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Stumbled upon Eagle Rare at Total Wine today, I guess I'm now boarding the hype train.
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Apr 7, 2016 04:37
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In an attempt to jumpstart my bourbon education I tried Four Roses Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and the Maker's Mark that I already had on hand (never knew it was a wheat bourbon). Of all these I distinctly preferred Four Roses, which had a mildly spicy, mildly sweet, and overall quite pleasant character. The Eagle Rare had an odd oily flavor, though I tried it immediately after opening the bottle and it may change with some oxidation. Setting up a blind tasting next weekend with a buddy and hopefully some more bottles.
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Apr 11, 2016 17:19
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kidsafe posted:Did you notice the similarities between Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace? They use the same recipe/mashbill. I did notice that, though I'm somewhat concerned that I'm fooling myself on these things since I look up the tasting notes beforehand. Anyway, picked up the ~*whiskey of the year*~ crown royal northern harvest rye. The branding and packaging is so embarrassing--baroque plastic gold and crown motifs with a cheap corkless screw top and a satiny little sack the bottle comes in, etc etc. Like something Trump would design and market. But at $21 I felt it was worth a try. Poured myself a glass and found I enjoyed it pretty well. Good spicy, peppery flavor with very mild sweetness. Not a ton of complexity but I liked well enough it on ice. 90% rye seems to have a merit all its own. Also picked up one of the last proper "Elijah Craig 12 Years" as it's transitioning to No Age Statement bottles. In fact, the shop had stocked both the back label small print "12 years" and the bottles without the 12 years language and intermingled them--all the 12ers were in the back. Had some fun picking one out even though I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I think this was $22. Was tempted to buy some Aberlour 12 at $40 as well but the availability of $20 bourbon made it somewhat less appealing.
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Apr 19, 2016 04:54
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On a completely unrelated note, it seems that the folks on /r/whiskey are precisely as awful as one would expect (but also very rich):
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Apr 19, 2016 05:37
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kidsafe posted:I wouldn't say rich based on a few bottles of whisky. Unadventurous though, yes. Also why is there a bottle of Grey Goose? More likely insane than actually rich, I'll concede.
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Apr 19, 2016 08:02
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Jo3sh posted:Graduation gift from my parents: Let me know what you think! I was just considering picking up a sherried scotch. quote:Has Buffalo Trace gone up in price in the past few years? I remember it being $20-21, $18 on sale. I just went to a liquor store yesterday planning on buying it and it was up to $25. Is that just the store? It's still $19 for me in the Bay Area. Vox Nihili fucked around with this message at 18:29 on May 18, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 18:25
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spankmeister posted:From what I understand they changed the label to have the age on the back instead of the front, years ago. Idk why but maybe to "prepare" the consumer for a NAS version? That was exactly it. Same thing that's happening with Eagle Rare right now. Midrange products are being gutted left and right.
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May 27, 2016 17:15
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I like tequila on occasion, but the quality and price points are ridiculous. I never really understood the hate, I find the flavor a lot less offensive and a lot more interesting than, for example, vodka.
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Jul 23, 2016 22:10
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Hey folks, I'm picking up a gift for a friend (on behalf of a group of friends). He enjoys Johnnie Walker Black normally, but isn't a fan of big peat/smoke (hates the Double Black). Any recommendations for something in the $40-$60 range? Considering both blended and single malts, not necessarily limiting this to Scotch, but that's where I'm starting.
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Aug 6, 2016 23:38
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Deceptive Thinker posted:Springbank 10 Thanks for the input. We ended up getting him Macallan after a rather cynical discussion about perceived gift quality led us to a default decision.
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Aug 10, 2016 17:12
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Avenged posted:Don't know how well regarded it is around here, but I always promised that if I saw a bottle of rip/pappy I'd buy it. Dude probably did you a favor. Speaking of which, my friend showed up to my birthday with a 1/4 full bottle of Pappy 20 that he's apparently been nursing for 5 years. He bought it for $90 well before the present absurdity got underway. The now-empty bottle is allegedly worth more than that at present. Im disappointed to report that I enjoyed the flavor a great deal, got some pleasant cherry and apple notes that I don't normally taste in bourbon.
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Sep 30, 2016 20:56
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Anyone ever flip ~hyped~ bourbon on the secondary market? Was it worth it? I'm aware that doing so would make me that guy, but it could help with the credit card spend I need to hit to reach for the promotion as well as netting me some money on the other side to help kill student loans.
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Oct 11, 2016 23:09
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gwrtheyrn posted:The coffey grain isn't that bad but it definitely isn't good for the price it demands in the states. I still like the hibiki because I liked it more with a generous amount of soda water even before they switched to NAS. Is all Hibiki NAS now? I swear I saw Hibiki 12 on the shelf just today.
