What’s the deal with that one? All the whiskey memberships I’ve done I’ve felt to be a bit underwhelming, but I’d definitely be interested in a scotch one
You are better off going to your local and talking to them and buy your own. I do that with Bourbons.
Locals don’t get anything near what SMWS has to offer.
So I just looked into this. These are barrel picks? That is what I am seeing.
Yeah, kinda. They select barrels from pretty much every distiller in Scotland. A lot of the barrels they select are the off-profile ones that don't fit the norm of their common releases, or an experiment that was tried 20 years ago that is now a beautiful thing but the distiller can't do anything with it because of the limited quantity. They are all single barrel and cask strength. Not impossible to find but most Scotches you find at the liquor store are not cask strength and many that will put you back $200 are sitting at 80 proof. I purchased a 19 year old, single barrel, CS, Laphroaig from the SMWS a couple of months ago. Easily the best Islay scotch i've ever had and it's not even something you could get from Laphroaig if you wanted to. I've had some of the best bourbon you can find...not necessarily owned, but have had....and none of those even come close to some of the Scotches I've gotten from SMWS. I'm not even joking. I have a 33 year old Glen Moray that I consider to be the best whiskey I've ever had. Now, it is expensive. $100/year membership and the low end bottles will cost you about $100, but it's amazing.
What’s the deal with that one? All the whiskey memberships I’ve done I’ve felt to be a bit underwhelming, but I’d definitely be interested in a scotch one
You are better off going to your local and talking to them and buy your own. I do that with Bourbons.
Locals don’t get anything near what SMWS has to offer.
So I just looked into this. These are barrel picks? That is what I am seeing.
Yeah, kinda. They select barrels from pretty much every distiller in Scotland. A lot of the barrels they select are the off-profile ones that don't fit the norm of their common releases, or an experiment that was tried 20 years ago that is now a beautiful thing but the distiller can't do anything with it because of the limited quantity. They are all single barrel and cask strength. Not impossible to find but most Scotches you find at the liquor store are not cask strength and many that will put you back $200 are sitting at 80 proof. I purchased a 19 year old, single barrel, CS, Laphroaig from the SMWS a couple of months ago. Easily the best Islay scotch i've ever had and it's not even something you could get from Laphroaig if you wanted to. I've had some of the best bourbon you can find...not necessarily owned, but have had....and none of those even come close to some of the Scotches I've gotten from SMWS. I'm not even joking. I have a 33 year old Glen Moray that I consider to be the best whiskey I've ever had. Now, it is expensive. $100/year membership and the low end bottles will cost you about $100, but it's amazing.
Scotch I’m not knowledgeable enough to answer yet. But bourbon/rye I’ll go:
Old Forester 1920 Makers Wood Finishing Series (currently FAE-02) Barrell Dovetail (blended whiskey that’s sweeter) Elijah Craig Barrel Proof New Riff Rye (Malted or Balboa if you can find them but small batch and single barrel are also great)
I’m realizing one of these is 100 proof and the rest are 110 and up lol.
What exactly does barrel proof mean?
Looks like a solid list to me! I'm heading to Wegman's today, hoping to get Ardbeg 10.
Scotch I’m not knowledgeable enough to answer yet. But bourbon/rye I’ll go:
Old Forester 1920 Makers Wood Finishing Series (currently FAE-02) Barrell Dovetail (blended whiskey that’s sweeter) Elijah Craig Barrel Proof New Riff Rye (Malted or Balboa if you can find them but small batch and single barrel are also great)
I’m realizing one of these is 100 proof and the rest are 110 and up lol.
What exactly does barrel proof mean?
Looks like a solid list to me! I'm heading to Wegman's today, hoping to get Ardbeg 10.
Barrel proof means they don’t water it down to reach 80 or 86 proof which it seems like most scotches are bottled at.. whatever proof it is out of the barrel is what it’s bottled at.
