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I think whether a whiskey is "worth it" at a particular price point is almost an unanswerable question. I do really like Flahute's answer above. I agree with him. But I'm happy to just talk about how ETL tastes and the value. On taste alone, for me it tops out as equivalent to a $50 bourbon. It's a 90 proof version of Blanton's with less barrel influence but with a more consistent profile for a single barrel. I used to buy it when it was $35 to $45 but now at $49.99 I believe I have purchased by last ETL. I'm not buying it anymore at the price. Of course it helps that I have 3 or 4 in the bunker. (see above point about "scratching that itch" lol) To my taste buds RHF tastes exactly like ETL but at 100 proof. RHF is my favorite of the BT mashbill #2 expressions. But I'm not the biggest fan of BT in general. Very nice sweet caramel notes but not enough spice for me to be a favorite. You mention secondary prices a fair amount. I personally know next to nothing about the secondary values, not my thing. I would stay away from the secondary market ... I feel it can skew a person's perspective on prices. To each his own but personally I'm not interested in keeping those flippers in business.

Close enough for us!

Sorry to hear about the rain. Good call on the Old Fitzgerald. Have you compared the Old Fitzgerald 10 to 17? If so, what are your thoughts?

The only reason I recently bought an ETL was because I haven’t seen one in years. I liked it better at the $39.99 I paid a few years go as opposed to the $65.99 I recently paid. I probably won’t buy another.

Happy Fryeday! This kinda/sorta counts, right?

I'm sharing some online ordering experiences for those who have considered ordering online. I hope this is useful to others. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Flaviar - My wife gifted me a bourbon of the month for Christmas. It is referred to as the Champions of Bourbons and are advertised as being bourbons, or whiskeys which aren't as common. A part of that subscription includes a Black Card membership which gets you a deeper discount and accessibility to harder to find bourbons. I've placed 2 orders with them. The first one was lost. The second was cancelled after 3 weeks as the bottle was no longer able to be shipped. Each time, my money was tied up for weeks. Of the bottles that came as part of the bourbon of the month so far, all are what I would consider fairly common in any liquor store in my area (Wilderness Trail, Barrell Bourbon Foundation, Wild Turkey, Rare Breed, Milam & Green), and available for +/-$50. One of the bottles arrived empty, and it appeared the cork seal failed. Seeking a human to help with a claim has been less than convenient. All correspondence is over email or their chat bot (which is limited). Each time there has been an issue, they reply with the same script, "shipping alcohol can be challenging". While I understand that point, others are doing it with greater precision. It also seems that they are just a broker for others who sell alcohol as there are times where they send me an email about a bottle only for me to learn they are unable to ship to my state. All this to say, I would avoid them at all costs. Liquor Bros - I've found some really good deals with them, always have a coupon or discount code of some kind. Every order has been fulfilled within a week and arrived in perfect condition. Their shipping charges aren't terrible and they don't charge tax so more often than not, I pay the same or less than if I were to buy it locally. It's been great to find bottles that aren't available locally at MSRP and sometimes below. Not that I recommend it, but for those who are looking for buy now, pay later options, they offer many options for you. I really like using them. Maybe my favorite of them all. Wooden Cork - In much the same way, as Liquor Bros, I've had great experiences here with them too. No tax, always a discount of some kind, shipping charges are a bit higher than others, as are their prices when compared to others. That said, they aren't terrible, especially if you have a discount code in the mix. Orders get fulfilled quickly and have consistently arrived in perfect condition. I will continue to use them when the deal is right. Sip Whiskey - The experience here is good, not great. No tax, always a discount of some kind, shipping charges aren't terrible, and their prices on most aren't terrible either. In some instances, they run specials which are cheaper than what I can find locally. For instance, they had a bottle which had an MSRP of $150 and goes for that much at Total Wine, it was offered for $130, with a 10% off coupon reducing the price by another $13. Good deal. Orders get fulfilled in 10 days or so, a little longer than the others. My first order arrived in perfect condition, and I am awaiting my second order to arrive next week which was ordered 12 days ago. I would recommend others before them, but would buy from them if the deal was right. Whiskey Caviar - Some of their deals were incredible. For instance, all four Michters for $119 was hard to beat. Locally, it would run me $150 plus tax. No tax here, and always a discount code, but not as high as others. For instance, they only offered a 5% discount, when others had 10% (or higher). I did get free shipping though with a purchase of over $450. The other places offer free shipping too over a lower threshold. I placed my first order with them on June 1, and it was on the way by June 3, expected to arrive on June 11. So far so good. Hopefully it arrives in perfect condition. Frootbat - They have good prices on a few things. If you're looking for allocated, chances are they have it, so long as you're willing to pay their price. On that note, their price is often the cheapest on allocated, but they do charge tax so the savings is a wash. They always offer a coupon or discount of some kind too. I find their shipping to be the cheapest of all the sites. I've ordered many things from them. They fulfill orders within a week, and they always arrive in perfect condition. I would recommend. Hi Proof - I've ordered from them twice. I ordered a Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof. It was listed at slightly below MSRP. I also ordered an Old Forester 1924 which was slightly above MSRP as you can't find them in my part of Texas. Orders came in within a week. They also charge tax, but their shipping is reasonably low. Not as low as Frootbat, but the second lowest of any of the others. I've not had a discount code work because the bottles I purchased were at the maximum discount. I would buy from them again as even with shipping and tax, the prices are equivalent to many things I would buy locally. It's been great especially for bottles I can't find locally and I'm not paying a premium. I hope this is useful for those who are considering whether to buy online or not.

