OT: Bourbon Lovers...what's your favorite and how difficult is it to find quality stuff in your area?
Bourbon is definitely a hobby of mine, and it's easier to buy plutonium than some bottles of bourbon. How difficult is it in your neck of the woods?
My favorites are George T. Stagg (won the right to purchase one in a raffle...I live in NC which State governs the sale of spirits), Dickel Bottled in Bond, Angel's Envy Barrel Proof, and the C919 of Elijah Craig. What's your favorite bottles?
Also, what tips (if you care to share) do you utilize to find the rare stuff?
Angels Envy is very good. So is Four Roses, Basil Hayden and what I'm drinking now, which is Russell's Reserve 10 year old. Have also enjoyed Buffalo Trace (great bargin) and Woodford Reserve. My next will be Jefferson's Reserve.
My favorite I’ve had is Weller 12, but that was when the secret got out that is was basically Pappy and prices when way up beyond ‘normal’ prices. I’ve had a lot of good stuff, but my current go to is Larceny. Good, really solid, wheated, and punches way above its price point in my opinion.
Try Bernheim for the wheats
I’ve had their wheat whiskey. It was good but not something I would have in a normal rotation. Maybe I’ll re try it; it’s been a while since I had it.
I don’t have a great relationship with bourbon or most whiskeys so I’ve switched over to Bourban-Barrel Aged beers which are pretty much stouts or porters.
Everybody in MI knows about KBS and Dragons Milk but there’s some pretty good ones elsewhere too. I like Epic Brewing’s Big Bad Baptist lineup.
Eagle Rare is my favorite but that’s become very hard to find here in northeast Ohio. I usually have Woodford on hand. Have been going to Old Grand Dad to save a couple bucks in quarantine and I’d put it up against any whiskey for the price. An absolute steal.
I'm not a bourbon connoisseur, I prefer the smokey peaty flavors more, but I usually buy Knob, Trace, Gentleman, or Beam Rye when i'm making manhattans. My favorite rum Brugal gets its spices from aging in Jack casks. They've had a partnership since 1866. Love the suggestions, though. Keep em coming.
If it helps, Southern Spirits in S. Charlotte has a nice selection.
I would have a lot more to share in a single malts thread, but I do enjoy bourbon. Woodford's Double Oaked, tastes great to me.
White Evans->eagle rare->whistle pig (money ranked left to right)
Whistle Pig is a 100% rye that is 100 proof. It's a completely different animal than White Evans or Eagle Rare.
If you happen to be in Tempe, AZ, look up Adventurous Stills. http://www.adventstills.com/
They're only distributing within AZ right now, but their Peralta Bourbon is outstanding.
I like Woodford Reserve. It's not hard to get or too expensive.
Basil Hayden's for me. Smooth, $40 a bottle. Really good deal. I live in Louisville, Kentucky, so it's pretty readily available wherever I go.
Surprisingly, though, the more rare bourbons (Pappy, Rip Van Winkle, etc) are easier to find outside of Kentucky than in. Most every bottle of rare bourbon in Kentucky is done by drawing or auction.
EH Taylor single barrel and barrel proof.
Basil Hayden is the go-to. Also enjoy Buffalo Trace and Woodford Double Oak among many others. Best bottle I have is Weller 12 Year...for special occasions.
Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses.
I have tried Blanton's and Boooker's and they were excellent bourbons. I am not however convinced that they are appreciably better than the premium bourbons that are relatively easy to find in Michigan, Eagle Rare and Angel's Envy.
Woodford Reseve is my drinking alone favorite for sipping.
I like the Woodford Double Oaked a little better in a mixed drink. It seems a little stouter in the mix somehow.
It's relatively cheap now after having been at a premium price for a minute, but the Bullett which has been my go to bourbon in a mixed drink, I now will pour a finger or two now and again and sip by the fire.
I have a friend with a bottle of Pappy's. He won't open it.
Hard to find: ETL
Easy to find: Four Roses small batch select and Bulliet Rye
and for something from Michigan, I like Two James' Grass Widow Bourbon and Catcher's Rye Whiskey. Also like their Johnny Smoking Gun
For the more common bourbon's Woodford Reserve is hard to beat. If I'm treating myself Widow Jane is my go to favorite.
I've got 2 that haven't been mentioned yet. Breckenridge bourbon is quite nice, a little expensive at $45 a bottle. Outstandingly smooth, almost not enough going on, but very good.
Sazerac Rye, when it can be found, is a bit over $30 for a fifth, and outstanding.
Makers Mark
As I live in Chattanooga it's real easy to get good Bourbon in this part of the south. Heck Chattanooga has their own distillery. Chattanooga whiskey is pretty tasty actually and the price is great ~$30 for their 91 proof high malt stuff and ~$40 for the cask strength 111 proof.
Fav is GTS. I drink a lot of Stagg Jr, Wild turkey rare breed,.Weller, Double oaked Woodford. Talked to a guy in Montana who said Blantons is everyplace. A week later I see a pic of cases of that and Weller in Montana.Just getting into it get the Wild Turkey Rare Breed, good starting point. Michigan sucks for getting booze.
If you like cask strength, go with Bookers. Very high proof (~128) but a surprisingly good sipper. A glass will make you feel real good. Two will make you sloppy. Enjoy!
Buffalo Trace is the single greatest price to value ratio of any liquor period.
weller’s is an incredible bourbon. Wheated. Delicious. And if you can get it at cost also a steal. Usually marked up a few hundred now though.
pappy is worth the hype.
funny enough... all made by buffalo trace.
