Expensive bottles that were a dissapointment

[jwes1776]

Although I like bourbon more, most of my friends are scotch drinkers. As I have expanded my bourbon selection I have been pleasantly surprised at how good some very inexpensive bottles have been ( Bulleit, WSR, EWBiB). Long story short, I had some Johnny Walker Blue the other night and honestly it didnt come close to living up to hype ( or the price). I was wondering what bottles anyone here has found wanting?

[speedbump47]

Blue was a disappointment for me too...not enough character. Green and Double Black are my favorites in the entire lineup. Macallan 18 was also a disappointment. On the Bourbon/rye/whiskey side: Whistlepig wasn't worth the money to me, Parker's Heritage (Cognac, maybe) wasn't up to par with the prior year, Stagg Jr. was undrinkable to me (too raw, even though I handle other 130+ proof fine). Crown Royal XR (old Red bottles, not new Blue) was also underwhelming. I was lucky enough to get some Pappy prior to the hoopla of the last few years. After trying the 15, which was phenomenal for me, the 20 was a disappointment. Not because it wasn't "good", but it wasn't the step up from the 15 that the cost and fervor would have indicated.

[sailor22]

On the Bourbon side - Old Blowhard, JD Sinatra, Wild Turkey Diamond, Wild Turkey Tradition, some Willett Single Barrels, Angles Envy cs and Woodford special releases all stand out as painful wastes of money. On the Rye side Templeton and Collingwood are two I wish I could get my money back on.

[Chris m]

I'll second that Wild Turkey Diamond. I drank WT101 almost exclusively for six years and jumped on this bottle as soon as it came out. I should have just bought 7 bottles of the 101.

[upStomp]

I've only once paid more than $100 for a bottle - last year's GTS. Even then, it was a surprise jump in price at checkout after winning a lottery at Julio's. I've yet to open it to know whether it's a disappointment at that price. I doubt it though - BT mashbill #1 rarely disappoints me. Probably my biggest disappointment based on value was the Single Oak Project.

[ramblinman]

WP, haven't bought a bottle myself but have had when out and at friends. Good, but certainly not as good as the price suggests, especially when SAOS has a similarly aged rye at cask strength from the same source for 50% of their 100pf offering.

PH blend of mashbills didn't do much for me, wasn't bad but nothing special. I did have a couple of buddies who really enjoyed it and emptied most of it over a few friday nights at my place so that was worth it, even if it wasn't for me.

Lot 40, definitely on the low end of expensive, but I was really confused by the talk of this one and couldn't get into it. Tasted like a normal bottle of Crown to me, ended up passing to my dad.

Edited April 22, 2015 by ramblinman

[Flyfish]

I wouldn't call it "expensive," but EHT SmB was a major disappointment. I wanted to like it and expected to because BT products are usually reliable. Still, I found it thin and rather hot. Even if it were the same price, I would still prefer regular BT or ER not to mention the much lamented AAA 10YO. ETL just blows it out of the water.

[clingman71]

Barterhouse. Luckily I tried Old Blowhard and never came close to wasting $150+ on that as well.

[ccleve23]

It is Forged Oak for me. I mean it isn't bad but at that price I expected just a little more from it.

[JDSmith619]

Jeff Ocean... Makes for a cool story and guests love drinking it but its not for me. My bottle has almost completely been drank by other people.

[jwes1776]

I suppose to clarify a bit, I think anything over $50 is a premium bottle and I expect something of quality. If you are charging me over $100, I want to be blown away. Anything over $ 150 better be greatest of all time spectacular. I dont think the blue bad, but it was nowhere near $150+ GOAT. ( In all honesty, I am not likely to spend over $50 without trying first or having it recommended by someone I trust. Ive got kids to feed :-)

[DonutsNBourbon]

Jeff Ocean... Makes for a cool story and guests love drinking it but its not for me. My bottle has almost completely been drank by other people.

[dboland]

Fortunately I have not had this happen yet as I have enjoyed the premiums I bought though my experience is limited due to the scarcity of nearly every premium bottle I want to try.

Edited April 22, 2015 by dboland

[dcbt]

Yea, I can't think of anything that I feel like I wasted my money on... Having said that, I haven't yet opened any of my Orphans.

I think the closest would be my 2013 OFBB that, while I haven't opened yet, I did try at a Dallas tasting and wasn't that impressed, certainly not as much as most people seem to be with it. Which is probably why I haven't gotten around to opening mine yet. Maybe my palate was just off that day, though, and I'll like it more when I do double back to it.

[weller_tex]

A bottle of Blanton's Straight from the Barrel that I bought while working in Sweden. It was so sickly sweet I ended up pouring it out after giving it several tries.

[JDSmith619]

Interesting. Ive never done the drain pour just used it as a mixer if I couldnt come to like something.

A bottle of Blanton's Straight from the Barrel that I bought while working in Sweden. It was so sickly sweet I ended up pouring it out after giving it several tries.

[squire]

Being born with boundless intellectual curiosity combined with ingrained hardheadedness (not the best of mixes, sadly), it took me a number of years to realize paying more doesn't mean I will like it more.

Bourbon, like bread, is a basic thing with innumeralble variations yet a basic thing competently done is hard to improve upon.

Edited April 22, 2015 by squire

[amg]

WP, haven't bought a bottle myself but have had when out and at friends. Good, but certainly not as good as the price suggests, especially when SAOS has a similarly aged rye at cask strength from the same source for 50% of their 100pf offering.

SAOS has a Canadian rye?

[bourbonfoot]

I happened to get a chance to buy two separate Willett Family Estate 11 year old bottles last year in the $90 and $115 range. One a wheater and one standard recipe. The wheater was everything I could hope and more. The standard one would've been solid in the ECBP or Stagg range, at $100 or so it was a real disappointment. I also got a corked bottle of EC21 a few years ago that wasn't a disappointment as much as disappointing. Dickel 14 was something I just couldn't get wrap my taste around either.

[jakerthesnaker79]

Fortunately I have not had this happen yet as I have enjoyed the premiums I bought though my experience is limited due to the scarcity of nearly every premium bottle I want to try.

I am right there with you on this!

[kcgumbohead]

Purchased at low 50's but a 4R gift shop OBSQ. JR described the progression of bourbon as it ages like a bell curve, past a certain age it "goes south". I asked him for more specifics on that southerly journey and what he described was exactly what I had been tasting in my OBSQ. It was 12 yrs 9 mo and bitter, charry, woody, just unpleasant. I have often wondered how long it sat between when it was chosen and when it was bottled,cause it went south in a hurry!! Not a complete waste though as I vatted it with another I wasn't blown away by and came up with a pretty decent pour. I got lucky on that one.

[TunnelTiger]

Being born with boundless intellectual curiosity combined with ingrained hardheadedness (not the best of mixes, sadly), it took me a number of years to realize paying more doesn't mean I will like it more.

Bourbon, like bread, is a basic thing with innumeralble variations yet a basic thing competently done is hard to improve upon.

What Squire said 100%.

[Golzee]

Bulleit 10yr, IMO it wasn't worth the price jump from regular Bulleit. Seemed to be missing something in my mind for a $45 bottle (luckily I got it on clearance for 35ish).

[weller_tex]

Interesting. Ive never done the drain pour just used it as a mixer if I couldnt come to like something.

I just can't handle mixed drinks anymore..just don't agree with me. The exception is a mint julep (and I sure didn't have the ingredients handy for that). A bourbon and coke gives me an immediate headache. Beer makes me feel bad as well. It's weird what changes happen as you age.

[berto]

Lost Prophet though I'll revisit it later this week.