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Bourbon

Jimbaround

By Jimbaround
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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 27011

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I wouldn’t pay more than MSRP for any bourbon, but that’s just my rules.

On the topic of Woodford- did anybody else try the Woodford Oat Grain? Holy Shit it was good, and I haven’t quite been able to nail the flavor profile other than to say that it was kind of like somebody melted a mixed handful of hard candy from Cracker Barrel into hot cereal.

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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I bought one bottle of Balmorhea and a bottle of Woodford Reserve Barrel Proof this evening. 

The one and only chance for Garrison Bros for me. Even if it is good, I probably won’t buy another bottle for a few years. Just too expensive for a 5 year old bourbon. Yet, I had to find out for myself if it’s good. 

I bought a bottle of Woodford Batch Proof in 2017 or 2018 and came away unimpressed. It was a solid B high proofer, but nothing special. I’m sure it has improved, but Brown-Forman frustrates the hell out of me. To my knowledge, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is their only product with an age statement.* Batch Proof is almost the same price as Birthday, and they won’t even provide an age range. 

*Old Forester Bottled in Bond has to be at least 4 years old. Additionally OF President’s Choice is “typically aged 8 years” per their website.

I suspect Brown-Forman doesn’t use age statements so they can blend younger and older barrels to hit a consistent taste they like. Pretty similar to Wild Turkey. After the 1910 shortage, I remember listening to an interview with Jackie Zykan from OF. She explained the second barrel process required at least 9 months. That’s the most transparency we’ll receive from Brown-Forman.

Edited by billfromlaketravis
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Brew

Brew 3051

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Received shipping notification for my bottle of Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon. We’ll see if Peyton et al can pay to mix a decent bourbon. They have a pretty well known master distiller in the KY markets handling the blending, so it should be interesting.

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Godzillatron

Godzillatron 303

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I bought one bottle of Balmorhea and a bottle of Woodford Reserve Barrel Proof this evening. 
The one and only chance for Garrison Bros for me. Even if it is good, I probably won’t buy another bottle for a few years. Just too expensive for a 5 year old bourbon. Yet, I had to find out for myself if it’s good. 

I bought a bottle of Woodford Batch Proof in 2017 or 2018 and came away unimpressed. It was a solid B high proofer, but nothing special. I’m sure it has improved, but Brown-Forman frustrates the hell out of me. To my knowledge, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is their only product with an age statement.* Batch Proof is almost the same price as Birthday, and they won’t even provide an age range. 

*Old Forester Bottled in Bond has to be at least 4 years old. Additionally OF President’s Choice is “typically aged 8 years” per their website.
I suspect Brown-Forman doesn’t use age statements so they can blend younger and older barrels to hit a consistent taste they like. Pretty similar to Wild Turkey. After the 1910 shortage, I remember listening to an interview with Jackie Zykan from OF. She explained the second barrel process required at least 9 months. That’s the most transparency we’ll receive from Brown-Forman.

I bought a bottle of Balmohrea, haven’t opened yet. I usually say no to Garrison Bros for the same reason you stated - price seems high for what it is. Succumbed to the hyped on the Balmorhea, hopefully won’t be disappointed.
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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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14 minutes ago, Godzillatron said:


I bought a bottle of Balmohrea, haven’t opened yet. I usually say no to Garrison Bros for the same reason you stated - price seems high for what it is. Succumbed to the hyped on the Balmorhea, hopefully won’t be disappointed.

I have some Weller to drink, so I won’t open my bottle of Balmorhea for a couple weeks. I would accept a B level bourbon with a unique flavor profile. 

There was a scuttlebutt on r/bourbon that someone associated with Garrison Bros posted a fake review of Balmorhea in their thread. It was credible enough that the moderator deleted the post. This is concerning. At its price point, it should be good enough to stand on its own. 

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Yev Kassem

Yev Kassem 1078

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I’m just tired of going into Total Wine/Twin Liquors/Specs and seeing 20+ unopened cases of all of these local whiskeys/bourbons. I get and support the idea to support local businesses, but why not push to get more allocated/popular product when they know it will sell far better?

Why would I want to spend $100+ on some hyped local brand when I can spend half that on OF 1920 (or numerous others) and have a vastly superior product?

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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24 minutes ago, Yev Kassem said:

I’m just tired of going into Total Wine/Twin Liquors/Specs and seeing 20+ unopened cases of all of these local whiskeys/bourbons. I get and support the idea to support local businesses, but why not push to get more allocated/popular product when they know it will sell far better?

Why would I want to spend $100+ on some hyped local brand when I can spend half that on OF 1920 (or numerous others) and have a vastly superior product?

