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Bourbon guys (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter top dog
- Start date
Same here.
wlwiles
Footballguy
I just found out that I missed out on a THH Rye by maybe 15 minutes yesterday. Had to run an errand at lunch so stopped into a store on that end of town that I don't get to much. They do tons of barrel picks, and don't typically put anything allocated out to be seen, one of those stores (so I thought) where you gotta know somebody to get it...
Anyway, I just go there for the barrel picks, so I perused around, ended up selecting their newest Four Roses pick, paid and left. Apparently within a few minutes of me leaving one of the workers decided to plunk a nice bottle of Handy out on the shelves and see who noticed it. And then some dude walks in, spots it on the shelf for $200, grabs it and leaves, and then blasts it on facebook. I didn't see the post until today, but based on his post time and the time on my receipt, I should have ran my errand before going into the store, not after
This post was accompanied by a similar one this morning where a lucky gentleman snagged a Russell's 15 off their shelf at store open this morning for $260. At least the store is putting them out there now...
Galileo
Footballguy
I found out today that my colleague, who barely ever drinks bourbon...vodka guy (from Russia), hit the OHLQ lottery for a Pappy 20 yr. He apparently entered the lottery for some other guy he knows. He was asking me today if I knew anything about the whiskey. He has no idea what he's got, but it is apparently spoken for. He said he would check with the guy he entered for, and if he didn't want it anymore, I could be next in line. I am sure if the guy asked him to enter the lottery for him, he is going to want the bottle. Strangely, if I won it, I would be torn as to whether to drink it or sell it for a nice profit. I have never had any Pappy's, but I don't really have a high expectation for it. I would hate to drink it and be disappointed, but when push comes to shove, I don't think I would be able to part with the bottle.I just found out that I missed out on a THH Rye by maybe 15 minutes yesterday. Had to run an errand at lunch so stopped into a store on that end of town that I don't get to much. They do tons of barrel picks, and don't typically put anything allocated out to be seen, one of those stores (so I thought) where you gotta know somebody to get it...
Anyway, I just go there for the barrel picks, so I perused around, ended up selecting their newest Four Roses pick, paid and left. Apparently within a few minutes of me leaving one of the workers decided to plunk a nice bottle of Handy out on the shelves and see who noticed it. And then some dude walks in, spots it on the shelf for $200, grabs it and leaves, and then blasts it on facebook. I didn't see the post until today, but based on his post time and the time on my receipt, I should have ran my errand before going into the store, not after
This post was accompanied by a similar one this morning where a lucky gentleman snagged a Russell's 15 off their shelf at store open this morning for $260. At least the store is putting them out there now...
Rig24
Footballguy
We had a raffle last year and the guy who won the Pappy 15 doesn't drink at all, just gets bourbon for his friends...must be niceI found out today that my colleague, who barely ever drinks bourbon...vodka guy (from Russia), hit the OHLQ lottery for a Pappy 20 yr. He apparently entered the lottery for some other guy he knows. He was asking me today if I knew anything about the whiskey. He has no idea what he's got, but it is apparently spoken for. He said he would check with the guy he entered for, and if he didn't want it anymore, I could be next in line. I am sure if the guy asked him to enter the lottery for him, he is going to want the bottle. Strangely, if I won it, I would be torn as to whether to drink it or sell it for a nice profit. I have never had any Pappy's, but I don't really have a high expectation for it. I would hate to drink it and be disappointed, but when push comes to shove, I don't think I would be able to part with the bottle.I just found out that I missed out on a THH Rye by maybe 15 minutes yesterday. Had to run an errand at lunch so stopped into a store on that end of town that I don't get to much. They do tons of barrel picks, and don't typically put anything allocated out to be seen, one of those stores (so I thought) where you gotta know somebody to get it...
Anyway, I just go there for the barrel picks, so I perused around, ended up selecting their newest Four Roses pick, paid and left. Apparently within a few minutes of me leaving one of the workers decided to plunk a nice bottle of Handy out on the shelves and see who noticed it. And then some dude walks in, spots it on the shelf for $200, grabs it and leaves, and then blasts it on facebook. I didn't see the post until today, but based on his post time and the time on my receipt, I should have ran my errand before going into the store, not after
This post was accompanied by a similar one this morning where a lucky gentleman snagged a Russell's 15 off their shelf at store open this morning for $260. At least the store is putting them out there now...
wlwiles
Footballguy
Went to Dallas this past weekend for a dance convention for my daughter. Spent all day Saturday driving around DFW area bourbon hunting. Between three Specs and two Total Wines I came away with a bunch of mostly everyday shelfer bottles that we just don't get where I live:
Then I went hunting for allocated stuff. Found tons of various non-chain stores with near secondary prices. I had 5 specific bottles in mind (3 for me, 2 for a good buddy), and while I found a lot of them, no one store had all 5 that I was looking for. I was trying to negotiate a bundling discount at a comfortable price, and that only works if I can find them all at one place. Finally found a store that had 4 of the 5 so I struck a deal for above MSRP but one my buddy and I were happy with:
- Maker's Mark Heart Release
- Ironroot Harbinger 115
- Smoke Wagon Desert Colt
- Elijah Craig BP C924
- Redwood Empire Pipe Dream CS, Emerald Giant CS, Screaming Titan, & Devil's Tower
- Wild Turkey 70th Anniversary 8 yr
- Jack Daniels SBBP Rye
- Knob Creek 10 Rye
- Bomberger's & Shenk's (allocated yes, but Total Wine had them just sitting on the shelf)
Then I went hunting for allocated stuff. Found tons of various non-chain stores with near secondary prices. I had 5 specific bottles in mind (3 for me, 2 for a good buddy), and while I found a lot of them, no one store had all 5 that I was looking for. I was trying to negotiate a bundling discount at a comfortable price, and that only works if I can find them all at one place. Finally found a store that had 4 of the 5 so I struck a deal for above MSRP but one my buddy and I were happy with:
- Russell's 15 for me (suuuuuuuuuuper stoked)
- Jack Daniels 12 year for me (been searching for one for a year, total ghost)
- Weller CYPB for my buddy
- Weller Single Barrel for my buddy (now his rainbow is complete)
Galileo
Footballguy
I don't think it will be as bad as last year. I agree...light on "wow" bottles...Weller Full Proof, maybe? What is also weird is that Weller Red has been dropping this week around the state. I am sure some people will go chase those rather than show up at the SiB sites. I am hoping to grab a John J. Bowman which has been eluding me for some time now. If not that, I wouldn't mind getting the Wild Turkey Jimmy's 70th bottle. Sort of stupid that it is getting lumped in with this SiB event rather than dropping on its own. There are several offerings that I suspect will be still there after the lines run through and could be obtained later in the day.
Galileo
Footballguy
Damn. That is quite a haul! You are going to love that RR 15! Is the JD 12 batch 2 or batch 1? I have batch 1 and it is fantastic. Haven't tried batch 2. Like your buddy, I also still need the Weller SiB to complete my rainbow...
Rig24
Footballguy
Those Redwood CSs are just great, and getting Bombergers and shenk's off the shelf is crazy good find. Im not a fan of the JD12, but I typically am not a fan of JDs anyways...great weekend hunting!
odin33
Footballguy
Where are you seeing the WT and John J? Reddit? Not listed on ohlq although they did add Rolling fork and Four Roses.
wlwiles
Footballguy
The JD12 is Batch 2. I found a JD10 back in February on a trip to Houston and have been searching hi and lo since then for a 12 to pair with it. Have not seen even one bottle of JD12 at any price since February until I found this one.
MrJimiT
Footballguy
I've never seen either JD10 or JD12 in the wild in SE Michigan (or anywhere else I may search). Some local establishments have had JD10 for consumption. I'd consider your JD12 find a good one!!
Galileo
Footballguy
yes, it was posted on reddit. The posted list has been accurate, but contains more than has been revealed, so not really sure about the JJB and WT. Since the rest of the list has been good, I am hoping the rest shows up tomorrow. We'll see...
