What Bourbon(s) Did You Purchase Today? Fall 2017 Edition.

[HoustonNit]

Please let us know what you think. This will probably be something I put under the Christmas tree to open, so it's not just my kid opening gifts. Assuming I don't get an unlikely BTAC call.

[elmossle]

Managed to score another bottle of Blanton's at the grocery store today. Not bad when all you plan on doing is getting food for the week.

[Steven C]

12 hours ago, HoustonNit said:

 

Please let us know what you think. This will probably be something I put under the Christmas tree to open, so it's not just my kid opening gifts. Assuming I don't get an unlikely BTAC call.

 

At Binny's in Chicago area.  They were their remaining Master's Keep bottles for $99, and accepted a $15 off coupon -- so rare chance to get into this kind of bottle, for me.

 

[MTNBourbon]

17 hours ago, JCwhammie said:

The WTKS says it was bottled 12-7. Would that be 2007 or December 7? I’m guessing 2007 since there’s nothing following the 7. 

The ECBP B517 $41.95 . All the prices on HH products at this place are phenomenal. 

Never seen OWA in those bottles before.

[Masset1982]

1 hour ago, Steven C said:

At Binny's in Chicago area.  They were their remaining Master's Keep bottles for $99, and accepted a $15 off coupon -- so rare chance to get into this kind of bottle, for me.

 

WORTH IT! Enjoy! 

 

Will.

[Masset1982]

On 25/11/2017 at 11:08 AM, GeeTen said:

Picking up my 2017 GTS and a "new" L&K pick of WA107 at the "Fun Unicorn" tasting at Julio's Liquors later today - hopefully near MSRP.  We'll be trying almost all of the 2017 Pappy/BTACs - ORVW10, 12yr Lot B, PVW15, PVW20, PVW23, WLW, GTS, Saz18, and ER17.  Don't know if or why the VWFFR (oh yeah, not shipped this year!) or THH is not included, tho' - I'll have to check.   

 

No VWFFR this year, i've read that on Bourbonr. Congrats on scoring the Stagg. How is the Stagg ? since you've tasted it.

 

Will.

[HoustonNit]

At Binny's in Chicago area.  They were their remaining Master's Keep bottles for $99, and accepted a $15 off coupon -- so rare chance to get into this kind of bottle, for me.
 

Great deal.

[GeeTen]

Hi all!  Now that I've had a chance to sleep all night with my new 2017 George T. Stagg ($124.99 OTD, BTW!), here's my report on the Fun Unicorn Tasting yesterday afternoon at Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA:

 

Here's a pic of the bottles tasted (in tasting order):

 

 

 

 

[FacePlant]

25 minutes ago, GeeTen said:

Hi all!  Now that I've had a chance to sleep all night with my new 2017 George T. Stagg ($124.99 OTD, BTW!), here's my report on the Fun Unicorn Tasting yesterday afternoon at Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA:

 

Here's a pic of the bottles tasted (in tasting order):

 

 

 

 

Wow! How bout the ER17? So scarce I'm having trouble thinking about opening mine. I thought the previous years were spectacular (14-17). It was sure up against the giants.

Edited November 26, 2017 by FacePlant

[NYCBourbon]

Scored an excellent store pick of Russell’s Reserve today while in Boston for the weekend. Got to do a quick tasting of one from rickhouse M and another from rickhouse H. Both were good but the M was phenomenal. I usually don’t care for WT products but this one blew me away.

[GeeTen]

1 hour ago, GeeTen said:

Hi all!  Now that I've had a chance to sleep all night with my new 2017 George T. Stagg ($124.99 OTD, BTW!), here's my report on the Fun Unicorn Tasting yesterday afternoon at Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA:

 

Here's a pic of the bottles tasted (in tasting order):

 

Here are my impressions recalled from my notes and limited memory:

 

1) Old Rip Van Winklel 10yr - nice caramel on the nose, bright flavors on the palate with a medium finish that warms but doesn't burn going down.  Wonderful dram served neat with bright notes of caramel and toffee.   Medium to long finish with just a few jagged edges going down.  A real pleasure.

 

2) Lot "B" 12yr - more subtle than the ORVW10 on the nose, flat notes of caramel and smoke (?) on the palate with a disappointing finish that was fairly "blah".   Not a great example of what Lot "B" can be, IMHO.

