BigSkyDrams Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 If you read the “what are you drinking?” thread tonight, you may have seen I had some Belle Meade that I recently bought, and have really been enjoying. It got me thinking: I know pretty much every majors’ product line at this point, including what their “top-of-the-line” offerings are and what to look out for. However, though MGP is undoubtedly a major distiller of bourbon, I don’t really have a good sense of what the best regarded MGP-distilled bourbons are, given the wide variety of NDP labels and brands. I know they do a lot of different mash bills, including (I believe) special recipe contract distilling for certain brands, and that some NDPs may age the bourbon under their own unique conditions while others may just bottle what they get directly (at whatever age). But I have to imagine that despite those differences influencing the final product, there is probably a MGP “profile” like there is with other distilleries. So, I want to hear from you: what are your favorite expressions that are MGP distilled? If you know, or can guess, what are the reasons, production-wise, why it’s your favorite? (NOTE: I know MGP ryes are really prevalent too; for my own sake I’m really only interested in bourbons right now... but for the sake of an interesting thread, feel free to answer re: ryes too if you’re so inclined). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhettro Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I'm a fan of MGP, and a big fan of their house labeled brands - George Remus 94 proof and their Remus Repeal Reserve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0895 Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Belle Meade and Smooth Ambler Old Scout are both very good. Some of the Smooth Ambler 9-12 year old single barrels from the last 5 years were simply incredible. My only guess is that they were good barrels to begin with and something about the way they were stored in WV only helped them get better. They also did 10 year and 7 year batched and proofed down bourbons that were very good. Belle Meade was releasing 10-12 year old single barrels from assumably the same run around the same time period and they were also some of the best MGP bourbons I've ever tried. Again, I can only speculate that this particular run of bourbon was just damn good to begin with. Most of those SA and BM single barrels were either the 36% rye or 21% rye mash bills. I've also had experience with some of the Remus products, and some of them are pretty good. The well aged Redemption MGP bourbon can be quite tasty too (8-10 years), but I don't believe they do any single barrels. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_Loblaw Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I was late to the MGP party and missed out on SAOS and Belle Meade. Blaum would be my favorite. The SmokeWagon I tried was just ok. A friend has been loving Old Pepper MGP lately. Oh and Nashville Barrel Co. has a fantastic batch of 7ish year MGP rye 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz June Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I think for recent history the answer has to be the Smooth Ambler Old Scout single barrels. Certainly the case for me, some of them were up there among my favorites of all time. Had some good Belle Meade ones too. I haven't had it, but the Volstead Reserve LE they put out is the fanciest release under their own brands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSkyDrams Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 Thanks guys. All very informative so far. In fact, I haven’t even heard of many of these. I have some research to do. I assume there must be some limited distribution area for some of those products, as I don’t think I’ve ever seen them. But now I know what to look out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clueby Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I know I'm in the minority but I'm just not a fan of most MGP bourbon. I tried a lot of SAOS in their "heyday" and everyone would rave about barrels that I thought were meh at best. When they started drying up and getting scarce I was telling my friends when I saw them instead of grabbiing/hoarding them myself. I recently had some Volstead and didn't see what the fuss is about either. I can tell it's well made bourbon, just not my jam. I guess that leaves more out there for you to find an enjoy. For the actual topic, I think the general consensus is that SA and BM have been the standard bearer for sourced brands. MGPs own brand of Remus seems to get high praise. The newest golden child is Smoke Wagon. I have friends that go crazy for it, flipping and trading to get it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCwhammie Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 (edited) As others have said the Smooth Ambler and BM single barrels from 4-6 years were incredible. They were 9-12 year old, cask strength, and priced around $50. Now if you find one on secondary you'll likely have to pay $200+. The BM Reserve that's out now is a definite step down from those. I finished this bottle last night. I got this for about $35 a few months ago. I've seen other picks for $45-$50. I feel like they're worth that price. Edit: I also feel like the 4R SiB BP picks, especially the K and V yeasts have a comparable profile to the MGP bourbons. Unfortunately they've gone from $50 a few years ago to $80-$90. Edited November 7, 2020 by JCwhammie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marekv8 Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Just finished this Mic.Drop I 8yo which I quite liked-- next up is the Mic.Drop II. Very transparent in regard to source, with MGP plastered on the front label. