Blue Wax vatting

[MikeK]

It's been a while since I've tried to horrify the masses, so let's dance :70358-devil:

So what's your favorite Hirsch Blue Wax vatting?

A while back the esteemed Tim told a tale of mixing blue wax with vintage Michters to create a vatting greater than its parts. I was intrigued by his audacity, and having the reported ingredients on hand, gave it a go. I went for a sample 50/50 mix and I agree, it was very good.

This is my favorite and most often attempted class of vatting. Combining an older bourbon that has depth and character but not as much spunk as I'd like with a young, bright one that could use some sophistication. With trial and error you can acheive a blend that is quite superior, combining the best attributes of both.

Last weekend I wondered what else I could do with the blue wax. I carefully scanned a fairly impressive table and settled on a particularly good VOB-BIB. From experience, I went with 2/3 blue wax and 1/3 VOB. It was an excellent guess and the result was wonderful. Very rich, complex, and flavorful with a youthful exuberance. I plan to do this one again.

Anyone else? :cool:

Happy vatting,

[CorvallisCracker]

If I weren't down to half of my last bottle, I'd consider it. But with no hope of replacing it, I'm not going to waste it on experimentation.

[MikeK]

Waste?! Ye have no faith young man. Strive for something even greater!

Now there are many bottles that are close enough to perfect that they should not be messed with. But to continue to piss everyone off, I must say that for me the venerable blue wax is a bit of a stuffy old man. Maybe it was locked away too long. Give it just the right jolt of life and it becomes the gem I feel it should be.

[shoshani]

This is my favorite and most often attempted class of vatting. Combining an older bourbon that has depth and character but not as much spunk as I'd like with a young, bright one that could use some sophistication. With trial and error you can acheive a blend that is quite superior, combining the best attributes of both.

A lot of the bigger producers (specifically Glenmore and Schenley) had brands out both right before and right after the Second World War that were made this way. Due to lack of sufficient stocks after Prohibition, and due to distilleries making Industrial Alcohol during the war, there wasn't enough good aged whiskey to meet projected demand. So, vattings were made that were in some cases as little as 20% bourbon aged five years, the remainder of the bottle being bourbon aged something like 18 months.

There is one specific Glenmore brand I'm thinking of - I'm wanting to say it's Tom Moore, but I couldn't swear to it - that had an old Kentucky Colonel with a big smile pointing his finger at the reader, with the slogan "THIS BLEND OF STRAIGHT WHISKIES (sic) WILL WIN YOU!". Obviously they weren't blending their bourbon with GNS, but I can't imagine that the flavor of the aged stock would have made up for the obvious youth of the bulk of the bottle.

And of course Frankfort Distillers was producing Paul Jones and Four Roses; Four Roses was probably all aged whiskey, but Paul Jones was advertised as being a blend of young whiskey and aged whiskey.

[camduncan]

If I could get another vatting, I'd definately mix it with the 16yo we have here in Australia in (very) limited numbers. To put it mildly, the stuff we have is crap. It tastes like cough syrup.

On the other hand, I was at the Bellagio in Vegas last week and was able to try their Hirsch 16yo, and it's a totally different beast. Much smoother, full flavour that the version we have doesn't have. I doubt I'd vatt this one, but ours is ripe to have something done to it.

[HighTower]

If I could get another vatting, I'd definately mix it with the 16yo we have here in Australia in (very) limited numbers. To put it mildly, the stuff we have is crap. It tastes like cough syrup.

On the other hand, I was at the Bellagio in Vegas last week and was able to try their Hirsch 16yo, and it's a totally different beast. Much smoother, full flavour that the version we have doesn't have. I doubt I'd vatt this one, but ours is ripe to have something done to it.

Cam, I think a vatting of Hirsch 16yo and Slate could be in order

Now that would really be something!!!:skep:

Scott

[camduncan]

Cam, I think a vatting of Hirsch 16yo and Slate could be in order

Now that would really be something!!!:skep:

Now that could be an improvement :slappin: