Worst thing in your bunker

[StarSurfer55]

I was watching an episode of Whiskey vault and someone sent one of the hosts a bottle of bird dog honey jalapeño whiskey. This got me to wondering what is the worst bottle you have in your bunker. I will even separate it into non-whiskey and whiskey categories 

 

I will go first:

 

non- whiskey:  it’s a tie between a bottle of Hiney wine gifted to me in the 70s. It is a novelty item with some really funny advertising. The other is a bottle of MD2020, another gift from a friend after we spent a Saturday night discussing what we drank in high school. Mad Dog was his poison. 
 

whiskey:

 

smooth Ambler Big Level. Cannot make myself like this. I have tried really hard but still  don’t like it. 
 

have some fun with this. 

[PaulO]

I have a bottle of Kentucky Tavern bottled in bond.  I bought two in Louisville maybe fifteen years ago.  I opened one with high hopes.  It tasted really young, and harsh, hard to believe aged four years.  The presence of ethanol quite pronounced, tastes like well over 100 proof.  After that, a little corn, like feed corn or coarse cornmeal.  The finish had an odd bitter note that may have come from wood.

Considering Barton makes some stuff I really like, not sure what happened here.

Several years after the label was redesigned, I was at the same store in Louisville again.  They still had one of these on the shelf.

[fishnbowljoe]

1 hour ago, StarSurfer55 said:

I was watching an episode of Whiskey vault and someone sent one of the hosts a bottle of bird dog honey jalapeño whiskey. This got me to wondering what is the worst bottle you have in your bunker. I will even separate it into non-whiskey and whiskey categories 

 

I will go first:

 

non- whiskey:  it’s a tie between a bottle of Hiney wine gifted to me in the 70s. It is a novelty item with some really funny advertising. The other is a bottle of MD2020, another gift from a friend after we spent a Saturday night discussing what we drank in high school. Mad Dog was his poison. 
 

whiskey:

 

smooth Ambler Big Level. Cannot make myself like this. I have tried really hard but still  don’t like it. 
 

have some fun with this. 

Thanks a lot Jeff. On two counts. One serious and one not so much.

 

On the more serious side, your reference to Hiney Wine. You brought back some really good memories for me. My parents usually listened to the radio when we had breakfast in the morning. I remember their commercials. They never failed to make me laugh, or at the very least put a smile on my face. 
 

On the less serious side, questionable bottles in your bunker.  In all good conscious, I have to fess up as to a couple of less than stellar bottles taking up space in my bunker. Both have ties to Vosgar, rest his soul. One is a gift from my son that was meant as a joke. From time to time, there was some “friendly” banter going on between me, my son and Gary concerning Red Stag. Yes, there is a bottle of Red Stag in my cabinet. The second bottle is one I took a flyer on because of Vosgar and Galvin0791 when we attended a charity Pappy, BTAC raffle/tasting event some time ago. Again, there was some friendly banter involved. There also may have been a little, “Go ahead, I dare ya’” happening too. I have CRS disease, so I really don’t remember for sure. Anyway, it was there, I tasted it, I didn’t puke. And now one resides in my bunker. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey. What can I say?  Even The Weller Whore isn’t immune.

 

Nice job Jeff. This should be fun.

 

Biba! Joe

[GaryT]

Ooo - good topic!

 

To clarify, I don't really have enough non-whiskey, but I'd like to break it into the following two categories:  

 

Bunker (which I think of as 'unopened bottles', typically but not always because I bought multiple - but at least as of this post are unopened)

I have a bottle of dusty Compass Box Asyla (a couple actually) that I picked up for $40 last year, after it was discontinued.  I bought one, and thought "Wow - I hope the others might have some value to someone else because . . . this kinda redefines ordinary to me".  It isn't bad or objectionable, but if I was going to spend $40 on a bottle - the list I'd buy over this to drink and enjoy is pretty dang long!

