Wathens available again!

[BobA]

Yes, I now see that I misread your earlier post. It can be interesting to look at pricing in different states, or even among local stores, and satisfying to think we know where to shop for what. But if I really sit down and figure it out, I suspect I'd often find myself burning $2 in gas to save $1 on bourbon, or any other product I try to "maximize." I suspect that a knowledge of what is available where is probably the most that I can hope to hold in my head, and that seems to vary more than price. And, to return this thread to its roots, I believe I have only seen one bottle of Wathens, and was already maxed out that day.

Bob

[BourbonJoe]

Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon is not, nor has been, from Yellowstone/Glenmore distilleries. I do not know of any brand to direct you to if you are seeking product from that distillery.

Thanks.

SAM Medley

8th Generation Distiller

Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon"

This is all very interesting. Sam Medly is an 8th generation distiller but evidently has no distillery. Interesting. Wathens is also bottled in California. Interesting. Anybody know by whom??

Joe

[Rughi]

I believe Wathen's is now bottled by Frank-Lin of San Jose (bottlers for a supermarket near you!). Can't remember where I heard that.

Roger

[BourbonJoe]

I currently have bottles from Barrel 10 (3/27/1997) -- this is the bottling the Regans use in "The Bourbon Companion" tasting -- and 146 (2/7/2003). The others I've seen around are from 140-ish barrels, too. So, we seems to have some gaps covered, and others to fill.

I just picked up 6 bottles (special order from the PALCB). Most of the bottles were from Barrel 83, dated 8-17-99. These were bottled in St. Louis, not California.

Joe

[Rughi]

In a different thread, Bourbon Joe pondered:

I just got some Wathens SB from 1999. The case stated that they were made (bottled?) at DSP-MO-16. Does anyone know which distillery this is? Would this stuff be better than the new stuff out of California?

I don't believe the whiskey is different, but rather railed out to San Jose for bottling.

Following is a post from 1999 by John Lipman, which seems to have been contradicted by a communication between Charles (sorry, it was Sam) Medley and Tim TN earlier in this thread. His thoughts were similar to many others voiced on this forum:

"Wathen's Bourbon" thread 1999

Yes, he's the same Charles Wathen Medley who used to be the master distiller at Glenmore. According to what he told us, it's a classic case of follow-the-twisty-trail-of-who-owns-what in the bourbon business. National Distillers bought out Glenmore. Then Barton Brands bought the distillery property and the brands from National. But they didn't buy the existing stock. Well, National didn't want the existing stock, either, so Charlie bought it and moved it across town (Owensboro) to one of the warehouses at his family's old abandoned distillery. So now the Charles W. Medley Distilling Company, which doesn't actually do any distilling, and probably doesn't have the yeast or the rights to the formula either, owns a warehouse full of barrels of fine whiskey which Charles Medley actually made. Pretty cool, huh?

Up until last summer, Charlie, his son, and couple of other partners hand-bottled the product at the distillery on a tiny bottling line he had made up just for the purpose (the stainless steel holding tanks hold 58 gallons or about a single barrel's worth). We have a bottle from barrel number 4. But at the time we were there he was finalizing negotiations to have David Sherman take over distribution. As you probably know, the relationship with David Sherman goes back to the Glenmore days. Wathen's is really good bourbon. Charlie wouldn't tell me the age, but you figure, if it's been sitting in barrels since Charlie was making it for Glenmore....

. By the way, later in the thread he states he meant United, not National Distillers.

I can't locate the quote at the moment, but I'm pretty sure I've read a statement by Charles Medley that they went to Frank-Lin of San Jose because of difficulties in having the bottling done by David Sherman of St. Louis, Missouri (where your bottle seems to be from).

By the way, are you going to Bourbon Festival? Tim TN and I had both thought about bringing different bottlings of Wathens to compare in a vertical. Would you like to bring a bottle of yours and we could perhaps make this happen?

Roger

Edit: I just noticed it was actually Sam Medley, not Charles Medley who had the email exchange.

