What are you Drinking Fall '08

[Lost Pollito]

Save up for the 27 year old Parkers. It is ridiculously good.

[ACDetroit]

Marc, Just my thoughts, I had the Parker 27 night before last and I have a hard time saying it's better than picking up 2 more first releases! First release is $89.99 here and the 27 year old is $200. I would buy a couple 127.4's I think.

I will also agree with Joe the 27 year old is very good! Oh and it was not mine, a buddy opened his bottle while I was over!

Thanks Obiron!

Tony

[nor02lei]

I am getting close to the end of the Parker's also. I am on the fence as to purchase another. What do you say?

[nor02lei]

Today is the day when the Swedish government store relic all the Christmas beer. I did go in there and bought a bunch early afternoon and have tried one today from a former micro but nowadays more like a craft brewery. It was relatively good. Whiskey wise I have had Johnny Drum private stock and Stagg fall 2005. The later tasted awesome.

Leif

[OscarV]

Old Rip Van Winkle 10yo 107prf, neat.

[birdman1099]

I cracked open a 16 yr 147 proof Willett bottle today.

What a beast !!!!:yum: :70358-devil:

[GOCOUGS2002]

Ancient Age followed by ERSB

[Markoturbo]

Started with Van Winkle Rye then went to Vintage 23 and now Pappy 20, good spice in the first two, I still favor the wheater. Mark

[Hangin10]

At the moment, I have Knob Creek next to me on the rocks. Too many rocks as the dispenser decided to be way too generous. Whiskey flavored water...

I really need to get another bottle of Very Old Barton (90). I'm not 100% sure yet, but I think VOB is going to end up being my go-to.

[ACDetroit]

Tonight was a small event at my place. No I did not post in the social, as I thought it might be smaller than it was. 7 total and what a night,, we sampled the bar which is highly populated at 50+ bottles, but seemed to zone in with the cigar paring tonight as we went through 2/3 a bottle of the new Parker Heritage 27 yr old (Sbomarc I take it back get one if you like a good smoke) and a bottle of Ardbeg 1977. Man what a great evening. I had a Oliva "V" maduro and a Torano 90 Noventa and both were awesome with our selection tonight.

Thank you Bangleman for the insight on smokes and your company.

Cheers!

Tony

[Attila]

I haven't been able to open anything other than my WL Centennial for the past several days.

[Skunk]

Got to try the o8 WLW and Stagg side by side last night. I don't remember the details- not having one in my hand now, but the WLW was great on ice and the predominate flavor to me was 'red hots' candy (but not "hot" in the bourbon sense) with a loong finish. The Stagg didn't seem as good on the rocks, but neat it was amazing. The nose is almost as enjoyable as a drink itself, but the predominate flavor was a delicious pancake with syrup breakfast, which seemed to vanish in the ice and give way to a vague but complex flavor. Probably wood and tobacco, but I'm never great at putting my finger on it. Maybe I should print out the tasting notes word list, but I'd have to add BAND-AID to it :-)

[Gillman]

Old Taylor 86 proof all-distilled (per label) by National Distillers in Frankfort. The bottle bears a '87 on the base. Factoring Michael Jackson's statement in his Whisky Guide of that year that Old Taylor was being bottled at 10-12 years of age despite the 6 year age statement, the whiskey was distilled in '75-'77.

All the ND OT's I've had are slightly different. This one has no butterscotch-like flavor, just a deep and rounded praline-like (the darker kind) sweetness with refined barrel tones. It's an XO cognac of the bourbon world, but I guess no one thought to publicize it as such at the time.

I finished with just a little of a friend's Stagg (not sure which year, 2007 I think) which impressed with its concentration, power and burst of fine flavor. It goes down like a fine sports car gears up.

Gary

[OscarV]

I just opened up a Four Roses Single Barrel from the 3 that Binny's had bottled for them.

This one is from Barrel #2.

Earlier I had a couple of pours from a stamdard bottle of FRSB and that finished the botttle.

So I did not know what to expect from this bottle.

Hey Tony, if you are reading this you might find this interesting.

The nose is just like the barrel we picked a few weeks ago.

But with a bit more rye spice, the taste is also similar but with a bit to much kick of rye.

i.e., we did better.

