Would Like Opinions About Jefferson's Presidential Select 18Yr

[Borchard]

I would like opinions about a bottle of Jefferson's Presidential Select 18Yr that I bought recently. It's the one with the stickers on it stated that it was aged in Stitzel-Weller barrels, etc... and the owner of the store where I purchased it said the following: "It's the closet thing to PVW that you'll find..."

1. What does everyone think about this statement?

2. Knowing how PVW has appreciated in price, should I go ahead and open this bottle and joust enjoy it? Or should I put it on a shelf and wait till the demand is greater for it, and I can sell it for much more than I purchased it for?

Thanks in advance for any/all opinions

[smknjoe]

There are at least 2 or 3 threads on this particular "brand." Search around and you will find them. Yes, it's S-W juice and you should drink it. It's not collectible in the same way that PVW is. It's all about brand name and JPS isn't one of those brands.

I forgot to add I have some of the 17yr and it's very good.

Edited March 2, 2013 by smknjoe
Addition

[Kyjd75]

I like it, and think you should drink the bottle you have. It is very drinkable, although I lack the expertise to give it a proper description. Doubt it will ever be a collectible like the PVW's, but who knows. I have several bottles, have consumed a couple so far, and ultimately plan to finish them all off. Try it, and bet you will like it!

[WAINWRIGHT]

There is quite a bit of variance from batch to batch,don't buy into the whole collectible line on such a product.Drink what you buy and if you like it go buy more!There is quite a bit of information on the JPS 18yr on loads of other threads that may even lead you to which batches are preferred to others,I have always enjoyed the earlier batches in the teens FWIW.

[HighInTheMtns]

Whiskey is for drinking, enjoy it!

[LostBottle]

I would like opinions about a bottle of Jefferson's Presidential Select 18Yr that I bought recently.....

......Knowing how PVW has appreciated in price, should I go ahead and open this bottle and joust enjoy it? Or should I put it on a shelf and wait till the demand is greater for it, and I can sell it for much more than I purchased it for?

Seriously? I would flip it now, I suggest eBay.

Edited March 2, 2013 by LostBottle

[WAINWRIGHT]

I was going for a more subtle approach,but that works too!:grin:

[HighHorse]

Why not open it .. drink it .. and then decide if you need to go back and get more. One thing's for sure .. when it's gone .. it's gone. My observation is that you'll find this board is full of folks who like to drink bourbon. Hard to do that if you don't open it. Enjoy!

[Meruck]

Felt like I had to chim in. I live in Idaho now (total State control liquer sales) and we get all the good bourbons..................any way my brother who lives in St Louis was able to secure a fairly decent supply of the JPR 18 SW juice for me. Its "fine bourbon". I would put it next to any PVW for quality and taste. SMKNJOE is right. It doesnt have the same brand recognition that the PVWs have. If your bent on selling it, wait 30-40 years and yeah, you'll get a pretty penny for it as it will likley be the last SW juice on the marble, cause I'm drinking mine. But like my Ma'ma says "bourbon is for drinking". Enjoy it in your own time and remeber the code.

Only share with those that dont consider Jack or Crown bourbon, cause they're not.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Meruck

[Phil T]

Generally, hoarding to sell for profit later, is not a popular notion here. We buy to drink, enjoy , share.

[Tico]

PM Wadewood, he can help you flip it on fleabay :cool:

[squire]

An unopened bottle is an unfulfilled promise.

[SFS]

I'm not going to say anything new. Drink it, enjoy it, and by all means, SHARE it, especially with folks that can appreciate it. There are indeed multiple threads on this product, including one I've contributed to in the negative (initially) and in the overwhelmingly positive (after the bottle had been open for a few months). It may seem woody and dry when you open it, but mine did NOT stay that way, and it is truly amazing whiskey. It's way better than any of the Van Winkle products currently in my cabinet, all of which are open and being ingested.

There is some variance from batch to batch, so YMMV.

One other thought. Most of us here believe that whiskey is for drinking and sharing. If you are really, truly having trouble deciding whether to drink it, consider it from this angle: do you collect things (and to me money is a thing), or do you collect experiences? The liquid in your bottle very definitely falls into the latter category.

[Borchard]

...It may seem woody and dry when you open it, but mine did NOT stay that way, and it is truly amazing whiskey. It's way better than any of the Van Winkle products currently in my cabinet....

Thanks to everyone for their input. I DID open up the bottle last night and drink it. I'm glad SFS said what he said, becasue that is EXACTLY what I noticed about the taste. It was VERY woody-tasting. It finished sweet, but before that there was even a wet paper flavor to it. I'm hoping he is right, and it DOESN'T stay that way.

Right before I tried it, I had poured a PVW 20Yr, and it was incredible. So for right now, i don't agree that JPS is "the closest thing to PVW you'll find..." as the guy who sold it to me said, but maybe it will grow on me. And hopefully it will lose that wet paper taste

[squire]

Hope so as well, please keep us informed.