[BourbonJoe]

By the way, are you going to Bourbon Festival? Tim TN and I had both thought about bringing different bottlings of Wathens to compare in a vertical. Would you like to bring a bottle of yours and we could perhaps make this happen?

Roger

Sorry Roger, I cannot make the festival this year, but that would have been a great idea.

Joe

[BourbonJoe]

Roger,

Thanks for all that information. Would you or anyone else know which distillery is DSP-MO-16?

Joe

[dgonano]

Would you or anyone else know which distillery is DSP-MO-16?

David Nicholson Distillery Co

[Rughi]

To follow up, I just found the sources I had been trying to dredge up to explain the Sherman of St. Louis to Frank-Lin of San Jose move. This was in March of 2004

First was Julian Van Winkle:

Last I heard was that Charles was having a hard time finding someone to bottle his whiskey. It was in the past bottled by David Sherman in St. Louis.

Evan in Bardstown would be the only one left to bottle for him.

Julian

Second, Lenell added to the story:

Just got word back from Sam Wathen Medley. He says that earlier this year he switched to a new national distributor - Frank-Lin Company in San Jose, California. He reported that during the switch, the glass manufacturer in Europe was out of the bottles, leaving them to search for other bottles which are in transit to the US now. They should be bottling again soon. I'll let you know when I hear more.

This is all at the thread Wathen's Availability?

Man, this Wathen's info is all over the place.

Roger - Just another bottle, please - Hodges

[elkdoggydog]

I just snagged a bottle of Wathen's, from barrel 215, bottled on 2-17-06 from Ledger's here in Berkeley, for 28 bucks. Judging by previous posts in this thread, I have absolutely no idea how old this whiskey is. I love the ETL-style bottle, though. Classy and functional. After reading this thread, I'm looking forward to tasting this one. Probably should study before I do that, though.

[jburlowski]

Wathens has been widely available around here for several years. Its a good pour.

[BourbonJoe]

I have absolutely no idea how old this whiskey is.

A long time ago I inquired to the people who bottle it. I was told 10 years old.

Joe :usflag:

[elkdoggydog]

10 would be just fine. My confusion stems from this barrel # falling between barrels which have been bottled a couple of years ago. Do they reset the barrel numbers every year, or did this one need a little more time in the barrel to be ready? Ultimately, good bourbon is good bourbon.

[BourbonJoe]

My confusion stems from this barrel # falling between barrels which have been bottled a couple of years ago. Do they reset the barrel numbers every year, or did this one need a little more time in the barrel to be ready?

Sorry Sam, can't help you there. Don't know.

Joe :usflag:

[elkdoggydog]

Thanks Joe- I learned a lot about this bourbon from the info you and a couple of others dug up a while back. I hadn't even heard of it when I bought it.

[Nebraska]

I really like Monday mornings, the beginning of the week. You never know where it's going to take you.

I had a very nice conversation with Charles, who also seemed pretty chipper for a Monday morning. All in all a half hour well spent, informative and just plain fun.

I did my usual whining that there's not enough bourbon in Nebraska (there isn't). He said he's meeting with marketing people next month, maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel for me?

I'm sure most of the history he shared with me is common place stuff for you guys, but it was new to me and hearing it from somebody that has lived it was a treat.

We talked about his bourbon (which I will add is a mighty fine pour). I have 2 bottles, one with bottling date of 1997 (st Louis), the other 2005 (San Jose). I learned more about barrel charing and moisture in wood than I knew before, which was cool. The 1997 bottle he said that he was pulling older barrels, tasting each one, but then decided to back off. Kind of let his taste buds do the talking instead of an age statement. I like that kind of thinking. As we both said, older isn't necessarily better, unless marketing guys somewhere in a cubicle say it is :grin:

He told me about his distilling and his column still, which again was a treat. He let me know that both of my bottles were from bourbon he had distilled and tasted. I have high hopes, it sounded like he's gearing up to start distilling again, he mentioned that currently he is not. Sounded like next year:woohoo: . He's a fun guy. He said not to expect Jack Daniel's levels of production, he said maybe 20,000 this first year and then up to 30,000 the following year. Sounds like a lot to me, but can you really ever have enough bourbon. Although it's less production than Jack Daniels, I'm betting the finished production is going to be a little tastier!

