What bourbon are you enjoying? Fall 2016

[The Good Sir]

2012 Rock Hill Farms.  One of those that have been sitting on my bar for years.  I'm now trying to finish off the bottle to make room for some newer bottles, but man, is it drinking nicely.  Very smooth butterscotch with the slightest lingering burn on the finish.

[Golzee]

1792 for me while watching the playoffs.  Hoping for a Cubs-Indians series so one of the franchises can end their incredibly long championship drought (preferably the Cubs).

[BigPapa]

11 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

3rd day with the latest release of ECSB (136.0), and it is nothing less than spectacular.  A gorgeous heavy and sweet orange marmalade overtone.  Great mouthfeel.  Liqueurishly thick.  This sweetness only works because it has that 12 year in oak backbone that asserts itself in just the right amount to hold it all together...and, perfectly at that.  For my tastes, HH picked the honey-est of honey barrels for this release.

I totally agree with you on this. Batch 12 , 136 proof is the best ECBP to date for me

[BDanner]

Decided to drink from the well last night. Started off with a pour of EWBIB followed by my first ever pour of VOB. Not impressed with the VOB at all, although I think if I should've tried it BEFORE the EWBIB. I think it might've been a decent value pour if it weren't following a very good (but cheap) 100 proofer.

[fishnbowljoe]

Decided to pay respects to "the cult" today. Having a couple of after work pours of FRSB today.

 

Cheers! Joe

[beasled]

23 hours ago, dcbt said:

Well, I hit the Big 4-0 today.  Fittingly I had an appointment with a foot doctor to deal with lingering plantar fasciitis and bursitis.  But leaving work early means coming home early, and I've queued up a healthy 2oz pour of PVW 20 to enjoy under the pergola. 

 

Happy Birthday!

[Vicious-Peanut]

Not sure I'm "enjoying" but I want a cheaper bourbon for mixing but I don't want 80 proof.  Made and old fashioned with Ezra brooks 90 proof.  It's ok, guess j should just pay $6 more for a BIB. 

[smokinjoe]

14 minutes ago, Vicious-Peanut said:

Not sure I'm "enjoying" but I want a cheaper bourbon for mixing but I don't want 80 proof.  Made and old fashioned with Ezra brooks 90 proof.  It's ok, guess j should just pay $6 more for a BIB. 

I went through a streak a few years back where the Ezra 90 "proof" was hitting all the right buttons for me, and particularly at the great price.  Since, it gas gone to Ezra Brooks "90", but without the "proof".  I don't know if there is a difference in the taste of the whisky  since the change (though, I suppose there is), but thinking it may be worth another try. 

[Vicious-Peanut]

Smokin - I went and look at the bottle as your reply made me wonder.  It's 90 proof black bottle "Kentucky sour mash".  I guess I didn't notice but t says charcoal filtered.  Perhaps my understanding was wrong but I didn't think bourbon could be filtered?

 

Also I made another drink and seems ok.  I guess I need to be real careful with ice as to not water it down.  I did see buffalo trace for 20 even at my local though...

Edited October 19, 2016 by Vicious-Peanut

[Charlutz]

I had the penultimate pour of an OESV that was my first FRPS. I am going to miss this bottle. Next time I pour from it, I'll take the last pour and do a SBS with one of the other two OB recipes I have waiting in the wings. Second pour tonight was WSR. It's not a bad bourbon, but unspectacular.  I've got two family sized bottles in the bunker and that's probably too much, even at $35 per. I stocked up because I don't see it too often, but I don't drink it enough. I'll need to make it a regular pour when I am on my fourth or fifth on a weekend night. Again, it's not bad, just unremarkable. I need to remind myself that not readily available does not mean "rare and sought after." ER10 at $22 on sale is a far, far superior option.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Charlutz

[Clueby]

Had a pour of Willett Pot Still Reserve. I don't get all the hate this one gets. It's a decent pour. Some sweetness, some spice, a little weight to it but not a lot, a medium finish. Seems like a classic "standard" bourbon profile. It was a gift so I'm not judging it on price. Paired it up with a slice of chocolate silk pie that really accentuated the sweetness. Followed that up with some WSR. Guess I had a sweet tooth tonight. Now I'm tired!

[flahute]

1 hour ago, Clueby said:

Had a pour of Willett Pot Still Reserve. I don't get all the hate this one gets. It's a decent pour. Some sweetness, some spice, a little weight to it but not a lot, a medium finish. Seems like a classic "standard" bourbon profile. It was a gift so I'm not judging it on price. Paired it up with a slice of chocolate silk pie that really accentuated the sweetness. Followed that up with some WSR. Guess I had a sweet tooth tonight. Now I'm tired!

The problem with KBD products is inconsistency. One bottle might be outstanding whereas the next one might be terrible. It's the nature of sourcing bourbon in a very tight market while struggling to meet demand for your products. It leads to releasing substandard product at times.

The good news is that KBD has more and more of their own distillate coming online so hopefully we will see more of their brands transition to that source over the sourced. 

