Elijah Craig 23 is listed on the NC ABC pricing list for this month under the specialty packages. $199 a bottle. Has anyone seen this or asked around for it? Thinking I may swing into a store to ask just in case.

12/23/2014 10:19:37 AM

i haven't, but i have read multiple places that it's not anywhere close to worth that much

12/23/2014 5:24:02 PM

Meck. Co. ABC has real time stock availability on their website. Unfortunately it's not in any of the Meck. Co. ABC stores

12/23/2014 6:29:33 PM

i'm actually interested in the barrel proof, which seems to be a better value at $50ish

12/23/2014 6:49:08 PM

Quote :

"i haven't, but i have read multiple places that it's not anywhere close to worth that much"

i don't know what the 21-year costs, but i've heard it's better...probably still not worth it, though

12/23/2014 9:34:06 PM

i don't think they make the 21 year anymore, but yeah, i heard it was better also

12/23/2014 9:45:18 PM

Quote :

"So my mom really likes Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Makers Mark and Rebel Yell (for mixing). Any ideas on other whiskies for her to try?"

Any other ideas besides KC SB and Bookers?

12/24/2014 9:08:21 AM

Just snagged a few bottles for Xmas:
Four Roses 2014 Single Barrel Limited Edition
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Barrel Strength
Stagg Jr
George T Stagg

I am excited!

12/25/2014 5:43:04 PM

whereabouts?

12/25/2014 6:24:02 PM

^^ Yes please where did you get these. I'm not going to act like I'll find Stagg on the shelves...but if there is some FR still left...

12/25/2014 9:58:13 PM

It was a gift from my friend in Georgia. I will ask him where/when he found everything.

12/25/2014 10:03:56 PM

i hope you paid your friend in unlimited head, holy shit

12/26/2014 6:27:09 AM

I'll never understand the craze over Four Roses; it just has a simple fruity flavor with no complexity to it. I can handle a fruity bourbon like Angel's Envy if there are other flavor profiles to follow it up, but Four Roses always seems to be lacking.


Stagg, on the other hand, is worth a side trip for. I've got a liquor store in Baltimore that usually has it along with a huge selection of other things. Stagg Jr is so strong that it can be hard on the palate, but it really opens up with some water.

12/26/2014 3:13:41 PM

The Four Roses small batch is one of my favorite sub $30 bourbons. To me, it's much more spicy than fruity. But then again I don't have the most refined palate compared to folks who've been into bourbon much longer than I have.

The single barrel? That doesn't impress me, even though it's pricier than the small batch. Does seem to have more fruit and less spice. Unfortunate that only the one recipe of single barrel is commonly available, and I don't think it's even one of the components of the small batch (which is a blend of 4 of the 12 recipes IIRC.)

12/27/2014 3:56:51 AM

i feel the exact opposite. small batch did nothing for me, even in the early days of my bourbon exploration. single barrel, however, will always have a place on my shelf. it just felt much more mature, and smoother, despite the higher proof. i dunno, diff'rent strokes i guess

12/27/2014 8:29:52 PM

the "private selection" single barrel that i got in ATL at the Decauter Package Store was a barrel of the OBSK recipe which is one of their spiciest and most full bodied. It's absolutely delicious.

12/28/2014 1:07:59 PM

Picked up a private for Astor's OBSV battle strength single barrel while in NYC a couple weeks ago. Haven't opened it, but really looking forward to it.

12/28/2014 6:33:51 PM

I picked up a bottle of Lost Prophet while in Savannah over the holidays, and I'm thoroughly impressed with it. It doesn't finish as well as Old Blowhard and Barterhouse did, but still an amazing bourbon for being 22 years old. The bourbon is not the oak monster you'd expect from most old bourbons, which I like.

I also picked up a bottle of Whistlepig too, since it's quickly become my favorite rye whiskey. I'm not sure if it's techinically a Canadian whiskey or not, but it's excellent nonetheless.

I also picked up a bottle of Leopold Brothers blackberry whiskey for making whiskey sours and manhattans. normally I don't like flavored bourbon, but this stuff is on another level compared to flavored bourbons like Birddog and Jim Beam.

1/1/2015 1:51:16 PM

Whistle Pig is 100% Canadian rye from Alberta. jeffersons' 10 year rye (at ~$40) is the same stuff and a bit cheaper, but also getting hard to find.

I've gotten pretty luck with the rare bottles this year. I found a Sazerac 18 and a George T Stagg at a random ABC store in Charlotte over the Christmas holiday while visiting my folks down there. They were definitely NOT on the product locator page. I heard that someone in their department down there puts out a few hard-to-find bottles in stores on Christmas Eve.