Galileo
Footballguy
I was able to get a JD 10 by standing in line when it was dropped in OH. Kept missing out on the 12 with both batch 1 and 2...ended up trading for a batch 1 after missing out again at this year's drop.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Tonight's stop on my journey is a bit of serendipity, as I will be sharing my first experience with the recently mentioned upthread Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell 70th Anniversary Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (101 proof, ~$55, Angel's Share Wine & Spirits, Crofton, MD)
First thoughts: I picked this up partly out of hype, partly out of curiosity and partly because WT101 is my 'reset button' for whiskey; while I don't think it's the best-tasting whiskey I've had, it does have a certain consistency whenever I've had it, so it has become my 'standard' for what a good, solid bourbon should be. I've seen reviews of it across multiple whiskeytube channels for weeks but it's never on the shelves at my local stores. This past weekend, I visited the aforementioned Angel's Share (around me, their prices fluctuate between par for the other local stores to higher than average, while at the same time, guaranteed to carry labels no one else locally--Total Wine included--ever seem to have. They're also in the final stages of building out a lounge area. Anyway, I asked one of their staff if they had any idea when they might be getting the Russell 70th Anniversary, and they told me they received a few bottles last week but they went quick, and if I provided a number where I could be reached by text, they would notify me AND set one aside for me the next time some came in. A week earlier, I had asked that same question at my local Total Wine and was told 'no idea' and that was that. On Tuesday, I received a text from Angel's Share saying they had received a shipment, and a bottle would be waiting for me at the register for a few days. I picked it up Wednesday evening and tonight I pour. TBH, I'm not expecting to be blown away, but do expect it to be better than their standard.
First sniff: I got the typical WT101 cherry cough syrup note but with less ethanol and a richer aroma.
First taste: Surprisingly, it tastes like Wild Turkey 101 though a little more refined, with the cherry and vanilla all the way through.
Second sniff: Less cherry, more caramel/brown sugar and vanilla. I want to spend more time just sniffing it than I usually do.
Second taste: Even more mellow yet full of flavor than the first sip.
Knee-jerk reaction: To paraphrase a line from Casablanca, it's like Wild Turkey 101, only moreso. The extra year minimum age certainly helps it feel more 'refined', which to me gives the flavor pallet the chance to take up more space. On one hand, I don't know if it's worth more than 2x the cost of the standard WT101, but on the other, I will say I'm glad to have this bottle and will miss it when it's gone.
First thoughts: I picked this up partly out of hype, partly out of curiosity and partly because WT101 is my 'reset button' for whiskey; while I don't think it's the best-tasting whiskey I've had, it does have a certain consistency whenever I've had it, so it has become my 'standard' for what a good, solid bourbon should be. I've seen reviews of it across multiple whiskeytube channels for weeks but it's never on the shelves at my local stores. This past weekend, I visited the aforementioned Angel's Share (around me, their prices fluctuate between par for the other local stores to higher than average, while at the same time, guaranteed to carry labels no one else locally--Total Wine included--ever seem to have. They're also in the final stages of building out a lounge area. Anyway, I asked one of their staff if they had any idea when they might be getting the Russell 70th Anniversary, and they told me they received a few bottles last week but they went quick, and if I provided a number where I could be reached by text, they would notify me AND set one aside for me the next time some came in. A week earlier, I had asked that same question at my local Total Wine and was told 'no idea' and that was that. On Tuesday, I received a text from Angel's Share saying they had received a shipment, and a bottle would be waiting for me at the register for a few days. I picked it up Wednesday evening and tonight I pour. TBH, I'm not expecting to be blown away, but do expect it to be better than their standard.
First sniff: I got the typical WT101 cherry cough syrup note but with less ethanol and a richer aroma.
First taste: Surprisingly, it tastes like Wild Turkey 101 though a little more refined, with the cherry and vanilla all the way through.
Second sniff: Less cherry, more caramel/brown sugar and vanilla. I want to spend more time just sniffing it than I usually do.
