"Old" vs "New" Ezra Brooks

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Originally Posted by Enoch

I have about 2 doz "pre-government warning" bourbons and all seem to have this rich flavor you are speaking of regardless of mashbill or distillery or age. This is why I like them. I have wondered if it is the result of some chemical change that bourbon undergoes as it sits for a long time in the bottle or a difference in the distilling process or even in the barrel making process.

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Since I don't have any sort of memory of what these tasted like when they were new, I have to wonder if the flavor was present in the bottles all along or if it's due to a chemical change in the bottle over time. Anyone with more experience care to comment?

I don't try to explain these things. I just enjoy a good bourbon whenever I find one.

I don't know exactly when this occured. The Ezra Brooks label now says "7 generations" rather than 7 years old.

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Originally Posted by cowdery

I don't try to explain these things. I just enjoy a good bourbon whenever I find one.

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Good point, Chuck. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in the pursuit of the rare and hard to find that we forget there are some amazing bourbons out there that are readily available. Still, the geek factor is hard to suppress! :grin:

What would be the last year that you could still be fairly assured you were getting a Medley product? I seem to find a lot of Ezra 375s from 1990 or before. Could I be fairly certain these ate Medley?

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Originally Posted by Enoch

What would be the last year that you could still be fairly assured you were getting a Medley product? I seem to find a lot of Ezra 375s from 1990 or before. Could I be fairly certain these ate Medley?

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My best summary from other board historians is that the "Medley distillery" or DSP 10, last distilled in 1992. This is where Ezra Brooks was distilled while in Owensboro. Glenmore, who operated one of the other distilleries in Owensbore, the "Glenmore distillery" or DSP 24, bought the "Medley distillery" and brands including Ezra Brooks in 1988. Glenmore then was bought by Guinness, which eventually became United Distillers, which then sold the Ezra Brooks label to Heaven Hill in the spring of 1993. Heaven Hill then sold it to David Sherman which is now Luxco. Another interesting side fact is Mike Veach has in his timeline that the Medley distillery was closed in 1987 and I'll presume that may have been just temporarily until Glenmore purchased it. How long Heaven Hill or David Sherman used labels or barrels distilled from DSP 10 in Owensboro after the 1993 purchase is probably up for some good guessing. What involvement any Medley's had with the distilling of Ezra Brooks after Glenmore took it over in 1988 also is not clear, at least to me.