2019 Top 3 Pours

[ThirstyinOhio]

Top 3 whiskeys.... no particular order

Four Roses Small Batch Select - while I understand some people are put off by the price of this, I found it to be fantastic both neat and in cocktails.  I've gone through several bottles of it already.

King of Kentucky - 2019's release is heads and tails above the 2018 release which I found to be just a tannic mess.  The 2019's that I've tried (they are all single barrels) have all been luxurious multilayered whiskies that I've really enjoyed

Willett Family Estate 15yr bourbon selected by Lincoln Road - it is everything that I want in a bourbon

 

Top 3 disappointments... no particular order yet again

2019 Four Roses Small Batch LE - I think this is the worse release they've done in several years, I find it simply uninspiring and a train wreck of a whiskey compared to 2018's release 

2019 Kentucky Peerless Straight Bourbon - excluding the price, I'm actually a fan of their 2 and 3 year old ryes and was looking forward to their bourbon release but it fell short of my expectations

2019 Woodford Reserve Barrel Strength - I like Woodford reserve and really enjoy their double double oaked series and was excited to try a barrel strength expression, but it disappointed me all the way through the nose, palate, and finish

[Clueby]

1 hour ago, ThirstyinOhio said:

Top 3 disappointments... no particular order yet again

2019 Four Roses Small Batch LE - I think this is the worse release they've done in several years, I find it simply uninspiring and a train wreck of a whiskey compared to 2018's release.

Wow palates are an interesting thing. I thought the 2019 4R SMBLE was the best thing I tasted all year and likely entered into my top 10 of all time. I thought it was fantastic and head and shoulders above last year's release.

[ThirstyinOhio]

14 minutes ago, Clueby said:

Wow palates are an interesting thing. I thought the 2019 4R SMBLE was the best thing I tasted all year and likely entered into my top 10 of all time. I thought it was fantastic and head and shoulders above last year's release.

Older OBSVs are generally my preferred 4R barrel picks so I was surprised at how much I did not like this years release.  After reading and hearing other people mention how much they enjoyed it, I ordered a pour at a bar just in case my bottle was "bad", but that pour was just as disappointing as my bottle. 

[Bbstout]

On 1/11/2020 at 4:02 PM, flahute said:

If I woke up tomorrow and WT101 was the only bourbon being made, apart from missing variety, I'd be a happy man.

This is my favorite quote of all time. 

 

I have found Bourbon Zen and my daily pour (not every day) is WT101.

 

I love RR Store picks for $55 in the current market.

 

I believe Flahute was referring to the RR sold on secondary with fancy stickers and selling for $200 a bottle. I quit all secondary sites a couple of days ago. It has gone toxic and I have plenty of good bourbon to drink with friends.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Bbstout

[smokinjoe]

Two come to mind quickly.

 

New Riff BIB CS:  Both for what it was ( the first craft bourbon I have tasted that actually tasted like a well done legacy distilled bourbon); and for what it wasn’t (a prematurely released, poorly executed, overhyped sucky craft release).  Well done, New Riff.  I was skeptical that this could be done.  
 

Buffalo Trace:  This is the bourbon I go to the most.  And through thick and thin of availability challenges, it just never misses to deliver to my palate.  2019 was no different.  I buy and try many different whiskies throughout each year as I continue on my trek to eschew Bourbon Zen   and again, the standard BT quality continues to stand fast.  I’ll celebrate that with a Top 3.

My 3rd choice is a new release that held up as my whiskey of the year that I thought it might become from my first taste in June.  I posted this review here:

 

Dickel BIB with cigar outside my hotel in Greenville, SC.  This is suberb whiskey.  Extremely complex, as the vitamin plays in, but there is a gorgeous smokiness that combines with it to create an altogether different profile.  Sweet butteriness and a signature “love at first sight” key note for me...Goetze’s Bulleyes caramel cream over the palate.  Whodathunkit all out of a paper Starbucks cup!   Nah, got first dibs in the room out of a real glass...  either way, it’s quite nice.  Not sure if I have a whiskey of the year 2019 on the board yet, but this one may be it.  But, even though the vitamin note is morphed, it is still there.  So, may not hit everyone positively.  Regardless, the complexity and  range of flavor experiencesis very noteworthy.
 

 

 

 

 

[Clueby]

On 1/19/2020 at 5:38 PM, ThirstyinOhio said:

Older OBSVs are generally my preferred 4R barrel picks so I was surprised at how much I did not like this years release.  After reading and hearing other people mention how much they enjoyed it, I ordered a pour at a bar just in case my bottle was "bad", but that pour was just as disappointing as my bottle. 

Well if you need to do something with that "bad" bottle I could make a suggestion.

[Bob_Loblaw]

On 1/19/2020 at 3:41 PM, ThirstyinOhio said:

Top 3 disappointments... no particular order yet again

2019 Four Roses Small Batch LE - I think this is the worse release they've done in several years, I find it simply uninspiring and a train wreck of a whiskey compared to 2018's release 

 

Good addition with the Disappointments.  I have to say the responses (both on here and out in my real bourboning world) have been very polarizing on this release.  Everyone has a strong opinion that it was completely lackluster such as you are saying or that they thought it was one of the best 4RLE releases in recent memory!  Fascinating. 

