New WT Rare Breed bottling?

[jwacky]

Not my bottle/purchase but saw it on a FB group (and posted here with permission)... is this a new bottling of Rare Breed? Can't find any info about it anywhere...

[jwvoytus]

I saw this in a local store today and had I not bought 3 bottles yesterday, and had it not been $42, I might have pulled the trigger.

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[smknjoe]

This is old news, but apparently just now hitting shelves. This is the only one-stop-shop for all of your most accurate and up-to-date bourbon info you need, bro!

http://bourbondork.blogspot.com/2013/05/lovin-turkey.html

[smknjoe]

I saw this in a local store today and had I not bought 3 bottles yesterday, and had it not been $42, I might have pulled the trigger.

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$35-$45 is in the normal price range for this label.

[jwvoytus]

Yeah that's my understanding for NJ, but that's a little high for my 4th bottle in 3 days after two ETLs and a SAOS7

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[squire]

Clever way to spin the fact they have increased barrel entry proof. Any why is there no longer 12 year old whisky in the mix?

[ramblinman]

Son of a... I just picked up my first bottle of the 108 pr stuff and love it. Looks like I'll have to stock up.

[Guest]

I gotta admit I have a slightly uneasy feeling about the change, just doesnt seem that any changes or releases by WT for the last few years have been very good

[The Black Tot]

The more I read, the more I realize that this is a freaky brand to be just getting into.

tbt

[Guest]

The more I read, the more I realize that this is a freaky brand to be just getting into.

tbt

Yeh many hold the oppinion that WTs best is behind them, so find the dusties if you can.

And it aint that their stuff today is bad, just not as good as it could be. Give 'em the bird!

[boneuphtoner]

I posted on FB about this, and my very first impressions of the new RB were quite favorable. I had only tried a mini of the 108 RB a couple of years ago, and although I liked it, I didn't think it was that much better than the standard 101 to justify the cost. I didn't realize there was a difference until I picked up the new bottle. This newer one, which I bought because I was curious to see the difference between RB and a new bottle of RR SB that I just opened, is now at 112 proof. I really like it...it is really close to the RR SB, with a little less char on the finish, more sweetness, and a little more alcohol burn.

[squire]

That's encouraging. When Rare Breed was first introduced we didn't have a bunch of barrel proof selections on the market as we do now. It's a good time to set up some comparative tastings.

[The Black Tot]

Yeh many hold the oppinion that WTs best is behind them, so find the dusties if you can.

And it aint that their stuff today is bad, just not as good as it could be. Give 'em the bird!

[Guest]

I suppose it's exciting. I mean, I really like the present RR 90 proof. I guess as you say, it just gets better from there if I can find the dusties.

Oh well, as I'm fond of saying - if it was easy, then anyone could do it.

tbt

Then again I am drinking a current bottle of WT101 which I am enjoying a lot more than a dusty WT101 8 year that preceeded it, the new one is better balancee whilst the dusty was a little flat and one dimensional with its wood character.

Man its hard work trying all these whiskeys and learning along the way.

[The Black Tot]

Then again I am drinking a current bottle of WT101 which I am enjoying a lot more than a dusty WT101 8 year that preceeded it, the new one is better balancee whilst the dusty was a little flat and one dimensional with its wood character.

Man its hard work trying all these whiskeys and learning along the way.

Yes, I believe I read your review on that. Add to that the fact that one man's flat is another man's flavorful, and it sure takes a whole lotta buying and drinking to reach bourbon nirvana.

tbt

[Guest]

Oh yeh I remember that writeup, that was a little while ago now, atm Im on new bottles of both, to be honest im probably 2 new bottles of each past that comparison, each new bottle has brought something diffrent and I dont feel like I am any closer to having a real prefference. At the very least I am still fairly confident that an 8year label doesnt neccesarily mean better, for me anyway.

[ethangsmith]

Rare Breed has been my favorite bourbon for several years. The 108.2 proof, the blend of ages- it was all just right for me. Leather, tobacco, spice, rye, maple. It was all there. It almost had a light gin flavor to it. I could pour a few ounce winter or summer and enjoy it. Sadly, our PA state stores have put it on closeout (They told me the WT rep. wanted them to move away from the product towards other stuff in the WT line.), so that means the end of easy availability for me. It comes at a very interesting time too- the new 112.8 proof version is now on the market elsewhere. I was able to get my hands on a bottle of the new Rare Breed 112.8. I've sat down and compared them side-by-side several times and I am can confidently say this:

The new stuff is not NEARLY as good as the old 108.2 bottling. The new stuff is hot and much younger. The nice gin note is replaced by heat. The leather and tobacco are muted. It's just heat and more heat. I am highly disappointed. It's basically the 101 bourbon at a higher proof and double the money. It's not to say "Avoid this whiskey" or that it is gross, bad, or not worth it. It's just not as good as the old stuff. But it seems that's the way everyone is going as whiskey supply gets tighter and tighter. It's not Wild Turkey's "fault" by any means. They have less barrels to select from and not as much old stock laying around to dump into things like Rare Breed. It's just a disappointment to me that my favorite whiskey has changed profiles. Is Rare Breed still my favorite bourbon? At this point, no. It's been replaced by the standard 101 bourbon. Why? Not because Rare Breed is "that bad" but because it's the best value in the WT line, it's easy to get, and it's still dang fine bourbon!