Pittsburgh 1998 • Pittsburgh 2006 • 2012 Isle Of Wight Festival • 2012 Made In America Festival • Baltimore 2013 • Seattle 2013 St. Paul 2014 • Mexico City 2015 • Philadelphia II 2016 • Ottawa 2016 • Amsterdam I & II 2018 • Wrigley Field II 2018 • Phoenix 2022 Apollo Theater 2022 • Chicago I 2023 • Baltimore 2024
Scotch I’m not knowledgeable enough to answer yet. But bourbon/rye I’ll go:
Old Forester 1920 Makers Wood Finishing Series (currently FAE-02) Barrell Dovetail (blended whiskey that’s sweeter) Elijah Craig Barrel Proof New Riff Rye (Malted or Balboa if you can find them but small batch and single barrel are also great)
I’m realizing one of these is 100 proof and the rest are 110 and up lol.
What exactly does barrel proof mean?
Looks like a solid list to me! I'm heading to Wegman's today, hoping to get Ardbeg 10.
Barrel proof is the spirit bottled straight from the barrel. BP will be higher in proof...I'd guess 110 or higher for most. As such, it will be a bit more expensive than the same spirit tempered with water to a lower proof. Barrel proof selections are good choices to experiment with adding water a drop at a time to see how the flavors open up. I would start neat, then add drops one at a time until you get something palatable to you. And, you may like it just fine as it is without any added water.
That makes a lot of sense, thank you for the explanation.
Yes, I see it's already been explained. The EC small batch is good, but the non-watered down version is incredible. To be honest I've heard the 2021 stuff wasn't as good as past years but still very good.
Also have EC Toasted Barrel and the Rye. Good pricing on their stuff.
What’s the deal with that one? All the whiskey memberships I’ve done I’ve felt to be a bit underwhelming, but I’d definitely be interested in a scotch one
You are better off going to your local and talking to them and buy your own. I do that with Bourbons.
Locals don’t get anything near what SMWS has to offer.
So I just looked into this. These are barrel picks? That is what I am seeing.
Yeah, kinda. They select barrels from pretty much every distiller in Scotland. A lot of the barrels they select are the off-profile ones that don't fit the norm of their common releases, or an experiment that was tried 20 years ago that is now a beautiful thing but the distiller can't do anything with it because of the limited quantity. They are all single barrel and cask strength. Not impossible to find but most Scotches you find at the liquor store are not cask strength and many that will put you back $200 are sitting at 80 proof. I purchased a 19 year old, single barrel, CS, Laphroaig from the SMWS a couple of months ago. Easily the best Islay scotch i've ever had and it's not even something you could get from Laphroaig if you wanted to. I've had some of the best bourbon you can find...not necessarily owned, but have had....and none of those even come close to some of the Scotches I've gotten from SMWS. I'm not even joking. I have a 33 year old Glen Moray that I consider to be the best whiskey I've ever had. Now, it is expensive. $100/year membership and the low end bottles will cost you about $100, but it's amazing.
What’s the deal with that one? All the whiskey memberships I’ve done I’ve felt to be a bit underwhelming, but I’d definitely be interested in a scotch one
You are better off going to your local and talking to them and buy your own. I do that with Bourbons.
Locals don’t get anything near what SMWS has to offer.
So I just looked into this. These are barrel picks? That is what I am seeing.
Yeah, kinda. They select barrels from pretty much every distiller in Scotland. A lot of the barrels they select are the off-profile ones that don't fit the norm of their common releases, or an experiment that was tried 20 years ago that is now a beautiful thing but the distiller can't do anything with it because of the limited quantity. They are all single barrel and cask strength. Not impossible to find but most Scotches you find at the liquor store are not cask strength and many that will put you back $200 are sitting at 80 proof. I purchased a 19 year old, single barrel, CS, Laphroaig from the SMWS a couple of months ago. Easily the best Islay scotch i've ever had and it's not even something you could get from Laphroaig if you wanted to. I've had some of the best bourbon you can find...not necessarily owned, but have had....and none of those even come close to some of the Scotches I've gotten from SMWS. I'm not even joking. I have a 33 year old Glen Moray that I consider to be the best whiskey I've ever had. Now, it is expensive. $100/year membership and the low end bottles will cost you about $100, but it's amazing.