 

3) William Larue Weller, 12yr 6mo, 128.2pf (64.1% ABV) - WOOF!  Huge nose of burnt caramel that follows with a smooth but subtle candy accent on the palate.  Finish is looong and delicious with just a touch of leather and dust that warms all the way down to the chest.  WOOF!  Am I glad that I scored one in the TW lottery this year - not as hot as the 2016 release  (140.2pf) but emminently more drinkable neat!   

 

4) Pappy Van Winkel 15yr - now that's what I like in my Pappy!  Big, bold caramel nose that promises more than it's proof might lead you to believe.  Burnt toffee with a hint of chocolate on the palate followed by a medium to long finish that eases its way down to your soul.  For me, this is my PVW "wheelhouse" pick - too bad I didn't get one yet this year (but I still have a half bottle left over from last year!).

 

5) Eagle Rare 17yr 3mo, 90pf (45% ABV) - surprisingly dull (maybe because of where it was in the line-up following the WLW and PVW15?).   Light on the nose with hints of vanilla on the palate, but heavier wood (oak and cigarettes?) notes on the medium finish.

 

6) Pappy Van Winkle 20yr - huh, another disappointment.  Surprisingly darker color the either the PVW15 or PVW 23, but not much oomph on the palate.  Finished with a wet cardboard note that wasn't very pleasurable.  Bad bottle/barrel maybe???  Glad I didn't win this one in the lottery!

 

7) Pappy Van Winkle 23yr - subtle caramel nose with layers of light chocolate (?) and spice on the palate.  Wood and leather notes on the medium to long finish.  Elegant, nice but more like a fine wine reaching the end of its half-life.   Even at MSRP, might be a trophy rather than a "drinker" - I'd still buy it, tho', if I got the chance just because . . . . . 

 

8) George T. Stagg, 15yr 3mo, 129.2pf (64.6% ABV) - WINNAH, WINNAH, Chicken Dinnah!  OMG, huge nose of dark chocolate and caramel followed with intense chocolate candy and dark roast coffee on the palate.  Long, long finish with leather reins and oak showing very prominently as the warmth spread throughout "mah whole being!"  Did I mention how happy I am that I got one of these in the earlier lottery???       

 

9) Sazerac 18yr, 90pf (45% ABV) - again, maybe a victim of its place in the line-up, but a nice rye, nonetheless.  On the nose, very prominent notes of rye spice and cloves.  On the palate, I got hints of Chinese All-spice (go figure) and some wood.  Not a long finish, but very satisfying (particularly for the rye lovers among us).  Just didn't do much for me after getting blown away by the GTS.

 

So, there you have it (for what its worth) - my recollections of the tasting and my scribbled notes (that got more illegible as the day wore on).  The good news was that Julio's sold the Pappy/BTAC collection that they got for affordable (!?!) prices at or near MSRP.  And they were willing to share a taste of them all to about 80 people at the Fun Unicorn Tasting.  You can also check out the video spoof of the tasting on their Facebook page (can I say that?)    

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by GeeTen

[Dango]

Picked up some store selections on black Friday. got 2 of the ER10, as it was very tasty and reported to be aged at 11y8m. I was once again told that ER is loosing its age statement. picked up 2 of ER.

 

[BottledInBond]

1 hour ago, GeeTen said:

Here are my impressions recalled from my notes and limited memory:

 

1) Old Rip Van Winklel 10yr - nice caramel on the nose, bright flavors on the palate with a medium finish that warms but doesn't burn going down.  Wonderful dram served neat with bright notes of caramel and toffee.   Medium to long finish with just a few jagged edges going down.  A real pleasure.

 

2) Lot "B" 12yr - more subtle than the ORVW10 on the nose, flat notes of caramel and smoke (?) on the palate with a disappointing finish that was fairly "blah".   Not a great example of what Lot "B" can be, IMHO.

 

3) William Larue Weller, 12yr 6mo, 128.2pf (64.1% ABV) - WOOF!  Huge nose of burnt caramel that follows with a smooth but subtle candy accent on the palate.  Finish is looong and delicious with just a touch of leather and dust that warms all the way down to the chest.  WOOF!  Am I glad that I scored one in the TW lottery this year - not as hot as the 2016 release  (140.2pf) but emminently more drinkable neat!   

