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Most Egregious Distiller during the boom


alcoholica
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Most Egregious Distillery during the boom  

48 members have voted

  1. 1. Which distillery's decisions upset you most during the boom?

    • Buffalo Trace
      27
    • Four Roses
      5
    • Heaven Hill
      5
    • Jim Beam/Maker's Mark
      11
    • Wild Turkey
      0


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So this an offshoot from another thread, but wanted to get opinions from the board. 

 

I think we all agree that the major 5 distillers all do a great job of producing great bourbons, but on more than one occasion, they've made us scratch our heads with their decisions.  Rank from worst to first who upset you most.

 

  1. Jim Beam - Dropping age statements on KC, BH, and Black Label. Dropping of Old Crow reserve. Proof drop on OGD. Maker's proof drop flip/flop. Booker's price hike and dropping in age. Poor line extensions on the BH Brand. KC Rye extensions appear to have turned out well, along with Little Book intro. 
  2. Buffalo Trace - Age statement drops on various labels (please chime in). Reported quality drop in various labels. Special release-idis - tornado edition, seasoned wood, four grain, Weller Full Proof, Double Eagle, etc, etc.
  3. Heaven Hill - EC age drop drama, Old Fitz proof drop, Old Fitz BiB drop, Old Fitz Bib age stated special editions.
  4. Four Roses - Some reported drops in quality on SiB, Rutledge leaving may rank for some. 
  5. Wild Turkey - I'm biased, I really like the way the Russell's handle things. I guess I could say the McConaughey/Longbranch release or that the Master Keep's haven't been as good as some others.

 

Again, think they have all done way more good than b

 

 

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28 minutes ago, alcoholica said:

  Rank from worst to first who upset you most.

 

Just to confirm/clarify the way you're asking us to rank the Companies...    The one that we feel offends the most get the lowest number?   ...And the one that offends the least gets the highest number?

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Add another option:

 

Most every Craft Distillery

 

6.  Most Every “Craft Distillery” —They have attempted to take the resurgent interest in the legacy distilleries high quality bourbons, and profiteer from its renaissance by simply spewing out pretty label, over priced, crap back-story, crap quality, swill.

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26 minutes ago, Richnimrod said:

Just to confirm/clarify the way you're asking us to rank the Companies...    The one that we feel offends the most get the lowest number?   ...And the one that offends the least gets the highest number?

correct, so #1 would be your most offensive

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7 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Add another option:

 

Most every Craft Distillery

 

6.  Most Every “Craft Distillery” —They have attempted to take the resurgent interest in the legacy distilleries high quality bourbons, and profiteer from its renaissance by simply spewing out pretty label, over priced, crap back-story, crap quality, swill.

 

Geez Joe, why are you holding your real feelings at bay?  Ya' know, if you keep these emotions bottled up inside yerself, they'll eat you up from the inside!   ?

 

For what it's worth (little more than nuthin' me thinks), I agree wholeheartedly!!!   ?

 

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7 hours ago, flahute said:

You left out Michter’s. 

Has any of their own juice actually been bottled yet? 

 

Besides, what have they done to the consumer? I've heard some bits and pieces, but from what I've heard the consumer wasn't affected.

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9 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Add another option:

 

Most every Craft Distillery

 

6.  Most Every “Craft Distillery” —They have attempted to take the resurgent interest in the legacy distilleries high quality bourbons, and profiteer from its renaissance by simply spewing out pretty label, over priced, crap back-story, crap quality, swill.

This.  In spades.  I'm not upset or offended by any of the major distillers.  They are trying to serve the market and when demand far outstrips supply something has to give, like age statements.  For the most part they all still produce excellent whiskey.  Sure, there are some marketing tricks going on, but no one makes any of us buy those "gimmick" bottles.

 

On the other hand I find most "craft" whiskeys to be dreck.  Unless I'm provided evidence that craft whiskey isn't awful I assume it is.  I was burned a couple times paying for an overpriced bottle of colored white dog, so these products are a hard pass for me.

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8 hours ago, flahute said:

You left out Michter’s. 

This. 

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Kentucky owl is my vote.  But they are really good for market research.  I.e. testing the boundaries on what people are willing to pay for sub par whiskey.

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1 hour ago, AndyD said:

Kentucky owl is my vote.  But they are really good for market research.  I.e. testing the boundaries on what people are willing to pay for sub par whiskey.