Do they do samples or only full bottles?
I don't believe I've seen them offer any samples. They have monthly and bi-monthly outturns where you can go on their site to see what they are releasing. Each release has very detailed nosing and tasting notes, so you can read through those and get a bottle that might fit whatever profile you are looking for. I have a bunch of bottles from them and they've all been amazing.
What’s the deal with that one? All the whiskey memberships I’ve done I’ve felt to be a bit underwhelming, but I’d definitely be interested in a scotch one
You are better off going to your local and talking to them and buy your own. I do that with Bourbons.
Locals don’t get anything near what SMWS has to offer.
So I just looked into this. These are barrel picks? That is what I am seeing.
Yeah, kinda. They select barrels from pretty much every distiller in Scotland. A lot of the barrels they select are the off-profile ones that don't fit the norm of their common releases, or an experiment that was tried 20 years ago that is now a beautiful thing but the distiller can't do anything with it because of the limited quantity. They are all single barrel and cask strength. Not impossible to find but most Scotches you find at the liquor store are not cask strength and many that will put you back $200 are sitting at 80 proof. I purchased a 19 year old, single barrel, CS, Laphroaig from the SMWS a couple of months ago. Easily the best Islay scotch i've ever had and it's not even something you could get from Laphroaig if you wanted to. I've had some of the best bourbon you can find...not necessarily owned, but have had....and none of those even come close to some of the Scotches I've gotten from SMWS. I'm not even joking. I have a 33 year old Glen Moray that I consider to be the best whiskey I've ever had. Now, it is expensive. $100/year membership and the low end bottles will cost you about $100, but it's amazing.
What’s the deal with that one? All the whiskey memberships I’ve done I’ve felt to be a bit underwhelming, but I’d definitely be interested in a scotch one
You are better off going to your local and talking to them and buy your own. I do that with Bourbons.
Locals don’t get anything near what SMWS has to offer.
So I just looked into this. These are barrel picks? That is what I am seeing.
Yeah, kinda. They select barrels from pretty much every distiller in Scotland. A lot of the barrels they select are the off-profile ones that don't fit the norm of their common releases, or an experiment that was tried 20 years ago that is now a beautiful thing but the distiller can't do anything with it because of the limited quantity. They are all single barrel and cask strength. Not impossible to find but most Scotches you find at the liquor store are not cask strength and many that will put you back $200 are sitting at 80 proof. I purchased a 19 year old, single barrel, CS, Laphroaig from the SMWS a couple of months ago. Easily the best Islay scotch i've ever had and it's not even something you could get from Laphroaig if you wanted to. I've had some of the best bourbon you can find...not necessarily owned, but have had....and none of those even come close to some of the Scotches I've gotten from SMWS. I'm not even joking. I have a 33 year old Glen Moray that I consider to be the best whiskey I've ever had. Now, it is expensive. $100/year membership and the low end bottles will cost you about $100, but it's amazing.
Do they do samples or only full bottles?
I don't believe I've seen them offer any samples. They have monthly and bi-monthly outturns where you can go on their site to see what they are releasing. Each release has very detailed nosing and tasting notes, so you can read through those and get a bottle that might fit whatever profile you are looking for. I have a bunch of bottles from them and they've all been amazing.
Thanks! I expect I’ll become a member at some point.
I snagged a bottle of Stagg, Jr and a Weller Antique 107 last night at a local "Whiskeyfest"
They had about 200 bottles available for a randomly generated pick. My wife got pick 23 (Stagg) and I was 104 for the Weller.
There were 3 bottles of Van Winkle in that mix that obviously went quick. We were laughing that the Kentucky Owl (2 bottles both at $300 or so) and the Sweetens Cove (around $200 I think) were still available close to the end.
