What bottle did you open today? - 2024

[fishnbowljoe]

Eeny, meeny, miny….

 

[fishnbowljoe]

[Kepler]

54 minutes ago, Wedelstaedt said:

A restart of the brand, I speculate this means HH’s stocks are on the rebound. I hope this brand makes a return to its former glory. Those bottles from 2004 and earlier are sublime. (Yes, I admit it, I’m a Evan Williams SiB fanboy). 
 

Cheers

 

Me too.  This one used to be an affordable staple when I first got into bourbon, along with WT101, KC9, EWBiB, MM90, OF86/100, and EC12 (EC12 is gone for now, anyway ). 

I'm so glad and encouraged that EWSiB is making a comeback.

 

[Wedelstaedt]

5 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Moe, Now that’s funny.

[fishnbowljoe]

3 hours ago, Wedelstaedt said:

Moe, Now that’s funny.

That’s literally what I did to pick which bottle to open. Not that it mattered, cause they’re all good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Cross post from the "drinking" thread.

Mrs. Skinsfan is having the Old Fashioned,  with WT101 as the base...I'm too lazy to post her drink in the cocktails thread

Edited May 5, 2024 by Skinsfan1311

[Kepler]

This is a very nice craft bourbon for only 44 bucks.  Nice flavors.  Thanks for the heads up  @mbroo5880i.  Good call

 

[Wedelstaedt]

32 minutes ago, Kepler said:

This is a very nice craft bourbon for only 44 bucks.  Nice flavors.  Thanks for the heads up  @mbroo5880i.  Good call

 

Is it as dark as it appears in the photo?  
 

Cheers

[Kepler]

1 minute ago, Wedelstaedt said:

Is it as dark as it appears in the photo?  
 

Cheers

 

I would say my room had low light conditions.  But it has nice colors.  Looks like a typical 6-8 yr KSBW such as WT101, ECSmB NAS or 1792 SmB.

 

[Wedelstaedt]

4 minutes ago, Kepler said:

 

I would say my room had low light conditions.  But it has nice colors.  Looks like a typical 6-8 yr KSBW such as WT101, ECSmB NAS or 1792 SmB.

 

Hmmmm.  These days, 6-8 yrs for $44, is a solid bargain. If, it is that old. Anyway, it sounds like I need to keep an eye out. 
Have a great weekend. 
 

Cheers

[Kepler]

6 minutes ago, Wedelstaedt said:

Hmmmm.  These days, 6-8 yrs for $44, is a solid bargain. If, it is that old. Anyway, it sounds like I need to keep an eye out. 
Have a great weekend. 
 

Cheers

I think this Hard Truth is more like 4 years old, but it has nice color.  NCF too.

[Wedelstaedt]

My first Rendezvous. I have had  several Double Ryes, and enjoyed those. So this could be a treat.

 

Happy FRyeday.

[FasterHorses]

6 hours ago, Wedelstaedt said:

My first Rendezvous. I have had  several Double Ryes, and enjoyed those. So this could be a treat.

 

Happy FRyeday.

Dang.. a 2015!  New purchase or from the bunker?

[Wedelstaedt]

11 hours ago, FasterHorses said:

Dang.. a 2015!  New purchase or from the bunker?

Yes, a recent purchase. I found the bottle in December. I was happy,  to say the least. It was priced about normal. It didn’t look like a sleepy store, the store  certainly wasn’t out of the way, I was a bit surprised to find a 2015  on the shelf.  I wonder, if older bottles such as this one, are in a storage room, behind a case of vodka, just waiting to be discovered and put out to sell.  
 

Cheers. 

[FasterHorses]

On 5/11/2024 at 6:41 PM, Wedelstaedt said:

Yes, a recent purchase. I found the bottle in December. I was happy,  to say the least. It was priced about normal. It didn’t look like a sleepy store, the store  certainly wasn’t out of the way, I was a bit surprised to find a 2015  on the shelf.  I wonder, if older bottles such as this one, are in a storage room, behind a case of vodka, just waiting to be discovered and put out to sell.  
 

Cheers. 

Ive found a few like that that have seemed to appear out if nowhere last year. A case of charter 101 and a belle meade single barrel 9 yr.

Both at the same store, so i figure its kind of like youre surmising. Very cool when it happens. Congrats on your great find!

Edited May 14, 2024 by FasterHorses

[WhiskeyBlender]

On 4/16/2024 at 1:16 PM, Anwalt said:

Trying out 2 one ouncers today. A rye that was both a gift and a recommendation.

 

And Still Austin 4y CS. The story: A friend who is visiting this weekend has tried both JMCB and [2y] Still Austin CS. He loves them both. He is a Fraley Fan, big time. A client lives near the distillery in Austin and snagged a few bottles of the 4y CS. One shall go home with my friend (along with a JMCB). I thought I'd open one now so he could try it after it breathed for a few days. He does not know the 4y exists. Can't wait to try it side by side with 2y.

 

This stuff is fun.

 

 

Hey @Anwalt, Nancy here. Sorry I'm just now seeing your post, but if your friend is a fan and is interested, please tell him that I'm running an experiment through the end of this year with the Still Austin Nancy's Picks. Starting in July, I'm taking two 6 year-old cask strength barrels one number apart from each other that come from the same fermentation date, distillation date, barrel entry date and as well as same barrel entry proof (118), same bottling date. The barrels are also as from the same warehouse, use the same cooperage (yard seasoned 53 gls ICS char #3), etc. The only difference will be how they matured in their respective barrels in the rick house. 

 

Each "experiment" will be as a unit and released over the course of a two month period. Thus for example, barrel #20 from lot 2018-0521 will be released on July 1st, while barrel #21 from that same lot will be released on August 1st. I plan to do a "unit" of two consecutively numbered barrels for September and October, and probably for November and December as well. 

