Good, bad, ugly and a few questions

[BourbonGuy]

I went to a local yesterday on my way home.  (The Good)  I was pleasantly surprised to find Elijah Craig barrel proof at $50.  Lowest price I have seen.  (The bad and ugly) However, I less than kind words for him when I saw Weller 12 year at almost $200.  He reasoning was "we haven't been able to get it in years".  Also left the Old Forester Birthday bourbon on the shelf at $199.

 

They did have Orphan Barrel Forged Oak 15 year for $72 and Orphan Barrel Barterhouse 20 for $80.  I asked the salesperson about them and he said the Forged Oak 15 year tasted better than the Barterhouse $20.  Has anyone had both and have a comment to enlighten me?  Also the had Wild Turkey Master Keep 17, which he said was good, but not worth the $150.  Again, anyone try it?

 

IT is not that I don't trust him.  I believe he is honest and saying what he believes. I'm just not sure we have the same taste.  I asked him what was good and he told me the Jefferson's was.  When I said there hadn't been a good Jefferson's since Presidential 17 and 18, he nodded in agreement.

 

As I said, any comment on this appreciated based on what you have tasted.

 

 

[berto]

I prefer Barterhouse to Forged Oak.  Neither is outstanding but Barterhouse is something I might consider buying again if I ever wanted to repeat on an Orphan Barrel again while Forged Oak is a one and done.  The entire Orphan Barrel line suffers from low proof and over filtration.  There's a reason nobody bottled it for years.  I use the bottles to show folks that old and expensive doesn't mean better.  I'd skip both unless you have $80 burning a hole and want to see what 20 years in a barrel does.      

[Theiano]

As a once off I would consider Barterhouse, but as berto says it seems to me that it has been filtered a huge amount to eliminate as much off flavor as possible. It's not bad, I find it has a funky unique profile, but I likely wouldn't buy another, unless develop a serious shortage of aged bourbon in my bunker.

[lcpfratn]

I like Barterhouse, and actually think it's fairly priced for a 20 year old bourbon. Unfortunately, it still costs around $99 in my area, so I'd jump at the chance to buy it at $80. I don't know if it's the filtering or not, but it isn't as woody as I expected it would be for a 20 year old bourbon. I haven't tried Forged Oak yet, but I hear that it is much more wood forward in flavor. I have a bottle, but haven't opened it yet.


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[Paddy]

I say don't look a gift horse in the mouth.  I'd buy all the ECBP he is willing to let go of (at $50 a pop), and get the hell out of there! 

 

But that's just me...'cause there's always another store down the road a ways...

[PaulO]

I'd just be happy and buy the ECBP.  Some stores have a good deal on one item, crazy price on something else.  I know of a store near me; brags about their selection.  Most of it is fancy bottle NDP stuff, or underage craft garbage I would never buy.

  I was lucky once to get to sample WT Master's Keep and Decades.  They're good, but I wouldn't spend my own money.  The lower proof Turkey stuff is too delicate for me.  Find some KY Spirit or Rare Breed (or 101 Rye if you can). 

[EarthQuake]

I prefer Barterhouse, it's one of my favorite bourbons. I think Forged Oak is alright but not as good. I have an open bottle of each currently and given the minimal price difference I would always go for Barterhouse over Forged Oak. Forged Oak has a very similar flavor profile, but just a little rougher, less refined, more funky, so I don't enjoy it quite as much. I don't find it to be noticeably more woody or oaky though.

 

Barterhouse has an oaky, leathery, wood-shop sort of flavor profile that I really, really enjoy. The nose is absolutely amazing, I could nose it all day. My only complaint with it is that the proof is a bit low and it's a bit soft overall, I think it would be fantastic at a higher proof. That's minor though, just don't add any water or ice and it's great. Sometimes I mix a bit of Stagg Jr and Barterhouse to up the proof a bit, something like 3:2 Barterhouse to Stagg is lovely.

