THE VATTING THREAD 2017

[fishnbowljoe]

When the SB Blend first came into being, I had to experiment a bit with it. Most folks used different ratios of OWA and Weller 12. I tried that, and it was good. I then tried Weller SR and OWA. It was good too. It didn't have that oakier taste that Clueby mentioned, but I liked it. Not bragging here, but the problem I had back then was that I had the good fortune to purchase quite a number of bottles of Binny's ps Weller 12. (I know. Good problem to have. ) The Binny's Weller 12 was really great. That was part of the reason I preferred the Weller 12 over the OWA then, and decided to use Weller SR instead of Weller 12 in my SB blend.

 

Fast forward a few years. My taste preferences changed. I started getting in to BIB's and higher proof bourbons. I still appreciate Weller 12, but I'm to the point now where I prefer OWA just as much, if not more than Weller 12. I started adjusting my version(s) of the SB blend accordingly.

 

As dcbt posted up thread, the SB blend was originally an attempt to replicate the 10 year, 100 proof Weller Centennial. Screw "Poor Mans Pappy".   As I mentioned before, my current version of the SB Blend incorporates Weller 12, SR, and OWA, and is 100.2 proof. I think that by using all three Weller's, it probably is a little better overall representation. YMMV. My current version is pretty darned close to Centennial. I do have to be fair and honest and say that my while my blend is pretty darned good and comes really close to Centennial, it probably does lack just a tad bit in the depth and character of the original Centennial.

 

Cheers! Joe

 

 

[flahute]

^^^^^^Don't let him fool you with his modesty, his blends are damn good.

[flahute]

6 hours ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

 

Thanks for the information!  I have a bottle of 114 and plenty of WSR so will try my hand at the GW4G shortly.  

 

A general blending question.  Is there a difference between mixing 1 oz of 114 and WSR into a rocks glass right before drinking vs having a blended bottle that I prepared say one week earlier?  My guess is no and the reason for the larger bottle is simply for convenience and not having to measure it out every time.  But you never know . . . 

Time to meld is better for the outcome. I've only done the four grain blend "on demand" in a rocks glass right before drinking. Right out of the gate, it's just OK. The longer the glass sits, the better it gets.

That's anecdotal evidence of course. What I can tell you is that the professional blenders out there preach the benefit of slowly blending the individual spirits and the time spent mingling.

[EarthQuake]

I'm going to attempt a barrel aged Old Fashioned, I made an initial 1 liter vat yesterday:

3 Parts Four Roses Small Batch

3 Parts Pikesville

2 Parts Armagnac

1 Part NAS I.W Harper

0.5 Part Scotch

 

I saved a few ounces of the blend in a separate jar and added the zest and juice of one orange. I'll mix this in with the master batch until it tastes properly Old-Fashioned. I'm planning on adding various bitters to the blend as well. Then I'm going to season a 1L oak barrel with Madeira for a couple of weeks, and finish the blend in the barrel.

 

Edited October 8, 2017 by EarthQuake

[fishnbowljoe]

On October 5, 2017 at 10:50 PM, flahute said:

^^^^^^Don't let him fool you with his modesty, his blends are damn good.

Thanks Steve, but I'm going to be modest yet again.

 

Gary Gillman has been blending and vatting here since before I became a member of SB. When I was new here, I thought some of the concoctions he posted about were just plain stupid and crazy.  Then I got to meet and get to know him a little, and sample some of his creations. Boy was I ever wrong.  One time I tasted a vatting of his that to me made no sense whatsoever. In fact, another member actually had to coerce me in to trying it.  It turned out to be fantastic. After that, I paid more attention to Gary's vattings, and didn't question them.  So, I have to give Gary a lot of credit for making me think outside the box when I started doing my Weller Blends.  As far as I'm concerned, Gary is still 'da man when it comes to blending/vatting.

 

Likewise, the Weller blend I brought to the 2013 KBF, and then (by request) managed to duplicate for the 2014 Sampler. It was a vatting of 2009 WLW, a ps Weller SR, and some SW Old Fitz Prime. I was in chat here one night lamenting the fact that I'd bought several 09 WLW's, and that even though I loved all things Weller, I had a bit of a hard time drinking them because they were pretty hot and almost hard to drink. Adding water didn't really help much because once you got to a certain point, the water negated any flavor it had. I believe it was gblick (Gus) that asked if I had any SW Old Fitz Prime. Talk about coincidence. I'd just so happened to recently have purchased a few (dusty) 200 mls of SW Old Fitz Prime. I told him yes I did as a matter of fact. He suggested adding the SW Old Fitz Prime instead of water. I did so, and it worked like a charm. Absolute magic. While it was my idea to add the ps Weller SR to the mix, the SW Old  Fitz Prime was what made it work and brought it all together.

 

While my blends may be pretty darned good, I have to give credit to the others here that have inspired me.

 

Cheers! Joe

[kevinbrink]

10 hours ago, Whiskey Junkie said:

Opened an Orphan Barrel Gifted Horse.  Not great at first taste.  Letting it oxidize.  Have another in the bunker. Any ideas on vatting it with something else to save this?

 

WJ 

My initial thought was whatever is currently in the drain of your sink, but since your stuck with two bottles I would go with something like WT101 or OE 7yr 101, something not too pricey but with some character and proof on it. The other thing that came to mind was Bernheim Wheat Whiskey since it's already kind of a mutt of a whiskey.  Personally I've never blended it and have only had it as a pour at "The Bulliet Experience"

[Bob_Loblaw]

Getting ready to have a "vatting day"   Just ordered a 3L oak Barrel and am gathering supplies.  Posting here for advice and/or math checks on rations and volumes.  Will post pics on mixing day

 

GW4G - One full bottle of OGD 114 and one full bottle of WSR will go into a empty 1.75.  Would the experienced blenders add the remaining 250ml of WSR to fill out the handle or stick to 1:1?  Adding it would bring the ratio to 4:3  WSR/OGD.  I am opening a handle of WSR so I will have plenty on hand.

 

Joe's SB Centennial Blend - 5 oz WSR; 5 oz W12: 15 Oz W107.  My math says this will yield a full bottle of this blend.  

 

3 Liter Barrel Aged Manhattans: 

2 bottles Rittenhouse Rye (less 1-2 oz)

1 bottle Sazerac Rye

1 bottle sweet vermouth

2 oz Angostura Bitters

 

Or I can go 2 Saz and 1 Rittenhouse instead.  With 2 RR the proof of the rye will be 96.67.  With 2 Saz it will be 93.33.  I think.

 

Thoughts?  Comments? Corrections?  All welcome!  

[Bob_Loblaw]

Got a bottle of W12 so today was my first vatting day!  Final Yield was 2 bottles of GW4G and one bottle of "Weller Centennial"   I think the GW4G ended up being pretty close to a 1:1 mix.  The Centennial is in the Hibiki bottle.  Behind are the leftovers.  Extra WSR went into the 114 bottle.  Drinking some GW over a large cube now.  First sip was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of caramel flavor.  Lot of heat on the back end though.  Now that the cube has melted a little it is much smoother.  Very enjoyable and I will have to try some it in a glencairn next time.  

 

 

[lcpfratn]

I like my GW4G a little heavier on the WSR, but you'll have to experiment to find the right mix for your palate.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bob_Loblaw]

1 hour ago, lcpfratn said:

I like my GW4G a little heavier on the WSR, but you'll have to experiment to find the right mix for your palate.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think I agree! After two decent pours I topped off the bottle with more WSR. 

[flahute]

2 hours ago, lcpfratn said:

I like my GW4G a little heavier on the WSR, but you'll have to experiment to find the right mix for your palate.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What's your preferred ratio again?

 

I just mixed up a 50:50 bottle (12oz of each) and am letting it mingle. Room in the bottle to adjust the ratio if needed.

[lcpfratn]

What's your preferred ratio again?
 
I just mixed up a 50:50 bottle (12oz of each) and am letting it mingle. Room in the bottle to adjust the ratio if needed.

The last batch I made was a 3:2 ratio of WSR:OGD114 and that really hit the spot for me. It still had enough heat, but the harsher edges of the 50:50 blend were softened a bit. YMMV


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GeeTen]

1 hour ago, lcpfratn said:

The last batch I made was a 3:2 ratio of WSR:OGD114 and that really hit the spot for me. It still had enough heat, but the harsher edges of the 50:50 blend were softened a bit. YMMV


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Moi aussi!   

 

 

[lcpfratn]

 
Moi aussi!   
 
 

Godt! Kan du lide det? [emoji6]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GeeTen]

On 10/16/2017 at 1:51 AM, lcpfratn said:

Godt! Kan du lide det?
 

 

Ja meget!   

 

(translation from Danish (kinda'):

 

"Well, do you like it?"

 

"Yup, very muchly!")

 

Does this make me an honorary Viking??????   

