What Bourbon Did You Pass On 2024

[kemosabe]

 Passed on Blanton's @ $125.  Too many better bottles available for less.

[Kepler]

Passed on OF1924 at $115 and BPSiB for 90ish. 

I'll probably cave and get the 1924 eventually, but I've got a couple of the BPSiB already and honestly I'm not the biggest fan of that liquid fire anyway.  Diluted it's quite nice, but if I'm going to do that I'll just buy the 1920 for $55 and call it a day.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28 by Kepler

[PaulO]

I was at my church's annual chili cook off.  They always get some interesting items for the auction.  Probably most interesting to us was a bottle of Weller Single Barrel.  It went for $700.  Hey, it's for charity.  They also, among other things, had one of those EC 375ml "grenade" bottles.  It came in a display type box labeled beer barrel finish.  That's a new one on me.  Wife offered to bid on it.  I said no.

[Skinsfan1311]

17 hours ago, Kepler said:

Passed on OF1924 at $115 and BPSiB for 90ish. 

I'll probably cave and get the 1924 eventually, but I've got a couple of the BPSiB already and honestly I'm not the biggest fan of that liquid fire anyway.  Diluted it's quite nice, but if I'm going to do that I'll just buy the 1920 for $55 and call it a day.

 

 

 

 

That's probably a good call.  I'd really have to taste the 1924 and it would really have to blow me away at that price.   

[PowderKeg]

On 1/3/2024 at 10:27 AM, FasterHorses said:

Still pissed they did away with the 6yr bib whitelabel at $12. Id probably be more willing to pay up for that than this 7yr version. The 6 was gold. 

 

You ain't the only one, a long opened bottle of 6yr bib is one that I'm finally finishing off this month of my no-buy January.  Still have one more sealed bottle left.  Haven't yet and never plan to buy the way-overpriced 7 yr.

[PaulO]

12 hours ago, PowderKeg said:

 

You ain't the only one, a long opened bottle of 6yr bib is one that I'm finally finishing off this month of my no-buy January.  Still have one more sealed bottle left.  Haven't yet and never plan to buy the way-overpriced 7 yr.

If you're going to spend $50, could just get the HMcK 10 year for that much, or go looking for single barrel bottles of EC for less.  

[Grady330]

OF 1924 $200 plus tax. Without a taste, no thanks. And I love OF!!

[Bbstout]

On 1/6/2024 at 3:11 PM, Pjcowboy said:

Willet 8 yr. Wheated for $230. 

I was lucky enough to win a chance to buy at TW..............................No Thanks

[mbroo5880i]

I passed on Travelers Whiskey for $35 and Rebel Special Reserve  for $34.

 

First time seeing either in Indy. 

 

I am not going to pass judgment on the Travelers without trying it but $35 seems pricey for a blended whiskey endorsed by a celebrity who doesn't drink.  The label didn't seem to have much information on it.

 

Same with the Rebel Special Reserve. Did they just rebrand Rebel Yell Special Reserve, slap a different label and higher price on it?  

 

Has anyone tried either of these?

 

 

 

 

[Bourserker]

I don't know if this counts as a true pass, but I passed on the VA ABC event yesterday.   For the last 2 events I drove around and picked up a few things.   My total bottle count has gotten ridiculous...I mean I just had to be straight with myself on that. 

 

So gonna try and stay out of stores for a bit because if I go in one I'll probably be walking out with something. I don't have a drinking problem, I have a buying problem...lol

[PaulO]

19 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

I passed on Travelers Whiskey for $35 and Rebel Special Reserve  for $34.

 

First time seeing either in Indy. 

 

I am not going to pass judgment on the Travelers without trying it but $35 seems pricey for a blended whiskey endorsed by a celebrity who doesn't drink.  The label didn't seem to have much information on it.

 

Same with the Rebel Special Reserve. Did they just rebrand Rebel Yell Special Reserve, slap a different label and higher price on it?  

 

Has anyone tried either of these?

 

 

 

 

I looked at that Rebel Special Reserve too.  The best I could figure out reading the label - 110 proof, and they claim specially selected barrels batched together, no age statement I could see.  I'm pretty sure this is all still HH's Old Fitz. wheat mash bill product.  It's probably decent.

[fosmith]

28 minutes ago, PaulO said:

I looked at that Rebel Special Reserve too.  The best I could figure out reading the label - 110 proof, and they claim specially selected barrels batched together, no age statement I could see.  I'm pretty sure this is all still HH's Old Fitz. wheat mash bill product.  It's probably decent.

I assume you're talking about the Rebel Small Batch Reserve.  It's probably an upgrade to Rebel 100 proof, which is a pretty decent wheater, especially for the price.  I recently bought a bottle of the Reserve for $30 to try but haven't opened it yet but this thread has put it on deck. 

