Is it still sealed?
What bourbon are you drinking today?
- Thread starter Magnolia Tom
- Start date
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
Yes, that is the label/bottle I was referring to!...I much prefer this package to the current label, but then again they didn't ask me...As you probably know Weller wallowed in obscurity for years although I seem to remember that at one time it was the largest selling bourbon in Texas...only during the recent bourbon boom did folks become aware that it uses the same mash bill as Pappy. Pappy Van Winkle and W.L. Weller were partners in Stitzel Weller Distillery before PVW was a brand...PVW evolved as a brand from Weller and aside from length of aging and the fact that PVW is pulled only from the lower floors in the rick house (it's cooler there) the taste profiles are very close...enjoy that bottle, it's a classic part of bourbon history!
Tonight's selection. I purchased 3 single barrel signature store picks from Whiskey Business last week....
- Blue Note Juke Joint Single Barrel 119.7 Proof
- Knob Creek Single Barrel Select 120 Proof
- and this one... Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Single Barrel Proprietary Batch 110 Proof
I remember being able to buy VW off the shelf and Weller was readily available. I blame Wine Spectator magazine for starting the bourbon craze. They had an issue featuring high end bourbon stating you could buy the greatest bourbons for $50 a bottle. To wine snobs who thought nothing of dropping $100 for some untested new Cali Cabernet, this was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Newbies snapped up everything they could off the top shelf and then descended like locusts onto Weller due to the affiliation with VW. I can’t complain as the craze worked in my favor as I sold off my better bottles in 2020 after getting laid off from work. I sold a William Larue Weller, George T. Stagg, a VW Lot B and a VW 20 year for $7600 net to me at auction. Sure came in handy when the paychecks stopped coming in.
Plenty of good bottles available these days in the roughly $50 range, Angel’s Envy, Old Forestor 1910, Knob Creek and others sustain me through the winter.
Now's a great time to buy bourbon. Price-gouging has come down and you can buy the higher-end bourbons at MSRP or close to it. The supply is large right now but it won't last forever. Most distillers have cut production because of the over-supply situation to reflect the changing market.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
Yet I read where Sazerac/Buffalo Trace just bought Garrard, a distillery that folded after only 15 months of operation...in fact I don't think they ever brought any product to market...Sazerac paid 20 million with the intent to increase their production capacity...many of these craft distilleries and start ups from the bourbon boom don't have the ability to weather a backslide in business...Buffalo Trace does.
I saw that some of the big distilleries have stopped production at several plants for at least a year until they can work through the glut of inventory they now have. That's why now is the time to stock up, especially on the higher-end stuff. All I am buying nowadays are limited single barrel store picks. I spent over $400 last week on 5 bottles but they were all awesome. They would have cost a lot more a couple years ago.
If you have a Trader Joe's nearby their store label is surprisingly good; don't let the low price fool you. I don't know who bottles it for them and I don't really care. I'm on my third bottle. (not today...)
Have not had the TJ's bourbon but now i need to look for it. The Costco Bourbon is BIB and is bottled by Barton. Its a fantastic bourbon!
Tonight it is Knob Creek.
Went to a rum tasting a couple of weeks ago. Afterwards several of us ended up at a local bar. A friend and bourbon aficionado set us all up with his latest favorite. Bluegrass High Rye Blue Corn - 132 proof!
I had no idea just how strong nor even what it was since the glass was placed in my hand when I walked in. I took a healthy sip. It was like the liquid immediately dispersed throughout my mouth and felt like I swallowed nothing but it did burn so I know I swallowed it. This was quite smooth but the strength is noticeable and each of us " nursed" the same drink probably for 30 minutes. It is nice once I was prepared for the strength.
I had no idea just how strong nor even what it was since the glass was placed in my hand when I walked in. I took a healthy sip. It was like the liquid immediately dispersed throughout my mouth and felt like I swallowed nothing but it did burn so I know I swallowed it. This was quite smooth but the strength is noticeable and each of us " nursed" the same drink probably for 30 minutes. It is nice once I was prepared for the strength.
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Erik Tracy
Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by
Late night college football sipping
Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace
Is that a Scooby-Doo glass?
Erik Tracy
Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by
Yup - my mom bought those for my two sons for when they would visit her growing up.
