What Bourbon Did You Purchase Today (Winter 2020-2021)

[JGriff]

Found the mystery bourbon. Anyone tried it yet?

[mal00768]

22 hours ago, Bret Bret said:

Is it just me, or does it drive you crazy when someone says "for the price, this is a very good whiskey"?  The whiskey in a bottle doesn't change it's quality due to the price. If you have a very good whiskey for $25, does it taste like crap if you paid $50?  No, it's a very good whiskey, you just paid too much.  If you paid $14 for the same bottle, does it take like the best you've ever had?  No, it's a very good whiskey, you just got it for a great price.  The variable in the purchase is the price, not the whiskey.  I know some whiskeys are made better than others, thats why I don't mind paying a reasonably higher price for something that was well made.  Like I said, maybe it's just me over thinking while sipping on my very good, reasonably priced FR SB.

I feel ya mah dude. WT101 @$25 and EC bib $15 blow the socks of stuff like OWA.

[markandrex]

2 hours ago, JGriff said:

Found the mystery bourbon. Anyone tried it yet?

There is a thread devoted to this in this folder.

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by markandrex
Added link

[flahute]

3 hours ago, JGriff said:

Found the mystery bourbon. Anyone tried it yet?

Yes. It's very good.

[flahute]

3 hours ago, AlfaLarreo said:

I agree with this, but I think that door swings both ways.  People that prefer older bourbons that are pricier are mocked for overpaying and being pretentious.  I don’t care how much a bourbon cost, if you don’t like it you overpaid.  People poo poo Barrell and Ocean releases all the time for being overpriced for their age or just being a gimmick.  I think it’s true for some of them and not for others that are well worth the price.  
 

I also think people refuse to bad mouth a popular label, just because it’s supposed to be good.  I wouldn’t by ORVW 10 or Stagg Jr regardless of price, I just don’t like them.  I think the palate of Stagg Jr is good, but I deplore the finish.  Although I think GTS and PVW 15 are great bourbons.

 

These preferences don’t make people a bourbon snob or a bargain seeker, it just makes them people who like what they like.  I think that’s true of the large majority of people on this forum.

Depends on the crowd I guess. I see all kinds of very experienced whiskey people paying high prices for the extra aged Willetts and such. They are not newbies and know what they are doing. Plenty of us here also like older bourbons and will pay for them and then tomorrow we'll enjoy OGDBIB simply because it's great. 

People get down on Barrel and Jefferson's for the same reason they get down on most sourced whiskey - it costs a lot because you have to pay the middleman. If you like it - more power to you (I'm being general, not directing that to you). There's a lot of us who like plenty of the standard offerings and don't feel the need to pay that middleman unless it's truly a great bourbon.

You are correct that people outside this forum worship the big names and chase them no matter what. You also correctly state that people here like what they like and don't need to posture. That's what makes this place great.

[Clueby]

4 hours ago, AlfaLarreo said:

 I wouldn’t buy ORVW 10 or Stagg Jr regardless of price, I just don’t like them.  I think the palate of Stagg Jr is good, but I deplore the finish. 

I find that so interesting, especially given the follow up statement that you like GTS and PVW15.

Stagg Jr. is pretty variable batch to batch. I personally don't think a blanket statement of deploring the finish can be applied evenly to all batches. For that matter GTS is pretty variable as well. SJR B12 was a great batch that I did a SBS with GTS 19 (I think) and you'd be hard pressed to pick a winner or find huge differences between them.  GTS 18 was a pretty big departure from the standard profile of GTS, for me anyway. SJR B14 wasn't up to the regular profile of SJR, either.

ORVW is very variable year to year as well. It's never PVW15-level in my experience but it definitely has the DNA and is unmistakably related.

I guess what I'm saying is that on yearly/LE/batch releases, I feel each year or batch stands alone on a like/don't like decision.

[geclbxf]

5 minutes ago, Clueby said:

I find that so interesting, especially given the follow up statement that you like GTS and PVW15.

Stagg Jr. is pretty variable batch to batch. I personally don't think a blanket statement of deploring the finish can be applied evenly to all batches. For that matter GTS is pretty variable as well. SJR B12 was a great batch that I did a SBS with GTS 19 (I think) and you'd be hard pressed to pick a winner or find huge differences between them.  GTS 18 was a pretty big departure from the standard profile of GTS, for me anyway. SJR B14 wasn't up to the regular profile of SJR, either.

