What bottle did you open today? - 2024

[PaulO]

11 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Local Wegman's has basic BT in a glass case for $48 a 750.  I finished off a BT last night and thought about a replacement but hesitated then passed as another store near me usually has it at $40.  As I turned around, a large display of HH BIB 7 yr 750s caught my eye.  At $43 per 750 AND considering it is not regularly available here and, when it is, has an asking price close to or at $100, I grabbed two.  Celebrated by stopping by the sammich bar and picking up a 16 inch meatball sub.  Ate half the sub in the garage but waited until I was home and settled before opening one of the HH BIBs.  It was worth the wait.

It blows my mind those prices for basic BT.

I bet I can find it around $20, and sometimes cases of it are stacked up.

Funny how distribution works out.

Basic BT is the only product we see from Frankfort, well except for Benchmark and Fireball.  

[fishnbowljoe]

I saw the post by  @Harry in WashDC . I just so happened to have an open spot on my shelf, and a bottle of HH 7 BIB in the cabinet. Soooooo.

[Kepler]

Following @smokinjoe 's lead I went out and picked up one of the new bottles of 4RSiB.

 

I thought for grins that I'd do a comparison to an older ME but I guess I didn't squirrel one of those away.  So I chose this HE from what I believe to be a barrel bottled in 2013.

 

They almost taste like different bourbons.

I wonder if Four Roses changed the label to be darker in color to make up for the fact the liquid inside is lighter?

 

The new one is still a superb value compared to just about anything near its price today.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 24 by Kepler

[PaulO]

Because it's the start of the weekend, I wanted something sort of special.  I went into the bunker and hauled out a KCSB.  It was purchased about six months ago.  This does not disappoint.  Have to take it slow, or time travel may occur.  

[Wedelstaedt]

55 minutes ago, PaulO said:

 

Edited February 24 by Wedelstaedt
Link failed

[Wedelstaedt]

53 minutes ago, PaulO said:

 Have to take it slow, or time travel may occur.  

[Thomm]

2 hours ago, Kepler said:

Following @smokinjoe 's lead I went out and picked up one of the new bottles of 4RSiB.

 

I thought for grins that I'd do a comparison to an older ME but I guess I didn't squirrel one of those away.  So I chose this HE from what I believe to be a barrel bottled in 2013.

 

They almost taste like different bourbons.

I wonder if Four Roses changed the label to be darker in color to make up for the fact the liquid inside is lighter?

 

The new one is still a superb value compared to just about anything near its price today.

 

 

 

 

 

Could you please expand on the differences, besides the obvious color change?  Just wondering if I should start hoarding the older ones.

[Wedelstaedt]

3 hours ago, Kepler said:

Following @smokinjoe 's lead I went out and picked up one of the new bottles of 4RSiB.

 

I thought for grins that I'd do a comparison to an older ME but I guess I didn't squirrel one of those away.  So I chose this HE from what I believe to be a barrel bottled in 2013.

 

They almost taste like different bourbons.

I wonder if Four Roses changed the label to be darker in color to make up for the fact the liquid inside is lighter?

 

The new one is still a superb value compared to just about anything near its price today.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice dual Cracks.

Hail to The Cult

 

Due to having  large amounts bunkered  of

4R SiB and SmB, I haven’t purchased either of those two skus in a while. My foolish curiosity  has me considering the SiB lately. 
I may just have to try one out. 
 

Thank you for the comparo. 

 

Cheers

[Wedelstaedt]

3 hours ago, Kepler said:

Following @smokinjoe 's lead I went out and picked up one of the new bottles of 4RSiB.

 

I thought for grins that I'd do a comparison to an older ME but I guess I didn't squirrel one of those away.  So I chose this HE from what I believe to be a barrel bottled in 2013.

 

They almost taste like different bourbons.

I wonder if Four Roses changed the label to be darker in color to make up for the fact the liquid inside is lighter?

 

The new one is still a superb value compared to just about anything near its price today.

 

 

 

 

 

Jelly of those 4 Glencairns

[Kepler]

8 minutes ago, Thomm said:

Could you please expand on the differences, besides the obvious color change?  Just wondering if I should start hoarding the older ones.

Yes you should, if you can actually still find any of the older ones (2017ish? and older).

 

I distinctly remember being on an actual bourbon distillery tour bus with my brother in the summer of 2015 (Mint Julip tours IIRC) when we heard the news in real time that Jim R. just announced his retirement.  As soon as we got back home, my brother and I decided we should hunt for old Four Roses SiB and SmB and we picked up quite a few older bottlings.  Looking back, it was a good decision.

