Harry in WashDC Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Since it is now 2024, here's a renewed Topic -- A couple days ago, one of the Joes posted a picture of MM in the "What bourbon are you drinking?" thread. It made me switch from a WT LE in a fancy box to a dusty MM CS I found when putting Christmas decorations on an upper shelf in a storage room. Tonight while looking for info on the KC playoff game (which is on Peacock and which I cannot figure out how to get to and pay for - yeah, I'm a Luddite), I finished that bottle. It was a 110.4 proof 750ml of Batch 15-04. It only had about 5 OZ. in it when I found it and the last 3 OZ. disappeared tonight. It was so smooth that I finished it without water or ice. Makes me want to go look on those dusty shelves for its friends. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davesnothere Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 (edited) I've been sipping on this one for about three months. At first I thought it was over hyped, but I have to say it was probably my favorite bottle of the year. Edited January 16 by Davesnothere 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Chattanooga BIB, what great find thanks to SB…never would have looked twice at this if not for the recommendations 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMatt Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Killed a bottle of Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered last night that I took home from a whiskey club bottle share. I only intended to inflict Great Bodily Harm on it, but I got carried away. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 A.Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg, VA, is a subsidiary of Buffalo Trace. It re-distills and barrels new make from BT and ages it in F'burg. ASB releases LEs from time to time under its Abraham Bowman line. I just finished an Abe Bowman "Last Millennium" bourbon. It was bottled on 5/02/2013 at 100 proof and consisted of a mix of distillates from 12/31/1997 and 12/23/1999. I was able to buy two bottles at MSRP shortly after it came out. The first one went quickly in 2014 because several persons acting as a group were involved in its demise. The second sat on a shelf for eight years. In early 2023, I saw a secondary market price for it (which was OBSCENE!!) at a local purveyor and decided to drink it instead of sell it. Divvied it up among persons I know would appreciate it - a few local, a few distant. No regrets about the "lost" profit. NOW, it is back to beer for today's football and to OGD BIB for tonight's late night treat. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 4 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said: A.Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg, VA, is a subsidiary of Buffalo Trace. It re-distills and barrels new make from BT and ages it in F'burg. ASB releases LEs from time to time under its Abraham Bowman line. I just finished an Abe Bowman "Last Millennium" bourbon. It was bottled on 5/02/2013 at 100 proof and consisted of a mix of distillates from 12/31/1997 and 12/23/1999. I was able to buy two bottles at MSRP shortly after it came out. The first one went quickly in 2014 because several persons acting as a group were involved in its demise. The second sat on a shelf for eight years. In early 2023, I saw a secondary market price for it (which was OBSCENE!!) at a local purveyor and decided to drink it instead of sell it. Divvied it up among persons I know would appreciate it - a few local, a few distant. No regrets about the "lost" profit. NOW, it is back to beer for today's football and to OGD BIB for tonight's late night treat. I love the John J. and have never tried the Abraham...but not for lack of trying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 (edited) I'm gonna miss this one. I am, however, getting a little better at thinning the herd. That's a lie. I bought a bottle of Cooper's Craft 100 this morning, so I guess it's a wash Edited January 21 by Skinsfan1311 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 On 1/20/2024 at 8:34 PM, Skinsfan1311 said: I love the John J. and have never tried the Abraham...but not for lack of trying! Mid-2010-2016, the Abe Bowman’s could be found at a couple Wash DC stores and at multiple Va ABC stores, but they usually disappeared within days. On release dates (announced via Facebook back then), they could be bought at the distillery just South of Fredericksburg. By 2017, the line started forming at the distillery hours before its opening, and ABC store managers told me that buyers lined up at their stores hours before the trucks arrived on delivery days. Post-2020, I have snagged only one Abe LE, and that was pure luck - walked in to a store in Central Park outside F’burg as that single bottle was being put behind the glass counter at the register. That was in 2022. Haven’t seen one since. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz June Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 10 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said: Mid-2010-2016, the Abe Bowman’s could be found at a couple Wash DC stores and at multiple Va ABC stores, but they usually disappeared within days. On release dates (announced via Facebook back then), they could be bought at the distillery just South of Fredericksburg. By 2017, the line started forming at the distillery hours before its opening, and ABC store managers told me that buyers lined up at their stores hours before the trucks arrived on delivery days. Post-2020, I have snagged only one Abe LE, and that was pure luck - walked in to a store in Central Park outside F’burg as that single bottle was being put behind the glass counter at the register. That was in 2022. Haven’t seen one since. While of course your general point about the availability of Abraham Bowman is correct, I will note that the last release was in December of 2021 (rum finished, release #21). I wonder if Bowman will even do any more of these any time soon or if the A. Smith Bowman CS has replaced it as their brand building, highly limited, unicorn release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz June Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Last night I finished this Wild Turkey 101 bottled in 1998. After a quarter of a century (but only a shade over two years open), this bottle was finally relieved of its liquid burden and can ascend to the great recycling bin in the sky (oh wait, our county doesn't recycle glass anymore, so to the garbage it goes). 