Bourbon

[NOMAAA 1696]

according to reddit they are calling today.  eagerly anticipating my big bottle of nothing.

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

42 minutes ago, NOMAAA said:

according to reddit they are calling today.  eagerly anticipating my big bottle of nothing.

Same. I’ve won the weekly raffle plenty. Blanked on the lottery. 

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

Does total wine run promotions that are 10x bonus points? And if so, is it worth it bourbon-wise to spend $250, on wine or whatever, to get the 25,000 points to trigger the loyalty threshold?

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

37 minutes ago, KeysPhoneWallet said:

Does total wine run promotions that are 10x bonus points? And if so, is it worth it bourbon-wise to spend $250, on wine or whatever, to get the 25,000 points to trigger the loyalty threshold?

I would assume they make you buy some Spirits Direct bullshit. 

[Litig8r 414]

Warning thread bender ahead

 

Damn it.  How did I miss this?  https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/the-bard-distillery-releases-a-limited-edition-muhlenberg-john-prine-birthday-edition-kentucky-bourbon/ 

 

 

[RMac5 1551]

Likker store in Childress has a bottle of Old Fitzgerald 19yr for $799. Crazy shit right there.

[Party_Taco 3724]

Seen it go for Pappy+ Cash on secondary, so not that crazy.

You wouldn’t catch me paying that tax though… Old Fitz is the least impressive of the pricey bottles.

It’s all glass and no whiskey AFAIC

[USCATX 1078]

49 minutes ago, RMac5 said:

Likker store in Childress has a bottle of Old Fitzgerald 19yr for $799. Crazy shit right there.

It’s going for about 950 so that checks out. I’ve had multiple people say it’s not as good as the 17, which got smoked by an 11 when we cracked those and a 9 on the same night.  I have a lot of love for the bottles and think the whiskey is decent to good. Probably not worth paying for on secondary for the 15 and up.  

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

I can’t recommend Booker’s anymore. It’s not a $90 bourbon, and it never will be. The 2022-03 is hot as f***. I’m going to let it sit for a couple weeks. 
 

Spec’a Rittenhouse pick is decent to good. You won’t confuse it for a Pikesville, but it works for $30. 

3 minutes ago, USCATX said:

It’s going for about 950 so that checks out. I’ve had multiple people say it’s not as good as the 17, which got smoked by an 11 when we cracked those and a 9 on the same night.  I have a lot of love for the bottles and think the whiskey is decent to good. Probably not worth paying for on secondary for the 15 and up.  

How’s the 9 year?

[USCATX 1078]

6 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I can’t recommend Booker’s anymore. It’s not a $90 bourbon, and it never will be. The 2022-03 is hot as f***. I’m going to let it sit for a couple weeks. 
 

Spec’a Rittenhouse pick is decent to good. You won’t confuse it for a Pikesville, but it works for $30. 

How’s the 9 year?

Good, but I’ve had one rebel yell 10 that was better and one that wasn’t.  Since these are all at secondary now you’re paying $325-$350 for a shot at beating a bottle that is somewhat available and $75.  For $400-$425 you could pick up a ‘90s Stitzel Weller rebel yell that would smoke them all even at 80 proof. 

[Party_Taco 3724]

^^^ that was all my gramsie drank and she SWORE by the stuff. Snuck off with plenty in my youth but didn’t appreciate it then… or the 3.5l of Turkey my buddy’s mom had in her bar on a tilt device.

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

9 minutes ago, Party_Taco said:

^^^ that was all my gramsie drank and she SWORE by the stuff. Snuck off with plenty in my youth but didn’t appreciate it then… or the 3.5l of Turkey my buddy’s mom had in her bar on a tilt device.

Pics or it didn’t happen. 

[USCATX 1078]

1 hour ago, Party_Taco said:

^^^ that was all my gramsie drank and she SWORE by the stuff. 

Gramsie knew what was up. 

