BOTM, 3/08: Old Charter 12yo

[jeff]

This month let's talk about a recently discontinued product that has been held in high regard by our membership: Old Charter 12yo "The Classic"

We are all painfully aware of rising prices on everything from gas to milk and especially our own bourbon whiskey. Demand is up and supplies are down, stretched and allocated to the extreme. What cost $15 a few blissful years ago is now pushing $25 or higher. To make matters worse, bourbon brand managers are cutting some brands to liquidate supplies for others. OC12 got the death sentence last year. RIP.:pope:

Not withstanding a depressing situation, it should still be possible for the skilled bourbon hunter to track down a bottle or two, or if you were investing in your future, you should have some bunkered away. Let's reminisce of our good times with Old Charter 12yo, now truly a "Classic."

:893drillsergeant-thSound off:893drillsergeant-th

[nickynick]

Good to see Old Charter get some BOM love. I am a big of Old Charter. I have one bottle of the 12 yo bunkered, and kinda want another before I open one. I was in Oklahoma in the fall and it was everywhere there. I found Old Charter BIB there, which I have also yet to try. Big fan of the 10 yo, and the 8 yo is a nice mixer. To bad that is all we have now.

[CorvallisCracker]

...it should still be possible for the skilled bourbon hunter to track down a bottle or two...

A bit of research has led me to conclude that OC 12 has not been sold in OR for many years, if ever.

Oh well, there's always next month...

[jburlowski]

Was out looking for quasi-dusties for a fellow SBer. Spied a lone bottle of The Classic on the shelf and grabbed it.

That's what's great about the BOTM, it gets us out of our comfort zones to try new things.

My weekend will consist of sampling this and muttering to myself about how the #$(*&^! teams screwed up in the first round of the NCAA.

[Russellc]

Just finished a bottle off last night. Good solid buy for the money. Same class as weller 12 year, Good stuff, Not earth shattering, but I hate to see anything this good at this price go away.

Russellc

[ArtL]

OC12 is such a fine whiskey at a great price (at least when it was $15 a bottle!)

It's so very sad to see it go!

Maybe I'll open a bottle of it this weekend in it's honor.

[jburlowski]

Wow!

Been spending a good part of the evening drinking OC 12 (while watching "No Country For Old Men").

Great stuff! Classic is the right term... light and very approachable; moderately sweet with just the hint of char. Very, very drinkable. And, at the price, a great bargain.

Tomorrow I'm going out to find some more to stockpile. I'm a huge fan of OCPR... and this is very, very close.

If you haven't tried this... do so while you still can.

[TNbourbon]

I enjoy Charter 12. I just finished a Louisville Charter 12 1.75L earlier this month. I have several yellow-label Charter 12s bunkered for a fellow SB.com'er. And, I'm down to my last 1-liter Charter 12 (Louisville), so have not yet taken part this month.

Tomorrow, I will seek out Old Charter 12yo "The Classic", not that tough a find here in Middle Tennessee, where it is no longer distributed (and never will be again, alas). My dilemma will be whether, and how many, to put back for future enjoyment. I like it a lot, but it's still on many shelves here. We will see.

[TNbourbon]

OC12 is such a fine whiskey at a great price (at least when it was $15 a bottle!)

It's so very sad to see it go!

Maybe I'll open a bottle of it this weekend in it's honor.

Good to see a post from you, Art. I'm with you -- this is great bourbon because of its drinkability, so drink up!

[Virus_Of_Life]

I am having my first taste of OC12, from a 200ml louisville labeled bottle, thanks to Tim. :thankyousign:

I did a little research but couldn't find the specific info, so does the Louisville label indicate it was distilled at Old Charter Distillery?

I can tell it is high corn as it seems to lack much spice or Rye character, but is yet pretty flavorful and tasty. It was sort of lost on me for a while that this and the OCPR were BOTH going away, I thought it was only this one and figured that was bad enough but I'd get by with the 13 year when I needed one - - losing both just isn't right. I've never seen a bottle here and only bought 1 while I had the opportunity in the StL area so I am kicking myself a bit. I plan to rectify that at least partially by putting away a case or two of the OCPR from a single barrel selection done several years ago...

No luck for me bunkering the 12year unless there is another trip to the midwest or east anytime soon... Too bad because as mentioned this is very drinkable, probably wouldn't be a favorite as typically like more notable spice or distinct flavors but at the price I'd keep it around.

