Is Walking Stick the new Elmer T Lee?

[shoshani]

Since the applicant's email address is @sazerac.com, that probably indicates by default that it's the higher corn recipe. An application for anything with the higher rye recipe would have to come from Age International, since they "own" that recipe, right?

[petrel800]

I have to wonder if this will wind up in Total Wine along side the other weird BT labels they have. Chestnut Farms, Two Stars, Black Ridge, . . . this kind of has the cheesiness associated with those bottle labels associated with it. No idea, just speculating.

[Flyfish]

I have to wonder if this will wind up in Total Wine along side the other weird BT labels they have. Chestnut Farms, Two Stars, Black Ridge, . . . this kind of has the cheesiness associated with those bottle labels associated with it. No idea, just speculating.

Hitch-hiking on the advertising thread, I can see ads for Walking Stick in a parody of WT: "Stick it to 'em!"

[uofljosh]

Has anybody tried this? I've seen it at ABC Wine & Spirits in Florida. On sale for around $35.00.

[jonhalter]

Fantastic Doug I just laughed a lot

Id buy that........given that its 18 years at least

[The Black Tot]

I note he wasn't worried if it was straight or not

[393foureyedfox]

I note he wasn't worried if it was straight or not

[The Black Tot]

As long as the proof is satisfactory

[cowdery]

Interesting that, with all of the speculation, no one has landed on the real answer. Walking Stick is not a Buffalo Trace product. It's whiskey from the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown. It has nothing to do with Elmer or Age.

One thing you should know about getting information from Mark Brown. You have to ask the right questions.

[El Vino]

Interesting that, with all of the speculation, no one has landed on the real answer. Walking Stick is not a Buffalo Trace product. It's whiskey from the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown. It has nothing to do with Elmer or Age.

One thing you should know about getting information from Mark Brown. You have to ask the right questions.

Can one assume then that a retailer (presumably) went to BT looking for something to bottle under a brand name that they owned. BT agreed, got the label through the BATF, but then went out and sourced the whiskey? I wonder if the retailer knew that they weren't buying BT distillate?

[squire]

Is there a they, isn't Walking Stick a Sazerac brand? It appears in their portfolio.

[El Vino]

Is there a they, isn't Walking Stick a Sazerac brand? It appears in their portfolio.

After I read your post, I went to their website and looked through the brand portfolio. In addition to Walking Stick, they also show Blanton's and we know they do not own that brand. Unfortunately, I don't think that is conclusive evidence either way.

[cowdery]

Sazerac is a company. Buffalo Trace is a distillery owned by Sazerac. Barton 1792 is another distillery owned by Sazerac. Walking Stick is a Sazerac product made at the Barton 1792 Distillery. It has no relationship to Elmer T. Lee Bourbon, which is a product made by Sazerac at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. The Elmer T. Lee brand is not owned by Sazerac. It is owned by Age International. There is no relationship between Walking Stick and Elmer T. Lee beyond the fact that both are made at distilleries owned by Sazerac and both are marketed in the United States by Sazerac.

Age International is a non-distiller producer that is very closely affiliated with Sazerac. All of the Age International products are made by Sazerac, all at the Buffalo Trace Distillery so far as I know. In addition, Sazerac is the exclusive U.S. distributor for all Age International products. For most trade and consumer purposes, Blanton's, ETL and the other Age International products are Sazerac products because Age is so far in the background in the U.S. market. It's a complicated relationship that can best be described as a joint venture. Sazerac's relationship with Van Winkle is similar. For most marketing purposes, it's just easier to regard Age and Van Winkle products as Sazerac products, even though they technically are not.

This is common. Diageo, for example, never owned Jose Cuervo Tequila. The brand is now and always has been owned by the Beckmann family, who are direct descendants of Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo. Cuervo is now distributed in the U.S. by Proximo Spirits, which is owned by the Beckmanns, but while Diageo distributed it most people thought of it as a Diageo products which, for most purposes, it was. Another example is Korbel Sparkling Wine, which is closely associated with Brown-Forman because Brown-Forman markets the brand in the United States, but Korbel is actually made and owned by a company you've never heard of, though if you live in Wisconsin you may know that company also makes and markets Korbel Brandy, which is not affiliated with Brown-Forman. It is, however, aged in Jack Daniel's barrels, which Korbel's owners receive as part of the sparkling wine deal.

These relationships can get fairly complicated and they're not really that meaningful to most consumers or even to most people in the trade.

Edited October 22, 2014 by cowdery

[TunnelTiger]

Thanks for clarifying the situation where even an old man like me can understand it.

[squire]

Oh, I wouldn't know El Vino. I suppose what's useful to me is if I run across Walking Stick at least I'll know who made it though $35ish is a bit high for NAS Barton even if it is single barrel.

[cowdery]

Thanks for clarifying the situation where even an old man like me can understand it.

[BB Slim]

Has anyone out there tasted this bourbon? Knowing its pedigree is fine but I would like to hear from someone that has had it pass over their tongue. It could be a pleasant surprise even for NAS Barton.

[El Vino]

Oh, I wouldn't know El Vino. I suppose what's useful to me is if I run across Walking Stick at least I'll know who made it though $35ish is a bit high for NAS Barton even if it is single barrel.

I could not agree more. Thanks to Chuck. There are a lot of choices out there and I like the idea that - with this board as a resource - I at least have a fighting chance of finding enough information about a new label to make a decision about where to spend my money. It does come down to what is in the bottle, now only if they made some airline size bottles for sampling...

[KyleCBreese]

Saw Walking Stick on a website for a store I visit and read this in the description...

"The legacy of Walking Stick is nearly as rich as the history of Bourbon. From the mash bill to the distillation, the Walking Stick name is synonymous with quality."

Really?

[cowdery]

Because when you pick up a stick in the woods because it's about the right length and diameter, and pretty straight, you're following a timeless standard of 'perfectly adequate.'

[HighHorse]

I have so many bottles missing that one or two first sips on my shelf. Misses. Figure I'll use for cooking - which I never do. What's one more?

[tannnehill kid]

Bought a bottle yesterday and just gave it a second try. Just didn't do it for me.