EC12 or ECSmB

[Louisiana]

28 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

The implication, at least to me, is that each year going forward there will be a release of ECBP in the spring and another in the fall until something changes.

ECBP had 12 years on the back before the small batch had it.

Hopefully the 12 year age statement does stay on the ECBP as long as they make it!

[smokinjoe]

2 hours ago, Phil T said:

Yes, he did say very soon. The brand is growing too much to keep up with. They don't want to allocate,  so they are dropping the AS. He also said ECBP will stay 12yr., with a spring and fall release 

Thanks, Phil.  To be honest, though I like EC12 , McKenna BIB 10 yr has been my HH buy in that age / price/ proof segment the last couple of years.

Things being as they are with supply and demand, it figures it would be tough to support a 10 and 12 yr offering .  

[Phil T]

12 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Thanks, Phil.  To be honest, though I like EC12 , McKenna BIB 10 yr has been my HH buy in that age / price/ proof segment the last couple of years.

Things being as they are with supply and demand, it figures it would be tough to support a 10 and 12 yr offering .  

I'm like a lot of people here, I hate to see age statements go away. Admittedly though, I'm not a regular buyer or drinker of EC12. I only buy it to vat with ECBP. 

I, like you Joe, buy HMBIB with regularity. Soooooooo, if they mess with that or my beloved HHBIB, there is going to be a mutiny for sure

[BAO]

 ECSmB it is.

[flahute]

Further confirmations are hitting publication that the age statement has been dropped. Fred Minnick just posted about it and the new EC Small Batch will be a combination of barrels from between 8-12 years old. They will also be increasing the barrel dump from about 100 barrels to 200 barrels for each batch. As reported above, ECBP will remain 12 years old and will supposedly see a little more availability.

I'm a fan of the 12 year old product. Though I'm not worried about disliking a younger version of EC, I like the 12 year old enough as is that I'm stocking up to ensure that I have it around for a while. I will also buy the NAS because I'm sure it will be fine though likely different. For some here, the younger version might actually be more to their liking so this could be a boon to them.

[Enoch]

All of the new EC around Columbia is NAS.

[Louisiana]

Wow. It went from front to back to gone. Real Quick!

[DonutsNBourbon]

wow, that was quick, time to really stock up then...

[meadeweber]

1 hour ago, Enoch said:

All of the new EC around Columbia is NAS.

Really?!? No 12 year on the back?  Why did they go through the trouble of making a label with 12 on the back for what, less than a year?

[BAO]

10 minutes ago, meadeweber said:

Really?!? No 12 year on the back?  Why did they go through the trouble of making a label with 12 on the back for what, less than a year?

Soften the outrage.

[flahute]

1 hour ago, Enoch said:

All of the new EC around Columbia is NAS.

Check the back label, it's likely still there. Fred's post indicated that the NAS won't hit the pipeline until later this week or next. 

[Louisiana]

Like an above post stated. It may be a good thing. Some tend to think it has to much wood influence. A little bit younger may help with that issue.

[maybeling]

Lord knows I'm fond of HH (and EC12), but all this makes me wonder... Why not change the age statement to 8 years? I'm not saying there aren't waaaay less transparent distillers out there, but this quote from Minnick's blog post gives me pause:

"They did not consider lowering the proof and said will make it publicly known if they must lower the 8-year-old minimum barrel target."

If that's the case, why not actually state "8 years"? Or am I missing something that states they actually are planning on doing that...

[petrel800]

I'm not a huge EC12 fan.  Never had much use for the off the shelf offerings.  I've had some great individual barrels, but for the most part, I ignore the off the shelf offering.

I see why folks get so worked up about the age statements, its change and change is hard, but I've come to the conclusion that in most cases, they are just a number.  I'd contend that Weller Antique has actually improved in recent years vs what it was towards the end with the 7 year age statement.  The numbers on the Barton bottles are criminal due to the fact they're sort of a bait and switch based on the old bottles, but to my taste, the offerings are in line with what was on the shelf 2-3 years ago when they were age stated.  I'll close this paragraph by saying 4RSB, from what I've seen on store picks have been anywhere just short of 7 years to 11, maybe 12 years, they've all been great and I would assume that the regular offering is probably on the same scale.  No need for an age statement for greatness there.

