any recommendations for a lighter bourbon, similar to Basil Hayden's? Almost out of Basil, just wondering if anything is similar.


also, thoughts on Rowan's Creek?

12/12/2013 4:50:21 PM

Has anyone ever tried the Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon? The older guy who works at my local ABC store recommended it to me a couple weeks ago when I was eyeballing the bourbon section. Priced in the $30 to $35 range so it certainly shouldn't be swill, but wanted to see if anyone has a firsthand report.

12/12/2013 4:54:53 PM

come on this thread should be more active before the holidays!

12/16/2013 9:32:52 AM

^On that note, I tried mixing some bourbon into a glass of egg nog last night. Was not satisfied with the results. Presumably for a properly spiked egg nog, one needs to start with something other than grocery store product.

12/16/2013 4:10:33 PM

bourbon in egg nog? get that heathen shit out of here

12/16/2013 9:27:35 PM

I like bourbon in egg nog.

Just like Jim Beam though. I'm not putting Pappys in there or anything.

12/16/2013 9:31:14 PM

I used Buffalo Trace (least pricey bottle I have). Like I said, I wasn't terribly pleased with the results.

12/17/2013 12:17:33 AM

Quote :

"any recommendations for a lighter bourbon, similar to Basil Hayden's? Almost out of Basil, just wondering if anything is similar. "

This interests me also. I've got one short pour left of my Basil that I've been hanging onto.

12/17/2013 12:18:37 AM

i think the more heathen thing would be to have eggnog WITHOUT bourbon! toss some damn old crow in that shit and enjoy.

12/17/2013 8:58:24 AM

I do rum in egg nog...but I got trashed off of a Crown and egg nog one Christmas and thought it was delicious.

12/17/2013 9:13:59 AM

My friends got me some Blanton's and Maker's 46 for my birthday. I really like the Blanton's...so smooth. The Maker's 46 is good, but I'm not sure it's worth the premium over regular Maker's Mark.

Bourbon and eggnog is the best. I got a cookout eggnog milkshake the other day and was tempted to attempt to mix in some bourbon.

12/17/2013 11:54:19 PM

I picked up a bottle of Rock Hill Farms as a Christmas present to myself. There just wasn't a ton to choose from in terms of higher end bourbons at the few places I dropped into.

The gentleman I was talking to recommended, of what was on the shelf, the Rock Hill Farms, EH Taylor, and Angel's Envy (never heard of it). He said the Angel's Envy was a new bourbon but was starting to really win some awards and was highly sought after (who knows).

I asked him about Weller 12, he thought I was talking about Weller 10 which seems to be an out of production extremely limited release.

12/21/2013 3:12:51 PM

I wouldn't call it "highly sought after," but I'll vouch that Angel's Envy is pretty good.

12/21/2013 3:23:23 PM

+1 for Angels Envy.

Legit

12/21/2013 10:03:53 PM

The Angels Envy Cask Strength is highly sought after, but the regular isn't.

12/22/2013 5:00:18 PM

Wife totally shocked me with a bottle of pappy 15 year, and it's fantastic. Little bit of a bite initially with some vanilla notes at the end.

12/25/2013 6:51:16 PM

wow. What did she have to go through to get that?

12/25/2013 8:03:34 PM

lots of emails and phone calls to ORVW and the nc abc board

12/25/2013 8:46:52 PM

looking for a decent coffee table book on Bourbon, or maybe Whiskey in general. Anyone seen or have one they'd recommend?

12/27/2013 8:13:45 PM

PSA: if you haven't tried george dickel rye, you should

12/27/2013 10:07:38 PM

On the Rye note I had Rittenhouse last weekend and it was amazing.

12/28/2013 1:19:28 AM

stepping over to Irish for just a sec. Anyone had Redbreast 12? it's pricey, but i was able to have some the other night and my god it was delicious. makes me want to polish off this bottle of Kilbeggan that's been sitting here so i have an excuse to buy more irish. (this is how i justify it to myself )

12/28/2013 12:03:52 PM

Quote :

"looking for a decent coffee table book on Bourbon, or maybe Whiskey in general. Anyone seen or have one they'd recommend?"

I got a signed copy of this one for Christmas:
http://www.amazon.com/American-Whiskey-Bourbon-Rye-Nation%C2%92s/dp/1402798407/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388423601&sr=1-5&keywords=whiskey+and+bourbon

I really like it - the first section deals with history/production for bourbon, rye, and whiskey. The second section is a rating/review section with most bourbons I've seen listed on here. Amazon says it's not for sale yet - my g/f's mom knows the authors mom and must have gotten an advanced copy for me.

12/30/2013 12:15:01 PM

Separately, I was in Colorado over Christmas and went by Argonaut Liquor on my way to the airport. Picked up a bottle of Elijah Craig 21-year single barrel and Stagg Jr.

Then my checked bags got lost on the flight home into RDU Luckily they were found and the bottles are intact, unopened (for now I'm looking forward to them - these are the first "hard to find" bottles in my collection.

When I was in Boulder, CO, I went by the West End Tavern and tried George T Stagg (guessing it was 2013 bottle) and the Van Winkle Special Reserve B. The Stagg (neat) was pretty rough, but I added a few ice cubes and let it sit for a few minutes. Really like it after water addition.

The Van Winkle Special Reserve was much cheaper than 20 or 23 year Pappy (which were both on the menu at West End). After Stagg, it did taste like nectar. Another bottle that I would love to find somewhere here in NC, but would probably be easier in a private liquor store state like CO.

12/30/2013 12:23:04 PM

do you guys think that these more rare or hard-to-find bottles are easier to find in states that aren't government controlled? i feel like every ABC store around me has the exact same stock.

12/30/2013 1:01:14 PM

drive to SC

12/30/2013 1:07:48 PM

Quote :

"stepping over to Irish for just a sec. Anyone had Redbreast 12? it's pricey, but i was able to have some the other night and my god it was delicious. makes me want to polish off this bottle of Kilbeggan that's been sitting here so i have an excuse to buy more irish. (this is how i justify it to myself )"

It's like $45 here; is it more expensive in NC or something?

[Edited on December 30, 2013 at 1:11 PM. Reason : But yeah, it's pretty damn good ]

12/30/2013 1:11:24 PM

^^i usually do. State Line Bev. offers the best selection that's closest to me. I haven't ventured much further.

Quote :

"It's like $45 here; is it more expensive in NC or something?"

$55 in SC, $60 in NC that i've seen.

12/30/2013 1:12:04 PM

I'd say it's definitely easier to find better bourbon and rye selections in non-government controlled states. Cuts out a needless middle man in distribution and gives store owners complete autonomy in what they want to supply. I'd also think that with private stores, the owners have a greater incentive to find specialty items for their customers to build their business. But I don't know exactly how the ABC system works specifically, so that's just speculation.

I live in Atlanta, and travel frequently to Denver, Houston and Kentucky for work. All are non-ABC, and in all of them I find much better spirits selections than in any ABC stores I venture into when home in NC. Gotta be frustrating for y'all in NC . If any of you are in Atlanta traveling, hit me up and I can let you know the best places in town for bourbon/whiskey shopping.

And to Jdman, yes, that Argonaut in Denver is great! glad you found some good buys. I stopped in there last month and they had a store selected barrel proof Four Roses single barrel for $55. 125 proof, 8 years, and absolutely delicious. I'd never seen any barrel proof Four Roses bottles other than the limited edition annual releases, so was pretty happy to scoop that up.

12/30/2013 1:28:35 PM

^ my brother just moved to Denver, and lives near Argonaut, so I'm hoping to place special orders with him in the future

I'll PM the next time I'm in Atlanta. I've placed calls/emails to ABC boards here in NC, and although they seem to be able to acquire these special release bottles, there doesn't seem to be a good system for it. I like the private liquor store model better. Anyone try Frugal MacDugals down in SC off I-77?

12/31/2013 8:07:17 AM

yes, i've been to Frugal many times. IMO their scotch selection is better than their bourbon selection. I recommend going to State Line Beverage, which is only about 2 miles from Frugal. You could stop by both very easily.

Both shops offer a "cash discount" which might come in handy if buying in bulk, but you really only save a few cents to a dollar per bottle.

12/31/2013 8:35:56 AM

thanks for the suggestion on State Line. My dad lives in Clover, SC, so a liquor run to state line and frugals can be the silver lining on my next visit

1/1/2014 6:54:39 PM

Not a bourbon, but considering we don't have a general whiskey thread--someone brought a bottle of Defiant American Single-Malt Whisky to the NYE party I went to last night. Distilled in the mountains of NC. Pretty good stuff; very, very smooth.

