High proof bourbon fans,



Old Forester 1920. So this thing has uniformly incredible reviews. $54.99 at k&l so I decided to grab a bottle.

Not as amazing as the reviews would lead one to believe, but quite good. Sugary sweet very fruity taste to start, nice level of heat, but definitely drinkable without water. Soft finish with a little bit of oak. This kinda reminds me of the old scout cask strength bourbon.

This is a good bourbon, but pretty simple flavor profile, not a ton going on here beyond what you get in the first sip. But that doesn't mean it's not good.

I like this for the price, but for about the same price I prefer the private barrel cask strength four roses bottles k&l gets from time to time.

^El D, That OF 1920 is pretty good but I agree it seems somewhat overrated. I did a side by side tasting at a bar with this, Booker's, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. I liked the Elijah Craig most and had the OF 1920 last.

If you like the more spicy recipes of the Four Roses barrel strength picks I'd really look into picks from K&L and other places of Russel Reserve single barrel. I think those are fantastic and a good choice for a high proof bourbon.

Nit,

I agree, those Russell's reserve private barrels are great.

Awesome yes NASA here in Houston which is well respected for there picks just did some last week which I picked up.

Rye fans,



High west yippee ki-yay, double rye finished in vermouth and red wine barrels.

It's interesting...

Not nearly as spicy/flavorful as midsummer night's dram from high west.

In fact, not very spicy at all. Some sweetness and red wine flavor. And the vermouth flavor def comes out in the finish. Very smooth to drink.

It's sort of halfway between a finished bourbon and a finished rye flavor wise.

Overall it's a bit like drinking a Manhattan flavored whiskey, but very much a whiskey not a cocktail.

I'd say this is good, not great, and definitely interesting/different.

Bourbon fans,

My local whisky joint is currently doing a special guest bourbons week. I'm a scotch fan and know next to nothing about bourbon. What do people recommend from this menu. I know about Pappy, obvs, though not much about the different varieties:







Any advice on what to aim for appreciated.

Wow. If these prices are real, I'd expect this event to be very crowded...unless they are seriously sleeping on bourbon in the jolly UK, which I guess is possible.

Thinking about how I'd drink through this...hold tight a.minute

I'd prolly split with somebody and go, in this order


Van Winkle 20, 15, 12 side by side

WLW and stagg (any year) side by side. These are super high proof...start neat and add progressively add water until you're happy w. Them

Handy (any year), saz 2014, and Taylor rye side by side

Thanks foobar. These are definitely not standard prices, or even standard stock in some cases. There's a chance they are not full pours too.

Gotta take advantage of the offer while it's on though.

Even if they're small pours, still insane "value".


For reference, 15+. Van Winkle almost always > $100/pour in any US major city. Here's lol prices for a new uppity whiskey bar in DC (yes, that's per glass)

And missed that it was a full week. If you're not worried they're going to run out of stuff, you can split the above recommendations into a couple of nights Obv.

BM,

Those prices make no sense at all for any size pour you can actually taste.

time to black out on pappy i guess

Lol at those DC prices. The official Pappy tasting event is on Friday and the company are doing a UK tour that still has a while to run so not expecting anything to run out.

Not gonna get my hopes up about the pour sizes tho.

Is it just the Pappy that is ridiculous underpriced or do any of the others sell for silly money usually?
Was chatting to the bar owner on FB tonight and he was saying this week is a unique chance to experience these whiskies at way under market rates.

Will find out tomorrow what the crack is I guess.

Everything on there is varying degrees of super cheap. The biggest discount off market rate, by far, is the Van winkle and antique collection.

i think a better idea is taking any number of friends and posting up on day 1, maxing value, then patting each other on the back as the bar announces everything is sold out / "priced adjusted" on day 2

BM,

What foo said. Pappy is insane underpriced, antique collection merely absurd underpriced. I'd go as many nights and try as much different pappy and antique collection stuff as I could.

http://www.buffalotrace.co.uk/roamingbbe/

The £25 tickets for antique Collection and pappy tasting, just crazy deal.

Check out the whiskey list and flight prices for this stuff in SF: http://hardwaterbar.com/drink/

Awesome. See you in a few days when I awake from my whisky coma

So much this.

Enjoy, you lucky SOB!

@boston.

For an interesting thought experiment, have them pour you makers and OWA side by side with the Van Winkles and taste them blind.

^ yeah, that would be interesting.

Going to the tasting event tonight. Menu is:

White Dog mash #1
White Dog Wheated
Buffalo Trace
Eagle Rare
George T Stagg
Weller 12
Pappy 15
WLW

Van Winkle event is sold out but will try to go to the Antique Collection one tomorrow.

So the tasting last night was pretty good. Didn't quite get full pours but not too far off.

Had the Pappy 15 which was decent but not mind blowing. My mate loved it though.

Pick of the bunch for me was the William Larue Weller with a few drops of water added. So rich and complex.

The rep mentioned that the means of production for PVW is changing as of next year. Idk if that is widely known already but if not, current bottles might be a good investment.

Also managed to sort an invite to the PVW tasting on Sat

Boston Matrix your palate is spot on. PVW15 is good stuff but not nearly worth the hype, WLW is better.

My guess about the changes to production for the Pappy would be using Buffalo Trace distillate vs. other leftover barrels. However I thought that already happened.

Yeah, interesting that the rep said things are going to change as I don't think that's true. PVW used to be sourced from old Stitzel Weller (GOAT distillery) stock, but, as far as I know, has been mostly/all BT distillate for a while now.