I also got Eagle Rare 17 and George T Stagg from Durham/Wake county stores back in the fall. Someone was mentioning interest in the Elijah Craig 23-year old offering. PM me if you want to buy my bottle. I really like the 21 year but I'm not sure I'll open the 23 year.

1/3/2015 11:39:18 AM

Jefferson's may be partially sourced from the same place, but it's a different proof and has a different flavor profile. Whistlepig has less of a perceived alcohol bite than Jefferson's does to me, even though the Whistlepig is higher proof. A ton of bottlers are sourcing their whiskey from MGP in Indiana, but many of those whiskeys taste nothing alike.

I can get Whistlepig for about $50/bottle in Maryland, so the difference isn't enough to make me switch. If I want an economic rye whiskey for second/third drinks or for mixing, I'll buy Rittenhouse or Bulleit Rye.

1/3/2015 9:06:39 PM

to be sure, I like both Whistlepig and Jefferson's 10y. I live in NC and as far as I can tell, we can't get Whistlepig here (i pick it up down in SC when I visit my folks in Charlotte). I like them both, but my ranking (based on availability in NC, value, and taste is:

1. Rittenhouse bottled in bond
2. Jeff 10y
3. Whistlepig 10y

I agree with you about the MGP juice - a ton of the 'craft' whiskey producers are using MGP/LDI and trying to present a unique label for a common product
(http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/28/your-craft-whiskey-is-probably-from-a-factory-distillery-in-indiana.html)
. Several whiskey insiders feel the exact same way about Whistlepig and Jefferson 10. I like them both and I can get one around the corner, so I go with Jeffersons.

Can you get Dad's Hat in MD? I've heard good things but I haven't had a chance to taste it yet...

1/3/2015 9:32:22 PM

I haven't noticed it at the two liquor stores near Baltimore that I go to, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

I'm currently sampling all of the Michters and High West lines since they're new to me. So far they seem very inconsistent in quality from bottle to bottle.

1/3/2015 10:24:56 PM

I got a bottle of Elmer T Lee Small Batch recently. It is damn delicious and was only $25. Definitely will be a regular for me from now on.

1/4/2015 2:16:58 AM

i plan on having my sister bring me some of that up from florida when she visits next month.

anyone tried rock hill farms? my mom's getting me a bottle for my birthday and from the reviews i've read, it sounds like blanton's with a higher proof (same mash bill from buffalo trace)

1/4/2015 7:53:11 AM

stagg jr now showing on the abc pricing list

now good luck finding it

1/7/2015 8:58:51 PM

a store out of the way has 1 bottle of Thomas Handy...should I make my way out there to pick this up? $80

1/8/2015 4:51:08 PM

i've never had it, but i feel like anytime you can get any of the BTAC at retail, you should do it. i guess a better question is do you like ryes?

1/8/2015 7:25:40 PM

it was already sold

1/10/2015 2:01:36 PM

But I did find a bottle of Stagg Jr

1/10/2015 4:03:56 PM

^ Where at?

1/10/2015 7:50:41 PM

Charlotte uptown ABC. last bottle.


the Stagg Jr. packs a huge punch. but honestly i enjoyed it more uncut than i did when i added some water.

1/12/2015 9:02:00 AM

i got my first bottle of stagg jr in california back in may and i absolutely hated it after the first tasting, but after the bottle was open for a few weeks, the flavor profile really improved and now I love it. i scored another bottle recently that i opened but didn't drink just to let it air out a bit

1/20/2015 5:41:57 PM

Picked up a bottle of Elijah Craig 12-year Small Batch. Needs a little water for me, but I'm adding this to the list of Really Damn Good $25 Bourbons along with Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel and Evan Williams Single Barrel. Well played, Bourbons Starting with the Letter E.

1/21/2015 11:48:17 PM

EC 12yr became my everyday go to bourbon a good time back. I absolutely love the stuff.

1/22/2015 9:05:41 AM

^^ and ^, fully agree. those "E's" are pretty damn good. and i'd put some regular old Evan Williams black label ahead of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels and Old Crizzzzzzzzow as my "what i pour into coke when tailgating" bourbon.

haven't really bought anything exotic in a while, other than some Makers Mark Cask Strength. Bought it a few weeks back but haven't opened it yet. New years resolution was to cut back on drinking and i've been surprisingly successful! still would pay a premium for some of the Parkers Heritage Wheat Whiskey if I ever see it, but I've given up the search at this point. Sucks, was able to buy a couple of bottles each of the previous three years (and even found some of the 2011 two years after the fact), but zilch this year. dammit. i was on a "tour of homes" before christmas, and one of the guys who came by with his wife saw some of my bourbon bottles and started talking to me about it. i lamented that i couldn't find any of that PHC this year and he was like "oh, well come by my place sometime, i got a bunch of bottles!" and i wanted to be like "asshole, that's why i couldn't find any this year! shitheads like you buying more than you'll ever drink!"