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I too missed the SAOS wagon of a few years ago but I recently had a 5yo SiB cask strength K&L store pick that I thought was very good. Well worth the $50 price. The Belle Meade Reserve Cask Strength (7 - 11yo) releases from the past few years have been excellent as well but, sadly, they are no longer cask strength and reportedly not as good but still quite enjoyable. I just opened my second bottle of 1776 cask strength rye, which I understand is 3yo MGP. And while not the most complex whiskey, it is very spicy with great mouthfeel and packed with flavor. I recall paying around $35 for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I can’t say that any MGP bourbon has stuck out enough for me to say it’s my favorite. But, there have been, and are, a number of MGP eyes that I have enjoyed, particularly for their uniqueness. In that vein, the Dickel Rye is probably my favorite. Certainly, my most purchased. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbon-n00b Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 A little late to the MGP party, so I can't comment on the SAOS, which would likely rate high on my list. I really like the Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve and I'm glad I've laid a few away, as they have transitioned to a static-proofed replacement. Can't imagine that it's any better than its predecessor. Probably not going to be a ton of help but my favorite MGP bourbon was a single barrel of Mayor Pingree, bottled for a store called Holiday Market. This one had a great palate with flavors in excellent harmony and integration and a killer finish that went on and on. I had a different barrel, bottled for Red Wagon Liquors, that didn't come off as well. Not bad by any means, but these flavors were clunky and not as unified, with a shorter and less distinguished finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 1 hour ago, smokinjoe said: I can’t say that any MGP bourbon has stuck out enough for me to say it’s my favorite. But, there have been, and are, a number of MGP eyes that I have enjoyed, particularly for their uniqueness. In that vein, the Dickel Rye is probably my favorite. Certainly, my most purchased. There is a reason why we are brothers as this is also how I feel about MGP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomLamb Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 4 hours ago, Clueby said: I know I'm in the minority but I'm just not a fan of most MGP bourbon. I tried a lot of SAOS in their "heyday" and everyone would rave about barrels that I thought were meh at best. When they started drying up and getting scarce I was telling my friends when I saw them instead of grabbiing/hoarding them myself. I recently had some Volstead and didn't see what the fuss is about either. I can tell it's well made bourbon, just not my jam. I guess that leaves more out there for you to find an enjoy. For the actual topic, I think the general consensus is that SA and BM have been the standard bearer for sourced brands. MGPs own brand of Remus seems to get high praise. The newest golden child is Smoke Wagon. I have friends that go crazy for it, flipping and trading to get it. I’m with you Clueby, I’m just not a fan of MGP, especially for the price on some of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoilerinIL Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I really like the Remus Repeal Reserve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzhead Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 The Remus brands aren't available in my area, so I look for Belle Meade Reserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 30 minutes ago, Jazzhead said: The Remus brands aren't available in my area, so I look for Belle Meade Reserve. Same here in NoCal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornmuse Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 A couple of years ago I discovered Valentine Distilling in Detroit. Their Mayor Pingree bourbon is MGP sourced. I visited the tasting room, they had several variations of MGP sourced bourbon. Mayor Pingree 7 year old is one of my favorite bottles and I wish I could get it here in FL. I have one bottle left, and to get more I need to fly home with it in my checked baggage. While that wasn't impossible when I was travelling 100 nights per year, it's not happening in 2020. Probably not in 2021 either. Distribution of spirits is absolutely unimaginably complex and stupidly political and it shouldn't be... I'll get off my soapbox now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthQuake Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) I really like high rye bourbon and given their shared Seagrams DNA, I generally think of MGP as sort of a poor man's Four Roses. I would buy FR barrel picks all day long if I could find them, but lacking that, will often take a flier on barrel proof MGP. I missed out on the SOAS store picks (I should have stocked up when they were under $50 and IWCP still shipped to Iowa), so I don't know what I'm missing there. I've been a fan of the Remus Special Reserve bottles that I've had so far. And I live within a couple hours of Galena, IL, so I've managed to try Blaum 10, and a couple of the different 12 year batches they did, which were generally great. We got a bunch of Belle Meade Reserve (Barrel Proof) in our area recently which is very solid too - that reminds me I need to go and see if the local place still has any left. But my favorite is probably Redemption 10 year High Rye - which doesn't seem to get the crazy tater love for whatever reason that Blaum, Smoke Wagon, OKI, SA, etc get. I was in Kentucky a few weeks back and picked up a couple different MGP store picks. One was a Redemption high rye NAS, probably less than 6 years old. It was okay for $40. The other was a Remus store pick, again NAS but this one tasted a little older and was a nicer bottle than the Redemption, but at about $60 or so I wouldn't buy another. The best of the lot was a Rossville Union Rye pick, it's hard to miss with that classic MGP rye profile at barrel proof. Still, it isn't a patch on the MGP rye that Whistlepig was bottling in their store pick program a couple years back if you were lucky enough to find an MGP barrel. Wait, I change my answer. Best was the TWCP Whistlepig 10 year rye pick. I still have a bottle of that somewhere. Edited November 10, 2020 by EarthQuake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts