All Activity

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

It's not as rare as is once was here in South Texas. Fairly easy to find and not at a king's ransom price either which is great too as this is an exceptional bourbon to me.

yes, I agree it is confusing. Thank you for posting this. I had not made the connection. I just thought they were all the same.

I think I saw it at Hi Proof for +/- $35. Of course you have to pay shipping and insurance

Since I started being active here on SB, I have been keeping an eye out for it. There is a store that had a couple btls a month or so ago. I was in said store earlier this wk and noticed they had 4+btls. Did they have them in hiding or did they get a delivery? I did not ask so I do not know. I am tempted to pick one up but I prefer the OF 100 for almost 10$ less. Does this qualify me as a cheap bastard?

You are welcome. I understand your position. That theory has crossed my mind several times. Personally I could not and will not feed the beast of greed to anyone for anything. My stance is there are so many other good bourbons out there that I enjoy that I don't have to hunt and spend a day running to every LQ store in FOMO and those other bourbons I enjoy, come at a lower price. I am no spring chicken nor am I long in the tooth, yet. I am approaching my fixed income yrs as well. I have a bunker of bourbon that is part of my retirement plan. I won't be buying much when I retire. Exceptions will be made. My thoughts on "time is on your side", I should have been more clear of what I meant. What I mean by that is the bourbon boom is busting. I believe the hard to get bourbons will become more readily available and at or near MSRP. Not today or next month but the near future. ( I do not include the WLW, GTS, PVW, OFBB and so on, those will be difficult to get no matter what) I am seeing prices drop on some regularly available and desirable btls. OF 1920, I am seeing the price on these drop from 65ish down to 52ish. HMcK 10yr, 70+ now down to 55ish (i hope they return to the 25$/btl). It will take time and I hope it doesn't take yrs for the rest to adjust. You can be the only one to decide what a fair price is for any btl. Just as I do. And everyone else here on SB does. Nobody right, nobody wrong. ( Michael Franti) When I get off work, I'll tip a glass to you and everyone else. CHEERS!

And maybe throw in some exotic single malts too. Ha-ha

To inspect the roof, they better get a ladder and get up on the roof. None of this look with binoculars, seems ok - another story. Hey, I'm celebrating with JW Dant, Pacers 111 win over OKC 110. Had to be seen to be believed. Pacers were behind the whole game until the last .3 of a second and won by 1 point. It was at OKC with a really loud crowd too. Now the Thunder and their fans have several days to think about it.

Finally! I’m a big fan of the blue label bottle, but everyone keeps trying to tell me Im wrong and that the rye and wheat are the best. Luckily we know the truth.

I saw one recently in a TW store, but it was one lone bottle in mixed in with other stuff where it didn't appear to belong. Dang, I snould've probably grabbed it.

I sure do miss Binny's.

Thank you for responding. I respect your position. I subscribed to that theory early on until someone challenged my thinking. I was asked simply to reflect on how much time I spend on bourbon hunts. How often they don't yield any outcome. That led to what is an hour of my time worth? That's when I started to set a limit for what was acceptable for me to spend on a given bottle. To that end, I've not seen Elmer T Lee at MSRP in the years I've been hunting for it. I noted a video from a you tube influencer that goes back 6 years and it does not seem to have changed much from then to now. That said, Elmer T Lee is pretty easy to find locally, just not at MSRP. My last point, while time may be on your side, I would submit it's not so much for me. I'm not getting any younger, and my disposable income will at some point reach a fixed level, so that also contributes to my acceptance to pay over MSRP. One of the many blessings we have here is an ample amount of bourbon and the choice to buy or not to buy.

So I could not wait until the weekend to try it (guilty as charged). I tapped into it last night while watching the basketball playoffs. It did not drink like I would expect a 142.7 proof whiskey would. It didn't even hit as hard as I thought it would either. Now to be fair, I only had a half pour, so an ounce or so. It had a much different taste than anything I've ever had. I don't know how to describe it, it almost had a metallic taste to it. I'm going to give it another shot this weekend for my second impression. All that to say, I don't think it's horrible but I ponder is it worth $180? I have the smokeye hill barrel proof which comes in at 134 proof. Not an American light whiskey so we are compares apples and oranges, but it's my highest proof offering next to the Jacob's Pardon. I think I need to try another American Light Whiskey to be sure how it compares. It's possible, I am just not used to the flavor profile. Does this make sense?