ORVW is very variable year to year as well. It's never PVW15-level in my experience but it definitely has the DNA and is unmistakably related.

I guess what I'm saying is that on yearly/LE/batch releases, I feel each year or batch stands alone on a like/don't like decision.

Preach - thats why a SBS is always in order inside of the same brand family if you have multiples open on some of the items mentioned above.

[AlfaLarreo]

1 hour ago, flahute said:

Depends on the crowd I guess. I see all kinds of very experienced whiskey people paying high prices for the extra aged Willetts and such. They are not newbies and know what they are doing. Plenty of us here also like older bourbons and will pay for them and then tomorrow we'll enjoy OGDBIB simply because it's great. 

People get down on Barrel and Jefferson's for the same reason they get down on most sourced whiskey - it costs a lot because you have to pay the middleman. If you like it - more power to you (I'm being general, not directing that to you). There's a lot of us who like plenty of the standard offerings and don't feel the need to pay that middleman unless it's truly a great bourbon.

You are correct that people outside this forum worship the big names and chase them no matter what. You also correctly state that people here like what they like and don't need to posture. That's what makes this place great.

I just don’t get that thinking.  I never heard anyone have that philosophy when KBD was releasing some of the best bourbons around with Noah’s Mill, WFE, and Vintage 17 years ago.  The later two weren’t cheap at the time.  If Even Kulsveen taught the bourbon world anything it was that sourced blended bourbons can be great.  That hasn’t changed IMO.  Jefferson’s Ocean Voyage 21 Cask Strength is a very good bourbon, under a $100 is reasonable for a bourbon of that quality.

 

Honestly, many old standard offerings aren’t standard any longer and IMO many aren’t worth hunting regardless of price.  I also certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with being price sensitive. My point is, there’s nothing wrong with chasing a great bourbon and there’s nothing wrong with standard offerings.  It’s preference and I don’t begrudge either choice.  

Edited February 1, 2021 by AlfaLarreo

[SouthATL]

Came across a 14+ year old KCSiB pick on my way back in town today. Grabbed a few..

[AlfaLarreo]

1 hour ago, Clueby said:

I find that so interesting, especially given the follow up statement that you like GTS and PVW15.

Stagg Jr. is pretty variable batch to batch. I personally don't think a blanket statement of deploring the finish can be applied evenly to all batches. For that matter GTS is pretty variable as well. SJR B12 was a great batch that I did a SBS with GTS 19 (I think) and you'd be hard pressed to pick a winner or find huge differences between them.  GTS 18 was a pretty big departure from the standard profile of GTS, for me anyway. SJR B14 wasn't up to the regular profile of SJR, either.

ORVW is very variable year to year as well. It's never PVW15-level in my experience but it definitely has the DNA and is unmistakably related.

I guess what I'm saying is that on yearly/LE/batch releases, I feel each year or batch stands alone on a like/don't like decision.

Valid point, especially with a Stagg Jr.  It is based on limited bottles, but the ages I’ve had for this mashbill and warehouse placement just isn’t in my wheelhouse.  I’ve gone through several bottles of PVW 15 and never had anything but excellence, ever.  Are they different, sure, but not enough to be anything but great bourbon.  Maybe my tastebuds aren’t as discerning as others (honestly, they’re probably not), but I’ve never noticed a big difference.

 

I guess I’m just not as picky as others in small variances within a general profile.  If I like the profile I typically like the label and vice versa.  I’ve done a lot of tasting over many years to figure out what general profiles I like.  After almost 20 years (and it’s taken all of those years) I can typically tell what I will and won’t like.  I may be wrong some time, but more than anything I try hard to avoid profiles I don’t think I’ll like.  I already have so many bourbons I don’t want to finish.  

[JakeySnakes]

In light of the recent Luxco news, I decided to pick up a DN Reserve. The last bottle I had of this was about a year ago, and thought it pretty tasty. Looking forward to opening it tonight for a revisit.

[MJWP]

19 hours ago, mal00768 said:

I feel ya mah dude. WT101 @$25 and EC bib $15 blow the socks of stuff like OWA.

