Which is the best - EW 2004, 05 or 06?

[johnnyflake45]

For those of you who have been lucky enough to try all three, which do you feel is the best release? Why?

[wku88]

05 by a mile. 06 was kinda grassy, 04 wasn't much better than regular EW. However, there for a while, HH sold Very Rare Old Heaven Hill 100 proof BIB (also 10 y.o.) for half what EWSB cost, and it was essentially 05 EWSB. Oh to go back in time....

Ooops. I'm thinking of the '95, which was available in 2005. Sorry man, haven't kept up with the new ones.

Edited June 21, 2015 by wku88

[fozzy71]

sub'd, already killed my 04 so cant compare but I have the 05 and 06 downstairs and eagerly awaiting replies

[petrel800]

I always find the "profile" to be there, but there are obvious differences in the years and even within the years since it's an SB. I find bottles I love every year. Hard on this one to pick a favorite. The good news, at 20-25 a bottle, you can have a lot of fun trying them all.

Added bonus, at 86.6 it's a great bourbon to have open in the hotter months of summer.

Edited June 21, 2015 by petrel800

[squire]

Yeah, that's the answer, try 'em all. Then do it again because we should always seek a second opinion.

[Richnimrod]

Take this with a grain of salt, since my memory (being as iffy as it's become in my advanced years) is not reliable....

I'll say the several bottles I had of '04 were slightly better on average than the few '05's. The only '06 I've yet opened is better than the average '05, even though it's around a year younger Bourbon!

Now, every bottle is likely to be it's own experience, since these are Single Barrel offerings. HH does a pretty good job of keeping the profiles at least close, within a Vintage; but there is certainly some identifiable variation. I did get a couple of store pick '05's that were waaaaay better than any of the others. I'd say they are close to the general '02 profile, which I found outstanding.

[compliance]

I haven't drunk enough EWSB to even say this, but I will anyway. It is so smooth and velvety, with no punch what-so-ever that I find it crazy that people can find differences to hem and haw over from year to year. Side by side would probably be the only way I could tell any differences at all! Maybe I should try a more recent bottle to see if my perceptions still hold true.

[Jazz Nut]

I have not tried the 2006 yet, but greatly enjoyed a bottle of the 2005 and several of the 2004's. I bought a store select of the 2004 a few months ago, and it went down VERY quickly. Actually that was the first bottle I've finished in some time (other than an EC12, and ECBP). The last time a bottle went down as quickly as the 2004, was a PHC POH. I do have a few bottles of 2001 and 2002 in the bunker, but haven't opened them yet.

[Harry in WashDC]

I haven't drunk enough EWSB to even say this, but I will anyway. It is so smooth and velvety, with no punch what-so-ever that I find it crazy that people can find differences to hem and haw over from year to year. Side by side would probably be the only way I could tell any differences at all! Maybe I should try a more recent bottle to see if my perceptions still hold true.

Have to admit that I've had lots of it and that, at 86 proof, what you say is true even if I DON'T want to admit it. I do like it and can find differences from year to year in SBS's, but it is pretty consistently drinkable, nice, and looks pretty special - that label stands out on the shelf. I guess my palate has changed enough that I now usually seek out higher proofs even as I drink less than I used to (or at least think I do:rolleyes:). But on those days when a lighter bourbon seems to "fit" my mood, the EWSBs are right there.

[fozzy71]

This thread getting bumped almost made me open my '06 since I probably won't find another '05, but I restrained myself for now and opened something else instead.

[tylermke]

Aren't these all single barrels and therefore the profile would fluctuate even within the same year? For that reason, it's hard to compare years.

[squire]

They are and yes, you would think some fluctuation would occur, but Heaven Hill has such vast stocks on which to draw they can keep the quality control pretty tight.

[Harry in WashDC]

Tyler & Squire - Virginia's ABC stores sell some EWSB bottles saying they are bottled solely for the VABC and some that don't say that - don't know why there are differences (and also don't remember seeing that special selection language on later bottles). But after drinking several bottles of each year purchased over a period of months within a year (so they aren't all from one barrel), I find more difference year to year than I do within a year. Sure, there are differences and I do like some better than others (I think), but I really have to hunt for the differences. Contrast that with the Henry McKenna 10 yr BIBs. I learned early on that there can be (to my taste, anyway) noticeable differences barrel-to-barrel. Consequently, I buy one HMcK and taste it over a couple of weeks and go back and load up (well, three or so) on bunker bottles from the same barrel only if I really like it. EWSB? I now buy one bottle now and then and, if I finish one and am in the mood, go pick up whatever EWSB is on the shelf. Plus, at 86.6 proof, it's not that different from my standard mixer, EW Black, which is cheaper anyway and not half-bad on really hot days.

[squire]

Or cold ones for that matter.