WT LongBranch

[Canarse]

1 hour ago, Sour Mash Esq. said:

Hard pass.  Sounds like a worse version of Jack.  Plus, Mr. McConaughey is on my list for suggesting gun owners should “take one for the team” and surrender their fundamental liberty.  I’m a WT fan, but won’t touch this.  I wish WT would end its association with him.

Thanks for bringing politics into our whiskey forum. 

[tanstaafl2]

Tried it last night at the Gazebo. Politics or anything else besides the whiskey itself aside it was solidly unremarkable. Thin, low proof with little to identify it as a WT for me and I found little if any influence from the mesquite. Seems clearly targeted at the new bourbon drinker market. Nothing for the whiskey enthusiast to bother with in my opinion. 

[flahute]

5 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

Tried it last night at the Gazebo. Politics or anything else besides the whiskey itself aside it was solidly unremarkable. Thin, low proof with little to identify it as a WT for me and I found little if any influence from the mesquite. Seems clearly targeted at the new bourbon drinker market. Nothing for the whiskey enthusiast to bother with in my opinion. 

Now we're talking! Another report from a trusted palate is making me revise my statement above that I'd buy one just because I'm a Turkey head. Going to hold off on this now until it shows up at a bar.

[gurgalunas]

It showed up around here last week.  $38 consistently.  I'm really not that interested...  If this was a bottle the Russels had come up with as some new thing, I'd consider trying one.  Since it seems to be the brainchild of some celebrity paid to endorse and make commercials, nope.  At least that's how it's being marketed...

[kwshannon]

On 4/16/2018 at 3:53 PM, IowaJeff said:

I'm intrigued by an 8 yo WT in that price range.  I'll buy one to give it a try.  Could be something a little different than 101 to scratch my WT itch when I can't get Rare Breed. 

Do you think we will ever see this in Iowa?  I would like to try it before buying much of it.

[Kepler]

I'm a Wild Turkey fanboy but this one doesn't excite me.  I figure this is Campari's stab at making their own version of Woodford Reserve:  a classy, high-end looking bottle with a cool name, but a fairly unremarkable product inside.  It's marketed to appeal to the the millennial dude new to bourbon that sports a bushy beard and a plaid shirt, who fancies himself as a whiskey connoisseur.

[lcpfratn]

Well, after tasting this in the gazebo at the GN, I'll probably pass on buying a bottle. It's not bad, but there's just not much to get excited about for the price. My thoughts are that this is Wild Turkey's answer to Beam's Basil Hayden, and is targeting the same market of new and/or casual bourbon drinkers. They are both similarly priced and similarly under-proofed. 

[fishnbowljoe]

On April 26, 2018 at 9:42 AM, tanstaafl2 said:

Tried it last night at the Gazebo. Politics or anything else besides the whiskey itself aside it was solidly unremarkable. Thin, low proof with little to identify it as a WT for me and I found little if any influence from the mesquite. Seems clearly targeted at the new bourbon drinker market. Nothing for the whiskey enthusiast to bother with in my opinion. 

 

10 hours ago, lcpfratn said:

Well, after tasting this in the gazebo at the GN, I'll probably pass on buying a bottle. It's not bad, but there's just not much to get excited about for the price. My thoughts are that this is Wild Turkey's answer to Beam's Basil Hayden, and is targeting the same market of new and/or casual bourbon drinkers. They are both similarly priced and similarly under-proofed. 

 Plus one. It's not remarkable, but it doesn't suck either. It just is. 

 

Biba! Joe

[Mako254]

10 hours ago, lcpfratn said:

Well, after tasting this in the gazebo at the GN, I'll probably pass on buying a bottle. It's not bad, but there's just not much to get excited about for the price. My thoughts are that this is Wild Turkey's answer to Beam's Basil Hayden, and is targeting the same market of new and/or casual bourbon drinkers. They are both similarly priced and similarly under-proofed. 

 

This is my take on it as well. This is slotted for the ‘basil hayden, gentleman jack, angels envy’ category.  An introductory pour. 

This is not a bourbon targeted at SBers but maybe some people buy Longbranch and like it enought to try 101 and then end up posting ‘If I like WT 101, what else might I like?’ Here on SB. 

[smokinjoe]

After watching the video, give WT credit for reeling in the whole mesquite thing.  Although, it will continue to be a signature component of this whiskey, that video was going way off, but Eddie and Jimmy reeled it in from being presented as the mesquite charcoal process being an “additive” process, to being a “subtractive” process.  Which would of course would have killed the whole thing, had they not.  Interesting that they let Matthew Mc run as far as they did.  It didn’t seem comfortable.

 

 

[LCWoody]

7 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

After watching the video, give WT credit for reeling in the whole mesquite thing.  Although, it will continue to be a signature component of this whiskey, that video was going way off, but Eddie and Jimmy reeled it in from being presented as the mesquite charcoal process being an “additive” process, to being a “subtractive” process.  Which would of course would have killed the whole thing, had they not.  Interesting that they let Matthew Mc run as far as they did.  It didn’t seem comfortable.