When she moved and downsized, she gave them to me and they were lying about the house for years. Then I thought - hey, they would make a nice glass for bourbon or scotch.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
With the significant turndown in bourbon sales over the last year the availability of these previously allocated products should become more readily available and more reasonably priced...most if not all of the price gouging is done at the retail level...the ability of wholesalers to jack prices is largely controlled by the distillers who leverage the price gouging thru allocation numbers...plenty of juice available now at all age levels for most brands so both availability and prices should reflect those conditions...will there ever be an abundance of Pappy?...nope, never has been, never will be...some years there will be more than others...the youngest is 10 years and think about the fact that Pappy put in barrel today to age 23 years will not be bottled until 2049, too long to sit on lots of inventory.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
As long as consumers are willing to pay high prices, it's not price gouging, it's supply and demand...when one of those factors changes (such as supply is doing now) prices will usually come down...retailers who consistently sell out of say Blanton's for 149.99, it will remain at 149.99...the financial folks set the MSRP based on time in barrel, aging costs, production costs, marketing costs, etc., but ultimately the consumer decides the price and quality, which is subjective, sometimes gets ignored...quality sells and so does perception of quality.
So do you know the history on the Old Fitz?
That is the 1st time they changed the bottle shape, and their 1st 7 year run. Those bottles in a few years will be rather pricy.
I have killed off a good 5-6 bottles of the Fall and Spring collection. I have one open bottle of the Spring that I may have this evening. I also have 2 unopened bottles of the Fall and Spring set aside for a decade or so.
The old Forester is good, have had many of their offerings, Recently had some of the single barrel stuff at 138 proof. I think I killed off the bottle but ill have to check. I really enjoy a high prof bourbon, recently picked up a bottle of Stagg too that is also in the 130 prof range.
That said, do you have a costco in your area?
If so, you may want to check out the Kirkland brand Bourbon, ITs bottled in Bond and distilled by Barton 1792. Low buck and a fantastic bourbon. Id take it over Blantons all day any day.
i had some knob creek tues night. i'm not a bourbon drinker and i can't drink this stuff straight so it got mixed with 7-up.
it was scary good but i only had a couple. can't say the same for the yuengling, i did not stop with a couple.
the bottle was a gift but i might buy another to replace it...just to switch it up occasionally.
I had a good joke to start this but not looking to be put back in the box again. I know you would have laughed though as you know I am a raging Bourbon nut!
Man I need to get let back in the music thread, I reached out to the site again yesterday. I think its some permissions issue they are having with my account. I was told I could go back on.
Anyway, while I never mix bourbon for myself years ago I did find a really good mixer for bourbon or rye. I found it in an older 60s or 70s mix book we found at Savers Thrift Store. The mix can be used with Tequila or Rum to but Id say stick with Bourbon.
In a (Frozen) beer mug or large glass mix:
1. 2oz of a sweat leaning bourbon - I like to use Dickel 8 year. Its cheap and has a more sweat flavor to it. Super drinkable and available.
2. 1oz of Fresh Squeezed lime juice
3. 1oz of Fresh Squeezed lemon juice
4. 1oz of OJ - Can be from the bottle
5. 1TSP of Cherry juice and add 1 candied cherry
6. Top off with a grapefruit Soda like Squirt or another grapefruit carbonated drink.
7. A TSP of Pianapple juice if desired but not really a must.
Add Ice and enjoy!
Super Simple mix and gives you a really good sipper for a hot day.
That said, It is said that Pappy Van Winkel would drink his bourbon with a little 7-up and ice.
I landed a few bottles of the Single barrel BT, Not a big fan of the BT line as I am more into Heaven Hill, BT always seems to thin or watered down to me. The Single barrel store pics are good if you can find them. Super rare from what I have been told. They bottle them in the same bottle but add a sticker to it with the bottle # and Rickhouse info. I think its a little higher proof too. Almost reminds me of the Elmer T Lee stuff.
allmanbros
Well-Known Member
Important to keep in mind that Blanton's being a single barrel bourbon, the taste profile from barrel to barrel is usually somewhat different...since Barton 1792 is owned by Buffalo Trace, I would guess that the Kirkland Bourbon uses either BT Mashbill #1 or #2, both of which are "secret"...the Kirkland mash bill is also unlisted, so the story fits in that respect...regardless there seems to be consistent praise for the Costco offering, so either the price, the quality, or both are appealing to many.
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