2012 Bourbon of the Year---and other shout-outs...

[smokinjoe]

No reason for the whiskey writers to have all the fun. Here is my winner for "Whiskey of the Year" for 2012, as well as other awards:

Bourbon of the Year: 2012 Parker's Heritage 6th Release

--Stunningly delicious whiskey, that now represents the greatest whiskey I have ever had.

Runner up: CEHT "Tornado".

Best New Standard Release Bottling: Larceny by HH

--Wonderful addition to a lean wheater line-up. Well priced, amply available, and delightfully drinkable.

Best Distillery: Heaven Hill

--These guys are hittin' on all cylinders, and continually offer high quality products at reasonable prices. With the PHC and Larceny offerings, they won by a nose over BT, in my book.

Best Foreign Whiskey: Redbreast 12 yr. Cask Strength

--The best whiskey I tasted in 2012, after the PHC.

So, these are my choices. Let's hear yours.

:toast:

[Phil T]

Very good thread Joe. We know better then most what is the best, Lol.

Bourbon of the year: '12 FR's LE SmB. Four Roses continues to impress every year with their 2 LE's. This year was no different

Best new standard release : Larceny by HH. Heaven Hill continues to put out kickass budget pours, this wheater adds to that tradition.

Best Distillery : Four Roses. They continue to put out 2 fabulous LE's every year, and their single barrel program is 2nd to none. 'Nuff said

[MyOldKyDram]

Bourbon of the Year - My vote goes to the Four Roses 2012 LE SmB. PHCs 6th nabs second for me.

Distiller of the Year - Four Roses. Two stellar LEs, single barrel program, and some superlative gift shop offerings puts them over the top.

Standard New Release - High West Campfire by a wide margin. Can't get enough of this totally unique and tasty whiskey.

[Josh]

Great idea Joe!

Bourbon of the Year: 2012 Four Roses Ltd Ed Small Batch

Runner up: Four Roses Ltd Ed. Single Barrel

Best New Standard Release Bottling: Knob Creek Rye

Best Distillery: Four Roses (see above), Heaven Hill- runner up (for the reasons Joe mentioned)

Best Foreign Whiskey: Balcones Single Malt (It's a whole other country)

Enough Already Award: Anything Van Winkle

[Ejmharris]

Bourbon of the Year - Parker's heritage, I am abed get buyer but this one I tributes me. Glad I bought it and will be looking for some more.

Distiller of the Year - so many to choose from but still have to go with BT. They put out most of my everyday pours and all quality products. If they ever pull the Weller line or screw with it much more I will have to knock them down. 4R'd and HH are very close 2nd's right now.

New Release: Larceny. To be honest this products is what brings Hhto the close 2nd.

Mike

[jburlowski]

Bourbon of the Year: FR SmB 2012 LE

--Elegant & complex; a whiskey to contemplate. Everything else is a very distant second.

Best New Standard Release Bottling: Larceny by HH

-- Your comments nailed it.

Best Distillery: Four Roses

--Jim Rutledge and Company are making the best bourbon... do any of their single barrels miss the mark?

[Bourbon Boiler]

I'm not sure how we're defining "new standard release", but if it just means continuous availability, I'll throw in a vote for Woodford Double Oaked. This grows on me a little more each time. I'm not going to argue against Larceny for value, but on sheer quality, my vote goes to the gentleman in Versailles.

[WAINWRIGHT]

Bourbon of the Year-FR SmB LE

Bourbon of the Year Runner Up-PHC 6th 4 Grain,short finish hindered this one just a little to an otherwise nearly perfect pour

Best New Standard Release-Larceny,by way of sheer value

Best Foreign Whisky-Redbreast Cask Strength

Distillery of the Year-Buffalo Trace,they produce such a wide array of my day to day pours that are always of great quality and the BTAC line is always stellar year after year.

[smokinjoe]

I'm not sure how we're defining "new standard release", but if it just means continuous availability, I'll throw in a vote for Woodford Double Oaked. This grows on me a little more each time. I'm not going to argue against Larceny for value, but on sheer quality, my vote goes to the gentleman in Versailles.

Exactly BB. "Continuous availability" is what I was meaning.

[LostBottle]

It was actually a pretty boring year for whiskey. These are my picks:

Best Bourbon/Rye of the Year: Sazerac 18

In another year where overall borbon/rye quality continued the slow decline, the Saz 18 continues to shine. Thank goodness this beauty is tanked, because I am losing faith in the other BT offerings. Please note that I may have nominated the 4R LE SmB, but I did not have a chance to try it.

Worst Bourbon/Rye of the Year: Pappy Van Winkle

Not the same whiskey. Not as good as it was. Not worth the new prices. Not worth fighting cool-seeking young hipsters and status-seeking aging middle managers for. The overpriced CEHT releases get an honorary mention for a lousy QPR.

Best New Standard Release: High West Campfire

It's a bourbon, a rye, and a Scotch! High West did what they do best, experimented, and came up with another winner. Kudos for a great product and for continuing to shake things up - as much as it raises the hackles of the stodgy geezers who pump out the status-quo, this kind of work is what the industry needs more of.

Worst New Standard Release: Wild Turkey 81 Rye

This sucks so bad, it was not even worth someone else paying.

Best Foreign Whiskey: Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch #3

No question. If you didn't nominate it, you probably didn't try it.

Distillery of the Year: Four Roses

This distillery keep churning out great special releases, and most importantly, really solid standard offerings.

Pseudo-Distillery of the Year: Michter's

Here is some history you may have missed: if you take the name Michter's and add a few letters, then take some away, it spells bullshit.

Bourbonian of the Year: BarrelChar

Seriously.

