Barterhouse tastes a bit like an old oak desk smells, albeit one with cinnamon and vanilla stored in the drawers, which is to say interesting and different than anything else I have tried. Not complex, but there's a certain depth that makes it enjoyable. I passed twice on a second bottle, which tells you a bit, even though I regretted it each time. Perhaps the thought of buying it is better than the act of buying it.

I have only had luck at an out of state liquor store once, and that was recently in a small town in NC where I walked out with a bottle of EH Taylor Small Batch and 4 bottles of Weller Antique 107. This was one of the stores that had Barterhouse, but my money was better spent IMO. I like Barterhouse, just rather have 3 bottles of Weller (27.88 ea.)for the same outlay.

Man that taylor had the best start and the finish is all smoke. By drink 2 all u taste is smoke. Can i get a redo and just have that beautiful up front taste with a very mildly oak and smoke finish?

I think the Taylor BP and Rye are some of the best new (to me) whiskies I've had in a while. lots of flavor, copper stills which is pretty rare nowadays and does seem to impart something different, and pretty chewy which I really like.

I completely agree that Taylor BP is one of the best, if not THE best bourbon, I have yet tried. I have 2 bottles of the BP, and would buy more if I could find it. When I made my purchase in NC the Taylor Single Barrel was an option, but it was $30.00 more than the small batch, so I was opted for value. I haven't tried the small batch yet, but as I recall smokey is not how I would describe the BP anyway.

I got the single barrel. Ill have to try the Bp

The Fall releases are starting to trickle in, and my luck this continues



A bottle each of Parker's Heritage Collection #9 and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. This batch of Parker's is a malt whiskey, but has 35% corn in the mashbill, so reports are it drinks like a bourbon. Maybe the only reason I got it was bourbon purists were turned off by the Malt Concept, but Parker's has such a great history I decided to take a shot even at $100.00. The EC is a backstop to the 1/2 bottle I already have, so I can start drinking it again.

^ so it's like Parker's take on Stranahan's, I guess? bah humbug! who needs new Whiskey categories... I'll stick to Bourbon and Rye, or the occasional Scoth or Irish, maybe even Japanese, shit - maybe even Canadian one day, but these new not-quite-any-other-kind of Whiskeys? nope.

I come into malt whiskey with no preconceptions, and to my mind it is different from Stranahan's which is 100% barley malt. I am tying it now and found the nose to be quite spicy. First sip straight had more alcohol than I expected at 108 proof - a little branch water smooths it out and opens it up. I'm not good at identifying flavors, but it's sweet up front with a very long finish and is as spicy as the nose suggests. There is certainly strong anise. There is also a bit of unfamiliar earthiness, but I wouldn't call it funky as people often describe malted barley. All-in-all the mouth feel and taste has more in common with a rye to me, specifically Whistlepig. Perhaps it shouldn't, but it does. Very interesting effort. Second pour is starting to grow on me, though it may take living with it for a while to determine if it's worth the cost.

Cool. ^

You're right, Stranahan's is a flawed comparison, and I'm just being a naysayer for the most part. I have a hard enough time keeping to 20 Bourbons and Ryes, and keeping those stocked, the last thing I need are new varieties. and part of me wishes most makers would quit fucking around with all these other expressions and just make more of their best juice, of which there never seems to be enough. most everything else feels like a distraction, sometimes.

(enjoy your whiskey)

Preaching to the choir re: your comments about new varieties, but I prefer attempts at achieving excellence at the premium end versus the low end stuff, eg. cinnamon flavored whiskey, that seems to have become popular. Now that's a waste of juice, IMO, but perhaps that's all it's good for, and, if it sells well, gives distilleries the financial latitude to experiment at the high end. The exception would be those trying to exploit the craze by offering non-premium products at premium prices. Blood Oath strikes me that way as do several of the Orphan barrels (based on reviews alone), though some folks seem to them quite a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Bar

I have only had luck at an out of state liquor store once, and that was recently in a small town in NC where I walked out with a bottle of EH Taylor Small Batch and 4 bottles of Weller Antique 107. This was one of the stores that had Barterhouse, but my money was better spent IMO. I like Barterhouse, just rather have 3 bottles of Weller (27.88 ea.)for the same outlay.