Ask them about the pallets of Wheatley Vodka Buffalo Trace makes them buy to receive allocated bottles. The distillery - distribution - liquor store system is broken.

Some would argue that we don't give craft distilleries a chance, then we won't get new, unique products like New Riff or Woodinville. We'll go back to the old days of the Big 6 Distilleries in Kentucky producing all of the bourbon. 

But yes, I see your point when I gaze at entire walls of 2 year old Balcones products at the big box Texas liquor stores. 

Edited by billfromlaketravis
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Yev Kassem

Yev Kassem 1078

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52 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Ask them about the pallets of Wheatley Vodka Buffalo Trace makes them buy to receive allocated bottles. The distillery - distribution - liquor store system is broken.

Some would argue that we don't give craft distilleries a chance, then we won't get new, unique products like New Riff or Woodinville. We'll go back to the old days of the Big 6 Distilleries in Kentucky producing all of the bourbon. 

But yes, I see your point when I gaze at entire walls of 2 year old Balcones products at the big box Texas liquor stores. 

I think my biggest issue with these local brands is that they are way overpriced. I see other craft brands on the shelf (like the Woodinville you mentioned) at a way lower price point. I could understand a limited release like Balmorhea getting an inflated price point, but cannot comprehend who would pay the $70-$80 asking price for their regular offerings. 

Edited by Yev Kassem
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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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26 minutes ago, Yev Kassem said:

I think my biggest issue with these local brands is that they are way overpriced. I see other craft brands on the shelf (like the Woodinville you mentioned) at a way lower price point. I could understand a limited release like Balmorhea getting an inflated price point, but cannot comprehend who would pay the $70-$80 asking price for their regular offerings. 

There's a really good Bourbon Pursuit Podcast about bringing new products to market. They interviewed a well respected marketer in the bourbon business. He suggested a minimum of $50 for new products, and advocated even higher prices. He argued that when people see a premium price they see premium bourbon, ie taters. 

I'll try to run down the episode number for you. It was a fascinating listen. 

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Neonmoon

Neonmoon 38130

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Bourbon is a business. Local craft can’t compete with the quality and price point of the Big 6. They just can’t. Why you ask? Bourbon requires too much time in the barrel, meaning too much Capex for most startups. BT, MM, 4R, WT, HH, BF is selling fantastic bourbon at cheap ass prices. Weller 12 for $30. Eagle Rare for $30. OF 1910 for $50. RRSB for $55. MM for $30. 4RSB for $40. EWSB at $30. 

This isn’t beer. Beer doesn’t take 2-10 years for product to hit shelves. Any asshole can make a batch of beer in their garage. You can spend as low as 100K to start a craft brewery and start selling product after two months. You will know in 2 months if people like your product or don’t like it. Beer is perfect for thriving locally. 

Local has to charge so much to cover cost. Barrels, building rent, Production equipment, staff, supplies, etc. Not to mention the product is different because of climate. 
 

in summary, lot of ins, lot of outs
 

Edited by Neonmoon
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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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1 minute ago, Neonmoon said:

Bourbon is a business. Local craft can’t compete with the quality and price point of the Big 6. They just can’t. Why you ask? Bourbon requires too much time in the barrel, meaning too much Capex for most startups. BT, MM, 4R, WT, HH, BF is selling fantastic bourbon at cheap ass prices. Weller 12 for $30. Eagle Rare for $30. OF 1910 for $50. RRSB for $55. MM for $30. 4RSB for $40. EWSB at $30. 

This isn’t beer. It doesn’t take 2-10 years for product to hit shelves. Any asshole can make a batch of beer in their garage. You can spend as low as 100K to start a craft brewery and start selling product after two months. You will know in 2 months if people like your product or don’t like it. Beer is perfect for thriving locally. 

Local has to charge so much to cover cost. Barrels, building rent, Production equipment, staff, supplies, etc. Not to mention the product is different because of climate. 
 

in summary, lot of ins, lot of outs
 

I agree with every word of this. My hope for craft bourbon is for an occasional hit that grabs the big guys’ attention and pushes them to try something different. 

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thrillhammer

thrillhammer 686

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On 5/28/2020 at 2:33 PM, Yev Kassem said:

Scored an EHT SiB today from Spec’s ($56). I’ve heard some pretty good things about this bottle, so I’m pretty excited. 

very nice score.  i passed up small batch for years looking for single, 4grain, amaranth, etc.  now i'd love to see even a small batch somewhere.  been a long time.

