fine product. It just isn't worth the retail price they market it at in many cases. And some are more egregious in their tactics than others (yeah, looking at you Kentucky Owl). But these are the brands for me that I look very carefully at before buying if I buy them at all.
Great post and reads like a who's who of brands that used to source good older stocks from MGP, but now either make their own (which mostly sucks) or are sourcing from dickel or OZ Tyler (which isn't nearly on the level of the old MGP stocks that made them famous. 

 
The Kentucky Owl question got me thinking. I feel like the bourbon retail market has shifted in response to its popularity (duh). When I got hooked on bourbon it was easy to go into a random liquor store and find some decent, unique, and well priced bourbons.  Occasionally a real treasure. I can remember not too many years ago seeing piles of Weller Antique and 12 Year cases at my local store. I thought I bought a ton at the time but I had no idea what was coming.

Now the retail shopping experience is more about not getting suckered by the designer brands and manufactured scarcity like Kentucky Owl. Some of them are even decent products but the price points they sell at are so much higher than what they would have been at pre-craze. But in a retail store it's all about avoiding the traps now rather than finding the treasures.

My Top Bourbon Trap Brands

Kentucky Owl

Heaven's Door

Smooth Ambler 

Barrell 

Belle Meade

Angel's Envy

Tin Cup

Templeton

High West

Whistle Pig

Widow Jane

Don't get me wrong, some of these age some fine product. It just isn't worth the retail price they market it at in many cases. And some are more egregious in their tactics than others (yeah, looking at you Kentucky Owl). But these are the brands for me that I look very carefully at before buying if I buy them at all.
While I think new companies and distillers are obviously good, I've always felt that the need for craft or smaller producers (or labels) in the whiskey industry is just not as necessary as it is/was in the beer industry.

Craft beer solved a major problem (all major brewers were racing to the bottom to sell the most watered down stuff they could). 

That problem largely never existed in the whiskey industry. Mostly because it can't. Jack Daniels and Jim Beam would probably be 20 proof by now if they could get away with it. 

But in the whiskey industry, the big distillers have always been doing just fine. Putting out fantastic, interesting products, often at an amazing value. 

I'm not totally sure what problem the craft/boutique whiskey industry is trying to solve. 

 
Not sure I articulated it correctly. And I knew High West would be contentious. I like some of their products. I love some Barrell products. But I do look at them more closely before making a buying decision because I view their brands as more prone to hype and marketing. You can add Smoke Wagon to my list but it is good as well.
Agree on Smoke Wagon also - good bourbon but hype/price outpacing quality.

Disagree on the basic High Wests at least. Campfire is my wife's favorite American whiskey, and the Rye, Double rye, bourye, and American Prairie are all ones we really like that, unless I've been lucky, we always find around $60.

 
Ohio has a bottle lottery coming up.  Which ones would you recommend?

Eagle Rare 17 (750 ML) - $99.99

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 (750 ML) - $69.99

Pappy Van Winkle 15 (750 ML) - $119.99

Pappy Van Winkle 20 (750 ML) - $199.98

Pappy Van Winkle 23 (750 ML) - $299.99

Sazerac Rye 18 (750 ML) - $99.99

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (750 ML) - $99.99

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year (750 ML) - $79.99

William Larue Weller (750 ML) - $99.99

 
Ohio has a bottle lottery coming up.  Which ones would you recommend?

Eagle Rare 17 (750 ML) - $99.99

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 (750 ML) - $69.99

Pappy Van Winkle 15 (750 ML) - $119.99

Pappy Van Winkle 20 (750 ML) - $199.98

Pappy Van Winkle 23 (750 ML) - $299.99

Sazerac Rye 18 (750 ML) - $99.99

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (750 ML) - $99.99

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year (750 ML) - $79.99

William Larue Weller (750 ML) - $99.99


All of them?  Although your odds of winning any of them are probably less than winning the actual lottery.

 
Ohio has a bottle lottery coming up.  Which ones would you recommend?

Eagle Rare 17 (750 ML) - $99.99

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 (750 ML) - $69.99

Pappy Van Winkle 15 (750 ML) - $119.99

Pappy Van Winkle 20 (750 ML) - $199.98

Pappy Van Winkle 23 (750 ML) - $299.99

Sazerac Rye 18 (750 ML) - $99.99

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (750 ML) - $99.99

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year (750 ML) - $79.99

William Larue Weller (750 ML) - $99.99
#1 WLW

#2 ER

#3 Handy (if you are a rye fan, take this as #2).

