Had a couple of manhattans yesterday at a local restaurant, thought they were interesting--Buffalo Trace, vermouth (some specialty type), apple bitters, and a dash of local apple cider. Quite tasty, actually. I may have to pick up a bottle of the Buffalo Trace also and see if I enjoy it as much at home as I did in those drinks.

4/14/2013 1:35:19 AM

^ Buffalo Trace does indeed make a good manhattan, and that vermouth they were using may have been Carpano Antico formula, or perhaps Cocchi. Both are damn good and worth a few extra bucks! i bought some cherry bitters to add some variety to my manhattan, gonna use them tonight in my weekly Mad Men cocktails.

4/14/2013 8:35:30 PM

is it Four Roses single barrell or small batch that you guys were praising?


i picked up a bottle of Eagle Rare. looking forward to giving it a try. But i noticed on my way out the store had two bottles of 4R Small Batch that they had discounted.

4/21/2013 11:13:00 AM

Four roses releases a "limited edition" of both their small batch and single barrel bourbons once a year. If the small batch bottles you saw discounted had "limited edition 2012 release" on the bottle, definitely go back and pick up some for yourself!

4/22/2013 12:09:14 PM

ah ok. looking at the bottles this was not the "limited edition". just the standard small batch.

4/22/2013 12:25:42 PM

Picked up a fifth of Booker's to drink with my former employers at their Friday happy hour. We sipped neat, and I rather like.

Back to Pappy. I love and miss, though I've never had older than 15yr.

4/22/2013 1:50:56 PM

Picked up a bottle of the Eagle Rare 10 over the weekend. Haven't gotten into it yet, but looking forward to it. I was somewhat surprised to find that it was within $3 of the price of Bulleit ($28 versus $25 I think)...seems odd if it's considered to be a step up.

In terms of rare and holy-crap-expensive bottles (though not a bourbon) they had a bottle of Macallan 25 year old retailing for a cool $1k.

5/9/2013 1:27:23 AM

i have been enjoying the Eagle Rare. drinking Bourbon neat is still tough for me. my mouth seems to clamp down immediately upon the drink hitting my tongue. so i've been drinking on the rocks more so.

5/9/2013 9:10:45 AM

Eagle Rare is also one of my current favorites.

I need to do a bourbon run this weekend

5/10/2013 9:40:29 AM

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/05/24/kentucky-distillery-warns-bourbon-shortage/


i need another bottle to try.

5/28/2013 11:05:03 AM

Tried some of my friend's stash this weekend. Woodford Reserve, Maker's 46 and Buffalo Trace, all neat. To me, the Buffalo Trace was the smoothest, to me. I'm gonna pick up a bottle next time I'm out at the ABC store.

5/28/2013 11:35:38 PM

Picked up another Willet bottling this weekend, this one was a 6-year. I'll be honest, I'm always satisfied with these. I wasn't too impressed with their "Pot Still Reserve", but the standard single-barrel bourbons they release have always been quite tasty. End up seeing them about once every 6 months at stores around Atlanta, age varies each time I see them. Recommend trying one out next time you see them! Their ryes are pretty good too. (picture linked below shows what the bottles look like - always the same label, but the age will vary. That's why some bottles will be $30, while others are north of $100 - but all are typically ~120 proof, so a great value at $30-$40)

http://healthyspiritsbourbonblog.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

6/6/2013 9:04:10 AM

i tell you, i am a huge sucker for bottle design or bottle label when it comes to any spirit or wine. those Willet Pot Still Reserve bourbon bottles looks gorgeous. Same with Rock Hill Farms.



but I didn't splurge and picked up a bottle of Buffalo Trace. I wanted another bourbon that I could mix and make some cocktails with while keeping the Eagle Rare for sipping. Seems BT gets nothing but love and since BT makes Eagle Rare I figured I couldn't miss.

