Worst thing in your bunker

[Clueby]

A lot of people have mentioned Big Level. While I wouldn't buy it again I didn't think it was THAT bad to be the worst thing I've had. It did have a bit of a "shortbread cookie" thing that wasn't terrible. 

I preferred it over the Old Bardstown 90 proof distilled by Willett by a large margin.

[IowaJeff]

I don't have anything truly bad.  I have a bottle of Weller SR that's been open and 3/4 full forever.  It's not bad, it's just kind of flavorless.

[Bob_Loblaw]

I am also in the camp of not having any bad bunker bottles.  Even before doing some extensive bunker clearing in anticipation of moving I have always been pretty good about quickly killing off the bad bottles.  MB Roland Cask Strength was pretty bad and I mixed that one with both fruit popsicles and/or lemon Italian ice and made a boozy slushy that was awesome.  Last  Christmas my business partner gave a bottle of Heritage Brown Sugar "Bourbon"  That one tasted like watered down vodka mixed with brown sugar and was like 70 proof.  Pretty bad, but I finished it off so I could in good faith report back that I did indeed drink it all when asked!  

[fishnbowljoe]

8 hours ago, CardsandBourbon said:

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.

I pretty much agree with Kevin on this. I actually have all three of those HH BIB’s open currently. The OGD and FC aren’t in my wheelhouse, but given all the love for them by a number of members here, I’d have to give a thumbs up to them too. Enjoy!

[dcbt]

1 hour ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

I am also in the camp of not having any bad bunker bottles.   I have always been pretty good about quickly killing off the bad bottles.

This pretty much describes me as well.  Everything I have I actually want at this point.

[miller542]

Great idea for a thread!  I also don’t have any real stinkers after reducing the bunker ahead of moving.   My worst is probably a bottle of standard Jack Daniels from around 2011 and bunkered to archive the older label/bottle and to drink at some point in the future to compare how the future product may or may not have changed.  Unfortunately it is the 80 proof version, I didn’t bunker back before it switched. 

[CardsandBourbon]

1 hour ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I pretty much agree with Kevin on this. I actually have all three of those HH BIB’s open currently. The OGD and FC aren’t in my wheelhouse, but given all the love for them by a number of members here, I’d have to give a thumbs up to them too. Enjoy!

OGD not in your wheelhouse?   Them thars fightin words.

[fishnbowljoe]

10 minutes ago, CardsandBourbon said:

OGD not in your wheelhouse?   Them thars fightin words.

So Kevin, you’d hit a whore?

 

Biba! Joe

[CardsandBourbon]

48 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

So Kevin, you’d hit a whore?

 

Biba! Joe

If that whore talks bad about my OGD then this slut would jerk a knot on that whores head in a minute. 

[Clay34]

10 hours ago, CardsandBourbon said:

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.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I've changed my regular value pour several times this years.  I love to try new bourbons, but there is somewhat of a safe, comforting feeling while pouring a taste of what you think as a reasonably priced and reasonably good taste bourbon in your glass.  For a while, I loved EW BIB, moved to OF 100 as the value winner, then WT101 and now with a Costco membership Knob Creek 9 year is a great pour at a great price. 

 

While, I've had most of those, I'll have to try the JTS Brown and the JW Dant BIB, but when you can find KC 9 year 1.75 for about $40, that's been very hard to beat. 

[bouche03]

The Duke...terrible nose, smells like musty socks

[Clay34]

18 minutes ago, bouche03 said:

The Duke...terrible nose, smells like musty socks

I've seen that label lately.  Thanks for the alert.  Welcome to the board.

[bouche03]

6 minutes ago, Clay34 said:

I've seen that label lately.  Thanks for the alert.  Welcome to the board.

Thank you! Happy to be here!  I agree with everyone else on Smooth Ambler Big Level.  I won a bottle of it and had to struggle through it 

[Paddy]

There is no such thing as ‘bad’ whiskey.  Some may be poorly made or bottled too soon, but it’s not the whiskies fault.

