Bourbon

[Neonmoon 38127]

11 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Definitely sounds like BS. I'll take literally any Buffalo Trace 8-10 year product over a Garrison Bros 4-5 year. 

Can you imagine how universally panned Messina Hof would be if they ran around telling people their products were better than French wines? 

I think Garrison Bros should play up the "Made in Texas" angle rather than trying to argue their product is better than Kentucky bourbons. It's an argument they can't possibly win. I don't care if Jim Murray gave them a medal. The guy also said Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye was the best whiskey in the world in 2015. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/abrams/2016/08/31/40-years-later-french-wine-judgment-paris-california-napa-valley/89602248/

Counterpoint: Napa did this to the French Wines after they won in a blind taste test. So yes, I can imagine. 

It is possible to kill the King

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

26 minutes ago, AustinMT said:

For a not-too-expensive bourbon, I really like Woodford Double Oaked.  Anyone have a recommendation on other brands of the double-oaked style?

I think the double oaked style is pretty unique to Woodford Reserve. I believe someone posted in a previous page, Woodford has a double, double oaked style out there. 

http://www.breakingbourbon.com/woodford-reserve-double-double-oaked.html

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

6 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/abrams/2016/08/31/40-years-later-french-wine-judgment-paris-california-napa-valley/89602248/

Counterpoint: Napa did this to the French Wines after they won in a blind taste test. So yes, I can imagine. 

It is possible to kill the King

Napa has a unique climate similar to the great European wine producing regions. 

It's not exactly apples to apples. 

Edited May 16, 2018 by billfromlaketravis

[Jerry Callo 8658]

15 hours ago, Horn21 said:

 

True or not, it’s definitely a talking point during the Garrison tour. “Our 4/5 year is the same as someone else’s 8/10 year”

 

I've heard the same thing from the Balcones and Ranger Creek master distillers.  That's their stick. 

[Jerry Callo 8658]

14 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Can you imagine how universally panned Messina Hof would be if they ran around telling people their products were better than French wines? 

The wine equivalent is hearing over and over how Texas grape vines saved the French wine industry during the Great French Wine Blight in the 1800s.  

[ERhine 1894]

I've heard the same thing from the Balcones and Ranger Creek master distillers.  That's their stick. 

They all own the same stick? Some kind of joint custody arrangement?

[Horn21 168]

15 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

It’s definitely real. The heat makes the bourbon expand into the charred wood. The charred wood imparts the caramel and oak flavors into the bourbon. The cold weather contracts the same bourbon back into the middle of the barrel where it brings the flavor to the other bourbon. 

The hotter the weather, the more the bourbons goes into the charred oak. It should age faster. 

While it makes sense in theory, I agree with On Board in that time and process are both important here.  Speeding up the process seems a bit like reheating food in the microwave vs. the oven.  They're both going to get to the same temp.  The microwave is going to do it a lot faster and the oven is going to make it taste and feel a lot better.  Or I could smoke a brisket at 350 and get it to temp much faster than doing so at 220, but I know which brisket I am going to want to actually eat.

[Neonmoon 38127]

3 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

I've heard the same thing from the Balcones and Ranger Creek master distillers.  That's their stick. 

Speaking of sourced whiskey. Rebecca Creek

https://therivardreport.com/crafting-the-texas-spirit-local-distilleries-on-the-rise/

Quote

 

In addition to vodka, Rebecca Creek Distillery offers a namesake spirit whiskey, the first whiskey to be named after a female, that is a hybrid between a Canadian and Kentucky bourbon.

The distillery brings in an eight-year bourbon and combine it with what is called “white dog,” a young, clear whiskey made at the facility, along with a third whiskey that is aged on site.

Introduced in 2011, Rebecca Creak Spirit whiskey went on to become the number two selling new brand in 2012.

“Whiskey gets most of its character from where it is aged. Any aged spirit goes into the barrel clear as water and gets all of its color through the maturation process in the barrel; (the spirit) transforms a little bit. Depending on the climate of where it was matured, the whiskey will taste different and those differences are important to the whole local flavor mentality,” McDavid said. “The San Antonio climate gives us a lot of sweetness. We get a lot of sweetness from the Texas corn and the heat during the maturation brings out a lot of the vanilla, caramel and brown sugar from the wood in the barrel.”

Cameron seems to have a different take, pointing out that people have been trading ingredients for a long time, be it grains or other spirits to blend.