I'll be in DC a couple times this month for concerts,, may try to hit a liqour store or 2 while there,,

Ran across some of the Parkers malt and Stagg Jr the other day. Also saw a few bottles of the Orphan Barrel Rhetoric and Forged Oak - passed on these as they have received pretty bad reviews. I'm eagerly awaiting the Elmer T Lee release this year - limited release bourbons in KY are getting extremely hard to find. Also heard the Old Forester Birthday 2015 is really good but it was gone the day it arrived

As I mentioned a few time in this thread, I'm a fan of the Stagg, Jr - challenging, but worth it. I had read the Forged Oak was fairly decent, but the Rhetoric, not as good. At this point, I would say the Parker's is good, intereting, but nothing really special. I have another run at it tonight, though.

The Old Forester Birthday is an anomaly. I've not found any yet, and some folks love it and other think it's a complete pass. I'd like to try it for myself.

Let us know if you have any luck in DC, lyman.

Update on the Parker's. Yeah, it's worth the money. Getting everything today I paid for yesterday. Under $8.00 for a 2 oz. pour is less that Makers a bar, and this is no Makers. Their reputation is in tact.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jigray3,

You guys would kill it around me. Stuff is everywhere. Wife has me on a buying freeze. Rightly so, i drink once a month due to steep fitness goals. Im gonna snatch up something here this weekend. My liquor store bourbon guy was wanting to try willetx so time to make better friends and bring mine in :-)

My 2013 bday bourbon has hints of cherry. You can usually find it online at Florida retailers.

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
You guys would kill it around me. Stuff is everywhere. Wife has me on a buying freeze. Rightly so, i drink once a month due to steep fitness goals. Im gonna snatch up something here this weekend. My liquor store bourbon guy was wanting to try willetx so time to make better friends and bring mine in :-)

My 2013 bday bourbon has hints of cherry. You can usually find it online at Florida retailers.

state controlled liquor sales, and even then, not all ABC stores have the same product mix,,,

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
You guys would kill it around me. Stuff is everywhere. Wife has me on a buying freeze. Rightly so, i drink once a month due to steep fitness goals. Im gonna snatch up something here this weekend. My liquor store bourbon guy was wanting to try willetx so time to make better friends and bring mine in :-)

My 2013 bday bourbon has hints of cherry. You can usually find it online at Florida retailers.

state controlled liquor sales, and even then, not all ABC stores have the same product mix,,,

Yup. KS imports suck. I hop the border.

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch out today....and it's gone. Literally, local liquor barn had 2 six bottle cases and there were 15 people lined up at the door when it opened

The rumor is Four Roses LE will be hitting the stores here next week. That one will be very tough to get, I'm afraid.

Had some EC Barrel Proof followed by some EH Taylor Barrel proof last night. It was a good night. I believe I still prefer the EHT, but both are outstanding and at $30.00 less per bottle, the EC is simply a better value. I don't think I'm the first one to come to that conclusion.

Anybody ever try the Poor Man's Pappy blend of Old Weller Antique 107 and Weller 12 YO? The exact proportions vary a bit depending on the recipe, and most folks say while there are similarities, it really isn't a substitute for the rich complexities of the real thing. That said, almost every review I've found states that the result is excellent and certainly better than the component bourbons.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jigray3,

So this was posted on our home page when I entered the www. Are the "experts" on the mark, or did they blow it?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/fooda...1?ocid=iehp#image=51

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Anybody ever try the Poor Man's Pappy blend of Old Weller Antique 107 and Weller 12 YO? The exact proportions vary a bit depending on the recipe, and most folks say while there are similarities, it really isn't a substitute for the rich complexities of the real thing. That said, almost every review I've found states that the result is excellent and certainly better than the component bourbons.

The Weller 12 yr/Old Weller Antique blend was created to come close to the discontinued Weller Centennial bottling. Weller Centennial was much beloved and clocked in at 10 years old and 100 proof. Mixing Weller 12/90 proof and Old Weller Antique, then stated 7 years/107, now ~6 yr/107 at 1:1 came close to 10 years and 100 proof. Mix in small amounts and find your happy spot whether 60/40, 50/50, 40/60 or something else.

The blend was never intended to replicate Pappy as the 15 yr Pappy is 107 proof and you can't possibly approach 15 years of age and 107 proof by mixing 12 yr with 6/7 year and 90 proof with 107 proof. The Poor Man's Pappy nonsense started with idiot bloggers and writers needing another article to feed into the Pappy hype. They seized on the W12/OWA blend and started calling it something it was never intended to be resulting in the masses thinking they could somehow cheat their way to Pappy and creating a run on Weller.

Whether the blend, in whatever ratio you choose, is better than its parts is something only you can decide. Many think both W12 and OWA suffer greatly in comparison to bottles from 5 years ago due to the pressure exerted on the brand by the current market. Some folks cherish store selected bottles of OWA because they're better than the standard bottling.