Wright's is the best bacon

Congrats and happy anniversary! Very cool that you were able to go back to the same carousel and horse!

I agree. You need to get rid of some of those excess LE bottles you acquired in exchange for all those donut favors. I am here for you

It's fRyeday! Woot woot! Having a glass then off to dinner and watch the NCAA WCWS. Let's go TT! Hope you all have a great wkend. PS Don't forget about the Belmont Stakes.

I’ll be interested in hearing your bourbon moving strategy. Movers I’ve used in past wouldn’t touch my collection.

Pouring rain here with storms all weekend. Grabbing a pour of Old Fitz 17 tonight. We are going to start going through the “clutter” and getting rid of a lot of accumulated stuff in preparation of the move. If it all falls apart, the stuff still needs to go. Less is more. Cheers!

The inspector is going over it on 6/16. He is amazingly thorough. We passed on another property after reading his inspection report of 96 pages.

This Copper Fox stuff is not very good. I wasn't crazy about the initial pours a year ago, and hoped it would be better now. It's not. It's a young, sweet mess and unbalanced...the bottle would be a drain pour, except I'll give it to our son and his friends will drink it. I can't finish it. I'm drinking the Widow Jane, just to get the taste out of my mouth.

Happy Fryeday!

My reward for completing a little bit of yardwork on a Friday afternoon in the mid 90's ...

I like Elmer T Lee.......at retail. While it is a good bourbon, I would not pay anywhere close to $100 or more for it. Same for Rock Hill Farms. I once traded 2 Weller 12s for a Rock Hill Farms back during COVID, because I let FOMO get the best of me and I regretted it as soon as I tasted it. It too is a good bourbon, but not as good as the Weller 12 I traded for it. Just my opinion.

Negative. Cool bottle. Not exactly certain why but I’ve limited my scope in bourbon and for whatever reason I’m not expanding my strike zone for it.

Light your money on fire! Love it. You seem resourceful. I bet you find Elmer soon in your spending parameters.

I always let them breathe for no less than 15-20 minutes. After all these years, I still don't pick up on the things others do. I did pick up on oak, that is sure, but not the other things. I'll give it a shot again over the weekend. Thank you

There were six bottles when I arrived. Now there are five. As Jed Clampett might say, "Tonight, we commence to a-tastin." Oh, and $35 was the damage.

Let it breathe for a little in the bottle and the glass. I let it open up for 15-20 minutes in the glass. I get sweet, apple, cinnamon, oak. The flavor profile is unique. Strong and rich but light at the same time. Hard to explain. I would try it again.

If you have never had a bottle it's understandable that you'd want to scratch the itch despite the premium price. Most of us who remember Elmer being on the shelf at MSRP will skip it and any of the other BT bottles at inflated prices. We have so much bourbon we can enjoy at regular prices. We've all gone through the cycle of overpaying for bourbons that have been out of reach before settling in to being satisfied by what we can get without any hunting. There was a time when the hunt excited me. Those days are long gone.

As someone who has been into bourbon for a long time these don't interest me at the price. Apart from the rye they are too young to be at that price point in my opinion given all the other options in the HH portfolio. Were I to taste it I might change my mind of course but the price point is a barrier against that.

I have the small batch and a single barrel store pick from Total Wine. I think they're okay. I would love to try a higher proof offering from them