1/22/2015 4:29:02 PM

so it looks like a few friends and I will be going to Louisville this summer. The problem (not really) is that it's for a music festival, which will take up almost all of our time Fri-Sun. We'll be staying right on the waterfront in downtown. I doubt we'll be able to do a real bourbon trail tour but maybe a distillery or two in Thursday when we arrive, but are there any must see bourbon bars or places downtown that we need to visit?

1/22/2015 6:49:36 PM

I was at Forecastle last summer. Our hotel was on the other side of the river, so we didn't get a chance to see many of the bars downtown; we did enjoy the nightmare level traffic though.

If at all possible I would suggest taking a day before or after the festival to visit the Lexington area. The horse farms make for a nice drive to BT, Woodford, etc. Of the distilleries I would recommend Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, and Heaven Hill.

On another note I just picked up bottles of Stagg Jr & BT Bourbon Cream at the ABC on Sandy Forks. If anyone's looking they had ~10 left of each. Also just received a bottle of FRSB Barrel Proof OESQ.

1/22/2015 8:12:35 PM

has anyone had any luck finding elijah craig barrel proof? i've tried several different areas and nada. i guess maybe it's only a seasonal release?

1/22/2015 9:41:36 PM

bought my first bottle of this year's Evan Williams single barrel ("put in oak 2005"). First sip I wasn't very impressed, but it definitely grew on me as i kept sippin. Still a great deal for ~$25.

1/27/2015 11:13:43 AM

i've been curious about that and the henry mckenna single barrel. typically low shelf brands with mid shelf offerings pique my curiosity but i can never bring myself to pull the trigger

1/27/2015 5:19:55 PM

^ i really like it

1/28/2015 9:25:06 AM

I tried the McKenna single barrel based on quagmire's recommendation earlier in this thread and I, too, like it for the price point. IMO better than Buffalo Trace/Bulleit/Maker's and not far behind Eagle Rare or Four Roses Small Batch. Some of that may just be my personal preference, YMMV.

[Edited on January 31, 2015 at 7:31 PM. Reason : d]

1/31/2015 7:30:49 PM

Quote :

"Also just received a bottle of FRSB Barrel Proof OESQ."

I assume this was a trade, or did you order it online? I'd love to find some of the other varieties of the Single Barrel or Barrel Proof. OBSV is the standard recipe for single barrel and while it's certainly good, I prefer a spicier and less fruity profile.

1/31/2015 7:38:49 PM

speaking of mckenna single barrel, it's on sale this month for $22.95. definitely gonna try it now for that price

2/3/2015 5:31:19 PM

I tried Stagg Jr for the first time last night. It's definitely got some nice flavors, but it's super hot. Maybe I'll try it with a splash of water next time.

2/3/2015 6:55:05 PM

just received my ice chest this past friday and love it - i have both the spheres and cubes although i've only made a drink with the spheres so far - kid's 1st bday party this weekend and will have both out for guests although realistically there won't be a ton of bourbon drinking

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wintersmiths/the-ice-chest-four-clear-slow-melting-ice-spheres

2/3/2015 8:17:28 PM

^ just out of curiosity, what does that do for $75 that my (4) 2.5" silicone molds don't do for $8?

[Edited on February 4, 2015 at 8:10 AM. Reason : you can pick up a 6-cube 2" silicone tray for less than $8, as well]

2/4/2015 8:09:03 AM

Looks like they're touting the fact that that mold/method produces perfectly clear spheres or cubes, which is difficult for the less expensive silicone models.

2/4/2015 8:47:33 AM

oh...well, it's true that mine look like regular ice cubes (ie. cloudy)...but for a savings of $67, i'm fine with that

related: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/ice-balls-for-cocktails-best-home-tool-wintersmiths-does-clear-ice-melt-slower.html

looks like the "original" clear-sphere device only made one and it was $85, so the 4-sphere device for $75 is a steal

[Edited on February 4, 2015 at 9:10 AM. Reason : link]

2/4/2015 9:07:18 AM

$75 is just way too much for something that'll get used at my home bar 90% of the time by me. I don't need crystal clear ice spheres that bad. I just make sure I use filtered water in my silicone molds which turn out great and don't impart any unwanted flavors in my drinks. but hey, spend it if you got it.

2/4/2015 9:19:23 AM