Top 5 Bourbons I've Had In The Last Year

[MyOldKyDram]

Rathskeller Rye

Bowman Rye

4R 17 yo gs bottle

Blantons Straight From the Barrel

Hirsch Blue Wax

Most honorable mention to Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey

Looking to try Centennial, Doug's, Red Hook, ORVW 15...

[BB Slim]

PVW15

JPS18

FR1B

EC20

OFBB2010

Looking to try FR1BLE2013, PHC and WTRRSB

[Cigar Dan]

Last year:

2012 GTS

2012 WLW

ECBP

4R 2012 LE SmB

PHC 5th

Next year:

2013 GTS

2013 WLW

2013 Saz 18

Abraham Bowman (no real shot at this, but I can dream)

4R 2013 LE SmB

[Restaurant man]

I'm with yeti on the

rathskeller

Four roses 17 year obsv

2012 small batch 4 roses

Ill add

William larue weller (any year)

ECBP 16 GBS selection (only cause it took so long to get)

I will say that the year ain't over and there's at least 5 more killer bourbons coming out that I'm looking forward to. Gentlemen, we are truly blessed to have access to the whiskey that we do. The past looks really good. All those dusties you will maybe never taste, things your grandfather took for granted. But I have to tell you, the golden age of bourbon is RIGHT NOW! Amen

Oh I forgot. To yeti. Got this in the mail last week

[MyOldKyDram]

Now that's one helluva impressive sight!

[Yeti]

Damn, Kevin. That's downright gratuitous. Cheers!

[bingstein]

I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl, but what are those delicious looking treats?

[HighInTheMtns]

I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl, but what are those delicious looking treats?

[peb]

Here goes:

1 - Four Roses SmB LE 2012 - one of my all time favorite Four Roses offerings.

2 - WLW 2010 - I wish I had much better access to WLW (any year). I actually think this is the most difficult to find of the Antique Collection.

3 - Abraham Bowman Rye - what I ended up with was the 90 proof version; I bought in a rush thinking it was the barrel proof bottle that was held in high regards here. It was still good stuff.

4 - Willet Family Reserve, 11yr - this came from Liquor Barn and I was really impressed. I don't recall the proof (I think over 100), but this was very rich bourbon.

5 - Elijah Craig 18 - The last bottle I have seen (purchased in Kingsport, TN). It's been a long time since I had this, and I forgot how great of a deal it was in the bourbon world. This bottle is all vanilla.

Honorable Mention - ORVW 10/107 - started out hot, but after about 2 months has opened up nicely

[squire]

Perhaps we should make this an annual thread, say around holiday time.

[TunnelTiger]

It's getting close to Labor Day, that counts as Holiday right? Anyway I'm going with:

AAA 10 Star

EWBIB

4RSBLE2012

ETL

GD12

[squire]

I'm retired . . . every day's a holiday.

[boneuphtoner]

In the last year, my top 5 were:

-Four Roses 2012 LE Small Batch - the best I've ever had actually

-2012 WLW

-2012 PVW 15

-Jefferson's Presidential Select

-Standard Four Roses SB

[Yeti]

I'm with yeti on the

Four roses 17 year obsv

Oh I forgot. To yeti. Got this in the mail last week...

You know, if the ryes hadn't been so amazing those new bottles there might have been #2-5 on the list.

[hn4bourbon]

These are mine:

EHT SB BIB (I just really enjoy the uniqueness of its flavors and its finish is just wonderful for me)

mid 2000s WSR7 (I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this after not particularly liking the current WSRs on the shelf. I always end up drinking too many pours when I drink this)

JPS18 batch 16 (Just really enjoyable)

FRSmBLE2012 (no explanations needed on this one)

ECBP (no explanations needed on this one either)

Honorable mentions:

FRSmBLE2011 (just a really good one but would come in 6th for me),

FRSBLE2013 (need more time with it),

VOB86 (enjoyable and an easy one to reach for when I want an tasty pour),

ETL (another really nice one that I haven't tried until this past year),

PVW15 (had to list this one. good but not great. Maybe I was expecting too much due to all the hype but it underwhelmed for me)

I have found that I enjoy the following elements that show up in these in the above:

certain sour profile, some citrus, greenness, grassiness, certain flavor of cleanness, slightly oily, dry finish, wood lingering finish, mild spice, vanilla, nuttiness, caramel, burnt sugar, candied dried fruits. i'm probably missing some of the really enjoyable elements.