Second taste: Even more mellow yet full of flavor than the first sip.
Knee-jerk reaction: To paraphrase a line from Casablanca, it's like Wild Turkey 101, only moreso. The extra year minimum age certainly helps it feel more 'refined', which to me gives the flavor pallet the chance to take up more space. On one hand, I don't know if it's worth more than 2x the cost of the standard WT101, but on the other, I will say I'm glad to have this bottle and will miss it when it's gone.
odin33
Footballguy
Guessed wrong on the single barrel raffle but came home with two Elijah Craig sb bp, two weller red, a wild turkey jimmy russel 70 and a weller green.
Only cost me a trip to hobby lobby and Costco ( and a few hundred$ at those stores). Calling it a win.
Will head out tomorrow as I know green and maybe some SB are still floating out there.
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Galileo
Footballguy
i grabbed a Weller Full Proof, John J Bowman, and A Frey Ranch Single Barrel today...
odin33
Footballguy
Got much luckier than I. Nice haul.
Van Dyman
Footballguy
Hey, BourbonGuys! I'm here for your expertise. My friend in Ireland suggested I should bring some bourbon when I go to visit, something that they don't sell there. So here are my questions:
1.) Any chance it'll actually make it if I put a bottle in a checked bag? Would rather not carry it but could if that's recommended. Customs issues?
2.) Which bourbon? He has access to the ones in this link. I'm not looking to spend top dollar. Probably 80 bucks max.
1.) Any chance it'll actually make it if I put a bottle in a checked bag? Would rather not carry it but could if that's recommended. Customs issues?
2.) Which bourbon? He has access to the ones in this link. I'm not looking to spend top dollar. Probably 80 bucks max.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Don't know about 1), but for 2), it looks like most of the 'mainstream' distilleries are available, though their different offerings are limited; maybe you could go that route with something like Old Granddad 114, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, etc. Also, there are a lot of lesser-known brands, i.e., Michter's, Redwood Empire, New Riff, etc., not on that website. Ultimately it depends on what you know about your friend's taste in bourbon.
I have two other suggestions, though. First, are there any good local distilleries near you? Second, perhaps a nice rye instead? I found Sagamore Spirits Double-Oaked to be a "bourbon drinker's rye" and should fit nicely below your budget.
odin33
Footballguy
I'll second this recommendation. Traveled to Mexico last month and brought a bottle with me knowing they wouldn't have much if anything. Tape the opening up good, place in the middle of the suitcase around clothes (nothing sharp/hard) and you should have no issues.
wlwiles
Footballguy
I third these. Slide the bottle into a long sock, put it inside one of these bad boys, and make sure it's surrounded by clothes in the middle of the suitcase and not near the edge. Have flown with bottles 5 or 6 times like this and never had an issue.
As for which bottle to bring, I'd see if you could pick up Rare Breed NCF from the Duty Free store on your way there.
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Van Dyman
Footballguy
Thanks everyone for chiming in with great ideas. Charlie's suggestion about a local distiller really has me thinking. I might not know which ones are "good" but something local would be cool and different for Ireland. I'm going to pursue this path.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
What general area will you be looking? Maybe one of us knows a smaller distillery near you.
Van Dyman
Footballguy
Nashville area. Middle TN.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Oh. Well, good luck finding anything there.
One of the whiskeytube channels I watch and put some stock in, Stuff and Whiskey, is based not far from Nashville IIRC, and they have good things to say about Nashville Barrel Company. I've had Nelson's Green Briar and despite it being a little on the sweet side for me, I recommend it anyway. Another below the mainstream radar label is Bardstown, and I'm sure you'll be able to find them near you.
Let us know what you ultimately go with.
Galileo
Footballguy
Nashville Barrel Company is what you want. Thank me later!
ETA...I see Charlie beat me to it.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Just got back from enjoying my birthday present, a tour of the Baltimore Spirits Company distillery, home of Epoch Maryland Rye. I have reviewed two of their offerings here already and look forward to reviewing more for you folks.
