It's always a bummer to run out a one of a kind or limited production. But hey, life's short. Drink the good stuff you like while you can.
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Favorite Bourbon
- Thread starter onepixel
- Start date
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
This is truly a unique, rare collectors bottle...it was released in the mid-90's and included as part of United Distillers original Bourbon Heritage Collection along with aged bottlings from IW Harper, WL Weller, George Dickel, and Old Fitzgerald... it was available in both a 50ml mini pack and a 750ml with a dedicated wooden display rack...all of these bottles would be very rare...when these came out, the bourbon boom was years away and even at minuscule prices by todays standards they were hard to sell...The current Bourbon Heritage Collection with Eagle Rare, Thomas Handy, Sazerac Rye, George T. Stagg and William LaRue Weller is highly sought after and very expensive....I think the Charter you have is 13 years old, and there might even have been a 15 year old as well...Old Charter 8 and 10 were big bootleg brands in the 70's-80's especially in the old half pint size...my guess is this has been out of production for maybe 30 years or so.
It’s the pickles that make it all come together.
Bill S
Thread Killer
Oui!
whoaru99
Epic Member
Looking through some of the older posts...
And probably seemed like a small fortune at the time. That'd be a flipper's gold mine today. LOL.
whoaru99
Epic Member
Probably been answered long ago amidst some 2700-ish replies, but I've been reading some of the older posts lately.
Three key (but not all) qualifications to be bourbon.
- Made in USA
- At least 51% corn in mash bill
- Aged in new charred oak barrels
Being made in Kentucky is not one of the requirements to be called bourbon. Although for sure lots of bourbon is made in Kentucky.
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finnbow
The Dude Abides
One of the largest bourbon (and rye) distillers in the country (Ross & Squibb (aka MGP)) is in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. That said, you're correct that a lot of bourbon from newly opened "craft" distilleries across the country are bottled with only 2-4 years of barrel aging and are harsh and expensive compared a lot of better (and cheaper) Kentucky products.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
95% of all bourbon produced in the US and its' territories comes from Kentucky and when you consider the largest capacity distillery is Jack Daniels in Tennessee, it brings into perspective just how small all these craft distilleries are, even all combined...there are about 14 million barrels aging in Kentucky today, and the population of the entire state is only 4.6 million...Kentucky has two critical ingredients in making bourbon, limestone filtered water and access to the best grains from the midwest...even more critical is the climate in Kentucky is known for long hot summers and mild winters, which means the maturation process generally continues year round...the other key ingredients in making bourbon are time and money, both of which many craft distillers run short of.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
Not familiar with his one, but a quick google did reveal something interesting and unusual in bourbon...it is known as a 4-grain bourbon which means it has corn, rye, wheat and malted barley in the mash bill...most distillers have difficulty getting the grains to make a taste profile they like, feeling they clash more than they mesh...the only 4-grain bourbon I have ever had was from EH Taylor and I thought is was incredible...of course it was highly allocated and a one-time production run and I seem to remember we got maybe 12 bottles total...great bourbon, just not enough to do much with.
whoaru99
Epic Member
That may be, I haven't looked at the production stats.
But, mine was only a comment that it doesn't have to be made in Kentucky to be formally/legally classified as bourbon. Perhaps you'd meant to quote finnbow re. craft volumes vs. the big guys?
Since you mentioned Jack, my understanding is that is also bourbon, but they choose to call it Tennessee whiskey primarily for market differentiation.
That they do the additional filtering through maple charcoal has no forbearance on disqualifying it from being technically bourbon. Or, put another way, Tennessee whiskey can be bourbon, but bourbon can't be Tennessee whiskey unless it's made in Tennessee.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
The 95% number was calculated from early 2000's data and may have changed since then...there are hundreds of craft distillers now, and even though most of their case production is small the sheer number of them could make a few points difference...also to be taken into consideration is the fact that the existing distilleries have increased production since the 2000's, so the addition of craft distiller cases has been at least offset if not surpassed by existing distilleries...even if it made a 5% difference though, 9 out of every 10 bottles would still come from Kentucky...there is also 2020 data to support the 95% number is correct, all depending on what data is being used...maybe to be perfectly accurate it should be said that the "vast/overwhelming amount" of bourbon comes from Kentucky and that amount is over 90%.
whoaru99
Epic Member
I think in the interests of accuracy it must be clear that despite most bourbon coming from Kentucky, it's not required to come from Kentucky to be classified as bourbon.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
There is a bourbon distillery or there has been a distillery in all 50 states, so no it is not required
to come from Kentucky...assuming the concoction made in Hawaii passes the bourbon test since the ATF allows them to put bourbon on the label...in order to specify as Kentucky straight bourbon on the label however the whiskey must be two years old or older.
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finnbow
The Dude Abides
The 2-year aging requirement is for straight Bourbon whiskey, no matter the origin (it needn't be Kentucky).
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
Fact!