#4 Pappy 20

#5 any of the other Pappy's to flip.

 
I fully support folks chasing whatever the hell they want, paying whatever they want chasing overpriced wheaters and MGP ryes. If you like it, bless you. Drink what you like. Pay what you want and enter lottos to get it, fine. None of my business. 

But if this damn trend ever gets to my Wild Turkey 101 and I can't find it,  I'm going to fight somebody. 

Just pure vanilla, caramel, spice,...just the most classic bourbon flavors in an honest proof the way Jimmy Russell wanted it. At an amazing price is a nice bonus. 

E'rrrbody get into a bidding war over everything else. Just leave me my Turkey. And some OGD BIB and 114. 

 
Yeah, I’m kinda resigned to Four Roses single barrel and regular Buffalo Trace and the occasional $40ish bottle I’ll take a chance on, but mostly I browse the aisle and come home and pour an Evan Williams and ginger ale.

 
Ohio has a bottle lottery coming up.  Which ones would you recommend?

Eagle Rare 17 (750 ML) - $99.99

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 (750 ML) - $69.99

Pappy Van Winkle 15 (750 ML) - $119.99

Pappy Van Winkle 20 (750 ML) - $199.98

Pappy Van Winkle 23 (750 ML) - $299.99

Sazerac Rye 18 (750 ML) - $99.99

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (750 ML) - $99.99

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year (750 ML) - $79.99

William Larue Weller (750 ML) - $99.99
WLW, ER17, Handy, P15, P10, Saz - to drink 

P20, 23 to sell

 
Yeah, I’m kinda resigned to Four Roses single barrel and regular Buffalo Trace and the occasional $40ish bottle I’ll take a chance on, but mostly I browse the aisle and come home and pour an Evan Williams and ginger ale.
pretty much my favorite daily supper with ER and George Remus (on the bourbon side)

 
Ohio has a bottle lottery coming up.  Which ones would you recommend?

Eagle Rare 17 (750 ML) - $99.99

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 (750 ML) - $69.99

Pappy Van Winkle 15 (750 ML) - $119.99

Pappy Van Winkle 20 (750 ML) - $199.98

Pappy Van Winkle 23 (750 ML) - $299.99

Sazerac Rye 18 (750 ML) - $99.99

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (750 ML) - $99.99

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year (750 ML) - $79.99

William Larue Weller (750 ML) - $99.99
Approximate Secondary Values:

PVW 23 $4500
PVW 20 $3500
PVW15 $2500
WLW: $1800
Sazerac 18: $1600
ER 17: $1500
Van Winkle Lot B 12yr : $1100
Old Rip 10: $1000
TH Handy $750

If you want anything from the bottom of the list and end up with the chance to get something higher on the list, I can assist with teaching you how to trade/sell and pocket the rest of the money... or trade for multiples (ie buy PVW 20, and trade it for a WLW + Old Rip 10 + THH... or a 12pack of Weller 12 :lol:  ) 
 

 
Good start to this year's season. 
William Larue Weller
2x Weller 12yr
2x Old Weller Antique
1x Weller Full Proof (with 2 more to come) 
Elmer T Lee (since I gave my last one away) 
Randomly grabbed an EH Taylor Small Batch and Eagle Rare today for drinkers, as well. 

 
[icon] said:
Good start to this year's season. 
William Larue Weller
2x Weller 12yr
2x Old Weller Antique
1x Weller Full Proof (with 2 more to come) 
Elmer T Lee (since I gave my last one away) 
Randomly grabbed an EH Taylor Small Batch and Eagle Rare today for drinkers, as well. 


That Weller Full Proof is fantastic. I've got a bottle that I haven't opened yet, because it's the only one I've been able to get. 

Damn, I may have to make the trip over to Memphis to do some searching, can't find any of the Bufallo Trace allocated stuff. 

 
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That Weller Full Proof is fantastic. I've got a bottle that I haven't opened yet, because it's the only one I've been able to get. 

Damn, I may have to make the trip over to Memphis to do some searching, can't find any of the Bufallo Trace allocated stuff. 
Stuff like WFP / OWA107 are generally snapped up within an hour or two when they drop. WFP now frequently $150-200 and sometimes with a bundle. Lame.

W12 / BTAC / ETL/ etc  generally never hit the shelves unless they're at secondary.

ER / BT can generally be found with a little digging. Asking on my bourbon club page (MidSouth bourbon brotherhood -2.5k members) will usually yield some suggestions on where it sits. 

