IamMatt Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Local TW store told me they used to stash their McKenna BIB and allocate it to their best customers in a lottery, but they were told to just put it out on the floor. I counted 46 cases, more than I have ever seen in the wild before. Still $60 and one per customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal00768 Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Lol 46 cases doesn’t really scream allocated product to me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMatt Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 I have no idea how it is/was allocated by HH to the store(s), but I did notice at least 3 different barrel numbers in the display, so maybe the store has been stockpiling it for a while? Dunno. If HH is turning this out in volumes that let them send 46 cases at a time to a store, I would hope the supply would drive the price back down to the $30-$40 range. And lol, now that it is in my head, I know what I will be drinking tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijb Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Ever get a weird bottle/barrel McKenna 10? THe most recent one I bought was terrible. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMatt Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 6 minutes ago, ijb said: Ever get a weird bottle/barrel McKenna 10? THe most recent one I bought was terrible. Did you taste it several different times over a week or two? I know the same bottle will taste different to me at different times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijb Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 (edited) 9 minutes ago, IamMatt said: Did you taste it several different times over a week or two? I know the same bottle will taste different to me at different times. No but I have opened a zillion bottles and never experienced this. Straight up solvent smell. It did fade off the glass in about 10 min, and I intend to revisit the bottle. I work with goof off and acetone fairly often and this smelled more potent/toxic lol. Tempted to swap it for another barrel, they had a bunch at the store. Edited February 10, 2021 by ijb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 LMFAO! A s **t ton of maybe a $30.00 bourbon for $59.99? Crazy. Biba! Joe 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMatt Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 59 minutes ago, ijb said: No but I have opened a zillion bottles and never experienced this. Straight up solvent smell. It did fade off the glass in about 10 min, and I intend to revisit the bottle. I work with goof off and acetone fairly often and this smelled more potent/toxic lol. Tempted to swap it for another barrel, they had a bunch at the store. That's how bourbon tasted to me when I had COVID. I had to spit it out and went about 2 months before I could taste it again. Still have an increased sensitivity to proof so have not been able to get back to enjoying some of my Barrel Proof bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berto Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 That's the way to do it for a big chain. One per customer and have at it. Gotta be a lot easier on the staff too. It still blows my mind that it's $60 to take a chance on McKenna because in my experience it was highly variable before the awards and hye. I have the last few ounces of a store pick I wish I had cases of, but I've also had bottles that were meh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijb Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, IamMatt said: That's how bourbon tasted to me when I had COVID. I had to spit it out and went about 2 months before I could taste it again. Still have an increased sensitivity to proof so have not been able to get back to enjoying some of my Barrel Proof bottles. That's crazy, I have heard that it wiped people's sense of smell and taste for a long while. In my case, I had that McKenna alongside other bourbons and it was a flaw for certain. I would have dumped that if it was my product. I will definitely try another barrel, because I know this is not what it's intended to be. I'm used to this variance from working with wild ales and barrel aging, so I get that it's pretty random. Edited February 10, 2021 by ijb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 FWIW, I gave up on HM years ago. The first bottle I bought was a little tannic, and had a very definite citrus flavor. After that the two or three that I had were very tannic and had a off putting aldehyde flavor. I’ve watched from the sidelines ever since. Biba! Joe 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottledInBond Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 It has been more regularly in a TW near me recently as well. Thankfully it’s cheaper here at $40. Not something I drink all the time, and I do agree with some others about the variability of it. I am in favor generally of BIB and age stayed products though so I’m glad to see it on the shelf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal00768 Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 3 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said: FWIW, I gave up on HM years ago. The first bottle I bought was a little tannic, and had a very definite citrus flavor. After that the two or three that I had were very tannic and had a off putting aldehyde flavor. I’ve watched from the sidelines ever since. Biba! Joe Yeah, in my case, fortunately I was only out $30. I'd be annoyed if I had spent $60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomLamb Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Not exactly on topic, but for those that have got a dud 10yr. HM, the regular HM used as a mixer or even a daily sipper you don't have to think about is fantastic. Much more consistent and at $20 a handle here in PA, it's a no-brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 5 hours ago, mal00768 said: Yeah, in my case, fortunately I was only out $30. I'd be annoyed if I had spent $60. My limited HM purchases started back in 08 or 09. I still remember my first bottle, because I was surprised to find it. I bought it for $24.99, and it was the first HH offering that I truly tasted the citrus flavor many folks here said was prevalent in HH products. It was the old style bottle with the medallion around the neck, and offset label. Biba! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Black Tot Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) I'm with Joe on HMBib. Three strikes, it was out. And that was at $40. Edit: I do believe my brethren that the awesome barrels are out there. But for the last few years of the boom with strained stocks everywhere I just don't roll the dice very often. Edited February 11, 2021 by The Black Tot 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Geesh, I haven't bought a bottle for 2+ years... I have a few in reserve from a sale a few Christmas ago. $60 really?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 16 hours ago, PhantomLamb said: Not exactly on topic, but for those that have got a dud 10yr. HM, the regular HM used as a mixer or even a daily sipper you don't have to think about is fantastic. Much more consistent and at $20 a handle here in PA, it's a no-brainer. I see the 80 proof no age statement HW now and then. I tried it years ago and thought it was OK. Around here, it runs $15 a 750ml. That's the same price as EW BIB and others, so ... I'll echo what some others have said about HM 10 year BIB. My impression is quality of barrels is all over the spectrum. I've had everything from not as good as HH's bottom shelf, to OK, to honey barrel. $60 - no can do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal00768 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 11 hours ago, The Black Tot said: I'm with Joe on HMBib. Three strikes, it was out. And that was at $40. Edit: I do believe my brethren that the awesome barrels are out there. But for the last few years of the boom with strained stocks everywhere I just don't roll the dice very often. It's like, does anyone actually taste the HM barrel before its bottled as a sib? I have never had a bad bottle of RR sib. (I'm sure others have of course) But at $60 why roll the dice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal00768 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) I think its also worth noting that I can buy RR sib for $55. So $60 for HM is an utter joke. Even more so when EW bib exists. Edited February 11, 2021 by mal00768 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMatt Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 Stopped by yesterday, they had about 28 out of the original 46 cases still out on the floor, and there were 4 different barrels. I might buy one bottle of each barrel at $30, buy one barrel recommended by the store at $40, but at $60, I turned around and bought an OF 1920 and still had $13 left. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardsandBourbon Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 The first bottle of McKenna I ever had tasted, at first, like what finger nail polish remover would taste like if I drank finger nail polish remover. Walked away and left it for about 10 minutes. The acetone gassed off and it was fine after that. Any time I pour some McKenna I let it sit for a few minutes before imbibing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berto Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 They hype and increased price for this astounds me. I've had a few excellent store picks that I wish I'd bought more of that justify the awards and hype. I've also had a few that were meh and underwhelmed at $30. The price increase alone has made this a skip unless I can taste prior and even then it would have to be exceptional. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepCover Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 My first pour of HMK 10 was at a restaurant in downtown Frankfort and it was really nice. I’ve had a few bottles since and none have measured up. I was done with HMK 10 before it got hot. I was actually glad to see taters chasing HMK, hoping they’d stay away from other bottles I’m afraid to name. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzhead Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 On 2/9/2021 at 7:41 PM, ijb said: Ever get a weird bottle/barrel McKenna 10? THe most recent one I bought was terrible. That's how it goes with single barrels. For the same mashbill, well aged and blended for consistency, try David Nicholson Reserve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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