Resurrection bourbon

[Flyfish]

SBers of a certain age have been known to lament the decline of some bourbons through the loss of age statement (EC12, VOB6YO, WT12) or the disappearance altogether (AAA10YO, EC18. )

At the same time, some bourbons are experiencing a resurrection to new life because their producers are addressing the demand for quality as well as quantity. Think of the entire FR brand that spent decades in the desert. We have seen the reintroduction of Yellowstone as a higher quality product after it, too, was a disappointment.

Question: What currently disappointing bourbon do your nominate for restoration to its former glory? Would you like to see Old Crow, for example, leveraged up from its place in the basement below the bottom shelf? Please limit your nominations to bourbons that were once at least respectable. You can't restore the glory of a product that never had any in the first place.

[petrel800]

I guess my thought is that I would prefer that dead brands stay dead.  New products are great, but don't revive an old brand, give me an old story and then fill it with the same mashbill you put in the bottom shelfer and charge me $50 for it.  I'd rather you just make up a new brand and tell me a new story so at least I'll get a new laugh.

As for bottom shelfers, sure, if a bottom shelf product sees an improvement that would be great, but with the limited amount of aged stock, I'd rather you set that aside to keep the mid to top shelf full, or give me an even better new product.  Sure I love HH6yr BIB, but I'd rather you put the 12 yr old good stuff in the ECBP.

Maybe my vote would be for the Limited Editions to be returned to their former glory.  No longer traded and held like baseball cards by the new to bourbon crowd and no longer the "I liked that band before that band was popular, but now that they are popular they aren't as good as when they were playing Friday nights at the Applebees" for the old bourbon guard.  Ha!

Edited March 18, 2016 by petrel800

[dboland]

WT101 because I have heard how great they used to be and I am curious what that is like. I really like WT101 and the RR stuff right now and the last couple 101s I have bought were among the best Wild Turkey I have had. Then again, I read on here and other places that it is not nearly as good as it was 20-30 years ago, so I would like to know how good it could be.

Edited March 18, 2016 by dboland

[bullitt]

I'd like to think Virginia Gentleman was once decent when compared to whatever was available way back to compare it to. My dad liked it enough to sip. Would like to see it be a top notch pour today. I like the imagery and name.

[jsrudd]

7 hours ago, dboland said:

WT101 because I have heard how great they used to be and I am curious what that is like. I really like WT101 and the RR stuff right now and the last couple 101s I have bought were among the best Wild Turkey I have had. Then again, I read on here and other places that it is not nearly as good as it was 20-30 years ago, so I would like to know how good it could be.

My vote is also for Wild Turkey. I think the quality has gone down in even in the past 10 years (and must have started before that given the aging process). My secondary vote is for Jack Daniels Black label, which used to be quiet good in the 80s. 

[Canarse]

I kind of understand what is going on at WT.  They are creating different products at different price points.  It's marketing and a necessary evil of running a profitable business.  WT101 is still a fine bourbon, but not what it was years ago when I considered it to be the best bourbon on the market.  (1980s)  Now they have Rare Breed, Russell's Reserve regular and single barrel, KY Spirit and others.  I do wish Russell's Reserve was still 101 proof.  It would serve as a message that this, 101 proof, is a sweetspot for our bourbon and support the lower end product as well as tasting really good.  Thankfully, I still have 3 bottles of the RR101 in my bunker.  I may need to do a taste test really soon.  

[Canarse]

I would like to see OWA go back to a 7 year age statement.  After a little taste test last night, which I will post later, I am really missing the old version of the product.

[miller542]

I was initially thinking Old Taylor, but I have to agree, Wild Turkey could really use a resurrection. Return RR to 101 and revive the taste profile of the flagship 101.

[smokinjoe]

I really don't pine for much these days, as there are so many great bourbons available at multiple ages, proofs, and price points.  But, I would like to see the return of Eagle Rare 10 back to 101 proof.  It's fine at its current 90, but the bump to 101 really gave it an extra gear, IMO.

[Josh]

1 minute ago, smokinjoe said:

I really don't pine for much these days, as there are so many great bourbons available at multiple ages, proofs, and price points.  But, I would like to see the return of Eagle Rare 10 back to 101 proof.  It's fine at its current 90, but the bump to 101 really gave it an extra gear, IMO.

