Bourbon & Rye

[HuskyHawk]

Wow, it's probably been a year since I last bought Blanton's. I just checked online, and it's selling for almost $200 now!? When did that happen?

Yes, and @Deepelm Eagle Rare is up too now in several stores. And forget Colonel EH Taylor I used to buy for $40. Pretty much everything Buffalo Trace makes. It's irrational. Blanton's was good at $48, but even then was no better than several other things.

The good news is that several smaller distilleries, like Wilderness Trail, now how stock that is of a decent age. So there will continue to be bourbon that isn't ridiculously priced. Once the taters get after something, I just move on.

 

[Deepelm]

Yes, and @Deepelm Eagle Rare is up too now in several stores. And forget Colonel EH Taylor I used to buy for $40. Pretty much everything Buffalo Trace makes. It's irrational. Blanton's was good at $48, but even then was no better than several other things.

The good news is that several smaller distilleries, like Wilderness Trail, now how stock that is of a decent age. So there will continue to be bourbon that isn't ridiculously priced. Once the taters get after something, I just move on.

If you can find ER I wouldnt pay more than about $40 and even that is pretty high. I found a Taylor small batch at last and I see why folks chase it. Amazing whiskey, and luckily I got it for $60.00.

I tend more towards store picks now, and specialty bottles like KC Single Barrel Select, Elijah Craig BP batches, Booker's, and picks from a barrel program I am a part of. Are they more expensive? Yup. Are they more unique though? Oh yes. Since I am used to what a good bottle of aged single malt runs I am not quite put off by the higher price for a better item.

The store I work part time at on the weekend does store picks from Wilderness and they are really good. That is a brand to keep an eye on.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So some celebrity booze news.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his lovely wife are getting into the booze business. Hudson Valley area so maybe something some of you can find. A gin and a rye for starters.

In other news, the Whistle Piggyback Pig Big Papi Legends Series rye, finished with actual maple baseball bats is....good. No idea why it works but it softens it with more vanilla and smooths it out. Definitely better than the regular Piggyback, which is not great for the price.

Could you taste the pine tar from the bats?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Could you taste the pine tar from the bats?

Mr. Ortiz was not a pine tar guy. He liked tape. They sanded them down anyway. I dismissed it as a silly gimmick until a guy I know who is the editor at Whiskey Raiders said it was actually good. Bought some and it is. I usually hate dumb gimmicks like Jefferson Ocean but somehow this one was effective.

 

[Deepelm]

Mr. Ortiz was not a pine tar guy. He liked tape. They sanded them down anyway. I dismissed it as a silly gimmick until a guy I know who is the editor at Whiskey Raiders said it was actually good. Bought some and it is. I usually hate dumb gimmicks like Jefferson Ocean but somehow this one was effective.

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I had been wondering about that one. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[HCCForever]

I have recently started drinking bourbon. One of the reasons is that Buffalo Trace is hard to get in Central Florida so of course I had to have it. I had to travel to CT for a funeral so I looked for it in my travels. I couldn't get it at BWI airport so had to settle for Bulleit. It was okay. When I got to Hartford I found it pretty easy to get and at a decent price. $8 at The Republic in Bloomfield and $9 at The First and Last in Hartford. Much better than the $15 in BWI but of course that is an airport. I have also tried Woodford which was good so I bought a small bottle of Woodford Reserve.

Buffalo Trace was good but I have no idea why it is hard to get in Florida. Anyone else have trouble finding it? I was also told that Rittenhouse Rye is good. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Deepelm]

I have recently starting drinking bourbon. One of the reasons is that Buffalo Trace is hard to get in Central Florida so of course I had to have it. I had to travel to CT for a funeral so I looked for it in my travels. I couldn't get it at BWI airport so had to settle for Bulleit. It was okay. When I got to Hartford I found it pretty easy to get and at a decent price. $8 at The Republic in Bloomfield and $9 at The First and Last in Hartford. Much better than the $15 in BWI but of course that is an airport. I have also tried Woodford which was good so I bought a small bottle of Woodford Reserve.

Buffalo Trace was good but I have no idea why it is hard to get in Florida. Anyone else have trouble finding it. I was also told that Rittenhouse Rye is good. Any thoughts on that?

