mikeydk Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 4 hours ago, Paddy said: ......meanwhile, smart shoppers continue to clear the shelves of RRSB and RB... Indeed, smart shoppers sometimes do both. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokeCal Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 The liquor store I go to sells a handle of WT101 for $24.99, pretty hard to get me to bite on Longbranch at $31.99. But I did.... It was OK.... tasting back to back with WT101 it lacked the punch, obviously, but it at least did have a citrus smell I enjoyed. The bottle will look nice on the shelf but I have no desire to buy more at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcdc Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 It's plenty underwhelming. It lacks any character from the very soft nose, the palate is very subtle, and finish is dry and quickly fleeting. I'd imagine the purpose of Longbranch is to capture an audience outside of normal bourbon/American whiskey and introduce them to a "smooth" spirit rather than an exceptional one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 3 minutes ago, gcdc said: It's plenty underwhelming. It lacks any character from the very soft nose, the palate is very subtle, and finish is dry and quickly fleeting. I'd imagine the purpose of Longbranch is to capture an audience outside of normal bourbon/American whiskey and introduce them to a "smooth" spirit rather than an exceptional one. This seems to be a repeating theme of reviews, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sounds like this can be added to what really is a pretty short list of “up-shelf” introductory bourbons for those new to the hobby. For that reason, I am pulling for it’s success. Not every bourbon should be designed to appeal only to the tastes of enthusiasts. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 (edited) On 6/4/2018 at 12:39 PM, smokinjoe said: This seems to be a repeating theme of reviews, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sounds like this can be added to what really is a pretty short list of “up-shelf” introductory bourbons for those new to the hobby. For that reason, I am pulling for it’s success. Not every bourbon should be designed to appeal only to the tastes of enthusiasts. I agree. WT LB has been mentioned a few times here on SB lately. While looking for some OE 101 7yr, I saw this AND a Virgin Bourbon (which I have not tasted) with which to do a SBS with my open OE. First impression of WT LB: thin mouthfeel, LOTS of spicy wood, LOTS of sweetness, alcohol bloom above its weight. Wife does not like neat bourbons but BEGGED for an Old Fashioned made with,it. My bottom line (after drinking four ounces while smoking riibs): Not bad for a casual sipper during the Summer. IOW, I have four more grilldates in the next seven days. I do not think the bottle will survive the week. So, I think this bourbon at its price is alrightalrightalrightalright, and I do not own a Lincoln. Edited July 14, 2018 by Harry in WashDC To be a smart ass. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 2 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said: I agree. WT LB has been mentioned a few times here on SB lately. While looking for some OE 101 7yr, I saw this AND a Virgin Bourbon (which I have not tasted) with which to do a SBS with my open OE. First impression of WT LB: thin mouthfeel, LOTS of spicy wood, LOTS of sweetness, alcohol bloom above its weight. Wife does not like neat bourbons but BEGGED for an Old Fashioned made with,it. My bottom line (after drinking four ounces while smoking riibs): Not bad for a casual sipper during the Summer. IOW, I have four more grilldates in the next seven days. I do not think the bottle will survive the week. So, I think this bourbon at its price is alrightalrightalrightalright, and I do not own a Lincoln. I love the smart ass version of Harry. And I like your reasoning for this one. I will pick one up. I am a Turkey head after all. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonNit Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Indeed, smart shoppers sometimes do both. [emoji4] Killing it with all the Genny Cream Ale. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDanner Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 On 7/14/2018 at 5:53 PM, Harry in WashDC said: I agree. WT LB has been mentioned a few times here on SB lately. While looking for some OE 101 7yr, I saw this AND a Virgin Bourbon (which I have not tasted) with which to do a SBS with my open OE. First impression of WT LB: thin mouthfeel, LOTS of spicy wood, LOTS of sweetness, alcohol bloom above its weight. Wife does not like neat bourbons but BEGGED for an Old Fashioned made with,it. My bottom line (after drinking four ounces while smoking riibs): Not bad for a casual sipper during the Summer. IOW, I have four more grilldates in the next seven days. I do not think the bottle will survive the week. So, I think this bourbon at its price is alrightalrightalrightalright, and I do not own a Lincoln. Virgin 101 is rumored to be Old Ezra packaged for the overseas market. Interested on hearing your take as I can't get the OE, but I can get the Virgin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 5 hours ago, BDanner said: Virgin 101 is rumored to be Old Ezra packaged for the overseas market. Interested on hearing your take as I can't get the OE, but I can get the Virgin. Haven't opened either, yet. We've been eating lots of charcoal grilled/smoked foods lately, and I've been waiting until we move back inside and resume eating bland food. Rain the past two and the next several days should do the trick. ON THREAD - Uh, while sipping on the WT LB over several days, I had several bouts of night-time heartburn. I don't know if it was bourbon-related, food-related, Jelly Belly jellybean-related, or old age. I am going to re-engage my affair with the LB tonight since we are back on indoor food for awhile. If I start posting circa 4AM Eastern Time tomorrow, you'll know the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDanner Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 