I agree with this. RR 101 would be nice too, but I'm not sure WT has the ability to put out a bourbon of that quality these days even if the proof did go back up.

[smokinjoe]

4 hours ago, Canarse said:

 I do wish Russell's Reserve was still 101 proof.  It would serve as a message that this, 101 proof, is a sweetspot for our bourbon and support the lower end product as well as tasting really good.  Thankfully, I still have 3 bottles of the RR101 in my bunker.  I may need to do a taste test really soon.  

Those early RR's were good, but I would be happy if they would simply bring back the bottle design.  That may have been the best designed package in all Bourbonia! 

[fishnbowljoe]

I have three bourbons that I think fit here. RR 110/101 and ER 10/101 have already been mentioned. My third would be Weller Centennial. Even though I love Weller 12, I don't think I'd mind seeing Weller 12 replaced with Weller Centennial. 

I've posted on the site before that if Weller Centennial, ER 10/101 and RR 10/101 were still being made today, most bourbon folks would be happy campers.

Cheers! Joe

[flahute]

1 hour ago, smokinjoe said:

I really don't pine for much these days, as there are so many great bourbons available at multiple ages, proofs, and price points.  But, I would like to see the return of Eagle Rare 10 back to 101 proof.  It's fine at its current 90, but the bump to 101 really gave it an extra gear, IMO.

You said once that we could be brothers from a different mother and darned if you didn't post almost word for word what I was going to say. I was scrolling through the replies, thinking ER101 was what I'd like to see, started to formulate the reply in my head, and saw that words had already been typed for me.

[miller542]

2 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

...if Weller Centennial, ER 10/101 and RR 10/101 were still being made today, most bourbon folks would be happy campers.

 

Absolutely!

[berto]

WT101.  The current version isn't bad but it isn't what it used to be.  It was my first love.  I was at a meetup a few weeks ago had a drink from a dusty that some kind soul brought.  A lovely blast from the past.  I won't pay silly money for what I used to take for granted so it was a rare trip down memory lane.

[mosugoji64]

I  would like to see OT become one of BTs  flagship brands. They show the man a lot of respect and I'd like to see that extended to the OT brand. 

It would also be cool to bring back ER10/101 and Weller Centennial though I shudder to think of the price bump and demand for the latter. 

[The Black Tot]

I want Old Charter restored with it's old mashbill and proper 10yr and 12yr expressions.

Fortunately most of the early dusty hunters didn't care about this and left a bunch for me. It really suits me.

But another vote for Old Taylor, or anything that has that great rancio butterscotch thing going on. Even when I was a little kid, I was all about the butterscotch.

[Harry in WashDC]

On 3/20/2016, 12:44:44, The Black Tot said:

. . .  But another vote for Old Taylor, or anything that has that great rancio butterscotch thing going on. Even when I was a little kid, I was all about the butterscotch.

You just took me back to the late 1960s with the rancid butterscotch reference; I was home from college, and my Dad offered me OT on ice - the first time he and I drank together.  Thanks.

[ebo]

On 3/18/2016, 2:48:51, dboland said:

WT101 because I have heard how great they used to be and I am curious what that is like. I really like WT101 and the RR stuff right now and the last couple 101s I have bought were among the best Wild Turkey I have had. Then again, I read on here and other places that it is not nearly as good as it was 20-30 years ago, so I would like to know how good it could be.

This! I still like/buy/drink WT101. It would be great to see it restored to what it once was.

[PaulO]

My vote goes to Old Fitz.  Could HH just go back to making it like it was years ago?  

Two more candidates are Old Taylor and Old Crow.  I would like if the owners of those brands forgot about what they are doing now.  Get out the old mash bills.  Find the original yeast strain or something close.  Crow at this time is Beam's bottom shelf dogs and cats.  I had high hopes for CEHT.  It turned out to be just more BT mash bill #1, like a premium version of ER.  It's Taylor in name only.

Weller Centenial is still around.  It's called ORVW with a few drops of water.  Brian was spot on about the price. 

[Paddy]

I miss the 'old' Old Fitz as well.  Come to think of it, I also miss the 'old' WT101 and ER101 as just as much!  I could live on those three old brands alone...