Top Ten American Whiskeys...One More Time

[jeff]

Interesting choice on the Maker's Mark mint julep, and one I can't disagree with. However you have chosen one whiskey as a favorite that I would rate as undrinkable: The Evan Williams 1783. To me it tastes like asparagus and cooked cabbage; completely unlike anything else from Heaven Hill.

[AJ123]

Wow - this is great. I also realize that I only have drank four of this list!! so I'm a real newbie here. I do have Eagle Rare 17 also and that's great, but I haven't even tried the ER 10! I have no idea what the Van Winkle Lot B is???? George Stagg is good/o.k. but I don't know what the extreme fuss over it is all about and can't even figure out what the lot/year is on my bottle. I sampled Bookers in the Pied Piper bar in San Francisco two weeks ago while ordering Blanton's at the same time so I drank side by side - Booker's didn't do anything for me. As for WT RB and Pappy Van Winkle 20 -- Yes yes and more yes. I basically have them on tap at home. I'm also devoted to WT RR TRIBUTE 101 - is that like WT RR 101? I have three bottles of Tribute and know where one more is. To have a top ten list implies that I'm relegating about 20 others to sub-list status and I'm just not there yet.

So now I find out that ER 10 and ER 101 are the same thing...creates a little shift along with a couple people who chose to change some votes. Our new current top ten is as follows;

1) Van Winkle Lot B (16) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
2) ORVW 15 (16) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
3) WT RR 101 (15) Austin Nichols Distillery
4) George T Stagg (15) Buffalo Trace
5) Bookers (13) James Beam
6) Elmer T Lee (13) Buffalo Trace
7) Eagle Rare 10 (12) Buffalo Trace
8) WT RB 912) Austin Nichols Distiller
9) Pappy Van Winkle 15 (11) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
10) Pappy Van Winkle 20 (11) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery

If its true that Pappy 15 and ORVW 15 are the same thing, that's the run away favorite with 27 Votes. I really need to try some Stagg...between all the different releases it has 24 votes (Thats covers those who just voted for GT Stagg, any year, and the 9 folks who like a certain year better [2002 through fall of 2005] than others.
In my region, the least expensive bottle with the most votes, EC 12 (10).
114 Different Bottles, 44 Voters

[nor02lei]

So now I find out that ER 10 and ER 101 are the same thing...creates a little shift along with a couple people who chose to change some votes. Our new current top ten is as follows;

1) Van Winkle Lot B (16) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
2) ORVW 15 (16) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
3) WT RR 101 (15) Austin Nichols Distillery
4) George T Stagg (15) Buffalo Trace
5) Bookers (13) James Beam
6) Elmer T Lee (13) Buffalo Trace
7) Eagle Rare 10 (12) Buffalo Trace
8) WT RB 912) Austin Nichols Distiller
9) Pappy Van Winkle 15 (11) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
10) Pappy Van Winkle 20 (11) Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery

If its true that Pappy 15 and ORVW 15 are the same thing, that's the run away favorite with 27 Votes. I really need to try some Stagg...between all the different releases it has 24 votes (Thats covers those who just voted for GT Stagg, any year, and the 9 folks who like a certain year better [2002 through fall of 2005] than others.
In my region, the least expensive bottle with the most votes, EC 12 (10).
114 Different Bottles, 44 Voters

Todd,
Do you have any idea if the leading VW 12 is mostly the Bernheim or the SW version. I got 1 unopened bottle at home myself and I got no idea how to see on the bottle were it is distilled.
Leif

[Special Reserve]

Interesting choice on the Maker's Mark mint julep, and one I can't disagree with. However you have chosen one whiskey as a favorite that I would rate as undrinkable: The Evan Williams 1783. To me it tastes like asparagus and cooked cabbage; completely unlike anything else from Heaven Hill.

Then bourbon must be like food. I've noticed that a chosen bourbon will taste differently to me at different times. This fact adds to the enjoyment of having a drink of bourbon.

At one time I wouldn't eat asparagus or cooked cabbage, but now I know that when properly prepared both are very enjoyable.

[T47]

Leif, most people just listed WT 12, they did not specify "Gold Label", or "Split Label". 2 People voted for WT 12 Split Label, so I broke off their votes to reflect that. One person voted for WT 12 Gold Foil Label and I did leave that one in just the WT 12 "bulk" votes....
I am sure someone here can tell you where the Split Label or Gold Foil Label bottles came from, I don't know myself.

[luv2hunt]

Todd,
Do you have any idea if the leading VW 12 is mostly the Bernheim or the SW version. I got 1 unopened bottle at home myself and I got no idea how to see on the bottle were it is distilled.
Leif

Leif,

On 9-15-2005 Julian posted in a thread that the Van Winkle 12 is now all Bernheim. And I believe he even said it was "damn fine whiskey at that"!

Dawn

[T47]

Boy I need to start wearing my glasses....that was a VW 12, not a WT 12

AHHHHHHHH! I am getting OLD!!!!!!!!!!

[T47]

I would have just edited my prior post, but for some reason my browser does not like the edit button here, it boots me from the net every time I hit it?
Leif, no one specified a year or distiller for the VW Lot B with the exception of 4 votes for Van Blankle which I think is some version of VW Lot B.

[T47]

Damn my computer and that edit button to the dark recesses of earth!!!!! and by the way, I did separate those 4 VAn Blankle votes as another bottle.

[gr8erdane]

Todd,
Van Blankle is our own term for Randy Blank's VWFR 12 yo Lot B which he bought a barrel of a couple of years ago and so generously shared with many of us at Gazebos past. While all Van Blankle is Lot B, not all Lot B is Van Blankle! An awesome single barrel version of an outstanding bourbon. Only outdone in my mind by the single barrel tasting of the 22.5 year old Pappy-to-be that Julian shared with us at last year's Sampler.