What are you drinking tonight? (Spring '07)

[TBoner]

Now: S-W Rebel Yell 90-proof

Up next: WTRR101

Later: Highland Park 12 or WT Rye

[Randy_Ricchi]

90 proof Rebel Yell? I thought it only came in 80 proof!

[barturtle]

90 proof Rebel Yell? I thought it only came in 80 proof!

Hell there used to be a 101!

[TNbourbon]

Hell there used to be a 101!

The 101 proof I have, Timothy, is a cinnamon-added liqueur. Was the straight bourbon ever bottled at 101 proof?

[barturtle]

I'm pretty sure there was, but the last time I remember having it was almost a decade ago, so I could be mistaken...hmmm...damn, don't know where I would even look that up...

[tango-papa]

Tonight I enjoyed a pour of BTAC WLW 2005 edition.

Shaken, in order to ensure the first and last pours have equal amounts of charred goodness, not stirred.

[Old Lamplighter]

Enjoying some GTS 131.8 tonight along with a nice pour of Ezra B 15. Both had gathered a bit of dust while sitting around waiting for me since early in the year.....time to give them some proper attention and respect. IMHO, these 2 just get better & better the longer they have been opened.

[SBOmarc]

Inspired by all of the Great pours, I started with OGD 114. Followed by a full double of Lot B. Ended with an '06 Weller from my dwindling BTAC.

I do so enjoy this adventure.

[whiskeyhatch]

My first Van Winkle. ORVW 10yr/107. Jeez, and I thought the Old Weller Antique was good. (Well... it is but...). Yesterday I lined up AAA, McAfee's Benchmark, Evan Williams 1783 and Ezra Brooks 90P.

AAA - good but, (this sounds silly) it tastes manufactured.

McAfee's - very plain, uninteresting but drinkable (hard for me to say about a production of my favorite distillery -- BT)

Evan Williams 1783 -- not bad but... someone, somewhere on this forum mentioned a taste of cooked vegetables. I can totally detect it and I just can't shake it. Tried to change it to.... burnt powdered sugar or.... toasted plastic for godsake! Don't think I'll be able to buy this one again.

Now, Ezra Brooks -- this one is still the tops when it comes to bottom shelf stuff. I mentioned that it was thin but, this is a good, solid bourbon.

[zdevin]

My favorite, George T. Stagg, collects a lot of dust. I'm actually afraid of drinking the stuff. If I drink it the bottle will become empty---and that doesn't sit well with me. Every sip is a great joy, but also sorrowful because I can't stop thinking that now I'm just one sip closer to not having any Stagg.

That is one of the great ironies of Bourbon.

To enjoy something so beautiful you must destroy it.

This year I got an extra bottle of GTS to keep on reserve, but I'm still avoiding it. So instead I drink my Vintage Bourbon or Elijah Craig and just lament that it's not Stagg.

[ggilbertva]

Let's not forget that the '07 release of BTAC is just 5-6 months away. I'm sure, based on BT historical greatness with this collection, that the '07 Stagg will be wonderful. So, drink up and enjoy.

[zdevin]

I wonder how long the antique colletion will be around (forever I hope)... and how long before the prices shoot through the roof? Right now at $60-$70/bottle the Stagg is a bargain... Last year it went up $10/bottle. Is that the beginning of a trend?

[barturtle]

In 2000 they retailed for $39.99...it's inevitable that the price will continue to rise, corn prices rise, taxes rise, labor costs rise, taxes rise, power costs rise, taxes rise...and on and on....

[tango-papa]

In 2000 they retailed for $39.99...it's inevitable that the price will continue to rise, corn prices rise, taxes rise, labor costs rise, taxes rise, power costs rise, taxes rise...and on and on....

The proprietor of my local spirits shop now has a few bottles of the 2006 BTAC - specifically Eagle Rare, WLW and GTS.

Since I am the one who told him about them, my cost is/was $49 each - which is exactly $10 above his cost.

They are otherwise marked at $59 for Eagle Rare, $69 for WLW and $79 for GTS.

If he's purchasing them for $39 each, I wonder what the distributor is paying per bottle? :skep:

~tp

[ggilbertva]

The proprietor of my local spirits shop now has a few bottles of the 2006 BTAC - specifically Eagle Rare, WLW and GTS.

Since I am the one who told him about them, my cost is/was $49 each - which is exactly $10 above his cost.