They did an auction after the random picks that we didn't stick around for but the Pappy and Rip bottles started at $500
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
A buddy was pouring some really good bourbon last night. I had pours of Eagle Rare 17, George T. Stagg (2015) and Weller CYPB. It was my first ER17 experience, and while it was really good, it was well behind the GTS. It lacked the flavor explosion that the GTS had, but that’s likely from the lower proof. Cool to try it though.
I snagged a bottle of Stagg, Jr and a Weller Antique 107 last night at a local "Whiskeyfest"
They had about 200 bottles available for a randomly generated pick. My wife got pick 23 (Stagg) and I was 104 for the Weller.
There were 3 bottles of Van Winkle in that mix that obviously went quick. We were laughing that the Kentucky Owl (2 bottles both at $300 or so) and the Sweetens Cove (around $200 I think) were still available close to the end.
They did an auction after the random picks that we didn't stick around for but the Pappy and Rip bottles started at $500
Nice scores! Have you tried 'em? What do you think? If I had my pick of two "readily available" BT products, those would be the two. Consistently great, higher proof, and killer deals at MSRP. If Weller 107 was the 104th bottle chosen, I'm curious what other awesome stuff they had.
A buddy was pouring some really good bourbon last night. I had pours of Eagle Rare 17, George T. Stagg (2015) and Weller CYPB. It was my first ER17 experience, and while it was really good, it was well behind the GTS. It lacked the flavor explosion that the GTS had, but that’s likely from the lower proof. Cool to try it though.
What was your second favorite? I've heard mixed reviews for CYPB due to its low proof. Never tried it myself. That 2015 GTS must have been the runaway favorite. Almost hazmat at 138.2 proof!
Makes me wonder... what's everybody's highest proof whiskey ever? Mine was a local Old Forester Barrel Strength store pick at 134.1 proof.
I snagged a bottle of Stagg, Jr and a Weller Antique 107 last night at a local "Whiskeyfest"
They had about 200 bottles available for a randomly generated pick. My wife got pick 23 (Stagg) and I was 104 for the Weller.
There were 3 bottles of Van Winkle in that mix that obviously went quick. We were laughing that the Kentucky Owl (2 bottles both at $300 or so) and the Sweetens Cove (around $200 I think) were still available close to the end.
They did an auction after the random picks that we didn't stick around for but the Pappy and Rip bottles started at $500
Nice scores! Have you tried 'em? What do you think? If I had my pick of two "readily available" BT products, those would be the two. Consistently great, higher proof, and killer deals at MSRP. If Weller 107 was the 104th bottle chosen, I'm curious what other awesome stuff they had.
I haven't cracked the Weller yet but the Stagg was great...
They had a lot of good stuff. There were 6 bottles of Blanton's that got picked before the Weller. It's a pretty cool "fest" that is put on to benefit a local charity by a local liquor group. They sell the random pick bottles at retail which is nice. The tickets to get in are like $60 but they give you some decent food and some whiskey tastings. They had about 4 bottles of the 107 and I think I got the last one but I was surprised at the number of Weller bottles that were still there after my 104 pick. I bet they went pretty quick after me though.
They make a Rip and Pappy bottle available for a separate raffle at $10/ticket. I bought 5 tickets and didn't score but that would have been nice.
The auction was for Pappy, Rip, bottle of Stagg (Sr), William Larue Weller, etc.
Post edited by Gern Blansten on
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
A buddy was pouring some really good bourbon last night. I had pours of Eagle Rare 17, George T. Stagg (2015) and Weller CYPB. It was my first ER17 experience, and while it was really good, it was well behind the GTS. It lacked the flavor explosion that the GTS had, but that’s likely from the lower proof. Cool to try it though.
What was your second favorite? I've heard mixed reviews for CYPB due to its low proof. Never tried it myself. That 2015 GTS must have been the runaway favorite. Almost hazmat at 138.2 proof!
Makes me wonder... what's everybody's highest proof whiskey ever? Mine was a local Old Forester Barrel Strength store pick at 134.1 proof.