[Clueby]

6 hours ago, flahute said:

The problem with KBD products is inconsistency. One bottle might be outstanding whereas the next one might be terrible. It's the nature of sourcing bourbon in a very tight market while struggling to meet demand for your products. It leads to releasing substandard product at times.

The good news is that KBD has more and more of their own distillate coming online so hopefully we will see more of their brands transition to that source over the sourced. 

I know there are some high hopes for their own juice. I had some of their 2 year rye that showed promise. The same inconsistency can plague single barrels as well. I had made some comments about Blanton's not being all that spectacular in another thread and got the same argument in support of Blanton's. I guess I haven't sampled enough different bottles of either to make an informed decision but my bottle of WPSR is very good (to my palate..and nose) and the couple bottles of Blanton's I've had pours from have been just meh. But that is the beauty of this "hobby". We get to keep trying!

[flahute]

1 hour ago, Clueby said:

I know there are some high hopes for their own juice. I had some of their 2 year rye that showed promise. The same inconsistency can plague single barrels as well. I had made some comments about Blanton's not being all that spectacular in another thread and got the same argument in support of Blanton's. I guess I haven't sampled enough different bottles of either to make an informed decision but my bottle of WPSR is very good (to my palate..and nose) and the couple bottles of Blanton's I've had pours from have been just meh. But that is the beauty of this "hobby". We get to keep trying!

Willett Pot Still is a blend and is supposed to be more consistent. Changing source and bottling of younger whiskey is likely the culprit. Blantons is an actual single barrel whiskey. Big difference in expectations for consistency versus variation. 

[Masset1982]

Tonight i was tempted to open my last bottle of WLW 2015, but instead I choose to pour myself a little glass of 2015 Stagg. 

I can't complain, life is good right now. 

Cheers y'all ! 

[GaryT]

18 hours ago, Clueby said:

Had a pour of Willett Pot Still Reserve. I don't get all the hate this one gets. It's a decent pour. Some sweetness, some spice, a little weight to it but not a lot, a medium finish. Seems like a classic "standard" bourbon profile. It was a gift so I'm not judging it on price. Paired it up with a slice of chocolate silk pie that really accentuated the sweetness. Followed that up with some WSR. Guess I had a sweet tooth tonight. Now I'm tired!

 

II've only ever bought one, so I can't comment on the consistency - but for me, it was a similar experience.  Decent enough bourbon for $15-$18.  Not special, but not "bad".  But a far cry from whatever I paid for it (which I think was $35 or so at the time?)

[Kepler]

13 hours ago, flahute said:

Willett Pot Still is a blend and is supposed to be more consistent. Changing source and bottling of younger whiskey is likely the culprit. Blantons is an actual single barrel whiskey. Big difference in expectations for consistency versus variation. 

The Willett Pot Still I've had were single barrel. It was originally single barrel product and only recently switched to small batch, presumably due to sourcing constraints. I still have 2 or 3 bottles of the SB in my bunker. In my experience it's a fine bourbon. Possibly as much or more  consistent than Evan Williams Single Barrel, for example.  However, Willett is a bit overpriced, probably due to the fancy bottle and because it's sourced from a middleman distiller.

[flahute]

Was down in Truckee, CA for work today so I flew in and out of Reno. Had a lot of time to kill before the flight home so ended up at a nice tavern in Reno with a good whiskey selection. I immediately saw the '16 OFBB on a high shelf and asked how much for a pour. $15. Huh.....that would be $40 here in Seattle. No brainer so I had a pour. Really good and an evolution from the past two years releases. They also had Parker's Heritage 24yr for $40 and Booker's Rye for $25. I passed on both because someone else was paying and went with 4RSiB.

[beasled]

 Having a pour of VSOF12. Cheers all!

 

 

[tanstaafl2]

14 hours ago, flahute said:

Was down in Truckee, CA for work today so I flew in and out of Reno. Had a lot of time to kill before the flight home so ended up at a nice tavern in Reno with a good whiskey selection. I immediately saw the '16 OFBB on a high shelf and asked how much for a pour. $15. Huh.....that would be $40 here in Seattle. No brainer so I had a pour. Really good and an evolution from the past two years releases. They also had Parker's Heritage 24yr for $40 and Booker's Rye for $25. I passed on both because someone else was paying and went with 4RSiB.

 

One could perhaps argue the Booker's Rye was more the value poor, presuming you accept the MSRP for both as legitimate (And the MSRP for both seems pricey at present). Especially if you haven't had the Booker's rye before! It is after all the whiskey of the year...

 

But $15 for OFBB is about 18.75% of an MSRP of $80 while the Booker's was more like 8.3% based on the MSRP of $300. The Bookers would have to be closer to $135 to match the OFBB price. The PHC is closer to the OFBB based strictly on price versus an MSRP of $250. Of course in reality the bar may not have paid anything close to the MSRP prices.

