What unopened bottle do you keep as a trophy?

[Harry in WashDC]

44 minutes ago, Ajparent said:

I was fortunate enough to to get a bunch of really good bourbons/ryes at retail or very close to retail, so my unopened trophies at this point are: 

 

Wlliam Larue Weller

George T Stagg x2

Thomas H Handy x3

Pappy 12 yr

Turkey Hill 17 yr Masters Keep

Elijah Craig 18 yr

 

all purchased this year. I have a problem ????  I didn't count the stuff I already opened. 

Indeed - Welcome.  Where are you located that you found all that this year?  And, to answer your question: NO, you have no problem.  You may have a fortunate obsession, though.

[Ajparent]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm located in central New York. I'm very resourceful, and curious enough to buy anything I can get my hands on. You would be surprised how many bottles remain behind the counter at stores that don't typically get the kind of traffic that pays $100+ for bourbon. 

[PaulO]

Ok, I thought of another "trophy" a dusty I found in a run down little store that's gone now.  I have a bottle of Old Charter Classic 12.  Back when I started to really get interested in bourbon, these were out of production.  Several old timers thought highly of it, so it was always on my list to find.  I've had plenty of the 8 or 10 year, never tried the 12.  

[whiskey buyer]

On ‎7‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 9:06 PM, Lepisto said:

ONot so much a trophy, but instead a souvenir.  I took the family to Yellowstone a couple of summer ago on a 2 week vacation through the usual "out west" stops - badlands, mt. rushmore, devils tower, etc.  We were at a gift shop in Yellowstone looking for souvenirs.  Kids got some toys or stuffed animals, wife got a sweatshirt.  They had bottles of Wyoming Whiskey for sale, and I had never seen it in Kentucky (we have it now).  It was a no brainer to pick it up as my souvenir, but it cost about double what it costs now.  I haven't opened it and I don't know if I will or not, since it is a reminder of a great trip.  Plus I have read that the first few batches up to batch 25 or so aren't very good, and I have batch 25. 

I just read on the worst bourbon I have ever tried thread, that someone mentioned Wyoming Whiskey, so you might want to keep it as just a souvenir.

[bill_B]

Maker's Mark American Pharaoh comemorative bottle.

[PaulO]

Did any winnings help pay for it? 

Edited July 26, 2016 by PaulO

[bill_B]

11 hours ago, PaulO said:

Did any winnings help pay for it? 

Sadly..no.

[Jazz Nut]

I open most everything, and try to buy multiples when I can---especially of bourbons I really like.  The two that pops into mind are Parker's Heritage Collection, Promise of Hope.  In addition to being one of my favorite bourbons (I was lucky to find three bottles when it was released), it also holds a bit of a tribute for my grandmother who passed away in 2010 from ALS.  It's a horrible disease, and hopefully they can find a cure or treatment for this disease.

 

Also another bourbon I really loved this year, is Russell's Reserve 1998, I have one opened, and almost finished, and one unopened---it will be hard to open that one as well.

 

If I can find BTAC or Pappy in lotteries, I usually just open them, as I've not been lucky enough to get multiples in one year.

[whiskey buyer]

It is not an unopened bottle, but I was given a partially full bottle of Van Winkle 12 year family reserve. I will finish the bourbon, but keep the bottle as a memento.

[BourbonJoe]

2006 WLW, which I was told by Ken Webber was barrel proof Stitzel Weller.

 

[troyce]

Henry Clay, Joseph Finch and O

ld Rip Van Winkle  15, 107.

[BigPapa]

Is the Blue american pharoah bottle from Makers Mark normal juice or aged longer?

 

75.00???

[fishnbowljoe]

37 minutes ago, BigPapa said:

Is the Blue american pharoah bottle from Makers Mark normal juice or aged longer?

 

75.00???

 

It is regular MM.

[b1gcountry]

$80 niknak

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[Harry in WashDC]

Upon further reflection and based on something I just read on the "What bourbon did you purchase today?" thread, I do have two orange capped OGD BIBs and 3 VOB BIB "6year" 750s squirreled away.  Any bets on whether I ever actually open one on purpose?  I did have 4 VOB BIB 6 years but I opened one by mistake in the dark awhile back.

[flahute]

2 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Upon further reflection and based on something I just read on the "What bourbon did you purchase today?" thread, I do have two orange capped OGD BIBs and 3 VOB BIB "6year" 750s squirreled away.  Any bets on whether I ever actually open one on purpose?  I did have 4 VOB BIB 6 years but I opened one by mistake in the dark awhile back.

It's wise to have a headlamp available when one decides to go spelunking in the bunker.

