Jefferson's Reserve Presidential Select 17yr

[fishnbowljoe]

Over in Memphis, the only bottles I recall seeing were from Batch 7, can't remember the proof and running $95 plus tax.

[Lost Pollito]

FWIW, I was chatting in the gazebo with a member who has had bottles from batches 2,3 and & 7. He said the batch 7 was better than the other two. Definitely SW juice. Joe

[funknik]

FWIW, I was chatting in the gazebo with a member who has had bottles from batches 2,3 and & 7. He said the batch 7 was better than the other two. Definitely SW juice. Joe

I had tried a couple different batches of the JRPS17 and not been overly impressed -- feeling good about passing on it from $80-$100. Then it cam into NH at $69.99 and I bit the bullet and bought one. WOW! It was a batch #7 and my tastebuds snapped to immediate attention -- actually, to be fair, my nose was the first to recognize that this was Class A, S-W juice, no question. So, I would say that to me the Batch #7 is waaaay better than the others I had . . . not to say it couldn't have been tasting conditions, etc., but I really think that this one rocks it harder than the others . . . for $70, I'll probably go get some more.

[OscarV]

Remember when this Jefferson's Presidential Select first came out and everyone was wondering why the odd wording on the label, which was;

"Distilled from wheat in the Fall of 1991"

and

"Aged In Stitzel-Weller Barrels"

It was distilled at Bernheim, aged at S-W.

Barrel proof is awesome, cut down to 94prf aka Jefferson's Prez is just OK.

Did you see the thread in -"Group Barrel Purchases"-"new Willet 17yo wheater" ?

(same stuff):bigeyes:

[CorvallisCracker]

I've doublechecked a number of sources, such as this one and this one and it seems that the (current) Bernheim distillery was completed in 1992.

You are making a very bold claim here. Do you have a source?

[OscarV]

You are making a very bold claim here. Do you have a source?

Yep, he's a member of the Bourbon Hall Of Fame and a noted historian of the bourbon industry.

[CorvallisCracker]

Yep, he's a member of the Bourbon Hall Of Fame and a noted historian of the bourbon industry.

Then he can make the claim himself and provide evidence. Until then, I am not going to believe that whiskey distilled in 1991 was produced at a distillery that wasn't completed until 1992.

Sorry Oscar, but "because I said so" ain't gonna cut it.

[ErichPryde]

Then he can make the claim himself and provide evidence. Until then, I am not going to believe that whiskey distilled in 1991 was produced at a distillery that wasn't completed until 1992.

Sorry Oscar, but "because I said so" ain't gonna cut it.

[cowdery]

I don't believe there was any working distillery on the Bernheim site at any time during 1991.

Trey Zoeller (who owns Jefferson's) has confirmed that it was made at Stitzel-Weller.

I don't know when they made the first batch at Bernheim, but my recollection is that Stitzel and Bernheim were two of the last places we shot during the making of "Made and Bottled in Kentucky," which wrapped probably early May, 1992. I was at Stitzel several times, at least once when they were distilling. I know that when I was at Bernheim, early in 1992, it wasn't finished and hadn't distilled anything yet except maybe some test runs.

[BourbonJoe]

Didn't Stitzel-Weller shut down in 1992??? So why couldn't these have been some of the very last barrels produced as Old Fitz at DSP-KY-16?

Joe :usflag:

[Lost Pollito]

On taste, I can go with Oscar.

[whskylvr]

You are correct Joe.

I think S-W closed down in the summer of 1992.

[cowdery]

On taste, I can go with Oscar.

[Lost Pollito]

FWIW, the Binny's Weller 12 was supposedly Bernheim, and the weight matches up with The Prez. I reckon we won't ever really know. Both are great, which makes me think of the "Why isn't OF Better?" thread.

[whskylvr]

Maybe it was a special recipe of a closed non-distilling distillery, that was distilled at another location and barreled at the (closed non-distilling distillery). :skep: :bigeyes:

[Lost Pollito]

Puzzles are fun aren't they.

[Virus_Of_Life]

I am not a big fan of innuendo, if someone knows something that would be appreciated information by all of us here I'd prefer to see it just put out there. Speculating and running off topic aren't going to get us anywhere.

It'd be nice to see Mike Veach, who you are eluding to, chime in.

[bourbonv]

Stitzel-Weller operated as a distillery until the end of June 1992. Bernheim opened shortly after that. There was wheated bourbon made at Bernheim and entered into the barrel at Stitzel-Weller in 1993 that had "Stitzel-Weller DSP16" on the barrel head. I was told at the time that since the DSP number is for the bonded warehouses and the whiskey went into the barrel there and the government officially entered it into bond, that they could use the DSP16 number for that bourbon.

