Hedonist Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I got a bottle of Lock Stock & Barrel rye for Xmas. A fan of Alberta rye (Whistle Pig and Jeff 10 in particular) I was pretty excited about it. I was expecting something not unlike Whistle Pig, only more aged and a slightly bigger flavor. I was disappointed - LSB did not fare well in a side by side comparison with Whistle Pig. I found Whistle Pig to be a little smoother than LSB and have a bigger, more pleasant flavor. Some people think Whistle Pig is overpriced. More and more, I'm starting to believe it's not. I've now tried 5 ryes from the Alberta distillery (Whistle Pig at $65, Jefferson 10 at $40, Masterson's at $75, Pendleton at $35, and Lock Stock & Barrel at $120), and Whistle Pig for me easily has the best flavor, Jefferson 10 being a close second. Oh well, at least the Lock Stock & Barrel bottle and outer wooden box are really cool. Next up, I'm going to have to try Whistle Pig Boss Hog Spirit of Mortimer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBM Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 That's a great comparison, thanks for the notes. LS&B has lingered on shelves for over a year now, and on a few occasions I have considered grabbing one just to know if it stacks up against anything comparable, specifically WP. I haven't seen it at a bar yet, but I will be happy waiting to try a pour before committing to a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryT Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 At those prices, I would agree. Around here, it seems the WP is $70+, and Jeff 10 (when it was around) was $30-$35. I also found them to be very close, but for double the price - I've never brought a pig home. I've tried LSB and thought that if it were closer to the price of WP, I might buy a bottle. I keep passing the same couple bottles at $113 and thinking the store will cut the price at some point - but not thus far. If they go on sale for $79, I might think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Price aside (although very important) LSB beats WP hands down, but that's just me. Some of that may be that I just can't get over WP's lies of who they are and what they claim their product to be.That being said LSB is overpriced at least $50, but then again so is WP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedonist Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Tiger, do you like the taste of LSB better than WP or is it that you don't like Raj's spin? Have you tried them side by side? I'd be curious to hear somebody's impressions of LSB over WP. The more ryes I taste, the greater my appreciation for Whistle Pig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 H - yes I've had them sbs but that's been more than a year ago. If they were priced the same and with no WP spin I'd still prefer the LSB because for some reason I really enjoy longer aged bourbons/ryes than the majority on here. Oaky wood must be my thing.That being said I think MWD beats them both hands down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedonist Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Tiger, that's interesting. I found WP to taste oakier than LSB even though it's younger. But I'm still relatively new to this, so perhaps I'm getting what aged whiskey tastes like mixed up... I'm not an expert by any means. But WP tasted more aged to me even though 3 years younger than LSB. What's MWD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 What's MWD?High West's Midwinter Nights Dram. If you enjoy ryes you must give this one a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedonist Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 I just saw this out at the bar last night but didn't try it. Not sure what they were charging by the glass. Quick research indicates Midwinter is Rendezvous mash bill with extra finish, is that right? I'll have to give this a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I just saw this out at the bar last night but didn't try it. Not sure what they were charging by the glass. Quick research indicates Midwinter is Rendezvous mash bill with extra finish, is that right? I'll have to give this a try.Yes - finished in port casks and it's magnificent. Give it a try for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I just saw this out at the bar last night but didn't try it. Not sure what they were charging by the glass. Quick research indicates Midwinter is Rendezvous mash bill with extra finish, is that right? I'll have to give this a try.Indeed! Standard Rendezvous with finishing in a mix of port barrels and french oak (typically wine casks. I would guess they were used barrels from Quady Winery, home of Vya vermouth which is the vermouth used in the HW barrel aged manhattans). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I tried Lock Stock last week at a friend's house and thought it was actually pretty good. Not good enough to pay retail, but enjoyable enough to try. I'd probably take this over standard Whistle Pig (if price was not a factor). Given the price though, I won't buy either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopgcw Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hedonist, I agree, for me the LSB was OK, but I really did think WP is a much better rye much more going on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Given the price though, I won't buy either.In my area the pricing is the same. Having tried both I really prefer the LSB. Having said that it is overpriced IMO, but that is the new standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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