What Bourbon Are You Drinking Spring 2023

[Kepler]

EC12 before dinner and baseball watching

[Anwalt]

4R Fest at a friend's place.  A very nice evening. 16y was the runaway favorite.

 

 

[jeffrey r]

Ya only turn 50 once, so decided to open up and enjoy one of my two remaining bottles of my favorite bourbon.  Still so good after all of these years.

 

 

[fishnbowljoe]

10 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

Ya only turn 50 once, so decided to open up and enjoy one of my two remaining bottles of my favorite bourbon.  Still so good after all of these years.

 

 

Happy Birthday Jeffery!  Great bottle!

[Kepler]

13 minutes ago, Anwalt said:

4R Fest at a friend's place.  A very nice evening. 16y was the runaway favorite.

 

 

Wow sounds great.  That 18 year OESK has me salivating as well, my favorite recipe and never tried one nearly that old.  How was it?

[mal00768]

17 minutes ago, Anwalt said:

4R Fest at a friend's place.  A very nice evening. 16y was the runaway favorite.

 

 

Is it the OESV? A little blurry. 
 

I have a 10ish OESV pick done with Al Young in the bunker. It’s very good and aptly named “Al was right”. God rest his soul.

[mbroo5880i]

25 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

Ya only turn 50 once, so decided to open up and enjoy one of my two remaining bottles of my favorite bourbon.  Still so good after all of these years.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday friend!  Vintage Bourbon for a Vintage Person. 

 

All the best, enjoy!

[mbroo5880i]

15 minutes ago, Kepler said:

Wow sounds great.  That 18 year OESK has me salivating as well, my favorite recipe and never tried one nearly that old.  How was it?

 

He had me at OESK. OESK, OBSK, OBSQ....I am all in.

[mbroo5880i]

Covid shut me out for the last few weeks.  On the mend now and enjoying a pour or two or three of WTR101 and FR SiB.  A gentlemen never discloses.

[Kepler]

11 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

Ya only turn 50 once, so decided to open up and enjoy one of my two remaining bottles of my favorite bourbon.  Still so good after all of these years.

 

 

 

Happy birthday.  Awesome pour. I once had that at a Willett KBS tasting that Drew hosted and it was so great.

[fishnbowljoe]

[Anwalt]

10 hours ago, Kepler said:

Wow sounds great.  That 18 year OESK has me salivating as well, my favorite recipe and never tried one nearly that old.  How was it?

 

It was very good.  I'm still figuring out the recipes, I'm not too nuanced with those just yet.

 

But. 

 

While I have become a bit of a proof hound, not with 4R.  I seem to consistently prefer lower-proof (lower tier, it would seem) and older bottles.  I thought that the 16 was perfectly aged.  Vast flavor and no bite to interfere with that flavor. The ethanol on the 18 masked some of the flavor for me.  Even on the nose, the ethanol was very present.

 

I certainly don't find that the higher ABV masks flavor with other marks, such as Bookers, ECBP, etc; the opposite, it enhances it.  Not sure why I have consistently found the opposite to be the case with 4R.  Maybe a more delicate, nuanced flavor, one that "bite" covers?

 

I have several low-proof, 11y 4R's waiting for me in KY. I look forward to trying those.  Still would like to get my hands on one of those 16's.  The market being what it is, they are not cheap!

 

10 hours ago, mal00768 said:

Is it the OESV? A little blurry.

 

Yup, second one from the end, with the 18 being at the very end.

[jeffrey r]

9 hours ago, Kepler said:

 

Happy birthday.  Awesome pour. I once had that at a Willett KBS tasting that Drew hosted and it was so great.

 

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes!  Feels crazy to be on the other side of 50.  

 

And as to the Vintage 17, it is one that truly did/does live up to the hype.  I remember being at Total Wine, must have been around 2013 or so.  Probably 10 bottles of V17 just sitting on the shelf at $63 if I recall.  Admittedly, I did buy several at the time, of which I still have the two bottles (now one unopened).  It is rich, and delicious, without being over-oaked.  