The tour itself was short, as their barrels are stored in the same space as their pot still. The guide gave a brief history of rye, from its beginnings in Maryland and Pennsylvania, how Revolutionary War, Civil War and WWI soldiers propagated it until Prohibition, to how 'Maryland' rye was basically left for dead until interest in it was renewed ~10 years ago. We all know Sagamore by now, but Baltimore Spirits and a few other Baltimore area distilleries are rediscovering this piece of local history and work to both profit and pay homage to it.
The guide also explained the pot distilling process, as well as column distilling, listing the strengths and weaknesses of both. To Baltimore Spirts, they're trading speed and volume for quality and depth of flavor, and I think I get what they're doing.
One thing I'm coming to believe about rye is that it has a broader range of possible tasting notes than bourbon, which seems odd because their Epoch Rye is 100% rye (90% rye, 10% malted rye) mash bill, and the tasting notes I've found on the three I've had now (their basic 3 year, 100-proof, their 112-proof cask strength and their newly released 5 year, 9th Anniversary edition) have very different notes from each other. I brought home a bottle of their Toasted Barrel (3 years in one barrel +1 year in a toasted barrel) and look forward to comparing it the others.
Finally, the tour ended with a sample flight, featuring their basic 3-year, plus 3 finished offerings, 1 in a local brewery's 'strong ale' barrel, another in a Merlot barrel and a third in a tequila barrel. I was looking forward to the tequila barrel the most, after having a positive experience with Dewar's Illegal Smooth offering, but I got no trace of tequila, and the rye flavor seemed diluted. The merlot finish did nothing for me, and the Strong Ale seemed to play nice with the rye, so it was the only one of the finishes that I liked. The final part of the tour saw us experiment with combining the different offerings in our flight and come up with a blend that they would then fill a 375ml bottle with. I went 66.6% basic 3 year/33.3% strong ale finished. My wife doesn't like whiskey, so i got to put the same blend in her bottle as well.
I now have 2 distillery tours under my belt, and while I don't think it's fair to compare a nationally known label like Sagamore Spirit to this smaller competitor, I will say that I enjoyed tonight's tour a little more; it felt more intimate and even more customer friendly, which isn't to say the Sagamore tour was bad by any stretch. I look forward to choosing another local distillery to tour for my birthday next year, and Old Line is currently the front-runner.
Hope to see you back in a few days when I present the Epoch Toasted Barrel.
The tour itself was short, as their barrels are stored in the same space as their pot still. The guide gave a brief history of rye, from its beginnings in Maryland and Pennsylvania, how Revolutionary War, Civil War and WWI soldiers propagated it until Prohibition, to how 'Maryland' rye was basically left for dead until interest in it was renewed ~10 years ago. We all know Sagamore by now, but Baltimore Spirits and a few other Baltimore area distilleries are rediscovering this piece of local history and work to both profit and pay homage to it.
The guide also explained the pot distilling process, as well as column distilling, listing the strengths and weaknesses of both. To Baltimore Spirts, they're trading speed and volume for quality and depth of flavor, and I think I get what they're doing.
One thing I'm coming to believe about rye is that it has a broader range of possible tasting notes than bourbon, which seems odd because their Epoch Rye is 100% rye (90% rye, 10% malted rye) mash bill, and the tasting notes I've found on the three I've had now (their basic 3 year, 100-proof, their 112-proof cask strength and their newly released 5 year, 9th Anniversary edition) have very different notes from each other. I brought home a bottle of their Toasted Barrel (3 years in one barrel +1 year in a toasted barrel) and look forward to comparing it the others.
Finally, the tour ended with a sample flight, featuring their basic 3-year, plus 3 finished offerings, 1 in a local brewery's 'strong ale' barrel, another in a Merlot barrel and a third in a tequila barrel. I was looking forward to the tequila barrel the most, after having a positive experience with Dewar's Illegal Smooth offering, but I got no trace of tequila, and the rye flavor seemed diluted. The merlot finish did nothing for me, and the Strong Ale seemed to play nice with the rye, so it was the only one of the finishes that I liked. The final part of the tour saw us experiment with combining the different offerings in our flight and come up with a blend that they would then fill a 375ml bottle with. I went 66.6% basic 3 year/33.3% strong ale finished. My wife doesn't like whiskey, so i got to put the same blend in her bottle as well.
