(03-12-2021, 03:50 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Had some New Riff this past weekend while visiting my brother out east (can't find it out here, at least that I've ever seen).  Solid, nothing earth-shattering.  Super caramel on the palate.  If it was $10 cheaper a bottle, I'd say it was a good deal, but felt pricey to me for the experience I had.  I left the bottle (more than half full) with my brother so I didn't have to take it on the plane, if that says anything about my lack of passion toward it.

I agree, I bought a glass of New Riff at one of my bourbon bars so I could try it w/o buying a whole bottle. I was unimpressed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. If you haven't tried it, grab a bottle of Noah's Mill. It's bottled at 114 proof, but if you put a little ice in it and let it start to melt to where the water opens it up, it becomes one of the most flavorful bourbons I've had. Well worth the 56 dollars it costs.

(03-12-2021, 08:34 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: It's very good.  That was part of my birthday haul.  Their Ocean is also fantastic.

I had a bottle of the original Ocean, (the one that was actually on a Whale ship) but it was too much like a Scotch for my liking. Now I heard the subsequent batches are slightly different with each one, but I haven't tried them. I have a bottle of voyage 2 I have not opened.

(03-13-2021, 09:29 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I had a bottle of the original Ocean, (the one that was actually on a Whale ship) but it was too much like a Scotch for my liking. Now I heard the subsequent batches are slightly different with each one, but I haven't tried them. I have a bottle of voyage 2 I have not opened.

So I saw that and thought to myself, how did he know which voyage it was from?  So I went and checked my bottle.  It is from Voyage 21.  I had never read the small tag around it's neck, but did just now as I saw that it said Voyage 21 Captain's Log.  It told the tale of it's journey around the world, starting and ending in the port of Savannah.  The description says it saw much heavier seas and wider temperature swings than the other voyages, resulting in more contact with the wood and extraction of the flavors.  

(03-14-2021, 11:55 AM)jfkbengals Wrote: So I saw that and thought to myself, how did he know which voyage it was from?  So I went and checked my bottle.  It is from Voyage 21.  I had never read the small tag around it's neck, but did just now as I saw that it said Voyage 21 Captain's Log.  It told the tale of it's journey around the world, starting and ending in the port of Savannah.  The description says it saw much heavier seas and wider temperature swings than the other voyages, resulting in more contact with the wood and extraction of the flavors.  

Oh man, 21 was bottled at Cask Strength.  SCORE!!!!

Quote:It was a rough trip for Ocean Voyage 21 from Savannah to Manzanillo as the hurricane season cranked up a month ahead of time. The seas were very rough until we reached port at the north entrance to the Panama Canal where Voyage 21 was held up for a day to allow traffic to clear. The quiet waters offered a respite for both the bourbon and crew as we maneuvered through the locks and Gatun Lake which, at the time of its creation in 1907, was the largest man-made lake in the world. The seas were not as heavy on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Panama but we were plagued with strong overnight squalls all the way to Tahiti. Passing New Zealand to the north, air temperature dropped but the seas remained moderate through to Brisbane.


Ocean Voyage 21 was hit by another strong squall off Sydney but the foul weather was pushed north and east as we rounded west to Melbourne and Fremantle.

North through the Indian Ocean and the Singapore straights, the temperature rose from the low 50's to the mid 90's. Except for a caution regarding an increase in pirate activity in waters declared as 'the most perilous' by the U.N., Voyage 21 made the passage to China, South Korea and Japan without incident. Back in the Atlantic for the second half of our journey, the hurricane season was in full swing. While 0V21 was never caught in a major storm, the seas were very rough throughout the north Atlantic and right down to docking and discharging our cargo in Savannah. On the whole, the bourbon on board OCEAN Voyage 21 encountered significant temperature changes and much heavier seas than average resulting in more contact with the wood, extraction of spices and an infusion of smokiness from the char of the barrels.

Enjoy OCEAN Voyage 21 at Cask Strength.

(03-13-2021, 09:27 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I agree, I bought a glass of New Riff at one of my bourbon bars so I could try it w/o buying a whole bottle. I was unimpressed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. If you haven't tried it, grab a bottle of Noah's Mill. It's bottled at 114 proof, but if you put a little ice in it and let it start to melt to where the water opens it up, it becomes one of the most flavorful bourbons I've had. Well worth the 56 dollars it costs.

I concur, it's one that I keep on hand. Excellent high proof bourbon.

(01-04-2021, 12:54 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Any interest in trading 1 OWA for 1 Blantons? 

PM me - your box is full. 

Sorry, just saw this.... I'm down to one bottle now.