[mbroo5880i]

Any reason the proof was increased, especially during a period of declining proof and disappearing age statements. I assume it is related to the proof coming off the still?

[squire]

Yep, higher still and barrel entry proof.

[TunnelTiger]

I posted on FB about this, and my very first impressions of the new RB were quite favorable. I had only tried a mini of the 108 RB a couple of years ago, and although I liked it, I didn't think it was that much better than the standard 101 to justify the cost. I didn't realize there was a difference until I picked up the new bottle. This newer one, which I bought because I was curious to see the difference between RB and a new bottle of RR SB that I just opened, is now at 112 proof. I really like it...it is really close to the RR SB, with a little less char on the finish, more sweetness, and a little more alcohol burn.

[boneuphtoner]

Rare Breed has been my favorite bourbon for several years. The 108.2 proof, the blend of ages- it was all just right for me. Leather, tobacco, spice, rye, maple. It was all there. It almost had a light gin flavor to it. I could pour a few ounce winter or summer and enjoy it. Sadly, our PA state stores have put it on closeout (They told me the WT rep. wanted them to move away from the product towards other stuff in the WT line.), so that means the end of easy availability for me. It comes at a very interesting time too- the new 112.8 proof version is now on the market elsewhere. I was able to get my hands on a bottle of the new Rare Breed 112.8. I've sat down and compared them side-by-side several times and I am can confidently say this:

The new stuff is not NEARLY as good as the old 108.2 bottling. The new stuff is hot and much younger. The nice gin note is replaced by heat. The leather and tobacco are muted. It's just heat and more heat. I am highly disappointed. It's basically the 101 bourbon at a higher proof and double the money. It's not to say "Avoid this whiskey" or that it is gross, bad, or not worth it. It's just not as good as the old stuff. But it seems that's the way everyone is going as whiskey supply gets tighter and tighter. It's not Wild Turkey's "fault" by any means. They have less barrels to select from and not as much old stock laying around to dump into things like Rare Breed. It's just a disappointment to me that my favorite whiskey has changed profiles. Is Rare Breed still my favorite bourbon? At this point, no. It's been replaced by the standard 101 bourbon. Why? Not because Rare Breed is "that bad" but because it's the best value in the WT line, it's easy to get, and it's still dang fine bourbon!

Different strokes. My recent comparison of these was done with a relatively newer bottle of 108, but count me in as a fan of the newer stuff.

[ethangsmith]

Sheesh. Maybe I got a bad bottle? Mine is really quite pathetic in comparison to other's tasting notes.

[HighInTheMtns]

Sheesh. Maybe I got a bad bottle? Mine is really quite pathetic in comparison to other's tasting notes.

[jburlowski]

The new stuff is not NEARLY as good as the old 108.2 bottling. The new stuff is hot and much younger. The nice gin note is replaced by heat. The leather and tobacco are muted. It's just heat and more heat. I am highly disappointed. It's basically the 101 bourbon at a higher proof and double the money. It's not to say "Avoid this whiskey" or that it is gross, bad, or not worth it. It's just not as good as the old stuff.

My reaction is different.

There are more similarities than differences . Both clearly present the standard WT taste profile. The new is perhaps a smidge darker in color. The old is a bit sweeter and the new shows more wood influence (noticeable but not out of balance). The biggest difference I noticed is in the finish ¬--- the old (despite its slightly lower proof) being hotter and longer lived. The new finishes softer and, in comparison, more quickly.

All in all, WTRB remains the best of the WT expressions. (I know, low hurdle and all that.) If I had to choose…. I’d take the old. But that is based more on familiarity than on

objective differences.

[ethangsmith]

Yeah, I've got to have a bad bottle then. Mine is pure fire and young bourbon. It has little complexity and no hint of age. This isn't the first bad bottle I've had from a distiller. I had a bottle of WT Kentucky Spirit that tasted like water, I had a bottle of EC12 that tasted like pure vanilla and mulch, and I've even had funky bottles of common stuff. It always amazes me how much variance there is even in non small batch or single barrel stuff. I guess I'll have to try and track down another bottle of the new stuff for comparison.