I now have 2 distillery tours under my belt, and while I don't think it's fair to compare a nationally known label like Sagamore Spirit to this smaller competitor, I will say that I enjoyed tonight's tour a little more; it felt more intimate and even more customer friendly, which isn't to say the Sagamore tour was bad by any stretch. I look forward to choosing another local distillery to tour for my birthday next year, and Old Line is currently the front-runner.
Hope to see you back in a few days when I present the Epoch Toasted Barrel.
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Rustoleum
Footballguy
Got an email from New Riff to come in and pick up a free gift package for being part of their Ranger program. It was an ornament, a shot glass, a cookie, a sticker, and a free pour of their new Winter Whiskey release. I work literally like 2 minutes away so I popped in after work because those Ranger things tend to run out quickly. Tried the 8 year bourbon as well. I was surprised at how much more I liked the Winter Whiskey.
That free gift package wound up costing me $65…
That free gift package wound up costing me $65…
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Sorry to bring this back up so soon, but the tour last night hit me differently than the Sagamore tour did last year and there are a couple more things I want to add.
I need to walk back this comment and re-phrase it. What I think I was driving at is that when rye is the only grain in the spirit, there are notes that don't feature in bourbon, and for some reason, I was surprised by this and didn't know how to express that.
Also, I applaud their commitment to using 100% rye mash for their whiskies, and I hope they get some traction, as I believe they can at least partially occupy the space that American single malt distillers are trying to fill.
Finally, in honor of the end of Prohibition, I'm going to break with my personal code of not drinking on nights I have to get up early the next day, open the toasted barrel bottle that I bought last night and share my thoughts.
I need to walk back this comment and re-phrase it. What I think I was driving at is that when rye is the only grain in the spirit, there are notes that don't feature in bourbon, and for some reason, I was surprised by this and didn't know how to express that.
Also, I applaud their commitment to using 100% rye mash for their whiskies, and I hope they get some traction, as I believe they can at least partially occupy the space that American single malt distillers are trying to fill.
Finally, in honor of the end of Prohibition, I'm going to break with my personal code of not drinking on nights I have to get up early the next day, open the toasted barrel bottle that I bought last night and share my thoughts.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
In honor of the 91st anniversary of the end of Prohibition, we make a special stop on the journey and land on: Epoch Toasted Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey (100 proof, $79.99, Baltimore Spirits Company, Baltimore, MD)
First thoughts: When I first started posting in this thread, I had a 'fear' of rye; its reputation for being 'spicy' made me leery, especially as I had avoided whiskey in general because my only experience was with the ethanol-forward Jack Daniels. It was about this time last year that I began dipping my toe into rye. with a trip to Sagamore Spirit pushing me over the edge. I have bought and consumed mostly rye for the last 12 months and felt I had sufficiently found my way with it. Then I discovered Epoch Maryland Rye on the shelf of a local store. I gave it and its hotter, cask-strength cousin favorable reviews here, which inspired my interest in touring their distillery.
The tour guide at the distillery offered me a 20% discount on the price, so I went ahead and treated myself for my birthday.
The Toasted Barrel is their standard offering, finished in a toasted oak barrel for "over a year". Sounds a lot like 'double oaked' to me, but we'll see.
First sniff: In a small way, it reminds me of the Sagamore Double Oaked, though the caramel and vanilla seemed to be replaced by something mildly sweet, maybe apricot, a hint of the wood of the barrel and the black tea style note I've gotten from other ryes.
First taste: The tea note dominates, and there's a slight burn that fades before it even hit my throat. The taste lingers on my palate and I want to think there's other flavors there, but they don't seem to want to come out. I'm going to add a couple drops of water for the next sip.
Second sniff: After adding 2 drops of water, the nose got more woody, though there was still also something sweet behind it.