 
Stuff like WFP / OWA107 are generally snapped up within an hour or two when they drop. WFP now frequently $150-200 and sometimes with a bundle. Lame.

W12 / BTAC / ETL/ etc  generally never hit the shelves unless they're at secondary.
Tried to grab a WFP this morning. Gone in minutes. Ended up with an Elmer T Lee consolation prize.

 
I like variety for my 1st of the night but always settle into Bulleit Rye. 
Bulleit Rye is one of my favorite bourbons for the money and its always available in the small liquor store inside my small local grocery store.  Often, I Intend to try something new or purchase something that I have had and enjoyed but end up buying Bulleit Rye because i know I really like it and the price is right.  

 
[icon] said:
Not a bad consolation prize! 
They had Larue, WFP, W12, Handy, ER17, Stagg, Blanton's, and EHT, among some others. Been dying to get my hands on a WFP since I tried it at a restaurant a while back. It's just hard to come by here. Everywhere, I'm sure. But seems like a really tight market here. I was pleased with the outcome, though.

 
I have to say, I'm not always the biggest WhistlePig fan, but I grabbed 2 bottles of the Beyond Bonded bourbon (not rye) in September, and I'm glad I did. It's growing on me.

First year they produced it, I believe. Any value in stashing the second bottle?

 
They had Larue, WFP, W12, Handy, ER17, Stagg, Blanton's, and EHT, among some others. Been dying to get my hands on a WFP since I tried it at a restaurant a while back. It's just hard to come by here. Everywhere, I'm sure. But seems like a really tight market here. I was pleased with the outcome, though.
Next time, get WLW, ER17, or Stagg and I'll give you 2:1 FP no problemo. :)

 
Just had the luxury of being able to purchase several of the Jack Daniels Tennessee Tasters Barrel Proof Rye pints. 

This is a Tennessee only release that is the same rye that was in the highly sought JD BP Rye Limited Release from last year. This dark, spicy rye honestly my favorite bottle released last year.  Secondary is around $300 at this point.

FBG BOURBON THREAD GIVEAWAY:
In the spirit of the holidays.... I know many of you were wanting to try this bottle, so I'm going to give one of the Tennessee Tasters Pint versions away.  

  1. If you'd like to enter the random drawing... let me know in here. 
  2. If you can link to a post you made in this thread about wanting to try this stuff, link to it and I'll give you three entries for the taster pint. 
NOTE: PLEASE only enter if you LIKE Rye, particularly barrel proof ryes. This is a BIG whiskey. If your favorite bottle. is Basil Hayden, this probably isn't for you. Also PLEASE don't enter if you've got a bottle of this at home. 

DEADLINE: I'll do the drawing Friday afternoon and ship it out that evening. :banned:  

 
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I fully support folks chasing whatever the hell they want, paying whatever they want chasing overpriced wheaters and MGP ryes. If you like it, bless you. Drink what you like. Pay what you want and enter lottos to get it, fine. None of my business. 

But if this damn trend ever gets to my Wild Turkey 101 and I can't find it,  I'm going to fight somebody. 

Just pure vanilla, caramel, spice,...just the most classic bourbon flavors in an honest proof the way Jimmy Russell wanted it. At an amazing price is a nice bonus. 

E'rrrbody get into a bidding war over everything else. Just leave me my Turkey. And some OGD BIB and 114. 
Grabbed a handle of 101 today for the season, and a Makers Cask Strength to try and have on hand. Makers some pretty nice juice. Good sipper, decent price.

 
Just had the luxury of being able to purchase several of the Jack Daniels Tennessee Tasters Barrel Proof Rye pints. 

This is a Tennessee only release that is the same rye that was in the highly sought JD BP Rye Limited Release from last year. This dark, spicy rye honestly my favorite bottle released last year.  Secondary is around $300 at this point.

In the spirit of the holidays.... I know many of you were wanting to try this bottle, so I'm going to give one of the Tennessee Tasters Pint versions away.  

  1. If you'd like to enter the random drawing... let me know in here. 
  2. If you can link to a post you made in this thread about wanting to try this stuff, link to it and I'll give you three entries for the taster pint. 
NOTE: PLEASE only enter if you LIKE Rye, particularly barrel proof ryes. This is a BIG whiskey. If your favorite bottle. is Basil Hayden, this probably isn't for you. Also PLEASE don't enter if you've got a bottle of this at home. 

DEADLINE: I'll do the drawing Friday afternoon and ship it out that evening. :banned:  
 I would definatly love an entry. Enjoying cask strengths lately to really taste the pure juice.

 

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