BT is one of the dumbest " allocated " bottles around. Its a good bourbon for the MSRP, $26.99 or so. The Eagle Rare I feel is better, YMMV. Its the same mash bill, but aged an additional 2-4 years. Also a good bottle but allocated sadly. Rittenhouse makes a fantastic cocktail ( old fashioned ) but I found it pretty rough neat.

 

[HCCForever]

BT is one of the dumbest " allocated " bottles around. Its a good bourbon for the MSRP, $26.99 or so. The Eagle Rare I feel is better, YMMV. Its the same mash bill, but aged an additional 2-4 years. Also a good bottle but allocated sadly. Rittenhouse makes a fantastic cocktail ( old fashioned ) but I found it pretty rough neat.

Thanks for the suggestion. I started working at a liquor store on the weekends since my wife was out of town for a month to help her sister. My intention was to quit but I enjoy talking to the customers and getting their thoughts on cocktails. Some people treat me like a bartender telling me their tales of woe.

One thing I cannot understand is the attraction of White Claw. I bought a WC Surge yesterday and thought it was okay but at 220 calories it has more calories than a beer. I prefer the beer.

 

[Deepelm]

Thanks for the suggestion. I started working at a liquor store on the weekends since my wife was out of town for a month to help her sister. My intention was to quit but I enjoy talking to the customers and getting their thoughts on cocktails. Some people treat me like a bartender telling me their tales of woe.

One thing I cannot understand is the attraction of White Claw. I bought a WC Surge yesterday and thought it was okay but at 220 calories it has more calories than a beer. I prefer the beer.

Never had any of the ready to drink stuff like White Claw. I work PT at a store on Saturdays myself. Its a fun little gig once a week that pays for my bottles. Plus the 20% discount is sweet. Talk to your customers about what is good and not. They will be one of your best resources.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I have recently started drinking bourbon. One of the reasons is that Buffalo Trace is hard to get in Central Florida so of course I had to have it. I had to travel to CT for a funeral so I looked for it in my travels. I couldn't get it at BWI airport so had to settle for Bulleit. It was okay. When I got to Hartford I found it pretty easy to get and at a decent price. $8 at The Republic in Bloomfield and $9 at The First and Last in Hartford. Much better than the $15 in BWI but of course that is an airport. I have also tried Woodford which was good so I bought a small bottle of Woodford Reserve.

Buffalo Trace was good but I have no idea why it is hard to get in Florida. Anyone else have trouble finding it? I was also told that Rittenhouse Rye is good. Any thoughts on that?

The reason is that people are morons. Buffalo Trace (the distillery) makes the most sought after bourbons in the world. Namely the Pappy and VanWinkle bourbons and the "Buffalo Trace Antique Collection" (BTAC), which comes out every year. Somehow, because they make those legitimately great bottles, people decided to buy up ordinary bottles they make. It started with Colonel E.H. Taylor barrel proof, then Stagg Jr. and CEHT single barrel, then Elmer T Lee and Blantons, then Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond, then Eagle Rare, and now the absolute worst and cheapest bourbon they make (which is still good) Buffalo Trace. There is no reason other than that people are stupid. The distillery actually prices all of them fairly, and stores mark them up because idiots will buy them.

Eagle Rare and CEHT BiB were both good values before at $30 and $40. Blanton's was a so-so value at $50. Just buy something from Wild Turkey, Knob Creek or dozens of others on the shelf. Happened to Henry McKenna from Heaven Hill too, it was a great value at $30, now at $50+ it's not. It won an award, and the taters came in and bought it up. Same stuff that sat on shelves before that.

 

[storrsroars]

My godson's wedding is 4th of July weekend, and in addition to giving $, I wanted to put together a sampling of some Western PA wine and spirits for him and bride. He's a bourbon fan and I found this intriguing. Bought a bottle for him and one for me. I just opened mine. Still not a bourbon fan, but I'm excited to try this in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned to see how the smoke comes through (it's Highlands peat, not Islay). It's a bit rough for me straight - an uncomfortable burn - but while young, it's got complexity and character.

 

[HuskyHawk]

My godson's wedding is 4th of July weekend, and in addition to giving $, I wanted to put together a sampling of some Western PA wine and spirits for him and bride. He's a bourbon fan and I found this intriguing. Bought a bottle for him and one for me. I just opened mine. Still not a bourbon fan, but I'm excited to try this in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned to see how the smoke comes through (it's Highlands peat, not Islay). It's a bit rough for me straight - an uncomfortable burn - but while young, it's got complexity and character.

