If You Could Pick Any Single Barrel

[White Dog]

Not to repeat, but:

1: MM 10yr barrel proof

2: MM 15yr barrel proof

3: Weller 12 barrel proof

4: Handy 20yr barrel proof

5: WT Rye 20yr barrel proof

6: FR Wheated 12yr barrel proof (hey, we're dreaming, right.)

[sailor22]

That WT 20yr Rye sounds interesting! Yummy, especially if it spent those 20years on the bottom floor of their coolest warehouse.

[petrel800]

Not so much a single barrel, but I'd love to see a couple of the Master Distillers from different distilleries get together trade a few barrels to blend with their product. It would be cool to see what each distiller could do with the other's product.

[HP12]

Great thread Steve. This might be pushing the guidelines but for me...KBD honey barrel pick of one of their stellar 17-21yo wheater short barrels, barrel strength, NCF. Liquid f'ing candy.

[clingman71]

This!

In addition, I'd like to see the current tanked Sazerac 18 go out with a bang and have it released as Barrel Proof for the final release.

I wholeheartedly agree, provided I get at least one bottle!

[black mamba]

Saz 18 and WLW 18 at 107 proof, NCF. Just pour and enjoy.

[GaryT]

I just tried my first WTRRSB tonight and thought that was the best WT product I've tasted . . . ever (disclaimer - I haven't tried their dusty stuff). I would love to try that same barrel but at barrel proof. Smokinjoe's description of "sugar bomb" was on the money!

[Old Dusty]

Yeah, I agree. Nice idea for a thread Steve.

Funny, your first example is something close to what I would pick. With me and my love of wheaters, a 12-15 year old Weller at 100 proof would probably be my first choice. A close second would be an ER17 at 101 proof. See where I'm going with this? New and improved versions of Weller Centennial and ER 101.

[straightwhiskeyruffneck]

I'd like to see ten different single barrel expressions from four roses. Both mashbills and all five yeast strains. Barrel proof and around two years older then the BP SB's they currently offer

[CoMobourbon]

I'd like to see ten different single barrel expressions from four roses. Both mashbills and all five yeast strains. Barrel proof and around two years older then the BP SB's they currently offer

I feel like we've been dancing around this conclusion for much of the thread, so I'll just say it: Four Roses pretty much already does this. They pretty much make the barrel proof single barrel bottles that we fantasize about with other distilleries. A couple years more in the barrel seems like a small gap between the reality and the ideal.

[squire]

I don't fantasize about Bourbon although Bourbon helps me fantasize.

[CoMobourbon]

I don't fantasize about Bourbon although Bourbon helps me fantasize.

Yes. This.

morewordstofilltherequirement

[Dolph Lundgren]

I feel like we've been dancing around this conclusion for much of the thread, so I'll just say it: Four Roses pretty much already does this. They pretty much make the barrel proof single barrel bottles that we fantasize about with other distilleries. A couple years more in the barrel seems like a small gap between the reality and the ideal.

The most recent FR SB Binny's Select Barrel's were a tad bit older (some 10 yrs vs 8 or 9 yrs), and they had a bottling for every yeast strain and mashbill. I think they're all gone now, but you might want to keep an eye out for it next year.

[clingman71]

So how about "W.L. Weller Antique" at 107 proof and 12 yr age statement? That's my dream bourbon. If they release it at 15 as well I'm down with that too.

[sailor22]

Sounds like the trend for these imaginary barrel picks seems to be to add more age and proof. Since this is a hypothetical exercise lets talk about what we expect we are gaining with our fantasy barrels.

What do you expect you favorite expression to gain from extra years in the barrel? More flavors? Which ones? Softer entry? More complexity?

What would higher proof bring to the party?

Edited March 21, 2013 by sailor22

[squire]

Good question Steve, my choice was fully mature which could fall in the 7-8 year range. I want as much proof as I can get because of more flavor, I can always water it down but I can't flavor it up.

[Yeti]

Softer entry is a great thing to point out. I think the extra 2 years gives ER10 a more pleasant entry.

Proof for me is all about flavor complexity and mouthfeel.

[black mamba]

More age does add softer entry, but also more complexity up to a point. I find Pappy 20 to be no more or less complex than the 15 year, but it's softer with a little more shellac nose from the wood, which I like. Pappy 23 is less complex than either of the younger ones, which tells me that a 17-18 yr version might be the best. Of course, if you age it in a higher, hotter part of the rick house, you could reach full maturity at 12-14 years. It's not so much science as it is art.

[mosugoji64]

I think we're looking for more complexity, less heat, and thicker mouthfeel with these wishes. Seems like the best bourbons exhibit these qualities. FR has already given us some great bottles that fill these requirements. The BTAC also does so, albeit at a higher price point. The PH line fills that gap for HH. I think Beam is the last distillery that has yet to show us something great in this area. Booker's is a good start, but too young. They should offer up something with some age at barrel proof, and I would prefer something from the OGD line. Great thread, Steve!

[Meruck]

The right one. ................

[sailor22]

Jim Rutledge tells an interesting story regarding the age of whiskey.

The bean counters at 4R insisted they start going into the barrel at higher proof in order to maximize profit. He didn't want to but was overruled. The surprising (to the bean counters) result was that the higher proof juice took a year or more longer to mature, the added evaporation and taxes incurred in the extra aging negating any added profit they had hoped to gain.

Except, and this is a very big except, the current marketplace puts such a premium on age that the extra year(s) made to juice more desirable to the consumer. He implied that he could have made the same tasting whiskey a year or two earlier if he went into the barrel at lower proof but because it was older it was more desirable in todays marketplace. So putting it in the bottle as older whiskey helped sales, and while he didn't say it I suppose allowed for a more profitable pricing.

Sometimes I think we put too much emphasis on the age of a whiskey, there's more to the story than age.

[squire]

I fully agree Steve, I believe there is far too much emphasis on age. Jim Rutledge and his team can select barrels and put together a Small Batch Limited Edition far superior to something that's merely 18 or 20 years old.

[MauiSon]

Especially when he's using 17 year-old barrels!

[weller_tex]

Weller 12 at cask strength as per one of the original suggestions. That would be awesome. I am in the minority around here that likes MM, so I would like to see MM at cask strength at 10-12 years. Also OGD 114..not sure how old it is, but maybe just add another 2 years.

[squire]

Maui they are more like an average of 12 with some older stuff thrown in, I could look the previous year(s) expressions and be specific but I don't work on Fridays.