What are you drinking tonight, Spring '08

[PhilsFan]

Tonight it's my turn to enjoy the EC 18... It's been mostly the Wellers & Four Roses recently, so it was time for a little change of pace.

-Joe

[Gillman]

(Subtitle: Evan, I hardly knew ye)

Vertical tasting of two EWSBs, the new 1998 and the 1996.

Very different noses and tastes. The '98 is a honey, silky soft, flavoursome, all in balance.

The '96 is almost as soft but with a puissant nose and a heavier taste showing lingering signs of new make.

The '98 is as "city" a bourbon as it gets; the '96 is a little more "country"; both superb.

Gary

[spun_cookie]

WT 86.8 from an old glass lined WT flask

[Rughi]

Doin' the decades tonight.

Started with some VOF BIB from 1954...some Weller BIB (distilled 1942)...1950-distilled OGD BIB...some Old Fitz Prime (86.8 proof) from a 1968 Lexington (the racehorse) decanter.

Mmmmm Old Grand Dad. Love it.

[cigarnv]

Hot day in the Old Dominion yesterday..... enjoyed a Unibroue 2004 in the late afternoon. After dinner was a short VOB BIB.... Looks like today will be even hotter... time to stock the fridge with more brew...

[HighTower]

Started tonight with some WTRB. Great stuff.

Then, looking for ice for my next drink, I spotted the EC12 that has been in my freezer for 6 weeks.

I opened it 3 weeks ago when my best mate was here, and it was quite enjoyable.

2 weeks ago my parents were here and my mother cut up some onion and diced it instead of sliced it (onion's onion?) and decided to freeze the diced onion. The freezer smelt like onion for a few days and then went away. We have since used the onion.

So I decided it's time for some EC12.

It was very cloudy when I poured it, which wasn't surprising considering it's been in the freezer.

So I took a sip and was overwhelmed with a caramelized onion smell!

My EC12 has very bad onion taint!

The onion has such an influence, that even after I tipped it down the sink, my hands smelt like I had been cutting up onion....just from touching the bottle.

Makes me sad that I will have to tip this out, it's about 85% full and was a very nice example of EC12!

Has this ever happened to anyone else???

Scott

[mozilla]

Scott,

If you have not poured it out yet......try letting it air out for a while...no cork. Maybe with sufficient time it will revive its natural flavors. Also, it could be decanted into an old bottle, which might encourage some fresher flavors.

[HighTower]

Scott,

If you have not poured it out yet......try letting it air out for a while...no cork. Maybe with sufficient time it will revive its natural flavors. Also, it could be decanted into an old bottle, which might encourage some fresher flavors.

Jeff,

I haven't poured it out yet, so I will try your suggestion.......thanks!

Scott

[mozilla]

There were a series of post regarding decanting and removal of off flavors. I don't remember when it was posted, though. Seems like they had some luck getting it to work. Maybe it will be available with a search? Good luck!

[gothbat]

A Grolsch in one of those nice swing top bottles, me and a friend of mine are going to make an attempt at brewing soon so we need a bunch of these bottles. It's funny, they sell similar bottles (plain brown or blue glass rather than green, otherwise the same) new and empty in 12 packs and Grolsch in this style bottle comes in 4 packs. For every 3 12 packs we buy we're paying only $1.05 more than the 12 pack of empties BEFORE shipping. I'd be a sucker not to be drinking this right now even if Grolsch weren't one of my all time favorites.

[PhilsFan]

Opened Weller 12yr tonight...I like it a lot, and would buy it again, but I would have to say that I prefer both the Centennial & Antique over the

12yr.

-Joe

[callmeox]

I'm enjoying a nice pour of Weller Centennial while I plan out gardening and mulching tomorrow. Leave it to me to have a backlog of yard work on probably the hottest weekend of the Summer (and it's still Spring).

[chilidawg7]

Just got home from our high school's graduation. Always reminds me of why I teach. And now I am relaxing with a generous pour of OGD 114.

At 7 PM, it was 90 degrees with 50% humidity. Gotta love Florida.

[Luna56]

Having a pour of EC18, perfect for the cool, wet, foggy night here. The EC is a veritable bonfire for the senses!

Tomorrow, 90º. Sunday they're calling for 96º!! Time to get my big-ass air conditioner back in service.

Cheers!

[spun_cookie]

Stagg 07, WTRR90/Bullitte/WT101 blend , and the last two glasses of my first PVW23

[TNbourbon]

As an honorarium to U.S. history and my own father, I'm am following up my (at least) annual viewing of "The Longest Day" -- Marvyn Sousley managed to miss D-Day by two months, instead participating in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France from Italy and North Africa, in August 1944 (he ended the war inside Germany, just the same) -- by attempting to find something historical with which that generation of America's finest might themselves have toasted their survival in their day.

