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I was given a bottle of regular Bulleit for Christmas. I just opened it, not a fan. Maybe it will get better

I think the 115+ proof Stellum ryes are really good. Lots of flavor, very little burn. And especially for the price, I've been seeing them for $50 - $60 at Unicorn, all in. Makes me want to try some of the Barrell ryes. I was a bit surprised to read it was 100% rye; I thought it might have had some corn. It would appear that the Stellum brand has gone the way of the dodo, Republican professors, and manners in general.

Here ya go. BTW, the cocktail before the beer is pretty good on its own. I snuck a sip before tapping it off with the MGD.

Those are outright good, and especially good for the money. BBC did it right and waited for the 6 years. I presently favor the rye.

Tried M10 bourbon yesterday, both '24 and '25, blind with a friend. Both bottles were freshly opened. The '24 was better. Richer nose, varnish & burned carmel. Deeper, richer, longer finish. The '25 was very good. More ethanol on the nose, blocked out some of the scent. Opened up nicely and came into its own about 1/2 hour later...less complex than '24, but still a darned fine pour. Both my friend and I agreed on this. Also tried Blanton's Red & Old Charter Oak French Oak, not blind. Very similar. Much oakier than most BT products. Easy drinkers. I found the Blanton's Red a little hotter than the proof and preferred the OCO - no burn, more oak. My friend preferred the Blanton's Red.

These arrived today. Balvenie was the Scotch that got me into loving Scotch and I’ve been wanting to try this one. This Glenmorangie I’ve never had before, but I tend to like all things from the distillery and the price was right. Threw these bottles in with some bourbon that I ordered to keep the overall shipping cost per bottle down.

Didn’t purchase them today, but they arrived today. This is my first time ordering from outside the country in about five years and was happy with the prices and speed of delivery.

FWIW, I haven't found that much difference among the (very) many ECBP's I've owned. Now that's not to say there isn't some variation. There absolutely is! A couple of the early ones were pretty 'hot'. But over the next number of years (I stopped seeking it out after about 2021 or '22) I found none that were poor in comparison to other brands or to each other. Now, here again, I have little experience with those batches after '22. A taste here and there is all. But, I'd say the profile hasn't been that variable in any meaningful way. I don't think one could assume every "A" batch would be 'only OK', while some other batch from later in the year would always be 'better'. Take this with as many grains of salt required of course, as any persons palate will be different from anyone elses.

Another one for the bin....

Well, let's put it this way. In January 2025, the only ECBP available that I saw was A124 and only at ABC Wine & Spirits, here in Tampa Bay, I did get one. But no other stores had B524 or C924, or any ECBP whatsoever. I get the feeling that, perhaps, these retailers don't want to participate in all the "hype" regarding these things and just get the easiest, cheapest thing (the "A" batches, if any ECBP) thinking that people won't know the difference and just buy what they present to them. Even the Elijah Craig website itself will ship it to you, but they don't guarantee the batch you will get. I guess I'll have to look harder. In your experience, will stores who have the better batches be willing to ship it to on-line customers, or is it reserved for "in store" customers?

Any excuse to use the Montenegro! Can you please post the recipe?

Gotta love the name of one of our locals. "Buzzed Liquors", what's not to love? They have a great selection, with prices all over the place, but there are good deals to be had. The owners & staff are great. This one was $59.00 and worth every penny. I bought a few and gifted one to my brother-in-law.

I love old school Beam, when I'm in the mood for it. The peanut funk is luxurious at this proof. It's not what I dig every day, but I wish I had a dram of it here at the beach on this still, dark night. The surf was as good as I've seen it this year, curls like the sea was peeling apples. Happy Memorial Day weekend, folks! Here's what I brought for deck duty - a Turkeytail! (next to last one) Turns out to be a very mellow example of the breed.

Happy Fryeday! Not feeling rye...but this will do!

Good luck!

This will be replaced....

That's the one! I liked it enough to buy another one on our last trip, back in 2019. Honestly, I was just as happy to grab some VOB 100, which is nearly impossible around our neck of the woods.

Happy Memorial Day weekend. Hats off to our heroes. Truly a pivotal day on the calendar. Three of my favorite places to drink beer. Nor Cal, SD, and Seattle. Going to start off with the Velvet Glow. As mentioned above rest in peace Norm. I put some quotes I found in the NYT obit. Norm: “It’s my birthday, Sammy. Give me a beer, stick a candle in it and I’ll blow out my liver.” Norm: “Well it’s a dog-eat-dog world, Sammy, and I’m wearing Milk Bone underwear.”

Love the KC 12yr, would love to get a OGD 16yr, and no nothing about the Old Soul.

I know, right!! Rusty was my favorite driver, BTW. This pic from the corner man cave part of my garage. Basically, all I can muster… Before they changed the label, MGD disappeared in these parts for over a year, I think. Didn’t even recognize it when I first saw it!

Friday's Fare... A nice southern fish; halibut. At least most likely caught 'south' of the Arctic Circle. Main Course - said halibut with a creamy crab, wine/white sauce Starch - Shrimp/Mac-N-Cheese Veggie - KC12 (oops)

Batting .300 on a Friday... Of course, the OGD16 & the KC12 at 100 proof and the Old Soul, a blend proofed down to 100.7pf. No favorites, just good stuff all around...

Having some PHC 10 yr. to kick off FRyeday.

Would that be the Master's Blend? I have one that I picked up at the distillery. I don't remember much about it. Don't recall the price. I know I had a sample with their tasting but do not recall how good it was. But grabbed anyway. I did that a lot on the trail. Buying btls without much thought. Maybe wrapped up in the thrill of being in bourbon country, FOMO, the rarity of the btl, thought I liked it, not sure if i like it but bought a btl to find out if i like it, too much to drink prior to stopping at a distillery, not drinking enough before stopping at a distillery....and so on.

They touch on reason it is sold in Japan and distillery only was respect to Japan for keeping them afloat through the tough times.