MGP

[FasterHorses]

Was reading about some of the current MGP bottlings. What are SBs thoughts/ratings as compared to when SAOS was getting barrels from MGP? 

 

Belle Meade

Metzes

New Riff

Boone County

OKI

 

Ryes

James Pepper

Whistle Pig 12

Redemption

AE

 

from what i can tell, BM is going the route of SAOS and moving away from MGP. Have heard that the BElle Meade is actually better than SAOS was. Thoughts? Will Boone County be the next in line to get the first choice at MGP barrels?

Set me straight if I’m off on any or all of the above... im sure there is a ton of knowledge on this subject here about this. 

 

 

 

 

 

[FasterHorses]

 

Continued looking and found this extremely informative related thread.

 

 

[kevinbrink]

I never thought that SAOS was any better than other brands that bottled MGP only that they were the best value when they were around. There were definitely some gems especially some store picks but that is true of most single barrel products. Right now I mostly buy Backbone Uncut to fill my MGP BP Bourbon needs and I'm living off of Redemption 7 year Rye, which has always been one of my favorites. I have a Boone County 12 BP and it is great. The Pepper BP is young but tasty enough the older bottles of straight NAS 100 proof rye are better. I can't recommend WP 12, though I love the ADL distilled WP 10. You have New Riff and OKI listed separately but OKI was New Riff's NDP label for their MGP bottles and they aren't doing it now that they have they 4 year old distillate. Other Rye Options that you might find, Sagamore Spirit, Turley Mill, Rossville Union (MGP's new house label). The current George Remus label has replaced the Metze's bottlings. 

[Whiskeythink.com]

I really enjoy the Blaum Bros 10, & recently got a Blaum Bros 11 store pic. All great MGP juice.

[CUfan99]

2 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

I never thought that SAOS was any better than other brands that bottled MGP only that they were the best value when they were around. There were definitely some gems especially some store picks but that is true of most single barrel products. Right now I mostly buy Backbone Uncut to fill my MGP BP Bourbon needs and I'm living off of Redemption 7 year Rye, which has always been one of my favorites. I have a Boone County 12 BP and it is great. The Pepper BP is young but tasty enough the older bottles of straight NAS 100 proof rye are better. I can't recommend WP 12, though I love the ADL distilled WP 10. You have New Riff and OKI listed separately but OKI was New Riff's NDP label for their MGP bottles and they aren't doing it now that they have they 4 year old distillate. Other Rye Options that you might find, Sagamore Spirit, Turley Mill, Rossville Union (MGP's new house label). The current George Remus label has replaced the Metze's bottlings. 

I was late to the MGP party and have only had a 10 yr BMSiB. It's a very good bourbon and price at just over $60. I haven't found anymore MGP in my area other than Backbone Uncut, WP and Sagamore Spirit. The Backbone Uncut was too pricey for me at $50 for a 5 year old bourbon. 

[kevinbrink]

9 minutes ago, CUfan99 said:

I was late to the MGP party and have only had a 10 yr BMSiB. It's a very good bourbon and price at just over $60. I haven't found anymore MGP in my area other than Backbone Uncut, WP and Sagamore Spirit. The Backbone Uncut was too pricey for me at $50 for a 5 year old bourbon. 

I'm swimming in $40 7 & 8 year Backbone Uncut so I guess YMMV

[PaulO]

No mention of Bulleit Rye or Dickel Rye?  Both are MGP sourced.  Dickel goes through charcoal filtering at some point in the process.  I'd buy whichever one was the better deal - both are 90 proof NAS.

