2014 Distillery of the year?

[Paddy]

I thought this may be an interesting topic of discussion. :grin: 4R has it's own cult :70358-devil: and we all (for the most part) love the store/gift shop selections of barrel proofers. At least, I know I do. But that love alone does not define my consumption.

Thankfully, I've had the opportunity to explore many of the fine options available over the past year(s). If you are here you likely have as well, and already know that the unprecedented demands now placed on the boubon producing houses continues to change the once stable and serene whiskey business at a lightning pace. Keeping up is harder than it used to be and many new brands are throwing their hat's into the ring, while many old brands are busy trying to keep up and/or stay relevent.

Meanwhile, HH just keep plugging along....actually bringing it day in and day out, not only in quantity, but quality! No rolling blackouts, no once was lost but now found "Orphans", or for that matter, no missing Pappy.

In my opinion, what these fine folks do is simply deliver. Not just deliver the old tried and true, but also deliver new and innovative selections at all proof levels, with various forward grains and mashbills. This is not meant to be all inclusive, but let me see... HHSS, PHC, ECBP, EWSB, EC12, Larceny, reasonably priced and readily available age stated BIB's (my God, HMcK BIB at 10 years!)...all at a fair price.

So HH gets my two cents worth this year and for that I say thank you! :toast:

What shall you say?

Edited November 21, 2014 by Paddy

[squire]

Gets my vote . . . . . . . .

[TunnelTiger]

I second that ........

[sutton]

I'd go with HH too ... simply hard to beat with the quality they deliver at many price points ...

[GaryT]

I would also say HH for the reasons provided already. I also appreciate their various gift-shop offerings. I like the experimentation going on with BT, but their lack of anything special at the gift shop is a disappointment.

[Auracom]

I was as excited today to find out my friend is holding six bottles of HH BIB 6 yr White label for me as I was to nab some BTAC last month. So yeah... I'm cool with HH taking the marbles this year.

[CL]

Paddy, I like your reasoning.

[Phil T]

I'd go wit. .h HH too ... simply hard to beat with the quality they deliver at many price points ...

[B.B. Babington]

another vote for HH

[Josh]

Balcones

:bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit:

[mbroo5880i]

As I sit here drinking EWSB, I am not going to disagree with Heaven Hill. I would put EWSB, EC12, ECBP, Larceny and HKM up against any bourbon on the market, including highly sought bourbons, with respect to taste, quality and price. However, I still give a shout out to BT and FR. BT produces some top quality bourbons that, while sometimes difficult to find, are quite enjoyable...WL12, OWA, WLW, GTS, ER, ETL, BT. FR is a special case and special bourbon. They know what they do and they do it well.

Edited November 22, 2014 by mbroo5880i

[compliance]

I'll say MGP. Their cask strength single barrels through Smooth Ambler and others are dominating. They're available, tasty, and well priced. Second I'd say Maker's, because I love their new cask strength release and I think they deserve some recognition for getting off their laurels and putting out a killer new product.

[squire]

Do we credit Makers or Suntory with that decision?

[393foureyedfox]

just as i said last year at this time.....HH is my vote. I like so many of their offerings, and they seem to not only be more than able to keep up in todays markets, but seem to pride themselves on making it available, taste great, AND be MORE than competitive on pricing.

Though Im not a 4R fan, what you guys here say about them year round would make me recognize them as a close second.

Third, Id put Beam down for their consistent and easy to get great stuff, like Booker's and KC/KCSB. No apparant problems keeping up these days, and no significant price increases Ive seen around here. Plus, Booker's is my second favorite, is an age stated barrel proof bourbon, and can be bought most any day of the week for under $50.

just my 2 cents...

[ramblinman]

HH - PHC8 and HHSS#2 alone would give them top honors. Combine with keeping Bonded whiskey on the shelf and moving EWBiB to national distribution, ECBP. So good.

4R - close second for many reasons but especially for their private selection offerings. Working with some many stores to not only give them something special to offer their customers but use plenty of beautiful barrel proof offerings at reasonably prices.

[flahute]

I gotta go with 4R, but I'm also in the cult so I may be biased. I've yet to have one of their products I didn't like. The LE Small Batch is an astounding creation by one of the best, if not THE best, Master Distillers in the industry. The PS Barrels offer such an incredible variety of flavors at barrel proof and there are so many options. Apart from that, their standard offerings are top notch and always enjoyable.