I’ve entered a lot of charity bourbon raffles this past calendar year. I never won, or expected to win, any of them but it was a nice way to give something back. Well, tonight that changed. The winning part, not the “nice to give back” part. I won a 19 bottle raffle for a local Catholic school. I got:
1 Michters 10 Year
2 Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year
3 Parker’s Heritage Rye 8 Year
4 Eagle Rare
5 Bowman Brothers
6 Elijah Craig 18 Year
7 Weller 12 Year
8 Weller Antique 107
9 Weller Special Reserve
10 A second bottle of Weller Special Reserve
11 Blanton’s
12 Horse Solider Barrel Strength
13 Rhetoric 25 Year
14 Old Forrester 159th Anniversary
15 Willett Rye Rare Release
16 Willett Family 8 Year
17 Makers Mark speciallabel signed by Master Distiller Denny Potter
18 Makers Mark gold wax signed by Bill Samuels
19 Buffalo Trace signed by Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley

(03-19-2021, 09:34 PM)Donnyho Wrote: I’ve entered a lot of charity bourbon raffles this past calendar year. I never won, or expected to win, any of them but it was a nice way to give something back. Well, tonight that changed. The winning part, not the “nice to give back” part. I won a 19 bottle raffle for a local Catholic school. I got:
1 Michters 10 Year
2 Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year
3 Parker’s Heritage Rye 8 Year
4 Eagle Rare
5 Bowman Brothers
6 Elijah Craig 18 Year
7 Weller 12 Year
8 Weller Antique 107
9 Weller Special Reserve
10 A second bottle of Weller Special Reserve
11 Blanton’s
12 Horse Solider Barrel Strength
13 Rhetoric 25 Year
14 Old Forrester 159th Anniversary
15 Willett Rye Rare Release
16 Willett Family 8 Year
17 Makers Mark speciallabel signed by Master Distiller Denny Potter
18 Makers Mark gold wax signed by Bill Samuels
19 Buffalo Trace signed by Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley

Nice haul, congratulations!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(03-19-2021, 09:34 PM)Donnyho Wrote: I’ve entered a lot of charity bourbon raffles this past calendar year. I never won, or expected to win, any of them but it was a nice way to give something back. Well, tonight that changed. The winning part, not the “nice to give back” part. I won a 19 bottle raffle for a local Catholic school. I got:
1 Michters 10 Year
2 Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year
3 Parker’s Heritage Rye 8 Year
4 Eagle Rare
5 Bowman Brothers
6 Elijah Craig 18 Year
7 Weller 12 Year
8 Weller Antique 107
9 Weller Special Reserve
10 A second bottle of Weller Special Reserve
11 Blanton’s
12 Horse Solider Barrel Strength
13 Rhetoric 25 Year
14 Old Forrester 159th Anniversary
15 Willett Rye Rare Release
16 Willett Family 8 Year
17 Makers Mark speciallabel signed by Master Distiller Denny Potter
18 Makers Mark gold wax signed by Bill Samuels
19 Buffalo Trace signed by Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley

That's a damn fine haul. Congrats my friend. 

I trade with a guy from Wisconsin who loves Weller SR and Antique. Im sending out a box today with 6 of each. He's giving me 2 Blantons, 1 EHT single barrel, 3 Eagle Rare, 1 1792 full proof, 1 Mckenna, and 1 EC BP. I am beyond excited to get all this juice. 

(03-23-2021, 10:09 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: That's a damn fine haul. Congrats my friend. 

I trade with a guy from Wisconsin who loves Weller SR and Antique. Im sending out a box today with 6 of each. He's giving me 2 Blantons, 1 EHT single barrel, 3 Eagle Rare, 1 1792 full proof, 1 Mckenna, and 1 EC BP. I am beyond excited to get all this juice. 

Curious how you guys ship it. Are you just not telling UPS what it is, or did you find a place that actually lets you ship alcohol. I'll admit I've gone the first route before, but the penalties if you get caught are astronomical.

(03-19-2021, 09:34 PM)Donnyho Wrote: I’ve entered a lot of charity bourbon raffles this past calendar year. I never won, or expected to win, any of them but it was a nice way to give something back. Well, tonight that changed. The winning part, not the “nice to give back” part. I won a 19 bottle raffle for a local Catholic school. I got:
1 Michters 10 Year
2 Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year
3 Parker’s Heritage Rye 8 Year
4 Eagle Rare
5 Bowman Brothers
6 Elijah Craig 18 Year
7 Weller 12 Year
8 Weller Antique 107
9 Weller Special Reserve
10 A second bottle of Weller Special Reserve
11 Blanton’s
12 Horse Solider Barrel Strength
13 Rhetoric 25 Year
14 Old Forrester 159th Anniversary
15 Willett Rye Rare Release
16 Willett Family 8 Year
17 Makers Mark speciallabel signed by Master Distiller Denny Potter
18 Makers Mark gold wax signed by Bill Samuels
19 Buffalo Trace signed by Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley

Damn, Donny!  That's a hell of a haul.  

And here I was last night excited to even find "standard" Buffalo Trace at my local liquor store (I've never seen it before and I'm there far more often than I care to admit!)    It's actually a store pick single barrel, so not quite standard, but for all intents and purposes the same thing.  

(03-24-2021, 11:26 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Curious how you guys ship it. Are you just not telling UPS what it is, or did you find a place that actually lets you ship alcohol. I'll admit I've gone the first route before, but the penalties if you get caught are astronomical.