I'm with @AndyD Kentucky Owl is def the most "egregious." I may not agree with every action of every distillery, but only a couple things come off as "egregious" for me, and their new Confiscated is definitely highest on my list 

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5 hours ago, GeeTen said:

 

Geez Joe, why are you holding your real feelings at bay?  Ya' know, if you keep these emotions bottled up inside yerself, they'll eat you up from the inside!   ?

 

Ha!  I’m known in some parts as being a caustic SOB!  :D

 

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13 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Add another option:

 

Most every Craft Distillery

 

6.  Most Every “Craft Distillery” —They have attempted to take the resurgent interest in the legacy distilleries high quality bourbons, and profiteer from its renaissance by simply spewing out pretty label, over priced, crap back-story, crap quality, swill.

I agree 95%, other than I'm liking what I've tasted from New Riff (BIB Rye and the single barrel bourbon I have) and Wilderness Trail (the cash strength rye) so far. 

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36 minutes ago, TimeWillTell said:

I agree 95%, other than I'm liking what I've tasted from New Riff (BIB Rye and the single barrel bourbon I have) and Wilderness Trail (the cash strength rye) so far. 

I agree with you 97%. :D  The recent revelation for me on New Riff Bourbon as being the first “good” craft bourbon I have tasted, is why I said “Most” every craft, instead of simply “Every” craft...

Two months ago it would have been “Every”... ;)

 

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2 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

I agree with you 97%. :D  The recent revelation for me on New Riff Bourbon as being the first “good” craft bourbon I have tasted, is why I said “Most” every craft, instead of simply “Every” craft...

Two months ago it would have been “Every”... ;)

 

Our Wilderness Trail Rye barrel will be in shortly. I needs to send you a sample. They really impressed me.

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9 hours ago, alcoholica said:

Has any of their own juice actually been bottled yet? 

 

Besides, what have they done to the consumer? I've heard some bits and pieces, but from what I've heard the consumer wasn't affected.

But the consumer was.

Michter's was first to the table with vastly overpriced bourbons. We now know they came from Old Forester but back then it was mystery whiskey with a fake heritage and a high price tag.

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5 hours ago, TimeWillTell said:

I'm with @AndyD Kentucky Owl is def the most "egregious." I may not agree with every action of every distillery, but only a couple things come off as "egregious" for me, and their new Confiscated is definitely highest on my list 

I think we can agree that what's in the bottle has been interesting.  Not $300 or $150 interesting, but interesting never the less.  Is it their marketing team's efforts at fighting the secondary market?  Whistle Pig did the same with Boss Hog.  I feel as though they're all starting to look at the secondary market as a way to boost their earnings they feel they deserve.  That doesn't mean they got the price point right.  It's up to us as consumers to dictate which direction that goes.  That said, there's some fine juice being made at a very reasonable price (thank you Mr. Russell).

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2 hours ago, flahute said:

Our Wilderness Trail Rye barrel will be in shortly. I needs to send you a sample. They really impressed me.

The cask strength "pre-picked" barrel I had at the distillery was very impressive as well I thought. Excited to see what comes of them over the next 4-5 years. 

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4 hours ago, flahute said:

But the consumer was.

Michter's was first to the table with vastly overpriced bourbons. We now know they came from Old Forester but back then it was mystery whiskey with a fake heritage and a high price tag.

 

There was the Bomberger's fiasco as well that turned me off to them. That came off as extreme bullying to me as, not only did most people not know where the Michter's name came from, they certainly wouldn't have known Bomberger's, so Stoll & Wolfe posed no threat in using the name. It was just a dick move on Michter's part.

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7 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

I agree with you 97%. :D  The recent revelation for me on New Riff Bourbon as being the first “good” craft bourbon I have tasted, is why I said “Most” every craft, instead of simply “Every” craft...

Two months ago it would have been “Every”... ;)

 

Agree about New Riff.  Really surprised me what they did in 4 years.  I was able to try it at their bar before I bought my limit for the day!  ?

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My vote goes to Diageo. Overpriced Blade & Bow LE, the whole Orphan Barrel situation (oh wow I can’t believe we just found these thousands and thousands of barrels we sourced that we want to charge big $ for), generally crappy Bulleit line extensions, and their whole approach to SW in general. 

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I have no animosity to any distiller/ndp whiskey. I think for all the demand out there, they do a great job in suppling us with great pours year after year. 

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