 

In any case Barterhouse offers a flavor profile that is rather unique and difficult to find, so I'll spend $80 a bottle whenever I see it. Older and more expensive isn't necessarily better, but it depends on what sort of flavors you like. If that's your thing, your choices are very limited so it's a great option. I had a chance to try EC18 recently which I would say is in the same flavor family, and while I found it quite nice I still prefer Barterhouse. I had Parkers Heritage 25 year which I thought was significantly inferior to Barterhouse. Same with Wild Turkey 17, much prefer Barterhouse to it. So, $80 and not impossible to find vs the other ~17-25 year old unicorns on the market - which tend to sell for hundreds to thousands of dollars - yeah, Barterhouse is nice.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by EarthQuake

[BourbonGuy]

BTW: How did Birthday Bourbon go from the $60 to $80 we used to pay to $200?  Based on what I read here, I may flip for the Barterhouse since I have never had it.  But At $50 and a stocked shelf, I will buy another 1 or 2 Elijah Craig barrel proof.  I have a bottle open and tried it again last night, excellent bourbon.

[kevinbrink]

I like WTMK 17yr but probably wouldn't spend $150, I paid $109. WTMK Decades I find to be a better pour but more what I would expect out of a premium WT, as a WT fan I like that the 17yr is really unique as a low ABV Barrel Proof, I would add that there isn't really anything comparable on the market so I had no regret, enjoy the experience and so have other people I poured it for.  

[tanstaafl2]

5 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

I like WTMK 17yr but probably wouldn't spend $150, I paid $109. WTMK Decades I find to be a better pour but more what I would expect out of a premium WT, as a WT fan I like that the 17yr is really unique as a low ABV Barrel Proof, I would add that there isn't really anything comparable on the market so I had no regret, enjoy the experience and so have other people I poured it for.  

I agree with Kevin about the WTMK17 except that I like it better than the Decades. I bought several and less than the $150 you see it going for but I doubt I will buy it again a full price. Now price it around $100 and I might be talked into a couple more...

 

12 hours ago, BourbonGuy said:

BTW: How did Birthday Bourbon go from the $60 to $80 we used to pay to $200?  Based on what I read here, I may flip for the Barterhouse since I have never had it.  But At $50 and a stocked shelf, I will buy another 1 or 2 Elijah Craig barrel proof.  I have a bottle open and tried it again last night, excellent bourbon.

$60-$80? Heck, I remember when $40 seemed a bit spendy and I could buy it off the shelf weeks after the release for high $30's. And that was probably only maybe 5 years ago. $80 for a bottle this year seemed rather painfully excessive but I sucked it up and got one, just because. $200 is of course just silly.

 

Then again I turn around and spend that much on other bottles when I should know better!

[Harry in WashDC]

55 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

I agree with Kevin about the WTMK17 except that I like it better than the Decades. I bought several and less than the $150 you see it going for but I doubt I will buy it again a full price. Now price it around $100 and I might be talked into a couple more...

 

$60-$80? Heck, I remember when $40 seemed a bit spendy and I could buy it off the shelf weeks after the release for high $30's. And that was probably only maybe 5 years ago. $80 for a bottle this year seemed rather painfully excessive but I sucked it up and got one, just because. $200 is of course just silly.

 

Then again I turn around and spend that much on other bottles when I should know better!

Not being a fan of the older/oakier bourbons, I can't speak to the Barterhouse, etc., but at the EC BP price you saw, I probably would have bought a couple anyway - one for me and one to give to somebody who could appreciate it.  Like tanstaafl2 Bruce, and Kevin, the WTMK's (particularly the 17 which I should have not liked) really were nice if pricey at MSRP (or a little less where I got them).  17 vs. Decades? Tossup - when I want proof, I drink the Decades; mellow?  17.  I regard them as special sippers.  At $110 or so, I'd get more but not too many.  At $150, though, I'd spend the money on WT RR 10yr or Rare Breed which I like about as much.