What Bourbon Are You Drinking - Spring 2014

[BigRich]

Barterhouse tonight

[whiskeyagonzo]

A buddy stopped by and we finished off my bottle of FR 125th LE. Wow, I forgot how great this was. Wish I had another bottle now. Maybe I'll get something similar when we hit the distillery and gift shop later this year.

I'm having the same at the moment. It is one of my all time favs.

[jmj_203]

I'm in Pittsburgh for a conference and visited the Wigle distillery, where I got to try out a flight of whiskeys, along with a genever and a spiced spirit distilled from buckwheat honey. My favorite was the "deep cut rye", which is cask strength, double distilled (from a pot still made in Germany), and aged in 15 gallon barrels for a year in what appears to be a climate controlled room. They also have a regular rye, but this one differs not only in the proof but also in the cuts they take. For the "deep cut", they include more of the tails, I seem to remember, along with the hearts. Anyway, it's nice and oily with lots of fragrant notes, and the high strength covers the small barrel taste. It's only 57% at cask strength, indicating that it's a low proof off the still (duh).

Another good one was their wheater, offered at 46%. It, too, is aged only a year and in small barrels, so I expected sawdust hooey like I got with the SA Yearling. However, alongside the notable green wood junk, I got a really, really nice cinnamon flavor that belied its very young age. It was my second-favorite, but I bought the spiced buckwheat honey spirit instead for the wife and her girly girl girlfriends.

I really enjoyed this tasting. I expected to be disappointed but they are miles ahead of just about every microdistillery product I've sampled. Also, I was excited to see that they're doing 53 gallon barrel aging, too. Whew!

Really didnt even know they were that close to me, but great to see some tasting notes on Wigle. I work and live about 20 minutes north of pittsburgh so maybe I'll visit soon. I always see several of their white and shine offerings available on our state site. No ryes are up as far as I recall but I'll check. Thats good it sounds like theyre saving the good stuff for aging and releasing whatever they have to as lower quality to get some return while they wait. Hopefully, and it seems true so far, they are only releasing teases in tiny amounts until it comes of age. I'll cross my fingers they let it get to 8 years in decent qty. Just my early minimum I seem to prefer.

Edited May 3, 2014 by jmj_203

[Paddy]

Started off with VSOF and followed that with a dose of Stagg Jr. Damn, that Bambi is the fire! :hot:

[Old Dusty]

Bookers before dinner. OGD114 with dinner. FR SmB 125th after dinner and SB blend for a nightcap. A bourbon four bagger.

[flahute]

Trying out the OFS and WT101 blend that was mentioned in the madvatter thread. I was in a hurry and wasn't scientific about the ratio, and, I didn't give it time to mingle, soooooo.......it's not hitting me just right yet. Probably should have tried this when I had time to be more patient.

[lrochau]

I'm having Weller 12 but I'm actually eating it in cookie form..... My girlfriend used it for mint Julip cookies. At least my ER101 wasn't in arms reach!

[hn4bourbon]

Having a pour of Stagg Jr with a couple cubes of ice.

[flahute]

Soooo......the WT101/OFS unscientific mix got better as it had more time to mingle. I followed it up with a private selection 4R Single Barrel OESK. Amazing with a touch of water added. This one is always good. I've heard some here say that 4R products can deteriorate quickly about a month or so after being first open, but this bottle is still just as good about 5 months + after being open. Love it.

[brettckeen]

An 8.5 yr SB of OWA. Now at 1/2 fill this bourbon is shining with all the oxigen exposure. I'd put it up against that last couple ORVW10s and it would hold its own.

[Trey Manthey]

Wild Turkey Tribute 15. Goddamn!

[TunnelTiger]

Saturday morning, some EWBIB in my coffee, again.

[squire]

Saturday morning some Dant BIB in my coffee, again.

[bad_scientist]

Really didnt even know they were that close to me, but great to see some tasting notes on Wigle. I work and live about 20 minutes north of pittsburgh so maybe I'll visit soon. I always see several of their white and shine offerings available on our state site. No ryes are up as far as I recall but I'll check. Thats good it sounds like theyre saving the good stuff for aging and releasing whatever they have to as lower quality to get some return while they wait. Hopefully, and it seems true so far, they are only releasing teases in tiny amounts until it comes of age. I'll cross my fingers they let it get to 8 years in decent qty. Just my early minimum I seem to prefer.

They promote their white dog as the original Pennsylvania whiskey, the stuff George Washington drank and all that. If they really want authenticity, they'd lower their prices to colonial levels, too...

Their cask strength rye should be a hit by 3 years of aging in 53 gallon barrels.

[OscarV]

4R OBSK 122.6prf, neat.

[bad_scientist]

Woodford Reserve, batch 130. Good grief, this was good stuff! I've had WR twice in my life before this - the first time it tasted thin and metallic, and the second time I spit it out because it was so nasty. This guy, though, is like the Ritt 21 I had last week. Nice earthy rye with an old, slightly sooty oak profile. No spice, really. I can't believe the batch variation with this label.

[Wryguy]

Trying to kill off some samples, decided to have some wheaters to start the playoff triple header. PVW15 from 2009, WFE9 128.4 proof barrel #811, and PHC4 127.8. The Willett was sweet and almost floral, lots of honeycomb and caramel, velvety mouthfeel. The PHC was darker, smokier sweetness, molasses, char, graham crackers, toasted pecan, with incredible balance and long finishing. The PVW15 got better with a couple of drops of water, but was very vanilla forward and didn't have as much balance, shifting from light sweetness to bitter oakiness with little in the middle. Definitely the driest of the three pours. Great pours all around, but the PHC4 took the day. Think I'll switch over to rye now.

[jwvoytus]

Regular ETL in a great mint julep in honor of some horse race or something, then some FC103 EC12 vatting. Both hitting the spot

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[bjhowell]

Four roses single barrel OBSO we picked for a buddy's store here in FL. Just found out Jim Rutledge is coming to my buddy's store later this month to do a bottle signing. So guess I gotta pick up a few more.

[Paddy]

Capping off an eventful Derby Day with a little dab (or two) of the SB Blend.

[393foureyedfox]

there's no better day to leave Louisville than Derby Day, so Mrs Fox and I went to French Lick. She played in the casino while I sat on the nice huge Southern style porch enjoying the awesome weather with a nice pour of KC. This is about the best thing you can count on every bar having on the shelf, and today it was awesome!

[tylermke]

Had a small glass of 2012 WLW while out to dinner. I'm normally not a fan of getting barrel proofers while out to dinner, but that one hit the spot tonight.

[hn4bourbon]

Having a pour of ECBP:EC12 vatting.

[flahute]

Had to work today and unwisely chose to ride my bike there. Steady rain on the way home made for a miserable outing. Clearly needing to change my fortunes and to warm myself up after that cold wet ride, I'm stoking the fire with some ECBP batch 3. My mood has suddenly changed for the better.

[bad_scientist]

It's only 57% at cask strength, indicating that it's a low proof off the still (duh).

edit - that was a stupid inference. They could be distilling to the full 80%, barreling at 62.5%, and just have some alcohol evaporation in the temperate climate. The final proof means nothing.