I love the WT 101 and EC BIB but "blow away " OWA ? I mean the price yeah but the actual bourbon ? I can't agree there but everyones palates differ anyway . 

[Skinsfan1311]

Backbone Uncut barrel pick.    I'm hoping that it's here before the Super Bowl.

 

[flahute]

17 hours ago, AlfaLarreo said:

I just don’t get that thinking.  I never heard anyone have that philosophy when KBD was releasing some of the best bourbons around with Noah’s Mill, WFE, and Vintage 17 years ago.  The later two weren’t cheap at the time.  If Even Kulsveen taught the bourbon world anything it was that sourced blended bourbons can be great.  That hasn’t changed IMO.  Jefferson’s Ocean Voyage 21 Cask Strength is a very good bourbon, under a $100 is reasonable for a bourbon of that quality.

 

Honestly, many old standard offerings aren’t standard any longer and IMO many aren’t worth hunting regardless of price.  I also certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with being price sensitive. My point is, there’s nothing wrong with chasing a great bourbon and there’s nothing wrong with standard offerings.  It’s preference and I don’t begrudge either choice.  

Keep in mind that this thinking isn't A or B, pick a side and stay there. It depends on the individual situation. You have to take into consideration when in the timeline of sourcing your bottle is from and then the merits of the whiskey itself at the price point paid. Even Kulsveen was sourcing barrels when distilleries couldn't give them away fast enough. Those early KBD brands were well liked because the whiskey inside was great, it was often older than you would expect it to be because they had so many barrels, and the price was right. Over time the whiskey got younger and the prices crept up and quality went down and that's when people started to move on. In the early days of the WFE age stated single barrels there were quite a few people on this site who wouldn't buy them because of the cost. (Of course most would kill for those costs now).

Jefferson's is another that used to have access to great aged barrels and they put out some legendary bottles. I have a 21yr rye that is excellent.

Plenty on this site love the old SAOS barrels from MGP.

 

Here's the thing though. Along with the boom came strains on supply. There's a new NDP seemingly every day. The cost to buy sourced whiskey has gone way up from even a few years ago and outside the recent 15yr stock we've been talking about on another thread, most of what you can get is very young. That is why so many have a problem with it now. Why do I want to pay $100 for a bottle of mystery whiskey that is likely very young? I'm not taking that chance. Will I pay $100 for 107 proof 15yr whiskey (Hunt & Gather)? Heck yes. 

It always comes back to the quality to price ratio.

[AlfaLarreo]

1 hour ago, flahute said:

Keep in mind that this thinking isn't A or B, pick a side and stay there. It depends on the individual situation. You have to take into consideration when in the timeline of sourcing your bottle is from and then the merits of the whiskey itself at the price point paid. Even Kulsveen was sourcing barrels when distilleries couldn't give them away fast enough. Those early KBD brands were well liked because the whiskey inside was great, it was often older than you would expect it to be because they had so many barrels, and the price was right. Over time the whiskey got younger and the prices crept up and quality went down and that's when people started to move on. In the early days of the WFE age stated single barrels there were quite a few people on this site who wouldn't buy them because of the cost. (Of course most would kill for those costs now).

Jefferson's is another that used to have access to great aged barrels and they put out some legendary bottles. I have a 21yr rye that is excellent.

Plenty on this site love the old SAOS barrels from MGP.

 

Here's the thing though. Along with the boom came strains on supply. There's a new NDP seemingly every day. The cost to buy sourced whiskey has gone way up from even a few years ago and outside the recent 15yr stock we've been talking about on another thread, most of what you can get is very young. That is why so many have a problem with it now. Why do I want to pay $100 for a bottle of mystery whiskey that is likely very young? I'm not taking that chance. Will I pay $100 for 107 proof 15yr whiskey (Hunt & Gather)? Heck yes. 

It always comes back to the quality to price ratio.

I absolutely agree and I have no loyalty to a name.  But I would rather overpay for something I may like a lot, then pay a fair price or underpay for something I know I won’t.  After a while I quit drinking Noah’s Mill when the age statement came off and am waiting patiently to see if Willett can recapture the magic.  I am very picky about the Jefferson’s or Barrell selections and look at several reviews along with the bottle specifics before I buy.  I just picked up a Barrell with only Ky juice and the major portion being 18 years old, but that doesn’t necessarily make it good.