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Oct 17, 2016 07:58
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gwrtheyrn posted:Hibiki japanese harmony is the NAS replacement for the 12. You might still be able to find some 12 that are older stock, but most places are stocking the NAS version now. The box is different, but the bottle is basically the same. Yeah, turns out the 12 year bottles I saw were priced at $100 anyway. Yeesh.
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Oct 17, 2016 08:38
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I heard OGD 114 is being discontinued and the fact that I can't find a single bottle on the shelf makes the rumor feel credible. (Bring the 114 and serve it with some water/ice.)
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Oct 22, 2016 18:14
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My friends and I tried several bourbons blind and yeah, Maker's is actually noticeably subpar compared to other $20-$30 offerings.
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Oct 24, 2016 21:15
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Invisible Ted posted:I'm looking to try something different tonight. My girlfriend and I really like basil hayden's, and i can't find anything she likes more than that. She really prefers smooth whiskeys, and doesn't like much spice. I like most things, but i want to get something we can both enjoy. We've tried bakers, bookers, 4 roses, and maker's 46, none of which were quite add smooth as basil to her. Any ideas? I was considering trying buffalo trace, would that fit the bill? Eagle Rare might fit the bill here.
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Oct 29, 2016 03:38
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Tiger Millionaire posted:Grabbed this as I was able to get a bottle for cheap. In general American whiskeys don't need quite as much aging because they're aged in freshly charred barrels rather than reused barrels (in the case of Scotch and virtually every other barrel-aged whiskey outside the country). That said, you can find a few age-stated American whiskeys at reasonable price points. Henry McKenna is 10 years old and Eagle Rare is also 10. Elijah Craig used to be a 12 year product but has recently moved to NAS. You can still find some 12 year Elijah Craig if you check the back label of various bottles.
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Nov 1, 2016 02:44
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So the local Total Wine shot out an email to us plebs with "Reserve" status rather than "Grand Reserve" (who get a shot at the real stuff like VW 20 and BTAC) giving us the incredible opportunity to rush to the location at 9AM on a weekday to buy a Van Winkle 10 for $70, one per customer, first come first serve. Yeah, I did it.
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Dec 16, 2016 00:40
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Stultus Maximus posted:Well poo poo. I hoped this was just a rumor but I just went whiskey shopping and it's nowhere to be found. Still tons of 114 at my local Total Wine. Is this unusual?
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Jan 6, 2017 22:50
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wormil posted:Beer making is such a cool hobby which I'm glad I don't have. Definitely the best hobby to encourage your friends to get into.
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Jan 17, 2017 20:34
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Mandalay posted:I got some green label from Costco. Bought a bottle at $43 the other day and thought I got a good deal, drat.
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Jan 21, 2017 02:23
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spankmeister posted:I'm totally disinterested in Japanese whisky nowadays. It's just not worth it. Of course Hibiki 12 is the one whiskey my girlfriend actually enjoyed. 
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Mar 3, 2017 21:20
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So my friend picked up Nikka 12, Chita, and Wild Turkey 13 while in Japan. How excited should I be to try these?
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Mar 4, 2017 23:35
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Kenny Logins posted:I picked up a some WT101 (along with Elijah Craig 12, Sazerac and some EW Single Barrel) on a business trip this weekend. The WT is way better than I remember from trying it a few years ago. Never tried the EC12 or Sazerac but I'm preemptively calling this a win overall. You were lucky to find EC12, it's been discontinued for some time and replaced with NAS bottles.
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Mar 26, 2017 02:44
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Stultus Maximus posted:I've never been able to find Sazerac, not in three different major cities. Where is it distributed? It's distributed pretty much everywhere, but often sells out due to the hype. I find it on the shelf for $30 in the Bay all the time. quote:OK, so at this point I'm trying to decide between Wild Turkey 101 and Four Roses Small Batch. Any thoughts? If you take value into account I think WT101 is a better buy.
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Mar 27, 2017 20:04
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sirbeefalot posted:We've grown fond of bourbon in the past few years, and my wife is in Louisville, KY for another day, any suggestions for must-have bottles to bring home? Not limited to just bourbon, any local brown liquor worth experiencing is welcome! I think the Heaven Hill 6 year bottled-in-bond is Kentucky only. Apparently costs only ~$10 and supposedly beats the hell out of anything in the sub-$20 price range. Haven't tried it myself, though. Looks like this: 
Vox Nihili fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Apr 1, 2017 |
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Apr 1, 2017 00:06
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wormil posted:I thought there was a tequila or general booze thread but I couldn't find it. I'm looking for a few modest tequila recommendations around or under $30. I don't drink tequila often and never know what to get so I always end up with 1800. I like Milagro, personally.