As far as the Jefferson Reserve is concerned, all of the bottles I have seen are 1991 distillation date and that would make it distilled at Stitzel-Weller. Julian purchased some more of the same whiskey last June. If it does not taste the same as other Stitzel-Weller bourbon, I would suggest that is because they are getting down to the last barrels and the better quality barrels are already gone. I know the barrels were often from the upper levels of the warehouses giving it a more tannic flavor than barrels from the past. There were also several barrels that were completely empty after sitting so high up for so long.

Face it folks, not every barrel made at Stitzel-Weller was perfect. I know they had some musty whiskey problems when I was there and some barrels were sent to be redistilled as fuel alcohol. These barrels are over aged because most were not produced to be aged this long and were way too high up in the warehouse to age more than 7 years or so.

Mike Veach

[T Comp]

Stitzel-Weller operated as a distillery until the end of June 1992. Bernheim opened shortly after that. There was wheated bourbon made at Bernheim and entered into the barrel at Stitzel-Weller in 1993 that had "Stitzel-Weller DSP16" on the barrel head. I was told at the time that since the DSP number is for the bonded warehouses and the whiskey went into the barrel there and the government officially entered it into bond, that they could use the DSP16 number for that bourbon.

Mike Veach

So does this mean it a good chance that the last bottlings of Old Fitz BIB, the DSP 16/24 juice (I've seen bottom bottle dates from 97 through 99), were actually distilled at Bernheim-DSP1?

Though.....based on my taste memory, if the DSP 16/24 was actually distilled at Bernheim it sure still seemed to have a different taste profile from a 2001 Old Fitz DSP 1/31 (certainly Bernheim). This 01 Bernheim juice has distinct peanut oil/worcestershire overtones versus the lighter pecan candy flavors I recall in the 16/24 bottle. Or maybe I was just fooled by the power of suggestion, with the DSP 16 on the label. Anyway, this early Bernheim/ Heaven Hill Old Fitz BIB is really quite good too and much better than their current Old Fitz BIB. I have a few bunkered with 01 on the bottom of the bottle.

[tommyboy38]

Thad,

The Old Fitz with the split distillery label (16/24) certainly is a nice pour but I can't figure out why they would use it if it wasn't from DSP 16.

Seems like the bottlings up to 1996 were all DSP 16/16 with a few years of the split after that. I wonder how long they bottled whiskey at DSP 16 after they stopped distilling? Anyone have an idea??

[tommyboy38]

And after an impromptu pre-noon whiskey tasting of several SW offerings, the flavors that you mentioned in the 97-99 Old Fitz seems similiar to the JRPS and another SW whiskey that was probably distilled around the same time.

[Virus_Of_Life]

Stitzel-Weller operated as a distillery until the end of June 1992. Bernheim opened shortly after that. There was wheated bourbon made at Bernheim and entered into the barrel at Stitzel-Weller in 1993 that had "Stitzel-Weller DSP16" on the barrel head. I was told at the time that since the DSP number is for the bonded warehouses and the whiskey went into the barrel there and the government officially entered it into bond, that they could use the DSP16 number for that bourbon.

Face it folks, not every barrel made at Stitzel-Weller was perfect. I know they had some musty whiskey problems when I was there and some barrels were sent to be redistilled as fuel alcohol. These barrels are over aged because most were not produced to be aged this long and were way too high up in the warehouse to age more than 7 years or so.

Mike Veach

So really then, all these Single Barrels being done that are 17 years old are commanding way too high a price in my opinion. That would make it 1993 distillate and not Stitzel even if it may have been put in a barrel with DSP 16 on it.

Just my opinion, but I think we've created such a fervor for anything S-W that the hype, and price, have outpaced the reality of quality. I'll take a dusty Weller SR from the 80s for 15 bucks over a $125 bottle of mystery any day. It is time to move on.

[SMOWK]

Just my opinion, but I think we've created such a fervor for anything S-W that the hype, and price, have outpaced the reality of quality. I'll take a dusty Weller SR from the 80s for 15 bucks over a $125 bottle of mystery any day. It is time to move on.

Well put. I agree. Although money is not a big deal to a lot of people. Unless of course, they are what I like to call, "credit rich". In which case, I'll take a cheap house over an expensive SW bottle any day.

[fricky]

I don't care if it is from Stitzel Weller or Bernheim. I think that it is quite good and worth what I paid for it.

[silverfish]

I spotted this JRPS 18 year at K&L Wines. Like the Willett in this thread,

it turned 18 before it was bottled. It is the first of 2 1991 barrels they

are purchasing with only 100 bottles of Batch A. I'm guessing the second

barrel will be Batch B?... And it's $10. cheaper than the "regular" JRPS

they offer here.

I wasn't sure if this should be in the "Good Deals" thread or if it fit in here.

If it should be moved, mods feel free. And like SV, I've no affiliation with

K&L (other than as a satisfied customer).