A.H. Hirsch 20 [Archive] - Straightbourbon.com

Josh

06-14-2009, 18:49

Well here's the newest addition to the family. Mother and baby are fine. I'm still kind of pinching myself, as I consider myself the lamest dusty hunter ever.

I'm not a big fan of overly woody stuff and I have read mixed reviews in some older threads, so I'm not sure if I should drink it all or, well, not.
9038
9039

tommyboy38

06-14-2009, 20:18

Nice find! When was this released and was it released only once unlike the 16?

RWBadley

06-14-2009, 20:30

Nice find. It's great stuff. Did you find it on a shelf somewhere? It's not overly woody so's you'd notice. It is really smooth and complex. Very tasty.

doubleblank

06-14-2009, 20:47

Alas....I prefer the 16yo in its early renditions. It is interesting, and if you like older bourbons, it may be your cup of tea. And it comes in gorgeous packaging. Nice find. I don't have one open, or I'd give you a more "current" opinion.

Randy

TNbourbon

06-14-2009, 21:13

... I'm not a big fan of overly woody stuff and I have read mixed reviews in some older threads, so I'm not sure if I should drink it all or, well, not.
Well, I'm something of a minority here, but I don't think it's worth owning a whiskey that you wouldn't drink. They're not legally fungible, you know -- unless you are a licensed retailer (and, even then, your local regulations are likely to restrict you greatly). Of course, you CAN go the scofflaw route (and:blush:, I'm NOT in the minority on that count...)
Alas....I prefer the 16yo in its early renditions. It is interesting, and if you like older bourbons, it may be your cup of tea...
I'm with Randy here and, of course, how you gonna know if it's your "cup of tea" unless you open and drink it?..:skep:

Stones

06-14-2009, 21:56

Well, *** how much someone else thinks its worth drinking... :bigeyes:

OscarV

06-15-2009, 03:39

, so I'm not sure if I should drink it all or, well, not.
9038
9039

You should probably keep it hid on Saturday.

Vange

06-15-2009, 05:52

Amazing find, congrats!
If I can ask, how much did you pay for it?

Josh

06-15-2009, 06:30

Well, *** how much someone else thinks its worth drinking... :bigeyes:

Amazing find, congrats!
If I can ask, how much did you pay for it?

Yeah, let's just say it was less than $799. And less than any bourbon of comparable age currently on the market.

Other than the drink it, or scofflaw routes, I could just bring it to the gazebo or MI gatherings, although it may not last long!

Seriously, though, good luck to "shamu" on that auction.:skep:

RWBadley

06-15-2009, 07:33

Seriously, though, good luck to "shamu" on that auction.:skep:

800 is high for now. 18 months ago I saw one sell at auction for 750. 9 months ago one went for 600 something. two months ago I sold one, it went for 550. The economy is forcing the price down it would appear. To be honest- it's a very fine whiskey, but I don't think I would pay more than 100 for one to drink, tho that would be quite a bargain on the market now. And yes, the 16 was better, but the 20 is still a world class whiskey- You done good :grin:

Cheers,

RW

tommyboy38

06-15-2009, 08:25

I assume you didn't leave anymore of them behind. If I happen to find one of those, I think it would have to be sold to finance a(nother) bourbon buying binge.

Josh

06-15-2009, 08:50

I assume you didn't leave anymore of them behind. If I happen to find one of those, I think it would have to be sold to finance a(nother) bourbon buying binge.

No, that was the last one. They did have a couple bottles of the Hirsch sans A.H., Death's Door and what seemed to be a good Scotch selection, although I admit that I don't know much about Scotch.

It's the only liquor store in Ashley, IN. Its a few miles south of the MI border off of I-69. The billboards say Discount Liquors, but I think it's started calling itself Ye Bottle Shop. The guys there were really great, too.

http://discountliquor.us/

tommyboy38

06-15-2009, 09:05

Congrats once again on a fabulous find. I think it's the holy grail of dusty hunting along with wax top Hirsch 16 and the VOF, VVOF, etc.

Virus_Of_Life

06-15-2009, 12:34

My pet peeve as a moderator is when someone posts a link to an ebay auction essentially advertising for the seller of that item. Given we are probably the #1 source of bourbon knowledge on the internet and we all complain about the rise in prices in both the primary and secondary markets I hope everyone understands. Personally I don't care if someone sells something on ebay, I just don't want to see it posted here. If you want to refer to bottle xyz you just saw that, of course, is fine. So I removed the link that was posted and apologize if that sentence structure no longer reads properly.

Now for the non-moderator in me, congrats on the find Josh! If you think you'd prefer a blue wax 16 year old I could have one of those on it's way to you in a trade. :grin:

Stones

06-15-2009, 16:16

[quote=Virus_Of_Life;172268]My pet peeve as a moderator is when someone posts a link to an ebay auction essentially advertising for the seller of that item. Given we are probably the #1 source of bourbon knowledge on the internet and we all complain about the rise in prices in both the primary and secondary markets I hope everyone understands. Personally I don't care if someone sells something on ebay, I just don't want to see it posted here. If you want to refer to bottle xyz you just saw that, of course, is fine.

