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It was grill your own steak night at the Legion last night.

IMO, these Dickel 15yr SiB releases are the best value there is in ultra aged bourbon today. I currently have open a 101.2 proof bottle that is one of the best bourbons I've ever had; just lights out delicious. I don't know the barrel or bottle date as I lost the hang tag (or it didn't come with one), but I'd bet it's more than 15 years old. I've been getting these for $55 at K&L. I'm curious what they sell for at the gift shop...

JD Rye BiB for me tonight. I’ve been going back to this bottle since opening recently. When I finish this one, I will pick up another for sure. Happy FRyeday

Mighty good pour there. Enjoy! Happy FRyeday to you. Cheers

A very warm day in California that broke some records. As I was about to start dinner the power went out. Cue the rolling blackout jokes! To make dinner less complicated I loaded the team up and went down to a sliver of a sushi joint on Ventura Blvd. Hit the spot and power is back on!

Mmmm....

Update: I had the opportunity to try a store pick Starlight Honey Finished Bourbon from WorldWide Wine in Connecticut. I bought it. I found it to be more balanced than the one my friend got from Beverage King. Not a ton more, but enough. I'll have to try it on a clean palette as I had some other things as well and had this last. However, I am confident I will still really enjoy it. It still is sweet and with great floral and dense honey notes. However, it is not a pure honey shot. It is slightly less sweet and you can taste the bourbon more. I do love those deep and floral honey flavors. I give it an 8.5/10.

I haven't had enough Old Elk to say how good their bourbon or rye is that isn't cask finished. Most of the Old Elk bottles I have tried have been store picks and/or finished casks (sherry, port, cigar blends, etc.). They were decent and reasonably priced for what they were. I am not sure how representative those were of the non-finished and store pick bottles they offer. Although I like their finished whiskeys, they tend to be pretty heavy on the cask influence. Hopefully someone else chimes in and gives their 2 cents on the quality of the straight bourbon or rye.

Did someone say it's fRyeday? Cheers to all!

Stopped in the gift shop again and grabbed a 2004 and 2006 barrel date 15yr. 2006 96.2 proof and 2004 84.4 proof

It's always a sad occasion when one of these are gone.......

They're trouble!

Let the weekend begin. JD Bonded in the glass, and Rocky Vintage 1990 Toro as accompanying smoke.

Not sure there is so much a "fundamental" difference today. Over the years, some have had 'alternative' mashbills. Some have been aged longer, some have been chosen for some different profile(s), or have been batched from barrels sought in rickhouses/area of rickhouses different than others. At least currently, the "#2" mashbill (higher rye) is used for Blanton's (AFAIK) and that one is a single barrel offering. ...And, of course proofs have varied from brand to brand and with editions/years of release. ...Not to mention rarity/price. One could write an entire book about the offerings from this distiller if one wished to delve into the histories, including the wheaters of the Weller Family and the Van Winkle line.

To that end, and forgive me if that has been discussed elsewhere, but what is the fundamental difference between the various bourbons from Buffalo Trace? EH Taylor, George T Stagg, Stagg Jr, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, etc.

I don't mind paying up to $200 a bottle if it's a worthy bottle. That said, the thing that holds me back on Old Elk is my perception that while some of the varieties are good, at their prices, I can get equally good or better bourbons at a lesser price.

Most of the peerless offerings are unicorns in my parts. Wish that was not the case as I hear great things about them

I really enjoyed this bottle. Think they did a great job keeping this balanced.

I bought one recently for $52.99, or thereabouts and,after tasting it, I understand why it costs a little more. I like it a lot better than the CS.

Purchased today and drinking tonight. Got it on sale for 10$ off, so why not. Iam not sure I would pay more than the sale price of it. But I do enjoy it.

This evening is a favorite value pour: OGD 114. This might be the definitive value pour availabe right now.

With all of the praise for the Still Austin products, I bought a cask strength bourbon today from Total Wine. Not a big fan of TW, but they have the best selection of Still Austin in Indianapolis. Cheers

Before we bought our current home, we were looking at another property, making an offer. When it came time for disclosure, it turns out there was a an old underground fuel oil tank on the property. (There are potentially serious environmental issues with these, and the property owner is liable.) The seller claimed "it's ok". (They had tried to keep it a secret as long as possible.) I said, can you provide me with any paperwork that indicates that? No answer, but assured me it's ok. I came back with a real low ball offer, and said offer could go up with proof it's really ok. Real estate agent came back from seller and looked like she saw a ghost, suggested we move on to other properties.