Bourbon

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

4 hours ago, BigDHornfan said:

I have both Little Books and think they are both really good.  Chapter 2 is a lot different than 1.  

Ch 2 is a blend of Kentucky Rye, Canadian Rye, and 40 yr old Canadian corn whiskey.   It is super sweet but very smooth for being over 100 proof.

Ch 1 is closer to what you'd expect a high rye bourbon to taste like.  

I'm looking forward to drinking something older than me. 

Edited February 3, 2019 by billfromlaketravis

[After irth 1243]

In Nacogdoches today, popped into a few stores. Continental Liquors is a nice quaint store with some great brown juice and some perfectly acceptable prices.

Including Eagle Rare, since so many seem to be on the hunt lately  

Also saw quite a bit of Angels Envy, Elijah Craig, Old Forester, and others  

Just a tip for those in the area. 

Edited February 3, 2019 by After irth
Elaborating...

[BigDHornfan 6548]

My first take on the Old Forester Rye:

Very floral on the nose and super sweet up front, but ends up with a ton of spice, black pepper along with a little Apple. Dry and a little short on the finish. But it’s very good. Especially for the price point it’s at. It’s no Pikesville, but at half the cost, it definitely needs to be in your bar if you like ryes.

 

 

[mbpcb 55]

My first take on the Old Forester Rye:
Very floral on the nose and super sweet up front, but ends up with a ton of spice, black pepper along with a little Apple. Dry and a little short on the finish. But it’s very good. Especially for the price point it’s at. It’s no Pikesville, but at half the cost, it definitely needs to be in your bar if you like ryes.
 
 

Love me some ryes but never tried pikesville. Guess I’ve been missing out? HWDR and Sazerac are my go-tos

[BigDHornfan 6548]

Love me some ryes but never tried pikesville. Guess I’ve been missing out? HWDR and Sazerac are my go-tos

For the money, there aren’t much better than Pikesville. Hands down best Rye under $75.

[Neonmoon 38129]

Agree. Pikesville is delicious. Buy it. 

[Chewbacca 7779]

I must be the only guy who doesn't like Pikesville.

[BigDHornfan 6548]

This is going down dangerously easy tonight.
Glad the BGE is worry free for a brisket cook, I’m getting snookered.

[huge 3793]

It’s a screw top?

[BigDHornfan 6548]

Yep

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

23 hours ago, BigDHornfan said:

My first take on the Old Forester Rye:

Very floral on the nose and super sweet up front, but ends up with a ton of spice, black pepper along with a little Apple. Dry and a little short on the finish. But it’s very good. Especially for the price point it’s at. It’s no Pikesville, but at half the cost, it definitely needs to be in your bar if you like ryes.

 

 

What grade would give OFR? 

For the price point, anything over 85 is pretty good. 

[Party_Taco 3729]

Found one - Hoping for an occasion to crack it later this week!

[BigDHornfan 6548]

14 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

What grade would give OFR? 

For the price point, anything over 85 is pretty good. 

Solid 85.  

[ckhorn 208]

8 hours ago, BigDHornfan said:

Solid 85.  

Picked mine up for $22.00 per bottle. Even asked the guy if that was correct.

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

4 hours ago, ckhorn said:

Picked mine up for $22.00 per bottle. Even asked the guy if that was correct.

I think it's a market share grab. Every single review I've read states Old Forester wants the rye to be an every day drinker. They could probably sell it for $50 and people would happily pay it. 

 

[Rollo Tomassi 80]

I just picked up a bottle of OF Rye and a bottle of Old Portrero Rye. Plan to try both this Saturday.  

Edit: $26 in Austin

Edited February 5, 2019 by Rollo Tomassi

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

Breaking Bourbon published a review of the OF Rye:

http://www.breakingbourbon.com/old-forester-rye.html

Old Forester impresses again with a new, quality, and soon-to-be readily accessible rye whiskey that costs just north of a 20 spot.

When describing this whiskey, it’s important to ensure I’m providing enough perspective. As I’m generally impressed with this rye for specific reasons, it is clearly a value whiskey ideal for cocktails and casual sipping. I can’t say that as a whole this is a whiskey that will impress a more die-hard enthusiast based on flavor profile alone. But die-hard enthusiasts aren’t the intended audience either, and it’s important to remember that this doesn’t cater to the same crowd in the same way as a one-off limited release might. I’m impressed with Brown-Forman for its relative quality to price point, along with approachability and slightly unique flair in an increasingly more crowded space.

