Orphan Barrel Archive : 6-Bottle Set ($1500 Retail)

[Conquistador]

Diageo's Orphan Barrel line doesn't get too much love on SB.com (although there are a few fans). This new offering of the Orphan Barrel Archive probably won't win over any converts, with the average per bottle price being $250 ($1500 for 6 bottles, retail price, released only in KY). That presentation box must be made out of some magical wood from the Enchanted Forest, or something. At least Diageo is re-releasing Old Blowhard in this set. But still...

 

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/orphan-barrel-archive-collection-brings-together-greatest-diageo-hits/

[jeffrey r]

Lol.  As long as they keep producing good-tasting 20-year old Barterhouse at $79 per bottle, I'll stick with that, thank you very much.

[tanstaafl2]

1 hour ago, Conquistador said:

Diageo's Orphan Barrel line doesn't get too much love on SB.com (although there are a few fans). This new offering of the Orphan Barrel Archive probably won't win over any converts, with the average per bottle price being $250 ($1500 for 6 bottles, retail price, released only in KY). That presentation box must be made out of some magical wood from the Enchanted Forest, or something. At least Diageo is re-releasing Old Blowhard in this set. But still...

 

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/orphan-barrel-archive-collection-brings-together-greatest-diageo-hits/

 

Thanks. Always need a little humor sprinkled through out the day!

[RWBadley]

1 hour ago, jeffrey r said:

Lol.  As long as they keep producing good-tasting 20-year old Barterhouse at $79 per bottle, I'll stick with that, thank you very much.

 

Heheh, are they still making that or you just have a few leftover 2014's around?

[jeffrey r]

^^^^ We just got a new delivery of Barterhouse in NJ.  I've probably seen about 5 bottles, all at $79.99.  Bought two of 'em, and I think had two already in the bunker.  Opened one of the new ones--still good stuff, assuming one likes the oak...

[HoustonNit]

This doesn't look like something you drink it looks like something you put on the mantle above your fireplace.

[BottledInBond]

This is the stupidest thing I've seen in a while

[0895]

On 6/22/2017 at 4:11 PM, RWBadley said:

 

Heheh, are they still making that or you just have a few leftover 2014's around?

 

I've seen bottle numbers in the 146,000's with this latest release.

Best "Limited Edition" ever.  Can't believe they found a whole rickhouse of this stuff that was "lost".

But it is damn tasty!

Edited June 26, 2017 by 0895

[mosugoji64]

I'm sure I could commission someone to build a nice box for much less than that, and one that would accommodate bottles that I actually like 

Edited June 27, 2017 by mosugoji64

[Clueby]

/<beginsarcasm>If only Gifted Horse was in there./<endsarcasm>

[DeepCover]

This set isn't actually selling for $1,500. It's selling for $1,900. 

[kevinbrink]

On 7/1/2017 at 10:16 PM, DeepCover said:

This set isn't actually selling for $1,500. It's selling for $1,900. 

In that case I'm in for 2!

[jvd99]

Stupid.  None of the individual bottles were transcendent and some were just average.    So why would I pay $300+ per bottle?  I bet a competent SBer could put up 6 bottles for a tenth of the cost and win a blind HTH taste test 

[The Black Tot]

I wasn't planning on it, but after reading this I think I might end my night here in the UK with a pour of Old Blowhard, which I have enjoyed from the get go.

[LCWoody]

20 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

I wasn't planning on it, but after reading this I think I might end my night here in the UK with a pour of Old Blowhard, which I have enjoyed from the get go.

Amen, I love the wood in OB

[HoustonNit]

Was having a discussion with a fellow SBer would anyone have any guesses as to what brands these barrels where originally intended for?

[garbanzobean]

7 hours ago, HoustonNit said:

Was having a discussion with a fellow SBer would anyone have any guesses as to what brands these barrels where originally intended for?

It seems as though distilleries like to have options, and older stock (bourbon 13-30ish years of age) creates more of them.  Blending into standard bottlings to achieve a target profile, releasing the best as limited editions if the market will support that, sell off to NDPs or other distilleries as needed, dump into flagging brand that has growth potential but needs a quality/PR boost, dump everything into our brands with strong sales because we can't afford taxes right now, whatever/all of the above.  Heaven Hill always seems to have a good quantity around, Four Roses has some, and Wild Turkey clearly has (had?) plenty.  I bet other distilleries do too, inclusive of all aged spirits.  No reason Diageo wouldn't have followed that plan for its portfolio.  I think it is pretty impossible to argue that market doesn't play a huge role in the final disposition of such barrels.  It is probably better to think of barrel disposition as an overall grand strategy with multiple interdependent courses of action rather than "barrel x was distillered and aged with 100% certain destiny to end up as brand y." I doubt distilleries that want to exist for very long can afford such linear thinking, given the boom/bust cyles they have experienced.

