What is THE best American Whiskey you have ever had?

[nor02lei]

At least for the ones I have had in the last couple of years I would say it is a thigh between WLW-06 and the first edition of Willet 22 rye.

Leif

[RM High]

I think I have to go with whatever you are buying me :-)

[Jono]

Very difficult to choose..of those I have ever had I nominate WT Kentucky Spirit and Buffalo Trace bourbons....with most pleasant surprise honor going to Rittenhouse BIB rye.

[fricky]

Since it is too difficult to pick a single best whiskey that I have had, I posted a picture showing all of them.

Doug

[dave ziegler]

For me it will always be Old Hickory 8 yr Bourbon made back then when I worked at Kinsey and The Continental Version of Rittenhouse Straight BIB 100 Rye, I have had the new Rittenhouse and it is awesome but ours Continental's just had such a nice flavor, smell and Mouth feel and a powerful yet mild way to it! It was such a special Rye that it was one of the very first of the brands sold when Publicker Quit the Industry. Heaven Hills now owns it and it is good but there something we did in its process that is gone!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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[shoshani]

I'll tell you, I just had the 2006 OFBB yesterday, and it's a very close contender. If they put THAT in the Woodford Reserve bottle they could charge twice as much for it! Vanilla, spice cake, rum, butterscotch...wonderfully complex.

(Note: I've always thought WR to be weak and pallid; wondering if/when they ever bottle their pot still product, if it will have more muscle than the current expression, which I believe is still basically Forester distilled at Early Times in column stills and brought down to L&G for aging.)

[OscarV]

Wild Turkey Kentuky Spirit, sipping some now.

I think I have an exceptional bottle now, but the best was a pewter top bottle that I had over at Tony's (ACDetroit).

[wxman]

Blanton's -- Did I miss it this in the thread? I think this is one of the best, most unique whiskeys of any type. Amazing bourbon IMHO.

[hokiedave92]

Pappy 15 for me ........

Dave

[cigarnv]

ORVW 15/107 single barrel.....

[TomH]

ORVW 15/107 single barrel.....

Good thing I have a few of those sitting around <G>

Tom

[BourbonJoe]

Was the single barrel version produced for a liquor outlet? Barrel buy?

Joe :usflag:

[cigarnv]

Joe, this was a special bottling done by a California merchant some years back....

[CorvallisCracker]

Pappy 15 for me ........

Dave

ORVW 15/107 single barrel.....

Aren't those essentially the same?

[boss302]

I'm very much a Rye guy. So I gotta say the 2006 Thomas H. Handy.

That stuff went down smoother than a cask-strength whiskey EVER should!

And I liked the warm notes of Cinnamon, Allspice, and dried fruit. I drank it around Christmas time, which was absolutely perfect!

[Eggman]

Howdy,

Baker's.

Eggman

[Dr. François]

I really liked a certain unlabeled expression of Elijah Craig 18 I had...I can't advertise where I had it or who gave it to me, but the tasting occurred near an open-air gazebo-ish structure and was facilitated by a board member whose name rhymes with Jetty-Bo.

As far as obtainable bottles: the recently released Four Roses 120th is pretty damn incredible.

[Attila]

Maybe VW Family Reserve Rye 13 y/o

[TBoner]

Hmm...I can narrow it to 3, but no further:

Very Rare Old Collector's Item Whiskey. 20 years old. F/1955-F/1975. BIB. DSP-51 (distilled) and DSP-113 (bottled).

OR

Willett Rye #1

OR

National Distillers OGD BIB F/1980-F/1988

Any of these 3 ranks among the finest products of any sort I have ever encountered, superb representations of the American whiskey category.

Regards,

[Gillman]

Where was DSP-51 by the way?

I'd have to go with a group of bourbons and ryes: an early ORVW 13 year old rye; Doug Philips' 1970's, rum-like Beam's Choice; some 1950's Old Fitzgerald.

Gary

[camduncan]

I'd have to say Elijah Craig 18 poured straight from the barrel into a waiting glass.

If I was to narrow it down to a retail bottle, possibly the SB.com Pappy 23 or the Old Taylor bottle I was given as a gift from one of our members.

Several bottles I tried at the Sampler could also qualify, but, unfortunately, my memory is a bit hazy on the details....

[TBoner]

Per Sam Cecil's book, 51 would've been a rebuild of 239 (Greenbrier) and was also called Double Springs. It seems this whiskey (the BIB from DSP-51) may have been made by Sid Flashman, who "made whiskey spasmodically" at the site, but Cecil is not specific about when Flashman purchased the property or when, exactly, he last distilled there. Regardless, it was not distilling anymore by the 1960s, it appears. At that time, he sold out to Abe Schaecter, and operations were moved to Owensboro, so perhaps this whiskey was contract distilled for Flashman, or was among the last of the bourbon made at 51. That's all I've been able to track down, and a few posts from others here indicate that may be all anyone knows.

Regards,

[Stones]

Since it is too difficult to pick a single best whiskey that I have had, I posted a picture showing all of them.

Doug

Wow Fricky! That looks like an amazing tasting night! No wonder you're unable to choose...

[NorCalBoozer]

I have to list it like this:

Bourbon/Whiskey

1. Stitzel Weller -- Many of the best bourbons I've ever tasted all came from legendary Stitzel Weller stock. VOF, VVOF, OF BIB, Van Blankle, and ORWV 15, even some Pappy 15's that were astounding. Across the board S/W cannot be matched. It is the best. If I have to pick one from S/W it would be a pre 1950's Very Old Fitzgerald.

2. Michters. I've tasted original Michters a few times and it's quality is top notch and such a pleasant distinct flavor. I've not tried any of the wax top Hirsch's so I don't know how similar they are. The gold foil give a hint of what the real deal is so if you can get your hands on any Michters.....do it.

3. WT Gold Foil. I'm a big WT fan and the Gold Foil I have tried is totally amazing. it was soooo rich, a holy grail for any WT fan. I find the WT's of today very good as well but they are just a bit hotter maybe oakier than the Gold Foil.

Rye

1. Willetts #1

This was just the most incredible bottle. Finding a needle in a haystack. Depth and length of the multiple flavors will astound. To think that this bottle might never have been found were it not due to some goofy bourbon geeks right here at sb.com :shocked: :shocked:

Greg

[troyce]

One thing I've learned about drinking bourbon, is how much the environment and atmosphere determines the taste and enjoyment of the spirit. The best whiskeys I've had have been at the gazebo over the past few years. Even Bourbon Supreme isn't so bad there.