Old Crow vs eBay - Checkmate

[spun_cookie]

Well, I was breaking rule number three of my drinking rules:

Do not Drink and:

1) Drive

2) Pick up Girls at Bars

3) Search eBay

and ended up with this set.

I always wanted one once I saw the cool one in the "Gazebo thread" here on SB.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2796&highlight=chess

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3187&highlight=chess

So my wants (with a few WTs under my belt - and 1:30 AM PT) ignored my desire to save $$$ and I picked them up. I offered half of what he was asking for them. And the best part is that they are all full... crazy good bourbon as well 10yr/86proof from 1968...

Anyonme ever play a game with these... I am itching to do so...

I picked the 55"x55" table today for a steal and I am going to build it into a chess table with a place to store the set... should be a blast

[bluesbassdad]

As long as you didn't spend the grocery money for them, I'm happy for you, even though you regard the purchase as frivolous.

I haven't been in the bourbon arena long enough to know when Old Crow started going downhill. I gather you have the good stuff, which would be a treat to try.

It's been at least 20 years since I played chess. Even then I played mostly by the seat of my pants. I could recognize the two or three moves of the standard openings, but I never memorized the documented variations like a good player must.

I met a player from the New Jersey state champion high school team when I went away to college. He beat me so badly I thought he must be cheating somehow. When I asked him how he could beat me every time, often in less than 20 moves, his reply was as unnerving as my uninterrupted string of quick losses. He said, "You usually think only two moves ahead. For me it's at least four moves, often more."

As I take another look at those pieces, I am amused at the Image of each player emptying each piece he captures. It wouldn't take much of that to make those extra-large pawns look like bishops, which would lead to great fun. :grin:

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[spun_cookie]

Thanks Dave. All though may be a bit frivolous, I am very glad I have them. And the bourbon is great...

I am thinking about a 1-2 ounce pour and consumption per piece taken...

[spun_cookie]

Played the wife tonight (The Bourbon Widow) with the set tonight... a ton of fun. The Bishops are quite distict from the front and back so you do not mix the pawns with them..

[barturtle]

Played the wife tonight (The Bourbon Widow) with the set tonight... a ton of fun. The Bishops are quite distict from the front and back so you do not mix the pawns with them..

I note you didn't mention winning, so I'm guessing you didn't:lol:

[OscarV]

Emerald, they really look good.

A very very nice score.

[spun_cookie]

I note you didn't mention winning, so I'm guessing you didn't:lol:

Why would a man ever talk publiaclly about beating his wife :crazy:

Did I mention how good the bourbon is :yum: ?

[barturtle]

Why would a man ever talk publiaclly about beeting his wife :crazy:

Beets, huh? That's a "fun with food" variation I've not heard of before.

Did I mention how good the bourbon is :yum: ?

Yes, you did, but I think this might be an attempt at straying away from the issue at hand. I'm glad you like it, I hope it offers some solace.:grin:

[spun_cookie]

I have been playing chess since I was about 7. Last person to beat me was my old man a couple of years ago...

I truth I am very rusty... I missed some very easy kills last night... when they first came up. I am looking forward to playing some more. All of my kids play as well (Daughter[14], Son [7], Daughter [5]). This set is a great excuse to play. And it is so large that it iis easier to leave it set up that to take it tdown.

The Widow really is not much of a chess fan. She likes the defense, but hates haffing to play offense and planing out complicated kills.

I did want to play the first game with this set with her though. I can tell you it had never been played with before and I thought it would be fun.

Do you play chess Timothy?

[barturtle]

Do you play chess Timothy?

A bit...one of the restaurants I used to work at closed in the afternoon and the people working doubles would "break out the boards" and run a quick tournament...I think my board is still under the seat of my truck, where it has lived since I started playing there. My playing style is, at its best, erratic. When I was playing often, a willingness to risk losing to much better players would result in wild and risky play that occasionally resulted in shocking wins, but more often allowed quick and decisive defeat.

[tango-papa]

Congratulations on a really cool score/purchase!

Always neat to find something you like/want.

The set looks fantastic and what a bonus they're all full.

Please post pics of your table when it's completed.

Unless you have mini-versions of the Glencairn glass, those pieces are really large, eh?

~tp

[spun_cookie]

The Kig in ~18" and the pawns are ~12"

The square they sit on are 6" by 6"

It is huge and a ton of fun...

[ggilbertva]

Thanks Dave. All though may be a bit frivolous, I am very glad I have them. And the bourbon is great...

I am thinking about a 1-2 ounce pour and consumption per piece taken...

Emerald, please save the Queen for me when you visit next month.

[StraightBoston]

Nice get, Emerald. I have one of the pieces in the basement awaiting its turn in the cabinet (as well as a couple similar era minis for flavor profile comparison.)