[Limegoldconvertible68]

My top 3 for 2019

W.B Saffell........amazing 

1792 FP store pick. Bottled Leap Day 2012. This cant be 1792, they aren’t supposed to make something this good

Jim Beam Distiller Cut........$16.99 and it’s one of my favorites.  You can’t believe how many bottles of this I bought. Blind taste I can’t tell which is better this or Legent......and stores here are selling Legent for $79.99.  

[Shizzy]

1)  ECBP A119

2)  Stagg Jr. Batch 12

3)  Old Potrero Straight Rye SiB - Barrel #12 from K&L Wines 

 

1 and 2 were just solid pours that had everything one looks for in a good pour.  Rich, textured and leaves you wanting another.

 

Old Potrero was just a chocolaty, cinnamon laden bomb that makes you say "wow" every time you taste it.  This is one of those bottles you want to squirrel away multiples of because you know that you want to drink it for the rest of your life.  It's THAT good.  Probably the most unique, intense and rich spirit I've ever had.

[mross]

For me;

1) Midwinter Night Dram

2) WT101

3) MM46

[CardsandBourbon]

#1  CEHT SiB.  I had this for a while and just opened it.  The best bourbon I have EVER tasted.

#2  Old Fitzgerald BIB 13 year.  My wife got this for me for my birthday and I love her and the bourbon (her more than the bourbon, by a wide margin).

#3  A 15 year KC SiB from Liquor Barn.  Tons of flavor and no burn.  I actually think I like it better than Bottle #3094 (you know which one I'm talking about Black Tot).

[FacePlant]

On 1/8/2020 at 1:55 PM, Bob_Loblaw said:

For me, 2019 was a great year in bourbon.  The major exception to that is the pricing just keeps going up.  But  from a purely drinking perspective there was a lot to like.  I got to participate in my first barrel picks in 2019 and cruised through my first ever full bottle of WLW which was absolutely amazing and gone waaaay to fast. Not counting the WLW my top three pours of 2019 were:

 

1 - Little Book Chapter 3 - I thought this release was a home run.  The concept was great and all of the products are not normally offered in Beam's portfolio.  The only thing that would have made this better would be if each bottle also came with a 50ml of each of the 4 components so you could see how they were individually vs the final product.  However, this was already expensive without any additional juice.  Those who passed based on price and/or on the idea that LB3 was a bad value compared to 14-15 year KC picks missed out.  The LB3 was so much richer, smoother, and had layers of flavors that just do not exist in the KCSiB which is very one dimensional in comparison.  Well done Fred.

 

2 - WB Saffell - Another fantastic release and I think flew slightly under the radar after the previous two whiskey baron releases were subpar.  As we all know, those first two were done without involvement from the Russels and for this release Campari wised up.  Great WT flavors of barrel char, vanilla, caramel with a beautiful mouthfeel and at a nice proof.  Anyone know if this was NCF?   I drank through at least 2-3 bottles and while it was available picked up a bottle most LS trips.  I have several more stashed and think I will be very happy about that in the future.  Again, the price was not very favorable amounting to $92/750ml.   If I ever saw these discounted or on clearance it might be a shelf clearing day!

 

3 - Tough, only one spot left.  Initially I was thinking Four Roses Small Batch Select here, but then I remembered about the short RR barrel we tasted at Wild Turkey.  Eddie estimated that the barrel only would have 20-30 bottles in it and we still selected it!  Few months later we were told that there was not enough liquid in the barrel to put it through the bottling line so we did not end up getting this one.  Its probably a combination of the great memory of drinking in the rickhouse with Eddie(during a thunderstorm no less!), or the fact that we did not end up getting the barrel but in my head this was an amazing RR barrel that clearly stood out from the others and unanimously took first in the final blind.  

 

Honorable Mentions:  4R Small Batch Select - great new product; Old Forester Rye; Wild Turkey 101 - just a great year for regular Turkey and I went through numerous bottles, the $5 rebates made these a great buy at $16; Wild Turkey Rare Breed - Never Disappoints; Blaum Brothers Knotter Bourbon - The MGP sourced juice. 

 

What were your top three pours for 2019?  Maybe an old favorite you revisited or something new that you tried.  

I've been thinking and weighting for weeks now. I have been considering the new kids on the block, not what was previously available. Three pours which are so exceptional that they rank well with the establishment best old time favs.

DRUM ROLL

#1 My vote for best new bourbon is Old Fitz 15. WOW incredible, a new classic, and a one of, a bottle you should go for!

#2 Woodford Wheat. Even though this IS NOT deep or multi layered it was a wonderful surprise of the year. Not a big Woodford fan but certainly a wheat fan-this really was a great pour. Simple, easy, smooth, non-pretentious but a wonderful easy drinker and it will be in my cabinet for sometime to come. Easily available in my Memphis market.

#3 Weller FP. The surprise was how big this drink is. Many flavors playing for the number one role. Strong, sweet, with citrus and dried fruit playing off the standard wheat bread/cake backbone. Most markets this was a gouge price-you can't have it-over hype release but worth a decent premium probably not a buy at secondary price (NO BOURBON IS WORTH SECONDARY TATER BAIT PRICE) but a great bar pour for a nice premium if you can't grab a bottle. Hopefully it will be a regular in the lineup but still tough.