Brown Liquor Time

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

52 minutes ago, fredst said:

Very nice. I will, of course, never find the HH but the Russell’s is IMO very solid and findable and anything Barrell is good. Is the Bardstown any good?

My store got 2 bottles of the HH17 for the year, I acquired 1 of them because I was the best man to my fellow manager. #workperks

Anything Wild Turkey does, not named 101 or 80 proof is legit. Russell’s 13 Year Rye last year was one of the best whiskeys I had all year. 
 

Bardstown was meh. I typically don’t care for red wine finished bourbon. 

[Brad_ATX 13,653]

Current selection.  If you haven't had the Milam & Greene Triple Cask yet, try to find it.  A great $40 bottle.

 

[fredst 9,039]

6 hours ago, Brad_ATX said:

Current selection.  If you haven't had the Milam & Greene Triple Cask yet, try to find it.  A great $40 bottle.

 

Nice. Love the Lagavulin starting this time of year. I dig the McCarthy’s as well for something kinda unique from U.S.

[Brad_ATX 13,653]

27 minutes ago, fredst said:

Nice. Love the Lagavulin starting this time of year. I dig the McCarthy’s as well for something kinda unique from U.S.

I got the McCarthy's at their tasting room in Hood River, OR.  Really good for a young whiskey.

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

I don’t know if any of you listen to the Bourbon Pursuit podcast (I personally don’t, but they have a huge following—he said they get like 40k listeners per podcast), but one of the hosts—Kenny—stopped in the store to let us try their new blended bourbon and rye they recently released. Pretty cool to pick his brain about bourbon and learn about their new whiskeys, which were pretty good. I don’t think I’d personally pay $65 for them, but I’m “old school and priced out” at this point where I long for the days of $50 Old Rip. 

Edited October 14, 2022 by ShocksMyBrain

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

On 10/4/2022 at 8:21 AM, Brad_ATX said:

Current selection.  If you haven't had the Milam & Greene Triple Cask yet, try to find it.  A great $40 bottle.

 

I’m not an 1800 fan, but the Cristalino is pretty solid if you get a chance to try it at a bar. 

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

Also for tequila fans, I may have mentioned it before, but this is hands down the best tequila for the price (~$50). La Gritona. Made by all women in a Mexican village; the men leave for the day to do whatever their occupation is and the women stay at home and make tequila. 
 

It’s an 11 month reposado, which puts it at a month shy of being an anejo. Super smooth, a must-buy for tequila drinkers. 
 

[fredst 9,039]

4 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Also for tequila fans, I may have mentioned it before, but this is hands down the best tequila for the price (~$50). La Gritona. Made by all women in a Mexican village; the men leave for the day to do whatever their occupation is and the women stay at home and make tequila. 
 

It’s an 11 month reposado, which puts it at a month shy of being an anejo. Super smooth, a must-buy for tequila drinkers. 
 

Thanks! I love good tequila and mezcal….

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

Our WFP store pick is pretty choice. 
 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by ShocksMyBrain

[marsbold 56]

No jealous emoji for me to click. Seen a few posts on WFP store picks recently. Of course none of the stores are in south AL. One day I'll get to try it. Found an overpriced 12yr Weller a month ago that I bought & opened as a birthday present to myself. Really like it (did blind taste test of 4 solid whiskeys on my bday & Weller 12 was my pick). So just assuming that WFP is pretty dang good.

 

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

9 hours ago, marsbold said:

No jealous emoji for me to click. Seen a few posts on WFP store picks recently. Of course none of the stores are in south AL. One day I'll get to try it. Found an overpriced 12yr Weller a month ago that I bought & opened as a birthday present to myself. Really like it (did blind taste test of 4 solid whiskeys on my bday & Weller 12 was my pick). So just assuming that WFP is pretty dang good.

 

I’ve bought 3 of our 4 WFP picks. The only one I don’t own is the one that was picked for us by Buffalo Trace, which I passed on because it wasn’t worth the money. If I played the secondary game, I could have a very solid side hustle. 
 

Really, I don’t even buy that much bourbon/whiskey maybe a few bottles a year that I’ll drink the shoulders off of and put away. I’m a (craft) beer drinker, so unless I develop a gluten allergy, I’m sitting on more bourbon than I’ll probably ever be able to drink. 