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

8 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Breaking Bourbon published a review of the OF Rye:

http://www.breakingbourbon.com/old-forester-rye.html

 

 

So we should be thanking the Jack and Coke drinkers of the world for bankrolling an inexpensive Old Forester Rye? Works for me. 

The high malted barley percentage in the mash bill is slightly concerning.

Edited February 5, 2019 by billfromlaketravis

[Dutchrudder 11139]

Finally got to open this bottle over the weekend! Baby Cayden is here, but I think I'll finish the bottle myself and find another down the road for his 21st bday. Pretty damn good bottle, but I only had a few sips cause I needed to be sober to deal with this whole experience. What a crazy ride parenthood is!

[4th and 5 4914]

8 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Finally got to open this bottle over the weekend! Baby Cayden is here, but I think I'll finish the bottle myself and find another down the road for his 21st bday. Pretty damn good bottle, but I only had a few sips cause I needed to be sober to deal with this whole experience. What a crazy ride parenthood is!

You named your kid Barry Schroeder?

[ckhorn 208]

Circling back. I don't think Angels Envy Rye w/Caribbean Rum Cask Finish gets enough credit.

[BigDHornfan 6548]

Circling back. I don't think Angels Envy Rye w/Caribbean Rum Cask Finish gets enough credit.

Love it.

[Redneck Mutha 7956]

Haven't tried to find it yet, is OF Rye easily available in Austin?

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

32 minutes ago, Redneck Mutha said:

Haven't tried to find it yet, is OF Rye easily available in Austin?

Current Austin guys, gotta look at Twin first right? 

[BourbonTahoe 2]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Current Austin guys, gotta look at Twin first right? 

I’ve looked in 3-4 shops in west Austin and haven’t found it. 

[Thetexashammer 1062]

4 hours ago, ckhorn said:

Circling back. I don't think Angels Envy Rye w/Caribbean Rum Cask Finish gets enough credit.

I really enjoyed their tour and their main whiskey. Didn't get to try their Rum Cask. They have pretty limited distro. If I get back to Louisville I will definitely stop in and get some more, to include their Rum Cask as you suggest.

I've been drinking a straight up cheap high rye and loving it. Rebel Yell. To me, it's a fantastic winter sipping bourbon. YMMV but it fucking just works for me.

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

3 minutes ago, thestud said:

Check your spam email folder. Badass email from 4R this morning!

Small Batch Select?

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

More info on Four Roses Small Batch Select:

http://www.gobourbon.com/four-roses-small-batch-select/

Four Roses has announced an all-new addition to their permanent lineup. Small Batch Select will be a 104 proof, non-chill filtered blend of six of their ten recipes.

“We wanted to add something to our lineup that brings that pure experience you get with a non-chill filtered Bourbon, while also showcasing some of our recipes and flavors that aren’t as forward facing in our other existing bottles,” said Master Distiller Brent Elliott.

This will be the highest proof yet in the distillery’s permanent lineup. Four Roses uses five proprietary yeast strains and two high rye mashbills to craft the ten distinct recipes used to blend their bourbons. Their Bourbon, six years old and colloquially known as “yellow label,” is an 80 proof blend of all ten, their Small Batch is seven years old and a 90 proof blend of four recipes, and their Single Barrel is a 100 proof, eight year old bottling of just one recipe (OBSV).

The new Small Batch Select doesn’t quite fit the stairstep proof and age pattern of the other bottles in the permanent line. Elliott explained that the barrels used in the blend will be between 6 and 7 years old, and at 104 proof without chill filtering (which pulls oils—and with it, some flavor—out of your bourbon) we’ll certainly find notes we’ve missed in the others.

Official tasting notes for Four Roses Small Batch Select include raspberries, clove and nutmeg on the nose. The distillery reports it opens into flavors of apricot, ripe berries, vanilla and light oak as it hits the palate, and has a lingering finish with notes of spearmint and a touch of cinnamon.

“Small Batch Select certainly can be one of your special occasion Bourbons, but we want it to be more accessible so you don’t hesitate to open up that bottle and enjoy it any time,” Elliott said. “I am particularly proud of this Bourbon, as it is the biggest addition to the storied history of Four Roses since I became Master Distiller.”

 

Small Batch Select won’t hit shelves till this spring, and we’ll have more information on which recipes will be used in the coming months. At first, it will only be available in limited markets (Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, New York, and California), but the distillery plans to expand distribution in the future.

The distillery hasn’t given an exact price yet, but we’re told we can expect the price point to be above Four Roses Single Barrel, which is currently on shelves for around $45.