[PaulO]

I like the Rebel 100, but you need to keep in mind it's basically a value brand.  I doubt the whiskey is anything much beyond 4 years old.  I always compare it to the discontinued no age statement Old Fitz B.I.B.

[Skinsfan1311]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:25 PM, mbroo5880i said:

I passed on Travelers Whiskey for $35 and Rebel Special Reserve  for $34.

 

First time seeing either in Indy. 

 

I am not going to pass judgment on the Travelers without trying it but $35 seems pricey for a blended whiskey endorsed by a celebrity who doesn't drink.  The label didn't seem to have much information on it.

 

Same with the Rebel Special Reserve. Did they just rebrand Rebel Yell Special Reserve, slap a different label and higher price on it?  

 

Has anyone tried either of these?

 

 

 

 

I wanted to like the Rebel Special Reserve.  I really did want to.   I gave it away.....

[fosmith]

6 hours ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

I wanted to like the Rebel Special Reserve.  I really did want to.   I gave it away.....

I opened mine last night and was not impressed.  Very hot and ethanol forward without a lot of flavor.  I followed it with a pour of the Single Barrel Barrel Strength K&L store pick and it was night and day.  Those Single Barrels are so good.  I'll revisit the Special Reserve in a week or so but I suspect it will go into cocktails..

[fosmith]

I passed on ECBP A124 today.  It just popped up on K&L's web site for $70.  But I found a couple of YouTube reviews by Tubers I respect and both said it was one of the worst batches ever.  I've got a bunch of older batches bunkered and I don't have to get all of them. 

[mbroo5880i]

6 hours ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

I wanted to like the Rebel Special Reserve.  I really did want to.   I gave it away.....

 

I don't do many drain pours but I do gift whiskey I don't like.  I always tell the recipient.  Hey, man, this just wasn't in my wheelhouse.  Would you like to try it?  There are a lot of bourbon and whiskey drinkers and work who are more than happy to give something a go without having to purchase.  I gave away a sizable portion of my first bottle of Larceny.  

[mbroo5880i]

2 minutes ago, fosmith said:

I passed on ECBP A124 today.  It just popped up on K&L's web site for $70.  But I found a couple of YouTube reviews by Tubers I respect and both said it was one of the worst batches ever.  I've got a bunch of older batches bunkered and I don't have to get all of them. 

 

Interesting.  A guy I know who has access to a lot of bottles of allocated bourbon once told me the same thing. One time we were talking about a recent ECBP batch.  He said he hadn't tried it and then said "Hey, I don't feel like I need to try them all."  

[mbroo5880i]

9 minutes ago, fosmith said:

I opened mine last night and was not impressed.  Very hot and ethanol forward without a lot of flavor.  I followed it with a pour of the Single Barrel Barrel Strength K&L store pick and it was night and day.  Those Single Barrels are so good.  I'll revisit the Special Reserve in a week or so but I suspect it will go into cocktails..

 

Thank you for your insight!  I am going to pass.

[mbroo5880i]

8 hours ago, PaulO said:

I like the Rebel 100, but you need to keep in mind it's basically a value brand.  I doubt the whiskey is anything much beyond 4 years old.  I always compare it to the discontinued no age statement Old Fitz B.I.B.

 

@PaulO, @Special Reserve , @Skinsfan1311, and @fosmith. Thank you for your insight as well.  Four opinions that I respect tells me to stay away. 

Edited February 7 by mbroo5880i

[Skinsfan1311]

46 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

I don't do many drain pours but I do gift whiskey I don't like.  I always tell the recipient.  Hey, man, this just wasn't in my wheelhouse.  Would you like to try it?  There are a lot of bourbon and whiskey drinkers and work who are more than happy to give something a go without having to purchase.  I gave away a sizable portion of my first bottle of Larceny.  

Same, but I give 'em to our youngest son.

I don't ask him if he likes it, I ask him if he wants it.

He knows, and appreciates  good whiskey,  but won't turn his nose up at free whiskey.

 

 

[Skinsfan1311]

1 hour ago, fosmith said:

I opened mine last night and was not impressed.  Very hot and ethanol forward without a lot of flavor.  I followed it with a pour of the Single Barrel Barrel Strength K&L store pick and it was night and day.  Those Single Barrels are so good.  I'll revisit the Special Reserve in a week or so but I suspect it will go into cocktails..

Agreed.

I tried,  and purchased,  a SBBS pick from our favorite LS, for $37.00.

It was well worth it.