 

Opened (self-explanatory)

Grand Traverse Islay Rye.  Got a bottle for Christmas last year, as I wanted a bottle to review for my blog.  I love Islay whisky, and I love rye.  This may have been the worst whiskey I've tried (not counting dusties that have gone south).  Below are my tasting notes I posted:

 

Nose:  Musty damp cardboard, mineral notes from freshly shoveled earth, old pencils, husky malt, given enough time I get rye baked bread (but having to work for it).
Palate:  Round mouthfeel, sweet rye spice with a bit of dill and a subtle citrus note; earthy notes with black tea.
Finish:  Short and drying, with earthy mineral notes.
Comments:  I love rye whiskey, and I love Islay single malts. When a friend had recommended this, I had really high hopes – which may have been my undoing. As a small distillery, perhaps there is a lot of variation batch to batch, as having read and watched their reviews – I can’t imagine what was in the bottle I got was the same whiskey. I really wanted to like this, but didn’t.
In fact, this is one of the few whiskies I have that I wouldn’t drink.  I tried leaving it sit in the glass for 30 minutes (which definitely made some difference), and while that allowed me to get a bit more out of it – the earthy/mineral notes were still pretty prominent, and just not in my wheelhouse.  I’ll share out in samples what is left from the bottle so friends and family can experience it for themselves (and they may have very different impressions). For me, there wasn’t any Islay smoke or peat going on. There was loads of earthiness – reminds me on the nose of when I till the garden for the first time each spring. This is only available from their tasting rooms, so likely unless you’re passing through Michigan you may never encounter. If you are in one of their tasting rooms, I’d definitely ask for a sample before buying.

[0895]

Of course you started this thread today.

 

I bought one of those Dickel Tabasco bottles on clearance tonight.

So technically it’s in my bunker, but only until a Christmas gift exchange next month as a sort of gag gift. 
 

Only other thing that comes to mind might be a 200ml Old Crow 3y, or perhaps some craft bourbon gifted to me that I don’t really wanna open.

[Harry in WashDC]

Worst?  Black widow spider.  Darn "lady" spun her web on top of a GTS 2016.  It's not even my favorite GTS (that being the 2014)  But STILL I am pissed it slowed down my access by several seconds.

 

She shall spin no more.  I even have a picture of the squash spot.

[PhantomLamb]

That’s a hard one...the worst thing I ever had in my bunker was regular Jefferson’s Small Batch.

 

I was just getting started with bourbon and had no idea. Ended up using it as a mixer. Good topic!

[StarSurfer55]

59 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Thanks a lot Jeff. On two counts. One serious and one not so much.

 

On the more serious side, your reference to Hiney Wine. You brought back some really good memories for me. My parents usually listened to the radio when we had breakfast in the morning. I remember their commercials. They never failed to make me laugh, or at the very least put a smile on my face. 
 

On the less serious side, questionable bottles in your bunker.  In all good conscious, I have to fess up as to a couple of less than stellar bottles taking up space in my bunker. Both have ties to Vosgar, rest his soul. One is a gift from my son that was meant as a joke. From time to time, there was some “friendly” banter going on between me, my son and Gary concerning Red Stag. Yes, there is a bottle of Red Stag in my cabinet. The second bottle is one I took a flyer on because of Vosgar and Galvin0791 when we attended a charity Pappy, BTAC raffle/tasting event some time ago. Again, there was some friendly banter involved. There also may have been a little, “Go ahead, I dare ya’” happening too. I have CRS disease, so I really don’t remember for sure. Anyway, it was there, I tasted it, I didn’t puke. And now one resides in my bunker. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey. What can I say?  Even The Weller Whore isn’t immune.

 

Nice job Jeff. This should be fun.

 

Biba! Joe

Joe,  

 

those commercials were hilarious. If I recall correctly, hiney wine was run by two brothers, Red and Big Thor Hiney.

[Harry in WashDC]

17 minutes ago, 0895 said:

Of course you started this thread today.

 

I bought one of those Dickel Tabasco bottles on clearance tonight.

So technically it’s in my bunker, but only until a Christmas gift exchange next month as a sort of gag gift. 
 

Only other thing that comes to mind might be a 200ml Old Crow 3y, or perhaps some craft bourbon gifted to me that I don’t really wanna open.

