Distillery of the year?

[Paddy]

Since we are pondering the virtues of bourbon of the year, why not discuss the status and state of the bourbon houses....those genteel purveyors of fine spirits, many of whom are near and dear to our hearts?

At this moment in time....who is doing it very well, fairly well or not well at all? The world wants to know what the defining StraightBourbon Society thinks.

I would cast a vote for the house of 4 Roses and ask....who is currently doing it better and more consistently than the good folks in Lawrenceburg?

[Yeti]

Paddy, I'll second your nomination. While I would love to expound on the many reasons why I must simply say that it is late, and my wallet has said more on the issue than I possibly could.

[393foureyedfox]

Im not gonna give an opinion of DOTY, but I will say that I personally am thankful for HH and Beam for making lots of great stuff that is under $50 and readily available anytime i feel like making the trip to the store. I'm not the 4R fan many of you are, but they too offer a lot of good choices for under $50, with the barrel proof wide selection being barely over that, that I plan to experiment with one of these days

hopefully, I can still say that in the next few years. I imagine a lot is going to change with ages statements, proofs, prices, and availability, though age statements I care least about of those options

[callmeox]

If you don't care about age statements, then Four Roses should be right up your alley.

[HighInTheMtns]

I'll cast my vote for Four Roses as well, but Heaven Hill put up a good fight. I don't think another distillery was even in the conversation this year.

[393foureyedfox]

If you don't care about age statements, then Four Roses should be right up your alley.

I need to try some more 4R barrel proof expressions. I had one and loved it, but didnt know enough about bourbon at the time to know there were 10 different recipes available.

which of the 75% corn barrel proofers do you guys recommend starting with?

[DBM]

Old Rip Van Winkle is distillery of every year. Duh.

[Old Dusty]

McClain&Kyne, Michters, or Whistlepig. I can't decide. They are ALL distilling top notch.......oh, wait. Never mind.

[Old Dusty]

And being serious for a minute, it's Four Roses all day for me. Two time reigning American Whiskey of the Year. A REAL Master Distiller with the Midas touch. A full line of products and price points and not a clunker in the bunch. A very cool visitor center. 10 recipes. And holy smokes that 17 yr gift shop bottle!

[Wryguy]

It is tempting to pick Four Roses, as they have truly impressed me this year with their diversity of offerings, but yet their consistent quality as well. Never had a single bottle from there that I didn't like, but for me, it has to be HH. Between ECBP, PoH, and the soon to be in my hands 'bourbon of the year,' I think they just edged out the folks in Lawrenceburg. But I haven't got my taster on the 125th or the 'bourbon of the year' yet. So the jury in my head is still officially deliberating...

[Restaurant man]

I'll cast my vote for Four Roses as well, but Heaven Hill put up a good fight. I don't think another distillery was even in the conversation this year.

Agree 100%. A two man fight with a clear winner

[squire]

No matter how it shakes out I think we are the winners.

[kcgumbohead]

Another vote for 4R for the already stated reasons and just the fact that I have not only enjoyed but been impressed by the tremendous flavor of all the releases I have tasted. More than any other distillery 4R bourbons are the ones that get that WOW!! reaction from me. They have become the benchmark by which I judge everything else. There are many bourbons from many distilleries I like but I find that I love the 4R releases. When I taste something new I decide whether or not to purchase based on if I would get it if 4R was sitting next to it, 4R wins that battle the vast majority of the time, as such my growing collection is heavily slanted toward 4R and I don't see that changing anytime soon. The 10 recipes can cover such a wide range of flavors and the several I have had have each stood out as distinct and delicious bourbons on their own. That distinction in flavor and quality of flavor have made me a massive fan of Jim Rutledge and Four Roses.

[qman22]

I vote for Heaven Hill. ECBP was an extremely impressive release considering its quality and affordability, especially in this age of rising prices.

[Yeti]

which of the 75% corn barrel proofers do you guys recommend starting with?

OESO is probably my favorite yeast for the E bill.

