What bourbon did you purchase today? Spring 2010

[hectic1]

I picked up a bottle of KC at Binny's...I haven't had it in a year or so but I figured it's worth the $21.99 that they have it on sale for this week.

Damn...I'd love to get 24 PVW15's...that's a GREAT haul! :cool:

[reg]

Case of Evan Williams BIB, it was bottled on Feb 7 2010. Plastic pints came 24 to the case. Special ordered form local ABC store. they can get the Single Barrel now as well, 6 bottle case $30 a bottle.

[SMOWK]

My dining room table has never looked so appetizing...

[hectic1]

My dining room table has never looked so appetizing...

[harshest]

My dining room table has never looked so appetizing...

[SMOWK]

That's one of the best pictures I've ever seen...congrats and enjoy those bottles! :cool:

[SMOWK]

My brother raised a few good questions this evening.

Does Van Winkle (or anyone else for that matter) ever buy whiskey that is aged prior to them obtaining them and re-aging? Are any aged outside of the Van Winkle warehouses and bottled directly?

Do they ever mingle distillate from multiple distilleries before aging?

And finally, what exactly is in any certain bottle of Van Winkle? Are there whiskies older than 10, 15, or 20, in bottles of Van Winkle 10yr, 15yr, and 20yr?

[camduncan]

Today I picked up a 1 litre Jim Beam Gold Label BIB

[ErichPryde]

My brother raised a few good questions this evening.

Does Van Winkle (or anyone else for that matter) ever buy whiskey that is aged prior to them obtaining them and re-aging? Are any aged outside of the Van Winkle warehouses and bottled directly?

Yes. One example I can think of is Vintage Rye 21 year- I remember reading somewhere that it was sold because it was deemed "too old" to become what it was intended to become, and then it was aged for additional years before being bottled. the seller apparently expressed regret, and said that they would not have sold it if they knew it was going to undergo additional aging.

Do they ever mingle distillate from multiple distilleries before aging?

I don't know! Gillman certainly does! :cool: If they do, does the label have to read "vatted" instead of straight? or can it simply read "a blend of straights...?"

And finally, what exactly is in any certain bottle of Van Winkle? Are there whiskies older than 10, 15, or 20, in bottles of Van Winkle 10yr, 15yr, and 20yr?

Probably not now- Although they did have an excess of rye stock for a while which continued to age for many additional years (until some got too old and some got tanked), As I understand it there is a definite shortage of bourbon that goes into becoming VW. The 20 and 23 year old versions are most/definitely/likely S-W stock. The 15 year old is being sourced from either Bernheim or Buffalo Trace.

There USED to be some single barrels of PVW15 running around, and I believe one or two of those may actually have been 16 or 17 years old, but That practice got stopped a while back... probably because there's simply not enough whiskey!

[IronHead]

Yesterday I picked up a handle of OWA that had a white plastic top instead of the gold. Last time Hectic Bob was down this way he spotted it on the shelf but left it there. I went by the same store last night and it was still there so I figured it was providence.

Anyway, it was quite a bit darker than the other handles with the gold tops and looked as though it showed a little evaporation. It is rich and woody and I would guess older than 7 years. But I am having trouble getting a date off the bottle. Does anyone know if OWA was ever bottled with a white top and if so, when?

[SMOWK]

Thanks for the info ErichPryde!

My brother brought these questions up after visiting a MM tasting at a local country club. (If you knew my brother, you would wonder how in the hell he was allowed into a country club.) Anyway, my brother isn't too knowledgeable about bourbon, so he was talking to the guy running the tasting (no MM46) about Van Winkle because I'm such a fan. The guy was saying that most VW products are different ages blended together. I found that hard to believe. It doesn't make sense to me to add an older whiskey to something labeled as 15/20/23 years. I would think after 15+ years, it wouldn't need any older whiskey for flavor. Maybe something labeled as 6, just to give it some extra depth, but you would think that something 15+ years old, would have enough on it's own to not have to "fortify" it.

I was always under the impression that the Van Winkle line was pretty 'straight'forward. Even if I'm wrong, this is some damn fine whiskey, and I would like to learn as much as I can about the process that goes into getting it from the field, to my cabinet.

By the way, there is a shitload of Van Winkle around this house. If anyone ever makes it to Ocean City, MD, please drop me a line. I would love to share a dram with any and all. I don't get around to drinking the good stuff with friends too often, it's usually pearls before swine around here.

