What are you drinking, yet AGAIN!!!

[Black85L98]

Saturday night and it's JB Black for me. Not a big JB fan but tonight it is just what I wanted.

[CL]

Are you ready? A Saturday night in L'ville, KY. But, guess what? I didn't go to Furlongs. I met one of my uncles and my aunt at Harper's on Hurstbourne. Harper's has a great bourbon selection, but their pours are skimpy. They were about half of what I got at Furlongs with the less generous bartender and about 1/3 of what I got with the generous bartender.

While at Harper's, I gave WT KS it's final chance to make an impression on me. It failed. Or maybe, I failed. It is definitely a WT bottling, but, as I've said here before, WT doesn't turn me on except for RB.

But, this discovery doesn't bother me. I have plenty of other great bourbons to keep me happy. I could exist on BT products alone.

[OneCubeOnly]

I gave WT KS it's final chance to make an impression on me. It failed. Or maybe, I failed.

Don't feel bad--I've always found Wild Turkey products to fall short.

I could exist on BT products alone.

Amen to that, but only as long as the Van Winkle line is included!

[CL]

Old Forrester 86. I'll be damned if this doesn't taste great here in L'ville. I may have to stop buying the 100 proof in NC that seems to have gone down hill and buy me a 1.75L of the 86 proof here in KY.

I stopped by a local bar in St. Matthew's tonight - Maiers at the intersection of Breckenridge and Shelbyville Road. Friendly, local crowd, all guys watching Monday Night Football. Really good wings, dirt cheap - as large as I've seen them - 20 for $7. Great deal and a good sauce.

They had a better than average selection of bourbon for a beer joint. I took the OF 86.

While I was there, a local bought a round. And the bartender brought out a t-shirt for everyone - I picked Wild Turkey over JD. Ironic, how I am not a huge WT fan, but, I was grateful all the same and bumped up the tip accordingly.

A good start to the evening.

[robbyvirus]

Hirsch rye. I picked this up a couple of weeks ago, and I'm enjoying it. From what I've gleaned off of these boards, it's the same stuff as the Van Winkle Rye, and it does taste very very similar to the Van Winkle Family Reserve. It's good, but because I can find the Family Reserve around here for $10 cheaper, I think I'll stick to that in the future.

[CL]

I ate dinner AGAIN at Furlongs on Sunday night. After my skimpy bourbon experience at Harper's on Saturday night, I decided to go back to Furlongs on Sunday night.

What can I say? This place is great, bourbon-wise and food-wise. Amy was the bartender; her pours, while less than Shelley's on Thursday nights, are still very good and are much better than average. It's getting scary. They remember my drinks and my salad dressing choices.

Over my last two visits, I finished off their Ezra Brooks SB 15 yo. Honestly, folks, I am not getting sh*t faced here. I "just" get two drinks. The bottles were low anyway and I happened to be the lucky soul who cleaned them out of Pappy 20 yo, ORVW 12 yo, and EBSB 15 yo over the last couple weeks.

You might wonder why I wasn't eating dinner at the homes of my many relatives in L'ville. Well, I had plenty of offers, but I explained that I wanted to leave my Dad's nursing home when I felt ready (I didn't want to be rushed to make it to a relative's home on time) and that I needed a good meal with great service (ok, and bourbon) to relax and to pamper myself. Fortunately, my relatives understood completely and did not lay a guilt trip on me.

[Dave_in_Canada]

Sounds like you've been cutting a swath through their supply. Thank goodness it's the Furlongs in Louisville.... I'm relieved since I'm heading to their Lexington location in a couple of weeks and I want SOMETHING left on their top shelf!!

[CL]

Enjoy yourself, Dave. The food is really good. I tried many things, but my favorite, so far, was the stuffed catfish. I mostly stuck to the specials, but I had the stuffed catfish twice off the regular menu.

I also tried the appetizer platter. It was very good as well.

Let us know how the pours are.

[jeff]

ORVW 10yo 107 proof. This is hitting the spot after an incredibly crazy day at the office. I'll be back later, as I think this bourbon is just screeming for a macanudo

[WEG3]

To night it's to help along an open bottle of EB Single barrel #82 15year , a good pour of Polar Golden Ginger Ale and 3 cubes all in a middium size old drinking glass....

Aaaahhhhhh! Life is good ...

Bill G.

[Paradox]

The pic says it all. Just opened the bottle my wife brought home for me today, I figured hey, B-day in 2 days, why not have Birthday bourbon! I cannot wait for the new 2003 release in a month... Let's hope they do just as good with it.

[bluesbassdad]

You really know how to live -- OFBB in the foreground (love that wide-angle look), with a supporting cast of Stagg, Hirsch and WT12.

BTW, that's a nice photographic touch with the alignment of the glass and the Stagg, too.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[bluesbassdad]

WT Russell's Reserve.

I keep telling myself that I don't really like RR all that much. So why can't I get enough, once I start drinking it?

I did finally do a side-by-side with WT 101 recently. The RR is defintely smoother, yet richer in flavor, although it's hard to justify a price almost double that of WT 101 (considering the recurring sale price of $12.99 on WT 101 at Rite-Aid).

