BOTM 10/13: Henry McKenna Single Barrel BIB

[devillighter]

I met a nice guy by the name of Kevin there that knew you. He's on here too, but I forget his username. He bought a case of the McKenna it's so damn good.

[ethangsmith]

Hey Ken! I have no idea where I got Kevin from? Lesson for all of us- Ethan is terrible with names! Apologies for that one.

I think Stan said they got about 17 cases or something like that. He was expecting about 30 cases, so they suspect the barrel may have leaked during aging. Now I regret not buying more!

[boneuphtoner]

Just bought my very first bottle of this one. My initial thoughts, unlike many of you, is that it is a touch more refined than HH BIB, but not by much. I really like it, but it is nearly twice the price of HH BIB.

[suntour]

Just bought my very first bottle of this one. My initial thoughts, unlike many of you, is that it is a touch more refined than HH BIB, but not by much. I really like it, but it is nearly twice the price of HH BIB.

With labeled bottles of the month like this one, we should really note which ones we are drinking from, in case someone thinks they've got a honey bottle and somebody has a bottle they think is garbage we could tell who has bad tastebuds

My bottle is number 922, barreled on 12/2/02. It was super delicious from the start, but has now opened up with some air into something extremely nice. I like it way better than many of my other similarly priced 100 proofers.

[boneuphtoner]

The more and more I do this comparison with HH BIB, the McKenna seems to shine brighter and brighter. I'm really starting to dig this stuff.

[devillighter]

The more and more I do this comparison with HH BIB, the McKenna seems to shine brighter and brighter. I'm really starting to dig this stuff.

[boneuphtoner]

No, mine is not a special bottling to the best of my knowledge. I picked this up at a Montgomery County liquor store, mostly because I wanted to compare it to my new PHC, which I am absolutely loving, and is reportedly about the same age and roughly the same proof. The PHC is superior with its delightful creaminess, but not by that much. I will have to check out that Midway place sometime when I'm close by.

[P&MLiquorsEric]

I found a solid single barrel store offering of this at Old Town in Louisville. It is a collab with Doc Crowes restaurant. Good stuff.

[TunnelTiger]

Having my second pour right now, this is an excellent Bourbon!

[boneuphtoner]

I just picked up a couple of bottles of the Midway Liquor barrel selection of McKenna and it is fantastic! Even better than the standard one I picked up earlier. I have compared it against nearly every bottle I have open at the moment, and with the exception of PHC version 7, it was equal or better than all of them. This is the second best bottle I've purchased all year. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

On a related note, check out the Midway Blantons barrel they have. I've only had two bottles of Blantons in my bourbon journey, and although I consider it a decent pour, it always seemed like a flatter more expensive version of ETL. Their barrel is much better than that, and I'm looking forward to comparing it against my lineup soon.

[393foureyedfox]

enjoying a fresh pour from a bottle gifted to me last month. Very, very nice. I did a SBS with it and HH6BIB white label, and while you can definitely tell the strong family resemblance, the McK is a bit smoother, sweeter, and more well rounded than the HH6. aging an extra 4 years makes a decent difference. It was a private selection bottle, and I may have to see if they have more of it still. I've read lots of online reviews about it, but I just don't see how people call this a 'hot' one, I find it just about right, and a great expression of HH profile done just right.

for reference, its barrel no. 1288, and is 11 years old (barreled on 2-28-03, and selected by this store on 3-19-13)

Edited August 2, 2014 by 393foureyedfox

[Guy Debord]

I had this in a bourbon flight I recently created. I chose Blanton's, Rockhill Farms, and McKenna. Blanton's and Rockhilll were a very tasty tie and McKenna was far behind. I prefer EC12 over this and in Chicago, McKenna is $3 more at $32.99. I can find more interesting bourbon a bit above and below its price. To me it just doesn't do enough to jump off the shelf.

(Chicago MSRP) Would rather drink:

EC12 $30

FRSmB $30

ER10 $30

ETL $30

EWSB $29

OGD114 $25

Weller12 $25

[393foureyedfox]

i meant store selected on 3-19-14, not 13....whoops

[TunnelTiger]

Having my second pour right now, this is an excellent Bourbon!

[BillP]

Had my first sample of this and really enjoyed it.

[393foureyedfox]

anyone else find it very similar in profile to WT101 (recent releases), only with a better and longer lasting finish than the WT?

[Hop]

I am really enjoying this Bourbon. Been through a couple of bottles and bunkering more as I locate it. For the price it's hard to beat at least to me.

Also I find it nothing like WT101 as this far I haven't found any WT that is in my wheelhouse from a flavor standpoint.

[smokinjoe]

HM BIB's seem to have a great deal of variability to them, for some reason. A Private Selection of it that I tried recently, literally screamed the WT profile to me. It was pretty dang good.

[Harry in WashDC]

I, too, found their "batches" different (not surprising if they aren't lying about the single barrel). Bought a bottle in MD while passing through (far from home) and liked it enough to buy a replacement locally. Different enough taste that I retrieved the empty original from the recycle bin - obviously the barrel numbers were different but wanted to make sure. It's not in my regular rotation so didn't buy another for awhile. When I did, I liked that third bottle enough to rush back and get two from the same barrel for the bunker. It's still not a regular, but I now think I'll avoid a little disappointment for awhile when I'm in the mood for it.

[Flyfish]

I, too, found their "batches" different (not surprising if they aren't lying about the single barrel). Bought a bottle in MD while passing through (far from home)....

[Jazz Nut]

HM BIB's seem to have a great deal of variability to them, for some reason. A Private Selection of it that I tried recently, literally screamed the WT profile to me. It was pretty dang good.

There is a liquor store by my house (northern suburbs of Minneapolis), that has a Private Selection. Wondering if it would be an improvement on the normal HM BIB (which is pretty good on its own).

[sutton]

I prefer the HMcK BiB over EC12, but it is splitting hairs. I've had three McKenna BiB store selects and at least 5 other bottles purchased up and down the east coast, and there is less variability in those than EC12. I do like EC12, but at times, at least to me, it isn't as balanced as the McKenna. They are both good, but I'll throw it Henry's way.

[gburger]

I got one a couple months ago, great value, great pour. I like to recommend this to people I see looking at bottles in the liquor stores.

[Jiggity]

HM BIB store selects are equal favorite daily pours as are EC12 SB offerings. I have a hard time picking a favorite. I'm a big fan of HH products.

I just picked up a couple bottles of HM barrel 1444 from a local shop that I'm looking forward to opening later tonight.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Jiggity
sent too early

[jfarr63]

Not normally a McKenna fan I got a taste of the private selection Henry McKenna Barrel BIB in Louisville, KY. Oh my gosh. Incredible stuff. Smooth, caramel notes, Great finish. Coated the tongue, and delicious all around. Wow. I could have finished a whole bottle of it. Would not have been able to walk, but wow. Knocked the socks off any Pappy I have tasted, IMHO (tasted all, even up to 23 y/o).