“I think it boils down to the ingredients that go into it and the care in the distillation process. There’s a large part of what’s in a bottle of Rebecca Creek whiskey that is made right here in our facility,” Cameron said. “To have an eight-year bourbon in our product from somewhere else is just an added ingredient to give it a more desirable flavor that makes it the way people like it.

 

He's just creating a narrative. "The Texas Heat and Texas corn makes the bourbon sweeter." The Kentucky distilleres rely on a narrative too. "It's something we started and been doing in the family four 150 years". Some of it is true. Some of it's just marketing bullshit. It's up to you to decide what to believe and how it influences your purchase. 

Edited May 16, 2018 by Neonmoon
I'm dumb and can't read

[Whiskyteer 51]

On 5/12/2018 at 1:16 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

PSA: Heaven Hill’s new fancied up version Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond should be hitting the shelves in the next few weeks.

Be on the look out, it’s got the potential to be special- it is to Larceny what Lot B is to Weller.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tried the Old Fitz BiB last week at the Brown in Louisville.  I was as disappointed in this release as much as Jefferson’s 16yr twin oak.  This bourbon is woodsy, very little fruit with a short finish.  I’m a big HH fan and was expecting a product comparable to their Pikesville release.  This is not it.  For the $100 pricetag, I would grab one for the collection but would not recommend paying secondary for it.  It’s a pretty bottle tho.  Spend your cash on ECBP.  

[Jerry Callo 8658]

1 hour ago, Neonmoon said:

I believe their new .36 Bourbon is distilled on site, but they also had to pay the bills early on by sourcing
He's just creating a narrative. "The Texas Heat and Texas corn makes the bourbon sweeter." The Kentucky distilleres rely on a narrative too. "It's something we started and been doing in the family four 150 years". Some of it is true. Some of it's just marketing bullshit. It's up to you to decide what to believe and how it influences your purchase. 

 

Rebecca Creek and Ranger Creek are two different distilleries in San Antonio. I did a tour at Rebecca Creek and was not impressed.  It was at a tour of Ranger Creek that the distiller pointed out the barrels aging in shipping containers behind the distillery.  He mentioned the same statistics regarding evaporation and how the bourbon ages much quicker in Texas.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Jerry Callo

[Rollo Tomassi 80]

I picked this up yesterday.  Haven't tried it yet.

[BigDHornfan 6522]

I picked this up yesterday.  Haven't tried it yet.

Great stuff. Haven’t had a EHT I haven’t liked.
Currently have the SiB, Small batch, rye, and barrel proof. Really want a Four Grain. Fingers crossed I come by one.

[Bozo_Casanova 26232]

3 hours ago, Whiskyteer said:

I tried the Old Fitz BiB last week at the Brown in Louisville.  I was as disappointed in this release as much as Jefferson’s 16yr twin oak.  This bourbon is woodsy, very little fruit with a short finish.  I’m a big HH fan and was expecting a product comparable to their Pikesville release.  This is not it.  For the $100 pricetag, I would grab one for the collection but would not recommend paying secondary for it.  It’s a pretty bottle tho.  Spend your cash on ECBP.  

I don't ever buy on the secondary market, but that's just an extraordinarily disappointing for me, especially your take on the finish and the flavor profile.
I'm hoping against reason that the sideways picture indicates that you were too drunk to appreciate it properly.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Bozo_Casanova

[Neonmoon 38127]

Speaking of the black market, anyone want to sell me a bottle of Pappy? 

[ckhorn 208]

5 hours ago, Rollo Tomassi said:

I picked this up yesterday.  Haven't tried it yet.

I'm not so sure. Did you buy half a bottle or you can't remember.

[ckhorn 208]

Picked up a 18 year Lock, Stock and Barrel while in Louisiana this past week. If you like Bourbon and you like Scotch. This is the Rye for you.

Also, picked up a Bottle of Rebel Yell 10 year on my way through. 

[capnamerca 570]

This thread is way too low on the page.

Headed to Vegas for our yearly customer conference. Hosted at the Aria which means I get to spend lots of time at the Sage Bar. Best bourbon location in Vegas.

[huge 3788]

Love the RY10

Need to find a bottle in the wild.

[PappyVanVinceYoung 85]

15 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Speaking of the black market, anyone want to sell me a bottle of Pappy? 

How much you looking to spend? I may have an extra PVW15.

