Official Bourbon/Rye Thread

[tdig]

Im looking for a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15 year for a wedding present. Obviously it is impossible to find...anyone have any sort of lead on any?

.first post...looking for most rare bourbon on the market..."wedding present"...color me curious...

[tdig]

Agreed re. Four Roses. It's my "always have a bottle on hand for mixing" bourbon of choice. I like Woodford Reserve a lot, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth the price. However, I will wholeheartedly recommend taking a tour of the Woodford Reserve distillery if you happen to be near Lexington, KY. It's in some of the most incredibly beautiful country I've ever seen and it's a really cool old facility. I'm a sucker for that old Dr. Seussesque equipment and the aging warehouse smells like I wish my closet smelled.

EDIT: originally typed "Knob Creek" when I meant "Woodford Reserve." Probably too much booze...

Haha this is really funny because I was curious when you said knob creek. I have heard the Woodford distillery is amazing and I absolutely plan to visit it at some point.

Edit: never too much booze...

[zitro21]

Haha....no reason not to be. I actually finally signed up 2 days ago to get a 50% off coupon from BR_David. He hooked it up! Really am looking for it for a wedding gift, but I know there is no new release until the fall! Thought these Dappered fellows might know whats up!

[mister_deez]

Man, I am definitely going to start working my way through tdig's under $50 selection along with some of the other recommendations on this thread.

[BB]

I had a bit of George T Stagg at a celebratory dinner tonight.

It was amazing.

[yoyorobbo]

Finished my bottle of Sazerac yesterday, and stopped to replenish the supply last night at the local liquor shop where I found it last time. No-ah-ah! The shelf slot was empty. Boooo...!

When I mentioned that I had heard from some folks online (here and in some other forums/blogs) that they couldn't get it in their necks of the woods, the owner told me that they only make a certain amount for the year, and when that's out it's not available. He said that he only allows customers to buy one bottle per visit/day, to try to allow for everyone that digs it to be able to get some. He also said he doesn't tell the average Joe about it when he does have it on the shelves. He figures if they really want it, and chose to get a bottle, it's likely because they know what it is.

Now, I have to check one or two other local shops that *might* have some. Bummer! Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice, I snagged a bottle of Rittenhouse rye and Buffalo Trace bourbon. That outta hold me over until I find another bottle of Sazerac.

Any personal favorites that you fellas have trouble finding locally?

[Tommy]

Woodford Reserve is my bourbon of choice. I love it for my old fashioned and manhattans but best of all straight up!!

[MikeAD91]

Any personal favorites that you fellas have trouble finding locally?

We have a constantly improving massive liquor store here, that is slowly getting some out of region stuff, but NY is always going to be NY, so it'll take a long time before we have a great selection of stuff being distilled here.

That said, I spend a lot of time in Chicago, and get to try a lot of great whiskeys, most of which aren't sold here. Templeton Rye is a recent one that I will have to seriously consider buying in bulk and having shipped to me.

[mister_deez]

Checking in on this thread, haven't been drinking much lately, but last weekend a friend was gifted a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel. We immediately each took a shot of it, which was horrible, but the next day we had some on the rocks and the taste was changed dramatically. Definitely tops for sweetness and smoothness out of the whiskeys i've tried. Not sure how it tastes sipped neat but maybe i'll try it this weekend.

[MikeAD91]

Took a shot of it? I thought maybe you meant had it neat, but then you said you will try sipping it neat... so I'm thinking you really meant that you took a shot of it?

[mister_deez]

Yes, probably a waste, but it was his bottle so i'm just glad we didnt drink the whole thing in shot form.

[pratyk]

I would never ever ever ever think of a shot of anything that says single barrel or single grain or single malt, etc. Basically anything rarer/better/more expensive than Jack Daniels - No shots por favor.
Hell I rarely even do shots anymore but if I do them, it has to be cheap/crappy alcohol because that's the only way I'm drinking that shit.

Why flush it down your body when you can savor it?

[BB]

I just got a bottle of John T Fitzgerald Larceny -- there's a rebate that goes through August, so it's $20 for 1.75L. It's a wheated bourbon, like Maker's, and I think it's even better than Maker's. So, it's a really fantastic deal. Makes a mean mint julep.

[MikeAD91]

I think if a friend offered me a shot of a nice whiskey, I would refuse the shot and steal the bottle.


I tried a new rye last night that is distilled regionally here in NY (in the Finger Lakes). McKenzie Rye. I haven't formed a complete opinion yet, but my initial reaction was not bad, but a bit on the expensive side compared to it's competition. We'll see how I feel about it by the end of the bottle.

[tdig]

Larceny is five times better than Makers...with that said I strongly dislike Makers. I did enjoy my first bottle of Larceny quite a bit. Solid bourbon for its price although it still can't beat Weller Antique or Weller 12 for inexpensive wheaters.

Snagged 3 bottles of the new Elijah Craig Barrel Strength today. Can't wait to pop one open.

Not crazy about McKenzie Rye. Especially at its price range.

yoyo are you talking about Saz 18 or Saz 6 year? Rittenhouse > Saz 6 year anyway! Someone else mentioned Templeton which I just can't seem to like as much as others. Too low proof for my preferences.