 

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

I don’t like Blanton’s*. I don’t like people who ask me for Blanton’s, especially if I’ve never seen them before, I don’t like it when people insist on going through the boxes for the little horse letter. I think it’s so overpriced and overhyped and they’re using younger juice and that it’s totally not worth the hassle. 
 

That said, a good staff pick of Blanton’s for $80 is a no-brainer. My wife promptly stole my glass after this pic 😑
 

*Blanton’s Gold, STFTB, etc notwithstanding 

Edited November 18, 2022 by ShocksMyBrain

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

Part of my meager, yet decent collection of whiskey. I’ve never spent over $100 for a bottle, and frankly, I refuse to. I drink a lot of bourbon, but thanks to generous friends and my occupation I get to taste more than I own. 
 

Rant incoming: 
 

I’ve likely stated this before, but I discovered bourbon in 2008 when my dad got me into it. I cut my teeth on Woodford, Knob Creek, Maker’s etc. Buying Rock Hill Farm for $40 and Old Rip and Booker’s (Booker’s is a whole ‘nother can of bull****) for $50 was a special treat. A bottle of Pappy 20 for $99 off the shelf so my dad and I can drink it on our father/son trips.
 

Bourbon has got me jaded because of where I started and some people are just simply chasing it for a status symbol. “I’ve got 7 bottles of Blanton’s, I’ve never tried it”. GTFOH. 
 

There’s so much great affordable bourbon out there that people look past. Old Forester Whiskey Row Series is too commonly overlooked. The 1920 is legitimately one of the best high-proof bourbons in that price range that’s readily available. Wild Turkey Russel’s Reserve 10yr for $35?!? 
 

I thought the bourbon bubble was going to pop about 6 years ago, but it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Super premium tequila may take some of the heat, but that market is getting saturated AF. 

I’m rambling. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by ShocksMyBrain

[marsbold 56]

I get it...the rambling/rant is spot on. I'll readily admit to being part of the problem as I've paid stupid prices on some "trophy" bottles not worth the money, probably 5-7 times and for bottles I just wanted to try and likely have no chance of ever getting at MSRP or close to it. Weller 12 mentioned above is a prime example; overpaid but opened within 2 weeks. I hate the hoarding, trophy collections & buying to resell - won't do it. I have too many bottles, but every one of them is to drink at some point. No fancy bar or showpieces; they're sitting in the bottom of a closet waiting to get into my rotation. Blantons is hit & miss for me. I can actually get it at MSRP, if I wait in line at Alabama ABC, and have purchased & opened a couple bottles this year. Thought one was pretty dang good & the other was so-so; not surprising with a single barrel I guess. Love the 1920 Prohibition OF and am pretty content to drink Dickel BiB, Still Austin Musician, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and many others I can easily find at $40-$60. So many good bottles out there at reasonable prices that everyone can find something that fits their taste without overspending. Several staples I rotate among, but I love trying new things and the craze has resulted in a seemingly unending supply or things to try. Fun to try the occasional trophy/unicorn but makes no sense to only focus on them.

What did you think about the Dickel 15 in your pic? That one's on my list to buy if I see it at a good price solely b/c I always enjoy their BiB.

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

33 minutes ago, marsbold said:

I get it...the rambling/rant is spot on. I'll readily admit to being part of the problem as I've paid stupid prices on some "trophy" bottles not worth the money, probably 5-7 times and for bottles I just wanted to try and likely have no chance of ever getting at MSRP or close to it. Weller 12 mentioned above is a prime example; overpaid but opened within 2 weeks. I hate the hoarding, trophy collections & buying to resell - won't do it. I have too many bottles, but every one of them is to drink at some point. No fancy bar or showpieces; they're sitting in the bottom of a closet waiting to get into my rotation. Blantons is hit & miss for me. I can actually get it at MSRP, if I wait in line at Alabama ABC, and have purchased & opened a couple bottles this year. Thought one was pretty dang good & the other was so-so; not surprising with a single barrel I guess. Love the 1920 Prohibition OF and am pretty content to drink Dickel BiB, Still Austin Musician, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and many others I can easily find at $40-$60. So many good bottles out there at reasonable prices that everyone can find something that fits their taste without overspending. Several staples I rotate among, but I love trying new things and the craze has resulted in a seemingly unending supply or things to try. Fun to try the occasional trophy/unicorn but makes no sense to only focus on them.