[bularry1 23]

On 5/16/2018 at 7:54 AM, Neonmoon said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/abrams/2016/08/31/40-years-later-french-wine-judgment-paris-california-napa-valley/89602248/

Counterpoint: Napa did this to the French Wines after they won in a blind taste test. So yes, I can imagine. 

It is possible to kill the King

yeah, but they didn't kill the king, just put themselves in the conversation with the judgment in Paris.

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

Bourbon related, but I'm slowly becoming a Total Wine man. I like that Spec's started in Houston and the family still lives in the city, but Total's prices beat them every category. Cheaper bourbon, wine and beer in a much nicer store.

Spec's typically receives more allocated bourbons and they sell at MSRP, but Total is catching up. I pulled a bottle of Woodford Reserve Batch Proof today at my local Total for $20 less than the MSRP. Woodford claims they're only releasing 6k bottles this year, so it's a pretty darned good pull in my opinion. 

I also picked up a bottle of Bowman Single Barrel. I'm probably being optimistic, but I have high hopes for it. People that like it say it tastes like a toned down Weller Antique. I'll take that all day for a bourbon that's pretty easy to find. 

[ckhorn 208]

This is the best thread on Surly.

Edit. That doesn't have Nekkid women.

[Neonmoon 38127]

Anyone had the Diageo stuff other than Bulleit? Like IW Harper 15 or Orphan Barrell Rhetoric 22, Barterhouse 20? 

[BigDHornfan 6522]

Harper 15 is really good. Only small negative for me is it’s a little short on the finish. But that’s probably only because I prefer higher proof stuff now.

[mbpcb 55]

i have rhetoric 23. it is meh and not worth the money i spent on it

[Bozo_Casanova 26232]

Checking in with a Larceny Old Fashioned fellas, happy Thursday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ousuxndallas 65]

Using Belle Meade for some juleps. Very good.

[Firemans4Horn 17792]

The closest Spec’s to me has turned their bourbon aisle into total shit in the last 18 months. I think they have more Peach flavored Texas whiskey swill than 8+ year Kentucky bourbons. 

[ckhorn 208]

11 hours ago, huge said:

Love the RY10

Need to find a bottle in the wild.

There is plenty in Louisiana. If you are close enough.

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

6 minutes ago, ckhorn said:

There is plenty in Louisiana. If you are close enough.

Lake Charles close or Baton Rouge close? 

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

15 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said:

The closest Spec’s to me has turned their bourbon aisle into total shit in the last 18 months. I think they have more Peach flavored Texas whiskey swill than 8+ year Kentucky bourbons. 

Spec’s seems pretty content on selling Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. They know it’ll move and their more focused on other segments of their business. They receive more allocated bottles than anybody else in Houston though. So they sell it to their best customers; largely bars, secondary market flippers, and event planners. 

If you have an annual 100k liquor habit for personal use, please seek immediate counseling and head over to Specs to stock up on Pappy. 

Spec’s also appears to be squeezing their bourbon experts. I was told today “my boss is on my ass to sell the allocated bottles to people higher on the points list”. It doesn’t  matter if their customers don’t return calls to tell them their bottle is ready. They’ll hold it for months. 

Total seems more democratic. If there’s allocated bottles physically in the store and you ask for it, they’ll sell it to you. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by billfromlaketravis

[huge 3788]

Had this 1792 today for $9 at happy hour.
125 proof. Very good

[ERhine 1894]

I love me some Poison Girl.

[Horn21 168]

The Specs on airport has turned into a pile of garbage over the last few years. Their beer started to crater first, and then got somewhat better, right about in time for their whiskey to go to shit. Not to mention their staff has gotten significantly more dickish and now lazily push the same gross shit over and over.

Found 2 new stores that stock a great selection of beer and booze (specifically whiskey) and treat customers like customers instead of like people there wasting their time. I most likely won’t step foot into spec’s from here on out.

[ERhine 1894]

I gave up on Spec’s about four years ago when every time I’d go in to the Smith location the employees would try to sell me 1835.

[elfenix 34167]

Wasn't hot until I looked at the proof about halfway through.

That may have been the influence of the two beers I'd already had.

[HouTex 1847]

7 hours ago, ERhine said:

I gave up on Spec’s about four years ago when every time I’d go in to the Smith location the employees would try to sell me 1835.

This.  I still go there, but I never ask for advice.  I get better recommendations here.

Does anyone know if the money spent at Spec's on wine carries over to the bourbon isle?

