Allen Edmonds' bourbon

[srlclark]

I know they did recently have a bourbon Cornwallis available. It's just too bad that they keep taking bourbon out of circulation. If they bring it back again, I'll get a bourbon Cornwallis/McAllister/Carlyle at some point.

Of the three new colors, I actually like the green the most. But I own an olive Neumok, and I don't think I need two green shoes.

I also think that those bright colors are weird on as formal a shoe as the Cornwallis, and would work better on something like the McTavish or St. John. I know that the walnut Cornwallis is very popular, but although posters often say walnut is too loud to wear with dark suits, and they're probably right, it remains the case that tan is within the mainstream color range for dress shoes, whereas blue, green, and red are not (at least not that shade of red).

The cornwallis *WAS* part of the most recent bourbon offering. It's not a year-round thing, so you have to jump on it when it comes around (or wait a little bit for returns to hit shoebank).

The red and green aren't my cup, but the blue I kinda dig. I have a rather eclectic collection at this point though so the less-standard stuff intrigues me more.

[armedferret]

The cornwallis *WAS* part of the most recent bourbon offering. It's not a year-round thing, so you have to jump on it when it comes around (or wait a little bit for returns to hit shoebank).

The red and green aren't my cup, but the blue I kinda dig. I have a rather eclectic collection at this point though so the less-standard stuff intrigues me more.

[srlclark]

Bourbon was certainly a great color for AE.

The new red, green, and blue options on the Cornwallis? Not so much.

http://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/me...sz=18&start=22

Not quite sure why they sell the Cornwallis in two shades of blue and one non-burgundy/mahogany [merlot/oxblood/chili] shade of red but not in medium-brown [bourbon], but there you go.

(Blue's also on the Strand - also available in navy - and St. John).

[armedferret]

Dat Bourbon doe.....


20160513_191807 by Armed Ferret, on Flickr

[srlclark]

Given that you also buy Edward Green and are now looking into John Lobb, I think it's fair to say that you've more disposable income than I do! So, in your case they definitely are different enough. I have to limit my collection a little more, even though in theory I agree with you that it's impossible to have too many shoes.

I think that your bourbon is a relatively dark bourbon, though - some are a bit closer to walnut. To be clear, I would get fairly similar shoes: I do own both a merlot McAllister and an oxblood McGregor. Despite owning a walnut Strand, I would get a brown Strand or a bourbon McAllister. But I just think that adjacent colors on the same model (or upgraded version of the same model, as in the case of the Bartlett) is a bit too much given the constraints of my budget.

In regards to the difference between Walnut and Bourbon: Bourbon Strands and Walnut Bartletts



Different enough for me.

[DocDave]

I was very tempted to plunk down some hard earned cash for a pair of bourbon Daltons or McAllisters during the sale. Never did pull the trigger but found myself going back to the website over and over again. Definitely a fan of the colour.

[MNJ83]

In regards to the difference between Walnut and Bourbon: Bourbon Strands and Walnut Bartletts



Different enough for me.

[srlclark]

I grabbed bourbon dalton seconds for $159 that I'm happy with. I still see them pop up on shoe bank though.

So bourbon has had a troubled history with AE?

Yeah, I have the Dalton in bourbon, too. I'd been considering a shoe - [MENTION=14773]Token[/MENTION], I found all of the McAllister, Cornwallis, and Carlyle tempting, and would have found the Strand, too, if I didn't have it in walnut - but didn't pick one up. $295 still seems a bit much to me. Yes, there are a few pairs on the Shoebank, but not that many. Some posters recommend not buying bourbon seconds, because the defect is sometimes inconsistent application of the burnishing, and so the shoe looks like it has tiger stripes or there is a greenish hue to it that some don't like. I personally don't mind the greenish hue, but wouldn't want a striped pair. Still, some say the same about oxblood, but I have a pair of oxblood seconds and a pair of bourbon seconds and am happy with them both.

[AE makes/made bourbon shoes by taking a walnut upper and burnishing it on a black burnishing wheel. Some pairs thus seemed very much like a darker version of walnut, while others were much closer to being a true medium-brown, rather than a dark tan].

[Me27]

I grabbed bourbon dalton seconds for $159 that I'm happy with. I still see them pop up on shoe bank though.

So bourbon has had a troubled history with AE?

I believe there have been some issues with inconsistent coloring, from what I understand their bourbon is just burnished walnut which I think is the root cause. I have seen "bourbon" Allen Edmonds that range anywhere from barely darker than Walnut to almost a mid-brown. There have also been some issues with the burnishing process creating some "tiger stripes" or "splotches" of darker coloring. Then there were some batches that seemed to have a greenish tint to them. I know a lot of people who are really happy with AE bourbon shoes, but I think the inconsistencies and above issues have turned some folks off to the "color". If I had any need for another lighter brown shoe I would have no problem getting a pair.

[SWong37]

I grabbed bourbon dalton seconds for $159 that I'm happy with. I still see them pop up on shoe bank though.

So bourbon has had a troubled history with AE?

[Token]

Managed to get through the bourbon sale period without buying anything, although the mcallisters were tempting

[srlclark]

After a brief revival of bourbon, it looks as though AE has taken all of its bourbon shoes off the website again. They're not even available on clearance, which surprises me. I guess they were effectively making them as requested on a sort of MTO basis. (There didn't seem to be many popping up on the Shoebank).

So long again, bourbon. At least until next time. At which point it will hopefully be a dyed rather than burnished bourbon that's a more reliable mid-brown without the danger of tiger striping, looking too green, or looking too much like walnut.

[Rocco]

I'm totally down with the splotchy character, but one shoe was noticeably darker than the other, even from across the room. And I'm OCD haha

Here's a good example of "green" bourbon from eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allen-Edmond...EAAOSwFnFWET4e



It's all down to lighting and photography. I very very rarely notice the green tint in person.

Not sure about closeout firsts at the shoebank.

[Matchbook]

Bourbon is my favorite color by AE, honestly. But, even with firsts, there's really no guarantee that the burnishing is going to be uniform. My Daltons are a prime example, as there's a large dark patch on the vamp of the left boot that's not present on the right. Doesn't bother me, as I think that certain cosmetic irregularities like that add "character." If you need everything to be uniform, Bourbon may be an OCD nightmare for you. That said, the pair of Bourbon seconds I have (Randolphs) look fine and I really couldn't find the error on them for months until I was cleaning and polishing them (ended up being a slight mis-stitch on the vamp). And none of my shoes look green, so that's strange.

[srlclark]

Yeah, good point about the seconds. I believe that bourbon seconds can be especially risky. I'll keep an eye on bourbon firsts and see how I feel when they start to run out. I imagine even that is several weeks away.

Dalton is probably the most useful for me, as I currently don't own a dress boot. I'll also consider a bourbon Carlyle, but I believe that bourbon didn't work as well with plain shoes as with brogues.

(Also, isn't it that case that at a certain point in the closeout process, they move all shoes to the Shoebank, so that you can get closeout firsts from there? I picked up a pair of brown Kenilworths from the Shoebank in October that I could swear are firsts. But perhaps I'm wrong).

I agree, they typically look much darker than that. I would get another pair if I were you, but like you said, maybe not another Strand. I'm very tempted to get a pair of bourbon McGregors for everyday wear, but black Park Aves are higher on the list for now.

I'll warn you that I have had to send back Bourbon seconds before because each shoe was a slightly different shade, even though they appeared to match in the picture the rep sent. It's all part of the seconds game, as I'm sure you know.