 

Having said that, the worst things in my bunker are probably some ‘too young’ ryes.  I don’t really quite know who to blame for this situation.  The distiller, for bringing inferior product to the market, or myself, for believing in him (or her) when I should have known better.

 

My worst example is a $60 bottle of Five Father’s rye...  absolute swill.

[Patrick_OKC]

I have had only two drain pours in my time. One was a plain old BT, which I figured was an anomaly. I have purchased a number of BTs since then. The other was a bottle of Tom Moore BIB that I bought, and drain-poured, in 2011. For some reason, in 2015 I bought another bottle of Tom Moore, and it seems to be okay. 

 

Pat

 

 

[PhantomLamb]

13 hours ago, Patrick_OKC said:

I have had only two drain pours in my time. One was a plain old BT, which I figured was an anomaly. I have purchased a number of BTs since then. The other was a bottle of Tom Moore BIB that I bought, and drain-poured, in 2011. For some reason, in 2015 I bought another bottle of Tom Moore, and it seems to be okay. 

 

Pat

 

 

That's a real shame, most BIB bourbons are usually a safe bet.  

[BigRich]

14 hours ago, bouche03 said:

The Duke...terrible nose, smells like musty socks

They also make a rye that smokinjoe and I got into at a festival a couple of years back.  It was pretty good.  Although, it's us, we'd been day drinking, eating bbq, and ......it's us so it probably sucked. 

[Marekv8]

I've got enough weird stuff to populate this thread for weeks-- but I'll start with this lovely array of laboratory-matured spirits. I was doing some research for a project and ended up with these gnarly beauties. The Cleveland expressions take the prize for the bottom of the beaker.

 

Next up-- Brooklyn-based craft spirits.

 

[BigRich]

1 hour ago, Marekv8 said:

I've got enough weird stuff to populate this thread for weeks-- but I'll start with this lovely array of laboratory-matured spirits. I was doing some research for a project and ended up with these gnarly beauties. The Cleveland expressions take the prize for the bottom of the beaker.

 

Next up-- Brooklyn-based craft spirits.

 

I guess "abomination" was appropriate. 

[Jazzhead]

What a fun idea for a thread!

 

There seems to be a consensus forming about Smooth Ambler Big Level.   I will join it.   That stuff's owlpiss.    The big stinker among my current crop of open bottles is Baller,  a single malt creation  from California's St. George Spirts.   It's supposed to be an American recreation of a Japanese whisky suitable for highballs,  complete with the patron saint of England dressed as a samurai on the label.   It's stone -cold beautiful. 

 

Trouble is, it tastes like linoleum.  

[flahute]

13 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

I've got enough weird stuff to populate this thread for weeks-- but I'll start with this lovely array of laboratory-matured spirits. I was doing some research for a project and ended up with these gnarly beauties. The Cleveland expressions take the prize for the bottom of the beaker.

 

Next up-- Brooklyn-based craft spirits.

 

Ha! We once did a project for the founder of Cleveland Whiskey called Bulldozer Camp. Alas it never got built.

[Jazz June]

21 hours ago, BigRich said:

I guess "abomination" was appropriate. 

Seriously, can't say they didn't warn you. Guess it could have been called Cleveland Steamer.

 

For me, an old label bottle of WSR. I have a bottle of JW Red for cocktails that I wouldn't enjoy drinking neat. Moving away from actual whiskey, I have a few flavored whiskey liqueurs that I received as gifts that I do not enjoy.

[bourbon-n00b]

Limiting to bourbon, it's one of these but I have no inclination to sbs in order to rank them.  Neither are drain pours for me, just unenjoyable vs other options.

[mal00768]

Right now I don’t have any bourbon clunkers. But I do have an unfortunate bottle of Glenmo 18 that tastes like I’m chewing on a pencil.

[StarSurfer55]

Among those of you spelunking in your bunkers for the losers, I was a bit surprised that no one has mentioned Larceny.  I guess that for all it’s flaws, it isn’t the worst.