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Well, you know, once they start thinking of enlarging their operations, which, are essentially, a small distillery on the side of a stream with perfect water somewhere in Scotland, and, start mechanizing the operations, which are essentially the same way they have been doing it for 200+ years, then, poof, there goes quality. It's kinda like a very fine French country restaurant trying to become a "brand". But, it's already happened. The result is Dewars.
Commonlaw, Cafe Presse in SF? I've had some fun there, cool spot.
Black Maple Hill is some tasty bourbon indeed. Was turned on to it at Graham Elliot in Chicago this summer. It's their go-to bourbon.
We passed on those and ordered another group of 4 samples. That group was better and we found a nice one. Barrel proof on the winner was 144.6. Shit was the fire... We're expecting that barrel to hit the warehouse around the end of the month.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
Yeah, break your cask strength stuff with a touch of water if you want it turbo or a bit more water if you're looking for a nice supple after-dinner sipper. No harm in a splash of branch water to soften things up. At 127 proof it'll numb up your taste buds to the point that all the nuance will be lost anyway. That's not to say that I don't like a little taste of the full strength hookachaka from time to time though... :biggrin:
No, Seattle, but I have been to the SF one a few times (actually Cafe de la Presse) and it is pretty similar in food and atmosphere as I recall.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
Both fun spots.
Cruiser interested to hear when that bourbon hits your shelves. Will have to make another visit to your shop.
I know this is bourbon thread, but the rye discussion has caused me to check that out as well. I have to say that the Russell Reserve Rye is very very nice. Price is pretty good and the taste is top shelf. This thread is sucking money out of my pocket.
^^^ I've suddenly found myself becoming a rye man as well. I like bourbon better for sipping straight, but in almost every cocktail where I used to use bourbon I'm discovering I like rye better. It's leaner and it just seems to mix better. So far I'm doing manhattans, vieux carres, sazeracs, and old fashioneds with rye (Rittenhouse 100 or Bulleit) and liking the trend. The only bourbon cocktail that I'm sticking with bourbon for right now is the boulevardier - the astringency of the Campari seems to balance well with the richness of bourbon.
Anyone wanna should out some other ryes worth checking? My local bar uses R1 but it's expensive and I can't say I'm a huge fan. The bartender at Modis (in Breckenridge) was all about Michter's, but I haven't seen that in the stores around here.
Michter's is my favorite hands down. You should be able to find it easily in Colorado. Also like High West.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
I'll have to look again. Usually Liquor Mart in Boulder and Superior Liquors in Superior are pretty good, but the rye selection at both is terrible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rontele
Which of the High Wests do you like? I noticed that they had a couple of ryes, along with an unusual unaged (clear) whiskey and a combination bourbon and rye ("bourye").
Let me know if you have trouble finding it and I'll pick you up a bottle locally and figure out a way to get it to you. I like the High West double rye. its a blend of a 2 year and 18 year rye (with some corn). Really good stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
Right now in my eyes, Michters has no equal. It is so smooth and displays every reason why I love rye more than bourbon.
My rye selection currently consists of a bottle of Templeton and a bottle Old Portrero 19th Century. I like both a lot. I can't compare to Michters since I haven't had that in a long while, but I do remember liking it quite a bit. I highly recommend both of the bottles in my cabinet though.
FYI, Old Portrero is brought to us by the fine folks that make Anchor Steam. The rye is quite good and their Junipero gin is pretty darn nice too. Oh and they make some damn fine beer too. ;)
PSA: This year's Van Winkle products have shown up in my LLS. You should check yours if you're a fan or interested and don't want to be left behind.
Not really the most expensive burbon out there, but in honor of Thanksgiving I grabbed a small bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed, barrell proof. It was VERY nice. 108.4 proof. Lots of caramel and warmth. Really nice sipping before the turkey dinner after a long day of hiking for turns.
Picked up a bottle of William Larue Weller this weekend. Very, very nice. Highly recommend it.
Waiting for the right occasion to open up the 20 yo Pappy that found its way into my cabinet. Not there yet but can't wait!
I <3 ethanol aged in Kentucky in oak barrels.
I recently picked up the entire state of Wyoming's allotment of this year's George T. Stagg (3 bottles). Excellent as always. I also picked up a couple of bottles of the 10 year 107 proof Old Rip Van Winkle, which is very impressive for its price point.
Old Overholt is inexpensive, but really quite good for the price.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
Depends on the use for the Rye. For price Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in BOnd 100 proof is the best you can get. It's about 20 bucks a bottle and is a spicy punchy rye that is perfect for cocktails. I believe it won the world spirt of the year in 2006 or 2007.
Another very good rye with a good price point is the Bulleit Rye. Retails about 23-25 dollars a bottle and is both good in cocktails and good straight.
For pure sipping rye, Whistle Pig is good and smooth (too smooth to mix) and High west double rye is a nice sipping rye if you want a peppery drink
A recent restocking.
Attachment 105520
Just grabbed an 18yo George T. Stagg and a half a bottle of Pappy 15yo. Gonna pick up a Rittenhouse Rye tomorrow or Saturday. Hopefully getting the new William Larue Weller next week. It's a good time to be a bourbon drinker!
