What bottle did you open today? ~ 2021

[smokinjoe]

On 12/10/2021 at 7:19 PM, Bob_Loblaw said:

I opened a new dimpled bottle pick and the new wax isn't any better.  Eventually had to get a knife to get it open.  

 

While on the complain train the Beam synthetic corks are also the absolute worst.  Way to big/tight making them both hard to open AND to push back in all the way.  

 

On 12/12/2021 at 10:38 AM, fosmith said:

I'm with you on this one.  The Knob Creek and Booker's synthetic corks are terrible.  On one bottle, I had to use a pair of channel lock pliers to get the cork out.  They go straight into the trash and I replace them with a cork from another brand, usually Eagle Rare.  A big part of the reason I save corks...

 

On 12/12/2021 at 3:33 PM, flahute said:

Yeah, none of my KC corks get put back into the bottle all the way - about half way in is very tight. Good call on the real cork from another brand.

 

On 12/12/2021 at 5:01 PM, Bob_Loblaw said:

Pro tip right here. I have saved corks as well, but never thought to just always replace these terrible synthetics. Brilliant! 

Amen!!!!  I’ve had problems opening these things for years, and I have what I would consider normal to above normal hand/finger strength.  I picked up a KC PS this week from my local (which is really good, by the way) and I really thought I might have to head to the tool chest for a pair of channel locks like Fosmith.  Honestly, the cork tightness issue is inexcusable.  Besides the fact that it has been going on way too long, the packaging industry and brand owners collaborate and spend bazillions of dollars on making packaging attractive, functional, and easy to use.  That this is continuing to occur, while they’ve even changed the bottle style, is just so poor.  

[flahute]

42 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

 

 

 

Amen!!!!  I’ve had problems opening these things for years, and I have what I would consider normal to above normal hand/finger strength.  I picked up a KC PS this week from my local (which is really good, by the way) and I really thought I might have to head to the tool chest for a pair of channel locks like Fosmith.  Honestly, the cork tightness issue is inexcusable.  Besides the fact that it has been going on way too long, the packaging industry and brand owners collaborate and spend bazillions of dollars on making packaging attractive, functional, and easy to use.  That this is continuing to occur, while they’ve even changed the bottle style, is just so poor.  

I have a feeling this issue might make it into my annual state of the state post!

[bayouredd]

1 hour ago, smokinjoe said:

 

 

 

Amen!!!!  I’ve had problems opening these things for years, and I have what I would consider normal to above normal hand/finger strength.  I picked up a KC PS this week from my local (which is really good, by the way) and I really thought I might have to head to the tool chest for a pair of channel locks like Fosmith.  Honestly, the cork tightness issue is inexcusable.  Besides the fact that it has been going on way too long, the packaging industry and brand owners collaborate and spend bazillions of dollars on making packaging attractive, functional, and easy to use.  That this is continuing to occur, while they’ve even changed the bottle style, is just so poor.  

I'm truly a KC bitch, but I never have paid much attention to the corking issues. Sure, there is the exploding wax thing going on, but the cork hasn't been an issue. I'm wondering if it's a demographic thing. (heat and humidity should make it worse down here) Or, is it that I am so anxious to get inside that I overlook the problem? Hmmm!

28 minutes ago, flahute said:

I have a feeling this issue might make it into my annual state of the state post!

[Double C's]

This bottle is making a very nice first impression with me. I did a side by side with mm46 cask strength, which I really like, and this one is a little more balanced and richer in flavors. It drinks way too easy for 110pf.

[Bob_Loblaw]

15 hours ago, flahute said:

I have a feeling this issue might make it into my annual state of the state post!

 
I love that post and appreciate the time, thought, and effort you put into it.

[0895]

On a positive note regarding the Beam tight corks, not one drop of their product has ever been lost to leaking corks.

[fishnbowljoe]

2 hours ago, 0895 said:

On a positive note regarding the Beam tight corks, not one drop of their product has ever been lost to leaking corks.

Now that’s funny.

 

All this talk of corks has got me to thinkin’. Seeing as how I’m now retired, maybe I could get a part time job as a cork consultant for distilleries.

 

Biba! Joe

 

[mbroo5880i]

39 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Now that’s funny.

 

All this talk of corks has got me to thinkin’. Seeing as how I’m now retired, maybe I could get a part time job as a cork consultant for distilleries.

