Going to Australia soon

[RedVette]

I leave Wed. Based on the comments from you Aussies, I shall scour the duty free shop in L.A. for some goodies to bring with me for the trip. It sounds like the pickens are slim in Sydney and Melbourne. Hopefully I can find a barrel strength Blantons to get me by.

[camduncan]

You won't get a Barrel Strength Blantons here - we only get the Family Reserve, Original and Gold Labels.
From my conversations on the board over the last couple of years.... You may like to look at Cougar Bourbon and Jim Beam Small Batch with Port added when you are here as they are Aussie exclusives.
If you are stopping over anywhere onthe flight, you may be able to find a Wild Turkey Tribute before the remaining stocks are sold - they are available at most DFS stores (depending on stock)

How long are you Downunder for?
If you are travelling through Brisbane I'd be happy to meet up for a few drinks

[RedVette]

I will be in Brisbane next Monday for one day only. Unfortunately I will be in business meetings all day, and am required to have dinner with them as well. This is a whirlwind business trip, not much fun.

The Beam sounds interesting, and I should bring home a Cougar for the collection. Thanks for the heads up.

[camduncan]

That's a shame - I was looking for an excuse to break out the Stagg & Pappy

If you are having dinner near the city - there are some great bars in the Valley and New Farm.
http://www.thebowery.com.au/ is about 1 mile out of the CBD and has a small but excellent range of bourbons. In particular they carry Blantons, Van Winkle and some other stuff that the owner picks up on his regular trips to the UK..

As an FYI... There are 2 versions of Cougar - Cougar standard 37.5% and Cougar XS which is 40% I can't recall seeing XS at airports, but there is always the standard available.

[RedVette]

That's a shame - I was looking for an excuse to break out the Stagg & Pappy

Bummer.

We ate at a steak house on the gold coast, good stuff but loaded with kids on school holiday.

For my trip I managed to pick up a bottle of port added Beam, two bottles of WT Heritage Single Barrel, and two bottles of WT Freedom. Considering the price that Freedom is currently getting on Ebay, I am reluctant to point out that I left a dozen bottles behind.

What a great country. In a week I saw a lot but left much more unexplored. Someday I'll be back, and then we'll tap into the Stagg and the Pappy. I might even bring a bottle of 23 with me.

G'day Mate, no worries.

[kbuzbee]

Considering the price that Freedom is currently getting on Ebay, I am reluctant to point out that I left a dozen bottles behind.

What a great country. In a week I saw a lot but left much more unexplored.

Sounds like a great trip. It's definately on our list of places we want to see. Sad to hear about those poor bottles of Freedom sitting there neglected. I'd sure be glad to provide a home for them, given the opportunity.

Cheers,

Ken

[camduncan]

Ahh, the Gold Coast. I miss my childhood home sometimes - surfing before and after school (then before & after work as I got older). Alas I moved 50 minutes drive north to Brisbane 10 years ago for better work opportunities

It's good to hear you had a great time.

I'd also be interested to hear another opinion on the Beam with Port - There's only 3 of us Aussies active here, so the opinions are few.
The WT Heritage Single Barrel is of interest - where'd you pick that one up?

It's always good to gear someone enjoyed their trip Downunder - most of us here spend so much of our time looking abroad that we tend to forget what can be found in our own back yards...

Oh, and I notice you didn't get a Cougar?

[RedVette]

I picked up the two WT Heritage's at the DFS duty free shop in LAX on my way out of the US. Those two bottles went with me for the whole trip, they must be the most traveled Wild Turkey out there. I snagged the Beam Small Batch at a Bottle shop on Breakfast Creek. The Freedoms were huddled together at the DFS Galleria on Sydney Harbor (hah-bah).

I did manage to taste a shot or two of cougar at a trendy bar in Melbourne that had a live band playing Motown tunes. The cougar was good, but not good enough considering I was already bringing back 6 bottles of Bourbon.

Once the jet lag settles down a bit I will crack open the Beam and give it a go. To be continued...