 

As far as tasting notes, it's well documented that 4RSiB declined soon after;  surely not due to Jim's retirement per se, but just dwindling honey barrels.  All I can say at 11:30pm on a Friday night (after a long week) is to do your homework.  The 4R bourbon from this golden age of the distillery have an extremely rich, thick floral "body" about them that you just don't experience in typical bourbons.  Even the standard single barrel bottles (like this one I'm sipping from) have that floral magic; you don't have to go to their Limited releases to experience some of that.

[Kepler]

47 minutes ago, Thomm said:

Could you please expand on the differences, besides the obvious color change?  Just wondering if I should start hoarding the older ones.

 

10 minutes ago, Kepler said:

Yes you should, if you can actually still find any of the older ones (2017ish? and older).

 

I distinctly remember being on an actual bourbon distillery tour bus with my brother in the summer of 2015 (Mint Julip tours IIRC) when we heard the news in real time that Jim R. just announced his retirement.  As soon as we got back home, my brother and I decided we should hunt for old Four Roses SiB and SmB and we picked up quite a few older bottlings.  Looking back, it was a good decision.

 

As far as tasting notes, it's well documented that 4RSiB declined soon after;  surely not due to Jim's retirement per se, but just dwindling honey barrels.  All I can say at 11:30pm on a Friday night (after a long week) is to do your homework.  The 4R bourbon from this golden age of the distillery have an extremely rich, thick floral "body" about them that you just don't experience in typical bourbons.  Even the standard single barrel bottles (like this one I'm sipping from) have that floral magic; you don't have to go to their Limited releases to experience some of that.

 

And just a final note tonight, about the new 2024 bottling.

 

Honestly it's an excellent bourbon.  But to me, it tastes almost as much like Old Forester as it does classic Four Roses.  Meaning, lots of fresh fruit on the palate (read "young") notes, and much less spicy aged floral notes.  I'm not a master distiller, but I can only guess the difference in taste between 2024 4RSiB and the older bottlings are time in the barrel.  Assuming the mash bill recipe remains the same (no way they would ever change that!) the only logical explanation for the different nose and taste is a younger (or different location) aging process.

 

[Thomm]

Thanks for the information, @Kepler.  I think I phrased that incorrectly when I said "older ones." I was referring to those that still have the lighter colored labels, which I can still find readily available at several locations.  Your comparison was conducted with a bottle I'm not likely to find.  

If there is no obvious difference (besides those that will always occur from barrel to barrel in any single barrel product) between "light colored label" and "dark colored label" I guess I'm okay.  

Just for giggles, do you have any information on how to decipher a FR laser code?  My internet search has turned up nothing of value.  Perhaps an email to the distillery? 

 

[Clueby]

A fresh ER10 last night. This one is a little older before they started putting the 10 back on the front of the bottle. Maybe 2019.

[NDN98]

I will be the first to admin that I am not a fan of the Smokewagon standard offerings and haven't bought any in a couple of years.  That being said, I did pick up this private barrel yesterday after talking to the liquor store employee who told me it was a different mash bill than what you usually get from SW.  Supposedly, the most recent private barrels have been 51% Corn, 39% Rye, and 10% Malted Rye.  When I opened it last night, it tasted nothing like anything I have ever had from them and reminded me a lot of the Four Roses Small Batch Select Profile.  I get a ton of fruit and spice on this bottle.

[Double C's]

doing a little homework for my 100pf wheater comparison. After having to be up all night working last night, this sounded like a nice reward. Who knows, maybe I'll crack open the Bardstown Origin bib next.

[Kepler]

On 2/24/2024 at 9:30 AM, Thomm said:

Thanks for the information, @Kepler.  I think I phrased that incorrectly when I said "older ones." I was referring to those that still have the lighter colored labels, which I can still find readily available at several locations.  Your comparison was conducted with a bottle I'm not likely to find.  

If there is no obvious difference (besides those that will always occur from barrel to barrel in any single barrel product) between "light colored label" and "dark colored label" I guess I'm okay.  

Just for giggles, do you have any information on how to decipher a FR laser code?  My internet search has turned up nothing of value.  Perhaps an email to the distillery? 

 

 

Ahh ok I get it now.  I have not tasted a recent bottling except for this brand new one, so I can't say for sure.  But I doubt the label color has anything to do with it.  The drop off (if that's what it was) in SiB came earlier.  I have no reason to think, say, the 2021-23 product inside the bottle is different than 2024. 

I don't have a laser code guide... I did try to identify the codes back then but I didn't get very far.  The older ones had fewer digits than the newer ones.  I agree maybe the only way to find out for sure it to query the distillery folks.

[Double C's]

The Bardstown Origin bib got opened last night as well.

