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Old Blowhard


elmossle
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Very good indeed Eric, the direct comparison to other brands was also solid information.

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Hey hey hey, on Caskers today...falsely advertised (in the email flyer) as distilled at SW, and once you go to the website, there is a mysterious scratched out "Retail Price" of $229 scratched out, such that it can be offered to us at the bargain basement price of 179.99!

I'll have...none. Glad I got mine at better prices than these.

tbt

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I forgot to add the thrilling co-offer of a Barterhouse, "reduced" from 99.99 to the tantalizing price of 89.99 for savvy online shoppers.

It must have been the excitement.

tbt

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Very good indeed Eric, the direct comparison to other brands was also solid information.
Thanks! Hopefully they are useful to someone at some point. Either way, it was nice to discover that both bourbons are enjoyable pours, regardless of the frustrating marketing. Even better was not paying for the privilege, though I did share a good bit of 4RSB OESO (hi time wines) and Glendronach 15 with my friend.
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Interestingly a large local merchant here (K&L) got a second drop of these in pretty large quantities. Eventually sold out (heck, everything sells out here), but either supply is pretty big or some stores must have passed on their allotments.

i passed as well, been buying some store selected single barrels (EC 12, Dickel BP) and am fairly well stocked.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Interestingly a large local merchant here (K&L) got a second drop of these in pretty large quantities. Eventually sold out (heck, everything sells out here), but either supply is pretty big or some stores must have passed on their allotments.

i passed as well, been buying some store selected single barrels (EC 12, Dickel BP) and am fairly well stocked.

Edited by Jiggity
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That's a good attitude Jiggity, accept it for what it is and enjoy it at your own pace.

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That almost makes me want to try the Barterhouse, too. I think I'll eke out with the few dusties I've found, tho.

Edited by MauiSon
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Pike - were you able to pick up any of that EC SB #111? This was one of my favorites, but they were out of it last time I was @ K&L. Bummer...

As for Barterhouse, I'm going to throw in my thoughts as a NooB and forego on the tasting notes (they'd be useless to most anyhow)

I bought a bottle @ BevMo for $75. Being a NooB, I've read volumes about the "good ole days" of bourbon and how the new styles of bourbon aren't as good as they use to be. I've read articles about shortages, and how distilleries aren't going to put a drop of aged whiskey in a bottle beyond what's printed on the label, etc. etc. For me, Barterhouse 20 presents an opportunity for NooBs, like myself, to taste a older style of hooch at a very affordable price point.

Is Barterhouse from orphaned barrels? Is it truly a limited release? is the provenance misrepresented? IDK, but what I can say is that I enjoy going back to this bottle every 3-4 days, which is more than I can say for some other bottles in my bar, even at this same price point.

As for Old Blowhard...I purchased a bottle, but it will be a while before I crack it...

I doubt you'll be disappointed, going in with that attitude. It's generally pretty good, and most other 20+ year old bourbon (worth trying occasionally for educational purposes at the very least) is prohibitively expensive. Diageo's marketing campaign is pretty disappointing though.
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Diageo's marketing campaign is pretty disappointing though.

Yes and no. The "story" part of the marketing is disingenuous, as well as the bizarre allocation strategy.

But the bottle and label designs are gorgeous. I have to consider that part of the marketing.

I personally wasn't much of a Barterhouse fan, but most people I tasted with preferred it to Old Blowhard. My preference was OB by a mile. One of my favorite finishes so far of any bourbon.

tbt

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But the bottle and label designs are gorgeous.
That's a fair point. The labels are quite nice.
I personally wasn'tmuch of a Barterhouse fan, but most people I tasted with preferred it to OldBlowhard. My preference was OB by a mile. One of my favorite finishes so far of any bourbon.
If the bottle of Barterhouse happens to be yours and you still have some left, try decanting the remainder, or leaving the top off for a few hours. It really opens up nicely.
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If the bottle of Barterhouse happens to be yours and you still have some left, try decanting the remainder, or leaving the top off for a few hours. It really opens up nicely.

I've got five more bottles left, and my girlfriend and several friends are fans, so there are going to be plenty of opportunities for re-evaluation. I don't think it's bad by any means, just spoiled by the finish on the blowhard I think. I hope I can give more meaningful tasting notes in the future when I get back to TX.

tbt

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hm. While I saw about eight of the Barterhouse and six of the Old Blowhard at one of my local stores, I just don't have the money to spend on these this month. I'm also not feeling too much of an urge to save up; I don't mind some oak, but I'm not really an oak-bomb kind of person.

Which is a shame, because I really like the labels and bottles. I'm tired of the modernist/minimalist label designs and non-traditional bottle shapes flooding the market, and these are a welcome change.

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I got my Whisky Advocate magazine Friday and there are 3 full page ads for each of these Orphan brands.

The Old Blowhard and Barterhouse say Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey on the label.

The Rhetoric says Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey on the label.

That tells us something, I think.

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I got my Whisky Advocate magazine Friday and there are 3 full page ads for each of these Orphan brands.

The Old Blowhard and Barterhouse say Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey on the label.

The Rhetoric says Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey on the label.

That tells us something, I think.

The "straight" labeling point is addressed on one of the earlier pages in this thread: Diageo confirmed they are "straight" and suggested they left it off because it seems old fashioned or isn't a point most consumers would focus on.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?21645-Old-Blowhard&p=398856&viewfull=1#post398856

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The "straight" labeling point is addressed on one of the earlier pages in this thread: Diageo confirmed they are "straight" and suggested they left it off because it seems old fashioned or isn't a point most consumers would focus on.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?21645-Old-Blowhard&p=398856&viewfull=1#post398856

Similar to the Makers 46 labeling, then. The conspiracy theorist might say that this is just part of the process of getting bourbon consumers accustomed to packaging that is absent of legally-constraining labeling like 'straight', 'bottled in bond', etc.

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My real issue with these bourbons is the Proof. 90 proof whiskey is not gonna make me go gaga. It's hard to really love a whiskey with the volume turned down that low. I just keep thinking about how good it COULD be.

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People have no idea what straight means. I overheard a bartender waxing wise about bourbon tell a couple of enraptured customers that "straight" meant aged in new oak barrels. Sigh.

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  • 1 month later...

Just purchased bottle 77883 ( seventy seven thousand xxx ) from Costco in chiacgo for 59.99. I really enjoy it but found the bottle number amusing

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Just purchased bottle 77883 ( seventy seven thousand xxx ) from Costco in chiacgo for 59.99. I really enjoy it but found the bottle number amusing

$59.99? !

That must be a typo?

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Sorry...let me be more specific...$59.99 for barterhouse ( not old blowhard ).

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