Apologies for offending, i posted it with no intention of advertising the listing, actually i never thought of looking at it that way at all. I though no one would be crazy enough to pay THAT much for it. I now understand, apologies... :rolleyes:

Virus_Of_Life

06-15-2009, 16:26

My pet peeve as a moderator is when someone posts a link to an ebay auction essentially advertising for the seller of that item. Given we are probably the #1 source of bourbon knowledge on the internet and we all complain about the rise in prices in both the primary and secondary markets I hope everyone understands. Personally I don't care if someone sells something on ebay, I just don't want to see it posted here. If you want to refer to bottle xyz you just saw that, of course, is fine.

Apologies for offending, i posted it with no intention of advertising the listing, actually i never thought of looking at it that way at all. I though no one would be crazy enough to pay THAT much for it. I now understand, apologies... :rolleyes:

No, no Stones no apologies necessary, no offense done at all. It is just my issue is all. That's why we're here to try to and keep things inline without being too intrusive which I know I am at times...

Stones

06-15-2009, 16:34

No, no Stones no apologies necessary, no offense done at all. It is just my issue is all. That's why we're here to try to and keep things inline without being too intrusive which I know I am at times...

I acknowledge your annoyance with this type of posting, so will refrain in future. Cheers! :grin:

tommyboy38

06-15-2009, 17:15

I understand not posting ebay links to bourbon related items but what about an ebay link to my '89 Camaro? It's a sweet ass ride!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :slappin: :lol: :lol: :lol:

cowdery

06-18-2009, 13:29

Anyone with A. H. Hirsch in the bunker will likely find this (http://blog.maltadvocate.com/2009/06/18/the-last-of-the-ah-hirsch-aka-michters-16-yr-old-bourbon-is-being-released/) interesting.

WsmataU

06-18-2009, 14:17

I remember reading about those bottles a while back. Although I am trying really hard to find a blue wax, I don't think those are going to sell very well given the comments on gold foil.:bigeyes:

tommyboy38

06-18-2009, 14:48

I don't think that anyone who will seriously consider $1500 for a bottle of whiskey will care about the gold foil.

And I think I'm putting my gold foil in an old Booker's box and putting it on ebay for $1000.

Seriously though...I thought there were still many left to be released?

WsmataU

06-18-2009, 19:01

DeanSheen

06-18-2009, 19:34

I was struck by the $1500 quote.

I'm sure they have marketing people to flesh these things out but projections don't always meet expenditures.

It's much easier to answer yes to "Would you buy this product" than it is to pull the money out of your wallet.

I would have guessed $250.

I'm assuming that Priess has held the bourbon for this release in the same steel containers that resulted in the differences between the three previous releases. I'm rarely suprised by what people will pay for perceived exclusivity.

TNbourbon

06-18-2009, 20:35

I'm assuming that Priess has held the bourbon for this release in the same steel containers that resulted in the differences between the three previous releases. I'm rarely suprised by what people will pay for perceived exclusivity.
All of the remainder was bottled in Fall 2003 by Julian. It may be re-bottled for these 'commemoratives', but it hasn't been in steel since 2003.
Thus, it IS the gold foil!

Vange

06-19-2009, 06:12

The $1500 comes with all the frills of being the last batch and with a collectible status since the bottle will be in a box, with a certificate, etc, etc. I will pass.

I am an admitted Hirsch fanatic with some 20 year, each of the wax top 16s (even a black top one), and plenty of gold foil in my bunker. When I first got into bourbon the mystique surrounding Hirsch motivated me to find as much as I could. That luster has faded...

cowdery

06-19-2009, 08:21

It was bottled in '03, but not by Julian, at least not at Lawrenceburg, but at BT. And it had all been in stainless since about 1991.

cas

06-19-2009, 09:41

Sigh, I'm remembering the occasional blue wax 16 and a few bottles of the 20 that I passed up at about $50 -$70 at a few stops along the way...
Craig

AVB

06-19-2009, 10:07

I'm fairly certain that this is all the recalled gold foil that Henry could scrounge up mostly from the EU. He tanked it until the cases could be made and bottles blown and has now rebottled it. It isn't anything different then the Hirsch 16 you could have bought for $50 a few years ago.

Special Reserve

06-19-2009, 15:15

About 3 months ago, I found a store that had 3 A.H. Hirsch Gold Foil that offered all of them for $450 + tax. I didn't bite.