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I’d give that a try. The main purveyor of that style is High West Campfire.

 

[storrsroars]

I’d give that a try. The main purveyor of that style is High West Campfire.

Was just looking at their site - seems that's an actual blend of bourbon, rye and scotch. This is more like Kings County, where it's just bourbon, but with peated barley. While I've never had Kings County, the reviews on that seem to indicate a better, more complex whiskey than this one is. I'm going to look for that when I pass thru NY in a couple weeks.

 

[McLovin]

Has anyone tried the Metallica bourbon Blackened? Had it recently and thought it was good for 90 proof (I rarely drink anything under 100 proof because it tastes too watered down).

Blue Note was another one I had recently and liked.

 

[Deepelm]

Cant seem to post a pic no matter how small I make it. Cracking this bad boy tonight

 

[HuskyHawk]

Cant seem to post a pic no matter how small I make it. Cracking this bad boy tonight

That should be nice.

 

[Deepelm]

That should be nice.

Its an absolute banger. Wish I had a back up for later. I kept a bit in the glass for Wifey as I always do. She pulls of the cover on it and says " This is cinnamon frosting " , and that was just on the nose. Really good stuff.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Its an absolute banger. Wish I had a back up for later. I kept a bit in the glass for Wifey as I always do. She pulls of the cover on it and says " This is cinnamon frosting " , and that was just on the nose. Really good stuff.

And that’s just five and a half years. Rye age so much faster.

 

[Deepelm]

Absolute banger. I have yet to try a bottle from this blender that I dont like. Not a huge fan of their Seagrass like the rest of folks seem to be but its still good stuff. And today, I found out that they also do Rum. That may be a problem lol.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Absolute banger. I have yet to try a bottle from this blender that I dont like. Not a huge fan of their Seagrass like the rest of folks seem to be but its still good stuff. And today, I found out that they also do Rum. That may be a problem lol.

View attachment 77946

Their rums have been pretty epic. Heavy, lots of Jamaican funk. I like Seagrass. Some of their bourbons have been too "Dickel" heavy for me. That's their biggest source and Dickel often has a distinct "Flintone's chewable vitamins" note I don't like. Some have been very good, but I like to try them first.

 

[Deepelm]

Their rums have been pretty epic. Heavy, lots of Jamaican funk. I like Seagrass. Some of their bourbons have been too "Dickel" heavy for me. That's their biggest source and Dickel often has a distinct "Flintone's chewable vitamins" note I don't like. Some have been very good, but I like to try them first.

Found one today on a site I trust for $85, private barrel release. I am close to pulling the trigger.

I have only had our store pick ( blend of 5, 7, 10 and 17 year bourbons, AMAZING ) , Dovetail and Seagrass. Love the Dovetail and actually saw where they just dropped a grey label of that one the other day. I know that will be crazy expensive but likely an amazing bottle. I wish I could try any of these but our laws and the state where I work weekends do not allow tastings unless its an official mfg rep doing so.

 

[Deepelm]

Really good batch. I swear I got buttered caramel popcorn on the nose at one point

 

[HuskyHawk]

Really good batch. I swear I got buttered caramel popcorn on the nose at one point

View attachment 78344

I think that’s the same batch I recently bought.

 

[storrsroars]

Really good batch. I swear I got buttered caramel popcorn on the nose at one point

View attachment 78344

Which is a flavor I like in my popcorn, but do not like in my booze. in my experience, many bourbons have that note, which is why I drink scotch

 

[Deepelm]

Which is a flavor I like in my popcorn, but do not like in my booze. in my experience, many bourbons have that note, which is why I drink scotch

There was not a single trace in the glass. It was on one passing nosing and I did not get it a second time. Like you, not something I want in my spirit.

This stuff is next level compared to most bourbons. If you can try it at a bar, give it a go. I always suggest some water be added as its high proof and super concentrated. First water I added the nose changed to what I can only describe as what hits you when you open a fresh jar of cinnamon powder. Once I hit the " spot " with water, it was all creamy caramel, toffee, honey, cherry, just lots going on.

I say all this as someone who is also a single malt drinker first, rye and then everything else. Booker's is pretty singular usually.