[smokinjoe]

21 hours ago, Double C's said:

doing a little homework for my 100pf wheater comparison. After having to be up all night working last night, this sounded like a nice reward. Who knows, maybe I'll crack open the Bardstown Origin bib next.

That 101 label is different than what I am used to seeing.  Is it a new redesigned label, or from an earlier iteration?  

[mbroo5880i]

On 2/23/2024 at 10:02 AM, PaulO said:

It blows my mind those prices for basic BT.

I bet I can find it around $20, and sometimes cases of it are stacked up.

Funny how distribution works out.

Basic BT is the only product we see from Frankfort, well except for Benchmark and Fireball.  

 

Unfortunately, at Kroger, Fireball is in the locked case while ECBP and RittBIB are on the shelf.  

[mbroo5880i]

On 2/23/2024 at 12:02 PM, fishnbowljoe said:

I saw the post by  @Harry in WashDC . I just so happened to have an open spot on my shelf, and a bottle of HH 7 BIB in the cabinet. Soooooo.

 

@fishnbowljoe How do you compare the 7 year old HH BIB to the old 6 year old HH BIB white label?

[mbroo5880i]

23 hours ago, Kepler said:

 

Ahh ok I get it now.  I have not tasted a recent bottling except for this brand new one, so I can't say for sure.  But I doubt the label color has anything to do with it.  The drop off (if that's what it was) in SiB came earlier.  I have no reason to think, say, the 2021-23 product inside the bottle is different than 2024. 

I don't have a laser code guide... I did try to identify the codes back then but I didn't get very far.  The older ones had fewer digits than the newer ones.  I agree maybe the only way to find out for sure it to query the distillery folks.

 

When I first saw the new label on the shelf, I was pretty excited because I thought is was BS.  So, did the guy in the check out line behind me when he asked me where I found it.  Similar to you, I enjoyed the bourbon in the new label bottle but I found it had less of the FRSiB spicy bite that I enjoy.  Obviously, each barrel is different.  However, this made me seek out an old label bottle last time I added a bottle. 

 

I don't know the reason but I seemed to enjoy the older bottles back 10 years ago before Jim left.  Similar to you, I wonder if it is barrel selection or just less aged stock.  

[Kepler]

4 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

That 101 label is different than what I am used to seeing.  Is it a new redesigned label, or from an earlier iteration?  

 

I believe those are the newest label designs. I saw someone post one of those recently on FB and I was also curious, so the next time I was in a store I peeked inside one of the red boxes on shelf and sure enough they had this label style.

[fishnbowljoe]

2 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

@fishnbowljoe How do you compare the 7 year old HH BIB to the old 6 year old HH BIB white label?

To me the HH6 was an easy drinker. A bit lighter than 100 proof to me. Earthy and sweet. The HH7 seems to drink above 100 proof. A bit of a deeper, richer, vegetal  flavor. Love the HH6. Like the HH7. I’d like it better if it was less expensive.

[Double C's]

15 hours ago, Kepler said:

 

I believe those are the newest label designs. I saw someone post one of those recently on FB and I was also curious, so the next time I was in a store I peeked inside one of the red boxes on shelf and sure enough they had this label style.

this one I bought was in the red box. I was expecting the see the label with the gold 101 font, so I will see if there is anything on the bottle to indicate bottling date.

[Harry in WashDC]

On 2/24/2024 at 10:52 AM, Clueby said:

A fresh ER10 last night. This one is a little older before they started putting the 10 back on the front of the bottle. Maybe 2019.

 

{I cut the the pic from the OP for space reasons.]

 

About a month or so ago, I posted on SB re: my recent experience with a "new" ER 10 vs. a bunkered ER 10 w/ a 10 star neckband.  IIRC, I noted that I thought  the latest ERs are as complex and robust as the old 10 star neckband ERs from pre 2015 and maybe creamier/smoother than the old ones.  I stopped buying it about 2017 as the few I found then were exceptionally woody and one dimensional.  I think they may be back to their old selves.  I'll pick up and consume a few more before I make up my mind.

 

NON SEQUITUR - And now, for something completely different (to copy a phrase) - tonight it is a bunkered KC 100 9YR with dust on its shoulders.   Was cleaning out a corner of the furnace/work/storage room to cut down on the fire hazards  (and to locate any dusty that struck my fancy since I ran out of OGD BIB in my trash can stash).  THIS KC 100 9YR circa 2013(?) will do nicely.  The price sticker says "$21.99".  I think it has been down in the bunker with a few brethren (which are still dusty) since 2013 or 2014.

 

ASIDE - I really oughta use a glass . . .