[HighHorse]

It's not too difficult to cut any number of distilleries out of the heard and sing accolades for them. Four Roses is certainly right up there. I don't think there's any question that JR is the MD to beat all MDs. On the other hand, I have to give a tip of the hat to Buffalo Trace as they continue to turn out delicious juice and I"m mightily impressed with the job they are doing following up on the Van Winkle line. That's not easy task and a high bar indeed that they seem as capable of doing as anyone else I can think of. I certainly agree that HH has stretched out this year with their older offerings and barrel proof offerings. For those of us that enjoy the bigger pours .. they've certainly stepped up to the plate in a big way. I think we've seen some interesting movement in this regard from Wild Turkey but I also think that the best is yet to come from them. Beam is actually tip toeing into the premium lines and showing hints of some excellent whiskey in those warehouses. We just need to see more of it.

I agree with Squire (as usual) .. and think we've been the winners this year.

Perhaps I've overlooked someone that's making good moves. Certainly some of the smaller "craft" guys are doing that. I'd be OK with Four Roses or Heaven Hill for the reasons above.

[TunnelTiger]

Without a dobut another vote for 4R. If I was restricted to only being able to purchase from one distiller and 4R was the one I'd have no complaints.

But I do like me some variety.

[Phil T]

I want to pat all the major distilleries on the back...they are giving us phenomenal bourbons and ryes at lots of different price points

Something for everyone, good for us..:toast:

[bearmark]

My vote goes to Balcones, who brought us a taste of the future in their fantastic Fifth Anniversary releases, garnered impressive awards throughout the year (much more than an average share), set in place huge expansion plans and began implementing them and most importantly, started delivering fantastic bourbon.

[MyOldKyDram]

Another vote for Four Roses. Gimme their here and now over somebody else's future all day.

[zillah]

HH is my vote.

The distiller still retained their classic BIB brand profile. (while not increasing prices) Evan Williams White Label is now getting nationwide distribution. ECBP was one of the best releases this year - it hit all the right points for craft presentation at a ridiculous value price. Put out more age stated Elijah Craig. This years PHC release was focused on charity. EC12 is the same price as it was last year and still a fantastic pour. I know everyone loves four roses for being top quality, but take a second to think about how much Heaven Hill accomplished. It may not be the best bourbon ever, but for us enthusiasts, I'd say they are all about serving our tastes and then some.

[Renegator]

I'll put in a vote for Four Roses. I'm really happy to see all the liquor stores who are doing private barrels of barrel strength in the different recipes. I currently have all 10. At $50 - it isn't inexpensive bourbon but it's not breaking the bank.

[bingstein]

Four Roses is the only distillery with whom I don't have the slightest bone to pick. It might be picking nits, but the drastic increases in the prices of the EC20-21 (and presumably 22) ding HH a fair amount and its gift shop is reserved for BX+ pricing. Admittedly the quality of the gift shop is high up on my list of factors being within a short drive of most distilleries, and is probably what bumps Four Roses over the top for me. Buffalo Trace doing away with two value pours (AAA10yr and OC10) in order to put that juice in higher price bottles is ultimately what takes them down, too.

My wife helped with a large event hosted by a law professor at UK earlier this year. She wanted to do something nice for the professor and I suggested getting a gift shop bottle from Four Roses. I called and asked whether Jim Rutledge could sign it and she said we had just missed him because he was on his way to his car and would be in New York for the weekend. Apparently another employee went to the parking lot and caught him and he came back inside and signed the bottle with a personalized statement to the professor.

Four Roses was a very easy choice for me.

[squire]

That speaks very well for both Mr. Rutledge and the Four Roses employees, well played indeed.

[393foureyedfox]

Four Roses is the only distillery with whom I don't have the slightest bone to pick. It might be picking nits, but the drastic increases in the prices of the EC20-21 (and presumably 22) ding HH a fair amount and its gift shop is reserved for BX+ pricing. Admittedly the quality of the gift shop is high up on my list of factors being within a short drive of most distilleries, and is probably what bumps Four Roses over the top for me. Buffalo Trace doing away with two value pours (AAA10yr and OC10) in order to put that juice in higher price bottles is ultimately what takes them down, too.

My wife helped with a large event hosted by a law professor at UK earlier this year. She wanted to do something nice for the professor and I suggested getting a gift shop bottle from Four Roses. I called and asked whether Jim Rutledge could sign it and she said we had just missed him because he was on his way to his car and would be in New York for the weekend. Apparently another employee went to the parking lot and caught him and he came back inside and signed the bottle with a personalized statement to the professor.

Four Roses was a very easy choice for me.

4R may not be my favorite, but Rutledge seems like a class act....ive never heard the slightest negative remark about him.