I believe he said out of the barrel it was 125 proof, does that sound right? It would be fun to experience it out of the barrel.

He said to give him a call again some time. I'll do worse than that, I'll have him share a pour with me and bend my ear with some stories again. Nice people like that don't come along often enough. Again what a great way to start the week.

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Nice post, Mark! I normally don´t fancy mondays but if they could be like this, I would be prepared to change my mind.

Anyways, I found it interesting that he mentioned that he distills himself. Did he, by any chance, mention where he distilled his stuff?

Earlier in this thread, we got the information that Wathen´s didn´t emanate from Yellowstone/Glenmore so where does it come from, then? :confused:

[Nebraska]

I thought to understand him that he would be and had been distilling at Owensborough, although currently he was not. He didn't say how long it had been since he'd been doing some distilling, but very definitely had said he's gearing up for the coming year.

He threw a mess of history, distillery names, stories and information at me. I got a little over whelmed about half way through the call at one point (information over load) and although I was taking some notes, I couldn't keep up!

He talked a fair amount about the early 50's, specifically 1950 and 1951 and the circumstances leading to a bourbon glut around 1958 and the changes in the law at that time. I'm only touching on all of this, like I said some of it I absorbed, a little got written down and some I tried to just take in and enjoy, but for me it was a lot of information in a little amount of time.

[cowdery]

Charles Medley's distillery in Owensboro has been silent since the early, maybe mid-90s. He bought it back from Guinness for the purpose of making whiskey there again. It would be a wonderful thing if he did since he, you know, actually knows how.

[barturtle]

Charles Medley's distillery in Owensboro has been silent since the early, maybe mid-90s. He bought it back from Guinness for the purpose of making whiskey there again. It would be a wonderful thing if he did since he, you know, actually knows how.

It would be very good to see his knowledge passed on (in a hands on way, so it's not just "book knowledge"), as any knowledge not passed on is lost

[bucky1]

Charles Medley's distillery in Owensboro has been silent since the early, maybe mid-90s. He bought it back from Guinness for the purpose of making whiskey there again. It would be a wonderful thing if he did since he, you know, actually knows how.

Chuck,

Are you saying that some others in the business don't really know how to make whiskey?

Jon

[Nebraska]

I sensed a couple of things in our conversation. He struck me like a Bill Friel kind of guy, but trying to do it independently. Making it seemed like a passion, dealing with the here after (marketing) seeming like a pain.

I found it interesting that the bottles seemed to bother him as well. The supplier and design although close were not acceptable from what I could tell.

I definately got from him a man making great bourbon and just wanting to get it out there.

[cowdery]

Chuck,

Are you saying that some others in the business don't really know how to make whiskey?

Jon

I don't mean to disparage any current distillers, all of whom I believe to be well qualified. I meant the people who aim to start distilleries or reopen silent distilleries. Among those people, Charlie is one of the few who actually has the requisite knowledge and experience.

It would be great if somebody who has that itch, and the means to scratch it, would look into financing Charlie, since I suspect that's what's stopping him.

[Nebraska]

The nail has been hit on the head...thanks Chuck.

[Murman]

Wathen's

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Single Barrel

Eight Generations

250 Years

On the neck:

Barrel Number 282

Hand Bottled 9-29-06

On the back:

Bottled by Charles Medley Distillery San Jose, CA

Distilled in Kentucky

This is my first purchase of Wathen's after a taste during a visit to a family members house in Louisville. Turns out my aunt worked for Wathens in Louisville as a book keeper during the late 30s-early 40s. She told me that barrels of Bourbon were brought to Louisville from Owensboro, for storage. She also made mention that the Wathens bought a bowling alley on 3rd street and Eastern Parkway, where she was later transferred. I grew up 26 miles from Owensboro, in Hartford, KY and left in 1981 for the Navy. My daughter married a boy from Hartford and currently lives there. I know a gentleman in Hartford that worked for Barton many years ago.

I think I will enjoy this site.