Empty Bottle Support Group 2011

[SMOWK]

I just don't think it's $80 good especially when 2 years ago it was $55-$60

Around these parts, they are priced a lot less than that.

[AaronWF]

I kicked a bottle of Willet 17 year old I got from TPS. Single-barrel, barrel-proof, unchillfiltered, although I don't see that written on the bottle. It must have been in TPS notes on it.

What's funny is that the tasting notes here include the description "Comprised of a grain bill of corn and malt and another grain occasionally used in Bourbon distillation, it is a rare bourbon indeed." They refer to 'another grain' without calling it out by name.

The other clue out there is here on the K&L Wines site where they say, "For fans of the Pappy style, this will surpass your expectations of what a great, full-bodied bourbon can be."

An occasionally used bourbon grain and a reference to fans of the Pappy style? What could this possibly be pointing towards?

Now, I bought the bottle after tasting a 17 year old Willet at Longman and Eagle here in Chicago and being completely blown away by the sparkling rye spice on the back end. Suffice it to say, this bottle from TPS was not the same.

I saw a video linked on Twitter with Drew Kulsveen and another guy tasting some Willet. There was no mention of the 17-year bourbon, so I sent a tweet to Drew asking if the 14A barrel from TPS was wheated. To my surprise and delight, he responded that it was indeed - no big surprise considering the hints from TPS and K&L, but it was nice to get direct confirmation from the horse's mouth, especially when the horse in question is not exactly known for his forthright demeanor (here or on his labels, anyway).

It took me some time to find my sweet spot with the bottle - letting it open up and experimenting with how much water to add - but I found it, and what a luxurious sweet spot it is! Similar to the PHC10, but denser and more full-bodied. IMO, worth the $20 premium over the wheated PHC10.

I've seen hectic and some others write about a private bottling wheated 17 year Willet on here. I have to wonder where this was distilled. I don't imagine anyone here would have info on the matter, but I was under the impression that there were a limited number of distilleries that produce wheated bourbon, so I can't help but wonder at the pedigree of this stuff.

[hectic1]

I kicked a bottle of Willet 17 year old I got from TPS. Single-barrel, barrel-proof, unchillfiltered, although I don't see that written on the bottle. It must have been in TPS notes on it.

What's funny is that the tasting notes here include the description "Comprised of a grain bill of corn and malt and another grain occasionally used in Bourbon distillation, it is a rare bourbon indeed." They refer to 'another grain' without calling it out by name.

The other clue out there is here on the K&L Wines site where they say, "For fans of the Pappy style, this will surpass your expectations of what a great, full-bodied bourbon can be."

An occasionally used bourbon grain and a reference to fans of the Pappy style? What could this possibly be pointing towards?

Now, I bought the bottle after tasting a 17 year old Willet at Longman and Eagle here in Chicago and being completely blown away by the sparkling rye spice on the back end. Suffice it to say, this bottle from TPS was not the same.

I saw a video linked on Twitter with Drew Kulsveen and another guy tasting some Willet. There was no mention of the 17-year bourbon, so I sent a tweet to Drew asking if the 14A barrel from TPS was wheated. To my surprise and delight, he responded that it was indeed - no big surprise considering the hints from TPS and K&L, but it was nice to get direct confirmation from the horse's mouth, especially when the horse in question is not exactly known for his forthright demeanor (here or on his labels, anyway).

It took me some time to find my sweet spot with the bottle - letting it open up and experimenting with how much water to add - but I found it, and what a luxurious sweet spot it is! Similar to the PHC10, but denser and more full-bodied. IMO, worth the $20 premium over the wheated PHC10.

I've seen hectic and some others write about a private bottling wheated 17 year Willet on here. I have to wonder where this was distilled. I don't imagine anyone here would have info on the matter, but I was under the impression that there were a limited number of distilleries that produce wheated bourbon, so I can't help but wonder at the pedigree of this stuff.

The Willett 17yr that I have is a Bernhiem distilliate and IMO just as good as the majority of the SW stuff I have tasted. SW has is loar about it due in part to the hype created by websites like this...IMO the Bernheim stuff that I have tasted (Binny's W12, Willett 17/18yr, etc) have been on the same level as a lot of the SW stuff that I've had. If you're ever in the area you're welcome to come by and taste some for yourself.

[jcg9779]

Finally killed off a bottle of WTKS that I had open.

[BFerguson]

Last night a Col EH Taylor hit the recycling bin.

This last glass was nothing like the previous pours. It's been sitting untouched for probably the last month.

What surprised me was the finish. After the first sip, it came sneaking up and really surprised me. Black cherries. I was really taken aback by this "where did this come from" taste that i had not seen in past pours. But a good surprise.

This flavor is something with I also consistently get with Lot B.

It livened up what had been a previous slightly above average pour to something much more enjoyable.

B

[Chuckles]

Killed another bottle of Baker's over the weekend. I will replace it, as I really like this juice. I know it's pricey, but IMHO it doesn't seem to get the love I think it deserves, here on SB and elsewhere.

[G.H.Adams]

I'm with you as I finished an open bottle of Bakers and Wild Turkey over the weekend.

[unclebunk]

So long to Powers Gold Label, a truly fine (and affordable) Irish whiskey. Will soon crack open the Powers 12 to see how they compare.

[unclebunk]

Killed another bottle of Baker's over the weekend. I will replace it, as I really like this juice. I know it's pricey, but IMHO it doesn't seem to get the love I think it deserves, here on SB and elsewhere.

I happen to agree with you on this point. My last bottle was quite good and another lurks in the bunker.

[AaronWF]

The Willett 17yr that I have is a Bernhiem distilliate and IMO just as good as the majority of the SW stuff I have tasted. SW has is loar about it due in part to the hype created by websites like this...IMO the Bernheim stuff that I have tasted (Binny's W12, Willett 17/18yr, etc) have been on the same level as a lot of the SW stuff that I've had. If you're ever in the area you're welcome to come by and taste some for yourself.

Thanks for the insight! There is a 'je ne sais quoi' about S-W juice (that I half blindly assign to yeast ID), but it's good to know that Bernheim is capable of producing that luscious caramel black cherry skin character in their wheater.

If my info is correct (from LikeItWasSodaPop) you're a bit of a drive from the city, but I look forward to driving out next time you have a gathering!