What did you think about the Dickel 15 in your pic? That one's on my list to buy if I see it at a good price solely b/c I always enjoy their BiB.

If you’re chasing bottles and actually drinking them, then good on you. That’s better than most.
 

Pretty sure I told this exchange before as well—Some dude pulled me aside once and said “I got a bottle of Pappy”

”Oh yeah?”

”Yeah, I paid $2k for it”

”Well, you overpaid”

 

The Dickel is labeled at 15yr, but it’s a store pick we did that was actually 17yrs. It’s pretty good. Since Diageo bought Dickel they’ve basically stopped sourcing their barrels out to other “distilleries”. Smart move, why would you sell 17 year old whiskey to a startup company for pennies, while they slap their label on it and charge premium price for it? Stoopid. So you’ll start seeing Dickel put out their higher end juice under the Cascade Moon label and charge however much they want and allocate it and put it in a special bottle. 

[Tiger Refuge 5,586]

On 11/17/2022 at 9:33 PM, ShocksMyBrain said:

Part of my meager, yet decent collection of whiskey. I’ve never spent over $100 for a bottle, and frankly, I refuse to. I drink a lot of bourbon, but thanks to generous friends and my occupation I get to taste more than I own. 
 

Rant incoming: 
 

I’ve likely stated this before, but I discovered bourbon in 2008 when my dad got me into it. I cut my teeth on Woodford, Knob Creek, Maker’s etc. Buying Rock Hill Farm for $40 and Old Rip and Booker’s (Booker’s is a whole ‘nother can of bull****) for $50 was a special treat. A bottle of Pappy 20 for $99 off the shelf so my dad and I can drink it on our father/son trips.
 

Bourbon has got me jaded because of where I started and some people are just simply chasing it for a status symbol. “I’ve got 7 bottles of Blanton’s, I’ve never tried it”. GTFOH. 
 

There’s so much great affordable bourbon out there that people look past. Old Forester Whiskey Row Series is too commonly overlooked. The 1920 is legitimately one of the best high-proof bourbons in that price range that’s readily available. Wild Turkey Russel’s Reserve 10yr for $35?!? 
 

I thought the bourbon bubble was going to pop about 6 years ago, but it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Super premium tequila may take some of the heat, but that market is getting saturated AF. 

I’m rambling. 

I hope folks keep overlooking the OF stuff. It’s my favorite and is still super affordable and accessible here. I’d like to keep it that way. The 1910 is my go to.

 

I picked this up today as a local store pick. Very damn tasty. I’m finally figuring out what I like in a bourbon. 

[fredst 9,039]

On 11/16/2022 at 3:47 PM, ShocksMyBrain said:

Our WFP store pick is pretty choice. 
 

 

 

Nice. What are y'all charging for that in the store if I can ask? I miss the days when I bought Weller 12 for $35 but those days aint coming back

Edited November 21, 2022 by fredst

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

24 minutes ago, fredst said:

 

Nice. What are y'all charging for that in the store if I can ask? I miss the days when I bought Weller 12 for $35 but those days aint coming back

$79.99

[fredst 9,039]

1 hour ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

$79.99

Lol. Buddy sent me a pic from a store in GA that had it at the low low price of $300

[ShocksMyBrain 8,297]

On 11/20/2022 at 9:49 PM, fredst said:

Lol. Buddy sent me a pic from a store in GA that had it at the low low price of $300

Not worth it. 🙅‍♂️

[Auburn 6 98]

I had a very successful weekend at my local store’s allocated loyalty event on Sunday.  Looking forward to enjoying these bottles. I opened the Woodford batch proof so far and plan to try the Russel’s Reserve 13 tonight. I’m a Wild Turkey lover so I’m really excited for that one. Still on the hunt for a Master’s Keep Unforgotten to close out the year.  

Has anyone tried the Cigar Blend before?  This will be a new one for me and I can't even find it at any local bars.  I'm always a bit hesitant with the finished barrel bourbons as they are very hit or miss for me.  Decided to roll the dice since this one is always talked about and well reviewed.

I'm not a big fan of Blanton's but doesn't hurt to have another of them at msrp.  Will likely end up gifting it or trading with a friend for something I like better.

Very curious about the Willet 7 year rye too.  It's the Pisces 2022 release.  I've had the 4 year family estate and enjoy it a lot, but haven't had a 7 year single barrel. 
 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Auburn 6