[FasterHorses]

10 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

I never thought that SAOS was any better than other brands that bottled MGP only that they were the best value when they were around. There were definitely some gems especially some store picks but that is true of most single barrel products. Right now I mostly buy Backbone Uncut to fill my MGP BP Bourbon needs and I'm living off of Redemption 7 year Rye, which has always been one of my favorites. I have a Boone County 12 BP and it is great. The Pepper BP is young but tasty enough the older bottles of straight NAS 100 proof rye are better. I can't recommend WP 12, though I love the ADL distilled WP 10. You have New Riff and OKI listed separately but OKI was New Riff's NDP label for their MGP bottles and they aren't doing it now that they have they 4 year old distillate. Other Rye Options that you might find, Sagamore Spirit, Turley Mill, Rossville Union (MGP's new house label). The current George Remus label has replaced the Metze's bottlings. 

Thanks Kevin. This is great. I dont know if Ive seen the backbone uncut. Will have to read up on that one. I know where I can get the Redemption 7 and 9. And the Nelson distillery is less than 10 miles from my house. Boone County 10 and 12 are just across the state line . This should keep me busy for the foreseeable future. 

I had been under the impressionthat the larger buyers, historically SAOS and Belle Meade would get  better barrels or at least first choice. And that due to that, the quality may not be up to that level for some of the newer labels. Sounds like from your post that thats not the case. 

[FasterHorses]

14 minutes ago, PaulO said:

No mention of Bulleit Rye or Dickel Rye?  Both are MGP sourced.  Dickel goes through charcoal filtering at some point in the process.  I'd buy whichever one was the better deal - both are 90 proof NAS.

Didnt intentionally leave any off the list.. i just dont know all of the bourbons/ryes that come from MGP. The ones on my list were just ones mentioned in the articles i had found. Is Joseph Magnus from MGP as well? 

[kevinbrink]

3 minutes ago, FasterHorses said:

Thanks Kevin. This is great. I dont know if Ive seen the backbone uncut. Will have to read up on that one. I know where I can get the Redemption 7 and 9. And the Nelson distillery is less than 10 miles from my house. Boone County 10 and 12 are just across the state line . This should keep me busy for the foreseeable future. 

I had been under the impressionthat the larger buyers, historically SAOS and Belle Meade would get  better barrels or at least first choice. And that due to that, the quality may not be up to that level for some of the newer labels. Sounds like from your post that thats not the case. 

I'm sure you will find many to support that idea, truth be told in some way my experience with Redemption would support that as typically I have found their age stated cask strength offerings above average and they certainly move quite a bit of MGP stock. I think the biggest difference between a few years back and now is simply availability of casks, you could ask for a lot more in the glut period if you were sourcing from MGP now someone else is willing to take those casks sight unseen. That being said a number of these distilleries did source years ago and continue aging on-site and that certainly adds in another variable in the final product. 

[kevinbrink]

3 minutes ago, FasterHorses said:

Didnt intentionally leave any off the list.. i just dont know all of the bourbons/ryes that come from MGP. The ones on my list were just ones mentioned in the articles i had found. Is Joseph Magnus from MGP as well? 

Yep but profile wise your talking something different there because of blending and Cask Finishing.

[PaulO]

Willett also sourced some rye from MGP.  Before Willett started bottling their own make, the "distilled in Indiana" was the only WFE with known provenance.

[Whiskeythink.com]

13 hours ago, FasterHorses said:

Didnt intentionally leave any off the list.. i just dont know all of the bourbons/ryes that come from MGP. The ones on my list were just ones mentioned in the articles i had found. Is Joseph Magnus from MGP as well? 

I believe the latest Magnus is Dickel.

[flahute]

13 hours ago, Whiskeythink.com said:

I believe the latest Magnus is Dickel.

Not necessarily. They have both Dickel and MGP barrels. As far as I know, the Dickels are only used in their private barrels. 

[chasking]

I was looking around the SB forums for commentary or other information about George Remus, MGP's relatively new house brand bourbon.  I have really liked sourced MGP bourbons I've had, and I was intrigued to hear that MGP was now bottling and selling their own stuff, because one thing I like about distillery bottlings is an expectation of consistency---no need to research before going to the store to figure out whether what's on the shelf now is the same as the stuff you liked before, assuming that the stuff you liked before is still available at all.  I found a thread about the premium older George Remus expression, Repeal Reserve, but nothing about the basic version.