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[ratcheer]

You must be in whiskey heaven, Dave. I have to pay $19 for WT101.

Tim

[bluesbassdad]

I think I've seen it for even more than $19 in some of our snootier liquor outlets, such as Morey's Liquor, down in Belmont Shore, close to the ocean. Hi-Time in Costa Mesa has it for $18.

However, I'll stick with Rite-Aid as long as they keep running that periodic special of $12.99. (I always pick up a bottle when the special runs, whether I need it or not.) Failing that, Trader Joe's has had it for $13.99 for quite some time now. However, they are notorious for ceasing to stock a product without warning whenever their low-priced source peters out.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Paradox]

Thanks Dave for the compliment. I wasn't even trying to line them up, I take most of my shots now with my cell phone for simplicity. It takes poor indoor shots, but it works haha. I must admit, I have finished alot of good bourbon's in the past month; Blantons, Hirsch 16, IW Harper 15, VW 12, Bakers. The Hirsch 20, Stagg, and WT 12 I don't drink from every night so they have been there for a while. Wonder how long this gem will last!

[jeff]

Ten High straight up Really livin' on the edge tonight, trying to clear out some space for the upcomming Stagg and BB releases. Check out my tasting notes here. You won't be dissappointed

[Barrel_Proof]

2002 B'Day Bourbon on two rocks. I do like this bourbon. Yum yum.

[jeff]

Well, after a couple drinks of Ten High, I was yearning for something more. Armed with a Flor De Olivia robusto I headed out the back door with a hearty pour of Weller 19yo . Wow, what a difference! Lots of vanilla and caramel flavor with a long and enjoyable finish. Better buy all of this you can folks, as it won't be around long.

[MurphyDawg]

Yummy stuff BP. I am having Four Roses Yellow Label tonight, a nice pleasant little pour, and a decent value price. I think I will pick up more come festival time.

TomC

[MurphyDawg]

Yep its between $16.50 & $18.50 for WT 101 around here (but still worth it IMHO) and like $22.50 for Russell's Reserve, it makes the decision a whole lot easier!

LOL

TomC

[bobbyc]

I think RR is a few more dollars than that, They also run WT101 for 13 or so from time to time. Can't have too much of either. A little of the Jefferson's I got Last week . I still like this one. This is not Heaven Hill whiskey and if it did come from there, they bought it and did not distil it. Say it came from Barton , Four Roses, BT or even BF and I couldn't argue.

[robbyvirus]

I'm drinking Weller 12 y.o tonite. This is definitely one of the best values in bourbon...smooth and delicious, with lots of carmel taste, and way less expensive than many other bourbons that I don't enjoy quite as consistently.

[bluesbassdad]

I'd love to play "Guess What I'm Drinking Right Now", with a tip of the hat to a departed member, but I just don't have the chops in the descriptive arena to make it a fair game. Besides, it's a bottling that most of you probably haven't had a chance to try, although you know its relatives (hint) well.

How about we go halvesies? I'll do my best to describe it, and then I'll give you the answer.

It's a special bottling.

At almost two decades, it's older than most (possibly all but one) that bear this lable.

It is totally lacking in any harshness of nose, palate, or finish.

It has a distinctly oily mouth feel that is similar to others of this name, but much more pronounced, if memory serves me correctly.

The nose is distinctly fruity with a modest char/caramel background, the palate leans more to the char/caramel, and then turns to oil of walnut or maybe almond. The oily, nutty taste carries into the finish, accompanied by blackberries, and then it turns dry, demanding another taste in short order.

The price was $75 plus shipping from a prestigious East Coast address.

This is the one I had decided to buy instead of a somewhat similar bottling from Sam's -- until Sam's called my house in my absence, and my wife unknowingly turned what had been an inquiry into a firm order. Now I have both -- and a wife who knows more than I cared to have her know about how I spend my allowance.

It's the 18 year old Van Winkle Family Reserve from Park Avenue Liquor. If there's a better bourbon than this, whether my 20 year Sam's special bottling or either of the two Hirsches, I can't remember how at this moment. To hell with the blindfold and the last cigarette -- I want to expire immediately after a swallow of this magnificent bourbon. (Actually, make that a couple of glasses. A single swallow simply isn't enough to experience all this bourbon has to offer.)

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[CL]

I am back home in NC now and have my full arsenal at my disposal. During my recent weeks in KY, I became quite fond of ORVW 12 yo so it was my happy hour pour today. Then I topped dinner off with the ORVW from Woodside Partners - I hadn't had this in a while and wanted to tap into it again.

I only had a shot of each (half my normal pour), so I am about to go back to the liquor cabinet and pick out my nightcap. I just picked up my first bottle of Ezra Brooks SB 15 yo last week, so I think will be my choice.

Cheers.

P.S. I finally ordered 2 bottles of Hirsch 16 yo today. I am glad its shipment got delayed (and the sale extended) because I was too preoccupied in the past few weeks to remember to place an order.