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A perfect summary.

Hello! I am surprising my husband with his dream trip to the Bourbon trail this August. I have been researching for a couple of months but would live some feed back on our itinerary so far. I have already booked several tours but I can still change. We are flying into Nashville because we can get direct flights and staying all 4 nights at The Trail Hotel in Bardstown. Day 1 (Wed) driving in from Nashville. Should arrive by 5pm. Checking into the hotel and have a 7pm reservation at Oak and Ember at The Trail Day 2 (Thurs) - Plan to be at Buffalo Trace at 9am. I managed to score a 10AM tour. Stop at Castle and Key?? (nothing booked so not sure it’s worth it) Lunch 1:30- Woodford Path to flavor tour booked Stop at Four Roses if we have time Back to Bardstown for dinner Day 3 (Fri) - 10:30 Jim Beam Reserve Tasting booked followed by lunch at Kitchen Table Planning for a little down time by the pool this afternoon. Thinking of booking a late afternoon tasting at Preservation and hoping to hit up a bourbon bar or two in Bardstown after dinner. Day 4 (Sat) - Heaven Hill (nothing booked) 11am Lunch reservation at The Bar at Willett 1:30 Bardstown Bourbon Co. Art of Blending class Explore downtown Bardstown Day 5 (Sun) We have to leave Bardstown by 11:30 to drive back to Nash. Some specific questions - He likes Bulliet but it seems out of the way and I haven’t seen a lot of great things about the distillery. Would it be worth it to go out to the way for? Are there any smaller, lesser known distilleries that just shouldn’t be missed? I want to maximize our time but I also want it to be enjoyable and not rushed.

ETL gained notoriety because it was a $25 bottle that drank like a $40 bottle. Add some love for the bottle’s namesake on top. It was a good value play. Then things got goofy. A $40 bottle that drinks like a $40 bottle is fine. The secondary FOMO tax turning it into a $150+ bottle can lead only to disappointment. Inflation turning it into an $80 bottle, well that’s just how it goes. I don’t know if the quality is there because I haven’t t bought a bottle in probably a decade. If you gotta have it try to get it at MSRP.

Was at the whiskey bar and tried the Grain to Glass KSBW and the KSWBW. Liked both but out of the two I would pick the wheated.

I would have bought it.

Quite happy to let others have it at that price.

WT-Generations in the glass tonight.

I have yet to see this on the shelf in any Ohio store. I doubt I will. Ohio sucks for Bourbon.

Straight KC 9 year tonight. It's been a while since I had this. Still nice.

1792 BiB in the glass...

Is it the Liquor Control Commission or the distiller that sets the price?

Hard Pass! I didn't know the Michigan Liquor Control Commission had set it so freaking high. Haven't looked for it in a long time. Even if it were available (and, I don't have a clue about its availability in MI), I have zero interest.

ETL minimum state price is Michigan is $79.99 plus 6% tax.

Picked up this pair today. Package deal where you had to buy both, but it was at msrp. I’m excited to try the new old fitz.

I haven't tried it myself yet but there is quite a bit of feedback already posted here on SB about it. You just have to use the search function. There is even a thread dedicated to it here: Wild Turkey 101 - 8 Year

I picked my ECBP at the office today.

I passed on WT 101 8 year at $45. I thought the store where I found it had jacked up the price, but that's pretty much the normal retail around here. For those that have tried it, is it worth double the price of regular 101?

I hit the grocery store sale and came home with: regular MM, Sazerac Rye, and Bulleit Rye. I haven't had any MGP stuff in a while. It can be a nice change of pace.

Uh-OH! Better start marking the fill levels on yer bottles? Kidding, I hope. Although my brother, a cousin, and I used to 'sample' my Dad's liquor at about age 12 or 13, so it may not be outa the realm of possibility.

Me too. I don't think I've seen it in 15-years or so.

FWIW, my ceiling for ETL is probably $50. I'm not even sure I'd spring for one at that price without a taste first. The last couple bottles I bought (at $40? - back in about 2018?) were subpar. The one before that (maybe '17?) was $35, if memory serves (& it may not) and that one was wonderful. Having experienced such inconsistency (or even diminishing quality?), along with the escalating price put me off the brand. I still have a couple or 3 in storage from back in the day ('16 or before?) that I've yet to open. ...Plus one left from a GBS pick we did (about 2013?). Those ones were very nice.

I do appreciate the return of an age stated bourbon, but I have to admit that the 8 year I have really didn’t show anything dazzling to me, that clearly set it apart from the standard 101. Full disclosure, I have not done a SBS, and perhaps something will come forward when I do one. The most interesting thing I see about the 8 year however, is the lack of overwhelming love for ot, in contrast to when it was mentioned by anyone who picked it up internationally/ Duty Free in past years, they universally spooged over it. This new bottle has garnered a fair amount of yawns about the whiskey, in addition to criticism of its price. Which leads me to consider that the prior love was influenced by its rarity, or the new bottle contains inferior whiskey. I think the former.

If the MSRP is up to $80 then I'm very confident I will never purchase another bottle for the rest of my life. When it was $40-45 it was fine but I'm past the days where I gotta keep one on the shelf. If @Kepler is right and I can happen across one for $50 then that's a different story. My own "what's ETL really worth" line in the sand is $60.

It still hasn't reached my state yet. Was on a business trip in SC a couple weeks ago and picked up four bottles at $42 each to bring home to a couple buddies. We still don't have the new red label Four Roses here either.

Unfortunately no. I have had some neurological issues with my hands that make playing impossible. I was a decent player (about 45 years). I can’t feel two fingers on my right hand and my hands cannot do what my brain tells them to for music. The result is frustrating. They are hand picked and “tuned” and need to be played. The guy handling the sale is out of Nashville. He thinks they will be gone in a week or two. On for somebody else to enjoy. Now I just need a home for a 1923 Kimball upright. Beautiful piece wrapped in quarter-sawn oak, ivory keys and a soundboard better than most grand pianos. It looks great where it sitting, may just leave it in the house.