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

Bulleit (possibly Four Roses) guys, why is the Single Barrel a full 16 proof points lower than the regular blend? 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by billfromlaketravis

[Firemans4Horn 18039]

Because barrel strength is always higher proof than (non barrel proof) single barrel?

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

Yeah looking at it again, the single barrel doesn't say barrel strength anywhere on the bottle. 

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

Things picked up this week. 
 

[huge 3793]

That the Parkers that is $175 retail now?

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

42 minutes ago, huge said:

That the Parkers that is $175 retail now?

Yep, $174.99.

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

I wanted to hate it because of the $20 price increase for the pick, but yes, this is excellent.

[RichUT 1832]

23 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I can’t recommend Booker’s anymore. It’s not a $90 bourbon, and it never will be. The 2022-03 is hot as f***. I’m going to let it sit for a couple weeks. 

I could not disagree more. As I've tasted more and more things, Booker's only gets elevated in my mind. I've got no problem paying $90-$100 for the good batches. I had the 2022-03 on NYE and was a big fan. 

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

14 minutes ago, RichUT said:

I could not disagree more. As I've tasted more and more things, Booker's only gets elevated in my mind. I've got no problem paying $90-$100 for the good batches. I had the 2022-03 on NYE and was a big fan. 

To each his own.

I don’t like Beam with the exception of the older Knob Creek SiB picks, the early Little Books, Doc Swinson’s 15(maybe, probably ?), and Knob 25. Booker’s 30 was pretty good, but a Knob Longhorn Pick destroys it. Never been within a mile of Booker’s Rye. I keep giving Beam chance after chance and they burn me. It’s on me for burning $90 on a bottle I don’t like. Hopefully, I know better now. 

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

I’ll walk back my statements on the Rittenhouse Spec’s pick after another pour. This shit sucks. Please save your money. 

[NOMAAA 1696]

How many points at specs do you have bill? Just curious. And how long have you been going to your guy. I got a guy but i don’t get what you get. Educate me. 

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

7 minutes ago, NOMAAA said:

How many points at specs do you have bill? Just curious. And how long have you been going to your guy. I got a guy but i don’t get what you get. Educate me. 

I haven’t checked in some time, and I’d rather not say publicly. I’ve bought almost every 6 pack and bottle at Spec’s since I turned 21. That was a long time ago. 

The only secret I’ll reveal is buy everything at the flagship store in your  respective city. Home store points count. If you want you to go the Spec’s route, you’re wasting your money on weekly runs at your local store.
 

I hate Total Wine’s allocation policy. I won’t shop there unless I have real time info in the store. Goody Goody is more Democratic through possibly random raffles and lotteries. I don’t shop there enough for the inside baseball stuff, but I could maybe help you out at the GG Woodway location. 

[NOMAAA 1696]

I’m doing the math. Got in early. Salute. 

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

I haven’t checked in some time, and I’d rather not say publicly. I’ve bought almost every 6 pack and bottle at Spec’s since I turned 21. That was a long time ago. 
The only secret I’ll reveal is buy everything at the flagship store in your  respective city. Home store points count. If you want you to go the Spec’s route, you’re wasting your money on weekly runs at your local store.
 
I hate Total Wine’s allocation policy. I won’t shop there unless I have real time info in the store. Goody Goody is more Democratic through possibly random raffles and lotteries. I don’t shop there enough for the inside baseball stuff, but I could maybe help you out at the GG Woodway location. 

What is it about total wines allocation strategy that you hate? How do you determine which specs is the flagship in a city? I guess it’s where the bourbon drops were for those cities? Unfortunately the Austin bourbon drop was on the wrong side of town for me

[HRSchenker 2268]

On 1/2/2023 at 5:24 PM, USCATX said:

You can always order some 12/101 from one of the euro sites if you want some cool Turkey that isn’t available commonly in the states. Grab a few to save on shipping and trade them for other bottles you can’t find. 

What euro sites are you talking about?