These guys are pros and masterfully hit a profile with no 2 barrels that are alike when there was a 12 year statement on the bottle.  8-12 years will make a fine blend and the increased batches will allow them to hit the profile.  I see no need to panic here.  Sure, there will be folks who are willing to pay big bucks for an age stated bottle in a year, but I'd bet you an age stated bottle that most of those folks wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind tasting.

All that said, sure, with any change, there is a chance we wind up with something different, but I just don't see a need to panic.  I guess if you absolutely love the stuff, maybe buy a case, but I'd get an NAS bottle as well and do an honest blind tasting before I went ape you know what.  

[starhopper]

6 hours ago, DonutsNBourbon said:

wow, that was quick, time to really stock up then...

Yep - went and bought three handles of the "Red 12" EC12 today - all I could find locally.  Probably never seem 'em again (at least, not at $49.00 a handle) .

Edited January 21, 2016 by starhopper

[fozzy71]

54 minutes ago, starhopper said:

Yep - went and bought three handles of the "Red 12" EC12 today - all I could find locally.  Probably never seem 'em again (at least, not at $49.00 a handle) .

State minimum up here is $60 a handle.  I have a single 750ml in the bunker and am debating as to whether or not I should go shopping for a few more this week...

[atbat82]

This was sort of predictable, no other reason to move the age statement to the back. That said, I'm not completely panicking. I bunkered a few as soon as they moved the age statement so I'm good for a while. But also not panicking because  there's just so much good bourbon out there. 

[flahute]

3 hours ago, maybeling said:

Lord knows I'm fond of HH (and EC12), but all this makes me wonder... Why not change the age statement to 8 years? I'm not saying there aren't waaaay less transparent distillers out there, but this quote from Minnick's blog post gives me pause:

"They did not consider lowering the proof and said will make it publicly known if they must lower the 8-year-old minimum barrel target."

If that's the case, why not actually state "8 years"? Or am I missing something that states they actually are planning on doing that...

Better optics to go NAS as opposed to lowering from 12 to 8 in one fell swoop. A stated 33% drop in age is way more shocking than going NAS. And really, there's no reason for them to draw a line in the sand at 8 years when older bourbon is in the mix. 

[Golzee]

5 hours ago, Louisiana said:

Like an above post stated. It may be a good thing. Some tend to think it has to much wood influence. A little bit younger may help with that issue.

I agree, I think a younger EC will be right in my wheelhouse.  The 12 year isn't bad, but, I have to be in the mood for it.

[Spade]

It's a shame, but the current price of less than $30 for a 12 year bourbon was beyond low for today's market so I'm not surprised. And, I'm on board with the idea that the new EC might be pretty good. Like others have said, I really like EC12, but it is something I have to be in the mood for — and I saw this coming when they removed the 12 from the front so I have a few stashed away for when the mood strikes. 

Has anyone tried a vatting of EWSB and EC12? The proof wouldn't be quite right, but it might give an idea of what the new EC will be like. Maybe a vatting of EC12, EWSB, and McKenna 10? I only have one of those three open at the moment or I'd do it myself.

[tanstaafl2]

At least it does not appear they are going to leave a big red 12 on the front label for no particular reason. They get some credit for that.

[starhopper]

1 hour ago, tanstaafl2 said:

At least it does not appear they are going to leave a big red 12 on the front label for no particular reason. They get some credit for that.

I'm gonna miss that Big Red 12 (and the years of aging that go along with it)!

Edited January 21, 2016 by starhopper

[kjbeggs]

While I'm not surprised that change is happening, I am a bit surprised it is happening this quickly.

I'm also not overly concerned that the profile will change drastically. That being said, I do plan to stock up on a few bottles of EC12.

 

[fantome]

13 hours ago, Golzee said:

I agree, I think a younger EC will be right in my wheelhouse.  The 12 year isn't bad, but, I have to be in the mood for it.

I'm in the same boat. EC 12 year is too woody for my taste so I'm looking forward to some younger juice added to it. Now my head will explode if they lower the age of Henry McKenna BIB because it is probably my favorite $30 bourbon. 

[starhopper]

I wouldn't be surprised if they "resurrect" the 12 year statement in a year or two for a "limited bottling" ..at three times the current price.  Just like they did with EC18. THAT's why I'm bunkering whatever I can find around town of the EC12.