What Bourbon Did You Purchase Winter 2023?

[markandrex]

I received these today direct from Old Forester.

[Anwalt]

Got lucky and found a W12 for 55E.  Those things disappear off the shelves and immediately go for 100 to 200 Euros online.  Taking this one to Paris for Obree, whom we shall have the pleasure of meeting Saturday evening.  

 

Told the Wifey "I met him online".  She did not seem to find that reassuring.  I mentioned I met others online and will see them in Kentucky in April.  That did not appear to help matters at all.  

 

Stranger Danger!

[stevegoz]

Grabbed a 7yo Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond and a basic Russell's Reserve 10-year yesterday.

[Cibsie]

Finally got my first OFBS, even better it's a pick from a great store around here.

 

[Mattk]

So as many of you all know I do almost all my posting here in the rye topic. But I came across these sitting on a shelf today and couldn't pass up the opportunity to snag some gifts for a few of my bourbon drinking pals.

[Mattk]

Oops this double posted so I edited the second one to wish you all a great weekend. Cheers guys.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Mattk

[Davesnothere]

We went looking for a couple more A123 and found them a a couple more unexpected finds.

 

[PaulO]

1 hour ago, Davesnothere said:

We went looking for a couple more A123 and found them a a couple more unexpected finds.

 

That Southern Bourbon Whiskey is something I've never seen or heard of before.  It looks like an Old Forester Birthday bottle with a different label.

[Anwalt]

Well, the nice people at KL Wines have a lottery. If you buy "enough" from them at MSRP, you are guaranteed a bottle (granted, it could be a WSR).  I had a bit of luck and got a Stagg Jr #17 for $50.  

 

I'm pretty darned pleased with that bit of luck.

 

It'll be a minute in the getting - shipping & all, else I'd have posted a pic.

[Anwalt]

Well, made it to Andorra (duty-free paradise for French & Spaniards, plus beautiful & excellent skiing).  Not a major bourbon place.  They have a lot of JD, "normal" 4R (but not Select), BT, ER, etc. at very good prices.  Not enough of a price differential to be worth taking to the US (at least in my view, better things to fill luggage with), but certainly worth a pick-up if you are in the area and want something.

 

They have periodic one-off finds.  There were Booker 2015-2's for 60 Euros recently (taxes included in all prices).  A friend found 6 high-demand (I forget what they were, exactly) Scotches that were serious dusties...20 years in a back room with 20-year old prices on a whiskey that was evidently desireable back then, much less now.  If there, I would walk into every single store that sells booze. Some of the one-off deals/dusties were in normal groceries.  You can hit most of the stores pretty easily, it's a small place.  

 

I picked up 2 ECBP B519's 700 ml's for 90 Euro each.  Probably not a great price, but I wanted them.  They had A120's as well, same price.  I picked up an EHT SmB for 60E (saw it for 57E elsewhere later on) for a friend, as that's a very, very good price in Europe.

 

I know the Irish whiskey prices were very good, even by French standards (my experience in France is that the Spots are much cheaper than in the US).  My friend is a Scotch guy and said the prices were very good, I wouldn't know.  Ditto Japanese, lots of that.

 

Women's fashion "stuff" is evidently insanely very well priced.  My daughter went nuts with money she had saved for the trip and was very, very pleased.

 

I posted some random pics.

 

Would I drive there for a bourbon trip?  No, not unless I got a tip-off that was very good and very recent (tatering is a thing there now).  Would I take a trip if the wimmin were inclined to spend a bunch and were going to do it no matter what?  Oh yeah.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Anwalt

[Anwalt]

Andorra Pics #2.

[Anwalt]

Andorra Pics #3.

[Anwalt]

Andora final pic.

[Davesnothere]

9 hours ago, PaulO said:

That Southern Bourbon Whiskey is something I've never seen or heard of before.  It looks like an Old Forester Birthday bottle with a different label.

I haven't yet had a pour. I've heard some good things about the bottles the distillery is releasing.

For $32 I thought I'd take a chance.

[Skinsfan1311]

3 hours ago, Anwalt said:

Andora final pic.

700ml bottles are just wrong.  I hate that JD is pulling that crap, Stateside,  and I hope that the other distillers don't follow suit.  The 1l bottles though?   I like!

Edited March 4, 2023 by Skinsfan1311

[fosmith]

4 hours ago, Anwalt said:

Well, the nice people at KL Wines have a lottery. If you buy "enough" from them at MSRP, you are guaranteed a bottle (granted, it could be a WSR).  I had a bit of luck and got a Stagg Jr #17 for $50.  

 

I'm pretty darned pleased with that bit of luck.

 

It'll be a minute in the getting - shipping & all, else I'd have posted a pic.