On 7/23/2018 at 6:11 PM, Harry in WashDC said: Haven't opened either, yet. We've been eating lots of charcoal grilled/smoked foods lately, and I've been waiting until we move back inside and resume eating bland food. Rain the past two and the next several days should do the trick. ON THREAD - Uh, while sipping on the WT LB over several days, I had several bouts of night-time heartburn. I don't know if it was bourbon-related, food-related, Jelly Belly jellybean-related, or old age. I am going to re-engage my affair with the LB tonight since we are back on indoor food for awhile. If I start posting circa 4AM Eastern Time tomorrow, you'll know the answer. Oh...I could eat a pound of Jelly Bellies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 On 7/23/2018 at 12:53 PM, BDanner said: Virgin 101 is rumored to be Old Ezra packaged for the overseas market. Interested on hearing your take as I can't get the OE, but I can get the Virgin. Although, Old Ezra 7 and Virgin 101 are very similar whiskies, and most likely both distilled, aged, and bottled at HH, it is important to remember that OE is a Luxco brand where of course Virgin is a Heaven Hill brand. So, Virgin can’t be OE packaged for the overseas market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 6 minutes ago, smokinjoe said: Although, Old Ezra 7 and Virgin 101 are very similar whiskies, and most likely both distilled, aged, and bottled at HH, it is important to remember that OE is a Luxco brand where of course Virgin is a Heaven Hill brand. So, Virgin can’t be OE packaged for the overseas market. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDanner Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 2 hours ago, smokinjoe said: Although, Old Ezra 7 and Virgin 101 are very similar whiskies, and most likely both distilled, aged, and bottled at HH, it is important to remember that OE is a Luxco brand where of course Virgin is a Heaven Hill brand. So, Virgin can’t be OE packaged for the overseas market. I'm not following that logic. Am I missing something? If HH can distill, age and bottle OE, then why can they not also bottle the same exact juice and label it as Virgin 101 in states where OE isn't available and overseas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 27 minutes ago, BDanner said: I'm not following that logic. Am I missing something? If HH can distill, age and bottle OE, then why can they not also bottle the same exact juice and label it as Virgin 101 in states where OE isn't available and overseas? Perhaps I’m misreading your opening sentence, but I take “Virgin 101 is rumored to be Old Ezra packaged for the overseas market.” to imply that they are both owned by one distillery (presumably HH?). Regarding where Luxco or HH can sell their individual products is pretty much up to each of them, unless there is some sort of contractural protected markets arrangement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcpfratn Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 I'm not following that logic. Am I missing something? If HH can distill, age and bottle OE, then why can they not also bottle the same exact juice and label it as Virgin 101 in states where OE isn't available and overseas? I think what Joe is saying is that OE is a brand/distillery that is owned, bottled and distributed by Lux Row Distillery. They currently buy bourbon wholesale from Heaven Hill and bottle it under the OE label. So, Virgin 101 cannot be an OE product under a different label, since Lux Row doesn’t own Virgin and HH doesn’t own OE.I know this is in a way just semantics, since I agree that the source of the juice and the juice itself is likely very similar, since both bourbon products are sourced from HH. However, they are both bottled and distributed by two totally separate companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDanner Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 On 7/28/2018 at 5:37 PM, smokinjoe said: Perhaps I’m misreading your opening sentence, but I take “Virgin 101 is rumored to be Old Ezra packaged for the overseas market.” to imply that they are both owned by one distillery (presumably HH?). Regarding where Luxco or HH can sell their individual products is pretty much up to each of them, unless there is some sort of contractural protected markets arrangement. Got it...my wording was not the greatest. I simply meant that it was probably the same (or nearly the same) bourbon sold under two different names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDN98 Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Tried Longbranch for the first time this week. I thought it was smooth, but really didn't do much for me in the flavor department. I would certainly drink it again if offered at a friend's house, but I don't see myself buying a bottle for home consumption. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreggJ Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 On 8/3/2018 at 7:54 PM, NDN98 said: Tried Longbranch for the first time this week. I thought it was smooth, but really didn't do much for me in the flavor department. I would certainly drink it again if offered at a friend's house, but I don't see myself buying a bottle for home consumption. My take as well. It is Good, not great. It is very smooth with somewhat muted and semi-sweet profile. I can see how those new to bourbon would be drawn to it. I'm happy with my bottle but, won't be replacing it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Made Longbranch Old Fashioneds for happy hour at home tonight. Having used mesquite when smoking various cuts of meat over the past few years (since it became readily available in chunks here), I think the heat I detect with Longbranch may come from the mesquite rather than from the bourbon itself. I've stopped using it in smoking meats as it gives me heartburn. ASIDE - LOTS of subjective experimentation by me as I get really anal when smoking chunks of beef, but . . . YMMV. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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