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What bottle did you open today? - 2024


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On 3/2/2024 at 10:09 AM, PaulO said:

Is WT still releasing those.  I have not seen one in a long time.

 

They started re-appearing on store shelves here sometime in late 2022 and are still on shelves here.  They were gone for quite awhile after they were first released in 2019 I think it was.  I bought a bunch back then and mine say "batch 1" on the neck band.   Now I want to check the new ones on shelves to compare if those are any different.   With the recent increase in price of the RRSiB private picks, my case discount on the Saffell bridged the gap in value to RRSiB quite nicely.

 

 

Edited by Kepler
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4 hours ago, Clueby said:

Happy Bottled In Bond day!

 

 

It is today?  Then I am joining you with a pour of some Still Austin BiB.  Cheers!

 

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41 minutes ago, Kepler said:

 

It is today?  Then I am joining you with a pour of some Still Austin BiB.  Cheers!

 

 

Oh, I feel bitch slapped.  I have had a few different iterations of Still Austin but not the BIB.  They are doing great things. 

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4 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

Oh, I feel bitch slapped.  I have had a few different iterations of Still Austin but not the BIB.  They are doing great things. 

 

🤣 lol

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My wife brought back this SFTB from London this week. This is so far  my favorite Blanton's I've ever had. It is reminiscent of some of my favorite ECBP releases. Not sure how that happens but it is wonderful.

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went bunker diving and pulled this out. Got it as a Christmas gift last year, so it was time to open it.

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On 2/23/2024 at 10:12 PM, Kepler said:

 

 

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.

 

Age is likely certainly a factor but also remember that they changed fermentation duration to be shorter than what Jim always believed to be ideal.

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7 hours ago, flahute said:

Age is likely certainly a factor but also remember that they changed fermentation duration to be shorter than what Jim always believed to be ideal.

Thx for reminding me.  I forgot.:wub:

 

Great lunch at a Belgian restaurant today - escargot, rich tomato soup, fresh baguette, and crème brûlée.  Had two beers - Vesper (10%) and a red Flemish ale (5% abv).  Exquisite.  Wife let me finish her trout almandine.  Hence, we needed no food tonight.  Watching old Perry Mason episodes while sipping on MM PS 375ml 110 proof bottled March 2021.  Stave profile is 5 US baked, 4 French toasted, and 1 MM 46.  This was in a set of two with a BP 46 (not open yet).  I sure wish this was at least a 750.  Alas . . .

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8 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Thx for reminding me.  I forgot.:wub:

 

Great lunch at a Belgian restaurant today - escargot, rich tomato soup, fresh baguette, and crème brûlée.  Had two beers - Vesper (10%) and a red Flemish ale (5% abv).  Exquisite.  Wife let me finish her trout almandine.  Hence, we needed no food tonight.  Watching old Perry Mason episodes while sipping on MM PS 375ml 110 proof bottled March 2021.  Stave profile is 5 US baked, 4 French toasted, and 1 MM 46.  This was in a set of two with a BP 46 (not open yet).  I sure wish this was at least a 750.  Alas . . .

That sounds like a damn fine day!

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9 hours ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

That sounds like a damn fine day!

It was.  Wife was getting her hair cut in a shop across the street from the restaurant.  Whenever she goes “there”, I sit and wait and sip.  I just have to remember to say,  “Whoa! Great hair cut!”  Forty-nine years of marriage with her means I sometimes get IT right.

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3 minutes ago, Harry in WashDC said:

It was.  Wife was getting her hair cut in a shop across the street from the restaurant.  Whenever she goes “there”, I sit and wait and sip.  I just have to remember to say,  “Whoa! Great hair cut!”  Forty-nine years of marriage with her means I sometimes get IT right.

That might need to be in the pro tip thread also!

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On 3/5/2024 at 2:36 PM, flahute said:

Age is likely certainly a factor but also remember that they changed fermentation duration to be shorter than what Jim always believed to be ideal.

 

It's hard to remember something I don't believe I ever knew! (at least I don't think I knew that).  Thanks for the info about the fermentation!