OMFG!!!  WHAT POSSESSED YOU??  I've even taken the Tabasco tour on Avery Island (although I must admit I was suffering from a SERIOUS stomach problem due to one of more than four dozen crawfish I'd consumed the night before along with a lifetime's supply of Abiti beer) and am not sure I would EVER drink anything with Tabasco in it other than a bloody mary or that thing one of the Joes invented that had strips of bacon in it.

[Clay34]

This one isn't even a contest.  Benchmark 8, is regulated for a non bourbon drinker that wants a mixed drink.  If I was in college, this is the stuff you would throw in the punch bowl with cool aid only if you didn't have vodka and remember Vodka Sucks. 

[StarSurfer55]

So here is the backstory for Hines wine

Hiney Wine was the brainchild of a radio DJ named Terry Dorsey, who in 1981 was the morning guy at struggling station KPLX in Dallas. Dorsey scripted a bogus commercial for a place called “Hiney Winery” and aired it for laughs. The winery was supposedly founded by Uncle Harry Hiney, a homebrewer who was persuaded by his nephews Big Red Hiney and Thor Hiney (get it?) that “his Hiney was too good to keep to himself.” No butt-joke or bad pun was too lame to run: the entire Hiney clan formed a “crack inspection team” to ensure no Hiney Wine was sold before its time, and the Hiney Winery motto was, “you only go around once in life, so grab all the Hiney you can get.”

The Hiney spots proved to be such a hit — and fooled enough listeners — that Dorsey and the general manager at the station, T. J. Donnelly, sold the scripts to radio stations around the country (Los Angeles DJ Rick Dees, of “Disco Duck” fame, ran them for years). The ads were altered to give a different location for Hiney Winery depending on where they aired. Listeners in Virginia (for example) were told Hiney was headquartered on Butts Station Road in Chesapeake, Virginia; Vermonters were told it came from the small town of Hinesburg, Vermont. The location given was usually a real place, and residents of these obscure locales found themselves fending off visitors asking, innocently or not, where they could find Hiney.

[PhantomLamb]

14 hours ago, Clay34 said:

This one isn't even a contest.  Benchmark 8, is regulated for a non bourbon drinker that wants a mixed drink.  If I was in college, this is the stuff you would throw in the punch bowl with cool aid only if you didn't have vodka and remember Vodka Sucks. 

Really?  It's BT distillate and for me it's been greats straight or mixed.  Funny how palettes can differ.

 

Thanks,

[BigRich]

Hmm, well I've done an exceptional job (if I do say so myself) at purging the less than desirable bottles over the year and really accelerated that through the COVID surge.  So now,....probably a bottle of WSR.  

[Clueby]

A Heaven Hill gold label 80 proof.

[JakeySnakes]

Really got no stinkers in my very limited bunker. "Worst" thing is probably a bottle of OE7 101, which I really like, and is the last of my stash of 'em.

 

If we're talking non bourbon, I got a 6 year old, 3/4 empty bottle of Jonnie Walker Black (wedding gift I sip on on our anniversary), which is getting so, so bad. Also got an unopened 70's (I think) era Gallo sweet vermouth that came from my Grandparents liquor cabinet, that I can only imagine is disgusting at this point.

[beasled]

Whisk(e)y wise I don't really have any stinkers. It's been a while since I made that mistake (Smooth Ambler Big Level was my last drain pour, nothing was going to save that). 

 

Non-whiskey wise I have an untouched bottle of cinnamon Jagermeister which will remain untouched for some many a year to come. 

[JCwhammie]

This by a pretty good margin.

 

I guy I know gave me this a few years ago. His cousin (I believe) is somehow connected to Rieger's, so he was given a case. Knowing I'm a fan of American whiskey he gave me one of his bottles. My initial thought, "well that's different." After I got through half my pour the other half found the sink drain. My thoughts when i read the "O! So Good," on the back label, "Yeah, well, thats just like, your opinion, man"-The Dude

 

Maybe I'll get reckless and pour some tonight. 

[CardsandBourbon]

The MD 2020 made me remember something I hadn't thought of in years.  My soon to be BIL, on the day before I married his sister (my wife of almost 35 years now) gave me a small tackle box that he had emblazoned (OK, he wrote on it with a black magic marker) with "Wedding Night Survival Kit".  There's really only two things that were in there that I remember.  The first was a bottle of MD 2020.  The second . . . a box of rubbers that he had stuck straight pins through.