I’m sorry ... did you just say Weller is often marked up a couple hundred dollars? You can’t possibly be taking about the green label, are you? With a tiny bit of effort I was loading up on that stuff in FL during a January business trip. Got a handle for $42, several fifths for $24 each.
That’s amazing! I need your contact info haha. In Seattle it’s almost always 150 or worse when I finally have the option to buy it
I have a bottle of old label Weller 12.
Bought it for $30. It goes for $300-500 at auction.
Most likely you are talking about Weller SR.
Yes, the green label aka special reserve. I know even it can go for a premium but not sure how much. I mean we can’t get it at all here in NC through the state-controlled ABC system, but I have been able to find it on trips to GA and FL.
Pappy Van Winkle is best but I’ll settle for Buffalo Trace.
Favorites: EHT 4 grain, old forester’s 1920. Almost anything by Elijah Craig. Early times bottled in bond.
Finding rare bottles is about luck and relationships. I stay loyal to a few stores. They give me a heads up when allocated bottles come in and down put their hand in my pocket.
My girlfriend had the biggest bourbon win so far. She got me a bottle of eh Taylor 4 grain a few years ago for Christmas. Only paid $200 out the door. I haven’t opened that one yet
I’ve started covid has made me appreciate actually enjoying my bourbon. I started opening special occasions bottles because each day is one now
Favorites: EHT 4 grain, old forester’s 1920. Almost anything by Elijah Craig. Early times bottled in bond.
Finding rare bottles is about luck and relationships. I stay loyal to a few stores. They give me a heads up when allocated bottles come in and down put their hand in my pocket.
My girlfriend had the biggest bourbon win so far. She got me a bottle of eh Taylor 4 grain a few years ago for Christmas. Only paid $200 out the door. I haven’t opened that one yet
I’ve started covid has made me appreciate actually enjoying my bourbon. I started opening special occasions bottles because each day is one now
Four Roses/Buffalo Trace/Knob Creek
Many brands don't have a distillery, and even if they do, they trade bourbon stock amongst themselves to meet demand or have the liquid made for them at a facility in Indiana. Chasing ”rare” bourbon brands is silly.
Located in IL and love Bourbon, though I haven’t ventured too much into the hard-to-find stuff here. Usually Woodford, Bulleit, and Makers Mark are in my stash (all $30-$35 around here). I tend to have something slightly cheaper for glass #2 like Four Roses or Buffalo Trace (around $22-$25). I’ve been trying some others brands lately and have really liked Woodinville. Has anyone else tried that? I’ve been really impressed and it’s no more expensive than my other first-rounders (again, at least here in IL).
It is not rare, but I really dig Woodford Reserve and never, ever, tire of it.
A few years back the Mrs. and I stumbled into an invitation for a private evening at a regional Chocolatier that included a tour, stories from their 100+ year family history, and a few hours of conversation around bourbon and chocolates. The "buffet" included twenty some varieties of bourbon and paired chocolates. A really great evening. I stumbled out of that one as well.
Knob Creek 100. Easy to find in the UP. Tried a bunch of others, including Beam, 4 Roses, Elijah Craig, and Buffalo Trace, but like the flavor profile and kick of Knob Creek. Also have a bottle of Knob Creek Maple to supplement.
Relatively young and new to the bourbon game. First bourbon I had that really made me start diving into bourbon more was Blantons. It’s nearly impossible for me to find in MN, so I’ve since discovered New Riff Single Barrel bourbon and I think it’s phenomenal. I prefer it over Blantons. The best $50 or less bourbon I’ve found so far.
Question for the board: I've seen some Traverse City Distillery in stores recently, what are your reviews?
Can’t comment on it specifically but in my experience the smaller micro-distilleries it’s hard to find anything worth the price point as far as bourbons go, better off spending the money on something more established.
Mea culpa
Mea maxima culpa
Easy to find: Four Roses single barrel. - I think Four Roses tends to be underrated by many, it’s a great brand IMO.
Hard to find: Rock Hill Farms- it’s a single barrel with same mash bill as Blaton’s..it’s a fun one to hunt for.
Weller series is great. I green label is pretty easy to get and cheap.
Cheaper: Evan Williams, Larceny-used to be cheap but last I checked was up in price ( Very comparable to Makers in the blind tastings I’ve run.
I like bourbon and have a bunch of nice bottles I accumulated pre-price spike that I am drinking through over a few years (and I agree with the love everyone else has for Heaven Hill and BT), and I drink some scotch as well.
but let me put in a rec for the least popular brown liquor in the US: Cognac and Armangnac.
not the mass market shit. That stuff is awful when reasonably priced, or stupid expensive and possibly still awful.
but artisanal brandy is freakin amazing and way way cheaper than equivalent quality for whiskey these days bc brandy is out of style.
The sweet spot in terms of price is $50-125. None of it is particularly high production, but it never sells out so you can just search for it on the internet. Tesseron, Delamain and Ferrand are reasonably widely available and make very good cognac. For more obscure stuff, try Gourry de Chadville or Navarre (the latter is $200 but probably the best brown liquor on earth and blows Pappy and BTAC away). For Armagnac briat and Laubade are reasonably easy to find and very good. There are tons of tiny Armagnac producers making terrific brandy - I’ve rarely been disappointed with a bottle. A brand called L’Encantada has been buying up old stock and selling it in the US and the stuff is amazingly good.
Armagnac is fruitier than cognac; cognac is a bit more about the barrel but TBH with this level of producer they start to merge together, this isn’t like drinking Hennessy that’s flavored with caramel.