 

4) Pappy Van Winkel 15yr - now that's what I like in my Pappy!  Big, bold caramel nose that promises more than it's proof might lead you to believe.  Burnt toffee with a hint of chocolate on the palate followed by a medium to long finish that eases its way down to your soul.  For me, this is my PVW "wheelhouse" pick - too bad I didn't get one yet this year (but I still have a half bottle left over from last year!).

 

5) Eagle Rare 17yr 3mo, 90pf (45% ABV) - surprisingly dull (maybe because of where it was in the line-up following the WLW and PVW15?).   Light on the nose with hints of vanilla on the palate, but heavier wood (oak and cigarettes?) notes on the medium finish.

 

6) Pappy Van Winkle 20yr - huh, another disappointment.  Surprisingly darker color the either the PVW15 or PVW 23, but not much oomph on the palate.  Finished with a wet cardboard note that wasn't very pleasurable.  Bad bottle/barrel maybe???  Glad I didn't win this one in the lottery!

 

7) Pappy Van Winkle 23yr - subtle caramel nose with layers of light chocolate (?) and spice on the palate.  Wood and leather notes on the medium to long finish.  Elegant, nice but more like a fine wine reaching the end of its half-life.   Even at MSRP, might be a trophy rather than a "drinker" - I'd still buy it, tho', if I got the chance just because . . . . . 

 

8) George T. Stagg, 15yr 3mo, 129.2pf (64.6% ABV) - WINNAH, WINNAH, Chicken Dinnah!  OMG, huge nose of dark chocolate and caramel followed with intense chocolate candy and dark roast coffee on the palate.  Long, long finish with leather reins and oak showing very prominently as the warmth spread throughout "mah whole being!"  Did I mention how happy I am that I got one of these in the earlier lottery???       

 

9) Sazerac 18yr, 90pf (45% ABV) - again, maybe a victim of its place in the line-up, but a nice rye, nonetheless.  On the nose, very prominent notes of rye spice and cloves.  On the palate, I got hints of Chinese All-spice (go figure) and some wood.  Not a long finish, but very satisfying (particularly for the rye lovers among us).  Just didn't do much for me after getting blown away by the GTS.

 

So, there you have it (for what its worth) - my recollections of the tasting and my scribbled notes (that got more illegible as the day wore on).  The good news was that Julio's sold the Pappy/BTAC collection that they got for affordable (!?!) prices at or near MSRP.  And they were willing to share a taste of them all to about 80 people at the Fun Unicorn Tasting.  You can also check out the video spoof of the tasting on their Facebook page (can I say that?)    

 

With the increase in in production and the lower proof this year, I was expecting to be underwhelmed by the Stagg. But, I really liked it, as it sounds like you did. I thought it was totally drinkable nest, which isn't always the case with Stagg.

 

pretty sweet tasting event overall!

[smokinjoe]

9 minutes ago, BottledInBond said:

With the increase in in production and the lower proof this year, I was expecting to be underwhelmed by the Stagg...

Man, you must really like the big, ethanol heavy, taste to expect a lower Barrel Proof of 129+ to contribute in underwhelming you.    

[scratchline]

Okay, Joe called this in the "passed on" thread.

 

But the offense is doubled!  One of these will be absorbed by a fellow SBer so it's not as bad as it might be.  

 

My dad died 11 years ago which means this was distilled the year of his death.  As we approach the final sale of his estate, I thought it would be an appropriate closing dram for his sons.  

 

The human animal can convince itself of ANYTHING!

 

-Mike

Edited November 26, 2017 by scratchline

[LCWoody]

3 hours ago, GeeTen said:

Here are my impressions recalled from my notes and limited memory:

 

1) Old Rip Van Winklel 10yr - nice caramel on the nose, bright flavors on the palate with a medium finish that warms but doesn't burn going down.  Wonderful dram served neat with bright notes of caramel and toffee.   Medium to long finish with just a few jagged edges going down.  A real pleasure.

 

2) Lot "B" 12yr - more subtle than the ORVW10 on the nose, flat notes of caramel and smoke (?) on the palate with a disappointing finish that was fairly "blah".   Not a great example of what Lot "B" can be, IMHO.

