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Josh Lyman posted:Tonight’s haul. Hopefully I picked good barrels for the Makers and Michters. Good on the Four Roses
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Dec 19, 2020 03:03
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Also apparently this is a “Slam Dunk” bottle of Makers with the excess wax and might be a collectible?
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Josh Lyman posted:Tonight’s haul. Hopefully I picked good barrels for the Makers and Michters. Josh, you’re adding to your collection at an alarming rate, please send bottles to me if you feel it’s getting out of control. Love the 1910 and MMCS. If you end up liking the MM, keep an eye out, as they seem to run some promotion up here once or twice a year where they’ll sell the 375ml bottles BOGO. I just traded a bottle of eagle rare + $40 for another bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520 today, which gives me two backup bottles, feels good.
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Dec 19, 2020 03:09
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Odd Mutant posted:1910 is different enough and also very very good. Bottled in Bond tastes like a nicer version of their $26ish dollar bottle, and I never had Small Batch. Quick update, a few stores seem to be out of the 1920 here in eastern St. Paul, but I’m pretty sure it’s the holiday buying season, not any shortage or something. That said, it’s worth calling around to a few Costco’s in the area, Saint Louis Park Costco had about 12 bottles of 1920 tonight priced at $48.99!!
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Dec 19, 2020 03:13
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Josh Lyman posted:Tonight’s haul. Hopefully I picked good barrels for the Makers and Michters. OF 1910 is good but it tastes like a watered down 1920. I’d rather just have the 1920, but now I know. Michters Rye is... kinda bad? It tastes super watered down and barely had any rye spice. I’m reluctant to open the Makers until I figure out whether this bottle has any collectors value. Where should I check! eBay didn’t turn up anything. Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Dec 19, 2020 |
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Dec 19, 2020 04:03
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Josh Lyman posted:Four Roses Small Batch is good but I think I might like my EWSB better. You're at the point we all hit where most bourbon under 100 proof is probably going to taste watered down and any scotch under 90 will probably do the same, barring something hyper-aged or blended with such
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Dec 19, 2020 15:03
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Deceptive Thinker posted:You're at the point we all hit where most bourbon under 100 proof is probably going to taste watered down and any scotch under 90 will probably do the same, barring something hyper-aged or blended with such I revisited the Michter’s Rye and it’s better than yesterday—I no longer think I got a bad bottle—but I still don’t get all the praise. Speaking of BJ, they did a blind of their 5 favorite ryes of 2020. Michter’s did place last, but they also said Pikesville didn’t merit being in the lineup. So naturally, I A/B’d the two. I like the orange of the Pikesville more, but the Michter’s does have a more complex flavor and longer finish. I wouldn’t buy the Michter’s again any time soon but at least I don’t regret the purchase anymore.
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Dec 19, 2020 23:10
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That was also the allocated toasted barrel barrel proof in their lineup which punches way above it's price point compared to the regular rye Same goes for their regular cask strength rye which wasn't available this year
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Dec 19, 2020 23:21
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Deceptive Thinker posted:That was also the allocated toasted barrel barrel proof in their lineup which punches way above it's price point compared to the regular rye
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Dec 19, 2020 23:23
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DoctaFun posted:Those maker’s picks can be so good. I don’t ever keep track of the stave combos I’ve had, but they seem to have like a really solid floor, and ‘just about as good as any wheated bourbon out there’ ceiling. We just finished this a few minutes ago There were 6 of us in the tasting. All at least mildly experienced tasters, 3 I'd call very experienced. Everyone went on my Kentucky bourbon trail bachelor party last year. The three of us that were very experienced were shocked at the result. #1 Rare Breed by a landslide (2 of us actually thought that this was the 1920 because it was such a favorite) #2 and #3 were disputed, some liked the Maker's, some liked the 1920 - I felt these two were about equal while blind, but others were more definitive about each #4 Baker's was the undisputed loser
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Dec 20, 2020 03:38
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Deceptive Thinker posted:That was also the allocated toasted barrel barrel proof in their lineup which punches way above it's price point compared to the regular rye I've been trying to get my hands on the toasted for a couple of years now. Is it that much better?
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Dec 20, 2020 05:39
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Deceptive Thinker posted:We just finished this a few minutes ago That’s awesome! Rare breed is killer, glad to see it come out on top, there’s just something about wild turkey that seems so less pretentious or something, maybe it’s just because it’s not as hyped up. GD_American posted:I've been trying to get my hands on the toasted for a couple of years now. Is it that much better? That’s one limited release bottle that I hear nothing but good things about. I’ve never ran into one but would buy it on sight.
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Dec 20, 2020 06:11
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dumbdumb question here is there a convenient list of all the whiskeys made in the lawrenceburg factory? there seem to be a lot of fake small distillers selling expensive liquor from the big factory. followup: are any of them taking the lawrenceburg spirit and aging it themselves, like gordon macphail do with scottish whiskey? does this allow them to say that it's not made in indiana on the label? or am I totally out of date? edited to add: gordon macphail's bottling turned something I don't like into something I really like, so I didn't mean to disparage that kind of business Greg12 fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Dec 20, 2020 |
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Dec 20, 2020 18:40
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Greg12 posted:dumbdumb question here God I hate MGP. The word you want to look for is “Distilled in XXX”. Anything that is some variation of Bottled, Aged, Rested, Blended, etc. means it’s just MGP juice with a fancy label and an upcharge. e: As a small distillery in Indiana that exclusively makes our own stuff and has since we opened, here’s what our statement says: 
Klungar fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Dec 20, 2020 |
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Dec 20, 2020 20:23
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In Scotland the independent bottlers usually want to feature the distillery the whisky is from, because it carries the weight of the brand behind it. Usually this is possible, sometimes they're not allowed to disclose it and they use veiled terms to hint at the origin. With "sourced" whiskey in the US, this is exactly the other way around! Most of the time the producer wants to hide or embellish the real origin of the whiskey. The veiled terms are used to confuse the fact that it's not their whiskey and they have labels with great stories and imagery on them about some old guy who started a distillery by some old river and they had a dog and bla bla and it's all bullshit. Pure unadulterated bullshit. Now MGP does actually make some decent whiskey, and some companies do things with it like additional aging, blending, cask finishes, etc that really do elevate the stuff and make it worthwhile. It's also the case that distilleries that are just starting up and have no product to sell yet use MGP and other sources to get some revenue going to tide them over until their own whiskey is ready.
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Dec 20, 2020 20:36
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Just picked up a 1L makers cask strength for $50. It was only $10 more than the 750ml MM 101. Am I missing something? Is there something different other than the proof? Or did I just get a helluva deal?
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Dec 20, 2020 22:31
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spankmeister posted:In Scotland the independent bottlers usually want to feature the distillery the whisky is from, because it carries the weight of the brand behind it. Usually this is possible, sometimes they're not allowed to disclose it and they use veiled terms to hint at the origin. From memory the Scottish distilleries who do this are Talisker, Glenfarclas & Glenmorangie. The first two refuse to let their name be used on any IB's. So an example for Talisker, I picked up a 23 y/o rum finished one at the Whisky Fair in Limburg. It is called 'Talimburg'. Another tell used to be 'from the Isle of Skye' as until very recently Talisker was the only distillery there. Glenfarclas is similar except there will be something on the IB along the lines of 'Speyside's oldest family owned distillery' or similar which is the tell. Glenmorangie are different in that not only do they not allow the use of the name on any IB's but they claim any casks they sell externally are 'teaspooned' with a drop of a different Single Malt so that it can no longer be even called a Single Malt. This actually doesn't happen, but the claim that it does is enough to stop anyone selling the whisky as an IB Glenmorangie, you'll get the whole made up name schtick. I believe the only 'legit' Glenmorangie bottlings outside of the OBs are the ones from the SMWS via their numbering scheme, and as the SMWS is owned by LVMH (the parent company of Glenmorangie) I'm not really sure if they actually count as IBs.
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Dec 20, 2020 22:35
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I had a friend in California pick up a Costco-branded Scotch for $80. It was listed as a 23 year Speyside single malt from Aberdeen with a sherry cask finish. Seemed worth a try.
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Dec 20, 2020 22:51
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biglads posted:SMWS is owned by LVMH Not since 2016, I believe. Highland Park is another distillery that IBs are not allowed to name (on the rare occasions they're even allowed to buy casks). It's always "from the Orkney islands" or something similar. Teaspooning is fun. Apparently even the promise of a single teaspoon of other spirit added will make something not a single malt. But how much bourbon/sherry/cognac/wine/etc. is left in a cask when a distillery gets it? Wet casks are normal, and some are very wet. As in literally sloshing. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Dec 20, 2020 |
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Dec 20, 2020 23:01
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KozmoNaut posted:Not since 2016, I believe. I didn't know or forgot about SMWS changing hands, thanks. I wonder if they've had and Glenmorangie releases since the change of ownership. I've seen Signatory bottlings of HP and I had one but sold it, not sure about other bottlers. Mind you, I think Signatory is owned by Edrington who own HP so again, it's potentially a bit kinda Independent Bottling. I spoke to an independent bottler a few years ago about the whole 'Teaspooning' thing and he confirmed to me that it's all bollocks. With 'wet' casks that may be the case for sherry casks but most bourbon casks are broken down into staves for transport across the Atlantic before being reformed locally.
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Dec 20, 2020 23:16
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Having a little Aberlour A'Bunadh after just having snacked on something spicy and I think I like the combo?
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Dec 20, 2020 23:21
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DoctaFun posted:That’s awesome! Rare breed is killer, glad to see it come out on top, there’s just something about wild turkey that seems so less pretentious or something, maybe it’s just because it’s not as hyped up. Wild Turkey offers the luxury of a readily available cask strength bourbon at ~$45 and readily available handles of their 101 proof flagship for ~$33, both of which see a reasonable amount of time in the barrel. That's a hell of a bonus in this market even before you do any side-by-side tastings.
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Dec 21, 2020 22:01
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biglads posted:I spoke to an independent bottler a few years ago about the whole 'Teaspooning' thing and he confirmed to me that it's all bollocks. Can you expand on this? I've seen reputable stores selling "unnamed Speyside" with the teaspoon story (e.g., "this is a 23 year-old Glenfiddich barrel finished in a sherry cask for two years with a teaspoon of another malt") and I don't know what to believe at this point.
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Dec 21, 2020 22:06
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Vox Nihili posted:Can you expand on this? I've seen reputable stores selling "unnamed Speyside" with the teaspoon story (e.g., "this is a 23 year-old Glenfiddich barrel finished in a sherry cask for two years with a teaspoon of another malt") and I don't know what to believe at this point. The guy concerned told me that it was a logistical nightmare for anybody to actually do this, so they don't but claim they do. Any 3rd party who claimed otherwise on the bottle or packaging would not get any future whiskies, so it is in the interest of the IBs to keep the fiction going. I daresay in a miniscule amount of cases this teaspooning was actually done.
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Dec 21, 2020 22:56
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I remember a rep for either signatory or g&m telling us the "name" they used for Glenfarclas but I can't remember for the life of me - I feel like it had "spey" in it but that definitely doesn't help
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Dec 21, 2020 23:26
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Greg12 posted:dumbdumb question here Possibly double posting to actually answer this in a way that kinda makes sense - here are some brands that use MGP juice but don't deny it and arguably do it well My understanding is that they usually get the barrels already aged but I'm not sure if they are allowed to continue to age or how the whole thing actually works Belle Meade Widow Jane High West (in blends) Smooth Ambler Old Scout Mayor Pingree Barrell George Remus (this is MGP's owned brand) Joseph Magnus Whistlepig Not every batch of these will be MGP, but if it says distilled in Indiana, or they say on their website what the deal is, then that's where it's from I know Widow Jane adds water from New York to make it their own for example, some like High West will blend with other whiskeys including their own, or finish it in various casks
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Dec 21, 2020 23:49
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Glenkirkland, founded by the Laird of Clan Costco
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Dec 21, 2020 23:53
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Good news dudes, I got picked number 9 in my local shops allocated drawing. They hold back most all of their allocated bottles throughout the year, and then run a drawing with about 50 people in it. Last year I was like number 40 or something and still got a Weller CYPB, but number 9 opens up a lot of possibilities. I don’t have the list of bottles yet, but I think I’ll probably have a shot at something like: Old forester birthday bourbon Old forester 150 Parker’s heritage(heard it’s awesome this year) Old Fitz I’m holding out hope that some people in front of me make some silly picks(they definitely did last year), and that something like GTS or WLW drops to me. Or maybe an EHT 18 year marriage!
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Dec 22, 2020 04:22
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DoctaFun posted:How far west in Wisconsin are you? I’m East of St. Paul, and can say that if you are having trouble finding 1920/1910, we are absolutely drowning in it over here. I can probably tell you a half dozen stores that have a shelf full of 1910 right now, and 1920 is always available everywhere! Maybe worth a trip if you are really in need!
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Dec 22, 2020 05:23
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Odd Mutant posted:I'm pretty close to the border actually, around in the Eau Claire area of WI, and I think taking a weekend day to travel a lil' bit and find some decent MN liquor stores sounds right up my alley. Maybe this is more appropriate for a PM, but what MN stores near the border and St. Paul do you recommend? For being the 10th drunkest city in America, there really isn't much in the way of Whisky here. There’s some great shops just over the border, or on your side. Casanova’s in Hudson is a great shop, they do quite a few store pics, but don’t know if they have any right now. There’s a total wine in woodbury that has a good selection. Costco in woodbury and maplewood, both had 1920 for $48, rare breed for $39, and Alberta premium cask strength rye for $60 I think. The top ten liquors in woodbury has store pics on occasion as well, an okay selection. Callers and Haskell’s in Stillwater can have some good finds/store picks, but can also be picked over. Morelli’s in St. Paul is an interesting place, sometimes some ridiculously low prices, but they only take cash or check. Any particular bottles your looking for? Ran into some McKenna 10 for $32 the other day if that’s your thing.