[ACDetroit]

Well not today but on my drive down to TomH's house Tuesday I stopped in a store off the freeway, you know just for fun. Grabbed 2 ORVW 10/90 from Lawrenceburg. The Lawrenceburg on the label was the only reason I picked them up.

Tony

[OscarV]

Seeing as to how I was in the neighborhood today, that being Lexington KY, I stopped in at my favorite shop and got a

Four Roses Single Barrel Specially Selected by Sal Marino of The Thoroughbred Shop.

Also I picked up 12 bottles of

Four Roses 2010 Barrel Strength 17 Year Old 100th Anniversary.

On the way back up to the Mitten I stopped in Covington KY and picked up another 4 bottles of the 4R 17yo 100th Ann.

These 16 bots of the 100th ain't all for me.

And to top it all off I got something very special.

2 bottles of WLWeller 12yo, these ain't ordinary WLW12yo's, they were selected by Cork 'N Bottle back in 2006 and they are Single Barrels and they are actually 14 Years Old.

These 2 bots of WLW 12/14yo are for me.:grin:

But the highlight of the day was meeting John AKA jburlowski for lunch on the way thru.

SB.com'ers are the best but you know that.

[tigerlam92]

Went a little overboard here but this will be my last bunker for a while. Seeing that PVW15 is going up in prices, I went to a stash where I knew they may have some at the old prices (actually for sale prices) and picked up a bunch.

5 - PVW15 at $64!!

1 - PVW20 at $97

1 - GTS09 at $66

1 - WLW09 at $66!! I think this is the last one in the area. I was surprise they have some left.

OK, now I really need to stop bunkering for a while.

Cheers

--Hugh

[BBQ+Bourbon]

I nabbed an PVW15, ORVW 10/107, Lot B locally, and the bourbon fairy is bringing another PVW15 and an 08 Handy. Hopefully there will be fewer temptations in the coming weeks.:slappin:

[bourbon-n00b]

Did about a 40 mile round trip drive, into Detroit (at least until the scene got too sketchy for me) and back out again, looking for dusties. Didn't find a doggone thing. One guy offered me a Knob Creeek "with some dust on it" and another spot had a different-looking bottle of WTRB, but at $48.99 :rolleyes: , I wasn't even interested in finding out more.

I guess you Motor City guys have done a commendable job of clearing things out well ahead of me. Oh well, there is always ebay...

[DeanSheen]

Ahh I think Tony and others have pretty much cleared the area.

[Gillman]

Interesting comment about Knob Creek because (although I don't think that is what he had) I believe Mike Veach mentioned recently that the first bottlings of it had some of the last aged stocks of National Distillers Old Gran-dad. I recall those first bottles being especially good so that makes sense to me. But being the big seller (i.e., in popularity) it is, I doubt there would be any of that still on the shelves. Even if there was, how could you tell it was the first issuance? The bottles and label have never changed I believe. But technically (well not just technically) yes KC could be a dusty...

Gary

[Special Reserve]

Ahh I think Tony and others have pretty much cleared the area.

[fishnbowljoe]

Detroit has not been a good bourbon drinking town for better than 30 years.

I never can tell when you bluffing. Joe

[nblair]

But the highlight of the day was meeting John AKA jburlowski for lunch on the way thru.

Next time you're in the Covington area make sure you swing by Zola's Bar and Grill. Their "Soul Burger" is made with Caribbean Jerk spices, it's the best burger I've ever had.

I was in NKY for Mother's Day and made a quick detour to The Party Source. I was intrigued by the Willett 3 year old so I picked me up a bottle.

[OscarV]

Next time you're in the Covington area make sure you swing by Zola's Bar and Grill. Their "Soul Burger" is made with Caribbean Jerk spices, it's the best burger I've ever had.

A jerk burger?

I'm there.

Thanx 4 the tip.

[Josh]

I was in NKY for Mother's Day and made a quick detour to The Party Source. I was intrigued by the Willett 3 year old so I picked me up a bottle.

You opened that yet? I had some at the Gazebo a few weekends ago. That was some very good stuff.

[HighTower]

Bills Bills Bills

got some boxes on the way!

09 GTS

2 x WT Tradition

1 x ORVW 23 114 decanter

2 x RR Rye

2 x RR bourbon

some KC, ri(1), ER10 and a trunk of stuff for other people.....

I hate customs!:hot:

I have paid them over $600 today!!:bigeyes:

Scott

[woody]

Finally got the OWA to try. Won't open it till this evening. Pretty excited to try it based on its reviews and popularity.