Whiskey Clique

dudeman

Bentleyspop said:

dudeman said:

Bentleyspop said:

When I saw this sign at one of my local bottle shops I almost swerved off the road. Never thought I'd see either product on a sale sign.

Nice find! Did you get a bottle of the Weller Special Reserve? If so, how do you like it,? (Assuming you tried it or have had it before.)

I bought neither. I no longer drink high octane beers. Keep my ABV below 7.5
As for the Wellers I don't drink bourbon. Though I have tried it on numerous occasions. Even have a bottle for when someone wants to try it.

Fair enough. I know pretty much everything that says Weller on it is highly sought after right now with crazy prices to go along with it, around here at least.

I have tried the Weller Special Reserve and the Antique 107. Both were pretty good but I think Green River Wheated Bourbon is better and I can find that at the grocery store for $35.00 all day long. 

tempo_n_groove

dudeman said:

Bentleyspop said:

dudeman said:

Bentleyspop said:

When I saw this sign at one of my local bottle shops I almost swerved off the road. Never thought I'd see either product on a sale sign.

Nice find! Did you get a bottle of the Weller Special Reserve? If so, how do you like it,? (Assuming you tried it or have had it before.)

I bought neither. I no longer drink high octane beers. Keep my ABV below 7.5
As for the Wellers I don't drink bourbon. Though I have tried it on numerous occasions. Even have a bottle for when someone wants to try it.

Fair enough. I know pretty much everything that says Weller on it is highly sought after right now with crazy prices to go along with it, around here at least.

I have tried the Weller Special Reserve and the Antique 107. Both were pretty good but I think Green River Wheated Bourbon is better and I can find that at the grocery store for $35.00 all day long. 

FYI the expensive and overpriced bottles are sitting in one of my local spots.  I hope it crashes soon so I can buy this stuff again.

dudeman

tempo_n_groove said:

dudeman said:

Bentleyspop said:

dudeman said:

Bentleyspop said:

When I saw this sign at one of my local bottle shops I almost swerved off the road. Never thought I'd see either product on a sale sign.

Nice find! Did you get a bottle of the Weller Special Reserve? If so, how do you like it,? (Assuming you tried it or have had it before.)

I bought neither. I no longer drink high octane beers. Keep my ABV below 7.5
As for the Wellers I don't drink bourbon. Though I have tried it on numerous occasions. Even have a bottle for when someone wants to try it.

Fair enough. I know pretty much everything that says Weller on it is highly sought after right now with crazy prices to go along with it, around here at least.

I have tried the Weller Special Reserve and the Antique 107. Both were pretty good but I think Green River Wheated Bourbon is better and I can find that at the grocery store for $35.00 all day long. 

FYI the expensive and overpriced bottles are sitting in one of my local spots.  I hope it crashes soon so I can buy this stuff again.

For sure, here too. I've walked away from bottles I was looking for because of the ridiculous prices some places are asking. 

Thankfully,  there is still a lot of great stuff that is not allocated, readily available and affordable.

dudeman

Picked up a Single Barrel "Essence" Bourbon from a friend last night. It's one of the best drinks I've ever had. It is pretty hard to get, even though they are relatively local to me. I'll probably just bust it out for special occasions. 

Has anyone else tried anything from EverNorth?

BIGDaddyWil

dudeman said:

Picked up a Single Barrel "Essence" Bourbon from a friend last night. It's one of the best drinks I've ever had. It is pretty hard to get, even though they are relatively local to me. I'll probably just bust it out for special occasions. 

Has anyone else tried anything from EverNorth?

Yes, I 've had 3 or 4 store picks from EverNorth.  A couple of bourbons and a couple of ryes. All have been very good bottles.  I need to make a road trip up to their tasting room.

mca47

BIGDaddyWil said:

dudeman said:

Picked up a Single Barrel "Essence" Bourbon from a friend last night. It's one of the best drinks I've ever had. It is pretty hard to get, even though they are relatively local to me. I'll probably just bust it out for special occasions. 

Has anyone else tried anything from EverNorth?

Yes, I 've had 3 or 4 store picks from EverNorth.  A couple of bourbons and a couple of ryes. All have been very good bottles.  I need to make a road trip up to their tasting room.

I wonder what their tasting room is like.  I mean, i've seen it from their videos on Youtube but I wonder how often they get people in.  Their facility looks like it's in the middle of nowhere.  

dudeman

mca47 said:

BIGDaddyWil said:

dudeman said:

Picked up a Single Barrel "Essence" Bourbon from a friend last night. It's one of the best drinks I've ever had. It is pretty hard to get, even though they are relatively local to me. I'll probably just bust it out for special occasions. 

Has anyone else tried anything from EverNorth?

Yes, I 've had 3 or 4 store picks from EverNorth.  A couple of bourbons and a couple of ryes. All have been very good bottles.  I need to make a road trip up to their tasting room.

I wonder what their tasting room is like.  I mean, i've seen it from their videos on Youtube but I wonder how often they get people in.  Their facility looks like it's in the middle of nowhere.  

It very much is in the middle of nowhere. It used to be a glass blowing facility. The EverNorth people did a remarkable job of making it a cool, good-vibes kind of place to hang out. 

I've been there a couple times but both visits were pretty brief. The hardest thing for me is that my work schedule doesn't really work with their operating hours. 

Worth the drive to check it out for sure, IMO.

dudeman

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

Bentleyspop

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

Having worked for a store that had store picks, and not being a bourbon drinker, I can tell you that it is very subjective. 
It all depends on whether the store itself did the picking. Sometimes they are offered barrels rejected by other stores.
Sometimes the barrels are picked by the local distributor. 
If the store did the picking then it depends on the palates and experience of the pickers.
Then add in your own palate.
Always ask if you can sample.
Not all states allow it but you never know.
Also in some states restaurants/bars will have private picks. So keep your eyes open. They can be very good.

pearldavidson

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I never even knew that was a thing.  I polished off my last bottle of BT last night.  Could be months before I find anymore.

dudeman

Bentleyspop said:

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

Having worked for a store that had store picks, and not being a bourbon drinker, I can tell you that it is very subjective. 
It all depends on whether the store itself did the picking. Sometimes they are offered barrels rejected by other stores.
Sometimes the barrels are picked by the local distributor. 
If the store did the picking then it depends on the palates and experience of the pickers.
Then add in your own palate.
Always ask if you can sample.
Not all states allow it but you never know.
Also in some states restaurants/bars will have private picks. So keep your eyes open. They can be very good.

For sure. It is all very subjective. I've had a few store picks of other bourbons, some were great and some were pretty bad.

dudeman

pearldavidson said:

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I never even knew that was a thing.  I polished off my last bottle of BT last night.  Could be months before I find anymore.

It's pretty much available all the time for retail here now. Hopefully that is the case for you soon!

I ended up grabbing a bottle of the store pick Buffalo Trace yesterday. The clerk said it is from a single barrel that they selected. It definitely tastes different; kind of like BT but with brown sugar added to it. It's very sweet and easy drinking. I will probably get another one while it's still available here. 

pearldavidson

dudeman said:

pearldavidson said:

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I never even knew that was a thing.  I polished off my last bottle of BT last night.  Could be months before I find anymore.

It's pretty much available all the time for retail here now. Hopefully that is the case for you soon!

I ended up grabbing a bottle of the store pick Buffalo Trace yesterday. The clerk said it is from a single barrel that they selected. It definitely tastes different; kind of like BT but with brown sugar added to it. It's very sweet and easy drinking. I will probably get another one while it's still available here. 

Would you say the store pick BT is better than the regular BT?  It's hard to find in PA. Our government runs the liquor stores.  Once BT, Rare or Blanton's is in stock, it flys off the shelves. Right time right place kinda mentality if you want to score a bottle.  I could always drive over to Ohio and check their stores out.

Bentleyspop

dudeman said:

pearldavidson said:

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I never even knew that was a thing.  I polished off my last bottle of BT last night.  Could be months before I find anymore.

