Beverage Tastings Institute - top 2003 spirits

[wadewood]

They list George T. Stagg 15 Yr. Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon as the 4th best spirit for the year of 2003.

Full list is at: 2003 top spirits

[bobbyc]

Normally I would have a lot to say there, but since Georgy T is their first Bourbon choice in the line up.............

[wadewood]

I used their spirits search on Bourbons. Here are their top dozen. Not that my list would be the same, but I would find this list respectable.

98 • Old Rip Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

95 • George T. Stagg 15 Yr. Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

94 • Old Rip Van Winkle 15 Year Old Handmade Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey $40.

94 • Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey

93 • Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

93 • Jim Beam Black 8 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

92 • Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

92 • Jim Beam Distillers Masterpiece 20 Year Old Port Finish Bourbon Whiskey

91 • W. L. Weller 12 Yr. Old Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

91 • Eagle Rare 10 Yr. Old Straight Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

91 • Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whisky

91 • Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

[Buckky]

I agree...I would have nooo problem making these my next dozen bottles....but is #91 the best any of them can muster? I think not....but it is always an interesting list.

[TNbourbon]

Note that the Beverage Institute only offers ratings on spirits submitted to them -- for a fee, of course -- generally by the producer. Thus, any list they produce, while generally reasonable, will be incomplete. Many bottlings just never get rated.

[dhooch]

It still boils down to quality vs. price. Sometimes a 98 rated bourbon at $75 is not quite as acceptable as a 94 rated bourbon at $35, for an example. Are four (4) points worth $40? I usually say, NO! But I may say YES, in some cases. That has been my dilemma.

[Dave_in_Canada]

I'd pay a $99 for a bottle rated at "99" but I wouldn't pay $91 for a "91".

[Buckky]

with a price/value ratio applied, the following are the best for the money IMHO...

in no particular order:

Buffalo Trace/$18 a great whiskey

Ancient Ancient Age 10YEAR/$12 can anything match this price/quality ratio?

Weller 12/$18 another VERY good whiskey

VeryOldBarton/ $12 a steal

Elijah Craig12 /$16 as stated elswhere, the "star" of HH

Old Charter 12/ $15

Old Forester/ $12 a real deal and former "go to bourbon"

Wild Turkey 101/ $17 not often on my buy list but crowds swear by it...

...all of these and others I have missed for under $20 bucks...I agree it is pretty tough to justify spending 2 or 3 times this price for that diminishing difference in quality.

[OneCubeOnly]

Not everybody is searching for a bargain all the time. Some of us are willing to spend a little more because we can appreciate those few extra points. Is it worth the extra $20 for that nicer bourbon? I say there are times when the answer is a definite YES.

[dhooch]

I appreciate your comments and bourbon price/value list. I will take these into consideration! Thanks.

[dhooch]

Good point!

[ratcheer]

I occasionally will spend $40 to $50 for a bottle of bourbon, but when I do I drink them sparingly.

My one and only bottle of Blanton's was purchased in December, 2001. It is almost gone.

I have about 1/2 bottle remaining of Kentucky Spirit that was bought in December, 2002. I have another unopened bottle of KS that I bought this past fall, because it was marked down to $35.

Tim

[TNbourbon]

I'll spend a premium to try something unique -- like, for example, Hirsch 16yo or Pappy 20 or 23. But, for those prices, I'll also enjoy just letting it set on the shelf for awhile. Generally, the only bottles I ever have to replace are the Buffalo Traces, WT 101, JB Black, et al -- and there's a certain pleasure in that thriftiness, too. Then, it's a special joy to find something like EWSB, that's both affordable and exceptional! Is that what we live for, or what?

[SteveZZZ]

I don't hold myself to a specific price for a single bottle at all, but since I'm on a limited budget overall every choice I make is a sacrifice. Lately I've been concentrating on lots of rare, hard to find bottles that tend to be a bit more expensive. It may seem strange that I've got lots of premiums and haven't tried many of the basics yet, but OGD114 isn't going anywhere, and if I'd waited 6 months on the Hirsch I might have been out of luck forever. However, I don't bunker away bottles. I don't need a lifetime supply of any one bourbon, but I'd sure like to have one of each one made.

Steve