Bourbon Hunting

[graybeard75]

Getting ready to go on my first bourbon hunt in the next day or to.  What to look for??  Suggestions??  Thanks. 

[fishnbowljoe]

A wise man here once said ,”Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” That man is whiskey writer and historian “Colonel” Chuck Cowdery. Don’t go overboard in a rush to try anything and everything. Check old threads here. There’s a wealth of information. Look at reviews. Ask questions. My information would be to make a list. Check out the main or namesake bourbons from the heritage distillers first. Get a feel for that, then move on to other distilleries and their bourbons and ryes. Below is a list. Mind you, this list is just a jumping off point. Another suggestion would be to make a list, then check out bars to see if they have a decent selection of bourbons. Basically try before you buy.  Have fun, and good luck. 

Barton-1792 Small Batch, Very Old Barton Bottled In Bond

Buffalo Trace-Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare

Four Roses-Four Roses (Yellow Label), Four Roses Single Barrel

Jim Beam-Jim Beam, Knob Creek

Heaven Hill-Elijah Craig, Evan Williams Bottled In Bond

Maker’s Mark-Maker’s Mark, Maker’s Mark 101

Wild Turkey-Wild Turkey 80 proof, Wild Turkey 101 proof

[Harry in WashDC]

15 hours ago, graybeard75 said:

Getting ready to go on my first bourbon hunt in the next day or to.  What to look for??  Suggestions??  Thanks. 

Just about everybody on SB who has been here more than two years has gone through what you are experiencing.  We discovered that “bourbon” is more than a whiskey/whisky.  It is like a potent wine - complex mixtures of flavors and scents that are able on occasion to cause us to say, “WHOA! What was THAT?  You feel THAT?” out loud to strangers.  I’m not talking about beer abv fuzziness, I’m talking, “WHOA …”.  Then, we went crazy, buying stuff whether we needed it or could afford it.  Didn’t matter as we HAD to have it.  After awhile, bourbon nirvana arrived, and we slowed down our buying.  Some of that early stuff, eight years on, STILL resides in my bunker.

 

Notice I am not telling you to stop.  You’ll find that time on your own.  What I am saying is, like the old bull said to the young bull, “Let’s not run down the hill and get a few cows.  Let’s walk down and get the ones we really want.”

[Bourbon Scout]

48 minutes ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Just about everybody on SB who has been here more than two years has gone through what you are experiencing.  We discovered that “bourbon” is more than a whiskey/whisky.  It is like a potent wine - complex mixtures of flavors and scents that are able on occasion to cause us to say, “WHOA! What was THAT?  You feel THAT?” out loud to strangers.  I’m not talking about beer abv fuzziness, I’m talking, “WHOA …”.  Then, we went crazy, buying stuff whether we needed it or could afford it.  Didn’t matter as we HAD to have it.  After awhile, bourbon nirvana arrived, and we slowed down our buying.  Some of that early stuff, eight years on, STILL resides in my bunker.

 

Notice I am not telling you to stop.  You’ll find that time on your own.  What I am saying is, like the old bull said to the young bull, “Let’s not run down the hill and get a few cows.  Let’s walk down and get the ones we really want.”

That's not how that quote about the bull goes.

 

The young bull says let's run down and get a cow.  The Old bull says let's walk down and get all the cows.

 

And it's not helping the O.P.s situation,  now your telling him to go get em all!

[graybeard75]

True it’s like there’s so many now.  I’m just looking for a couple to start out. I have the buffalo trace.  I’ll probably stick with what they have to offer. If I can find two I’ll be happen for awhile.  Lol. Everyone probably says that. 

[fishnbowljoe]

15 minutes ago, graybeard75 said:

True it’s like there’s so many now.  I’m just looking for a couple to start out. I have the buffalo trace.  I’ll probably stick with what they have to offer. If I can find two I’ll be happen for awhile.  Lol. Everyone probably says that. 

“That’s what she said.”

[mbroo5880i]

37 minutes ago, graybeard75 said:

True it’s like there’s so many now.  I’m just looking for a couple to start out. I have the buffalo trace.  I’ll probably stick with what they have to offer. If I can find two I’ll be happen for awhile.  Lol. Everyone probably says that. 

 

Look for new and different bottles to experience.  House brands and BIBs are a great place to start.  However, a sexy bottle or two is ok as well.  If I am picking up a few bottles, I like some standard fare but also something that just piques my interest.  

 

Happy Hunting!

[graybeard75]

That’s what she said. Lmao. Love that show.  It’s funny I looked several places for the Buffalo trace liquor store no go. Went to Walgreens there it was last bottle.  Funny how that is.  Thanks again to all 

[graybeard75]

This might be a dumb question. But is there any source that a person can go to and see what a bottle of bourbon is going for??  Just to see if a store is to high on price??  Thanks. 

[fishnbowljoe]

31 minutes ago, graybeard75 said:

That’s what she said. Lmao. Love that show.  It’s funny I looked several places for the Buffalo trace liquor store no go. Went to Walgreens there it was last bottle.  Funny how that is.  Thanks again to all 

Distribution here is sometimes……… I believe our proximity to Chicago might be a factor. I heard things from sales reps in the past. Trickle down effect. Gotta make sure the places in Chicago are taken care of first.