[Neonmoon 38127]

Have to give it to Giant boubon by Gulf Coast Distillers. States "bottled in" Texas so it's probably sourced from MGP or something, but they made a sweet deal with Total Wine to get the top shelf placement. An entire top shelf row. While TX bourbon or Balcones is buried and hard to find, these guys prove that marketing sometimes trumps taste. I mean John Q Texas doesn't give a fuck. Texas! Bourbon! Sold!

I mean, it's not a bad strategy.  

[thrillhammer 683]

8 hours ago, ERhine said:

I love me some Poison Girl.

mama dont know what i done

[huge 3788]

8 hours ago, elfenix said:

Wasn't hot until I looked at the proof about halfway through.

That may have been the influence of the two beers I'd already had.

I spy Underdogs.

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

13 hours ago, ERhine said:

I gave up on Spec’s about four years ago when every time I’d go in to the Smith location the employees would try to sell me 1835.

They told me the 1835 Single Barrel has "highly sought after". I laughed them off the phone. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by billfromlaketravis

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

I finished a bottle of Belle Meade 11 yr Single Barrel.  They labeled it as cask strength, but it's only 110 proof. Probably misleading labeling there, but still a pretty good product. I recommend picking it up if you see it for retail. The 9 and 10 year single barrels should be pretty good as well. 

For those of that have visited Buffalo Trace, what's usually for sell at the distillery? I read they were starting to get cute with Blanton's, one bottle per visitor. Possibly no more filling up the suitcase runs to Kentucky. 

[brown water 3761]

^^^ FWIW a lot of Four Roses barrel strength clocks in around there. Also labels are fairly regulated (i.e. age statements refer to the youngest whiskey in the bottle and single barrel has to come from one barrel - which parenthetically is why ER10 changed their label a few years back).  Not sure if the concept carries over to cask or barrel strength designations but the ABV isn't automatically a disqualification. 

Also I agree the Belle Meade cask strength is a good pour. 

[brown water 3761]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I finished a bottle of Belle Meade 11 yr Single Barrel.  They labeled it as cask strength, but it's only 110 proof. Probably misleading labeling there, but still a pretty good product. I recommend picking it up if you see it for retail. The 9 and 10 year single barrels should be pretty good as well. 

For those of that have visited Buffalo Trace, what's usually for sell at the distillery? I read they were starting to get cute with Blanton's, one bottle per visitor. Possibly no more filling up the suitcase runs to Kentucky. 

Was referring to this. And not watching post numbers.  

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

34 minutes ago, brown water said:

Was referring to this. And not watching post numbers.  

It starts a little sweet, but finishes very smooth. 

They have "tours" in Nashville. There are better things to do in Nashville, but it might be worth to stop to pick up some allocated bottles. 

[Izhmash 558]

PSA:  Wellers Antique 107 spotted (and acquired) @ Spec’s in Austin (North, off Mopac and Braker - Arbor Walk). $29.99, limit 1 per customer.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Izhmash
Name of shopping center added

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

14 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

PSA:  Wellers Antique 107 spotted (and acquired) @ Spec’s in Austin (North, off Mopac and Braker - Arbor Walk). $29.99, limit 1 per customer.

Well done. I like Weller Antique more than W12. It's my favorite bourbon under $30. 

[ISUCyclones 216]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I finished a bottle of Belle Meade 11 yr Single Barrel.  They labeled it as cask strength, but it's only 110 proof. Probably misleading labeling there, but still a pretty good product. I recommend picking it up if you see it for retail. The 9 and 10 year single barrels should be pretty good as well. 

For those of that have visited Buffalo Trace, what's usually for sell at the distillery? I read they were starting to get cute with Blanton's, one bottle per visitor. Possibly no more filling up the suitcase runs to Kentucky. 

I was there last weekend and all they had was eagle rare, Buffalo trace, and the cream stuff. No blantons at all

[Redneck Mutha 7923]

41 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

PSA:  Wellers Antique 107 spotted (and acquired) @ Spec’s in Austin (North, off Mopac and Braker - Arbor Walk). $29.99, limit 1 per customer.

Scored one at Total Wine early this afternoon.  $22.99.  Thank you, sweet 750ml newborn baby Jesus. 

By the time I went to the back to grab a McKenna and then came up front to check out, there were no more left.

[billfromlaketravis 11352]

35 minutes ago, ISUCyclones said:

I was there last weekend and all they had was eagle rare, Buffalo trace, and the cream stuff. No blantons at all

Good Lord. What did they have for tasting?