 

3) William Larue Weller, 12yr 6mo, 128.2pf (64.1% ABV) - WOOF!  Huge nose of burnt caramel that follows with a smooth but subtle candy accent on the palate.  Finish is looong and delicious with just a touch of leather and dust that warms all the way down to the chest.  WOOF!  Am I glad that I scored one in the TW lottery this year - not as hot as the 2016 release  (140.2pf) but emminently more drinkable neat!   

 

4) Pappy Van Winkel 15yr - now that's what I like in my Pappy!  Big, bold caramel nose that promises more than it's proof might lead you to believe.  Burnt toffee with a hint of chocolate on the palate followed by a medium to long finish that eases its way down to your soul.  For me, this is my PVW "wheelhouse" pick - too bad I didn't get one yet this year (but I still have a half bottle left over from last year!).

 

5) Eagle Rare 17yr 3mo, 90pf (45% ABV) - surprisingly dull (maybe because of where it was in the line-up following the WLW and PVW15?).   Light on the nose with hints of vanilla on the palate, but heavier wood (oak and cigarettes?) notes on the medium finish.

 

6) Pappy Van Winkle 20yr - huh, another disappointment.  Surprisingly darker color the either the PVW15 or PVW 23, but not much oomph on the palate.  Finished with a wet cardboard note that wasn't very pleasurable.  Bad bottle/barrel maybe???  Glad I didn't win this one in the lottery!

 

7) Pappy Van Winkle 23yr - subtle caramel nose with layers of light chocolate (?) and spice on the palate.  Wood and leather notes on the medium to long finish.  Elegant, nice but more like a fine wine reaching the end of its half-life.   Even at MSRP, might be a trophy rather than a "drinker" - I'd still buy it, tho', if I got the chance just because . . . . . 

 

8) George T. Stagg, 15yr 3mo, 129.2pf (64.6% ABV) - WINNAH, WINNAH, Chicken Dinnah!  OMG, huge nose of dark chocolate and caramel followed with intense chocolate candy and dark roast coffee on the palate.  Long, long finish with leather reins and oak showing very prominently as the warmth spread throughout "mah whole being!"  Did I mention how happy I am that I got one of these in the earlier lottery???       

 

9) Sazerac 18yr, 90pf (45% ABV) - again, maybe a victim of its place in the line-up, but a nice rye, nonetheless.  On the nose, very prominent notes of rye spice and cloves.  On the palate, I got hints of Chinese All-spice (go figure) and some wood.  Not a long finish, but very satisfying (particularly for the rye lovers among us).  Just didn't do much for me after getting blown away by the GTS.

 

So, there you have it (for what its worth) - my recollections of the tasting and my scribbled notes (that got more illegible as the day wore on).  The good news was that Julio's sold the Pappy/BTAC collection that they got for affordable (!?!) prices at or near MSRP.  And they were willing to share a taste of them all to about 80 people at the Fun Unicorn Tasting.  You can also check out the video spoof of the tasting on their Facebook page (can I say that?)    

 

Thanks for taking the time to wright your thoughts..... I was going to pick an ER17 this year, but I think ill get a WLW instead 

Thanks again. 

[BottledInBond]

3 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Man, you must really like the big, ethanol heavy, taste to expect a lower Barrel Proof of 129+ to contribute in underwhelming you.    

I just think of Stagg as being the alpha male, king of bourbons, and tend to think of it as a 135 proof+ beast that I enjoy experimenting with different amounts of water to find my sweet spot and seeing how it evolves at different stops along that journey. Having it be drinkable straight out of the bottle is cool too, but if I'm adding say 10% of water in my pours from a given bottle of Stagg, that also means I get 10% more pours from that bottle

[Madhatter]

5 hours ago, NYCBourbon said:

 

 

I've see other Russell's tags with a series of three numbers in the Floor section.  Any idea what those three numbers mean?  I doubt the rickhouse has a floor 24.  Anyone?

TIA

[kevinbrink]

Tis the season, usually go for EW Eggnog, but one of the local chains had this for $7.99 looking forward to a SBS!!!

[flahute]

3 hours ago, Madhatter said:

 

I've see other Russell's tags with a series of three numbers in the Floor section.  Any idea what those three numbers mean?  I doubt the rickhouse has a floor 24.  Anyone?

