ORVW 10/90: 2009 vs 2011

[BourbonBaron]

Has anyone compared these two? I picked up two bottles this Fall, and I just finished the first one the other day. At first I wasn't a fan, but after a month or two of being opened, I grew to appreciate it a lot more. There was a lot of smoke on the finish that lightened up significantly after the bottle was open, and I really loved the creaminess that accompanied it, which stuck throughout the lifetime of the bottle. I was glad the smoke flavors mellowed out.

The second bottle I opened is totally different. Sadly, to my (unrefined, compared to a lot of you) palette, it tastes nothing like this other bottle. It reminds me a lot of the Rebel Yell Reserve I recently purchased, of which I can't say I care for all that much. No smoke and only a tiny bit of cream compared to the first bottle.

The problem here is I have no clue which bottle was which, as I opened the second bottle and poured half of it into the first bottle to give it more air exposure. I didn't actually have a glass until a few days after doing so, and I only checked the bottling codes after having my first pour. One is 2011 and one is 2009.

Did the expressions really change that much between the two years or am I crazy? Obviously I didn't do a side by side but I would swear that the two are immensely different. I purchased these from two different retailers but I assumed both were 2011 when I bought them.

Strange question, I know. I realize that since the ORVW/90 isn't exactly coveted, most from 2009 have probably been drank by now. I just find my experience quite odd as I assumed both would have tasted pretty darn similar.

[AaronWF]

All of BT's wheaters improve drastically with air, and in my experience, the ORVW 10/90 especially tastes like two different bourbons at the time of opening after after airing for a few months.

I can't speak to your particular question of '09 vs. '11 (I'm not sure why you're skipping over 2010, as I'm pretty sure that unlike the PVWs, the ORVWs sold in 2010 and Spring '11 were bottled in 2010), but maybe you just have to let your second bottle breath for another few months for it to open up like your first one did.

[T Comp]

...The second bottle I opened is totally different. Sadly, to my (unrefined, compared to a lot of you) palette, it tastes nothing like this other bottle. It reminds me a lot of the Rebel Yell Reserve I recently purchased, of which I can't say I care for all that much. No smoke and only a tiny bit of cream compared to the first bottle. ...

You sure you didn't accidentally leave that second bottle in Jimmy and Joe's room at the General Nelson? Of course then it wouldn't even remind you of Rebel Yell Reserve .

[smokinjoe]

You sure you didn't accidentally leave that second bottle in Jimmy and Joe's room at the General Nelson? Of course then it wouldn't even remind you of Rebel Yell Reserve .

You leave 'em, we refill 'em... I gotta get rid of this Bourbon Supreme somehow!

[BourbonBaron]

I'm not sure what you mean by skipping the the 2010. The two bottles I have show bottling years of 09 and 11.

I agree about the air comment, but I was just surprised to find such a discrepancy between the two bottles. From what I recall when I opened the first bottle, the flavors I described were there at the outset. I don't find those in this newly opened bottle.

All of BT's wheaters improve drastically with air, and in my experience, the ORVW 10/90 especially tastes like two different bourbons at the time of opening after after airing for a few months.

I can't speak to your particular question of '09 vs. '11 (I'm not sure why you're skipping over 2010, as I'm pretty sure that unlike the PVWs, the ORVWs sold in 2010 and Spring '11 were bottled in 2010), but maybe you just have to let your second bottle breath for another few months for it to open up like your first one did.