What Bourbon Are You Enjoying (Winter 2017)

[Steven C]

Results are in... YMMV:

 

6th: Old Forester 86 Proof Paper Label

I love the OF profile, and these older paper label bottles are a dusty I see now and then and I snap them up when I do.  I have had better bottles from this same era. This one had the nice easy drinking, brown sugar quality too it, but felt like it finished very fast.  The lower proof is probably the sole reason for it's coming last in the rankings.  I had a bottle earlier this summer that was this guy's shelf-mate, so it could be that this one has gone slightly off (tho I've gassed it and kept it cool for about 6 months).

 

5th: Old Forester Signature (circa 2015)

This bottle has softened considerably with air time (same 6 months), but it lacks the deeper red fruit and the nose is not as complex or pleasant as the older Sigs.  I see these frequently but pass on them as these older expressions are still easy to find.

 

4th: Old Forester Script Label Signature

Really a great bottle and here we begin to get into the 4-way-tie sort of space.  My guess is that with multiple tasters this would have come out on top for a few. This one is just not as sweet as #1 and #3.  More of the cherry cola and red fruits backbone than brown sugar.  Like the 1920 (sorry that bottle is gone) but not as refined.  I bought these bottles or 15.99 each...so I'm all good.

 

3rd: Old Forester Paper Label 100 Proof

Sweet and brown sugary but plenty bold. This one sits right between the script label and the #1 Diamond Label bottle.  It's really rich tasting and seems to have more oak than any of the others.  I would not hesitate to buy more of these but this is the only paper label 100 :roof I've come across.

 

2nd: Old Forester Single Barrel

Bought this store pick just yesterday and was very pleasantly surprised by just how smooth and round and mellow tasting this bottle is.  Wish it was 100 proof...alas.  But it's  great mouth-coating flavor with a super long finish. Brown sugar and vanilla to spare.  It's just a *little bit* light but oh so agreeable.  I may ahve to run out and get another  -- at $39, to me this is exceptional.  

 

1st: Old Forester Diamond Label Signature

This is the first bottle of OF I ever bought.  After reading about Signature here on the forum, I cam across this lone bottle in a teeny out of the way liquor store hanging on by its Lottery Tickets (and open late for just that reason).  This bottle has been open and kept well gassed for 11 months now and it tastes perfectly balanced.  Sweet and sturdy, with a hint of pecan pie / praline on the nose and the finish.  

 

Overall: still love Signature and I'm still a buyer for these older bottles even though I have a large supply intact.  For me Sig is a perfect foundational bourbon.  I'm also really impressed by the Single Barrel store pick and will continue to seek those out.  

 

 

 

Quote

 

[Bourbon Fanatic]

I decided to have a pour of the CEHT Rye that my brother got for me for Christmas (about 30 mins ago).

 

 

This is my first experience with a straight rye and I'm enjoying it.

 

It's definitely a different profile and flavor than bourbon - I now know what everyone means when they refer to the "rye spice".

 

This will not be an everyday pour for me, but it will be a great change of pace when I want something different but equal satisfying.

 

Cheers!

[Bourbon Fanatic]

Followed up the CEHT Rye with a pour of my favorite .

 

 

Once this is gone, it's time for a late Christmas at my aunt's house... Fingers crossed they got me bourbon!

 

Cheers!

[jshleffar]

OWA store pick. Some frosted flakes cereal to it. Pretty damn good (which is good since I bought 3 liters of it when it came in)

[Bourbinvestor]

18 minutes ago, Bourbon Fanatic said:

Followed up the CEHT Rye with a pour of my favorite .

 

 

Once this is gone, it's time for a late Christmas at my aunt's house... Fingers crossed they got me bourbon!

 

Cheers!

What's in the decanter? I've always wondered what I personally would put in a decanter that I wouldn't want to keep in the bottle itself. 

[Bourbon Fanatic]

4 minutes ago, Bourbinvestor said:

What's in the decanter? I've always wondered what I personally would put in a decanter that I wouldn't want to keep in the bottle itself. 

Honestly, I put a bottle of Costco bourbon my father bought for me like 4 years ago that I wasn't a fan of. The decanter never gets poured, unless someone comes over and wants whiskey and Coke or something (it's a win-win because it serves as a nice decoration piece and also the guest feels "special" when I mix their drink from my decanted whiskey (I just don't tell them I think it's swill) - usually the friends that mix with Coke can't taste and difference in whiskies, so they think it's "swill").