TNbourbon

06-19-2009, 15:27

It was bottled in '03, but not by Julian, at least not at Lawrenceburg, but at BT. And it had all been in stainless since about 1991.
Chuck, you are correct regarding Lawrenceburg v. BT, but Julian has both posted here and discussed face-to-face (were were comparing Blue Wax and Gold Foil at the time, with no Gold Wax present, alas!) his oversight over the gold-foil bottling in Frankfort.

silverfish

06-20-2009, 17:23

Anyone with A. H. Hirsch in the bunker will likely find this (http://blog.maltadvocate.com/2009/06/18/the-last-of-the-ah-hirsch-aka-michters-16-yr-old-bourbon-is-being-released/) interesting.

The Preiss page with the new bottle is at:

preissimports.com/AH-Hirsch-Last-Batch.html

tommyboy38

06-20-2009, 21:43

You'd think they make a new label for $1500 and maybe number it.

silverfish

06-21-2009, 04:53

Well, it does say it's limited to 1000 bottles
and "Each are individually numbered".

tommyboy38

06-21-2009, 14:08

In that case, I'll be putting in an order for three bottles.

Josh

06-22-2009, 11:29

800 is high for now. 18 months ago I saw one sell at auction for 750. 9 months ago one went for 600 something. two months ago I sold one, it went for 550. The economy is forcing the price down it would appear. To be honest- it's a very fine whiskey, but I don't think I would pay more than 100 for one to drink, tho that would be quite a bargain on the market now. And yes, the 16 was better, but the 20 is still a world class whiskey- You done good :grin:

Cheers,

RW

Thanks! The same seller has another (?) one on sale now for $400. Seems more reasonable, if a tad low, judging by your sales.

sku

06-22-2009, 15:54

Great news! Now I don't feel so bad about ponying up $150 or so a year ago for the gold cap. It was good stuff and I'm glad I got to try it before it reached insane inflationary levels.

It does strike me as strange marketing. Anyone who knows enough about Bourbon to want to spend that kind of money has known for years that Hirsch is a limited quantity item and would have stocked up on it already. Who exactly is going to buy this four figure stuff? Ignorant speculators?

By the way, is this the most expensive new release American whiskey ever?

cowdery

06-25-2009, 15:41

Chuck, you are correct regarding Lawrenceburg v. BT, but Julian has both posted here and discussed face-to-face (were were comparing Blue Wax and Gold Foil at the time, with no Gold Wax present, alas!) his oversight over the gold-foil bottling in Frankfort.

I assumed you meant he supervised the bottling at BT. I should have said that.

I didn't think about the fact that this has to be a re-bottling of inventory that was already bottled, presumably all or most of it as gold-foil 16.

I'll miss having something to obsess about so excessively.

TNbourbon

06-25-2009, 19:53

...I'll miss having something to obsess about so excessively.
Chuck (and I'd bet I type for a goodly number of other readers here),
I have the Bourbon County Reader articles regarding the Hirsch bottlings safely tucked away for future reference, even if I never own/open another bottle of A.H. Hirsch bourbon (I've owned several! -- I'm easily in double-figures; gotta have something to enthrall the younger generations with, you know:cool:, even if by story-telling.)
Oft-times, obsessions nurtured excessively result in exquisite enlightenment.
Be satisfied.

cowdery

06-25-2009, 20:21

I do have a couple of gold foil 16s I'd be willing to part with for $1,450, a $50 savings! What? You say I got to take something off for no box? I've got your stinking box right here!

tommyboy38

06-26-2009, 05:38

$1,450? That's nuts! i won't give you a penny over $1,000.

As for the previous comment about bourbon drinkers in the know regarding bunkering a few bottles of the Hirsch/Michter's whiskey, there are those of us who have come to drinking premium (expensive) whiskey only recently and only have one in the bunker due to a very lucky find. After the gold foils are gone, who knows how much someone might pay for one of the remaining bottles.

Special Reserve

06-26-2009, 08:44

Hey! I know where you can get one for $999.99. Just ask.

sku

06-26-2009, 09:03

On a more serious note, I was just in DC and found a corner liquor store that had the gold cap 16 yos for $99, best price I've seen.

jsgorman

10-16-2009, 05:41

Gillman

10-16-2009, 06:54

I have half a bottle left of mixed gold wax and gold foil, the 16 years of course. I liked the blue label best. The 20 was very good, but then again there are many other bourbons out there I enjoy as much if not more. For the money people are talking about you can buy so much fine bourbon! I can honestly say I enjoyed the current Old Forester Signature just as much. It offers everything you want in a bourbon.

Gary

barturtle

10-16-2009, 07:05

There is a bottle on eBay right now bid up to $561 - and the reserve still hasn't been met. I'm not sure what the seller is thinking, but anything over $550 would be an offer I'd take if I were selling.

If there is such a thing as investment grade Bourbon, this is it...

But it includes free shipping! Including shipping has to be at worth way more than $561, what with the skyrocketing price of fuel and cardboard boxes. I mean have you priced styrofoam peanuts these days? Ridiculous!