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The ECBP batch 12 was working so well tonight that I decided to open another HH bottle that's been "on deck" for me for a very long time.

 

No time like the present.

Crack!

 

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20 hours ago, Kepler said:

The ECBP batch 12 was working so well tonight that I decided to open another HH bottle that's been "on deck" for me for a very long time.

 

No time like the present.

Crack!

That's one of my favorite bottles ever! It's like a really great Evan Williams profile.

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On 3/5/2024 at 3:36 PM, flahute said:

Age is likely certainly a factor but also remember that they changed fermentation duration to be shorter than what Jim always believed to be ideal.

 

On 3/7/2024 at 6:19 PM, Kepler said:

 

It's hard to remember something I don't believe I ever knew! (at least I don't think I knew that).  Thanks for the info about the fermentation!

 

I didn't know it either.  Like @Kepler, I noticed a difference.  It seems a little more subdued than earlier bottles. Still quite good but different.  Not quite the smack in the face spiciness that you associate with OBSV.  I actually get more of an OBSQ vibe from it.  Even though both are higher rye recipes, I always found OBSQ to be slight less spicy.  Not that I am an expert. Could just be my imagination.  

Edited by mbroo5880i
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I opened a bottle of Stellum Perseus Single Barrel Cask Strength store pick that I purchased today.  I have always been curious and got it on the cheap.  It was a store pick by Market District.  I know they do go to distillers and blenders to make picks and I assume they also just pick from samples sent to them.  However, there picks are generally pretty good for a grocery chain. 

 

While it is NAS and NDP, it is clearly from MGP and the 75/21/4 mashbill.   The bottle indicates it was distilled in Indiana.  Most information on the internet supports a minimum of 5 years age.  

 

It is really solid and reminsicent of other MGP 5 year old cask strength bourbon like Backbone, Smooth Ambler, etc.  The whiskey is good and the price was right.  I will look to grab another bottle next time I am in the area. 

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42 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

 

I didn't know it either.  Like @Kepler, I noticed a difference.  It seems a little more subdued than earlier bottles. Still quite good but different.  Not quite the smack in the face spiciness that you associate with OBSV.  I actually get more of an OBSQ vibe from it.  Even though both are higher rye recipes, I always found OBSQ to be slight less spicy.  Not that I am an expert. Could just be my imagination.  

It's not widely known. The only reason I know is because I spent a lot of time with Jim after he retired when I was designing his distillery (which never got built, sigh). He told me it was one of the reasons he wasn't happy.

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5 minutes ago, flahute said:

It's not widely known. The only reason I know is because I spent a lot of time with Jim after he retired when I was designing his distillery (which never got built, sigh). He told me it was one of the reasons he wasn't happy.

 

I only met him a few times at tasting and release events at retailers but he seemed like a great guy with a great passion for his work.  It's pretty cool that you had that level of connection.

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I am really digging this bottle. I did a comparison to an older bottle of Ironroot Harbinger I have and definitely prefer the Still Austin over it. I got to sample a store pick they had and liked it, but I am glad I saved the $30 and just got the standard cask strength version.

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On 3/10/2024 at 5:45 PM, mbroo5880i said:

 

I only met him a few times at tasting and release events at retailers but he seemed like a great guy with a great passion for his work.  It's pretty cool that you had that level of connection.

It was really quite fun to get to know him on another level and I got to design a really cool distillery that had his stamp of approval so that was very satisfying.

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On 3/3/2024 at 10:59 PM, Davesnothere said:

My wife brought back this SFTB from London this week. This is so far  my favorite Blanton's I've ever had. It is reminiscent of some of my favorite ECBP releases. Not sure how that happens but it is wonderful.

 

 

I'm telling ya, I like those "low" proof SFTB's better than the high-proof ones. The 120.2's I got go down so, so easily. Heresy for some, may become gospel for me.

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A little behind. Happened to be in the right place at the right time in Charlotte - BiB Day, as several of you noted above. The Old Fashioned was very good.

 

 

BiB Day.jpg

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Fred's Pick from 2022, the special release. One of the best Bookers I've tried.

 

 

Fred's Pick.jpg

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