Too many I want to try this next year.

[Restaurant man]

Damn, Kevin. That's downright gratuitous. Cheers!

Cheers. Honestly thought I'd never see another one of these. And I couldn't bring myself to open the remaining one I had but thanks to the coolest guy in the world I've got one open now.

[ChicagoFlyer]

Ok, I"ll play along! Seems like a fun game:

Willett 8 yr Wheated - Binny's fall 2012 bottling

Willett 9 yr - Binny's fall 2012 bottling

ECBP

WT 8 yr

VOB 6yr BiB (I realize this isn't the epic bottles listed elsewhere but it seriously opened my eyes to Barton and is now a staple of our bar)

[bearmark]

1 - PVW23

2 - Balcones V Anniversary

3 - Willett 8 (Spec's Selection 2012)

4 - FRSB

5 - OFBB 2012

Some non-bourbon honorable mentions: Bernheim, HW Rendezvous

Next year's wish list:

WLW 2012 (already in cellar)

GTS 2013

FRLESB 2013

FRLESmB 2013

PHC BoM (batch 4 already in cellar)

Non-bourbons in cellar: THH 2011, WP10

[tanstaafl2]

Hmm, lots of great whiskey in the past year. Counting only those things I had for the first time in the past year and counting rye as well as bourbon I would say the following in no definitive order were my top 5 favorite whiskies (maybe not the "best" but the most interesting to me):

Angel's Envy Cask Strength Port Finished Bourbon - Definitely would be in my top 5 best as well!

Angel's Envy Rum Cask Rye

Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon - Nah, there's no theme here... :cool:

Zuidam Millstone 100 rye from the Netherlands - OK, it is not even "Made in America" buit it was damned good!

Jefferson Ocean - Not so much because it was great but because of the novelty and my interest in the experiment. Although it certainly wasn't bad. In fact I found it to be quite good. Just not equal to the price or notoriety/infamy it received.

Edited August 20, 2013 by tanstaafl2

[humchan2k]

2013 has been a good year of drinking so far for the Humchan2k:

1. SW Old Fitz Prime - '72

2. Old Overholt from '53

3. Old Forester BiB DSP 414 - Louisville

4. Saz 18 '07

5. Weller Centennial - Frankfort

Not bad for dusties.

Edited August 20, 2013 by humchan2k

[weller_tex]

My list is pretty plain jane..in no particular order

Willett 5 year rye single barrel (not a bourbon I know but others had ryes..)

Four Roses Lt Ed Small Batch 2011

Larceny (the latest bottlings have this wonderful chocolate and cherries thing..)

OGD 114

A really nice bottle of Old Ezra 7/101

[Parkersback]

1. Old Taylor BIB, 1972

2. Old Fitz BIB, DSP 16, 1992

3. Elijah Craig 12. Just the regular ol' current offering.

4. Weller 12 (current)

5. Old Grand Dad 1980's

Kudos to the current versions of VWRye, Jefferson Rye (well, I mean the version before the switch to the Indiana stuff) and standard George Dickel 12.

[ISU_grad]

I'd have to say in no particular order:

FR SmB '12

FR SB '12

Pappy 15

PHC Blend

WLW (Special thanks to Wainwright on this one)

Looks like I'm a whore for the top shelf this last year.

[Crowes]

Great thread topic, here's mine:

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Willett 4yr Single Barrel Rye

Willitt Family Estate 9yr, SB, 127 proof

JPS 18yr, batch 11

Eagle Rare 17yr 2012

[oke&coke]

Having just hit my one year anniversary I had to think about this one so here it goes:

1. VB17(by a mile)

2. Ardbeg Uigidal(not bourbon but the start of this whole whiskey mess I'm in)

3. Whistlepig rye(a sentimental favorite)

4. BT(another sentimental)

5. Larceny(first real wheater)