[mbroo5880i]

7 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Distribution here is sometimes……… I believe our proximity to Chicago might be a factor. I heard things from sales reps in the past. Trickle down effect. Gotta make sure the places in Chicago are taken care of first.

 

Chicago, Shchicago... Capone's territory.  Indy should get everything before Chicago.  Just saying.  

[graybeard75]

For shits and giggles I called some stores.  Found colonel E H Taylor. What’s a going price on this ??  Thanks. 

[steven s]

45$ for the small batch.

 

I enjoy it more that BT and ER myself, and will personally go up to $60 on this.

 

 

[PaulO]

1 hour ago, graybeard75 said:

For shits and giggles I called some stores.  Found colonel E H Taylor. What’s a going price on this ??  Thanks. 

There are several different versions of EH Taylor.  That small batch probably least expensive relatively.

[graybeard75]

Yep never asked what it was lol.  What Jack Daniel’s.  Anything good??  When I was young old number 7 was about all I knew. And never really liked it of course me and my buddies would just get it to get drunk. Lol 

[Harry in WashDC]

14 hours ago, graybeard75 said:

This might be a dumb question. But is there any source that a person can go to and see what a bottle of bourbon is going for??  Just to see if a store is to high on price??  Thanks. 

I'm in Wash DC and have Montgomery County MD and Virginia "next Door". Both MontCo (but not all of MD counties) and Virginia sell distilled spirits only through their own stores.  Both have good websites that list brands by price and store availability.  Prices are almost always MSRP (maybe plus some tax) whether they have a particular product or not.  These prices should give you SOME idea of what a particular bottle may cost without any markup by a retail store.

 

https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/abssearch/default.aspx

 

https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products

[FasterHorses]

On 3/28/2024 at 8:15 PM, graybeard75 said:

This might be a dumb question. But is there any source that a person can go to and see what a bottle of bourbon is going for??  Just to see if a store is to high on price??  Thanks. 

Sb.com

 

[Anwalt]

Wine-searcher.com

 

[TwoFingers]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:36 AM, Harry in WashDC said:

I'm in Wash DC and have Montgomery County MD and Virginia "next Door". Both MontCo (but not all of MD counties) and Virginia sell distilled spirits only through their own stores.  Both have good websites that list brands by price and store availability.  Prices are almost always MSRP (maybe plus some tax) whether they have a particular product or not.  These prices should give you SOME idea of what a particular bottle may cost without any markup by a retail store.

 

https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/abssearch/default.aspx

 

https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products

What he said.  I'm from Montgomery county and I use these two sites regularly.  Virginia is usually a little higher in price, so I use the two sites to give me an idea of what the going price MIGHT be.  They don't carry everything but a decent place to start.

[PaulO]

On 3/28/2024 at 9:15 PM, graybeard75 said:

This might be a dumb question. But is there any source that a person can go to and see what a bottle of bourbon is going for??  Just to see if a store is to high on price??  Thanks. 

I find the Total Wine website to be useful.  I can pretty much find whatever the distributors in my area have, since TW sells it all, and find a good ball park range price.

I noticed TW has no stores in WV, but they do have in bordering states.  Still might be worth a look.

 

If you ever go there in person, just don't let the clerks talk you into their "spirits direct" house brands.

[graybeard75]

Thanks I’ll check it out. 

[kcgumbohead]

Airplane bottles are always good for trying many things across different distilleries without incurring a full bottle cost and you open and enjoy at your leisure when you can focus on what you’re enjoying. That may not always be the case when having a bar pour.

You asked about JD. There is MUCH more now than just old #7. They have a bottled in bond, a triple mash and single barrel cask strength in both TN whisky and rye ( both are excellent). I was a fan of the single barrel back in the day when that was released but these days I gravitate toward the barrel strength releases, never tasted a dud.

[Double C's]

1 hour ago, kcgumbohead said:

Airplane bottles are always good for trying many things across different distilleries without incurring a full bottle cost and you open and enjoy at your leisure when you can focus on what you’re enjoying. That may not always be the case when having a bar pour.

You asked about JD. There is MUCH more now than just old #7. They have a bottled in bond, a triple mash and single barrel cask strength in both TN whisky and rye ( both are excellent). I was a fan of the single barrel back in the day when that was released but these days I gravitate toward the barrel strength releases, never tasted a dud.

The 50ml airplane bottles is one of the best ways for someone starting out to try a variety of bourbons from the bigger distilleries without breaking the bank buying a bunch of regular sized bottles of the same products.

[Kepler]

BT and CEHT ... shocking

[Kepler]

I agree with @kcgumbohead and @Double C's recommendation to try out some small size samples first before investing in a bunch of full sized bottles you might not end up caring for.

 

If you are completely new to bourbon you can either go to a good whiskey bar (uber home) or just grab some 50ml or 200ml bottles from a cross-section of different key producers.  Besides Buffalo Trace (which you already have) try Evan Williams (black, white or 1783 it doesn't matter which one), Wild Turkey 101, Old Forester 86 or 100, and Four Roses Small Batch or Single Barrel.

For longer aged bourbons (read 'more expensive') you might have to bump up to the 375ml size to try different ones.  I'd recommend Knob Creek 9 Year (made by Beam) and Elijah Craig (basically older aged Evan Williams). 

 

Good luck in your new journey and let us know your feedback on new stuff you try out!  Welcome to SB!