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Apr 1, 2017 06:35
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Deceptive Thinker posted:Just went to a Van Winkle lottery at a nearby store - they had a bottle of PVW23, 20, and 15, 2 bottles of VW12 and 10, a bottle of William Larue Weller, Handy rye, and 3 bottles of Weller 12 Were they at the suggested retail price?
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Apr 1, 2017 23:28
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So my girlfriend's company is having an impromptu whiskey tasting night tomorrow and she has been tasked with picking up "two $120 bottles." The company is paying for it. Setting aside the absurdity of the price point specificity for a moment, does anyone have any suggestions that would fit the bill? Something with big, bold flavors suited to an amateur tasting would be great, huge peat bombs probably not great.
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Apr 7, 2017 01:35
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Thanks for the input, guys, I ended picking up a bottle of Hedonism for them, which sounds delightful. Someone else ended up handling the second bottle.
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Apr 7, 2017 05:20
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Could upgrade to Pikesville Rye if you're looking to grab something higher end. Same barrels as Rittenhouse I believe, just more aging (6 years) and stronger proof. Another good one to look for if you like higher proof stuff is Old Grand-dad 114. Or Booker's. Can't go wrong with Four Roses Single Barrel and Eagle Rare, though, as several folks have mentioned.
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Apr 13, 2017 05:28
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sean10mm posted:My understanding is that they're exactly the same thing made in the same place, except Eagle Rare is just older. Same mashbill, same barrel stock. Main difference is that Eagle Rare is aged at least ten years, which is pretty substantial for a bourbon. In theory, they also pick superior barrels that fit within the ER flavor profile. If you run into ER store picks I highly recommend giving one a try. The one I tried was $30 w/ immensely oily feel and strong apple flavor on top of the usual caramel backbone, finished it off in two weeks. Edit: anything in the top left corner likely comes from the same set of barrels: 
Vox Nihili fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Apr 14, 2017 |
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Apr 14, 2017 02:42
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hakimashou posted:Verdict: worth the wait. Them blantons boys know they biniss. That's pretty steep for Buffalo Trace, it's ~$20-$24 here in California. Definitely a solid standby pick for an archetypal bourbon, though it shouldn't really hold a flame to Blanton's.
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May 10, 2017 06:51
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Residency Evil posted:Is a set of glasses like this: http://www.waterford.com/heritage-straight-sided-tumbler-set-of-6 decent as a set of whiskey glasses for life? Would it be better to get something with more variety of shapes? That looks really pricey. If you're picking up something with the idea of looking classy and sophisticated when hosting guests, I expect that a matching set of crystal would be the consensus option. Glencairns are all the rage these days, though, especially if you're tasting neat.
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Jun 7, 2017 09:30
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mojo1701a posted:Yeah I don't care for most Crown Royal (as anything beyond your basic mixing whisky), but the Northern Harvest is decent. Northern Harvest is really solid, if straightforward. I wanted to hate it after the Jim Murray bullshit but I just couldn't.
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Jun 16, 2017 11:48
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wormil posted:After EC12 took off the age statement I got annoyed and quit buying but I've been having some today and I think it may actually have improved. Now I always liked EC12 and considered it a benchmark, and I'm going from memory so I could be full of poo poo but it's less sweet than I remember, a little more fiery, more balanced than ever. I'm digging it. Most folks say the main difference is that it's less oaky now. Otherwise it's the same thing, just ~9 years old rather than ~12. You can still find the occasional bottle with the back age statement, could be worth doing a side-by-side.
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Jun 20, 2017 09:51
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Tried Booker's today for the first time--now I understand the hype. Remarkably approachable at 64% abv, huge, unique peanut butter flavor and thick, chewy mouthfeel. This was the 2016-06 batch, fwiw.
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Aug 27, 2017 22:51
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wormil posted:I would like to try Booker's again someday because the bottle I bought tasted like overaged Beam and dust. I'm sure it was a bad bottle. Yeah that's pretty odd, if anything you could criticize the bottle I tried for being too flavorful/unbalanced.
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Aug 28, 2017 20:37
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emotive posted:What's everyone think of Teeling Small Batch? I picked up a bottle last night and so far I think I love it. I thought teeling was more or less garbage, friends seemed to agree as well. Tasted very similar to $10 mellow corn whiskey. Sweet, short, thin. Japanese hype hasn't died down at all. Lots of off-brand stuff added, usually NAS, still overpriced, the good stuff is more expensive than ever.
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Sep 2, 2017 08:04
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