Trey Hendrickson Update

[t3r3e3]

(Yesterday, 02:06 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: No offense, but you come off just as bad as the people that got in "your bourbon market". The gatekeeping is lame. 

I didn't give bourbon the time of day until COVID hit and my sister gave me a bottle of Weller Antique for my birthday. Now I love it. Sue me. 

Yes, BT is good at marketing and there is a lot of hype around their products, but they produce some damn good bourbon. Are we going to sit here and act like Stagg, ER, EHT, the antique collection, etc. aren't some of the better bourbons you can purchase? Even if it wasn't allocated, I'd be drinking ER as my daily driver. 

I love KC 12, Rare Breed, OF 1920, RR 10 year, etc. as much as the next guy...but if people wan't to wait in line to purchase their ER because it's a novelty for them and they like it, then let them. You just come off as having sour grapes because you can't get any. 

Buffalo Trace appeals to the noobs, the taters, and a certain segment because it has a very sweet profile, and depending on the mashbill red fruit or grape notes. It appeals to the collectors and flippers due to perceived demand. That said, IMO BT is good but overrated, and mashbill 1 is the best thing they do. The Weller line other than WLW historically was a value line, aka not too different than what the Benchmark series is now. All the Wellers other than the 12 are usually 6-8 years old; if you get a store pick you can email the lazer code in and get a readout on the age/ barrel, etc. Mashbill 2 (the Blanton’s/Hancock/ETL/Rock Hill Farms is just kind of sweet and that’s about it. Regular Blanton’s has steadily decreased in age, and increased in price. The only bottle on that side worth the hype is Straight from the Barrel, but you have to like heat.

George T Stagg and William Larue Weller are consistently amazing, and consistently surpass any of the Pappy line in a given year. Buy Pappy if you want to flip or have perceived status symbols, buy GTS and WLW if you want to drink the product. Usually have to build store relationships, win lotteries/raffles, or just plain get lucky to get the BTAC or Pappy if you don’t want to feed the secondary market though; it’s hard. Past those two, Stagg Jr. can be great depending on the batch, as can EHT Barrel Proof. Eagle Rare and EHT single barrels are consistently good too, the EHT ryes, not so much. Trace rant over.

For the record I’m a Wild Turkey, Old Forester, and Jack Daniel’s man primarily, but have something from just about everyone, and also really like New Riff. JD has been absolutely killing it over the past 5 years, and this year’s 14 is the leader in the clubhouse for whiskey of the year. The shelfer barrel proof ryes and bourbons (TN whiskey is still bourbon) are among the Best Buy’s at any store. Wild Turkey has been killing it too, but Campari has been price gouging on premium offerings. Old Forester has also been on a good run, and the 1910 is one of the best shelfers out there.

Ben Holladay out of Missouri is an up and comer; their products are priced fairly and the juice is consistently good.