I enjoyed this tonight.

Not sure which I will enjoy tonight:

I'd go 1897 for a mouthful of bananas foster.
Great lineup.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
I'd go 1897 for a mouthful of bananas foster.
Great lineup.

1897 it is! Thanks!

Quick update tlbailey1. I just noticed today Early Times Bottled in Bond is showing up in a couple places in Ohio. Keep your eyes open.

I saw on the Bourbon Junkies episode that the Sazerac ET BiB product has a metal screwtop. The Brown-Foreman ET BiB bottle uses a plastic cap. Take advantage, if true.

I have a decanter mixed from Knob Creek, Weller SR, and ET BiB; it smells really good. No sampling yet.

The KB and ET BiB taste pretty similar, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by mr kablammo:
I saw on the Bourbon Junkies episode that the Sazerac ET BiB product has a metal screwtop. The Brown-Foreman ET BiB bottle uses a plastic cap. Take advantage, if true.

I just confirmed about the caps as I still have both. Also as I noted before the bottle size is different and the label is a bit different.
What are referring to when you mention KB Bottled in Bond?

KB is just Knob Creek

Anyone tried the Rabbit Hole line of whiskies yet? I find them pretty tasty for such young spirits (3yo-ish, I believe). Haven't had the sherry cask finish yet, but the other 3.....a wheater bourbon, a high rye bourbon and a 95/5 rye......are all pretty tasty.

Little bit of ETOH burn, which is to be expected at their respective ages, but flavorful stuff. A bit expensive I think, but also to be expected with a small boutique distillery. Anyway, curious if anyone else has tried them.

I'm waiting for Buffalo Trace to come on sale again - I'm about 1/2 done with my first bottle. It's very tasty and I enjoy sneaking a quick neat shot now and again. Usually can be had for $25 - but on sale it's $19 - I'll pick up multiple bottles next time now that I know I really like it.

Question - there are two bourbons on the shelf that have my curiosity. One is called Rowan's Creek. The other is Henry McKenna. Given my preference for BT (wheat type?), what would you say about these two? They are rather pricey at about $60. But I'd like to try a premium bourbon out of curiosity. Something like BT but better.

I had some Buffalo Trace tonight. It is one of my favorites and not too expensive! It's not too hard to find around here and it too is usually about $25.00 a bottle.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
One is called Rowan's Creek. The other is Henry McKenna. Given my preference for BT (wheat type?), what would you say about these two? They are rather pricey at about $60. But I'd like to try a premium bourbon out of curiosity. Something like BT but better.

Henry McKenna 10 y/0 100 proof bourbon is excellent!! Unfortunately for me, it hardly ever shows up here for sale. I have even purchased some over the web and had it shipped in here( too expensive to do very often). Give it a try over ice!!

Thanks! Any quick thoughts over how it might differ from BT? BT $25 ($19 on sale) vs Mckenna $60. Am I going to enjoy the 2x price difference or is that the domain of true connoisseurs? I'm curious but trying to decide - 1 bottle Mckenna or 2-3 bottles of BT.

McKenna 10 yr. old is a single barrel bourbon with a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley.

Buffalo Trace is (a guess) 6-8 years old, using mash bill #1, but I do not believe a single barrel. You can get a single barrel Buffalo Trace, as in a store pick, or through their Single Barrel Program. Store picks (single barrel BT) will cost a little more, but those who have had them, claim they are better than regular BT, which make sense.

I do like McKenna 10 yr.

However, If I was offered a bottle of McKenna, or 2/3 bottles of BT. I would take the BT all day long.

I will drink BT straight, over ice, or as a mixer. For me, it is an all-around good bourbon that won't break the bank, but does stand on its own, if need be.

McKenna is too expensive for me to use as a mixer. McKenna is a really nice 10 yr. old and I always have a bottle in my bar.

Please keep in mind, I have only been in the Bourbon hunt since shortly after Covid hit. I do not have many bottles over the $60.00 price point, as I am not certain I can truly appreciate the difference.


IMO, BT at $19.00 is a steal and I would buy all I could.

quote:

IMO, BT at $19.00 is a steal and I would buy all I could.

Yes, in retrospect it was a good price. But I had never tried BT before so I only bought one when it was $19 - figured it was worth the risk (it seemed so common - like bud is for beer). Now I know it's a bargain. Next time it goes on sale, I'll buy several bottles. But they had about 10 boxes on the floor so not sure when it'll go on sale - they have plenty of stock it seems.

Coming off the Larceny, I started with BT with an ice cube. But now I enjoy it neat.

I'll look for a sale on the Mckenna then; sounds good but not 2x better than the BT. BT is a better value.

Fwiw, Larceny is a wheater but BT is not. BT mashbill #1 is the lower rye mashbill. BT, Stagg (and Jr), Eagle Rare, and the EH Taylor line are all mashbill #1.

Rowan's Creek is decent although maybe not worth the money. It's owned by Willett so it is likely distilled by Willett. And it used to state a 12 yo age but I don't think it does anymore. It's kind of fruity and easy to drink for a 100 proof whisky.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Thanks! Any quick thoughts over how it might differ from BT? BT $25 ($19 on sale) vs Mckenna $60. Am I going to enjoy the 2x price difference or is that the domain of true connoisseurs? I'm curious but trying to decide - 1 bottle Mckenna or 2-3 bottles of BT.

McKenna is a 10yr single barrel. In my experience the quality is highly variable from barrel to barrel to a much greater extent than other single barrel products. It’s to the point that I won’t buy unless I can try beforehand. As a further note on value it’s important that you know McKenna was a $30 bottle at retail until a few years ago. It won an award of dubious value and the retail price soon doubled. I’d stay away at the new $60 price unless you can try a sample of the bottle you’ll be buying.

Buffalo Trace is a bit younger but an all around solid bottle.

It would seem that the bottle that won was # 4976 bottled in 2008.As mentioned every barrel is different. Here is a link to an article https://tinyurl.com/4r964b74

I have a bottle from 5469 barreled on 8/4/08 that I haven't opened.

Hey guys I hate to just jump into the discussion like this.

I just got back from a 13-day trip and one of my buddies was going to be in town for 4 days while I was gone. I offered up my place instead of hotel and he accepted. He noticed my six bottles of Angel's Envy Finished Rye on the counter and texted me about it. I told him that a friend had introduced me to it and I really liked it but for a long time it was hard to find so whenever I saw a bottle I grabbed it. After I got to 6 bottles I figured that was enough.

So when I come home I found that he bought me a bottle as a thank-you and left it on my counter. I have never seen this before but it sure looks fancy! I could search for it online but I'd rather ask the experts here first. Thanks!

quote:

I’d stay away at the new $60 price unless you can try a sample of the bottle you’ll be buying.

Is that a thing? I have admittedly been out of the spirit-purchasing game for a while, though I do keep a bottle on hand for guests, and have some of my favorite still stashed-away, in the event I decide to indulge in the future. That being said, I have never bought anything at a store that provides the opportunity to test a bottle before purchase. How would that even work? If you opt not to buy it after testing, the bottle is that much emptier; does the next man who may want to buy it get a reduced rate due to it's diminished content?