 

Edited February 7 by Skinsfan1311

[Anwalt]

9 hours ago, fosmith said:

I passed on ECBP A124 today.  It just popped up on K&L's web site for $70.  But I found a couple of YouTube reviews by Tubers I respect and both said it was one of the worst batches ever.  I've got a bunch of older batches bunkered and I don't have to get all of them. 

 

I love ECBP. Have plenty stored up, not much FOMO. Though I did join the stampede for C923 - and I'm glad I did. Got plenty at MSRP or maybe $5 above it. I'm running an experiment on that bottle. It's been selling for $130 on local secondary. It's been selling for $230+ on Unicorn. Sent two up to Chicago with a friend (so no shipping cost). Hoping to sell 2 and buy 3 with little effort. Then I'm gonna tell people that I left 2 of them alone in the dark and...well, they must have liked one another because BAM, three showed up!

 

I will say that of some batches that were panned...well, I liked them. For example, A122. Easy to get, nice & cheap, often below what it sold for 2 years ago. I like it and got a bunch of it. Granted, a lot of the reviews were essentially "well, it's good but not high enough proof". With ECBP, when the review is "not old enough" (12y) or "too low proof" (below 125 to 130), I'm skeptical.  Any ECBP reviewed in that fashion gets my attention as in "it's gonna be cheap, it's gonna be available, I'm gonna try it, probably for less than MSRP". Now, if the review has more substance than that, I do pay some attention.

Now I'll wait for A124 to sell for less than MSRP online and try one for myself.

 

PS: God bless K&L. logistics are a pain. I order, a friend gets them, I see him once a year in Vegas with a car trunk full. But I'm patient for a good deal, and Lord knows, K&L has some.

[Obree]

4 hours ago, Anwalt said:

 

I love ECBP. Have plenty stored up, not much FOMO. Though I did join the stampede for C923 - and I'm glad I did. Got plenty at MSRP or maybe $5 above it. I'm running an experiment on that bottle. It's been selling for $130 on local secondary. It's been selling for $230+ on Unicorn. Sent two up to Chicago with a friend (so no shipping cost). Hoping to sell 2 and buy 3 with little effort. Then I'm gonna tell people that I left 2 of them alone in the dark and...well, they must have liked one another because BAM, three showed up!

 

I will say that of some batches that were panned...well, I liked them. For example, A122. Easy to get, nice & cheap, often below what it sold for 2 years ago. I like it and got a bunch of it. Granted, a lot of the reviews were essentially "well, it's good but not high enough proof". With ECBP, when the review is "not old enough" (12y) or "too low proof" (below 125 to 130), I'm skeptical.  Any ECBP reviewed in that fashion gets my attention as in "it's gonna be cheap, it's gonna be available, I'm gonna try it, probably for less than MSRP". Now, if the review has more substance than that, I do pay some attention.

Now I'll wait for A124 to sell for less than MSRP online and try one for myself.

 

PS: God bless K&L. logistics are a pain. I order, a friend gets them, I see him once a year in Vegas with a car trunk full. But I'm patient for a good deal, and Lord knows, K&L has some.

You are starting to sound like a Dutchman

[Double C's]

7 hours ago, Anwalt said:

 

I love ECBP. Have plenty stored up, not much FOMO. Though I did join the stampede for C923 - and I'm glad I did. Got plenty at MSRP or maybe $5 above it. I'm running an experiment on that bottle. It's been selling for $130 on local secondary. It's been selling for $230+ on Unicorn. Sent two up to Chicago with a friend (so no shipping cost). Hoping to sell 2 and buy 3 with little effort. Then I'm gonna tell people that I left 2 of them alone in the dark and...well, they must have liked one another because BAM, three showed up!

 

I will say that of some batches that were panned...well, I liked them. For example, A122. Easy to get, nice & cheap, often below what it sold for 2 years ago. I like it and got a bunch of it. Granted, a lot of the reviews were essentially "well, it's good but not high enough proof". With ECBP, when the review is "not old enough" (12y) or "too low proof" (below 125 to 130), I'm skeptical.  Any ECBP reviewed in that fashion gets my attention as in "it's gonna be cheap, it's gonna be available, I'm gonna try it, probably for less than MSRP". Now, if the review has more substance than that, I do pay some attention.

Now I'll wait for A124 to sell for less than MSRP online and try one for myself.

 

PS: God bless K&L. logistics are a pain. I order, a friend gets them, I see him once a year in Vegas with a car trunk full. But I'm patient for a good deal, and Lord knows, K&L has some.

It's amazing what a few YT reviews will due to a particular batch's popularity. I can still get ECBP B523 just down the road from my house if I really wanted it because the sub 12yr age on that batch didn't get anyone excited to draw out the taters is mass like C923 did. I missed the window looking for that batch by a week. It flew off the shelves in my area, besides the places that use it in their raffles/lotteries.