 

I don't put my good whiskey in my decanter because I worry about sunlight affecting it, plus I like reaching for the bottle that I'm going to pour.

 

Cheers!

[Bourbinvestor]

5 minutes ago, Bourbon Fanatic said:

Honestly, I put a bottle of Costco bourbon my father bought for me like 4 years ago that I wasn't a fan of. The decanter never gets poured, unless someone comes over and wants whiskey and Coke or something (it's a win-win because it serves as a nice decoration piece and also the guest feels "special" when I mix their drink from my decanted whiskey (I just don't tell them I think it's swill) - usually the friends that mix with Coke can't taste and difference in whiskies, so they think it's "swill").

 

I don't put my good whiskey in my decanter because I worry about sunlight affecting it, plus I like reaching for the bottle that I'm going to pour.

 

Cheers!

That's exactly what I imagine would go in a decanter at my house. I don't have one for my house yet but I do have a bull shaped decanter in my office with nothing in it (I'm an independent registered investment advisor) partly because I don't know what I'd want to put in it but mostly because I don't want my clients to think I'm drinking while managing their money. Lol. Although a few clients would surely enjoy a pour or a glass of wine with me after a review!

[Clueby]

I don't keep anything high end in decanters. I keep OGD114:WSR blend in one. I have a mini barrel that has a bag/liner in it that has some OWA in it. My daughter just got me a new decanter for my birthday yesterday so I had to put something in it so I put the rest of an open bottle of OGD114 in it. I put a piece of tape on the bottom so I can write what's in it or I will forget.

Back on topic I'm having some PS WA107 tonight in my new corkcicle wedge glass while watching some Blues hockey from Big D.

Edited December 30, 2017 by Clueby
Decanters

[$helby]

After reading the reviews on JBDC I decided to pick one up today for the NC ABC price of $29.   Had a couple of pours and definitely think it is a winner for the price.   I could see this become a daily drinker at this price point.    I followed these pours up with a pour of HWAMND to settle in beside the fireplace.  

[reeko]

Which one? All standard CEHT's are BIB except the barrel proof. Big difference in prices between the options.

I believe it was the small batch one, it wasn't anything special like the rye, single barrel or four grain.

I'm not sure if this is a luxury bourbon.

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[reeko]

After reading the reviews on JBDC I decided to pick one up today for the NC ABC price of $29.   Had a couple of pours and definitely think it is a winner for the price.   I could see this become a daily drinker at this price point.    I followed these pours up with a pour of HWAMND to settle in beside the fireplace.  

Have you tried the bib from Jim beam? Is it any good?

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[reeko]

Honestly, I put a bottle of Costco bourbon my father bought for me like 4 years ago that I wasn't a fan of. The decanter never gets poured, unless someone comes over and wants whiskey and Coke or something (it's a win-win because it serves as a nice decoration piece and also the guest feels "special" when I mix their drink from my decanted whiskey (I just don't tell them I think it's swill) - usually the friends that mix with Coke can't taste and difference in whiskies, so they think it's "swill").
 
I don't put my good whiskey in my decanter because I worry about sunlight affecting it, plus I like reaching for the bottle that I'm going to pour.
 
Cheers!

I've always loved the look of whiskey in decanters, but I agree that my lower end stuff would go in there. There is something special about grabbing a nice bottle with good whiskey and pouring it.

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[flahute]

11 minutes ago, reeko said:

I believe it was the small batch one, it wasn't anything special like the rye, single barrel or four grain.

I'm not sure if this is a luxury bourbon.

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Small Batch is the low one on the CEHT totem pole so $78 is pretty dang steep for it. Understood that your Canadian pricing is going to be higher than here so I don't know if that's a reasonable price for you or marked up more than it should be.

[reeko]

Small Batch is the low one on the CEHT totem pole so $78 is pretty dang steep for it. Understood that your Canadian pricing is going to be higher than here so I don't know if that's a reasonable price for you or marked up more than it should be.

Thanks for the clarification flahute. I guess I'll need to think about if $98 is reasonable enough to try a whiskey thats hard to find and I've never had before.