It's funny you ask. I really thought (and maybe wanted?) ER17 was going to be one of the best bourbons I've ever tasted and it just wasn't. Very tasty, but plenty of bottles that are more attainable that I would take over it. So to answer your question, ER17 and CYPB were about equal to me. The GTS was light years ahead.
As far as proof, I think this may have been my second highest proof. I had a pour of GTS '12 that from memory was 142ish? One thing to add to the recent GTS '15 pour is that it was super smooth and easy to drink for being so high in ABV. Much more flavor, but not more heat compared to the ER17 at 101 proof. Dangerous combo.
A buddy was pouring some really good bourbon last night. I had pours of Eagle Rare 17, George T. Stagg (2015) and Weller CYPB. It was my first ER17 experience, and while it was really good, it was well behind the GTS. It lacked the flavor explosion that the GTS had, but that’s likely from the lower proof. Cool to try it though.
What was your second favorite? I've heard mixed reviews for CYPB due to its low proof. Never tried it myself. That 2015 GTS must have been the runaway favorite. Almost hazmat at 138.2 proof!
Makes me wonder... what's everybody's highest proof whiskey ever? Mine was a local Old Forester Barrel Strength store pick at 134.1 proof.
It's funny you ask. I really thought (and maybe wanted?) ER17 was going to be one of the best bourbons I've ever tasted and it just wasn't. Very tasty, but plenty of bottles that are more attainable that I would take over it. So to answer your question, ER17 and CYPB were about equal to me. The GTS was light years ahead.
As far as proof, I think this may have been my second highest proof. I had a pour of GTS '12 that from memory was 142ish? One thing to add to the recent GTS '15 pour is that it was super smooth and easy to drink for being so high in ABV. Much more flavor, but not more heat compared to the ER17 at 101 proof. Dangerous combo.
Try a drop of water in the ER17 and it should open up nice.
Highest I had I can remember was 121. I have 2 bottles at home that are higher than that I haven't opened yet.
Comments
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
Looks like a solid list to me! I'm heading to Wegman's today, hoping to get Ardbeg 10.
St. Paul 2014 • Mexico City 2015 • Philadelphia II 2016 • Ottawa 2016 • Amsterdam I & II 2018 • Wrigley Field II 2018 • Phoenix 2022
Apollo Theater 2022 • Chicago I 2023 • Baltimore 2024
Also have EC Toasted Barrel and the Rye. Good pricing on their stuff.
Enjoy that Ardbeg 10!!!
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
I have a bunch of bottles from them and they've all been amazing.
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
They had about 200 bottles available for a randomly generated pick. My wife got pick 23 (Stagg) and I was 104 for the Weller.
There were 3 bottles of Van Winkle in that mix that obviously went quick. We were laughing that the Kentucky Owl (2 bottles both at $300 or so) and the Sweetens Cove (around $200 I think) were still available close to the end.
They did an auction after the random picks that we didn't stick around for but the Pappy and Rip bottles started at $500
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
ketel is my absolute favorite, we will see if my opinion changes.
Makes me wonder... what's everybody's highest proof whiskey ever? Mine was a local Old Forester Barrel Strength store pick at 134.1 proof.
They had a lot of good stuff. There were 6 bottles of Blanton's that got picked before the Weller. It's a pretty cool "fest" that is put on to benefit a local charity by a local liquor group. They sell the random pick bottles at retail which is nice. The tickets to get in are like $60 but they give you some decent food and some whiskey tastings. They had about 4 bottles of the 107 and I think I got the last one but I was surprised at the number of Weller bottles that were still there after my 104 pick. I bet they went pretty quick after me though.
They make a Rip and Pappy bottle available for a separate raffle at $10/ticket. I bought 5 tickets and didn't score but that would have been nice.
The auction was for Pappy, Rip, bottle of Stagg (Sr), William Larue Weller, etc.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Highest I had I can remember was 121. I have 2 bottles at home that are higher than that I haven't opened yet.