[Rollo Tomassi 80]

13 hours ago, BourbonTahoe said:

I’ve looked in 3-4 shops in west Austin and haven’t found it. 

It was not at my Twin Liquors (Lake Austin).  In fact, they had no insight into the OF Rye.  I found mine at the Austin Wine Merchant on W. 6th street.

[huge 3793]

Purchased OF Rye at Goody Goody in Houston.  $25.99

Have not cracked it yet.

 

Regarding Angels Envy finished Rye, I thought everyone loved it but $85 is $85.

 

[ColoradoHorn 7]

Have you seen the price tag on the Double Eagle Very Rare Bourbon?  $2000 only 299 bottles available.

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/buffalo-trace-pushes-out-a-20-year-old-eagle-rare-bourbon/

Bit out of my price range.

[Neonmoon 38129]

2 hours ago, ColoradoHorn said:

Have you seen the price tag on the Double Eagle Very Rare Bourbon?  $2000 only 299 bottles available.

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/buffalo-trace-pushes-out-a-20-year-old-eagle-rare-bourbon/

Bit out of my price range.

How much for one sip?

[ckhorn 208]

4 hours ago, huge said:

Purchased OF Rye at Goody Goody in Houston.  $25.99

Have not cracked it yet.

 

Regarding Angels Envy finished Rye, I thought everyone loved it but $85 is $85.

 

That's the only downside, but if you're like me. After a few drinks, who gives a xoxo.

[Bozo_Casanova 26462]

UPDATE: I’ve been drinking OF1910 all evening. Admittedly I was not a huge fan of the whiskey row series, but this is very delicious bourbon and I regret nothing.

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

4 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

UPDATE: I’ve been drinking OF1910 all evening. Admittedly I was not a huge fan of the whiskey row series, but this is very delicious bourbon and I regret nothing.

I don't get the 1910 hatred. The purists bitch that it tastes like a finished whiskey and not a bourbon. But it's not that at all, it's just double oaked bourbon which every bourbon distillery is doing now. Credit to Old Forester for having one of the most unique tasting double oaked bourbons on the market. 

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

7 hours ago, ColoradoHorn said:

Have you seen the price tag on the Double Eagle Very Rare Bourbon?  $2000 only 299 bottles available.

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/buffalo-trace-pushes-out-a-20-year-old-eagle-rare-bourbon/

Bit out of my price range.

I'm sure it's awesome, but $2k a bottle is absurd. A bottle of Eagle Rare 17 at MSRP is $120-$140 I believe. That's a huge jump for 3 more years in the barrel and a nice decanter. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by billfromlaketravis

[Anastasis 23469]

1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

UPDATE: I’ve been drinking OF1910 all evening. Admittedly I was not a huge fan of the whiskey row series, but this is very delicious bourbon and I regret nothing.

Just walked in the door from the airport a bit ago. Dropped my bag. Poured a 1910. About to pour another. 

[huge 3793]

9 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I don't get the 1910 hatred. The purists bitch that it tastes like a finished whiskey and not a bourbon. But it's not that at all, it's just double oaked bourbon which every bourbon distillery is doing now. Credit to Old Forester for having one of the most unique tasting double oaked bourbons on the market. 

I don't know who you are talking to that hates it.  No human with taste buds hopefully.

Also GG still has 1910 on the shelves in Houston.

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

1 hour ago, huge said:

I don't know who you are talking to that hates it.  No human with taste buds hopefully.

Also GG still has 1910 on the shelves in Houston.

I can’t remember the specific review. It was a husband and wife team. Wife loved it. Husband panned it. 

[Bozo_Casanova 26462]

I can’t remember the specific review. It was a husband and wife team. Wife loved it. Husband panned it. 

I can see that. Preferences are subjective and my personal theory is that the further a product drifts from the median profile of flavor and mouthfeel in a category the more polarizing it’s likely to be. So, If you imagined the generic flavor, smell and mouthfeel of Bourbon, what’s the median for you? Probably something like Jim Beam? Wild Turkey? Maybe Weller?

 

My guess is that whatever the median is for any given person, OF1910 is very far from that and it stands to reason that’s it’s going to draw strong opinions either way.

 

By the way - when I said I wasn’t a fan of the whiskey row series I was referring to the 1870 and 1897 releases and I was talking about this very thing. They just didn’t stand out much for me. If you’re going to do a special release, it ought to be special.

 

 

[huge 3793]

I don't think Ive ever had the 1870 or 1897.  I have gone through more bottles of the 10 and 20 than I care to admit though.