[Edited on January 1, 2014 at 7:50 PM. Reason : despite the single-malt appelation it's not scotch either.]

1/1/2014 7:50:03 PM

Quote :

"Has anyone ever tried the Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon? The older guy who works at my local ABC store recommended it to me a couple weeks ago when I was eyeballing the bourbon section. Priced in the $30 to $35 range so it certainly shouldn't be swill, but wanted to see if anyone has a firsthand report."

wife got me a bottle for my birthday, and it's fantastic. she got the 7 year, but there's also a 10 year and a more elusive 14 year (very old scout). definitely worth trying if you can find a bottle

the guy at our local tobacco and beer store said he thinks it'll be the next pappy as far as desirability and scarcity. i wouldn't go that far, but it's very good (maybe a quarter step below blanton's)

[Edited on January 1, 2014 at 8:10 PM. Reason : .]

1/1/2014 8:04:35 PM

really!? i haven't seen it on the shelf anywhere here, but I'm going by the ABC today after work. I'll look around and see if i can find it.

1/2/2014 4:50:44 PM

Anyone living in Raleigh and want to taste Elijah Craig 18 year?

I was at Azitira, an Indian food restaurant in Briercreek, and checked out their bar on a lark. They have a mostly empty bottle of EC 18 year, and the bartender only charged me $10 for a heavy pour. It was incredibly smooth and tasty. It's pretty damn hard to find that one around here (probably because food/bev industry buys it up so it can sit on the shelves at .... indian restaurants?)



[Edited on January 6, 2014 at 9:54 AM. Reason : pic]

1/6/2014 9:52:36 AM

EC18 is hard to find because it was discontinued a couple of years ago.

1/6/2014 3:16:25 PM

Oh yeah, forgot about that. I heard that they hadn't discontinued it, just put it on hold while to make sure they could provide 20/21 year old supply.

1/6/2014 3:47:15 PM

^ yeah, it sucks. two years ago i could get EC18 for $45. now EC20 is on the shelves at $110. ugh. i liked EC18, but i refuse to pay $30/year upcharge

1/6/2014 4:13:01 PM

yeah, I just bought a bottle of EC21 last week in Denver for $150. I would never have thought the 18 year old would go for $45 based on the 21 yo price

1/7/2014 2:10:15 PM

I picked up a bottle of EC18 a couple years back on a whim. I do remember enjoying it, though I do prefer my Eagle Rare.

Anyone tried Corner Creek? I've seen it a time or two in the ABC stores in my area of Raleigh...it always catches my eye because it's in a wine bottle.

1/7/2014 4:18:34 PM

that one has caught my eye a couple times too.

1/7/2014 4:35:19 PM

i'm also curious about it. is that the one that's made in NC?

1/7/2014 7:23:56 PM

no, it's from Kentucky. a quick search shows it seems to be getting some high marks at a relatively inexpensive price point $25.


is the NC brand you are thinking about Dark Corner?

1/8/2014 8:16:27 AM

Quote :

"wife got me a bottle for my birthday, and it's fantastic. she got the 7 year, but there's also a 10 year and a more elusive 14 year (very old scout). definitely worth trying if you can find a bottle the guy at our local tobacco and beer store said he thinks it'll be the next pappy as far as desirability and scarcity. i wouldn't go that far, but it's very good (maybe a quarter step below blanton's)"

What's the ABV on your 7-year old scout? There's a place around here selling some cask-strength bottles at 57.5% and 60.4%, so I was just curious.

1/8/2014 6:35:33 PM

49.5% ABV at 99 proof

^^ nope never seen that, i guess i'm just confusing it with something else

1/8/2014 8:03:43 PM

Picked up a couple bottles of Filibuster on a whim. About $40, pretty tasty, and a nice alternative to Bulleit.

1/13/2014 9:39:58 AM

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/suntory-of-japan-to-buy-maker-of-jim-beam-for-13-6-billion/

1/13/2014 10:49:44 AM

finished the last of my Eagle Rare last night. Definitely one to recommend to any new bourbon drinkers but i think i'm going to move on to something else with my next purchase.

I may try to find that Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon.

1/22/2014 9:56:36 AM

Picked myself up some John B Stetson just to try something different. Anyone have any experience with that? I haven't cracked open the bottle yet.

1/22/2014 10:43:11 AM