Bourbon.

[Krish the Fish]

those are great values when you can find a barrel pick by someone who really knows what they’re doing for sure!

Honestly, I think even the bad BT picks are still pretty good. I think they do a good job of QC before barrels get to the single barrel program that nothing significantly off will make it to a single barrel product. I think they’ve gotten better at it in the recent years (pure conjecture) with how much uniformity they have in their barrel ages now versus before when you could stumble into a 8-9 year OWA/6+ year BT barrel

 

[gnatty8]

Honestly, I think even the bad BT picks are still pretty good. I think they do a good job of QC before barrels get to the single barrel program that nothing significantly off will make it to a single barrel product. I think they’ve gotten better at it in the recent years (pure conjecture) with how much uniformity they have in their barrel ages now versus before when you could stumble into a 8-9 year OWA/6+ year BT barrel

this is actually true, I haven’t had a bad pick, but sample size is small since I have only had a few in the last couple of years.

 

[edmorel]

interesting article on Bourbon history/aging.

Stop Wasting Your Money on Bourbon That’s Too Old

The biggest difference between Scotch and bourbon isn’t where they’re made, what they’re made from or even the use of peat smoke.It’s the new, charred oak barrel that bourbon legally must be aged in. That’s why a 10-year-old bourbon is ruddy and brown, full of vanilla and caramel, and wrapped...

www.yahoo.com

 

[venividivicibj]

interesting article on Bourbon history/aging.

Stop Wasting Your Money on Bourbon That’s Too Old

The biggest difference between Scotch and bourbon isn’t where they’re made, what they’re made from or even the use of peat smoke.It’s the new, charred oak barrel that bourbon legally must be aged in. That’s why a 10-year-old bourbon is ruddy and brown, full of vanilla and caramel, and wrapped...

www.yahoo.com

I feel the same for scotch as well. Not super into the 20+ year aged scotch, I think sweet spot is 15-18 years.

Bourbon is a little big shorter due to active casks, maybe 10-15 years. (ex - to me, Pappy 15 is better than Pappy 23)

 

[gnatty8]

interesting article on Bourbon history/aging.

Stop Wasting Your Money on Bourbon That’s Too Old

The biggest difference between Scotch and bourbon isn’t where they’re made, what they’re made from or even the use of peat smoke.It’s the new, charred oak barrel that bourbon legally must be aged in. That’s why a 10-year-old bourbon is ruddy and brown, full of vanilla and caramel, and wrapped...

www.yahoo.com

I don't disagree to a limit. I do think that for the most part, and to my palate, a good bourbon aged > 4 years is just better than a lot of the stuff being sold as bourbon or straight bourbon that has spent as little as 6 to 9 months in a barrel. I have had every whiskey in the Pappy Van Winkle catalog over the years, including 2 bottles of the 23, and although it was a good value to me at the $250 retail price when I last bought it, I always preferred the 15 or 20. Another data point. Booker's tends to be my favorite of the readily available bourbons, and is rarely if ever more than 7 years old or so. When I visited the Buffalo Trace distillery years ago, I was told the same thing about the wide volatility in temperatures resulting in one Kentucky year being a very different animal than the same year in Scotland, where there is much less variability in temperatures, or at least, not to the extent you see in Kentucky.

 

[gnatty8]

Reading that article also reminded me that I have this one hanging around my bunker, waiting for the right time to open it.

 

[hpreston]

interesting article on Bourbon history/aging.

Stop Wasting Your Money on Bourbon That’s Too Old

The biggest difference between Scotch and bourbon isn’t where they’re made, what they’re made from or even the use of peat smoke.It’s the new, charred oak barrel that bourbon legally must be aged in. That’s why a 10-year-old bourbon is ruddy and brown, full of vanilla and caramel, and wrapped...

www.yahoo.com

I feel the same for scotch as well. Not super into the 20+ year aged scotch, I think sweet spot is 15-18 years.

Bourbon is a little big shorter due to active casks, maybe 10-15 years. (ex - to me, Pappy 15 is better than Pappy 23)

Great article @edmorel, thank you for sharing.

I certainly agree there is a “sweet spot” for aging whiskies depending on location (Kentucky vs Scotland)

I do think there is some nuance in the Scotch and Irish varieties based on region, and other factors. For example there are some 21 year old single malts I greatly prefer to their 18, 15 or 12 year old versions, however there are some where the 18 is the winner. YMMV

 

[Seminole21]

Calling it on my 2020 bourbon hunt, moving on to 2021

 

[gnatty8]

Calling it on my 2020 bourbon hunt, moving on to 2021
View attachment 1533813

Your 2020 hunt >> my 2020 hunt

 

[venividivicibj]

Calling it on my 2020 bourbon hunt, moving on to 2021
View attachment 1533813

I'm assuming you know a guy?

 

[Seminole21]

Your 2020 hunt >> my 2020 hunt

But you have that Booker's Rye i'll be searching for all of next year

 

[Seminole21]

I'm assuming you know a guy?

I shop at multiple stores around town so hopefully I can get a lil something at each location

 

[gnatty8]

But you have that Booker's Rye i'll be searching for all of next year

Best of luck man. Since they only did the one run, your task will not be an easy one, but I wish you well!!

 

[Piobaire]

I've posted my Orphan Barrel collection here before. The Rhetoric is almost undrinkable neat as the oak has made it bitter. The best drinking one in the pick is the 15 year old but the Barterhouse is a really good tipple too.

 

[Seminole21]

Best of luck man. Since they only did the one run, your task will not be an easy one, but I wish you well!!

Yeah there are rumors of a re-release this year so I need to start talking to my people now if I even want a chance