smokinjoe Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) Sitting out front on a beautiful Spring day, and azaleas blooming. It’s not overly warm, but a blazing Sun is causing my clear ice cube to melt prematurely in my glass. So, brought out my GBS Yeti mug to keep things nice. KC12 takes ice well, by releasing some sweetness, that gets overly covered up to me with the 12 years in oak. Edited March 22 by smokinjoe 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSB Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 NICE! I love KC 12. Imo, it is the sweet spot for KC. Enjoy, sir. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 I was gifted a 375ml of WRDO. I'm not a big fan of double-oaked whiskey, or Woodford, except for the rye & some of the Master's Series that I've tried. That said, the cigar cuts through the sweetness and it's really working this afternoon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandrex Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Sipping on some HMcK10 while listening to a Spring thunderstorm. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 WTRB yup that's it and it more than enough!! Awesome bourbon!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSB Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 A lil blend on the fly. OGD 114 EC Toasted OF 100pf Equal parts of the first two and a heavier pour of the OF for the mix. I have been playing with this lately. I have a few btls of EC toasted and I am not much of a fan of it and want to make storage space. Since I always have the other two on hand and opened, it seemed like a good idea. Once I find a basic blend Ilike, I will then start to be more specific. So far, it tastes good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 Monday night was a re-visit to WTRB this time with a twist, this WTRB bottling is a touch more savory than what I typically associate with RB, that said, it is VERY enjoyable. I decided to blend it with a bit of Yellowstone rum finished 100p, itself a pour I enjoy on its own but vs. this particular RB, it is certainly sweeter. The combo was very tasty as well and I really enjoyed it, not better than its component parts but I enjoyed it as much. This was just for fun and not an attempt to fix anything which is what usually inspires me to blend different bourbons. Slainte! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandrex Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 4R 2023 CA on the back deck. Life is good! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandrex Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I need to go easy on the second. MM 2023 CA. . WTH! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM818 Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 All that OGD16 talk almost made me buy a bottle tonight. But I settled for some KC. And then got interested in why JB released the small batch collection. 1988 and 1992 seems curious to me. Couldn’t find much on competition but that move seems like a brilliant business decision. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggman Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Howdy, While working ( temporarily) far from home, this enthusiast has found Knob Creek 9 for the super- low price of only 21.99+ a paltry $1 tax. So for now, make mine Knob Creek 9. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz June Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 12 hours ago, MM818 said: All that OGD16 talk almost made me buy a bottle tonight. But I settled for some KC. And then got interested in why JB released the small batch collection. 1988 and 1992 seems curious to me. Couldn’t find much on competition but that move seems like a brilliant business decision. Blanton's introduction in 1984 kicked off an era of launches for "premium" bourbons that played a big part in creating the bourbon boom. Booker of course had to keep up with his competitor/friend Elmer. A short history of brand/expression launches (or re-launch in the case of Four Roses): 1984 Blanton’s 1986 Elijah Craig 1988 Booker’s 1991 Wild Turkey Rare Breed 1992 Knob Creek 1992 Basil Hayden 1994 Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit 1996 Woodford Reserve 1999 Buffalo Trace 2000 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2002 Four Roses straight bourbon re-launched in U.S. 2002 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2002 1792 Booker's existed prior to this, but was first sold commercially in 1988. The rest of the Beam small batch collection followed (apparently Baker's was first sold in 1956 and the small batch collection version launched in the "early 90s"). And we shouldn't forget that Maker's Mark launched in 1958 and always marketed itself as a premium product (perhaps not coincidentally they were one of the only American whiskey brands to do alright during the bad times), so perhaps the Samuels were really a generation ahead of everyone else. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guss West Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 16 hours ago, MM818 said: All that OGD16 talk almost made me buy a bottle tonight. But I settled for some KC. And then got interested in why JB released the small batch collection. 1988 and 1992 seems curious to me. Couldn’t find much on competition but that move seems like a brilliant business decision. Still have a case of these old-label KC SiB from a decade ago, before the KC12, 15, 18 were launched. Age statement is 13.5 years, right in the sweet spot. This was when we could buy 14 year old bourbon at 120pf for $50/bottle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 4 hours ago, Jazz June said: Blanton's introduction in 1984 kicked off an era of launches for "premium" bourbons that played a big part in creating the bourbon boom. Booker of course had to keep up with his competitor/friend Elmer. A short history of brand/expression launches (or re-launch in the case of Four Roses): 1984 Blanton’s 1986 Elijah Craig 1988 Booker’s 1991 Wild Turkey Rare Breed 1992 Knob Creek 1992 Basil Hayden 1994 Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit 1996 Woodford Reserve 1999 Buffalo Trace 2000 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2002 Four Roses straight bourbon re-launched in U.S. 2002 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2002 1792 Booker's existed prior to this, but was first sold commercially in 1988. The rest of the Beam small batch collection followed (apparently Baker's was first sold in 1956 and the small batch collection version launched in the "early 90s"). And we shouldn't forget that Maker's Mark launched in 1958 and always marketed itself as a premium product (perhaps not coincidentally they were one of the only American whiskey brands to do alright during the bad times), so perhaps the Samuels were really a generation ahead of everyone else. Good stuff, Jazz! Thanks for researching and posting that. Your comment on Maker's is spot on, and it’s good to recognize what that brand has meant to Bourbonia’s renaissance. Maybe, some of our younger enthusiasts have not heard of the Wall Street Journal front page article on MM, and how it lit fire under Maker’s, but also helped catapult the entire industry into the turnaround, and then boom, we have experience these past nearly 40years. I’d like to add an article in SeriousEats, written by Reid Mitenbuler about the WSJ article and its impact. https://www.seriouseats.com/history-makers-mark-bourbon-advertising-expensive#:~:text=The airline strategy also helped,today is stronger than ever. