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Just bought and opened a Smooth Ambler Old Scout 99 proof. NAS. Supposedly MGP juice. Second bottle that I have considered pouring out (first was called Beams). Awful. Tastes like a weak scotch!! $40 bucks wasted. Could of bought a 1L KC9. Might consider putting it in a quality bourbon bottle and let my many BIL's drink it with glee!!

Ready for derby weekend!

I hafta agree with about everything said above. OF 100-proof Rye is a fine pour! ...AT a very 'approachable' price, too. Good stuff. Good Price. I have one open and love it in the couple cocktails I've tried with it or over a cube, or as a slow, thoughtful, neat sipper.

Well done sir.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the other day I saw Willett Pot Still multiple bottles on the shelf 750ml and 1.75L (the big bong bottle ). The family sise was over $100, I think $110 or so. I don't really care. It's just the novelty of seeing unusual stuff. I must have beat the taters to the store that day. They can have it all. Meanwhile keep their paws off my JW Dant and OF Rye.

I'm a big fan of the Old Forester Rye. The way I'd describe it - the Old Forester house style cranked up to eleven. (Some will get the reference.) There's really a lot going on here. I get flavors of dark rye bread, molasses cookie, apricot, citrus - sort of reminds me of the first couple years of Signature Bourbon. The nose lets you know this is a big whiskey. It's an outlier, unique, not derivative of other ryes. I give B-F credit for bottling this at 100 proof, and not marketing it as boutique luxury product.

Called in a couple birds. They were fighting for my attention so I took a shot at both of them. For the nose, i give the 70th the win by a beak. The palate, The 70th wins with a better beard and wattle. The finish, you prolly guessed it, The 70th wins by the snood and tail coverts. Obviously the winner is the 70th and I give it 18 tail feathers. Seeing how the 70th is basically gone, I will grab a btl or 2 of the 8yr when i find it. Would like to do a sbs with WTKS and the 70th, maybe next time I'm at the bar. Then I would like to do a sbs with The Original Kicking Chicken (WT 101) and the 8yr. Note to self, I prolly should do that before I buy the 8yr.

My lone Woodinville SBBS is nearly empty maybe 1.5 pours left. This has been a bit of a chameleon bottle but in a good way in that its many personalities have all been quite enjoyable. Near its end the ryeness is really stepping forward as a well defined flavor that reminds me a bit of the Starlight rye in its purity of rye flavor. It’s been a good one and I’m ready to crack and enjoy something new in the coming weeks.

WTRB tonight stilling on the deck listening to the sounds of Spring!

Sitting at a whiskey bar enjoying the view. Also sippin on SFTB 131.4pf. Getting some nice sweet caramel, maybe some red fruit, definitely getting chewing tobacco, some nice oak.... I did add a small chip of ice to mellow out the ethanol after a few sips neat. I like it.

Gonna go with me being an idiot, BUT, at least I checked before posting.

It's good and cheap. What's not to love?

So, was your memory faulty, or did Bruce misspeak?

I thought I remembered Bruce saying it was going away completely so I just checked with David Jennings and he also that said only private picks are going away.

We've crested over the peak and are headed downward. How fast it goes or how steep the downward curve is, nobody knows. Though we are headed down the demand is still very high in comparison to where it was at the beginning. It is still tough in some markets but hopefully soon people there will be able to find your score. Congrats on those.

If the JEP is cask strength, then 2 outa 3 ain't bad...

Frontier Whiskey BiB has earned it's way into the rotation, with a Bulleit!!! Drinking same...

James E Pepper, Bombergers 2025, Russell Reserve......YUM.............

It’s Kentucky Derby time! Woodford Reserve is the “official” bourbon of the Derby, but its fellow Brown-Forman brand Old Forester is a secondary sponsor of the race. To shake things up for this month’s BotM, I’d like to discuss a rye – Old Forester rye! The Basics Distillery: Old Forester Brand Owner: Brown-Forman Mash Bill: 65% rye, 20% malted barley, 15% corn Proof: 100 Age: NAS (at least four years old) MSRP: $28 Expression introduced: 2019 Last time as BotM: First time Distillery Tasting Notes Aroma/Nose: Rich brown sugar and magnolia blossom, with hints of soft sassafras and candied lemon. Taste/Palate: Spice awakens immediately leading with sharp black pepper and cinnamon stick, rounding out with notes of dried dill and baked apple. Finish: Allspice and peppercorn introduce a loyal and dry finish which ignites with pine, anise, and bright lemon zest. My Thoughts Old Forester is one of American whiskey’s most historic brands, with it being the only bourbon continuously sold before, during, and after Prohibition. For all of that time, Old Forester was made from a single bourbon mash bill, so it was fairly significant when Brown-Forman decided to try a new mash bill and bring the brand into the rye whiskey space. “Crafted” by Chris Miller and Jackie Zykan and first released in 2019, the Old Forester rye mash bill was “inspired” by the recipe for Normandy rye, a brand that Owsley Brown acquired in 1940. It has been a while since I last tasted this one, but my impressions were that this is a versatile and good value rye whiskey. The flavor, for me, was somewhere between a typical Kentucky “barely legal” style rye and an MGP 95/5 rye. The higher rye content gives me mint and dill notes, but not nearly as strongly as in some MGP ryes. I also get some of those nice citrus notes, along with some rye spice. The smaller proportion of corn does lend some sweetness, creating a really nicely balanced whiskey. The proof and price points make it perfect for cocktails, but this is definitely a rye I could drink neat and be perfectly happy. Old Forester rye is also released in a single barrel, barrel proof expression, looking similar to its barrel proof bourbon pick equivalent, albeit with a green label instead of blue. Old Forester recently released a bottled in bond rye in its Old Forester 117 Series, with the whiskey clocking in at 9 years old. On the horizon are President’s Choice rye single barrels, which at least initially will be in a similar age range to that 117 Series release. I have tasted barrel proof Old Forester rye with some good age on it and it is incredible. I’m looking forward to Brown-Forman really showing what it can do with its Old Forester rye, as the whiskey is great, but the price points and availability may be issues as they still are for a lot of special releases. Every time we pick at Old Forester, my group loves to harangue our friends at Brown-Forman about getting to do a rye barrel pick, but so far, no luck. I’m very hopeful that one day we will succeed, as Old Forester makes some great rye! So, Straight Bourbon, what do you have to say about Old Forester rye?

Long live the flock!

WTKS for the evening nightcap. Long live the flock!

No worries about any stones lol. I'm with you - KC12 is one of my absolute favorites.

I’m having a couple of pours of ER this evening. One for a friend.

Sorry - my bad!