[Roscoe]

Among other things, I'm the spirits manager for an upscale 3 store family owned chain. I was at a Fedway event in Atlantic City last year. Fedway is a large distributor that has the exclusive on BT, PVW and Jefferson. I had a long discussion with the regional distillery rep who told me about the blend (as I was sipping the Presidential at his table.) Also, he told me that they had extra bottles labeled 18yr that they put the 20 yr Presidential in. Actually, if you look, the little tag on the 18yr bottle says bottled in 1991.

Actually, the Presidential Select starts out from the old Stizel Weller batch (think Pappy.) However, they blend in a small amount of a bourbon with a high rye content (38%?) so it is a 4 grain; not 100% wheater. The last batch we had was bottled in 18yr bottles but the tag stated that it was bottled in 1991 so it is a 20yr. It's bottled at 94proof but drinks similar to the Pappy 15 107proof. A really nice pour.

Roscoe

[smknjoe]

Among other things, I'm the spirits manager for an upscale 3 store family owned chain. I was at a Fedway event in Atlantic City last year. Fedway is a large distributor that has the exclusive on BT, PVW and Jefferson. I had a long discussion with the regional distillery rep who told me about the blend (as I was sipping the Presidential at his table.) Also, he told me that they had extra bottles labeled 18yr that they put the 20 yr Presidential in. Actually, if you look, the little tag on the 18yr bottle says bottled in 1991.

Actually, the Presidential Select starts out from the old Stizel Weller batch (think Pappy.) However, they blend in a small amount of a bourbon with a high rye content (38%?) so it is a 4 grain; not 100% wheater. The last batch we had was bottled in 18yr bottles but the tag stated that it was bottled in 1991 so it is a 20yr. It's bottled at 94proof but drinks similar to the Pappy 15 107proof. A really nice pour.

Roscoe

This is why I hate going to Spec's was one of the first posts I made on this site. Because of misinformation like this. No offense to you Roscoe.

Edited March 4, 2013 by smknjoe

[Roscoe]

Well, that's the info I got from the distillery rep....have to go with it.

No offense taken,

Roscoe

[smknjoe]

Again welcome and I mean no offense, but here is why I said that.

1. They have no distillery for Jefferson's since they are a Non Distiller Producer. They buy their whiskey form other "unknown" distilleries and actually have someone else bottle it for them (KBD?) Not sure about the bottling part.

2. It was Distilled in 1991 and they started bottling the 17 in 2008/2009. The 18 in ~2009/2010. I don't know if they are still actively bottling the stuff.

3. On their website they even state that the whiskey is from S-W, but it's possible they blended. Haven't heard that one yet on this particular brand.

And you are right, you do have to take their word for it. They SHOULD know what they are talking about. It's been my experience they (distributors) don't many times even though they mean well.

Edit: Now I'm curious about the blending part since that's absolutely possible. I'll shoot an email to Trey Zoeller over at Castle Brands to see what he says.

Misinformation is rampant. I even saw where Jason over at sourmashmanifesto told a reader that ALL of the Jefferson brands were wheaters. JPS is the only wheater the rest are ryed.

Edited March 4, 2013 by smknjoe

[Roscoe]

I could be wrong on the distiller rep; rather he was a brand rep but not a distributor rep. I would be interested in what you find out from TZ at Castle Brands.

Roscoe

[Borchard]

Correct information IS tough to come by some times. Case in point; when I was trying to locate another bottle of PVW I was told by more than one proprietor that OVW was not being MADE any more?!? I later found out that this was crap, but this came from two, different people!

[Borchard]

...drinks similar to the Pappy 15 107proof. A really nice pour....

Roscoe

If you read my review of it above, you may have noticed that I got a strong hint of like wet wood. Someone else stated that this was their impression as well, but that it eventually got better. Is that WHILE I'm drinking it? Or will it eventually even out in the bottle, and that hint will go away?

Sorry for the newb questions...

[squire]

It should be pointed out the whisky Julian used to rebuild his family's Van Winkle brand was stock the family retained when they sold the Stitzel-Weller distillery in 1972.

The new owners made changes (dry packaged yeast, pressure cooking the mash) and other 'improvements' to 'streamline' (cheapen) the whisky making process.

The whisky make at SW in 1991 (about a year before closing) is considered to be lesser quality than what was made previously as the 'streamlined' version.

So to claim whisky made at SW in it's final years is the 'same as' or 'good as' that which was made when the Van Winkles owned the distillery is, well, misplaced to say the least.

[smknjoe]

If you read my review of it above, you may have noticed that I got a strong hint of like wet wood. Someone else stated that this was their impression as well, but that it eventually got better. Is that WHILE I'm drinking it? Or will it eventually even out in the bottle, and that hint will go away?

Sorry for the newb questions...

I think it was SFS that said that and he meant that it evened out in the bottle over time (in his case.) There are several threads with people saying the earlier batches weren't as woody. I don't know. Personally, I have some of the 17yr batch 3 and it's very good. Lot's of english toffee and some oak, but not too much.

So to claim whisky made at SW in it's final years is the 'same as' or 'good as' that which was made when the Van Winkles owned the distillery is, well, misplaced to say the least.

I haven't had anyone tell me it's the same stuff, but it would certainly be mileading. Kind of like saying that all Buffalo Trace whiskeys taste the same.

[squire]

Joe I was referring to recent posts about store owners/clerks making that sort of comment, not the illustrious members of this group.