I revisited the Jacob's Pardon Batch 3 last night. Delicious. I am interested to see what @rzelinka thinks!

This was gifted to me and we opened it at a party. I’m not a fan of rum but people seemed to enjoy it

The WT + FR combo and nothing else would suit me just fine (sorry BT)

I was impressed by them. They re all 3 unique and don't taste like any of the other bourbons, ryes, or wheated bourbons produced by Heaven Hill, which shouldn't have surprised me since they use different mash bills and grains. If I had to rank my favorite, it would be the traditional bourbon, followed by the Rye. The Wheated bourbon was good, but not as good as the traditional bourbon or rye. Just my opinion.

IMO I would pay MSRP and MAYBE 10-20% and no more. I refuse to pay secondary prices at LQ stores, or anywhere else for that matter. IF you are in no hurry, time is on your side and you should be able to find it at some point at or close to MSRP.

Thank you for responding. Yes, certainly has been debated and deliberated recently. I think most agree it's worth MSRP. The reality is one is unlikely to find either at MSRP. That begs the question what would people be willing to spend for Elmer T Lee? $100, $150? $200? I've seen it for between $150-$200 on the secondary market. $200 is a hard pass for me. $100 a buy. $150 would be only if I had money to burn. As for Rock Hill Farms, I often see this on the secondary market for $300. I think that would be a hard pass for me too. I'm usually good to pay double if I think it's a good bourbon which is hard to find, but when the asking price is 3-4 times MSRP, I have to draw the line.

awesome to hear. Congratulations. I'll toast you with Russell's 13 tonight

Agree with you on how the frozen Lou's are passable, even more so with a few bourbons. That was fantastic. I was last in Schaumburg 3 years ago. It was post remodel. I agree they did try to brighten it up. More often than not when I lived there, I did take out. My wife loves Johnnie's. She's used to the original one in Forrest Park, just down the street from Russell's ribs. I'm not a fan. I found the beef to be dry, and without flavor. I think it changed when they sold the business. That said, those who don't prefer Portillos mostly tell me the juice is too greasy. If I can't have Portillos Beef, then I try to find a place that sells Al's beef. I do remember the Black Ram. Sad it didn't make it. I loved it there too. If I am on death row, my final meal is a ribeye my wife prepares for me, sweet potato fries, my wife's legendary bourbon glazed bacon and brussel sprouts, a tomato, mozzarella salad, and portillos chocolate cake (it will change your life if you've not had it). Of course, I'd be sipping a Russell's Reserve 15, and follow that up with a Jack Daniels 14.

I feel like these single barrels have been well debated recently. You won’t get a consensus on their worth. They’re well respected bottles but it also depends on the bottle you buy.

Happy anniversary!

Had a sampler of Old Charter Oak French at the airport yesterday. Of all the lower proof BT products, that one is increasingly my favorite. I like the age & oak.

I’ve had the frozen Lou’s shipped to me. While definitely not as good as at the restaurant (but, how could they be), it’s close enough that with my eyes closed and a couple of bourbons, I can get there. . Got a little disappointed when they remodeled the inside several years ago. They attempted to brighten it up, but that didn’t work for me. Worst of all, they changed around the bar, which is where we always ate. They took down the wood relief of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Miller Huggins, and shortened the bar so much that the bartender was always right in front of you, now. That’s when we started mixing in the Schaumburg location. I guess you probably hit up Johnnie’s Beef in Arlington Heights, too? Good Italian beef there. That was a good stop before a round of golf. Tide you over well through 18. I often tell people that if I’m on death row, my last meal request will be a replication of the now closed Black Ram restaurant in Des Plaines’ Brie and Spanikopita appetizers, Kansas City steak, cottage fries, and beefsteak tomato with Gorgonzola cheese. My Number 1 favorite regularly ordered meal from any restaurant, anywhere.