 

So maybe Bullet/Dickel, maybe sell off, maybe a new brand (Orphan Barrels), maybe something else.  Whiskey is a business selling a luxury commodity, and agility is imperative to survival in that market.  

[flahute]

7 hours ago, garbanzobean said:

It seems as though distilleries like to have options, and older stock (bourbon 13-30ish years of age) creates more of them.  Blending into standard bottlings to achieve a target profile, releasing the best as limited editions if the market will support that, sell off to NDPs or other distilleries as needed, dump into flagging brand that has growth potential but needs a quality/PR boost, dump everything into our brands with strong sales because we can't afford taxes right now, whatever/all of the above.  Heaven Hill always seems to have a good quantity around, Four Roses has some, and Wild Turkey clearly has (had?) plenty.  I bet other distilleries do too, inclusive of all aged spirits.  No reason Diageo wouldn't have followed that plan for its portfolio.  I think it is pretty impossible to argue that market doesn't play a huge role in the final disposition of such barrels.  It is probably better to think of barrel disposition as an overall grand strategy with multiple interdependent courses of action rather than "barrel x was distillered and aged with 100% certain destiny to end up as brand y." I doubt distilleries that want to exist for very long can afford such linear thinking, given the boom/bust cyles they have experienced.

 

So maybe Bullet/Dickel, maybe sell off, maybe a new brand (Orphan Barrels), maybe something else.  Whiskey is a business selling a luxury commodity, and agility is imperative to survival in that market.  

Diageo came into these barrels via the distillery merger that resulted in the company now known as Diageo. So perhaps the question is, who distilled these whiskies in the first place? Outside of Lost Prophet which was contract distilled at the then GT Stagg Distillery, the others were distilled at either Old Bernheim or New Bernheim. The popular brands coming out of those distilleries at the time were I.W. Harper and Old Charter (as well as Cream of Kentucky Rye). According to Mike Veach, New Bernheim was distilling 3 mashbills, the wheated S-W mashbill, the Bernheim 86/6/8 mahsbill, and the Glenmore formula (80% corn).

 

It's reasonable to assume that some of these barrels were intended to be Harper or Charter, but we don't really know for sure given the other mashbills being distilled at the time.

[HoustonNit]

^Awesome response flathute just what I was looking and my guesses was exactly Harper or Old Charter.

Diageo no longer owns the Old Charter name but does own the IW Harper name. Why didn't not call the orphan barrel something like Very Very Old IW Harper or something instead of the gimmicky names they use?

That or potentially buy back the Old Charter name and bring back the Proprietor's Reserve name and be more transparent about the sources.

[DeepCover]

Having done a SBS of IWH 15 and FO 15 about a year ago, I would agree the similarities are there (you can tell it's the same mashbill). FO 15 basically tastes like an oaky IWH 15. 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 3:57 PM, flahute said:

Diageo came into these barrels via the distillery merger that resulted in the company now known as Diageo. So perhaps the question is, who distilled these whiskies in the first place? Outside of Lost Prophet which was contract distilled at the then GT Stagg Distillery, the others were distilled at either Old Bernheim or New Bernheim. The popular brands coming out of those distilleries at the time were I.W. Harper and Old Charter (as well as Cream of Kentucky Rye). According to Mike Veach, New Bernheim was distilling 3 mashbills, the wheated S-W mashbill, the Bernheim 86/6/8 mahsbill, and the Glenmore formula (80% corn).

 

Let us not forget (as much as one might like to) the unpleasant brown substance that was Whoop & Holler which was made at Dickel by all accounts. Which of course also ended up in the Diageo stable. Indeed, the floor of a stable may be where they got this from...

[BottledInBond]

3 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

Let us not forget (as much as one might like to) the unpleasant brown substance that was Whoop & Holler which was made at Dickel by all accounts. Which of course also ended up in the Diageo stable. Indeed, the floor of a stable may be where they got this from...

Then there is also the Gifted Horse which includes whiskey that Diageo acquired much more recently (4 year MGP) so I've never understood how they want to call that an "orphan barrel" rediscovered at the hallowed grounds of Stitzell Weller or whatever. I hate Diageo's marketing crap......

[flahute]

8 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

Let us not forget (as much as one might like to) the unpleasant brown substance that was Whoop & Holler which was made at Dickel by all accounts. Which of course also ended up in the Diageo stable. Indeed, the floor of a stable may be where they got this from...

Hahaha! Yes.......I didn't even consider that one. 

[The Black Tot]

Those last two were less orphan barrels than they were red-headed step barrels...

[DCFan]

https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products/bourbon/orphan-barrel-library-pack#/product?productSize=0

 

Lottery registration for the 4 cases they have starts on Monday. I think I'm going to sit this one out.