TIA

Don't know this for sure but if I had to guess:

5th floor, 24th rick, 3rd tier.

[JoeTerp]

10 hours ago, GeeTen said:

Here are my impressions recalled from my notes and limited memory:

 

1) Old Rip Van Winklel 10yr - nice caramel on the nose, bright flavors on the palate with a medium finish that warms but doesn't burn going down.  Wonderful dram served neat with bright notes of caramel and toffee.   Medium to long finish with just a few jagged edges going down.  A real pleasure.

 

2) Lot "B" 12yr - more subtle than the ORVW10 on the nose, flat notes of caramel and smoke (?) on the palate with a disappointing finish that was fairly "blah".   Not a great example of what Lot "B" can be, IMHO.

 

3) William Larue Weller, 12yr 6mo, 128.2pf (64.1% ABV) - WOOF!  Huge nose of burnt caramel that follows with a smooth but subtle candy accent on the palate.  Finish is looong and delicious with just a touch of leather and dust that warms all the way down to the chest.  WOOF!  Am I glad that I scored one in the TW lottery this year - not as hot as the 2016 release  (140.2pf) but emminently more drinkable neat!   

 

4) Pappy Van Winkel 15yr - now that's what I like in my Pappy!  Big, bold caramel nose that promises more than it's proof might lead you to believe.  Burnt toffee with a hint of chocolate on the palate followed by a medium to long finish that eases its way down to your soul.  For me, this is my PVW "wheelhouse" pick - too bad I didn't get one yet this year (but I still have a half bottle left over from last year!).

 

5) Eagle Rare 17yr 3mo, 90pf (45% ABV) - surprisingly dull (maybe because of where it was in the line-up following the WLW and PVW15?).   Light on the nose with hints of vanilla on the palate, but heavier wood (oak and cigarettes?) notes on the medium finish.

 

6) Pappy Van Winkle 20yr - huh, another disappointment.  Surprisingly darker color the either the PVW15 or PVW 23, but not much oomph on the palate.  Finished with a wet cardboard note that wasn't very pleasurable.  Bad bottle/barrel maybe???  Glad I didn't win this one in the lottery!

 

7) Pappy Van Winkle 23yr - subtle caramel nose with layers of light chocolate (?) and spice on the palate.  Wood and leather notes on the medium to long finish.  Elegant, nice but more like a fine wine reaching the end of its half-life.   Even at MSRP, might be a trophy rather than a "drinker" - I'd still buy it, tho', if I got the chance just because . . . . . 

 

8) George T. Stagg, 15yr 3mo, 129.2pf (64.6% ABV) - WINNAH, WINNAH, Chicken Dinnah!  OMG, huge nose of dark chocolate and caramel followed with intense chocolate candy and dark roast coffee on the palate.  Long, long finish with leather reins and oak showing very prominently as the warmth spread throughout "mah whole being!"  Did I mention how happy I am that I got one of these in the earlier lottery???       

 

9) Sazerac 18yr, 90pf (45% ABV) - again, maybe a victim of its place in the line-up, but a nice rye, nonetheless.  On the nose, very prominent notes of rye spice and cloves.  On the palate, I got hints of Chinese All-spice (go figure) and some wood.  Not a long finish, but very satisfying (particularly for the rye lovers among us).  Just didn't do much for me after getting blown away by the GTS.

 

So, there you have it (for what its worth) - my recollections of the tasting and my scribbled notes (that got more illegible as the day wore on).  The good news was that Julio's sold the Pappy/BTAC collection that they got for affordable (!?!) prices at or near MSRP.  And they were willing to share a taste of them all to about 80 people at the Fun Unicorn Tasting.  You can also check out the video spoof of the tasting on their Facebook page (can I say that?)    

 

That's an awesome experience.  Thanks for the notes.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a bar pour of the WLW sometime this year.

[starhopper]

Just found Wild Turkey Rare Breed 112.8 Proof 375ml bottles for $9.50 at my local Class VI store!  Seriously great price so had to get four of them! 

[Madhatter]

10 hours ago, flahute said:

Don't know this for sure but if I had to guess:

5th floor, 24th rick, 3rd tier.

