angelshare Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 My wife & I were disappointed with our latest bourbon acquisition, Ridgewood Reserve 1792. We went online to search for tasting notes and stumbled upon this website. WE LOVE IT! However, we were surprised to find the reviews largely positive here. We found it very simple and, especially on the finish, harsh. Does anyone feel similarly?We also found that there was an ongoing controversy between Brown-Forman and Barton over this bottling. Any comments/insight?Thanks for having us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradox Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 We also found that there was an ongoing controversy between Brown-Forman and Barton over this bottling. Any comments/insight? You can find some information and opinions about the controversy here and here. I myself like Ridgewood Reserve and find it a good pour within the low $20 range. I definitely like it better than Woodford Reserve... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 However, we were surprised to find the reviews largely positive here. I think that at the end of the day what you think matters most to you. Care to name a few you do like and why?Welcome on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelshare Posted March 30, 2004 Author Share Posted March 30, 2004 Mark-Thanks for the links. By the way, we found this website via your homepage. Your collection is AMAZING.As for your opinion of Ridgewood Reserve - my wife and I have always felt that there is (for the most part) no bad bourbon; it's all a matter of taste. Even so, when we both had such a negative response to RR, we were surprised to find overwhelmingly positive tasting notes here.Regarding the lawsuit between BF and Barton - any update? My initial impression was that it did seem a bit frivolous on BF's part. We also read that Barton was contending that BF had been deceptive in its marketing of Woodford Reserve. Ultimately, we were saddened by what seems to be a malicious turn in a friendly industry. Thoughts on this point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelshare Posted March 30, 2004 Author Share Posted March 30, 2004 We agree! Thanks for the hospitality! Our all time faves are:From the Mrs:Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yearElijah Craig 18 yearOld Weller Antique 107My picks:Kentucky SpiritEagle Rare 10 yearOther bourbons (or Tennessee Whiskeys) we would find it hard to live without include: Booker's, JD #7, Gentleman Jack, Fighting Cock (my preference-my wife doesn't care for it), various Very Old Barton proofs, Wild Turkey 101, Jim Beam Black, Maker's Mark.How about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 Good picks all! Again welcome to Bourbonia! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbyvirus Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 I too like the Ridgewood Reserve. It's definitely drier and woodier than a lot of bourbons, but I like it as a change of pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradox Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 Thanks for checking out my homepage and glad you found out about StraightBourbon from it. I like how you say, for the most part, there is no bad bourbon. I agree with you on that. The exception that becomes 'for the most part' for me had to be McCormick’s... That stuff was absolutely horrible... Anyways, it definitely is a matter of taste. So many love Knob Creek where I just don't see anything special about it. Same thing with Elijah Craig 12 year old. I mean they are ok, but not something I put in my top 5. Elijah Craig 12 I only like with some ice and Knob Creek (again for me) is only good when used for making Manhattan's. I don't really know the up to date information on the lawsuit. At last check it seemed to be a tit-for-tat thing, back and forth... I find the whole thing stupid and it only shows how too many lawyers etc can ruin as you put it, a friendly industry. I say drop it all and lets get back to what matters... Making great bourbon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornsqueezins Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 Interesting.....I just recently purchased my first bottle of Ridgewood Reserve. I went back and reviewed the tasting notes and impressions here on the forum but I've yet to crack open the bottle. I'll open it tonight and try it out....-Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Ridgewood Reserve is being promo-ed hard in our area (Middle Tennessee), so my two bottles cost $19.99 and $18.99, respectively. I liked it, but was distracted while tasting it, and haven't come back to it yet, so can't give specifics. I may feel differently when prices normalize and I have to pay $5 more for it. But I can understand why Brown Forman feels threatened by it. I prefer it to Woodford Reserve, about which I feel the same as I do Maker's Mark -- not bad, not memorable, not cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrel_Proof Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I find the whole thing stupid and it only shows how too many lawyers etc can ruin as you put it, a friendly industry. I can assure you that the decision to engage in this legal dispute was made by business persons, not their lawyers.As for the purportedly "friendly industry," toil and trouble stirs below the surface of the bourbon caldron. All is not sweetness and light, even though a collegiality both real and assumed surfaces at Festival time. We shouldn't kid ourselves; the american whiskey industry is fiercely competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornsqueezins Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Heh-heh...I like that "3-not" definition. I wish I'd found Ridgewood Reserve at the price that you paid. Here in the "lower" middle Tenn. area, I've not seen it for lower than 26 bucks. I opened my bottle of Ridgewood last night and my initial impressions were similar to those of angelshare. I found the nose to be fairly simple with a sweet orange-like scent. The taste was mostly woody with very little sweetness. The finish was dry and surprisingly hot for an 8 year old bourbon. Overall, I expected much more from a small batch bourbon. It seems rather one dimensional and, since I am a big fan of Very Old Barton 100 proof, this experience with Ridgewood was a disappointment. A little bit of oxidation will probably do this bottle some good. I definitely plan to do some head-to-head tastings with Ridgewood and VOB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradox Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Ok, business people then. The use of the word lawyers had nothing to do with you Cliff. Thank you for clarifying that whole mess up. As for certain aspects of the industry being so competitive, it is unfortunate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelshare Posted March 31, 2004 Author Share Posted March 31, 2004 We very much enjoyed reading all of the preceding thoughts! We paid about $28 for our bottle, so perhaps the "hotness" (we liked that description of hot - right on target) was accentuated by that. Our first sampling was neat. Last night, we had a second sampling over ice. After sitting a short bit, the finish mellowed some. Also, strangely, about two or three sips into it, I caught a big whiff of vanilla which I didn't appreciate initially. Still, for our palates and certainly for the money, other Barton bottlings are much preferred by us.Thanks again for your Bourbonian hospitality! We are very much enjoying getting to know your site.Dave & Tina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhooch Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 As for certain aspects of the industry being so competitive, it is unfortunate. I'm not nuts about Ridgewood Reserve, like so many on this thread, however, I thought competition was good for us. It is supposed to make things cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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