 

It isn’t just about the juice, it’s about the aging/barrel, and blending (when applicable).  Take the Jefferson’s you mentioned, I had both the 17 and 18 year Presidential (still have a little) with Stitzel-Weller juice.  Good bottles, but to me they don’t hold a candle to PVW 15 or 20.  Most experts agree that around 70% of the flavor comes from the barrel.  So rack placement and barrel science is a huge factor.  The KBF session this year with a guy from IS was eye opening and as someone with a Chemical Engineering degree I was amazed at the chemistry involved in the flavor transfer from the barrel.

 

In general, I agree with the knock on young bourbon, in particular the finish.  I seldom buy something with a young age statement unless blended with much older juice.  However, always on the hunt for something special I picked up a select bottle of Garrison cask strength based on similar bottling reviews.  Is $150 for what is likely 4-6 year juice excessive, yes, but to me that bottle is worth it.  The whiskey wash review of Cowboy said “Apparently, four years in Texas is said to equate to 23 years in Kentucky. “  A bit of an exaggeration, but the excessive summer heat does matter.

Edited February 1, 2021 by AlfaLarreo

[BigSkyDrams]

9 hours ago, MJWP said:

I love the WT 101 and EC BIB but "blow away " OWA ? I mean the price yeah but the actual bourbon ? I can't agree there but everyones palates differ anyway . 

Ditto this. And I love WT101.

[ijb]

Went out around town to about 5 stores today and picked up the following - 

• Weller SR 24.99
• ECBP c920 61.99
• Weller OWA 51.99
• Eagle Rare store pick - 33.99
• Booker's pigskin - 90

First time having the ECBP, fantastic!  Sort of blown away how good.  Cheers.

[webfoots]

I’ve had quite a week. First a Blanton’s SFTB and now a 4R SBLE 2020. Sounds like this had been sitting at the distributor awaiting delivery to a restaurant and they finally sent it to my local instead.

[fishnbowljoe]

8 hours ago, ijb said:

Went out around town to about 5 stores today and picked up the following - 

• Weller SR 24.99
• ECBP c920 61.99
• Weller OWA 51.99
• Eagle Rare store pick - 33.99
• Booker's pigskin - 90

First time having the ECBP, fantastic!  Sort of blown away how good.  Cheers.

Those are pretty decent prices. Pretty much what the very few non-tater stores in my area charge.  Where are ya from  ijb ? Northern Illinois here.

 

Biba! Joe

[ijb]

4 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Those are pretty decent prices. Pretty much what the very few non-tater stores in my area charge.  Where are ya from  ijb ? Northern Illinois here.

 

Biba! Joe

Hello, I'm from MA, Cape Cod.  I think that the allocations down here get overlooked often, which is lucky for me.  Kappy's and Luke's.  Managers at Kappy's keep stuff in back too, but I got to know them.  Seems like it's usually msrp in the chain stores while the small ones tend to gouge.  

[FasterHorses]

OF and Campfire were last week but what the heck... cant pass up the older ones.  Hate that HH is screwing around with greenie.

Edited February 2, 2021 by FasterHorses

[webfoots]

No wonder people think HH6 has been discontinued, you have them all!

[0895]

Kinda funny that I opened an EC18 yesterday, & “won” the privilege to buy another one today in a rewards drawing.

Also picked up their new EC single barrel pick because why not...

 

[GeeTen]

7 hours ago, 0895 said:

Kinda funny that I opened an EC18 yesterday, & “won” the privilege to buy another one today in a rewards drawing.

Also picked up their new EC single barrel pick because why not...

 

 

Nice!  Now I don't have to find another 2020 EC18 for @Clueby?   

 

[bayouredd]

Nothing fancy just Meat & Potatoes...

 

Not really. Meat for me would have to be a KC of some kind. Had a restaurant pour of the 2oak recently and thought it was worth a bottle; especially a SP from a place with pretty nice selections in the past. While standing at checkout, the manager walked in the store with 3 bottles of ER. While hiding 2 up front and walking to the back with the other, I asked if he would sell me one...