Bourbon

[Donnyho]

Local liquor store has their own app that has push notifications for their barrel select bottles. They actually do a lot of picks, so I usually just ignore them. But I’m eating lunch today and get a notification for their new pick: Weller Full Proof. Jumped on that and bought it with the quickness. Sold out in less than two minutes.

[Jason_NC]

I bought a bottle of Lagavulin 16 the other night. It’s unique, but good, kind of like drinking my smoker.

[MileHighGrowler]

Brother got in on his local liquor store lotto and snagged a rare bottle of Smoke Wagon (WC Elevator Batch). A little over MSRP (he paid $100). Smoothest cask strength I’ve ever had. I’d drop $100 all day for that one. Even $150 without a thought. Really good and worth trying!

[jfkbengals]

(12-24-2021, 10:58 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Brother got in on his local liquor store lotto and snagged a rare bottle of Smoke Wagon (WC Elevator Batch). A little over MSRP (he paid $100). Smoothest cask strength I’ve ever had. I’d drop $100 all day for that one. Even $150 without a thought. Really good and worth trying!

Nice.  Got 2 bottles for Xmas, so far.  Blade and Bow and a Bakers.  I already have both, but now I have backups...

[jfkbengals]

So I received a couple of bottles of stuff I already have for Christmas, but my better half also got me a 1 year subscription to a bi-monthly bourbon club. Got the first shipment yesterday, and it was a bourbon called Digits that is owned by former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen. It's not available here in VA, and it is yummy. Going to have to figure out a way to get more when this one runs dry.

[StoneTheCrow]

(09-26-2021, 07:57 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Got my birthday gifts yesterday so I could enjoy them last night.

Calumet 12 year Single Rack Black
Reverend
Joseph Magnus Triple Cask

All three were delicious...

I was gifted a bottle of Calumet 8 Year and I’m no connoisseur but I’m a fan.

[Donnyho]

(12-28-2021, 12:48 PM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: I was gifted a bottle of Calumet 8 Year and I’m no connoisseur but I’m a fan.

The 14 year is fantastic. I have a bottle of the 15, too, but haven’t opened it yet.


My wife told people to not get me bourbon for Christmas. She said it was because I “have so many bottles it’d be hard to tell them what to get”. Don’t know if I buy that….

[TecmoBengals]

This thread is great, I somehow never noticed it until today. I was gifted Woodford Reserve for Christmas. I've never been one to get creative with my drink making so reading this thread made me curious, how does everyone here drink your bourbon?

Assuming any of you make your own bourbon drinks, what do you enjoy?

[jfkbengals]

(12-28-2021, 07:45 PM)Donnyho Wrote: The 14 year is fantastic. I have a bottle of the 15, too, but haven’t opened it yet.


My wife told people to not get me bourbon for Christmas. She said it was because I “have so many bottles it’d be hard to tell them what to get”. Don’t know if I buy that….

So have you already hired the divorce attorney, or are you looking for recommendations?

(01-06-2022, 06:16 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: This thread is great, I somehow never noticed it until today. I was gifted Woodford Reserve for Christmas. I've never been one to get creative with my drink making so reading this thread made me curious, how does everyone here drink your bourbon?

Assuming any of you make your own bourbon drinks, what do you enjoy?

If it's a good bourbon, over a craft ice cube and, on occasion, with a dash of water to alter the flavor.

If it's bourbon and coke, it's just the house rail if I am at a restaurant or Kentucky Gentleman if I am at home.  Tall glass, usually a double.

[Donnyho]

(01-06-2022, 06:16 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: This thread is great, I somehow never noticed it until today. I was gifted Woodford Reserve for Christmas. I've never been one to get creative with my drink making so reading this thread made me curious, how does everyone here drink your bourbon?

Assuming any of you make your own bourbon drinks, what do you enjoy?

If I’m drinking something good I usually go neat in a glencairn. For Christmas I did get a set of Canadian glencairn glasses, so I’ve been using them, too.

If I’m mixing it depends on my mood (or how much effort I feel like putting into it). For cocktails I’m making either an old fashioned or a Manhattan. For something “easier” I’ll just mix the bourbon with Ale-8 or some ginger beer. My “house mixers” are Wild Turkey 101 & Old Grand-Dad bonded. Both are inexpensive, easy to find and are good enough on their own so the flavor doesn’t get lost in the mix.

(01-06-2022, 09:08 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: So have you already hired the divorce attorney, or are you looking for recommendations?

If it wasn’t for these dang kids….

[jfkbengals]

(01-06-2022, 09:53 PM)Donnyho Wrote: If I’m drinking something good I usually go neat in a glencairn. For Christmas I did get a set of Canadian glencairn glasses, so I’ve been using them, too.

If I’m mixing it depends on my mood (or how much effort I feel like putting into it). For cocktails I’m making either an old fashioned or a Manhattan. For something “easier” I’ll just mix the bourbon with Ale-8 or some ginger beer. My “house mixers” are Wild Turkey 101 & Old Grand-Dad bonded. Both are inexpensive, easy to find and are good enough on their own so the flavor doesn’t get lost in the mix.


If it wasn’t for these dang kids….

Is this them?

[TecmoBengals]

I was out to eat this weekend and had a smoked Old Fashioned: Bulliet bourbon, cedar smoked glass, and lots of cherries. It was a fine drink to have with the meal.

[MileHighGrowler]

(01-06-2022, 06:16 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: This thread is great, I somehow never noticed it until today. I was gifted Woodford Reserve for Christmas. I've never been one to get creative with my drink making so reading this thread made me curious, how does everyone here drink your bourbon?

Assuming any of you make your own bourbon drinks, what do you enjoy?

I enjoy cocktails, but usually rum-based (that's for another thread in here after the SB...).  I usually drink my whiskey neat, or maybe with a little ice.  But from time to time, an old fashioned, manhattan, gold rush or penicillin makes its way to my glass.  The whiskey of choice varies depending on the cocktail, but I've found I prefer some of the higher proofs to cut through a little better.  Recently (and specifically bourbon), that's meant Maker's 46 cask strength in an old fashioned.  

My primary liquor store did their rare whiskey release lottery this past weekend.  I was able to grab a bottle of Weller Full Proof (had a choice between the standard and a store pick single barrel - I went with the store pick for the unique factor), which is the first time I've gotten my hands on it and am absolutely in love.  It was odd to see so many whiskeys on the counter that day I've never seen together in one spot, and some I've never even seen in person.  The full Weller line-up, Stagg Jr, Bowman Bros and JJBowman, Elmer T Lee, EH Taylor (small batch and single barrel), etc, and all sold at MSRP.  

The top 3 on my list going in were William Larue Weller, Van Winkle 15 and George T Stagg, but they were gone by the time my name was called.  Still, not disappointed at Weller FP for $60! 

[MileHighGrowler]

Got to try some Blanton's Gold, High West Midwinter Night's Dram and Smoke Wagon Uncut/Unfiltered this past weekend. The Smoke Wagon elevator batch I had around Christmas was better than the Uncut/Unfiltered, but they're both damn fine whiskey. I've been very impressed. The Midwinter Nights was excellent as well and had a fantastic nose as well.

Also had some New Riff that's been breathing for almost a year. I bought a bottle last March when I was visiting a couple of brothers in Florida and found it remarkably mediocre. I sent it with my brother who was driving so I didn't have to deal with an open bottle (that we each only one pour from because no one was impressed). He's been telling me it got really good the last few months so brought it for me to have a taste over the weekend. It definitely improved after sitting in the open bottle for a while. The cost of the bottle felt a lot more worth it given the current flavor profile.

Someone brought over a bottle of New Riff's rye late on Saturday night but I'd cut myself off for the evening and didn't get into it. Next time...

[jfkbengals]

Purchased a bottle of Oak & Eden for a friend's birthday on Friday.

None of us had tried it before, but we all agreed it was quite tasty.

I will be getting a bottle for myself soon.

[MileHighGrowler]

(02-20-2022, 10:39 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Purchased a bottle of Oak & Eden for a friend's birthday on Friday.

None of us had tried it before, but we all agreed it was quite tasty.

I will be getting a bottle for myself soon.

Which one did you try?  I haven't had any, but from what I've heard, they're taking oak spirals that are toasted to spec and soaked in some other spirit for a while and then put straight in the bottle to infuse.  Which is an interesting experiment you could try at home, too, since those spirals are used by home brewers and winemakers.  It's an interesting concept, though! Seems it might be easier than aging whiskey in the actual barrels of the product. 

[kalibengal]

(02-23-2022, 06:43 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Which one did you try?  I haven't had any, but from what I've heard, they're taking oak spirals that are toasted to spec and soaked in some other spirit for a while and then put straight in the bottle to infuse.  Which is an interesting experiment you could try at home, too, since those spirals are used by home brewers and winemakers.  It's an interesting concept, though! Seems it might be easier than aging whiskey in the actual barrels of the product. 

I think Joey B needs to come out with his own Whiskey to pair with the Joey B cigar line. Maybee he could call it "Proper #9" like Connor McGregors Proper # 12? 
As for me: I do like Knob Creek and Buffalo Trace

[jfkbengals]

(02-23-2022, 06:43 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Which one did you try?  I haven't had any, but from what I've heard, they're taking oak spirals that are toasted to spec and soaked in some other spirit for a while and then put straight in the bottle to infuse.  Which is an interesting experiment you could try at home, too, since those spirals are used by home brewers and winemakers.  It's an interesting concept, though! Seems it might be easier than aging whiskey in the actual barrels of the product. 

Oak & Eden Toasted Oak Bourbon & Spire is the only one listed on the VA ABC website, so I guess that was it.  However I did NOT notice anything inside the bottle as it is pictured, so it makes me wonder.

https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products/bourbon/oak--eden-toasted-oak-bourbon--spire?productSize=0

BTW, I once found those spirals for sale at a liquor store outside Columbia, MD.  The idea was that you drop one in a liter of whiskey to "elevate" that bottle.  Supposedly it would make a lesser bottle nicer.  I only tried one, and it made it taste worse.

[MileHighGrowler]

(02-23-2022, 10:35 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Oak & Eden Toasted Oak Bourbon & Spire is the only one listed on the VA ABC website, so I guess that was it.  However I did NOT notice anything inside the bottle as it is pictured, so it makes me wonder.

https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products/bourbon/oak--eden-toasted-oak-bourbon--spire?productSize=0

BTW, I once found those spirals for sale at a liquor store outside Columbia, MD.  The idea was that you drop one in a liter of whiskey to "elevate" that bottle.  Supposedly it would make a lesser bottle nicer.  I only tried one, and it made it taste worse.

I can see it working for a bottle of low-aged whiskey, but I would still "treat" it first before just dropping the oak into the bottle.  I've used those when making beer and it's amazing how much wood flavor comes out very quickly.  Soaking it for months in another alcohol works, as does toasting it to spec and charring it. 

[jfkbengals]

(02-24-2022, 01:00 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: I can see it working for a bottle of low-aged whiskey, but I would still "treat" it first before just dropping the oak into the bottle.  I've used those when making beer and it's amazing how much wood flavor comes out very quickly.  Soaking it for months in another alcohol works, as does toasting it to spec and charring it. 

I was at the VA Bold Rock brewery yesterday and found they are now making spirits.  Couldn't get a sample, but went ahead and picked up a bottle of their bourbon.  I don't recommend it.  Had one sip out of it on the rocks and knew I made a mistake.  I added a dash of water to see if that would open up some flavor and aroma, but no avail.  I muscled down the remainder of that glass, and the remainder of the bottle will now be earmarked for consumption with Coke.  Not the ideal outcome for $38.