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Dec 22, 2020 06:46
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DoctaFun posted:Good news dudes, I got picked number 9 in my local shops allocated drawing. They hold back most all of their allocated bottles throughout the year, and then run a drawing with about 50 people in it. Last year I was like number 40 or something and still got a Weller CYPB, but number 9 opens up a lot of possibilities. Obviously the pappy/BTAC/taylor 18 if you can get it since you could probably even trade 1 of those for 2 or 3 of the others I've heard the OFBB doesn't impress this year, but the 150th does (however one batch supposedly isn't as good as the others, I think #2) A few people in some of my groups have said Old Fitz 14 is their favorite pour this year - it was enough for me to switch it from a bottle I was going to try to trade to one I may open PHC: I've heard between "great pour" and "not much different from ECBP" Four Roses LE is always a good pick if they have it too
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Dec 22, 2020 14:32
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Has anyone had the Olde St. Nick Rye? My local costco just got some in for ~150 bucks, didn't write down the exact expression, but I hadn't seen a rye that expensive before. I'm sure it's good, but curious if it's worth picking up.
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Dec 22, 2020 19:26
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Carillon posted:Has anyone had the Olde St. Nick Rye? My local costco just got some in for ~150 bucks, didn't write down the exact expression, but I hadn't seen a rye that expensive before. I'm sure it's good, but curious if it's worth picking up. Meh. I haven't had any of the super old bottles, but the pours I've had were definitely not worth the price of admission.
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Dec 22, 2020 19:59
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DoctaFun posted:Good news dudes, I got picked number 9 in my local shops allocated drawing. They hold back most all of their allocated bottles throughout the year, and then run a drawing with about 50 people in it. Last year I was like number 40 or something and still got a Weller CYPB, but number 9 opens up a lot of possibilities. I haven't heard great things about the Birthday Bourbon. If you have a chance you might consider going for a BTAC/Pappy bottle even if it's not really your thing and "trading down" for a whole pile of stuff. Even an Old Rip Van Winkle 10 can be traded for a pile of high quality stuff.
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Dec 22, 2020 22:30
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I tried birthday bourbon for my birthday last year and I was severely underwhelmed. It has good resale value if you're into that scene. Personally I'd get the Old Fitz. Good stuff in a beautiful bottle.
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Dec 23, 2020 01:58
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Speaking of resale value, this Reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/2wpkjx/you_had_one_job/ indicates regular Maker’s super dunked has decent resale value so presumably my cask strength would have even more. Looks like I’ll be headed back to the liquor store to get another bottle to drink. No idea how to resell my super dunked bottle though.
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Dec 23, 2020 02:32
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Josh Lyman posted:Speaking of resale value, this Reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/2wpkjx/you_had_one_job/ indicates regular Maker’s super dunked has decent resale value so presumably my cask strength would have even more. Looks like I’ll be headed back to the liquor store to get another bottle to drink. If you're in any hunting/discussion facebook groups you could post something ambiguous "got this bottle, wonder if it could be a collectors item or something" and you may get private messages looking for it, or possibly some invites or links to a local secondary/trading group. I basically found my way into a local group in a similar way on a post that wasn't even my own
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Dec 23, 2020 03:04
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I just bought a Makers Cask Strength because of this thread, forgot that resale value might be a thing and opened it (it was cheaper than Makers 101 in the store and I wanted an overproof wheater to drink). It's delicious. I assume I'm going to have a hard time finding it in the future--is there any overproof wheater that's actually easy to find anymore?
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Dec 23, 2020 04:49
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Scythe posted:I just bought a Makers Cask Strength because of this thread, forgot that resale value might be a thing and opened it (it was cheaper than Makers 101 in the store and I wanted an overproof wheater to drink). It's delicious. I assume I'm going to have a hard time finding it in the future--is there any overproof wheater that's actually easy to find anymore? Makers cask strength, makers 46 cask strength and makers private select is basically the list of high proof, easily findable wheaters out there.
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Dec 23, 2020 05:00
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Larceny BP is pretty easy to find too but who knows for how long with it winning awards this year The reason that makers bottle may have value is the overdripped wax - normally they aren't worth more than MSRP - and even the limited bottles can be found readily on the shelves at that price
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Dec 23, 2020 12:58
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The whole secondary market/shop picks/raffle thing confuses the hell out of me, almost glad I can only buy terrible bourbon at bottle shops here in Australia.
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Dec 23, 2020 23:23
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