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

34 minutes ago, KeysPhoneWallet said:

What is it about total wines allocation strategy that you hate? How do you determine which specs is the flagship in a city? I guess it’s where the bourbon drops were for those cities? Unfortunately the Austin bourbon drop was on the wrong side of town for me

Wherever the drops in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio (2021), and Austin were are the flagship stores.

Total is fine, if you shop there a lot. I’m convinced the one by my house is the worst in Greater Houston. They really don’t reward points in my opinion. The guy at the bottom and the $1000 of wine guy are on the same level in drawings. I know plenty of guys that shop there all the time and haven’t won’t shit. That said, their beer and wine price are very low. 

[BigDHornfan 6546]

I will never be Specs black level or grand reserve at TW because I am at the point now where I don’t buy shit. Too much at home.
Goody is my only option now for BTAC’s at retail. I had the ultimate hookup at GG for 4 years but that dried up this year when my guy got promoted above store manager level and then proceeded to leave GG altogether a month ago.
I’m fine with it.
I’d rather pay secondary for something I want than spend thousands at Fuck Specs or TW for the “chance” to get something.

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

If Total had weekly raffles, I’d probably put them on the same level as GG. 
 

Spec’s runs Houston. GG and Total’s Buffalo Trace/Sazerac selection are a joke. Total putting Buffalo Trace up front and not on the shelf is jarring. GG puts it in the glass shelf. 
 

Spec’s has gotten more difficult. My guys at the Galleria and Spring Valley have moved on. Good for them, but I miss them both. The Galleria guy would sell me one Antique per day, and as many ER picks as I could carry. The Spring Valley guy would always dust off a W12 if I bullshited with him for a bit. I hope they’re making north of $20 an hour wherever they are. Godspeed. 

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

I will never be Specs black level or grand reserve at TW because I am at the point now where I don’t buy shit. Too much at home.
Goody is my only option now for BTAC’s at retail. I had the ultimate hookup at GG for 4 years but that dried up this year when my guy got promoted above store manager level and then proceeded to leave GG altogether a month ago.
I’m fine with it.
I’d rather pay secondary for something I want than spend thousands at Fuck Specs or TW for the “chance” to get something.

It only really makes sense if you are going to spend the money anyway I guess. Why is it fuck specs?

For total wine, if you can buy stuff that’s 10x points and just put $250 into it, that gets you the grand reserve status, I think for the current calendar year and the next calendar year as well. I’m not sure how much you get for that allocated bourbon-wise though, so I’m not sure if it’s worth it.

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

If Total had weekly raffles, I’d probably put them on the same level as GG. 
 
Spec’s runs Houston. GG and Total’s Buffalo Trace/Sazerac selection are a joke. Total putting Buffalo Trace up front and not on the shelf is jarring. GG puts it in the glass shelf. 
 
Spec’s has gotten more difficult. My guys at the Galleria and Spring Valley have moved on. Good for them, but I miss them both. The Galleria guy would sell me one Antique per day, and as many ER picks as I could carry. The Spring Valley guy would always dust off a W12 if I bullshited with him for a bit. I hope they’re making north of $20 an hour wherever they are. Godspeed. 

Is it your experience that specs stores generally have antiques/w12/ER stuff in the back even if they say they don’t?

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

2 minutes ago, KeysPhoneWallet said:

Is it your experience that specs stores generally have antiques/w12/ER stuff in the back even if they say they don’t?

The shit they have back there would turn your hair white. So yes. They keep the good shit around if their best customers have a need. I’ve pushed before and been rebuffed. I just accept whatever they want to sell me. 

[BigDHornfan 6546]

It only really makes sense if you are going to spend the money anyway I guess. Why is it fuck specs?

For total wine, if you can buy stuff that’s 10x points and just put $250 into it, that gets you the grand reserve status, I think for the current calendar year and the next calendar year as well. I’m not sure how much you get for that allocated bourbon-wise though, so I’m not sure if it’s worth it.