Edited December 27, 2012 by LostBottle

[ChainWhip]

In another year where quality continued to decline, thank goodness this beauty is tanked.

Are you referring to the declining quality of the Saz18 or bourbon/rye in general?

[LostBottle]

Are you referring to the declining quality of the Saz18 or bourbon/rye in general?

Good question, I will edit my previous post to clarify. That said, I was referring to the decline of bourbon/rye in general and the dropping of age statements. Saz 18 was stellar this year, as always. In an environment where the quest for quality is supplanted by the quest for quantity, who says tanked whiskey is a bad thing??

Edited December 27, 2012 by LostBottle

[Bourbon Boiler]

I'll get laughed at, but I'll go with Beam for Distillery of the year for finally getting the tour/stillhouse figured out. I'm not going entirely on product here, as I think the distillery visit is a big part of the branding for these guys. Beam's hospitality went from embarassing to very good within the course of 2012.

[p_elliott]

I'm going to have to join Lostbottle in worst standard release as WTR 81 the shit is undrinkable. This is what you get when you let the suits make the whiskey instead of the master distillers.

[jburlowski]

Bourbonian of the Year: BarrelChar

Seriously.

Seriously??? :shocked:

[White Dog]

Seriously??? :shocked:

I do miss his comments.:grin:

Bourbon of the Year: PHC Four Grain. Stunning release from HH.

Runner Up: FR 2012 LESmB. A very close second.

Biggest disappointment: Larceny. It may be a wheater, but it's not my kind of wheater. Larceny makes me realize how solid MM is.

Biggest loser of 2012: Age statements.

Worst Whiskey of the Year: WT Rye 81. Another shameful release from the distillery who has fallen the farthest.

[Lazer]

Bourbon of the Year: Four Roses Single Barrel! Yes, the regular FRSB. This bourbon breaks the rules. Its NAS and yet possibly the most consistent out there. Keep it up! I'm not giving it to PHC'12 because, while it is outstanding, when I add water all I get is EWB. In my opinion its only good because its high proof... I just think they can do better with this whiskey. I'm not giving it to any FR LE's because I didn't have any.

Best New Release: Larceny. I love this stuff.

Biggest dissapointment: anything with 95% rye in it.

Bourbonian of the Year I second the nomination for BarrelChar. I'll give Wade runner up for the Ebay thing, but BC is the winner!:cool:

Edited December 27, 2012 by Lazer

[squire]

Paul you say WTR 81 is undrinkable? What a shame, (wasn't tempted to buy one myself) but since you have some next time I swing by your neck of the woods I'll stop in and help 'ya dispose of it. After all, what are friends for.

[squire]

I agree with everything Joe said in the opening post except for Redbreast . . . just never could cotton to that brand.

[wadewood]

Unless your last name is Butler aka the Boss, opinions on who should the the BOTY are meaningless - http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?4849-FAQ-The-Bourbonian-of-the-Year-Award

[Ejmharris]

Bourbonian of the Year: BarrelChar

Seriously.

I would second that vote. That guy sparked more discussion on this board in the short time he was on.

Mike

[Tony]

Ok, I will try this-

Bourbon of the year- I will jump on the Four Roses wagon- either the FRSmB 2012 or the 17yo that was done for the new gift shop opening in September.

Runner up- PHC 2012, just a great bourbon even with the "short" finish.

Best main release- The new Larceny is really well done, looking forward to it being available regularly in Michigan.

Retailer of the year that people know of- Have to go with Binny's great place with wonderful communication, just wish they would ship to Michigan.

Local retailer of the year- My local shops that I frequent and spend my money with. I have built up relationships with them and they take care of me on limited releases of bourbon and beer

Bourbon event of the year- I am new and have not been to a lot, have to give it to the famed Gazebo. Just a great time with lots of wonderful people

Person of the year- This is a no brainer- my lovely wife Karry, to have the patience to let me indulge in this habit/hobby and to indulge me and join with me to go to an event in Kentucky to meet up with people from an Internet forum for festivities on a gazebo in the back of a hotel.

Distillery of the year- Go with others and say Four Roses. Had a magical tour at the Cox creek facility in January that was just my wife, son and guide, perfect. Then to experience the new visitors center opening in September was filled with great caring people that were dealing with many things going on at one time. I did not realize I was supposed to get a Mellow Moments discount at the gift shop and dealt with great people afterwards that got me my discount and even sent me four glasses to make up for it.

Great marketing of the year- Maker's Mark- the Cocktail Party advertising was great. I had the "I support the Cocktail Party" with pride in my front lawn this election season.

What a great year.

Best regards, Tony

[Bourbon Boiler]

Biggest disappointment: Larceny. It may be a wheater, but it's not my kind of wheater. Larceny makes me realize how solid MM is.

Very interesting comment about Makers. For so long it's been the only major wheater of any quality (excluding the Van Winkles and Wellers as not "major" due to price and/or availability; excluding Rebel yell, cabin still for lack of quality) that it's hard find comaparisons. I agree with the consensus here that it is a boring, entry level bourbon, but perhaps with more comparables we might learn to appreciate the product for what it is, even if it's not kept on our shelves.

[squire]

Well, Maker's accomplished what they set out to do, which was to copy Old Fitzgerald and when you get past the hype (I know people who actually believe it's some small, family owned distillery that created some new form of Bourbon nobody had thought of before) it's a very solid, well crafted whisky that's as close as any can claim to be the current archetype of wheated Bourbons.

[Lazer]

Unless your last name is Butler aka the Boss, opinions on who should the the BOTY are meaningless - http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?4849-FAQ-The-Bourbonian-of-the-Year-Award