 

Biba! Joe

 

 

Or, as a black market, bottle security device remover.  I purchased a bottle earlier this week that somehow made it home with the security device still on it.  So, that is what that ringing noise was when I was leaving the store.  I wasn't sure if it was a Salvation Army Bell Ringer or just another noise in my day.

 

It was a bear to remove but nothing a Dremel couldn't handle.  The smell of burning plastic made the experience all the more enjoyable.

[mbroo5880i]

Picked up my first new bottle of EW1783 today.  My wife is making bourbon balls and cookies.  She has been using a bottle of EWSiB I bought and, after a few pours, dedicated to baking.  My wife is not a bourbon drinker but has a decent ability to identify notes that I can't both on the nose and palate.   So, as a change up and an excuse to open it for a quick try, I opened the EW1783.  My first impression is very positive.  I will give it a longer look later tonight after driving the family around looking at Christmas lights.  

 

After telling my wife she might want to give it a quick sip to see if it might be better than the EWSiB for baking.  Her first impression was "This is really good, you should have picked up more bottles."  Me after buying 14 bottles over the past three days, "We can if you want.  The sale is going on through the rest of the day."

[smokinjoe]

See, you can do it Beam Family!  Look at this sweet bastard I opened today.  No wax breaks and crumbles, clean cut like a laser, and I didn’t need to perform a Baron von Raschke claw hold to get the top off.  Please, look to your brothers in Loretto for help…

[fishnbowljoe]

1 hour ago, smokinjoe said:

See, you can do it Beam Family!  Look at this sweet bastard I opened today.  No wax breaks and crumbles, clean cut like a laser, and I didn’t need to perform a Baron von Raschke claw hold to get the top off.  Please, look to your brothers in Loretto for help…

 

 

 

Congrats on the MMCS Joe. 

 

Baron Von Raschke? Wow! Haven’t heard that name in a while. I actually saw him and the whole WWA bunch once in Indy way back in the early 1970’s. Remember the Blackjacks?  I read that John Lanzo, aka Blackjack Lanza, just passed away on Dec 8th.  

 

Biba! Joe

 

[fosmith]

15 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

See, you can do it Beam Family!  Look at this sweet bastard I opened today.  No wax breaks and crumbles, clean cut like a laser, and I didn’t need to perform a Baron von Raschke claw hold to get the top off.  Please, look to your brothers in Loretto for help…

Yes!  One of the things I really like about MMCS is the screw cap.  No cork problems.  I wish the industry would get away from cork.  Wine too.  I've had so many good bottles ruined by tainted or crumbling corks..

[BigRich]

16 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

See, you can do it Beam Family!  Look at this sweet bastard I opened today.  No wax breaks and crumbles, clean cut like a laser, and I didn’t need to perform a Baron von Raschke claw hold to get the top off.  Please, look to your brothers in Loretto for help…

Can we please stop having the real vs artificial cork debate at this point and just go with a solid screw cap already!?  It is definitely the way to go.  Even for someone that has what he "would consider normal to above normal hand/finger strength".

Edited December 20, 2021 by BigRich

[fishnbowljoe]

58 minutes ago, BigRich said:

Can we please stop having the real vs artificial cork debate at this point and just go with a solid screw cap already!?  It is definitely the way to go.  Even for someone that has what he "would consider normal to above normal hand/finger strength".

Okay then Rich. Metal or plastic screw caps?

 

Biba! Joe

[BigRich]

3 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Okay then Rich. Metal or plastic screw caps?

 

Biba! Joe

Plastic.  Either Maker's variety or the superb closure that is used for Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Westland bottles.  Yes I have strong opinions on this (as with most things) but mostly because it isn't really academic anymore.  At this point you're either doing it well or as with the Knob example, screwing the pooch. 

[fishnbowljoe]

I was actually just giving you a hard time Rich, but since you answered, I’ll chime in too. I agree with your choice of the plastic MM caps. My other choice would be the metal caps BT uses on bottles of Weller. I know a couple of folks here have had issues with the metal Weller caps, but I’ve never had a problem at all. And I’ve had at least a couple Weller’s.

 

Biba! Joe

 

[GeeTen]

2 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I was actually just giving you a hard time Rich, but since you answered, I’ll chime in too. I agree with your choice of the plastic MM caps. My other choice would be the metal caps BT uses on bottles of Weller. I know a couple of folks here have had issues with the metal Weller caps, but I’ve never had a problem at all. And I’ve had at least a couple Weller’s.