It's pretty much available all the time for retail here now. Hopefully that is the case for you soon!

I ended up grabbing a bottle of the store pick Buffalo Trace yesterday. The clerk said it is from a single barrel that they selected. It definitely tastes different; kind of like BT but with brown sugar added to it. It's very sweet and easy drinking. I will probably get another one while it's still available here. 

I forgot to suggest doing a side by side to really experience the differences. 

Also a lot of private barrels are not as good as advertised. 

The pickers at my former place of employment were highly regarded in bourbon circles. My 2 bosses were both sommeliers and the additional pickers had decades in the booze biz.

dudeman

pearldavidson said:

dudeman said:

pearldavidson said:

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I never even knew that was a thing.  I polished off my last bottle of BT last night.  Could be months before I find anymore.

It's pretty much available all the time for retail here now. Hopefully that is the case for you soon!

I ended up grabbing a bottle of the store pick Buffalo Trace yesterday. The clerk said it is from a single barrel that they selected. It definitely tastes different; kind of like BT but with brown sugar added to it. It's very sweet and easy drinking. I will probably get another one while it's still available here. 

Would you say the store pick BT is better than the regular BT?  It's hard to find in PA. Our government runs the liquor stores.  Once BT, Rare or Blanton's is in stock, it flys off the shelves. Right time right place kinda mentality if you want to score a bottle.  I could always drive over to Ohio and check their stores out.

Hard to say if it's "better" but this particular store pick is definitely different than the regular Buffalo Trace. I did a blind A/B with them and a friend tonight and we both preferred the store pick. However, we both like sweeter flavor profiles so take that with a grain of salt. If you like a more oak-forward profile, then you would probably prefer the regular BT. 

We had a similar situation with scarcity about 6 months ago. Supply is definitely catching up with demand here now. Lots of stores have Blanton's, Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace and E.H. Taylor. Some of them are still price gouging though, so I try to avoid those places. I saw a bottle of Thomas H. Handy yesterday at one of those places and they are trying to get $900.00 for it. I told them to keep it. 

dudeman

Bentleyspop said:

dudeman said:

pearldavidson said:

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I never even knew that was a thing.  I polished off my last bottle of BT last night.  Could be months before I find anymore.

It's pretty much available all the time for retail here now. Hopefully that is the case for you soon!

I ended up grabbing a bottle of the store pick Buffalo Trace yesterday. The clerk said it is from a single barrel that they selected. It definitely tastes different; kind of like BT but with brown sugar added to it. It's very sweet and easy drinking. I will probably get another one while it's still available here. 

I forgot to suggest doing a side by side to really experience the differences. 

Also a lot of private barrels are not as good as advertised. 

The pickers at my former place of employment were highly regarded in bourbon circles. My 2 bosses were both sommeliers and the additional pickers had decades in the booze biz.

Yeah, I know what you mean. One of the larger local places has a number of store picks and I haven't liked any of them. I think I have very different preferences than the store owner but that's OK. Just part of the learning experience. 

This other place has BT and also a barrel of Bulleit that the owner selected. I haven't tried the Bulleit yet but I think I align more with his preferences based on the Buffalo Trace store pick they have. 

mca47

dudeman said:

Has anyone tried any Buffalo Trace store picks? There is a local place that has single barrel BT for $35.00. Curious to try it but the store is a little shady with pricing and I don't know if I want to support them.

If you have tried a BT single barrel/store pick, how did it compare to the regular Buffalo Trace?

I've had a few over the years.  To be perfectly honest they've all been pretty "ok".  Side by side you can tell a difference between the original and the picks,  but all but one was very similar.  Not really work seeking out, IMO.  Now, if they upped the proof and it was a pick, I'd be interested.

dudeman

Got this one a few days ago. It is from a fundraising event for K9s. I haven't tried it yet but one of my buddies said everything he's tried from that distillery has been terrific. 

BIGDaddyWil

I've liked everything from Detroit City Distillery.  Their cask strength rye is pretty damn tasty.