Official Bourbon/Rye Thread

[tdig]

Picked up a bottle of Van Winkle 12 year this afternoon.

Local liquor store got in 20, 15, 13 rye, 12, and 10 at noon. Within 10 minutes the 20 was gone, not long after the 15 and 13 rye were gone. By the time i got there at 2pm they had 1 bottle of 12 and 1 bottle of 10 left. This stuff is way too hard to find!

I've snagged a rye and a 15 so far this release. I have one more place that is still waiting on their shipment where Im hoping to land another rye. I have 3 15s, 2 20s, 1 rye, and 2 10s on hand right now. For 2012 releases I've also picked up Stagg, WLW, Handy, Saz18, Four Roses Single Barrel LE, Four Roses SMB LE, and the Old Forrester Birthday Bourbon.

[bjmcgeever]

Resurrecting an old thread here.

Got my best friend a bottle of Jefferson's 18yo Presidential for his birthday today. He kindly shared a glass with me and it is fantastic. A bit hot at first, but once it sits for a while it really mellows. Loads of vanilla, cinnamon, caramel, toffee, etc.

[NYCToon]

Maker's Mark has decided to leave the alcohol content at 45% after they received lot of backlash to their plan to drop it down to 42%. The reason they were going to make the change is that demand is outstripping supply and shortages are being found in some markets. Maker's Mark may become as hard to find as Knob Creek is in some areas due to this but since I live in NYC shartage has never been a problem. Needless to say this is great news and I can stop hoarding bottles in my closet!

Now let us hope Maker's doesn't become as scarce (and expensive) as Pappy...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...91G0EM20130217

[Juan]

I tried Booker's for the first time this weekend and I loved it:
http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDet...?ProductID=565

[mister_deez]

Haven't really tried any of the high-end stuff yet, but my go to is Buffalo Trace. A place near me sells it for $37 a handle and I really can't find anything better for value.

[tdig]

from the scotch thread:

Ok, I know it's not scotch, but Im now drinking Whistle Pig rye... Outstanding. If you like rye, this is something you need to try.

Be careful calling Whistlepig a Rye! I'm stubborn when it comes to labeling American spirits. Whistlepig is purchased and imported from a Canadian distillery (Alberta Distillers) and bottled in the US. Many say its the colder climate that gives it a more restrained taste. Doesn't make it any less tasty, I just don't necessarily consider it an American Rye. I never like when companies try to trick consumers through marketing. The whisky itself is quite good although for its price I personally prefer Rendezvous Rye, Willett Rye, and even Rittenhouse but I tend to gravitate towards bigger bolder profile whiskeys. If you like Whistlepig you should try Lot 40 if you can find it. It's basically a more aggressive version of Whistlepig and its damn good.

[BB]

Wow, I missed the bourbon thread... This place is more my speed than the scotch thread. I'll look forward to trying Lot 40. Whistlepig is a bit deceptive, then, isn't it? Still very tasty. I tend to prefer bold whiskey, but I was actually quite surprised by how nuanced the flavors are in whatever Whistlepig bought and then resold.

Ok, I now I'm mucking up the clarity of these threads, but I tried one other thing last night that I really loved: John Sullivan "Ten Count" Irish Whiskey. It's aged in bourbon casks and finished in sherry casks. Like most Irish whiskeys, this is fairly sweet, but this is worth a try because of the complexity of flavor.

[yoyorobbo]

Just got a bottle of Sazerac (the regular one - 6 year?). My rye experience thus far consists of only Rittenhouse and Bulleit (as far as purchased and enjoyed bottles, that is - not always knowing what folks have served me prior to those).

I think I preferred Rittenhouse over Bulleit, but I went through them sequentially, and thus didn't have the chance to truly A/B them.

What do you guys think of those two, and what should I expect with this Sazerac?

Also, any preferred ryes to try? I don't usually spend crazily on liquor, so please keep that in mind when recommending. Thanks!

[ncfranklin]

A personal favorite in the under $40 club (and often under $30 in parts of the country) is Rowan's Creek.

[greg_s]

I'm a huge, huge Bulleit fan in terms of bang for buck.

[bjmcgeever]

A personal favorite in the under $40 club (and often under $30 in parts of the country) is Rowan's Creek.

Yes. Rowan's Creek is delicious.

[yoyorobbo]

A selling point for the Sazerac was the Buffalo Trace connection. I really enjoyed the bottle of BT Bourbon I had around the holidays last year. Might need to get me another bottle of that too.

[NYCToon]

I have to second tdig's comment on Whistle Pig. An absolutely fantastic rye.

[tdig]

Just got a bottle of Sazerac (the regular one - 6 year?). My rye experience thus far consists of only Rittenhouse and Bulleit (as far as purchased and enjoyed bottles, that is - not always knowing what folks have served me prior to those).

I think I preferred Rittenhouse over Bulleit, but I went through them sequentially, and thus didn't have the chance to truly A/B them.

What do you guys think of those two, and what should I expect with this Sazerac?

Also, any preferred ryes to try? I don't usually spend crazily on liquor, so please keep that in mind when recommending. Thanks!

The Sazerac will be quite different than the Rittenhouse and Bulleit. Much sweeter rye. Still great stuff and really great cocktail rye. I'm a huge Rittenhouse supporter and buy it by the half case when I can get it. Others I would encourage you to try are High West Double Rye, High West Rendezvous Rye, Willett Rye, and Wild Turkey Rye 101 if you can find it. The more recent Wild Turkey Ryes have been cut to 81 but the old 101s are still around some places and are great.

I'm not actually a huge fan of Whistlepig. It's solid, yes, but not spectacular for my palate. Bit dry and soft for me.

shopmerwins.com has HW Rendezvous on sale right now for $35 which is practically giving it away. If you buy more than a bottle the shipping is more reasonable.

[yoyorobbo]

The Sazerac will be quite different than the Rittenhouse and Bulleit. Much sweeter rye. Still great stuff and really great cocktail rye.

I'm really digging it! Only had it neat and on the rocks (or at least on "a rock" - been using my HUGE square cubes as of late - nice for the slow melt, and even nicer as a conversation piece), but may mix up a Manhattan or maybe even a Red Hook later this evening.

I *think* I may be enjoying this Sazerac due t the fact that is is a bit sweeter, and actually I am most often a bourbon guy, so this may be my nice middle-ground spirit; somewhere between a bourbon and a rye?

Thanks for all of the suggestions, fellas. I will slowly try them.