There is now an ABC store that can deliver here in the Richmond area if you live within 25 miles of the store.  I tried it once.  They literally ship it to you via UPS ( and you pay heavily to do so).

(03-24-2021, 11:26 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Curious how you guys ship it. Are you just not telling UPS what it is, or did you find a place that actually lets you ship alcohol. I'll admit I've gone the first route before, but the penalties if you get caught are astronomical.

I just put it in a box and ship it. What are the penalties, exactly lol? 

"In Ohio, it is against the law to transport alcohol across state lines for sale or personal consumption without a proper permit. If you are caught transporting beer, intoxicating liquor, and wine into the state of Ohio from Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania without an H permit, it is considered unlawfully acquired. If you are caught, you can be issued a citation, have the alcohol confiscated, and face other penalties."

That doesnt sound too bad...

(03-25-2021, 11:03 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: "In Ohio, it is against the law to transport alcohol across state lines for sale or personal consumption without a proper permit. If you are caught transporting beer, intoxicating liquor, and wine into the state of Ohio from Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania without an H permit, it is considered unlawfully acquired. If you are caught, you can be issued a citation, have the alcohol confiscated, and face other penalties."

That doesnt sound too bad...

You're right, that doesn't. However, in Kentucky, it is a Felony punishable by 100K and 10 years. Kentucky is one of the 3 strictest states in the US. You have to have a license agreement with the shipper.

(03-25-2021, 01:05 PM)Sled21 Wrote: You're right, that doesn't. However, in Kentucky, it is a Felony punishable by 100K and 10 years. Kentucky is one of the 3 strictest states in the US. You have to have a license agreement with the shipper.

Oh come on, there's just no way that would happen. 10 years in prison for shipping alcohol? Give me a break. 

I find it absolutely hilarious and hypocritical that you can now get alcohol delivered from a store in Ohio but still cant ship it through the mail.

(03-25-2021, 01:48 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Oh come on, there's just no way that would happen. 10 years in prison for shipping alcohol? Give me a break. 

I find it absolutely hilarious and hypocritical that you can now get alcohol delivered from a store in Ohio but still cant ship it through the mail.

That's the max. But even 20% of that is 2 years, 20K. Probably never happen, but it IS a possibility.

(03-25-2021, 01:48 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Oh come on, there's just no way that would happen. 10 years in prison for shipping alcohol? Give me a break. 

I find it absolutely hilarious and hypocritical that you can now get alcohol delivered from a store in Ohio but still cant ship it through the mail.

The laws surrounding shipment of alcohol are pretty crazy.  Especially considering that I get a monthly shipment of wine and occasional other shipments of booze via FedEx from licensed distributers.  We're still pretty slow to progress from our Prohibition thinking in this country.  

I will say that the odds of getting caught or punished seem to be very low.  I know within the beer world there is a significant market of trading going on around the country, and it's all being shipped via UPS or FedEx and just not declared.  I'm sure there are similar trades happening in the bourbon world and other liquor as well.  I kinda feel like unless you're trying to run a business without proper licensing, the carriers don't care enough to find out what you're shipping and it's not worth the states' time to try and stop it.  

But the potential penalties are enough to give most people pause, and in the end, that's probably all they're really trying to do.  

(03-24-2021, 08:37 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Damn, Donny!  That's a hell of a haul.  

And here I was last night excited to even find "standard" Buffalo Trace at my local liquor store (I've never seen it before and I'm there far more often than I care to admit!)    It's actually a store pick single barrel, so not quite standard, but for all intents and purposes the same thing.  

The Buffalo Trace hype is getting out of hand. It used to be everywhere around here, then it started selling out, then it became a “limit one per customer” bottle.  It’s good whiskey, but people are going overboard grabbing everything the distillery puts out.

(03-25-2021, 06:01 PM)Donnyho Wrote: The Buffalo Trace hype is getting out of hand. It used to be everywhere around here, then it started selling out, then it became a “limit one per customer” bottle.  It’s good whiskey, but people are going overboard grabbing everything the distillery puts out.

I would agree it's some pretty intense hype.  I think it's just fueled because it's a well-known, well-loved distillery, and their product is so limited.  In the past couple of years it seems that there's been an explosion in interest in bourbon in particular (at least from what I've noticed), and so the bottles have flown off shelves.  I'm not really sure what the allocations actually break down to, but I never see any of their portfolio available on the shelves around here, even the items that aren't as exciting.  

At the end of the day, if I see a bottle of Buffalo Trace for $25, I'll grab it (which I did two nights ago).  I was back at the store today and there were only 3 bottles left.  Whatever the reason, the hype is real and keeps most of it from ever seeing the shelves.  I've got friends who work at different liquor stores and asked a while back to let me know if they ever get good bourbon (or other whiskey for that matter) and was basically told it's a shot in the dark because the allocations are limited and since they can't hold it, by the time they tell me it's in it'll be gone.  There's no state lottery, but the lotteries are done by store.  This past fall I didn't really them pop up (not sure if it was due to COVID and wanting to avoid crowds standing around with their tickets or what). 

At least the price for BT itself is still reasonable IMO for the product inside.