Second taste: The water opened it up all right; there was more bite/rye spice, but also more woody on the palate as well. After my second sip, I went back to the glass and got a rye bread note to it, which pleased me. Adding water was a mixed blessing; wood began to dominate the nose, but the liquid got more interesting.
Knee-jerk reaction: It's complicated. I approached this with the same mindset I had when trying Scotch and/or Irish Whiskey, in that being from a single grain, the rules and tastes were going to be different from what I'm used to with the other ryes I've had. That said, I'm willing to give it some leeway as comparing it to ryes with other grains in their mash bill is kind of unfair, yet at the same time, I think it's on the expensive end, especially if I have to adjust my thinking when I have it. I can do that with their regular offering that's ~$45, but not at nearly double that price. Perhaps a more experienced rye drinker wouldn't mind having a go at it, just for the experience if nothing else. I stand by my comments in my distillery review; I applaud their commitment to forging ahead with 100% rye mash bills and wish them success in trying to launch to new heights from a resurrected tradition.
P.S.-I returned to it after letting it sit while I typed up the above, and it opened up and softened a little more. The wood note is still there but faded more into the background, and it tastes more like apple cider tea with the characteristic 'rye spice' along for the ride. Not bad, not great, but definitely interesting.
First thoughts: When I first started posting in this thread, I had a 'fear' of rye; its reputation for being 'spicy' made me leery, especially as I had avoided whiskey in general because my only experience was with the ethanol-forward Jack Daniels. It was about this time last year that I began dipping my toe into rye. with a trip to Sagamore Spirit pushing me over the edge. I have bought and consumed mostly rye for the last 12 months and felt I had sufficiently found my way with it. Then I discovered Epoch Maryland Rye on the shelf of a local store. I gave it and its hotter, cask-strength cousin favorable reviews here, which inspired my interest in touring their distillery.
The tour guide at the distillery offered me a 20% discount on the price, so I went ahead and treated myself for my birthday.
The Toasted Barrel is their standard offering, finished in a toasted oak barrel for "over a year". Sounds a lot like 'double oaked' to me, but we'll see.
First sniff: In a small way, it reminds me of the Sagamore Double Oaked, though the caramel and vanilla seemed to be replaced by something mildly sweet, maybe apricot, a hint of the wood of the barrel and the black tea style note I've gotten from other ryes.
First taste: The tea note dominates, and there's a slight burn that fades before it even hit my throat. The taste lingers on my palate and I want to think there's other flavors there, but they don't seem to want to come out. I'm going to add a couple drops of water for the next sip.
Second sniff: After adding 2 drops of water, the nose got more woody, though there was still also something sweet behind it.
Second taste: The water opened it up all right; there was more bite/rye spice, but also more woody on the palate as well. After my second sip, I went back to the glass and got a rye bread note to it, which pleased me. Adding water was a mixed blessing; wood began to dominate the nose, but the liquid got more interesting.
Knee-jerk reaction: It's complicated. I approached this with the same mindset I had when trying Scotch and/or Irish Whiskey, in that being from a single grain, the rules and tastes were going to be different from what I'm used to with the other ryes I've had. That said, I'm willing to give it some leeway as comparing it to ryes with other grains in their mash bill is kind of unfair, yet at the same time, I think it's on the expensive end, especially if I have to adjust my thinking when I have it. I can do that with their regular offering that's ~$45, but not at nearly double that price. Perhaps a more experienced rye drinker wouldn't mind having a go at it, just for the experience if nothing else. I stand by my comments in my distillery review; I applaud their commitment to forging ahead with 100% rye mash bills and wish them success in trying to launch to new heights from a resurrected tradition.
P.S.-I returned to it after letting it sit while I typed up the above, and it opened up and softened a little more. The wood note is still there but faded more into the background, and it tastes more like apple cider tea with the characteristic 'rye spice' along for the ride. Not bad, not great, but definitely interesting.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Hi @Charlie Steiner You may be way ahead of me on this and you're surely more knowledgeable on this. I'm a total novice.