 

I picked up a bottle today, and after a couple pours and comparisons, the jury is still out.  It's 94 proof with no age statement, so it must be four years old but I'd be surprised if it's much more.  It's got a kick to it suggesting youth, but it's not unpleasant, and is fairly flavorful.  At $40 a bottle (at Binny's in Chicago), it may be a bit dear for what it is.  It's definitely a couple orders of magnitude better than some under-aged craft bourbons in that price range (or higher!), but I'd think MGP can and should be compared to the big boys, and on that basis it's going up against any number of whiskeys with more barrel time.  For example, I side-by-sided it with a bottle of 1792 Ridgemont Reserve that I had near to hand, and the 1792 was considerably smoother and more sophisticated, as well as costing less.

 

Still, I'm not sorry that I bought it.  I like it, although it's not the best bargain around.  I'm actually considering dropping the additional money to try the Repeal Reserve, which I understand is 11-12 years old.  Perhaps I've been sucked in by the advertising campaign, which calls George Remus "a bourbon for Chicagoans, inspired by a Chicagoan."  I'd say it's definitely a tough guy's bourbon.  A little harsh but powerful.

Edited October 28, 2018 by chasking

[gurgalunas]

Just did a tasting of Remus with their master blender here in KC.  Interesting intro, as he didnt hide his affiliation.  He introduced himself, and said "I am MGP."  A few notes on details of each offering...

 

All are NCF.

 

GR Straight Bourbon- a blend of 5 yr and 7 yr bourbon.  Both are rye bourbon, one at 21% rye, one at 36% rye.  

 

GR Repeal Reserve Series 1-  mashbills and % are on the label, but it is 50% 2005 21% rye, 15% 2006 36% rye, 35% 2006 21% rye.  That makes it a blend of 12 and 13 yr bourbon.  Its bottled at 94 proof.

 

GR Repeal Reserve Series 2- to be released Nov 2018.  Didnt write down the years and %, but it's a greater % of the 36% rye bourbon.  Its also 100 proof.

 

The Straight Bourbon, while not of advanced age, was much less grain-forward than the entry level Jeffersons, which was offered in a tasting the week before.  Really, the whole GR lineup was better than the Jeffersons of similar age.  

 

I wouldn't compare the GR RR to any of the barrel proof MGP bottles mentioned (SAOS, BM), as the GR are not BP themselves.  Imo, the MGP bourbon really shines when BP, much less so when proofed down.  At $75-85 for GR RR, and at 94/100 proof, it's neither great, nor a value.  Better than Jeffersons, yes...

 

My take is to wait until they decide to release a BP before jumping into the brand.  While I think it will be very good, not likely to be a value based on current pricing schemes.

 

I asked specifically how GR fits into the MGP portfolio, referring specifically to who gets choice of barrels, and the Master Blender said he has full run of all warehouses, and gets his choice of barrels ahead of any NDP.  If true, there is a lot of potential for GR, especially if they start a SiB BP program...

 

Roseville Union was also offered.  Both (regular and BP) were blends of 5-7 yr ryes.  Both used a blend of 51% rye and 95% rye.  The BP was higher on the 95%.  The blended ryes were fairly unique to me.  Most ryes I encounter are near minimum (51-60% rye) or MGP sourced 95%.  The lower % ryes drink nearly like bourbon to me, the 95% are generally mixers.  The RU fits nicely in the middle.  

[WhiskeyBlender]

On 9/11/2018 at 9:56 PM, flahute said:

Not necessarily. They have both Dickel and MGP barrels. As far as I know, the Dickels are only used in their private barrels. 

Sorry, I just now saw this post regarding Magnus. Flahute is absolutely correct, the Dickels are only used as a possible source for the private barrels. Everything else comes strictly from MGP. The majority of the stock is currently 12 1/2 years old, with the oldest being 20 years old. 