 

Biba! Joe

 

 

OMG - he KEEPS the caps.  "If that isn't compulsive behavior, I just don't know what is!"  - paraphrasing Johnny Depp

 

 

[JakeySnakes]

[Bob_Loblaw]

16 hours ago, BigRich said:

Plastic.  Either Maker's variety or the superb closure that is used for Yamazaki,

I agree with Yamazaki caps. They are great and heavy duty giving them the edge over the metal ones. 

[BigRich]

15 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I was actually just giving you a hard time Rich, but since you answered, I’ll chime in too. I agree with your choice of the plastic MM caps. My other choice would be the metal caps BT uses on bottles of Weller. I know a couple of folks here have had issues with the metal Weller caps, but I’ve never had a problem at all. And I’ve had at least a couple Weller’s.

 

Biba! Joe

 

First, I knew you were messing with me.  I just used it as an excuse to further my partisan agenda.

Second, dear God man, you may need to see someone.  As Frank mention, that's a giant screaming OCD flag right there. 

[mal00768]

16 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I was actually just giving you a hard time Rich, but since you answered, I’ll chime in too. I agree with your choice of the plastic MM caps. My other choice would be the metal caps BT uses on bottles of Weller. I know a couple of folks here have had issues with the metal Weller caps, but I’ve never had a problem at all. And I’ve had at least a couple Weller’s.

 

Biba! Joe

 

Yikes! A Cubs fan. 

[Skinsfan1311]

6 hours ago, BigRich said:

First, I knew you were messing with me.  I just used it as an excuse to further my partisan agenda.

Second, dear God man, you may need to see someone.  As Frank mention, that's a giant screaming OCD flag right there. 

That's amateur hour OCD stuff there.

Now if the logo's on the caps were all aligned that's another story.....

[fishnbowljoe]

Actually, I first started collecting caps out of necessity. Very early on in my bourbon journey, I had a number of bottles that the corks broke on. It started with a couple of old WTKS pewter tops. Then it was other WT's, 1792's, a couple of WLW's, and so on and so on. It quickly got to be a habit where I just threw all my caps in a drawer. When I ran out of room in the drawer, I started throwing them in empty plastic pretzel and M&M jugs. I also have to admit that the bottle caps aren't all from bottles I finished. Same with the dozens of bottles I had/have in my basement. I had a half dozen or so folks saving their empties for me for a project I've only started getting in to. It's really kinda fun. There's also some history involved with some caps. I have WT pewter, embossed dark, smooth dark and embossed light tops, and a few tax stamped and faux tax stamped tops. One of my favorite old tops is the infamous gold wax ETL. It was the nastiest, toughest wax top I've ever opened.   

 

Biba! Joe

 

 

[BigRich]

18 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Actually, I first started collecting caps out of necessity. Very early on in my bourbon journey, I had a number of bottles that the corks broke on. It started with a couple of old WTKS pewter tops. Then it was other WT's, 1792's, a couple of WLW's, and so on and so on. It quickly got to be a habit where I just threw all my caps in a drawer. When I ran out of room in the drawer, I started throwing them in empty plastic pretzel and M&M jugs. I also have to admit that the bottle caps aren't all from bottles I finished. Same with the dozens of bottles I had/have in my basement. I had a half dozen or so folks saving their empties for me for a project I've only started getting in to. It's really kinda fun. There's also some history involved with some caps. I have WT pewter, embossed dark, smooth dark and embossed light tops, and a few tax stamped and faux tax stamped tops. One of my favorite old tops is the infamous gold wax ETL. It was the nastiest, toughest wax top I've ever opened.   

 

Biba! Joe

 

 

Jeebus!  That's some next level cork hoarding Joe.

[CardsandBourbon]

I save all my corks (not displayed as ostentatiously as Joe) but I do save them.  You never know when you'll need a replacement.  When the cork disintegrated on that 40 year old bottle of Old Ezra last month I found a perfect fit in my trusty "Drawer-O-Corks".

 

As regards the plastic screw cap vs. metal, my vote is for plastic.  I've had a couple of the Weller metal caps strip and there was no way you could get them to close tightly.  Caused me to have to finish off those bottles quickly so it wasn't a total negative.