Because Specs is staffed by a bunch of fucking asshat liars that are on the take.
I’m just a tired old man who doesn’t feel like playing the game anymore.

[Yev Kassem 1031]

A buddy of mine works at Skip’s in New Braunfels and even they have crazy shit in the back. He already got me an ETL around Christmas and he’s got a line on a 2022 GTS for me.  

Even though I’m not a fan of the method, this has what it’s come to in order to get highly allocated bottles without waiting days in line at Spec’s (which I refuse to do).

[BigDHornfan 6546]

So last night was fun.





Wife wasn’t thrilled when I rolled in at 3am.
Worth the hangover though.

[Herbie Hancock 7345]

How hot was that Parker’s double??

[BigDHornfan 6546]

How hot was that Parker’s double??

Top 10 pours I’ve ever had.

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

1 hour ago, BigDHornfan said:

Top 10 pours I’ve ever had.

[RichUT 1832]

Anyone here tried the Bardstown x West Virginia Barrel company collab? It’s a blend of MGP and Canadian ryes finished in infrared toasted barrels. It’s probably one of the best Bardstown collabs I have had in the last 3 years, if not ever. It’s flying under the radar, but it’s a head turner.

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

21 minutes ago, RichUT said:

Anyone here tried the Bardstown x West Virginia Barrel company collab? It’s a blend of MGP and Canadian ryes finished in infrared toasted barrels. It’s probably one of the best Bardstown collabs I have had in the last 3 years, if not ever. It’s flying under the radar, but it’s a head turner.

MSRP is in the $160 range right?

[RichUT 1832]

Yep. And I have zero qualms recommending it at that price point.

[Hermanator 7036]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:35 PM, KeysPhoneWallet said:

Does total wine run promotions that are 10x bonus points? And if so, is it worth it bourbon-wise to spend $250, on wine or whatever, to get the 25,000 points to trigger the loyalty threshold?

Is it 1 pt per dollar normally? Because if so your math is off by a factor of 10. Would be $2500 in purchases. 

 

The one I really liked when I tried it was WLW. I may be willing to pay secondary for a one time special occasion so how does one go about buying secondary? Also someone mentioned buying from Europe and having it shipped, is that an option?

[billfromlaketravis 11450]

57 minutes ago, RichUT said:

Yep. And I have zero qualms recommending it at that price point.

I’ll give it a shot when some money is burning a hole in my pocket. 

[USCATX 1078]

14 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

Is it 1 pt per dollar normally? Because if so your math is off by a factor of 10. Would be $2500 in purchases. 

 

The one I really liked when I tried it was WLW. I may be willing to pay secondary for a one time special occasion so how does one go about buying secondary? Also someone mentioned buying from Europe and having it shipped, is that an option?

You have to know a guy who knows a guy on Facebook. WLW almost always goes above Facebook secondary on auction and websites. 

[Hermanator 7036]

Wow so it's not even as simple as go to a website and buy it? Yeah sounds like more crap than it's worth. Is there anything out there that is a close flavor profile that is more readily available?

[RichUT 1832]

Wow so it's not even as simple as go to a website and buy it? Yeah sounds like more crap than it's worth. Is there anything out there that is a close flavor profile that is more readily available?

Not particularly. Weller Full Proof is sorta in the ballpark, and runs $250-$350 secondary.

[USCATX 1078]

1 hour ago, Hermanator said:

Wow so it's not even as simple as go to a website and buy it? Yeah sounds like more crap than it's worth. Is there anything out there that is a close flavor profile that is more readily available?

Nothing like it that I’ve ever had. Better in different ways and 80% as good wheaters, yes.  I have pretty much everything other than a WLW and just can’t bring myself to pay $1600 for one. I’ll just find it at bars and drink it with clients. 

[veritas aequitas 443]

9 hours ago, BigDHornfan said:

So last night was fun.


 

That Larue is one of my favorites that I have not found in some time.