 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 9:27 PM, Harry in WashDC said:

Upon further reflection and based on something I just read on the "What bourbon did you purchase today?" thread, I do have two orange capped OGD BIBs and 3 VOB BIB "6year" 750s squirreled away.  Any bets on whether I ever actually open one on purpose?  I did have 4 VOB BIB 6 years but I opened one by mistake in the dark awhile back.

 

I dunno, I could see it happening! I don't see them getting any better than they are today. Might be a good idea to crack one open tonight and confirm that!

[Harry in WashDC]

9 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

I dunno, I could see it happening! I don't see them getting any better than they are today. Might be a good idea to crack one open tonight and confirm that!

Due to the extreme heat (the AC quit, and it's 88 degrees at 11:53pm in the living room even with fans going and the windows open so the rain splashes in), I switched to wheateds which I like in hot weather.  Why on this thread?  The fake copper shield NAS Bernheim (a wheat whiskey, not a bourbon, I know) I was saving got yanked from the back of the bunker and ceremoniously opened and poured into an old fashioned glass.  With no ice.  It's at least as good in the glass as it was n the bottle.

[tanstaafl2]

10 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Due to the extreme heat (the AC quit, and it's 88 degrees at 11:53pm in the living room even with fans going and the windows open so the rain splashes in), I switched to wheateds which I like in hot weather.  Why on this thread?  The fake copper shield NAS Bernheim (a wheat whiskey, not a bourbon, I know) I was saving got yanked from the back of the bunker and ceremoniously opened and poured into an old fashioned glass.  With no ice.  It's at least as good in the glass as it was n the bottle.

 

Excellent work! If one is going to swelter one might as well do it as comfortably as possible.

[Kepler]

On 8/13/2016 at 8:27 PM, Harry in WashDC said:

 I do have two orange capped OGD BIBs 

What makes the orange-capped OGD BiB so special?  I keep seeing references to the orange caps and I don't get it.  

[flahute]

41 minutes ago, Kepler said:

What makes the orange-capped OGD BiB so special?  I keep seeing references to the orange caps and I don't get it.  

Nostalgia. Most of us prefer OGDBIB as it was - an inexpensive darkhorse bourbon in a cheap looking bottle with a screw cap that punched well above it's weight. The fact that the screw cap was orange was a bonus. (For Harry, he'll tell you that it's easier for him to find in a crowded cabinet because the orange cap stands out).

When Beam changed the label and introduced the cork and generally classed it up, they didn't change the whiskey at all, but they did increase the price by about $5. (Which is a big jump for a whiskey that was around $20 or less.) 

We prefer it to be flying under the radar. Beam's trying to increase it's appeal. There's nothing wrong with that. We just liked it better as our little secret.

[Harry in WashDC]

22 hours ago, Kepler said:

What makes the orange-capped OGD BiB so special?  I keep seeing references to the orange caps and I don't get it.  

What Steve said.  Trust me on this.  Someday, you will be old like me, and, when you are reaching into your bunker in the back corner of the basement, you will wish that the tops had bright colors so you can tell one bottle from another so you don't keep pulling up the "wrong" bottles over and over.  ALSO, while the new OGDBIB "cork" is synthetic, meaning it is less likely to dry out, split, break off, etc., than a "real" cork, it still has to be aimed and tapped down into the bottle which risks hitting it too hard so the bottle slides out of your hand, compared to a screwtop.  Now, think about it - when was the last time you lost ANYthing orange?  Compare that with a black-topped cork.  Finally, more than once, I have looked for OGDBIB which, typically, is on the bottom shelf right next to the OGD 80 proof and, because both have orange labels and black tops and I have bad knees and can't bend so much, I've gone back to the counter and said, "You ever going to carry OGD BIB?" and gotten the LOOK which says "dumb old man" while the clerk goes and gets a BIB off the shelf.  THEN, I have to send him back for two or three more.

 

IN SUM, getting old is not for sissies.  And, neither is OGDBIB.

[whiskey buyer]

7 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

another so you don't keep pulling up the "wrong" bottles over and over.

So the answer to this problem is you take a shot glass with you. If you grab the wrong bottle, pour yourself a shot, slug it down, set the bottle aside, and grab another bottle. It will not be long, and you will be grabbing the wrong bottle on purpose:)

[Redslayer]

Any gun/knife enthusiast out there is familiar with the term "safe queen".  I have a handful of special bourbons that I wold refer to as "bunker queens" rather than trophies.  Most of my safe queens are lightly used - similarly, I do intend to enjoy the Bunker queens at some special point in time.

[b1gcountry]

I have a couple safe queens but I never intended them to be...some are more like unwanted step children. Yes, i'm talking about you, lilac lcp that my wife thought was great for about 2 months. ..