All Activity

The JDSBBP rye is sooooo much better than the bonded version. It's more complex, spicier, but sweeter. It may be a rye that you enjoy. It drinks below its proof. I have a few bottles, varying in proof, and the higher proof releases benefit when poured over a tiny cube, or a splash to open it up, and tame the heat.

@rzelinka I took to bourbon much quicker than scotch, but scotch grew on me over time, and now they are on par with each other for me and my bunker is split about 50/50. I'd suggest keep trying and maybe you'll turn the corner and have an 'ah-ha' scotch moment

Saffire. Many years ago, when purchased, they were significantly less than the big green eggs. It has performed very well over the years. They match in sizes some accessories fit both.

The missus found my new favorite mixer at a European specialty market, and the temptation to mix it with bourbon tonight won out over the willpower to wait until the weekend. Good stuff!

Awesome grill. Which brand is that?

I saw the rye at my local total wine on Saturday. I was there for a Jack Daniel’s tasting. I was ready to buy it while I was there, but got turned off by the Jack Daniel’s bonded rye and figured I would try to get a sample of the Grain to Glass before I invested $100 in a bottle I may not enjoy. Had it been the wheated, I would have bought it as I enjoy wheated bourbons. Like you, I do enjoy Heaven Hill, Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, McKenna and even Evan Williams is solid at its price point.

God bless you and fill that hole in your heart with peace and happy memories.

So very sorry, Grady. Your friends here, are with you and your family.

Blanton’s in the glass. Raised high to Grady, his son and his family. Peace to all!

Peace & Strength to you and your Family. I too will honor his memory with a pour of Blanton's... P.S. The only one that I had available was the Gold. As I figure it, Your Son was worth it and so very much more... To Grady & Son and his Family. Salud!!!

Been making this more and more. Smoked salmon candy. Pure maple syrup on the brush and CEHT sml batch in the glass.

We stayed in the Abe Martin Lodge in the Brown County State Park. The park is some distance from Lake Monroe, but the creek that feeds into start Lake Monroe is in Brown County. We've been getting rain every week for a while, so White River seemed up a bit last time I saw it.

Awww, MAN! Losing a child is just wrong!!! They are expected to bury us, right? So sorry for your family's grief and pain. I will add my feeble efforts to the chorus, too. I'll crack a Blanton's and have a nice pour, as well.

Happy Anniversary! Did you go to Lake Monroe, and if so, has the water level dropped?

And you, Happy Birthday Joe!

Happy Anniversary! My wife and I just celebrated 30 years this past Saturday. We went to Brown County for the weekend and had a grand time.

God Bless and give you strength to do what you need to do, and have fond memories of your son.

I’m so sorry to hear that. I too will raise a glass of Blanton's in his honor.

I'm sorry.....

100% agree with flahute above. I can add, BT only makes the wheat mash bill (Weller/VW) a small proportion of their overall production (like one month out of the year). So as it is, until supply or demand changes, that stuff will be relatively scarce. Add to that, BT is always releasing variations on the different brands. It gets to be like all the different Pokémon. I used to be a big fan of OWA and W12, but since it's no longer available, have come around to the higher rye Bourbons of the other legacy distillers instead. My wheat fix is some version of MM.

Are they pricier than most other barrel proof whiskey's at that age....yes. Are they barrel proof with unique mash bills from one of my favorite distilleries....also yes. I am a huge Heaven Hill fan and love Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Henry McKenna, Old Fitz, Rittenhouse Rye, etc. I will take pretty much anything from Heaven Hill but Larceny Small Batch, which doesn't do it for me. When they announced they were doing a GTG series, I knew I had to have them and I was able to secure all 3 of the 2024 releases for MSRP. It look me a while to find the GTG Wheated bourbon, but I found the Traditional Bourbon and the Rye at MSRP with out any issue. Of the 3, the traditional (high rye) bourbon is by far my favorite, but the Rye is excellent as well (and I am picky with my ryes). The Wheated Bourbon isn't bad by any means, but the Traditional Bourbon and the Rye are both superior in my eyes. The traditional bourbon was so good, that I bought a back-up at that price knowing that the 2025 release will be a different proof point dependent on the bottles they picked. I will definitely pick up a bottle of the 2025 2nd edition GTG traditional bourbon when it hits the Texas market, but that might be a while yet. Value is subjective, but they were worth it to me. Many people, including myself have bought items like Blanton's SFTB at a similar age and almost double the price, yet don't blink an eye because it is Buffalo Trace. Don't get me wrong, I really like the flavor profile of most Blanton's SFTB, but miss the days I could have them shipped to my house for less than $100 a bottle shipped. Heck, even Old Forrester Barrel Strength Single Barrel and Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs are starting to approach the $100 mark in my area. But I digress.

@rzelinka, although you have not good experiences with single malts, and you might not like malt in general, there are big differences in taste between many different single malts. I recommended a few you might like as did @Kepler. We both like Glendronach, although he recommended the 15 year non-cask strength. The 12 year will also give you a good sample of what the Glendronach is all about. You mentioned American Single Malts. I enjoy many of them but the taste can drastically different between them. I would recommend trying a nice, unpeated, scotch to see what you think before thinking you do not like malt. However, your life will hardly be over if you stick to bourbon!

Could you provide the URLs for these places? It would be really helpful. I've only ordered on-line once, (for a bottle of Lagavaulin 16) costing way more than I needed to pay.. Won't do that again. But I am OK with checking an on-line place out to see what they offer. I have to wonder though if the "good stuff" is kept reserved only for walk-in customers. We shall see.

Condolences on your son’s passing. I cannot imagine your pain. In his honor, I will join you in raising a glass of Blanton’s to his memory. Smoke and Prayers.

You confirmed my suspicions. I will hold out for the 12 year. thank you for sharing