@Anwalt Congratulations of your score.  Yeah, the K&L lottery is pretty cool.  You get in by being picked randomly from a pool of customers that meet a spending threshold for spirits and/or the number of private barrels ordered.  They email you a (long) list of allocated bottles and you edit and prioritize the list and send it back to them.  There were lots of things I wasn't interested in such as tequila, scotch, and really expensive bourbon, such as O.F.C. for $3,000.  So, they draw your submission randomly and go down your list and you "win" the first item that's still available.  Then they automatically charge your credit card for the bottle.  About as fair a system as you can get.  Anyway, I scored a ORVW10 for $90 and picked it up last thursday.  It was no. 11 on my list and I'm super happy to have it.  Last year's score was a Coy Hill...

[Grady330]

Stopped in my LS and manager Chris says I was going to call you. Just got 2 Blantons SFTB, first in 2 1/2 years. Charged me  $273, came home with me along with an WT101 and OGB BiB. Good day. Never had SFTB bit I have heard others(Anwalt) say it is great. Have a Blantons Gold as well.  FEAR of getting run over by a bus and my not deserving BIL's drinking it at my wake!!!!!!!!!!

[IamMatt]

10 hours ago, PaulO said:

That Southern Bourbon Whiskey is something I've never seen or heard of before.  It looks like an Old Forester Birthday bottle with a different label.

That's Thirteenth Colony out of Georgia.  The whiskeytubers are pretty excited about it.  They release a double-oaked cask-strength expression every fall that is around $100, I believe. 

[MM818]

1 hour ago, fosmith said:

@Anwalt Congratulations of your score.  Yeah, the K&L lottery is pretty cool.  You get in by being picked randomly from a pool of customers that meet a spending threshold for spirits and/or the number of private barrels ordered.  They email you a (long) list of allocated bottles and you edit and prioritize the list and send it back to them.  There were lots of things I wasn't interested in such as tequila, scotch, and really expensive bourbon, such as O.F.C. for $3,000.  So, they draw your submission randomly and go down your list and you "win" the first item that's still available.  Then they automatically charge your credit card for the bottle.  About as fair a system as you can get.  Anyway, I scored a ORVW10 for $90 and picked it up last thursday.  It was no. 11 on my list and I'm super happy to have it.  Last year's score was a Coy Hill...

I would assume you were picked pretty high. 
 

I got my #15th ranked bottle but I know I was down the list. 

Edited March 4, 2023 by MM818

[fosmith]

21 minutes ago, MM818 said:

I would assume you were picked pretty high. 
 

I got my #15th ranked bottle but I know I was down the list. 

What did you wind up getting?  How do you know you were way down the list?  My order was posted on the 24th, ten days after the start of the lottery..

[MM818]

11 minutes ago, fosmith said:

What did you wind up getting?  How do you know you were way down the list?  My order was posted on the 24th, ten days after the start of the lottery..

Because mine was posted on 3/3. I don’t know for certain I was down the list other than hearing others were picked before I got notified. 
 

I’m building suspense for a later post! 

[Clueby]

Picked these up this week. The KC pick is really good. None of that hot peanuts taste.  The Sweetwater I got through a co-worker who is involved with them, helped them harvest the corn, etc. You'll notice they forgot to label the proof. I'm told it's 123. The Sonoma I picked up at a dinner/tasting last night. The owner/distiller Adam Spiegel is a really engaging and passionate guy. The California Wheat is pretty light and almost "effervescent" but thought it would make a great summer sipper. I can tell the quality in his products but they are still a bit young. Most are a blend of 3, 4, and 5 year old and carry a 3 year age statement.  The cherry wood smoked stuff was pretty good with almost a peated Scotch quality. The truffle had a very dark and earthy nose but surprised me on the palate. Was a lot brighter and more subtle with the truffle than the nose would suggest. Not sure I liked it enough to drop $100 on it though. 

A couple other interesting things. They use a sweet mash process.  The rye is 95% rye and 5% malted rye. He uses aged water that comes from his barrels at about 30 proof to do the proofing.

[Anwalt]

4 hours ago, fosmith said:

Anyway, I scored a ORVW10 for $90 and picked it up last thursday.  It was no. 11 on my list and I'm super happy to have it.  Last year's score was a Coy Hill...

 

Nice!  Two great scores!

Edited March 4, 2023 by Anwalt

[Anwalt]

4 hours ago, Grady330 said:

Never had SFTB bit I have heard others(Anwalt) say it is great. Have a Blantons Gold as well. 

 

I look forward to your tasting notes.  I liked the Gold more initially and thought the SFTB was hot.  But like many bottles that started as hot, I got to liking the intensity & depth of flavor and felt the proof less, or found it to be pleasant.  Still like the Gold way more than the regular (far more flavor) but the SFTB is overtaking it.  Today anyway, still evolving.

[Anwalt]

2 hours ago, MM818 said:

Because mine was posted on 3/3. I don’t know for certain I was down the list other than hearing others were picked before I got notified. 
 

I’m building suspense for a later post! 

 

I was notified on the 3rd as well.  My pick was #10 on my list, pretty happy about that.