[GeeTen]

After two (2) short pulls of Yamazaki 12 to finish off two (2) almost empty bottles, started off Whiskey Wednesday with a very nice dram of Willett Pot Still (sweet and satisfying).  Followed it up with a quite dark 2013 WLW (woof, that's some yummy bourbon!) and finished with a pull of PVW20.  Passed on a short glass of Barrel Bourbon Batch #006 (it was my bottle contribution for the night) since I had to drive home.  Very glad to have the bottled water and popcorn during the evening!?!  Felt great this morning . . . . .   

[Kpiz]

14 hours ago, flahute said:

Was down in Truckee, CA for work today so I flew in and out of Reno. Had a lot of time to kill before the flight home so ended up at a nice tavern in Reno with a good whiskey selection. I immediately saw the '16 OFBB on a high shelf and asked how much for a pour. $15. Huh.....that would be $40 here in Seattle. No brainer so I had a pour. Really good and an evolution from the past two years releases. They also had Parker's Heritage 24yr for $40 and Booker's Rye for $25. I passed on both because someone else was paying and went with 4RSiB.

 

Yes those are good prices and much lower than I've seen in my area as well. Hard Water here in SF has the Booker's Rye for $50/ounce. Hard Water is a very upscale establishment, though, so perhaps it's not the best pricing barometer.

 

12 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

But $15 for OFBB is about 18.75% of an MSRP of $80 while the Booker's was more like 8.3% based on the MSRP of $300. The Bookers would have to be closer to $135 to match the OFBB price. The PHC is closer to the OFBB based strictly on price versus an MSRP of $250. Of course in reality the bar may not have paid anything close to the MSRP prices.

 

Do on-premise accounts generally pay the same prices a liquor store would (which is to say, roughly 30% below MSRP)? Assuming a 1.5oz pour and a $225 bottle purchase price, they'd only be making a couple hundred dollars on the bottle.

[tanstaafl2]

2 minutes ago, Kpiz said:

 

Yes those are good prices and much lower than I've seen in my area as well. Hard Water here in SF has the Booker's Rye for $50/ounce. Hard Water is a very upscale establishment, though, so perhaps it's not the best pricing barometer.

 

 

Do on-premise accounts generally pay the same prices a liquor store would (which is to say, roughly 30% below MSRP)? Assuming a 1.5oz pour and a $225 bottle purchase price, they'd only be making a couple hundred dollars on the bottle.

 

It seems that, like everything else related to liquor in this country, the rules are different from state to state. Here in Georgia they likely pay about the same as the retailers or perhaps even a tad more (perhaps they can't typically do as much volume in most on premise accounts as a large store can, not that it makes much difference with limited bottles that you only get a smattering of anyway). In South Carolina I was informed by a reliable source that on premise accounts have to buy their stock from a retailer! So it seems pretty likely they are paying more than the store does. No doubt other states are just as bizarre when it comes to how sales are handled between on and off premise accounts. 

 

I was making my theoretical comparison based on what it might cost the consumer to buy something, presuming the consumer even gets a chance to buy it and could get it at or close to retail cost.

[Hop]

Due to travelling I was offline here for about a week - poured through a partial bottle of ER10 store selection out of One Stop Wines in Johnson City TN which is quite good for the majority of the week, tried a pull from a bottle of Old Bardstown BIB that is the Willet distilled 3 years old - wasn't impressed but still have the bottle to visit later.  

 

Got home last night and had a pour from the bottle of Four Roses Black Label I picked up - man this stuff is fantastic!, followed that with a pour of WTKS from 2008 that was gifted to me by another SB'r again it was fantastic.  

 

Tonight after a full day of spreading a full pallet of mulch in the planting beds I again started with the Four Roses and have now moved on to A Bowman Wheat LE

[flahute]

2 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

One could perhaps argue the Booker's Rye was more the value poor, presuming you accept the MSRP for both as legitimate (And the MSRP for both seems pricey at present). Especially if you haven't had the Booker's rye before! It is after all the whiskey of the year...

 

But $15 for OFBB is about 18.75% of an MSRP of $80 while the Booker's was more like 8.3% based on the MSRP of $300. The Bookers would have to be closer to $135 to match the OFBB price. The PHC is closer to the OFBB based strictly on price versus an MSRP of $250. Of course in reality the bar may not have paid anything close to the MSRP prices.

Absolutely agree with your assessment.

My value and decision making matrix for this particular evening was influenced by what I pay in Seattle for the same pours, what I had and had not tried yet, and the fact that someone else was paying.

I had not yet tried OFBB '16 and $15 a pour (they were good sized pours, too) is a relative steal and as a standalone price for a whiskey in a vacuum, it doesn't raise any eyebrows.

I have tried the Booker's Rye. I know that $25 is a great value for it ($85 for it here in Seattle), but I couldn't ask someone else to pay that much for a whiskey as they don't understand the value equations like we do. (Aside: had I not yet tried it, I would have told my business acquaintance that I really needed to and that I would buy it for myself).