But that is not to say I don't like Binny's #2.

I am very much enjoying it,... yeah, I could get used to getting kicked with rye.

[chilidawg7]

Last night, while enjoying the sights and sounds on my first trip to Vegas, I enjoyed a few pours of WT 101.

Probably more of the same tonight. That drink just seems to work well for me in this atmosphere.

[polyamnesia]

on my first pour of this newly acquired Old Forester Signature...so far so good! at this point, similar to OGD...somewhere between the BIB and the 114...i know it will be even better as it interacts with the air. yum. glad i bought it!

about 3/4 through this OForester Sig100

things change. and change.

this pour is still quite the value and i am impressed...most of the time. it's going down quick, but it's a different beast it seems with every pour! it lacks the complexity of OGD114 or WT101...but i still catch nuances that are hard to pin down.

i'd rather pay $2 more for OGD114...this OF could be bolder, but it's a fine bottling and i prefer it (yep!) over BTrace...or Bulleit for simple EXPRESSION

p..s i think my 'disappointment' comes in that after being OPENED, it didn't gain that complexity that has occured with other 'initially disappointing' bottlings. the butteriness isn't as prominent. nor is that seeming rye character i thought i detected...but, out o nowhere (again, change change change) i am catching a nuttiness that i really like.

i like challenging, chameleon bourbons! or did that banana i ate an hour ago affect the taste???

[Rughi]

Old Taylor 86 proof... the whiskey was distilled in '75-'77.

All the ND OT's I've had are slightly different.

Gary,

I think variation in latter day Taylor is almost more understandable than consistency would be.

The date you surmise would have put it into the first few years distillation from the distillery used after the Stonecastle ceased distillation in '72 (Crow or Grand Dad most likely, but I've never seen this documented).

Given that there was a glut of Taylor juice, there may not have been many batches per year using the Crow/GD equipment. There may perhaps have even been whole seasons it wasn't distilled.

It may be that after '72 Taylor never did hit it's production stride again in terms of the same crew using the same equipment for long, uninterrupted periods each Spring and Fall. My guess is that it was a niche distillation at Crow/GD the same way that Rittenhouse is a niche at Shively (which we're told is distilled either one or two days a year). "Small" things like how the yeast behaved in the microclimate of a different facility, or if the house yeast of the new distillery infiltrated the Taylor, might never be ironed out if there was only a few days of distillation per year.

It's no surprise that each bottling from this era has the chance to be quite different.

Roger

PS - On the same line as why Taylors are different in this era (not necessarily bad, but different), I find that Crow makes a huge nosedive in quality in bottlings of the early '80s through ND Armageddon.

I wonder (with no backing proof...) if Crow distillation was moved to another distillery (to Grand Dad, perhaps) just prior to the end.

[SBOmarc]

Wild Turkey Rare Breed, follwed by Stagg '06 cut to 108 proof.

Or there about, after all I did use the SB.com calculator to add the water.

[birdman1099]

i revisited the Party Source Willett 16 yr.147 proofer tonight.

It comes across a bit thinner and a bit less chocolate/caramel than the stagg, but has a hotter heat. a red hots type of heat.

A splas of water really brought out the flavors. sweeter, more corn and some more vanilla.

If Bookers and Stagg had a baby, the willett 16/147 would be it !!!:grin:

[spun_cookie]

If Bookers and Stagg had a baby, the willett 16/147 would be it !!!:grin:

Queer Bourbon for the Straight Kentuckian?

[GOCOUGS2002]

Four Roses 120th Anniversary to start things off and then I think I will open Pappy 15.

[fishnbowljoe]

Thought I would bring one out of the bunker tonight. Weller 12. I forgot how good this was! This bottle probably won't see the end of next week.:grin: Joe

[ionz149]

I've been on wheat trip lately. Been sipping some Weller 12 and VSOF. Both are quite nice.

[onmytrack]

Must a night for Weller 12. Good stuff, I've got half a bottle left.

Jim

[cformes]

Twas a serendipitous night for me: led my friends through Yamazaki, then Black Maple Hill, Stagg08, PVW15, and finally I sit here nursing some Michter's 10yo bourbon.

I love the many tastes ritual, but I think that I gain a greater appreciation for these bottles when I sit and savor one at a time...