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 12 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said: Mid-2010-2016, the Abe Bowman’s could be found at a couple Wash DC stores and at multiple Va ABC stores, but they usually disappeared within days. On release dates (announced via Facebook back then), they could be bought at the distillery just South of Fredericksburg. By 2017, the line started forming at the distillery hours before its opening, and ABC store managers told me that buyers lined up at their stores hours before the trucks arrived on delivery days. Post-2020, I have snagged only one Abe LE, and that was pure luck - walked in to a store in Central Park outside F’burg as that single bottle was being put behind the glass counter at the register. That was in 2022. Haven’t seen one since. Thanks! We've been to the distillery a couple of times and enjoyed both visits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 3 hours ago, Jazz June said: While of course your general point about the availability of Abraham Bowman is correct, I will note that the last release was in December of 2021 (rum finished, release #21). I wonder if Bowman will even do any more of these any time soon or if the A. Smith Bowman CS has replaced it as their brand building, highly limited, unicorn release. THAT explains why I haven't seen one lately. I just visited the ASB website, and it does look like the annual CS release each DEC has replaced the Abe Bowman series at least for 2022=2024 and apparently for the upcoming years. I was also surprised to learn that Brian Prewitt is no longer the Master Distiller there. David Bock, a sometime Saz corp. employee with prior craft distilling experience, is now the MD, but I could find no news on Mr. Prewitt's departure or the date Mr. Bock took over. Thanks for the nudge to look further. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Found this at the back of my bar cabinet. It was spectacular even on its last drop. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 7 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said: THAT explains why I haven't seen one lately. I just visited the ASB website, and it does look like the annual CS release each DEC has replaced the Abe Bowman series at least for 2022=2024 and apparently for the upcoming years. I was also surprised to learn that Brian Prewitt is no longer the Master Distiller there. David Bock, a sometime Saz corp. employee with prior craft distilling experience, is now the MD, but I could find no news on Mr. Prewitt's departure or the date Mr. Bock took over. Thanks for the nudge to look further. Interesting. The first time Mrs Skinsfan & I toured Bowman it was during the week, midday, so it was just us. We met Mr. Prewitt and he was very friendly and engaging. I'm sorry to hear that he's gone and am curious as to why he is no longer there. I hope that the quality doesn't suffer. The John J. is a staple on our bar and, since the last bottle shortage, we always make sure to have a spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VWIndy Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Love the old VWFRR. Got just four left and saving for special occasions. Can’t think of a better rye that I have ever tried! Cheers and Enjoy VWIndy 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Been drinking MM lately. The empty handle was from topping off the 750 on my cabinet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCWoody Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) Finished off a KC 12y. Solid bourbon. Edited January 24 by LCWoody 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double C's Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 kinda sad the bartender tossed the bottle before I could get a pic with it, but this was the 2+ Oz from a RR 13yr that was at a local bar/restaurant. It's even sweeter when someone else is picking up the tab for the gathering I was at. It was my first time tasting RR 13yr and I loved it. Maybe I will get lucky one day and get a chance to buy a bottle. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 1/22/2024 at 2:46 PM, smokinjoe said: Found this at the back of my bar cabinet. It was spectacular even on its last drop. Oh yes..........one of my all time favorite ryes. I've only ever owned one bottle and have about 1/3 left. Purchased around 10 years ago. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anwalt Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 What a wonderful bottle (C922). Glad I got multiples. Need to try it side by side with B523. Also: This bottle reminded me that those that have been open for a while are often different in a very pleasant way. I've never had a bottle go South because it was open for a while. Always North. Take that, Dixie! I am (no feces, not kidding) tempted to go open a bunch and come back to them later. Because oxygen? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FasterHorses Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 This one never disappoints. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FasterHorses Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Finishing off a couple bottles tonight. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 I posted in the “What Bourbon Are You Drinking?” thread last night that I was having a couple of pours of a ps BT. I mentioned there wasn’t much left of that bottle. Well, I finished it off. There’s also a ET that I finished earlier this week. I also took the opportunity to show off the BT swag I got for Xmas. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Recent bottle kills. The EW and KC were, of course, solid; mostly used in cocktails. The Heaven's Door was a freakin' delicious flavor bomb. Cask strength five or six (I don't recall which) year MGP K&L store pick. I'm glad I bought a couple of these when they were on clearance. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_OKC Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Lots of good stuff posted on this thread. Yikes. I finished off a Stagg Jr this evening (third release, I think). My only remaining Stagg Jr is the infamous first release, which garners stink eye from all sides, but I find that it improves with a splash or two of water. Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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