 

 

I agree with you, they did not look comfortable with him. And I believe they are also teetering on losing the straight bourbon and becoming a “Jack Daniels”,  Lincoln county process. 

[Vosgar]

Hmmm..........Binny's has already dropped their price from $34.99 to $31.99. Is it selling that poorly or am I just reading too much into it?

[The Black Tot]

Long Branch on short sale?

[kevinbrink]

17 hours ago, LCWoody said:

I agree with you, they did not look comfortable with him. And I believe they are also teetering on losing the straight bourbon and becoming a “Jack Daniels”,  Lincoln county process. 

Charcoal filtration wouldn't be an issue for the straight designation either as this is done or in the case of the Lincoln County process. Additionally this filtration has nothing to do with the Lincoln County Process which is post distillation and pre barrel, this is post aging, only difference between the process on this and what is done to countless other bourbons is the specific use of mesquite charcoal.  

[LCWoody]

3 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

Charcoal filtration wouldn't be an issue for the straight designation either as this is done or in the case of the Lincoln County process. Additionally this filtration has nothing to do with the Lincoln County Process which is post distillation and pre barrel, this is post aging, only difference between the process on this and what is done to countless other bourbons is the specific use of mesquite charcoal.  

Thanks for clarifying.

[mosugoji64]

I also snagged this one from the table over Sampler Weekend for a taste and was completely underwhelmed. Nothing bad about it, but nothing to warrant a purchase, either. I didn't notice any influence from the mesquite. There are many better bourbons out there at its price point or below, so Longbranch is a pass for me.

[BDanner]

This arrived in NC ABC's yesterday. I rated it a 4 out of 5. My thoughts and tasting notes below:

 

Neat in a Glencairn. Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla, citrus peel, tobacco and a light floral note. The famous WT barnyard funk is there, way in the background, but only if you know to look for it. Palate: Big honey vanilla sweetness on entry that transitions quickly to a peppery mid-palate. Short, slightly drying astringent wood heavy finish. Leaves a tingly coating of citrus, mint and wood. Despite loving the Rare Breed from the get-go, WT101 was an acquired taste for me. It took several cracks at it and varying levels of dilution. Now it's one of my favorites. This I liked right from the start. Perhaps this bourbon is intended to be a gateway to WT's other bourbons for those new to whiskey. If so, I think they've hit the right notes. Where this one may struggle is price point. There is a glut of $30-$40 bourbons. When this bottle is gone, it's going to be hard to buy another one with curiosity no longer being a factor.

 

I can see where WT purists are not going to like this one. The charcoal filtering (I picked up nothing special from the mesquite) seems to remove most of what makes Turkey well...Turkey. If you've never been a WT Drinker before, then this may work for you.

Edited May 3, 2018 by BDanner

[mikeydk]

I picked one up from my local, $36.  I think it drinks just fine, and is worth a taste.  It will not replace my favorites, but having it on the bar does give another story to tell.  Do I think there are better $30 bottles?  Certainly.  But it shouldn't be dismissed as a celebrity whiskey, it's got character enough to live on its own.  The bottle sure is nice too.  

 

 

[dcbt]

I picked up one of these for my old man's retirement gift.  He likes Turkey, and is ok with lower proof offerings, and is something he wouldn't buy himself.  And now I get to try a sample to boot.  Win Win.

[Kepler]

On 5/3/2018 at 2:13 PM, BDanner said:

This arrived in NC ABC's yesterday. I rated it a 4 out of 5. My thoughts and tasting notes below:

 

 The famous WT barnyard funk is there, way in the background, but only if you know to look for it.

 

Famous WT barnyard funk?  Interesting take.

[Kepler]

 

On 5/12/2018 at 11:07 AM, mikeydk said:

....

The bottle sure is nice too.  

 

 

 

Yes exactly.  I was right.

[Mako254]

On 4/30/2018 at 11:32 PM, Vosgar said:

Hmmm..........Binny's has already dropped their price from $34.99 to $31.99. Is it selling that poorly or am I just reading too much into it?

 

Talking to a guy in Lawrenceburg ‘rumor has it’ WT has moved 50K bottles and is planning another run. 

[smokinjoe]

19 minutes ago, Mako254 said:

 

Talking to a guy in Lawrenceburg ‘rumor has it’...

There you have it...Thank you Simone...

 

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by smokinjoe

[Mako254]

18 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

There you have it...Thank you Simone...

 

 

 

I’m not a LB buyer and this might be soin but this guy has had pretty solid ‘turkey info in the past. 

 

#saveferris

 

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by Mako254

[Paddy]

......meanwhile, smart shoppers continue to clear the shelves of RRSB and RB...