That's reasonable, and somewhat parallels the 4 Roses code of row, tier, stack.  It would be more information than on the usual private selection tag, which has only a floor number to go along with rickhouse and barrel number.  Thx.

[MTNBourbon]

20 hours ago, GeeTen said:

Hi all!  Now that I've had a chance to sleep all night with my new 2017 George T. Stagg ($124.99 OTD, BTW!), here's my report on the Fun Unicorn Tasting yesterday afternoon at Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA:

 

Here's a pic of the bottles tasted (in tasting order):

 

 

 

 

WOW! Very Nice!

[MTNBourbon]

19 hours ago, GeeTen said:

Here are my impressions recalled from my notes and limited memory:

 

1) Old Rip Van Winklel 10yr - nice caramel on the nose, bright flavors on the palate with a medium finish that warms but doesn't burn going down.  Wonderful dram served neat with bright notes of caramel and toffee.   Medium to long finish with just a few jagged edges going down.  A real pleasure.

 

2) Lot "B" 12yr - more subtle than the ORVW10 on the nose, flat notes of caramel and smoke (?) on the palate with a disappointing finish that was fairly "blah".   Not a great example of what Lot "B" can be, IMHO.

 

3) William Larue Weller, 12yr 6mo, 128.2pf (64.1% ABV) - WOOF!  Huge nose of burnt caramel that follows with a smooth but subtle candy accent on the palate.  Finish is looong and delicious with just a touch of leather and dust that warms all the way down to the chest.  WOOF!  Am I glad that I scored one in the TW lottery this year - not as hot as the 2016 release  (140.2pf) but emminently more drinkable neat!   

 

4) Pappy Van Winkel 15yr - now that's what I like in my Pappy!  Big, bold caramel nose that promises more than it's proof might lead you to believe.  Burnt toffee with a hint of chocolate on the palate followed by a medium to long finish that eases its way down to your soul.  For me, this is my PVW "wheelhouse" pick - too bad I didn't get one yet this year (but I still have a half bottle left over from last year!).

 

5) Eagle Rare 17yr 3mo, 90pf (45% ABV) - surprisingly dull (maybe because of where it was in the line-up following the WLW and PVW15?).   Light on the nose with hints of vanilla on the palate, but heavier wood (oak and cigarettes?) notes on the medium finish.

 

6) Pappy Van Winkle 20yr - huh, another disappointment.  Surprisingly darker color the either the PVW15 or PVW 23, but not much oomph on the palate.  Finished with a wet cardboard note that wasn't very pleasurable.  Bad bottle/barrel maybe???  Glad I didn't win this one in the lottery!

 

7) Pappy Van Winkle 23yr - subtle caramel nose with layers of light chocolate (?) and spice on the palate.  Wood and leather notes on the medium to long finish.  Elegant, nice but more like a fine wine reaching the end of its half-life.   Even at MSRP, might be a trophy rather than a "drinker" - I'd still buy it, tho', if I got the chance just because . . . . . 

 

8) George T. Stagg, 15yr 3mo, 129.2pf (64.6% ABV) - WINNAH, WINNAH, Chicken Dinnah!  OMG, huge nose of dark chocolate and caramel followed with intense chocolate candy and dark roast coffee on the palate.  Long, long finish with leather reins and oak showing very prominently as the warmth spread throughout "mah whole being!"  Did I mention how happy I am that I got one of these in the earlier lottery???       

 

9) Sazerac 18yr, 90pf (45% ABV) - again, maybe a victim of its place in the line-up, but a nice rye, nonetheless.  On the nose, very prominent notes of rye spice and cloves.  On the palate, I got hints of Chinese All-spice (go figure) and some wood.  Not a long finish, but very satisfying (particularly for the rye lovers among us).  Just didn't do much for me after getting blown away by the GTS.

 

So, there you have it (for what its worth) - my recollections of the tasting and my scribbled notes (that got more illegible as the day wore on).  The good news was that Julio's sold the Pappy/BTAC collection that they got for affordable (!?!) prices at or near MSRP.  And they were willing to share a taste of them all to about 80 people at the Fun Unicorn Tasting.  You can also check out the video spoof of the tasting on their Facebook page (can I say that?)    

 

Thanks for your thoughts.