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thrillhammer

thrillhammer 686

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17 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I bought one bottle of Balmorhea and a bottle of Woodford Reserve Barrel Proof this evening. 

The one and only chance for Garrison Bros for me. Even if it is good, I probably won’t buy another bottle for a few years. Just too expensive for a 5 year old bourbon. Yet, I had to find out for myself if it’s good. 

i dont even think its that old.  the bottle i bought said barrelled in 2016.  i agree, he needs to lower it $20-40 to be reasonable.

i went out looking for the woodford oat grain today but no look.  did find a woodford wheated.  never seen it before and it was the only bottle they had.  was only $29 so am feeling good about the weekend.  also bought a bottle of bulleit blenders select.  it was pretty pricey for some bitches that dont even distill, but it's gotten good reviews so will be cracking it tonight.

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Yev Kassem

Yev Kassem 1078

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28 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

very nice score.  i passed up small batch for years looking for single, 4grain, amaranth, etc.  now i'd love to see even a small batch somewhere.  been a long time.

I’ve been lucky the past few weeks with EHT. A couple weeks ago I strolled into a Total Wine and they had a Small Batch sitting up in front on their allocated counter for $36. 

The Single Barrel had a tag on the shelf at Spec’s, but the shelf was empty. I asked the guy if they had more in the back and luckily they did. 

I’ve seen a decent amount of EHT small batch around recently, so maybe Texas got an allocation in the past month or so. 

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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We’ll see what you his year brings, but I can usually find a couple bottles of EH Taylor Single Barrel on the shelf in Houston every year. Small Batch is a pass for me. I can hit some stores in the burbs if I’m really hard up for Single Barrel. 

EHT Barrel Proof was a gift from a buddy who on the last days of being the “bourbon guy” at a store near my office. I’ve collected/enjoyed since 2017, and I’ve only seen one bottle of Barrel Proof.

I’ll buy the EHT Rye every time I see it. Third best rye in the Buffalo Trace portfolio. Obviously a huge gap between Handy and Sazerac 18, but EHT Rye blows the doors off of Baby Saz. 

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ISUCyclones

ISUCyclones 216

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We’ll see what you his year brings, but I can usually find a couple bottles of EH Taylor Single Barrel on the shelf in Houston every year. Small Batch is a pass for me. I can hit some stores in the burbs if I’m really hard up for Single Barrel. 
EHT Barrel Proof was a gift from a buddy who on the last days of being the “bourbon guy” at a store near my office. I’ve collected/enjoyed since 2017, and I’ve only seen one bottle of Barrel Proof.
I’ll buy the EHT Rye every time I see it. Third best rye in the Buffalo Trace portfolio. Obviously a huge gap between Handy and Sazerac 18, but EHT Rye blows the doors off of Baby Saz. 
Texas is lucky for some of these things, I've never actually seen an eh Taylor sib in a store in Kentucky that wasn't outrageously priced. Only time I've bought a few was back visiting Iowa.
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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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7 minutes ago, ISUCyclones said:
10 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:
We’ll see what you his year brings, but I can usually find a couple bottles of EH Taylor Single Barrel on the shelf in Houston every year. Small Batch is a pass for me. I can hit some stores in the burbs if I’m really hard up for Single Barrel. 
EHT Barrel Proof was a gift from a buddy who on the last days of being the “bourbon guy” at a store near my office. I’ve collected/enjoyed since 2017, and I’ve only seen one bottle of Barrel Proof.
I’ll buy the EHT Rye every time I see it. Third best rye in the Buffalo Trace portfolio. Obviously a huge gap between Handy and Sazerac 18, but EHT Rye blows the doors off of Baby Saz. 

Texas is lucky for some of these things, I've never actually seen an eh Taylor sib in a store in Kentucky that wasn't outrageously priced. Only time I've bought a few was back visiting Iowa.

Do you even gift shop bro?

Edited by billfromlaketravis
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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11899

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51 minutes ago, ISUCyclones said:
54 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:
Stagg Jr guys, is there to determine the batch number on the bottle? 

Each batch is a different proof so you can tell which batch by the proof

Thanks. I wish Buffalo Trace would just print the year on the the darn bottle. This site is quite helpful:  https://www.bourbonex.com/forums/topic/21/stagg-jr-release-info-batches

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Godzillatron

Godzillatron 303

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Been drinking Kentucky mules. Heb makes a nice ginger beer that I’m enjoying. Today I’m using the OF rye. Not a bad little Saturday afternoon. 

Also drinking mules, but using them as a way to get rid of the very overpriced bottle of Still Austin batch 2 swill I was convinced to buy to support the local startup..
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