6/7/2013 7:28:48 PM

willett is pretty good. i have a bottle of the 9 y/o at home at 121.9 proof.

this thread also made me aware of how lucky i am to live in a place with quality access to good spirits. locating pretty much any bourbon in this thread is shamefully easy in DC at any of the wine/liquor stores in nicer areas in the city.

it must suck to come across willett and the like only on occasion.

6/20/2013 1:54:41 PM

^ there's a store in Dupont Circle on P St. with a ridiculous selection, gracious. Dupont Wines, I believe? That being said, they mark their stuff up tremendously, but good to know you have the option at least!

6/21/2013 10:58:15 AM

Yep. West Dupont Circle Wine and Liquor.

That's not even the store where I found my 20/23 Pappy, though last time I was there they had a bottle of 20 in the window display. But they beat even Schneider's for varieties.

6/24/2013 11:39:32 AM

I REALLY hope that my new job posts me in DC now!

6/24/2013 2:05:34 PM

^^ saw that bottle too, and was told it was for sale for $700!

I did pay the mark-up for a bottle George Stagg there though, wasn't quite as steep thank goodness

6/24/2013 5:38:45 PM

huh. my 20 was only $300.

6/25/2013 3:08:20 PM

have really been enjoying Buffalo Trace and i think it's my new favorite mixing bourbon. Have been enjoying whipping up my own Old Fashioneds at home.

also, Basil Hayden is amazing. It's like nectar. I could drink it neat every night.

7/1/2013 4:22:14 PM

I was up in New Haven, CT this weekend and Noah's Mill is ALL OVER the place in that town. I think I paid about $75 for my bottle here in DC. I couldn't find it for more than $50 up there in any store.

7/8/2013 1:34:33 PM

^^yeah Buffalo Trace is bar none the best bang for your money in the $25-$35 range from what I can tell

7/8/2013 4:28:53 PM

What about the standard Four Roses single barrel...good enough for sippin'?

7/8/2013 5:31:55 PM

Scratch that...it's actually small batch, not single barrell

7/8/2013 6:55:01 PM

I guess I need to try Buffalo Trace and see what all the hullabaloo is about...although it'll be difficult to break from my Eagle Rare/Woodford Reserve fallbacks

7/8/2013 7:45:00 PM

^I had all 3 of those at one point and went back and forth between them, the Buffalo was definitely my favorite. To me it's noticeably smoother than the others.

A new rule of thumb for me is if it starts with a "B" it's usually good (Blanton's, Booker's, Basil Hayden, Buffalo Trace, Baker's). With the exception of Bulleit which is awful.

7/12/2013 3:53:32 PM

Quote :

"With the exception of Bulleit which is awful"

7/12/2013 5:45:58 PM

Drinking some eagle rare 10 year. Delish!

7/12/2013 5:56:42 PM

7/13/2013 3:30:21 AM

The best.

7/13/2013 3:33:34 AM

is Rebel Yell good? one of the local restaurants in the small town I live in keeps it in stock especially for someone who only drinks that... my interest is piqued

7/13/2013 8:27:49 PM

Has anything with the word "Rebel" in it ever been good?

7/13/2013 8:51:24 PM

not bourbon specifically, but manhattan related - i went to Southern Season this weekend and their selection of vermouth, bitters, and cocktail cherries is tremendous. i will be making some classy-ass manhattans this weekend fa sho.

7/16/2013 9:39:51 AM

^Dammit. I was in Chapel Hill this weekend and didn't think to make the usual stop in there. I never really know what I'm looking for but always find something interesting.

7/16/2013 11:09:24 AM

RIP to Elmer T. Lee

http://www.kentucky.com/2013/07/16/2716601/bourbon-industry-patriarch-elmer.html

Quote :