A 1944 Old Crow sampled at Koji's bar in Japan was my first hint of the flavors of the ND still. Can't wait to find out how they'll present in the chess piece.

[spun_cookie]

I decided to try and put this wonderful bourbon to words. This is just a graet bourbon that I never knew was wout there until this woderful ebay moment

Old Crow 10yr / 86 proff, Glencairn, 2.5 oz. Room temperature with good breathing time.

The following caprture what I was able to pull from this tonight:

Nose:

Lumber Yard

• Must

• Pine – Douglas Fir fresh cut long board with a little blade burn

• Smoke

Spice Rack

• Black Pepper

• Cinnamon

• Leather

• White Pepper

Fruit Stand

• Apple (Fuji Apples)

• Berries (raspberry)

• Cherry Citrus (cherry candy – Starbursts)

Candy Store

• Caramel

• Milk Chocolate (Dove)

• Vanilla

• Sweat Tarts (citrus and sugar)

Floral Shop

• Lilacs

Offensive Odors

• Mustiness

Taste:

Fruit Stand

• Cherry

Candy Store

• Butter

• Milk Chocolate (smooth Dove with all that cream)

• Maple syrup

• Toffee

• Vanilla

Finish:

Lumber Yard

• Very Light Oak

Fruit Stand

• Bing Cherry

Candy Store

• Butter

• Chocolate

• Maple syrup

• Toffee

• Vanilla

This a great bourbon. Very complex nose that gives you a world of scents when you stick your noz on in there and give it a whiff.

Just appealing in everyway screaming for you to take a sip.

Then you do… the rush of full rich butter and vanilla are great. If I only had the taste to go off of I would say 50/60s Old Fitz without the corn…

The finish is a mirror of the taste with just a subtle touch of oak that is in perfect harmony with the other flavors…

The funny thing is, there is more depth in this than the Old Fitz BIBs that I had a couple days ago.

Hard to believe it, but this moves into my top spot for bourbon. I have 29 bottles left and I am already afraid of running out…

[spun_cookie]

There is also a light amount of coffee that just sings well with this about 30 seconds into the finish... with cream A classic cup of mud

[Stu]

Congrats on a great find. I'm old enough to remember when Old Crow was a great bourbon, but unfortunately I wasn't into bourbon then.

[OscarV]

When Beam got the label they say that they deliberatly did not follow the Crow recipe because they wanted to hurt Old Crow sales so that the Jim Beam brand would increase in sales.

But thankfully Beam did not do that to Old Grand-Dad.

[MikeK]

I've had 1970's and 1980's Crow (pre-Beam) that was quite thin and boring. I have a bottle I'll bring to the Spring gazebo.

I've also picked up a couple of these chess pieces when I find them, and when the seal has held, the whiskey is quite good. Very heavy chocolate and caramel on the palate. Great stuff. Nice buy, enjoy it!

[spun_cookie]

When Beam got the label they say that they deliberately did not follow the Crow recipe because they wanted to hurt Old Crow sales so that the Jim Beam brand would increase in sales.

But thankfully Beam did not do that to Old Grand-Dad.

If this actually the case I hope they fired the business manager that approved that idea.

If you eliminate a product on the market, killing a market segment that was loyal to a product (in this case Old Crow) you have no guarantee that 100% of them will buy your other product(s), thereby increases you competitors market share at you Businesses expense (product and revenue).

I understand the concept of reducing total products, consolidating total products to reduce costs, but no at the expense of isolating and alienating a market.

They would have been better of reducing total output of all of there products, keep producing Old Crow and change the label to: "Old Crow, Produced by Jim Beam" and then let the market believe they were responsible for all Old Crow products....

It is always bad business to alienate a market segment, because you will get negative impact to the other products produced under that same ownership... :soapbox

[spun_cookie]

I opened up a couple of the "light peices" tonight to combine them and they were far more dark than the Dark Peices (bourbon that is). It is also got more kick.

If think the light peices are a few years older and higher than 86 proof...

I know they can put older juice in without changing labels, can they also put higher proof?

[spun_cookie]

Never mind... those both were bad... undrinkable.. I thought I was going to lose my lunch when I drank some

Opened another pawn up... and it is very good and is much lighter in color...

[cowdery]

It's probably the same juice in all of them, although they were issued over a period of time, I believe, and not all at once.

What you have is some that are damaged and some that are not.

When we (a group here on SB) bought the set from which I got two pieces, we had them all together on the gazebo before we split up the set, and intended to play a game. (I haven't played in years, but I assumed it would come back to me.) We were having too much fun drinking and talking, and never got around to playing.

[OscarV]

That is interesting that some chess peices are different than the others.

I would have assumed that they were filled with the same bourbon.

[scratchline]

You might want to empty those decanters into glass.

http://www.alotofsteins.com/subdir/empty.html