 

I did this experiment for the months of March and April, but unfortunately it wasn't well publicized, so I don't know how many folks were able to compare them. I was shocked by just how much variation in flavor and in proof there was between those two barrels. 

 

At any rate, I'm trying to show that there actually can be a lot of variation between how Bourbon barrels mature in a Texas environment, assuming of course that the Bourbon is produced in the more "traditional" and less "funky" TX way.  

 

Don't know if it was your client or your friend's client that lives in Austin, but at any rate I thought your friend might be interested in both the 6 yr age statement and the experiment itself and could have the client pick up a bottle. 

 

Cheers!

Nancy

 

[Wedelstaedt]

On 5/13/2024 at 8:08 PM, FasterHorses said:

Ive found a few like that that have seemed to appear out if nowhere last year. A case of charter 101 and a belle meade single barrel 9 yr.

Both at the same store, so i figure its kind of like youre surmising. Very cool when it happens. Congrats on your great find!

Wow, you certainly found some choice bottles. Both of those brands are very good. Nice scores.
Thank you. I haven’t stumbled upon an older bottle in a while, but the hope of doing so, makes me stop and shop at stores new to me. 
 

Cheers

Edited May 19, 2024 by Wedelstaedt
Clarification

[b1gcountry]

I opened a calumet farms 16 last night. Thanks for the recommendation @0895! 

[Kepler]

6 hours ago, b1gcountry said:

I opened a calumet farms 16 last night. Thanks for the recommendation @0895! 

 

That sounded good this afternoon so I followed your lead.  Just cracked open my Calumet 16 as well.

[Kepler]

In addition to the Calumet 16 year, I decided to go ahead and open my other well-aged Barton bottles, the Calumet 14 year and the 1792 12 year.  A casual SBS conducted with my feedback in the 'what are you drinking' thread.

[b1gcountry]

On 5/19/2024 at 4:07 PM, Kepler said:

 

That sounded good this afternoon so I followed your lead.  Just cracked open my Calumet 16 as well.

It is very nice!

[meadeweber]

Opened a Holladay Soft Red Wheat BiB.  First impressions were promising.

[Anwalt]

A New Way to Open Bottles (Not Recommended):

 

Old Elk Double Wheated came well recommended from a guy who is usually right. Got via KL Wine. Friend drove to my annual Vegas trip. Another friend took it to Nashville (because I had too many bottles to take back on my own). Made its way to Columbus. Then put on a plane to PR in luggage. Heavily sealed in an inflatable bag that protected it quite well. Got around to opening some of those up that were sitting in the closet. Remove from bag, put away, check XL for accuracy.

 

Cork was super wrapped. Trying to get bottle out of the very tight bag. Pulling, pulling, pulling. on neck. Hand  slips to cork/stopper, cork comes out, liquid sprays like a shotgun in my face. And yes, It Burns Us, It Burnnnns Us. Washed face. Cut open bag. 

 

Note how much remained in the bag. Get it out, quick! Have too much estrogen already, the plastics and the hobbits is Nasties, Nasty. Most of it made into the Glencairn, some Preciouses Drops didn't make it. My Precious!

 

Another day, another saga.

 

Now we'll see if this stuff is any good.

 

 

 

[mal00768]

35 minutes ago, Anwalt said:

A New Way to Open Bottles (Not Recommended):

 

Old Elk Double Wheated came well recommended from a guy who is usually right. Got via KL Wine. Friend drove to my annual Vegas trip. Another friend took it to Nashville (because I had too many bottles to take back on my own). Made its way to Columbus. Then put on a plane to PR in luggage. Heavily sealed in an inflatable bag that protected it quite well. Got around to opening some of those up that were sitting in the closet. Remove from bag, put away, check XL for accuracy.

 

Cork was super wrapped. Trying to get bottle out of the very tight bag. Pulling, pulling, pulling. on neck. Hand  slips to cork/stopper, cork comes out, liquid sprays like a shotgun in my face. And yes, It Burns Us, It Burnnnns Us. Washed face. Cut open bag. 

 

Note how much remained in the bag. Get it out, quick! Have too much estrogen already, the plastics and the hobbits is Nasties, Nasty. Most of it made into the Glencairn, some Preciouses Drops didn't make it. My Precious!

 

Another day, another saga.

 

Now we'll see if this stuff is any good.

 

 

 

Well at least you didn’t have to stand in the bunker for 30 minutes like a deer in headlights wondering wtf to open.

[markandrex]

1 hour ago, Anwalt said:

A New Way to Open Bottles (Not Recommended):

 

Old Elk Double Wheated came well recommended from a guy who is usually right. Got via KL Wine. Friend drove to my annual Vegas trip. Another friend took it to Nashville (because I had too many bottles to take back on my own). Made its way to Columbus. Then put on a plane to PR in luggage. Heavily sealed in an inflatable bag that protected it quite well. Got around to opening some of those up that were sitting in the closet. Remove from bag, put away, check XL for accuracy.

 

Cork was super wrapped. Trying to get bottle out of the very tight bag. Pulling, pulling, pulling. on neck. Hand  slips to cork/stopper, cork comes out, liquid sprays like a shotgun in my face. And yes, It Burns Us, It Burnnnns Us. Washed face. Cut open bag. 

 

Note how much remained in the bag. Get it out, quick! Have too much estrogen already, the plastics and the hobbits is Nasties, Nasty. Most of it made into the Glencairn, some Preciouses Drops didn't make it. My Precious!

 

Another day, another saga.

 

Now we'll see if this stuff is any good.

 

 

 

Golum , Golum!