" Kentucky bourbon legend Elmer T. Lee, the man behind the single-barrel bourbon that sparked the industry's revival, died Tuesday at age 93. Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort said that Mr. Lee died after a short illness. "We have lost a wonderful friend today, and he will be missed terribly," said Mark Brown, president and CEO of Sazerac, the parent company of Buffalo Trace. Officially retired since 1985, Mr. Lee continued to visit the distillery every Tuesday to taste potential bourbons for his own Elmer T. Lee single-barrel label and to sign bottles and memorabilia for his legion of fans. "In the world of making really fine whiskey, the role of master distiller is pivotal, but Elmer's meaning to those he met, came to know, and worked with closely extended far beyond that of a master distiller," Brown said. "Elmer defined, in the simplest terms, what it means to be a great American: hard working, self-made, courageous, honest, kind, humble and humorous." Born in 1919 on a tobacco farm near Peaks Mill in Franklin County, Mr. Lee graduated from high school in 1936 and worked for Jarman Shoe Co. until December 1941. After World War II began, he served as a radar bombardier on a B-29, flying missions against Japan through 1945. In 1946, he was honorably discharged and returned home to study engineering at the University of Kentucky, where he graduated with honors in 1949. In September 1949, Mr. Lee began working in the engineering department of the George T. Stagg Distillery in Frankfort. By 1966, he became plant superintendent, and then plant manager in 1969. But in 1984, he made his greatest contribution to bourbon: Mr. Lee introduced Blanton's, the world's first single-barrel bourbon. It became a hit, first in Japan and then elsewhere, and the bourbon industry began reinventing itself with premium spirits, following in Mr. Lee's footsteps. After his retirement in 1985, he became an ambassador for Buffalo Trace. A year later, he was honored with his own eponymous single-barrel label. "Elmer was always ready to offer advice and was a wealth of information that many of us relied on, myself included," Brown said. Current Buffalo Trace master distiller "Harlen Wheatley would inquire with Elmer when stuck on a mechanical problem, and any historical questions about the distillery always went to Elmer, who, with his razor-sharp memory, could invariably answer. To all of us, Elmer was a friend, a mentor and a trusted adviser." Mr. Lee was inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2001; he was awarded a lifetime achievement Award from Whisky Advocate in 2002 and a lifetime achievement award and Hall of Fame induction from Whisky Magazine in 2012. Services for Mr. Lee were pending. "

7/16/2013 11:55:05 AM

^ RIP indeed picked up a bottle of his namesake last night and had a glass. then another. then stopped at 3.

7/18/2013 1:32:45 PM

Got a bottle of 15 yr Pappy coming to me tomorrow. AHH Cant wait.

8/9/2013 2:25:48 PM

^where did you get it and how much did you pay?

8/9/2013 2:57:20 PM

Good friend picked up a couple bottles in Dublin and sent them over.

170 a bottle with shipping

8/9/2013 3:14:20 PM

Buddy of mine made this: http://poorhome.bigcartel.com/product/bourbon-cardamom-candle

8/9/2013 5:00:56 PM

Finally bought a bottle of Buffalo Trace...meh

Will stick with Eagle Rare and Woodford Reserve unless someone else can recommend another to try...

8/9/2013 9:41:27 PM

I found a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 10, Stagg jr and Stagg on my last trip to WV

9/13/2013 9:24:40 PM

Woodford Reserve

Anything that comes from them is delicious and worth the $$

The Distiller's Select and the Double Oaked are amazing

9/14/2013 9:17:24 AM

^Basically. I haven't experimented with new bourbons in a while because I love Woodford Reserve's products maybe a little too much.

9/14/2013 7:00:23 PM

I picked up a bottle of Booker's when I was in NC a few weeks back just to have around for the weekend as I was at a wedding.

Breh.

That shit is basurrrrrrra. Absolutely awful.

9/18/2013 10:36:51 AM

^ I agree, not a fan of Booker's

9/18/2013 10:44:52 AM

haven't had Bookers. what are the bad qualities?

9/18/2013 10:53:23 AM

I always get bookers' and baker's confused.

I like one and not the other, but can never remember which one's which and just avoid either one.

9/18/2013 1:35:32 PM

Booker's is Jim Beam's upmarket, high-test product. It just tastes awful.

9/18/2013 1:38:54 PM

^so is Bakers. They're both part of the Small Batch group.

9/18/2013 2:02:50 PM