[Anwalt]

I get that some of you are not into finished bourbons.  Or $90+ bottles.  

 

But still. The store pick, higher-proof version of AE is incomparably better than the regular version.

 

It almost makes Monday acceptable.

 

 

[Obree]

12 minutes ago, Anwalt said:

I get that some of you are not into finished bourbons.  Or $90+ bottles.  

 

But still. The store pick, higher-proof version of AE is incomparably better than the regular version.

 

It almost makes Monday acceptable.

 

 

Given that you almost finished the bottle you mean business! Would love to try it at some point.

[Obree]

Ezra Brooks distillers collection, Sweden pick tonight. Not bad! Oak, vanilla, decent finish, worth the Swedish Krone!

https://product-cdn.systembolaget.se/productimages/27205959/27205959_800.png

[JCwhammie]

I've been sitting in this one for a few years (since it was available for less than $40). I love BT mashbill 1 at 100 proof. 

[mbroo5880i]

21 hours ago, Kepler said:

 

Happy birthday.  Awesome pour. I once had that at a Willett KBS tasting that Drew hosted and it was so great.

 

I attended a Willett tasting that Drew hosted about 10 years ago.  Old Noah's Mill, Johnny Drum, Old WFE, Rowan's Creek, etc.  It was for a WFE single barrel the store has purchased.  One of the best of the WFE I ever had.  He was a really nice host and the pours were superb.

[mbroo5880i]

Just now, JCwhammie said:

I've been sitting in this one for a few years (since it was available for less than $40). I love BT mashbill 1 at 100 proof. 

 

I absolutely love aged BT#1. I would rank CEHT BIB and OC10 as my two favorites.

[Kepler]

14 hours ago, Anwalt said:

 

It was very good.  I'm still figuring out the recipes, I'm not too nuanced with those just yet.

 

But. 

 

While I have become a bit of a proof hound, not with 4R.  I seem to consistently prefer lower-proof (lower tier, it would seem) and older bottles.  I thought that the 16 was perfectly aged.  Vast flavor and no bite to interfere with that flavor. The ethanol on the 18 masked some of the flavor for me.  Even on the nose, the ethanol was very present.

 

I certainly don't find that the higher ABV masks flavor with other marks, such as Bookers, ECBP, etc; the opposite, it enhances it.  Not sure why I have consistently found the opposite to be the case with 4R.  Maybe a more delicate, nuanced flavor, one that "bite" covers?

 

I have several low-proof, 11y 4R's waiting for me in KY. I look forward to trying those.  Still would like to get my hands on one of those 16's.  The market being what it is, they are not cheap!

 

 

Yup, second one from the end, with the 18 being at the very end.

Yeah that's a good point.  Come to think of it, 4R BP do sometimes drink hotter than their proof.  Perhaps it's due to the unusually high rye content but I don't know.

[Kepler]

5 hours ago, Anwalt said:

I get that some of you are not into finished bourbons.

 

 

5 hours ago, Obree said:

Given that you almost finished the bottle you mean business!

 

He gives new meaning to the term "finished bourbon"

[Kepler]

1 hour ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

I attended a Willett tasting that Drew hosted about 10 years ago.  Old Noah's Mill, Johnny Drum, Old WFE, Rowan's Creek, etc.  It was for a WFE single barrel the store has purchased.  One of the best of the WFE I ever had.  He was a really nice host and the pours were superb.

He was a great host for us too!

[GeeTen]

On 4/17/2023 at 2:44 AM, fishnbowljoe said:

 

OK, I give up - what's the blend this time?????  

 

 

[fishnbowljoe]

40 minutes ago, GeeTen said:

 

OK, I give up - what's the blend this time?????  

 

 

It’s the same as my 2021 Blend Frank. Equal parts Weller SR, Weller 12 and OWA. The only difference is the OWA is an old, age stated, paper label bottle rather than a current one. 

[Anwalt]

This is sooooo Faster Horses fault.  This one has well & truly grown on me.