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[Paddy]

I've been drinking mostly ECBP and KCSB of late.  Tonight, I switched it up with W12, RYSB and MMCS. 

 

The Rebel Yell and Maker's both kicked the W12's ass! 

 

[Clueby]

Followed up the PS WA107 with a PS ER10. This is still such a weird bottle.  Might be one of the MB#1 vs MB#2 discussions on this bottle/barrel.

[reeko]

Having a good pour of bookers during this really cold night, so tasty!

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[Government Beard]

Warming up the palate with:

 

In other news, USC/OSU turned out to be  snooze fest. Boo!

Edited December 30, 2017 by Government Beard

[reeko]

Had a pour of saos 7 year. Now having some redbreast 12 year cask strength.

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[Kepler]

7 hours ago, HoustonNit said:

 

 

Man all these vacation posts, still waiting for you to pull out the good stuff.

 

Haha I know, another late night vacation post coming right up.

 

Starting with WT12 tonight

[Kepler]

^ duplicate post

Edited December 30, 2017 by Kepler
double post

[Government Beard]

Baby Stagg - Pour #2

[mpgolfpro]

7 hours ago, Steven C said:

Results are in... YMMV:

 

6th: Old Forester 86 Proof Paper Label

I love the OF profile, and these older paper label bottles are a dusty I see now and then and I snap them up when I do.  I have had better bottles from this same era. This one had the nice easy drinking, brown sugar quality too it, but felt like it finished very fast.  The lower proof is probably the sole reason for it's coming last in the rankings.  I had a bottle earlier this summer that was this guy's shelf-mate, so it could be that this one has gone slightly off (tho I've gassed it and kept it cool for about 6 months).

 

5th: Old Forester Signature (circa 2015)

This bottle has softened considerably with air time (same 6 months), but it lacks the deeper red fruit and the nose is not as complex or pleasant as the older Sigs.  I see these frequently but pass on them as these older expressions are still easy to find.

 

4th: Old Forester Script Label Signature

Really a great bottle and here we begin to get into the 4-way-tie sort of space.  My guess is that with multiple tasters this would have come out on top for a few. This one is just not as sweet as #1 and #3.  More of the cherry cola and red fruits backbone than brown sugar.  Like the 1920 (sorry that bottle is gone) but not as refined.  I bought these bottles or 15.99 each...so I'm all good.

 

3rd: Old Forester Paper Label 100 Proof

Sweet and brown sugary but plenty bold. This one sits right between the script label and the #1 Diamond Label bottle.  It's really rich tasting and seems to have more oak than any of the others.  I would not hesitate to buy more of these but this is the only paper label 100 :roof I've come across.

 

2nd: Old Forester Single Barrel

Bought this store pick just yesterday and was very pleasantly surprised by just how smooth and round and mellow tasting this bottle is.  Wish it was 100 proof...alas.  But it's  great mouth-coating flavor with a super long finish. Brown sugar and vanilla to spare.  It's just a *little bit* light but oh so agreeable.  I may ahve to run out and get another  -- at $39, to me this is exceptional.  

 

1st: Old Forester Diamond Label Signature

This is the first bottle of OF I ever bought.  After reading about Signature here on the forum, I cam across this lone bottle in a teeny out of the way liquor store hanging on by its Lottery Tickets (and open late for just that reason).  This bottle has been open and kept well gassed for 11 months now and it tastes perfectly balanced.  Sweet and sturdy, with a hint of pecan pie / praline on the nose and the finish.  

 

Overall: still love Signature and I'm still a buyer for these older bottles even though I have a large supply intact.  For me Sig is a perfect foundational bourbon.  I'm also really impressed by the Single Barrel store pick and will continue to seek those out.  

 

 

 

 

Have you had Birthday Bourbon?  I was fortunate enough to have a glass of it recently and really enjoyed it.  I haven't yet tasted any other Old Forester bourbons.  Do any come even close to resembling BB?

[Kepler]

11 hours ago, flahute said:

Had some 10 year old Maker's Mark last night. It was fantastic. We all need to pester Maker's until they make an older version of their product available. 

Never heard of this, what is it?  I agree on pestering them, so if you start the petition I'll sign it.

[Kepler]

2nd pour tonight is 4RSmBLE '16, love this stuff.

Hmm, I'm eyeing Mr. Stagg sitting over there for pour 3