They are otherwise marked at $59 for Eagle Rare, $69 for WLW and $79 for GTS.

If he's purchasing them for $39 each, I wonder what the distributor is paying per bottle? :skep:

~tp

$79 for GTS? Man-o-man. I was hestitating picking up the last two GTS '06 bottles sitting on the shelf of my local ABC. I guess now I'm motivated to pick them up at $55 a bottle. I have 1 '05 Lot B release and 1 '06 release sitting in my bunker.

[tango-papa]

$79 for GTS? Man-o-man. I was hestitating picking up the last two GTS '06 bottles sitting on the shelf of my local ABC. I guess now I'm motivated to pick them up at $55 a bottle. I have 1 '05 Lot B release and 1 '06 release sitting in my bunker.

Assuming all retailers are paying the same from all distributors, your retailer would be making $16 per bottle on the GTS. I'd say that's an OK price.

For the record, having tasted the GTS, I would be willing to pay up to $65 per bottle without hesitation. I wouldn't pay $79 and do appreciate my local retailer taking good care of me at $49 per bottle.

My bunker stash of GTS mirrors yours. I'll be adding 2 more 2006 GTS bottles to it over the next few weeks.

~tp

[Pappy's Friend]

This evening, I picked up my first bottle of Lot B. I'm starting my evening off with my first ever taste of this exceptionally fine bourbon! After I finish this pour, it's on to a pour of BTEC Twice Barreled.

[Pappy's Friend]

Wow - this BTEC Twice Barreled is quite tasty - caramel with a hint of cinnamon!

[CrispyCritter]

I started by finishing off my open bottle of ER101, and then opened my bottle of Knob Creek - my first KC in a while. I'm picking up caramel, nuts, some rye spiciness, and a bit of the Beam yeast bite. I'm glad I bought this...

[barturtle]

Went out this evening to one of the local (in Louisville) watering holes, had a Vintage 17yo and a Corner Creek. My friend Mary came down from her studies at IU and joined me, she had a PVW 15 and a Rare Breed...ah the joys of being home for Spring Break!

[Old Lamplighter]

Well, looks like we are in monsoon season down here in western Tennessee. To usher out what has been a not-so-good Friday-the-13th, I started out by opening my brand new bottle of Weller 12 and enjoying a nice, smooth pour. Followed with ERSB/90 - something about a rainy night always makes me want Eagle Rare. Proceeded forth with a nice sampling of Blanton's followed by some good ole tried & true WT8. Closed out the evening on a very high note with a nice little tasting of WT12. Enjoyed them all very much! Unfortunately, the night grows thin and time has arrived to call it a night......better day tomorrow.

[mrt]

Jim Beam White...I began with a bottle of Bud, though...

[tmas]

Tonight the wife and I are reaping the rewards of a well stocked bunker and the first spring buds of spearmint popping up in the garden!

Sipping on our 2nd Wt Russel's Reserve (Spear) mint Jullep! Lovely, a sweet nectar for sure, and the first of many Juleps to come! Tom V

[ggilbertva]

Sitting down to a movie and pour of Weller 107.

[oldironstomach]

$79 for GTS? Man-o-man. I was hestitating picking up the last two GTS '06 bottles sitting on the shelf of my local ABC. I guess now I'm motivated to pick them up at $55 a bottle.

It's funny, but when I *do* see BTAC in an out-of-the-way town, I expect to find the retailer does a small enough volume that he's inclined to keep his margins up, but often that actual situation is that he's a whiskey nut and run slim margins on the good stuff, because he knows his reliable profits come from the bread-and-butter cheap stuff (aka lots of vodka).

So I was both surprised and not surprised to find a couple bottles of the '06 WLW and GTS selling for about $45 (thanks to a 10% off sale) in yet another distant Maryland town yesterday. Didn't touch 'em, because I still have some bunkered, but there are still bargains out there.

Me, I think I'm actually going to pour a bit of Maker's Mark tonight, to see how I feel about it nowadays. It's been languishing quietly in the corner ever since I started edu-ma-cating myself by reading the posts here! The other night, in the mood to retry the neglected spirits in my cabinet, I revisited a bottle of JDSB and found it thin and wan...sort of a distant cousin from a foreign land who dresses up like bourbon based on what he's seen on TV, but otherwise is just going through the motions.