But I've done a couple tours at Bulleit and their Rye was very nice. They talked about some of what you mentioned about Ryes often being spicy and theirs was way more on the favorable side. I enjoyed it.
But I've done a couple tours at Bulleit and their Rye was very nice. They talked about some of what you mentioned about Ryes often being spicy and theirs was way more on the favorable side. I enjoyed it.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Hi Joe,
I still consider myself a novice that likes to talk a lot, but thanks.
I think calling rye 'spicy' is a bit of a misnomer, in that 'spice' does not always equal 'bite', which was the mistake I made before even trying rye. There is, though, what I think most people call 'baking spice' associated with rye, which both makes sense and confuses me because I can't give a specific flavor, just that it's maybe like baking powder/soda. Something else that had to dawn on me was that rye has a completely different array of flavors than corn, wheat or barley, and understanding that is 99% of the battle. The most 'baking spice' note I've had so far was in Old Granddad 114 and is a big reason why I like it so much. Also, it doesn't burn my and throat the way a 114-proof bourbon does, so again I think the use of the word 'spicy' is a bit misleading when applied to ryes.
As far as Bulleit goes, I know at first, they got their 'juice' from MGP (if you didn't know, a lot of new/smaller brands, including Sagamore, source their spirits from them and slap their own label on it. Sagamore is just starting to produce their own, though), and their most popular rye-based blend is 95% rye/5% barley, is what Bulliet started with, Sagamore as well.
The four 'main' grains used in American whiskies, corn, rye, wheat, barley all play nice together, and it's when you try to distill them separately when more finesse has to be used. I think that's why American Single Malt (100% barley) is struggling to find its footing, because even though Scotch and Irish whiskies are 100% barley, there's something just different enough that what they do over there hasn't been replicated here...yet. That's also what I worry about with 100% rye whiskey; rye by itself is not 'sweet' enough for most Americans' palates and 'fixing' that aspect and remain distinct from bourbon may be too tall an order.
Bill in Ohio would require liquor stores to open in demand bottles after sale.
https://www.whio.com/news/local/bil...bottles-when-sold/RBUTTZ5TORGZ3I3KGGNDZVCQ4Q/
https://www.whio.com/news/local/bil...bottles-when-sold/RBUTTZ5TORGZ3I3KGGNDZVCQ4Q/
Rig24
Footballguy
Love this idea, the ones that will be upset are hoarders and flippers. I would have no issue if I am able to walk in and get a rare bottle at MSRP and they just are required to pop it.
wlwiles
Footballguy
I've offered to do this at various stores too when trying to negotiate prices down when I've had different owners tell me that they price allocated bottles high to deter flippers.
"If you sell it to me for $X I'll crack it open right now and share a taste with you" has gotten me a bottle a couple of times.
The new bill would suck if you were trying to buy the bottle as a gift for someone though...
sho nuff
Footballguy
I will third this. Played golf last year with one of the founders. Really good guy and he had a couple bottles with him that he gladly shared a few pours out on the course.
Rustoleum
Footballguy
Store in the area was selling KY Owl Batch #12 for $99.97, done from their “regular” asking price of $374.98. I’ve got so much of a backlog to drink that it was easy for me to pass on something I wasn’t even sure I’d like, but he had 5 cases he was selling.
My brother-in-law tells me stores are dumping it because of the Stoli bankruptcy?
My brother-in-law tells me stores are dumping it because of the Stoli bankruptcy?
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Seems like a great idea, except it also seems like it would be something that is hard to legally define. Where’s the line on when something is “in demand”?
Galileo
Footballguy
So, I really don't think this bill will ever gain any traction. The whole idea is stupid IMO. With what other commodity would this be acceptable practice? If they truly want to regulate it, there are better ways to track and record. Whatever systems are implemented, people who are motivated enough will find ways around it.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
And let's not forget about how it could run counter to open container laws.
Rig24
Footballguy
They've stated it would be "re-sealed" in a way that its okay to transfer. I wouldn't expect that to be a problem.