 

[lcpfratn]

Good job GeeTen...I don't know about the honorary Viking part though! You threw some French at me so I thought I'd test you with a bit of Danish. My wife is actually the Viking (Dane), but I speak enough to get by. I actually used to speak enough French to get by, but alas, with time and infrequent usage I've forgotten a lot.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Harry in WashDC]

On 10/15/2017 at 11:31 PM, lcpfratn said:

The last batch I made was a 3:2 ratio of WSR:OGD114 and that really hit the spot for me. It still had enough heat, but the harsher edges of the 50:50 blend were softened a bit. YMMV


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for this.  I have a lonely bottle of WSR on the shelf and too many OGD 114s in the bunker.  As part of my "free up some space" project, I shall combine them 3:2 in a clean handle I've been saving for something (don't remember what).  IIRC, I tried 1:1 awhile back and was not thrilled.  But, I was younger, then, so . . .

[lcpfratn]

Thanks for this.  I have a lonely bottle of WSR on the shelf and too many OGD 114s in the bunker.  As part of my "free up some space" project, I shall combine them 3:2 in a clean handle I've been saving for something (don't remember what).  IIRC, I tried 1:1 awhile back and was not thrilled.  But, I was younger, then, so . . .

I hope you like that blend ratio Harry. To me, its a more well rounded blend at this ratio, and I actually like this GW4G blend better than either WSR or OGD114 separately. That reminds me that I still need to buy a bottle of WSR for my next batch. Like you, I have plenty (never too many) OGD114 bottles in my stash.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fishnbowljoe]

I'm kinda wondering if someone will read about y'alls Grandpa Well Four Grain, then change the name and lay claim to it like someone did with the original SB Blend.  I"m going to court if someone f**ks around with mine. 

 

Cheers! Joe

[lcpfratn]

I'm kinda wondering if someone will read about y'alls Grandpa Weller's Four Grain, then change the name and lay claim to it like someone did with the original SB Blend.  I"m going to court if someone f**ks around with mine. 

 

Cheers! Joe

I think I'm the one who came up with the name GW4G, but I actually got the idea for blending them together from someone else (can't remember where, but I don't think it was SB). I thought the 50:50 ratio was still a bit harsh, so I changed my blend to a 3:2 ratio in favor of WSR and it seems to work.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fishnbowljoe]

9 minutes ago, lcpfratn said:

I think I'm the one who came up with the name GW4G, but I actually got the idea for blending them together from someone else (can't remember where, but I don't think it was SB). I thought the 50:50 ratio was still a bit harsh, so I changed my blend to a 3:2 ratio in favor of WSR and it seems to work.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I always thinks it's pretty cool when anyone does a vatting/blend, and the end result is at least as good, if not better than the bourbons that were used to create it.  Fun stuff.  Maybe someone should bring some GW4G to our get together next spring. 

 

Cheers! Joe

 

 

[lcpfratn]

I'll probably bring some.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kevinbrink]

16 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I'm kinda wondering if someone will read about y'alls Grandpa Well Four Grain, then change the name and lay claim to it like someone did with the original SB Blend.  I"m going to court if someone f**ks around with mine. 

 

Cheers! Joe

Someone already did on last week's "It's Bourbon Night" on youtube then again that maybe someone from the board I guess... 

[lcpfratn]

Someone already did on last week's "It's Bourbon Night" on youtube then again that maybe someone from the board I guess... 

OMG! I hadn't watched last weeks "It's Bourbon Night" episode yet, but they were talking about my comment from months ago when they did an episode on WSR or OGD114. I just added another comment to their latest episode to modify the ratio to 3:2.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Harry in WashDC]

On 10/17/2017 at 5:03 PM, lcpfratn said:

I hope you like that blend ratio Harry. To me, its a more well rounded blend at this ratio, and I actually like this GW4G blend better than either WSR or OGD114 separately. That reminds me that I still need to buy a bottle of WSR for my next batch. Like you, I have plenty (never too many) OGD114 bottles in my stash.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Made the GW4G 3WSR:2OGD114 just before Noon. [Note to self - do NOT vat on an empty stomach early in the day, particularly when tasting.  The rack monster will haul you off to bed.]

 

Beautiful, long legs in the sampler Glencairn.  Even at 3:2::WSR:OGD114, it keeps its woody edge.  I like the bloom off OGD114 by itself after it has been in the glass a few minutes with or without a few drops of water.  The vatting does not lose that; rather, the WSR adds a nutty flavor to the mix.

 

At 1:1, the OGD sort of dominates.  For me, the 3:2 works well.  I have some "parts" left over.  I may play a little with the ratio, but 3:2 is easy to do and fits in a 750 (12 oz. WSR and 8oz. OGD114 = 24 fl.oz.) without thinking too much.  Adding a few drops of WSR to the glass would be easier to figure out than messing with keeping 3.n:2 (where n is some additional amount of WSR) under 750ml/25.36oz.