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I can see that. Preferences are subjective and my personal theory is that the further a product drifts from the median profile of flavor and mouthfeel in a category the more polarizing it’s likely to be. So, If you imagined the generic flavor, smell and mouthfeel of Bourbon, what’s the median for you? Probably something like Jim Beam? Wild Turkey? Maybe Weller?

 

My guess is that whatever the median is for any given person, OF1910 is very far from that and it stands to reason that’s it’s going to draw strong opinions either way.

 

By the way - when I said I wasn’t a fan of the whiskey row series I was referring to the 1870 and 1897 releases and I was talking about this very thing. They just didn’t stand out much for me. If you’re going to do a special release, it ought to be special.

 

 

I guess I have a good palate. The bartenders at Whiskey Cake have said so a couple times, but they do work for tips. 

My everyday drinker is Eagle Rare 10, but it’s not my median bourbon. It just good, somewhat available and easy to drink. 

I don’t like Jim Beam. All of the Jim Beam releases taste like original white label to me. I didn’t drink Knob Creek for years because I picked up some Jim Beam hints in the original KC. Different story with the KC Single Barrel/store picks. 

I like Wild Turkey 101. I drank it when I finishing up school, probably the first bourbon I drank neat. Like many others, I remember it being much better 10 years ago. I still think it’s pretty good, and I’ll shoot it. I’ll drink it neat in a pinch if that’s the best a restaurant/plane has. I guess this my median, base line bourbon. 

I love both Weller Antique and 12, but Antique is far superior in my opinion. A lot more flavorful and a nice little Kentucky hug. W12 is good too, but the smoothness is what jumps out at me. It’s a better ER10 in my opinion. Pretty similar flavor profiles.  

What I like most about 1910 is that’s just different without finishing it in a rum or wine barrel. I don’t think this works with bourbons. Some ryes make it work.

1910 and 1920 was a darned good finish for Old Forester. They could done much better with the start of the Whiskey Row Series. At a minimum they should have done something special with the Single Barrel release. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by billfromlaketravis

[Carl Spackler 3483]

I get a somewhat of a medicinal note in my tastings of OF products, so I'm not as big a fan as some other posters.  I've tried the 1897 and 1920, and got the same medicinal notes up front to varying degrees in both of them, though the flavor profiles smoothed out after the initial "WTF is that?" taste reaction.  I thought the 1897 was fine overall, but not good enough to make me want to continue buying it, esp. when there are a ton of other bourbons out there at the same price point (or even less) that I like better.  I'm one of the few who actually liked the 1897 a tad better than the 1920, although the 1920 opened up pretty nicely with a little water or over a large ice ball.  But, as with the 1897, I'm not inclined to buy the 1920 again simply because there are others out there I like better.

Haven't had the 1910 yet.  Will probably try soon and I'm hoping I like it better than the 1897 and 1920.  And one of these days I'll splurge on some OFBB if I can get my hands on it.      

[thrillhammer 683]

Don't have any 1897, and don't want to crack one of my two unopened bottles of 1920, but I am going to start with a store pick of their single barrel, and then move on to the 1910.  It's practically Friday.

[woohorn 1131]

Y'all store your bottles right side up? I am more of a scotch drinker and have a few bottles of mid range stuff like ER7 that I won't drink for a while.

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

Willett Rye newb here. The 4 Year Single Barrel seems pretty tough to find. 

I picked up a bottle of the 4 Year Small Batch, 110 proof this evening. Is it any good? 

[Redneck Mutha 7956]

10 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Willett Rye newb here. The 4 Year Single Barrel seems pretty tough to find. 

I picked up a bottle of the 4 Year Small Batch, 110 proof this evening. Is it any good? 

Yes, tough but not impossible to find.  I'm a fan, lot of flavor.  

[billfromlaketravis 11481]

1 minute ago, Redneck Mutha said:

Yes, tough but not impossible to find.  I'm a fan, lot of flavor.  

And is the small batch good? 

[brown water 3777]

11 hours ago, woohorn said:

Y'all store your bottles right side up? I am more of a scotch drinker and have a few bottles of mid range stuff like ER7 that I won't drink for a while.

Yes. Standing not on the side like wine.  I'll check for an article but think it has something to do with the cork effecting the whiskey. 

Edited to add link. 

https://blog.distiller.com/whiskey-storage/

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by brown water

[ckhorn 208]

5 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

And is the small batch good? 

Need to grab any Willett you can get right now (to drink) Not the pot still. Having a feeling most stores are going to be allocating it if they haven’t already. 

Edit: allocation sucks