I do have to say that I can't argue with HH. I'm not a fan of EC12 or HMcK BIB so I don't have the universal appreciation for their products that some here have. That's just my tastes though so the evaluation is subjective. I do love the ECBP and find it to have consistently exceptional quality and flavor at an unbelievable price. The HHSS is lights out and unparalleled for what it is. I've never tried the gift shop offerings, but I hear they are fantastic. Their price is a bummer, but that's how it is these days. Down at the low end, I love the HH6 BIB for a great price. They do it all very well.

If we gave out the award based on only 1 bourbon, I'd give it to BT because I'm an incurable Stagghead.

I love me some Turkey, but they lack at the premium end and have too many confusing offerings in the middle of the spectrum that obscure the standouts such as WTRB and their basic 101 offering.

Soooooo, 4R for me, but no argument for a groundswell that chooses HH.

Edit to add: PHC!! The Promise of Hope was one of my favorites last year, and the Wheat Whiskey is starting to blow my doors off, soooooo maybe I can nudge HH over the edge.

[Old Dusty]

If I saw comparable products next to each other on the shelf I would likely grab the BT versions over the HH versions. For example W12 over VOF12; OWA over Larceny; WLW over Parker's Wheat; Stagg over Wm Heavenhill ; ETL over HMcK and so on. But with that said, these are not next to each other on the shelves. So HH gets my vote for:

1) Availability

2) Affordability

3) ECBP. BT has no analog for this at quality or price. And don't even say Stagg Jr. or I will hunt you down and make you chug a bottle.:grin:

[Paddy]

I gotta go with 4R, but I'm also in the cult so I may be biased. I've yet to have one of their products I didn't like. The LE Small Batch is an astounding creation by one of the best, if not THE best, Master Distillers in the industry. The PS Barrels offer such an incredible variety of flavors at barrel proof and there are so many options. Apart from that, their standard offerings are top notch and always enjoyable.

I do have to say that I can't argue with HH. I'm not a fan of EC12 or HMcK BIB so I don't have the universal appreciation for their products that some here have. That's just my tastes though so the evaluation is subjective. I do love the ECBP and find it to have consistently exceptional quality and flavor at an unbelievable price. The HHSS is lights out and unparalleled for what it is. I've never tried the gift shop offerings, but I hear they are fantastic. Their price is a bummer, but that's how it is these days. Down at the low end, I love the HH6 BIB for a great price. They do it all very well.

If we gave out the award based on only 1 bourbon, I'd give it to BT because I'm an incurable Stagghead.

I love me some Turkey, but they lack at the premium end and have too many confusing offerings in the middle of the spectrum that obscure the standouts such as WTRB and their basic 101 offering.

Soooooo, 4R for me, but no argument for a groundswell that chooses HH.

Edit to add: PHC!! The Promise of Hope was one of my favorites last year, and the Wheat Whiskey is starting to blow my doors off, soooooo maybe I can nudge HH over the edge.

Waffler! :slappin: All kidding aside, I too consider myself a member of the 4R's cult.

For me, it was a somewhat difficult decision but.... here I am with HH6 BIB, HM BIB, EWSB, EC12, ECBP, Larceny, OSOF, HHSS, Ritt Rye and other HH house brands in spades with no real fear of running out (or not being able to replenish as needed) anytime soon.

And yes, a nod to BT is always in order. But the lack of their products on the shelves really gave me the perspective I needed to fully appreciate what HH is pulling off, as I admittedly have often taken them for granted in the past.

It's also worth adding that my decision may have been influenced by the fact that I'm still pretty pissed off at BT for discontinuing AAA 10 yr. :mad:

[ramblinman]

OWA over Larceny

I'd say Larceny is more comparable with Weller Special Reserve. I think I'd really enjoy Larceny ~110pf but I've felt it was a bit understated and kind of washed out in the flavor dept at 92pf. Where WSR isn't great, but has a sweeter character that makes it still tasty if a bit one dimensional at 90pf

[flahute]

Waffler! :slappin: All kidding aside, I too consider myself a member of the 4R's cult.

For me, it was a somewhat difficult decision but.... here I am with HH6 BIB, HM BIB, EWSB, EC12, ECBP, Larceny, OSOF, HHSS, Ritt Rye and other HH house brands in spades with no real fear of running out (or not being able to replenish as needed) anytime soon.

And yes, a nod to BT is always in order. But the lack of their products on the shelves really gave me the perspective I needed to fully appreciate what HH is pulling off, as I admittedly have often taken them for granted in the past.

It's also worth adding that my decision may have been influenced by the fact that I'm still pretty pissed off at BT for discontinuing AAA 10 yr. :mad:

Hahaha....I AM waffling. You really have a point with availability. You are winning me over.

[The Black Tot]

I appreciate the big 3 - 4R, HH, and BT, and none of them deserve the cold shoulder.

But BT wins for me by a large margin. Mostly because of the reasoning in Old Dusty's post. I think he has been unfair on the availability part though. There is more BTAC and Pappy volume released every year than ECBP and PHC, so BT also technically trumps HH on the availability of the limiteds (even though they get slammed harder, which isn't BT's fault), and the BTAC MSRP price point is all at the same price as PHC. ECBP is killer value, but in Texas, for example, it's harder to get than BTAC. BT has also added the CEHT range, and the Sazerac rye, year round.

BT deserves credit. Though the rolling blackouts are frustrating, they've been slammed by the demand. Despite this, the gouging for their products still occurs at the retail end. They've bought new land to go grain to bottle...exciting things are coming. When they catch up, their products will again be on the shelves with regularity and killer value.

4R works very hard for their size to bring the enthusiasts the single barrel offerings that we all love at great value. Maybe by next year when I've tried another dozen of them I'll end up in the cult. It's very possible.

HH makes PHC, ECBP, and a dazzling variety of HHs that I have yet to seek and sample (but have enjoyed reading about). They lose points for the extortionate pricing at their gift shop, where most of their extra-aged and cask strength darlings sell in excess of $250. In that same vein, Willett as a top NDP priced themselves out of contention this year, and Smooth Ambler seems to be wiping the floor with them on value.

I don't really think there's a wrong answer to this one, but it's fun to answer anyway.

[jvd99]

I'll give my vote to HH even though they are probably third in terms of what I drink regularly behind BT and FR (although I've been really getting into Beam products lately). HH has a huge variety and it's available which has already been discussed. However, availability has to be given significant weight because it shows that they've managed their stocks very well, anticipated the market and delivered their product - all of which a distiller of the year should be doing.

[nd2005]

I appreciate the big 3 - 4R, HH, and BT, and none of them deserve the cold shoulder.

But BT wins for me by a large margin. Mostly because of the reasoning in Old Dusty's post. I think he has been unfair on the availability part though. There is more BTAC and Pappy volume released every year than ECBP and PHC, so BT also technically trumps HH on the availability of the limiteds (even though they get slammed harder, which isn't BT's fault), and the BTAC MSRP price point is all at the same price as PHC. ECBP is killer value, but in Texas, for example, it's harder to get than BTAC. BT has also added the CEHT range, and the Sazerac rye, year round.

BT deserves credit. Though the rolling blackouts are frustrating, they've been slammed by the demand. Despite this, the gouging for their products still occurs at the retail end. They've bought new land to go grain to bottle...exciting things are coming. When they catch up, their products will again be on the shelves with regularity and killer value.

4R works very hard for their size to bring the enthusiasts the single barrel offerings that we all love at great value. Maybe by next year when I've tried another dozen of them I'll end up in the cult. It's very possible.

HH makes PHC, ECBP, and a dazzling variety of HHs that I have yet to seek and sample (but have enjoyed reading about). They lose points for the extortionate pricing at their gift shop, where most of their extra-aged and cask strength darlings sell in excess of $250. In that same vein, Willett as a top NDP priced themselves out of contention this year, and Smooth Ambler seems to be wiping the floor with them on value.

I don't really think there's a wrong answer to this one, but it's fun to answer anyway.

I'm on the BT bandwagon. If I'm going to the liquor store to pick up a bottle, there is a very high chance I'm walking out the door with something from BT in my hands.

As said, product for product through the lineup I'd pick the BT over the HH offering.

[Richnimrod]

...all at a fair price.

So HH gets my two cents worth this year and for that I say thank you! :toast:

What shall you say?

I say you is right, dude. (I added my emphasis to your post, to reflect my respect for what they deliver for my bux.) My vote goes out to 'em, along with quite a few of my dollars.

[squire]

Right, I support those who support me.