Funny, the contents of my rye collection right now are Rittenhouse and Bulleit. (Well, they were... the Rittenhouse is gone now, and that shit is impossible to find on the Front Range. I ordered several bottles from Liquor Mart in Boulder, and a month later they're still making excuses why it hasn't shown up yet.) I'm gonna try the High West next.Quote:
Originally Posted by lionelhutz
We had a hard time getting Rittenhouse for a long while here in metro area nj, but its back now. But damn, three bottles for all of Wyoming? We got more than that at my local store. Speaking of, I'm enjoying Pappy 15 and Old Rip Van Winkle 10. Same proof for both, maybe a similar mash, but those 5 extra years in a barrel are definitely worth it. The 10 is good but the heat is more out front. Pappy is definitely the best bang for your buck out there in bourbonland. Though that 18 year old Presidential is from the same closed forever distillery as the Pappy 23, so if you have the cash..
I think he said that Wyoming got only 3 bottles of George T. Stagg, not Rittenhouse. Ritt is hard to find, but not THAT hard.Quote:
Originally Posted by sneekyjesus
damnit, I finally made it to the store and all they had was the Pappy 23, 20, and 12. Sold out already of the 15 and 10. But I wasn't on their mailing list and was only able to buy the 12. Kind of lame, but I guess that's what I get for being a week late.
I've been less than an hour from bourbon country for years and have had few opportunities to sample Pappy, much less buy it. They bribe stock boys around there to tip off regulars when shipments come into the Party Source.
Found a fantastic restaurant in ATL tonight with unopened bottles of Pappy 23, 15 and Van Winkle 12 tonight. Had all three and it was good...
Knob Creek 120 proof single barrel reserve aged 9 years for only $40 is a great deal.It is smoother than my regular brand even at 120 vs 90 proof. yummy. Try it.
I was actually talking about the Stagg too. But looking back now sober I can see how what I said was confusing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
Need to stock up a new home bar and this thread is just an awesome shopping list.
Yeah I was talking about the Stagg. I don't think Wyoming would get any if I didn't put in a special order for it... and I agree with you about the Pappy 10 year vs the 15 year, but for $30 the 10 year is pretty good.
No Pappy in Alaska of any age, It's tough to find a distributor to ship a bottle to AK. OT has anyone here tried the Alaska outlaw whiskey? I just started seeing it around, its local so I should give it a try but I hate to throw $45 at a bottle I might not like. The semester here is over for me tomorrow and I'd like to commemorate with a bottle, what say you all should I get the local stuff and give a TR or should I go for a craft bourbon? I've been a bourbon guy for many years such a tough decision.
I'm curious about this Pappy Van Winkle cult. Never tried the stuff, but I ran across an article on CNN Money that makes it sound like it's a very successful example of artificial scarcity driving up the price of a product that might not otherwise have so much cachet. Is is really that objectively good? Has anyone done a blind tasting of it?
How is low production artificial scarcity.. it's not like they have a warehouse of this shit and only ship out a couple cases at a time.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
either way, it's good stuff.
I'm still sipping my basil hayden... one of the smoothest liquors ever!
It's artificial in the sense that they have capacity to produce much more than they do - they outsource production to Buffalo Trace Distillery now, which can produce at a huge scale - but deliberately produce much less than the market demands in order to create scarcity. In other words, the lack of supply that creates the intense demand is deliberate, or "artificial." Not saying this is in any way underhanded; it's good business. But it means that the scarcity is caused by restrictions on supply, rather than simply on demand outstripping production capacity.Quote:
Originally Posted by grskier
OT but Tullamore Dew 10 year old is damn smooth and delicious. [/irish whiskey]
This is the first year I think that the 15 isn't the old Stitzel-Weller, but infact Buffalo Trace. So I guess the old stuff is now in just the 20 and 23. But there's no doubt the artificial scarcity is true, they seem to jack the price up almost $5 every year. But when you write things like this it only drives demand up: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...ppy-van-winkle Also they mention Benton's bacon. That stuff is amazing. Never had Harris beef.
I know jack shit about bourbon...but apparently my father has been drinking it for years since Ive been gone. He likes Woodford Reserve and Basil Hayden...any thoughts on these as a gift? Are they quality drinks? Anything I should know about either one? Whats a bottle going to run me?
@Pegleg Leaving price out of the discussion, I'd say that the 15 and 20 year Pappys (my favorites of the group) are among the top 10% percent or so domestic whiskeys available right now in terms of overall quality and interest. If there was a steady supply of the 15 I can just about guarantee you that it'd be one of the most popular, if not the most popular, in its category because it really is quite good.
And really, good on the Van Winkles for creating a solid product and developing a profitable business model around it. That's the name of the game, right?
Sounds like he prefers a smooth style of whiskey. If you want to get him a different one but in the same style category then maybe you should consider Blantons. It'll run a few bucks more than the Basil Haydens but it's mighty darned good and it'll be the style he likes. If you want to get out for a bit less cash then go for an Eagle Rare 10yr single barrel. It's done in that smooth rounded style too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock Landers
Cruiser: Where does Pappy fall in the spectrum of bourbons as you see it? I'm a fan of Basil Haydens and Blantons as well, so I guess I like smooth bourbons.
They're on the smooth side of the spectrum since the grain bill includes some wheat as opposed to rye (with the exception of the 13yo rye). But the 13, 15, and 23 are bottled at higher proof than typical whiskeys so it helps to break them with a touch of cool water to temper their boozy burn. In retrospect that might be one of the reasons I like the 20yr so well. It drinks really well right straight up.
Cruiser, that Evan Williams single barrel your shop pulled is a nice choice! Super smooth and very drinkable!
My two favorites!Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock Landers
~$35 for the Woodford, $55 for the Basil...