I really hope that Buffalo Trace is going to introduce something new now that they are getting rid of 3 well aged expressions. I am sorry but if they are doing this just to push Buffalo Trace and the new labeled Weller 12 around, I'll be a little disappointed. How about an extra aged (stated) version of BT, perhaps a 14 year old or something? :skep: .... I could go on ....

[TNbourbon]

I picked up a yellow-label OC 12 today -- the label marking it as a very recent one, as the old black label only left distribution in our area within the past year.

I enjoy the hint of cinnamon on the nose of this, which passes through very mildly to the palate. A little maple/brown sugar, slightest trace of leather, a light, lingering finish -- staying pretty sweet throughout.

Yep, still like it. I'm going to sweeten this pour and add some diet cola -- and don't feel a bit abashed, since I paid under $17 for it (after a discount). Done it before -- it makes a fine bourbon-and-cola (or, for that matter, bourbon-and-ginger ale).

I'll miss this, for sure, but the introduction of the Four Roses line into our area balances it out. It strikes me that the yellow-label Four Roses will make a nice substitution for the OC, at about the same price.

[SBOmarc]

Or maybe sending some Four Roses to SoCal.

[TBoner]

This has been a favorite of mine from the moment I tasted it.

It is quite sweet, but manages to avoid being one-dimensional. This is probably owing mostly to its age, which allows it to take on leathery and spicy characteristics as others have noted.

Moreover, though, I love the mouthfeel of this whiskey. Some corn-heavy whiskey tastes cornfat to the point of being oily. This is just fat. Rich and smooth stuff, which is why I've bunkered 12-14 bottles of Frankfort and 2-3 of L'ville (I've come across some foul L'ville, which I assume is due to the way it was stored and not to what went into the bottles). I will miss this one greatly when it's gone for good. As it is now, I drink it on special occasions.

To some, it may not attain the towering heights of other 12yos, particularly WT12. But considering that until 5 months ago, I bought it for $14.49 all day long, it may well be the best bourbon value in history. One wonders what might have happened had BT slowly pushed up the price of this one instead of allowing stocks to dwindle the past few years. We might've complained, but we could still buy it easily today and for years to come, probably.

[drunkenjayhawk]

I am still looking around in the local stores for some 12yo OC. Only finding 8 and 10 yo at the moment. But if do find some I will report back with my thoughts on the taste of it. Unless a kind "SBer" can direct me to some in eastern kansas.

[Joeluka]

I really hope that Buffalo Trace is going to introduce something new now that they are getting rid of 3 well aged expressions. I am sorry but if they are doing this just to push Buffalo Trace and the new labeled Weller 12 around, I'll be a little disappointed. How about an extra aged (stated) version of BT, perhaps a 14 year old or something? :skep: .... I could go on ....

I've been thinking that BT probably considers the Eagle Rare 17 and GTS as their extra-aged bottling. Does it suck that now we have to wait for the fall and spend more money than in the past, YES!!!!! Thank God I have a bunker filled with cases of the gems we will miss. I wont be able to finish my bunker in my lifetime, but I now have enough to drink while I wait the 10-15 years its going to take for all the 2003 & 2005 wines I've been cellaring to reach their peak.

The OC 12 I'll open tonight is dedicated to JoeBOURBON. Thanks for this one Joe!!!

[jburlowski]

Props to BT for being honest and straightforward with the whole age-statement issue. If you don't / can't issue the same brand / expression at the same age, then back off. Don't try to be coy and make a subtle label change to suggest that a younger version is the same as the older (and no-longer available version).

[OscarV]

Props to BT for being honest and straightforward with the whole age-statement issue. If you don't / can't issue the same brand / expression at the same age, then back off. Don't try to be coy and make a subtle label change to suggest that a younger version is the same as the older (and no-longer available version).

yeah, that is a very good way to look at it.

besides you can't bring back those dropped botles, so ya might as well accept it.

[Frodo]

Props to BT for being honest and straightforward with the whole age-statement issue. If you don't / can't issue the same brand / expression at the same age, then back off. Don't try to be coy and make a subtle label change to suggest that a younger version is the same as the older (and no-longer available version).

Like JBB - going from an 8yr statement to NAS?

(At least in my market)