Tonight it is some Glenmore's Old Thompson blended whiskey, the mini bottle from which it's poured apparently dating from 1940. It is 70% grain spirit, but includes 25% straight whiskey aged 4 years or more, 2-1/2% aged 6 years, and 2-1/2% at least 7 years old (barely post-Prohibition in 1940).

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the grain spirit also saw some barrel time, as the normal 'spiritiness' of today's blended whiskey simply doesn't present itself. The nose has significant signs of aged whiskey, manifested in a caramel scent. On the palate, this doesn't lag at all today's bottom-shelf bourbons, such as Kentucky Tavern or Ten High. It is a warm 86.8 proof, and the butter-caramel shows up on the finish.

I poured some ginger ale proportionately over the last half of the pour and, again, I would rate it equal to today's well bourbons as a mixer.

I am a part of the 'baby boom' generation. If we are 'boomers', I am recondite to name my progenitors. The best I can do is try to connect, in some small ways, with their conditions, and hope that their virtues rub off.

Cheers (in wistful absentia), Dad and Mom, and y'all...

:toast:

[Luna56]

Very compelling post, Tim.

Cheers to ya!

[CorvallisCracker]

Leave it to me to have a backlog of yard work on probably the hottest weekend of the Summer (and it's still Spring).

Early spring here.

At 7 PM, it was 90 degrees with 50% humidity. Gotta love Florida.

We don't miss it a bit.

Tomorrow, 90º. Sunday they're calling for 96º!! Time to get my big-ass air conditioner back in service.

It may reach 63 deg today. We're hoping it will reach 70 deg on Monday.

My wife, an avid gardener, is frustrated. Local winery owners are trying not to panic.

This is not normal. They say it's La Nina. They say it will return to normal around mid summer. We'll see.

[PhilsFan]

Had an assignment for work today, got home, had lunch and opened my higher proof (56.1%) bottle of FR 120th... both the 52.4 % version and this one are very enjoyable, and I really like the finish on the one I'm having now. I'll pour VOB BIB for the Cubs/Dodgers game coming up.

-Joe

[gblick]

Opened Weller 12yr tonight...I like it a lot, and would buy it again, but I would have to say that I prefer both the Centennial & Antique over the

12yr.

-Joe

I agree with you, I too prefer the Centennial & Antique over the 12yr. But if you ever run across one of the older bottles of Weller 12 (the old style bottle with the white, gray, and black label), you should give it a try. I recently found a couple of those older bottles with 00 & 01 imprinted on the bottom of the bottle, and I thought it was a lot better than a newer bottle that I had awhile back (not to badmouth the current Weller 12 which is still a very good whiskey).

[camduncan]

Last night I sat down to watch a movie with some McKenna (Four Roses export expression) and ice.

[gblick]

Last night I finally got around to opening my one and only bottle of FR1B (that Timothy kindly brought for me when we got together at Randy's last summer), and this stuff is just absolutely fantastic, WOW!

[Gillman]

Henry McKenna Single Barrel. Barreled in 1997, bottled at just over 10 years old.

It's hot here now so I poured it on a couple of cubes in my wide-bodied Evan Williams glass.

Look I'll tell ya this and take it as you wish. There are fine bourbons costing lots of money and they are good (some of them).

But if you want to see what bourbon is all about, drink McKenna Single Barrel on the rocks on a hot day outside. Another way to say it is, the bourbon has complex, well-knitted notes of butter, vanillin, light smoke and something oily.

Gary

[Gillman]

The McKenna was a short one so I had another (different) drink.

It started as a combination of bourbons mixed 50/50 with a vatting of Jack Daniels Single Barrels.

To this I added a generous teaspoon maple syrup. Then, some Peychaud's bitters.

Finally, a dash of green Spanish absinthe called Diable Vert.

Stir well with fresh rocks.

The complex, inimitable notes of the Sazerac cocktail reveal themselves.

Gary

[mgilbertva]

I've long been a fan of the HM BIB, believing it to be underrated. However, we did a blind tasting at cigarnv's and among 5 BIBs (HHVOR 10yo, HH NAS, Old Bourbon Hollow, VOB, and then Old Fitz from S-W juice) the HM came in last. I cannot personally vouch for the results as by the time we got to that stage I had stopped drinking as I needed to drive.

I want a rematch.