 

The other stinker, a friend of mine, who is even a bigger bourbon geek than I am, saw two bottles and got one for himself and the other for me.  What is it?  Rock and Rye.  To put it bluntly, I've had cough syrup that tasted better than that.

[BigRich]

36 minutes ago, JCwhammie said:

This by a pretty good margin.

 

I guy I know gave me this a few years ago. His cousin (I believe) is somehow connected to Rieger's, so he was given a case. Knowing I'm a fan of American whiskey he gave me one of his bottles. My initial thought, "well that's different." After I got through half my pour the other half found the sink drain. My thoughts when i read the "O! So Good," on the back label, "Yeah, well, thats just like, your opinion, man"-The Dude

 

Maybe I'll get reckless and pour some tonight. 

But it's Extra Fine!?!?  It even says so on the front label. 

[Clay34]

8 hours ago, PhantomLamb said:

Really?  It's BT distillate and for me it's been greats straight or mixed.  Funny how palettes can differ.

 

Thanks,

I'm with you in that palettes can differ.  I'm not some great bourbon taster, I've only tried maybe 75 different pours at this point.  They were all drinkable, even if some were not my favorites.  I just liked some better than others but I can drink them.  This particular bottle is undrinkable for ME.  If you're close to S. Wisconsin and over 21 you can have the remainder of the bottle for free.  I'm willing to just give this one away. 

 

I've never tried another bourbon that I could not drink.  I've tried Old Crow that some hate.  Damn strong corn flavor, but I could drink it.  I've had pours of Early Times.  Won't buy their regular label stuff again, but I drank it. 

 

I would love to find some bottom shelf, value bourbon that works for me.  I've settled on a couple of pours that I consider a value.   I'm glad that you found one that works for you. 

 

[DeepCover]

TX Bourbon and it’s not even close. Liquid cardboard.

[geclbxf]

On 11/3/2020 at 7:55 PM, 0895 said:

Of course you started this thread today.

 

I bought one of those Dickel Tabasco bottles on clearance tonight.

So technically it’s in my bunker, but only until a Christmas gift exchange next month as a sort of gag gift. 
 

Only other thing that comes to mind might be a 200ml Old Crow 3y, or perhaps some craft bourbon gifted to me that I don’t really wanna open.

If anyone else wants that gem from Dickel, it is on clearance in Ohio and there are only several hundred bottles left at one of the stores I was glancing at.   Maybe better in another thread, but I also found Jameson Gold for $66 - now that was a find in that same treasure hunt.

[PowderKeg]

SA Big Loser for the worst AND most regrettable purchase.  A mini of a Terresentia puke bourbon (thankfully can't remember the exact brand name) that went down the drain and another 100+ ml of Wadelynn Ranch that partly hit the floor with the rest getting dumped, for cheap lessons in what not to buy.

[dcbt]

11 hours ago, DeepCover said:

TX Bourbon and it’s not even close. Liquid cardboard.

This is almost exactly how I describe it as well.  That or 'wet dog hair.'

[CardsandBourbon]

13 hours ago, Clay34 said:

I'm with you in that palettes can differ.  I'm not some great bourbon taster, I've only tried maybe 75 different pours at this point.  They were all drinkable, even if some were not my favorites.  I just liked some better than others but I can drink them.  This particular bottle is undrinkable for ME.  If you're close to S. Wisconsin and over 21 you can have the remainder of the bottle for free.  I'm willing to just give this one away. 

 

I've never tried another bourbon that I could not drink.  I've tried Old Crow that some hate.  Damn strong corn flavor, but I could drink it.  I've had pours of Early Times.  Won't buy their regular label stuff again, but I drank it. 

 

I would love to find some bottom shelf, value bourbon that works for me.  I've settled on a couple of pours that I consider a value.   I'm glad that you found one that works for you. 

 

If you're looking for some bottom shelf value bourbons take a look at J.T.S. Brown BIB, EW BIB, Fighting Cock 103, OGD BIB & J. W. Dant BIB are all under $20 and  . . .  no you're not going to think your drinking 18 y.o. Elijah Craig, but they are all solid.