fishnbowljoe Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) Sorry I'm late again. Even though I was on vacation for the past week, it was a "working" vacation. :crazy: FWIW, I've debated long and hard about what to do for the BOTM this month. I finally said to heck with it, and decided to make AA BIB the BOTM because it's one of my personal favorites. :cool: What can I say? It isn't being made any more, but I know of at least a few members here that have had the pleasure. So, here we go…..As for me, I truly love AA BIB. :yum: It isn't very often that I lament the losing of age statements on some bourbons, or the discontinuing of certain bottlings over the last few years, but AA BIB is one that I truly regret isn't being made any more. The nose is wonderful. Reminiscent of some of the old ND dusties. Caramel and butterscotch, with no questions asked. The flavor is just as good, if not better. There's a hint of oak and smoke, a little spice, and a nice bit of sweetness with caramel and butterscotch overtures. Nice and smooth, yet with a somewhat understated richness and viscosity that almost defies explanation. All of this is combined in an extremely well balanced, great tasting bourbon IMHO. To me, it's at the very least the equal, if not the better of EW BIB and HH 6 yr BIB. It ranks up there in my top ten, if not my top five favorite bourbons. Let's hear it for AA BIB!Cheers and happy posting. Joe Edited July 6, 2015 by fishnbowljoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Hmmm......I know of a local bar that has this in their basement. I'm gonna have to ask them to bring it up to the bar and open it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted July 6, 2015 Author Share Posted July 6, 2015 Hmmm......I know of a local bar that has this in their basement. I'm gonna have to ask them to bring it up to the bar and open it.I know that tastes differ. I sincerely hope that if you get the chance to taste AA BIB, it will be at least half the bourbon I described. Cheers! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I know that tastes differ. I sincerely hope that if you get the chance to taste AA BIB, it will be at least half the bourbon I described. Cheers! JoeThe same place has Ancient Age Barrel 107 which I like a lot so I'm guessing I'll like this one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amg Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I'm pretty confident that I'll never have the opportunity to taste it, but cheers to those of you who have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n811 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 This doesn't get distributed in Michigan. Bummer for us. Know if it's in Ohio or Indiana? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I'm pretty confident that I'll never have the opportunity to taste it, but cheers to those of you who have!What Andrew said, especially with me being a BIB enthusiast, sigh...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amg Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 This doesn't get distributed in Michigan. Bummer for us. Know if it's in Ohio or Indiana?It's long discontinued. There may be dusties in the wild, but those would be few and far between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n811 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 It's long discontinued. There may be dusties in the wild, but those would be few and far between.Aaah got it. Drat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dSculptor Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Hey Joe, how 'bout posting a pic of the bottle , I'd like to see it,.....since I can't taste it. I've only had the opportunity to have the AAA 10 yr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I recall hearing of this, but never saw one. Until a few years ago I used to see 80 proof NAS Ancient Age in Indiana. It's been a while since I even saw one of those. I have seen and bought AA 90 proof in KY and TN. I'm not sure why, but nowadays anything from BT mashbill #2 is scarce and or $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lepisto Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 The nose is wonderful. Reminiscent of some of the old ND dusties. Caramel and butterscotch, with no questions asked. The flavor is just as good, if not better. There's a hint of oak and smoke, a little spice, and a nice bit of sweetness with caramel and butterscotch overtures. Nice and smooth, yet with a somewhat understated richness and viscosity that almost defies explanation. I discovered the wonders of bourbon too late to try AA BIB, but I wanted to comment based on the description above. Last fall, I was going to be outside late on a cold night, so I wanted to get a small bottle of bourbon to pass the time and the cold. Since I hadn't tried any variation of AA at that point in my bourbon journey, I decided to get a 200ml bottle AA90. The taste and smell were exactly as described above without the smoke or oak. I couldn't believe how good it was. The 200ml didn't last long, and I went out to get a full size bottle. I tried the 750ml and it tasted nothing like the small bottle. I was really disappointed. It didn't have any of the caramel or butterscotch. It was just basic. Not bad, but basic. I'm not sure if the 200ml bottle was an older bottle or not. The printed codes on the bottle make it appear like it was from 2013. I had to visit many stores to find one in that size. Anyway, I realize this comment is not on AA BIB, but it seemed tangentially related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 Hey Joe, how 'bout posting a pic of the bottle , I'd like to see it,.....since I can't taste it. I've only had the opportunity to have the AAA 10 yr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclebunk Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 My last two bottles.[emoji30] I posted just a few weeks back that I was certain as can be that I still had an open bottle in the cabinet but it appears to have taken a walk after a party. I always keep empty dusty bottles for the shelf and therefore know I didn't drink it and dispose of it, though why someone would make off with it is beyond me, particularly as they would have no idea of its "value" to a hobbyist like myself. A sad world, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 My last two bottles.[emoji30] I posted just a few weeks back that I was certain as can be that I still had an open bottle in the cabinet but it appears to have taken a walk after a party. I always keep empty dusty bottles for the shelf and therefore know I didn't drink it and dispose of it, though why someone would make off with it is beyond me, particularly as they would have no idea of its "value" to a hobbyist like myself. A sad world, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclebunk Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Well Joe, as your younger, more handsome (?) brother I felt it my obligation to post the picture, but I feel your pain. I truly love AA BIB and will no doubt never see another one in the wild but at least we've got these ones in the bunker to savor in the future. Hope to see you again soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dSculptor Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Those are some cool bottles guys, thanks for posting.... Going to have to find one... empty or full for my BiB collection. Hank, what kind of friends are you inviting over for parties? Next time you have a party and are planning on cracking one of those, if invited I promise not to walk away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vosgar Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 The AA profile is something that works for me. I really like this bourbon and was fortunate to be one of the four guys Joe mentioned who split the 2 cases of 200ml bottles. I also found another 14 of them at a small convenience store /gas station later that year (2010 to be exact). Tough to beat the $3.50 price as well . For me it's a tough call as to which I like better, this or the also discontinued AAA 10 year. Side note...... Joe cries a little bit every time he asks me how many of the 200's I have left. Since he knows where I live, it might be time to find a new hiding place for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Side note...... Joe cries a little bit every time he asks me how many of the 200's I have left. Since he knows where I live, it might be time to find a new hiding place for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I am down to the last few pours of my final bottle of BIB. At one time, I was enamored with it, and when I couldn't find it any more in the stores several years ago, I was indeed bummed. But, have to admit, I found ready replacements for it, and quickly moved on. In reality, it finishes 3rd in a HH, Beam, AA BIB Throwdown. Solid whiskey, no doubt. Decent mouthfeel, more oaky backbone than most other budget BIBs, and a nice touch of sweetness. But luckily for myself, I am easily pleased, and don't suffer from a lack of solid bourbons on the monger's shelf in its category. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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