[EarthQuake]

WP 12 has been mentioned, a product I was pretty overwhelmed with (not sure why they went with the lower proof).

 

What is much more interesting to me is the WP10 barrel proof single barrels. One would assume these are ADL (as I did when I first ordered a bottle), but that doesn't appear to be the case. Apparently these are MGP rather than ADL from Canada, even though it says Canada on the bottle. I'm not sure if all of them are, but I've read that all the recent ones are, and I've verified with two picks from different stores. 10 year old barrel proof MGP rye is probably of interest to many lamenting the disappearance of Smooth Ambler rye. Oh yeah, it's great too. And relatively easy to find and priced pretty well ($70-85). I prefer it to the Redemption 6 & 8 year ryes that I've tried, which were priced in the same range.

[0895]

5 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

Sorry, I just now saw this post regarding Magnus. Flahute is absolutely correct, the Dickels are only used as a possible source for the private barrels. Everything else comes strictly from MGP. The majority of the stock is currently 12 1/2 years old, with the oldest being 20 years old. 

Is there any way to know if a private pick is MGP or Dickel?

I purchased one recently with the assumption all Magnus was MGP and therefore I would like it.

Now I'm slightly worried...

[wadewood]

13 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

Sorry, I just now saw this post regarding Magnus. Flahute is absolutely correct, the Dickels are only used as a possible source for the private barrels. Everything else comes strictly from MGP. The majority of the stock is currently 12 1/2 years old, with the oldest being 20 years old. 

comes from MGP?  I thought I had read they were MGPi distilled whiskey but sourced from HH?

[wadewood]

BM was a couple of different MGP bourbon mashbills married together as compared to SAOS which were single barrels of 1 mashbill.  Or at least that was the case when BM started. 

To me, it looks like MGPi with their Remus Bourbon and Rossville Union rye are moving to keeping their older stocks for their own brands.  Either that or they are only selling aged barrels at such high jacked prices that any NDP buying it has to price it over $100 a bottle, at which point any reasonable bourbon consumer should say sayonara.

[WhiskeyBlender]

10 hours ago, wadewood said:

comes from MGP?  I thought I had read they were MGPi distilled whiskey but sourced from HH?

Yes, you're absolutely right about that, Wade. When I wrote my comment, I was thinking about where it was distilled and not necessarily so much where it spent its maturation life. 

[WhiskeyBlender]

10 hours ago, wadewood said:

BM was a couple of different MGP bourbon mashbills married together as compared to SAOS which were single barrels of 1 mashbill.  Or at least that was the case when BM started. 

To me, it looks like MGPi with their Remus Bourbon and Rossville Union rye are moving to keeping their older stocks for their own brands.  Either that or they are only selling aged barrels at such high jacked prices that any NDP buying it has to price it over $100 a bottle, at which point any reasonable bourbon consumer should say sayonara.

I think that it is probably the former case of them keeping their older stock for their own brands. Right now, there is nothing of much age for sale from MGP, and if you do happen to find some older stock on the market, it is coming from someone else who bought it some time ago and for whatever reason they need to dump it. 

[flahute]

22 hours ago, 0895 said:

Is there any way to know if a private pick is MGP or Dickel?

I purchased one recently with the assumption all Magnus was MGP and therefore I would like it.

Now I'm slightly worried...

State of distillation should be listed on the label.

[FasterHorses]

4 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

I think that it is probably the former case of them keeping their older stock for their own brands. Right now, there is nothing of much age for sale from MGP, and if you do happen to find some older stock on the market, it is coming from someone else who bought it some time ago and for whatever reason they need to dump it. 

Nancy,

what  do you consider “much age”? Do the Boone Countys and Belle Meade 10-12 y/o fall into this category? Are they using up stocks they bought in years past or are these new purchases from MGP?