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayouredd Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 14 minutes ago, Guss West said: Still have a case of these old-label KC SiB from a decade ago, before the KC12, 15, 18 were launched. Age statement is 13.5 years, right in the sweet spot. This was when we could buy 14 year old bourbon at 120pf for $50/bottle. I have one left from a case and a half. It actually also dates as a 13.5 year old. I've been seriously considering opening it on Easter - maybe I will, maybe I won't, maybe I will, maybe I won't. I consider it one of the premiums in my stash, but also the end of an era. Decisions, decisions... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz June Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 1 hour ago, smokinjoe said: Good stuff, Jazz! Thanks for researching and posting that. Your comment on Maker's is spot on, and it’s good to recognize what that brand has meant to Bourbonia’s renaissance. Maybe, some of our younger enthusiasts have not heard of the Wall Street Journal front page article on MM, and how it lit fire under Maker’s, but also helped catapult the entire industry into the turnaround, and then boom, we have experience these past nearly 40years. I’d like to add an article in SeriousEats, written by Reid Mitenbuler about the WSJ article and its impact. https://www.seriouseats.com/history-makers-mark-bourbon-advertising-expensive#:~:text=The airline strategy also helped,today is stronger than ever. Thanks. I did fail to identify the first release of Pappy Van Winkle in 1994 and probably some others that belong on the list, but what can you do? A little corresponding history on the people that drove a lot of these releases: 1985 Elmer T. Lee “retires” from Buffalo Trace 1992 Booker Noe “retires” from Beam 1992 Bill Samuels, Sr. dies 2003 Lincoln Henderson retires from Brown-Forman 2004 Booker Noe dies 2005 Gary Gayheart retires from Buffalo Trace 2013 Elmer T. Lee dies 2015 Jim Rutledge retires from Four Roses 2017 Parker Beam dies There are definitely some people left off this list, but that was a quick pull from the notes. Also, Jimmy and Eddie Russell are of course still running Wild Turkey. I'd guess there is some date on which Jimmy entered a "master distiller emeritus" type role, but he still seems to be there most days, so I'm not sure if that should be listed as retirement, even in quotation marks. These people (and again, many I didn't list I'm sure) pushed for these releases that showcased what Kentucky bourbon can be at its best. Even the tail end of the listed time frame is before the boom really kicked in, so I'm sure it wasn't an easy sell in the board room, but these whiskeys started to elevate the reputation of bourbon to where it is today. Plus they tasted really good and made a lot of us fall in love with American whiskey. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 3 hours ago, Guss West said: Still have a case of these old-label KC SiB from a decade ago, before the KC12, 15, 18 were launched. Age statement is 13.5 years, right in the sweet spot. This was when we could buy 14 year old bourbon at 120pf for $50/bottle. Love that era of Knob Creek. I've got several similar single barrel picks squirreled away myself. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grady330 Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 WT 101, Old Ezra 7, Nashville barrel. All good!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 A while back @Galvin0791 shared some WT 101 with me. Man was it good. Better than I remembered. Not long ago, I bought a bottle of the WT 70th. I decided to change things up a bit the other night. I opened the WT 70th and had a pour. I had high expectations considering my last taste of WT 101 was so good. Sad to say, I was a bit disappointed. I did think the nose was good though. Sweet, vegetal with a slight oaky, mustiness like a rickhouse. The flavors were muddled to me, but not in a good way. Earthy, spicy, slightly soapy and a bit tannic. Not a fan. I reckon I should have bought the ps FRSB instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 47 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said: A while back @Galvin0791 shared some WT 101 with me. Man was it good. Better than I remembered. Not long ago, I bought a bottle of the WT 70th. I decided to change things up a bit the other night. I opened the WT 70th and had a pour. I had high expectations considering my last taste of WT 101 was so good. Sad to say, I was a bit disappointed. I did think the nose was good though. Sweet, vegetal with a slight oaky, mustiness like a rickhouse. The flavors were muddled to me, but not in a good way. Earthy, spicy, slightly soapy and a bit tannic. Not a fan. I reckon I should have bought the ps FRSB instead. I wonder if that 101 was from the batch/s that purportedly had some 10yr as the 8yr stocks were temporarily depleted with the launch of Longbranch? I had a bottle from that batch and found it to be excellent so rumor or not I went out and stocked up. Glad I did as the new 8yr, while a welcome return of an age statement can't bode well for the now "standard" 101. Back on topic (though wrong thread!! WP10 rye SP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 58 minutes ago, kcgumbohead said: I wonder if that 101 was from the batch/s that purportedly had some 10yr as the 8yr stocks were temporarily depleted with the launch of Longbranch? I had a bottle from that batch and found it to be excellent so rumor or not I went out and stocked up. Glad I did as the new 8yr, while a welcome return of an age statement can't bode well for the now "standard" 101. Back on topic (though wrong thread!! WP10 rye SP. I have several bottles of those 2018 batches and they are no better than the 70th bottle IMHO. I don't feel the 70th and regular WT101 are that far apart (even the great 2018 batches) that someone would have such varying opinions. More likely just palate variation ("bad palate day" I call them). YMMV... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Dang! I forgot it was a 4:00 start! So grabbed en Evan Williams Black Label, clear cube, and the radio for some baseball on the front patio. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandrex Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Some Bookers Sip Awhile after dinner? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 1792 BiB in the glass. O's kicked ass. Terps & Caps on TV. Oliva Serie V in hand. It's a pretty good Thursday night. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 28 minutes ago, Skinsfan1311 said: 1792 BiB in the glass. O's kicked ass. Terps & Caps on TV. Oliva Serie V in hand. It's a pretty good Thursday night. I would say so!!! Live large!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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