Blades & Bourbon

hhmoore said:
Got to work on finishing the open bottle before tequila season starts :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I didn't know that there's a "season" for drinking tequila but it does remind me of a trip that I took to Mexico in 2010 when I bought this "collector" edition bottle of "Reserva de la Familia" at the Jose Cuervo distillery in Tequila north of Guadalajara where I stayed before returning to PV by car. :)

The box was designed by a Mexican artist named Pablo Vargo Lugo and his signature is "silk screened" on the bottom of the box. They have a different Mexican artist design the box for this series every year.

You can see my box on the 3rd row from the top near the right, here:

5nKGP9x.jpg


Still have about an inch in the bottle (after 11 years). So, I obviously don't drink the stuff very often. LOL!! ;)

I'm not a great judge of tequila, since I drink so little of it, but this stuff is GREAT sipped neat. :cool:

cVxj0YU.jpg
 
Last edited:
sgt1372 sgt1372 Bourbon (neat) doesn't taste right to me in the summer...so I drink tequila. Outside of that, I generally won't choose tequila over bourbon; so my "tequila season" runs from June to September
I've had a bottle of Reserva de la Familia for nearly as long...partially because I save it for when a good friend is here. The agave notes are fairly subtle; and I've had people think it was bourbon (though they may just have been playing the odds, lol)
I'm going to hit up a local shop, see if they will get me a bottle of Don Fulano Anejo. Haven't had it since NY shut down interstate shipments to individuals. Hate to think what it will cost - was about $130/bottle last time I got it...but
View attachment 1557626

*Edited to ad - I just checked... My box is from the 2007 collection. I know I didn't buy it before 2011; it was probably 2012.
The 2007 box is 2nd shelf from top, 2nd in from left
 
Last edited:
Another "find" at my LLS that specializes in "hard to find" bourbons to add to the "library."

According to my "research" it's the 15th release Stagg Jr. that was probably bottled in late 2020.

4yqM5Kt.jpg


Paid 3x retail for it but have NEVER seen a bottle of it in my area b4. So, it's going into the "library" for tasting later.
 
Last edited:
In case you haven't seen them yet (and assuming that you even care), here are the American Whiskey results from the 2021 SF World Spirits Competition that were recently released.

The only one of these that I have is the McKenna 10, which I like very much. Been seeing it on shelves everywhere recently. Probably should buy another bottle or 2 before there's a run on them. ;)

Similar but not identical bottles that have on the shelf are Stillhouse Black Bourbon, Barrel Bourbon Cask Strength - Batch 24 - 9 yr and Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch and recently finished a bottle of 1792 Full Proof.

Will try to find/taste the Stillhouse Original because it's cheap and because Stillhouse Black Bourbon is now one of my faves, but don't think I'll try to bother finding the Barrel Bourbon or 1792 winners.


AMERICAN WHISKEY

Best Straight Bourbon: 1792, Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon, USA

Best Small Batch Bourbon – Up to 5 Years: Barrell [Bourbon], Private Release BA1C, USA

Best Small Batch Bourbon – 6 to 10 Years; Best Small Batch Bourbon: Parker’s Heritage Collection, 14th Edition Bourbon, USA

Best Small Batch Bourbon – 11 Years and Older: Blue Run, 14 YO Bourbon, USA

Best Small Batch Bourbon – 11 Years and Older; Best Single Bar: Blue Run, 13.5 Single Barrel Bourbon, USA

Best Single Barrel Bourbon – Up to 10 Years: Henry McKenna, Single Barrel, USA

Best Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Chateau de la Baude Cask Finish, USA

Best Craft Distiller Whiskey: Canyon Diablo Spirits, John Shaw Single Malt Mesquite Smoked Whiskey, USA

Best Tennessee Whiskey: Uncle Nearest, 1820 Premium Single Barrel Whiskey, USA

Best Corn Whiskey: Stillhouse, Original Whiskey, USA

Best Rye Whiskey: WhistlePig, The Boss Hog VII-Magellan’s Atlantic, Canada

Best Wheat Whiskey: Bainbridge, Two Islands Islay Cask Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey, USA

Best Single Grain Whiskey: Bainbridge, Yama Mizunara Cask Single Grain Whiskey, USA

Best American Blended Whiskey: High Bank, Whiskey War Barrel Proof, USA

Best Flavored Whiskey: Ugly Dog, S’mores Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, USA
 
Last edited:
hhmoore said:
sgt1372 sgt1372 You ready to open that bottle of Rare Breed, yet?
Click to expand...

No, not yet. How does it taste to you?

Currently working on a bottle of Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon which is very hot/spicy (as reviewers said it would be) which is good on ice. Just bought a back up bottle of McKenna 10 today and will work on the already opened bottle of it after I finish the Balcones.
 
Last edited:
sgt1372 said:
No, not yet. How does it taste to you?

Currently working on a bottle of Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon which is very hot/spicy (as reviewers said it would be) which is good on ice. Just bought a back up bottle of McKenna 10 today and will work on the already opened bottle of it after I finish the Balcones.
Click to expand...
I haven't been able to bring myself to buy Henry McKenna Single Barrel since the price doubled. Thought it was awesome at $27, and didn't blink as it increased to $35 (over the course of a few years)...but, with the local price now ranging from $55-99, I've chosen to enjoy other options.

Re: how does it taste - I'm not good at breaking down a flavor description; but I'm a big fan of Rare Breed. They've bumped the proof a few times since I started drinking it; and I think the 116.8 brings the most consistent flavor. Back when it was 108, the labels included batch# and the rickhouse in which it was aged.
I used to prefer Kentucky Spirit; but I'm not sure that is still the case. I feel a side by side coming
 
I think the prices will jump even higher after this news... Especially with the shortage of 1792 since it was sold to unknown to me buyer.
My local stores have only the remainings of the small batch and that's it. 10 yo McKena is hard to find anyway but still can be discovered here and there for about $49-$50something...
 
hhmoore said:
I haven't been able to bring myself to buy Henry McKenna Single Barrel since the price doubled. Thought it was awesome at $27, and didn't blink as it increased to $35 (over the course of a few years)...but, with the local price now ranging from $55-99, I've chosen to enjoy other options.
Click to expand...

I have a pretty extreme view of bourbon pricing, since I only seriously started buying bourbon about 3 months ago (after the major run up in bourbon prices) and because I live in the SF Bay Area in CA where most of the "touted" bourbons are NOT readily available and where everything costs more than anywhere else in the US anyway.

So, I've taken the "if it's there and I want it and can afford it, buy it now or you may never see it again" approach.

In fact, after I bought the backup bottle of McKenna 10 yesterday for $60, it is NO LONGER listed as available for sale at the same store (or any nearby TWMs) even though there were 6 bottles on the shelf at that time.

That's why I also bought the bottle of Booker's for $80 and the Stagg Jr. for $150 that I saw recently, as well as the 6 bottles of Eagle Rare at $35/each that I bought a few months before them.

I figured if I didn't buy them then, I would just never see them again and, so far, that has generally turned out to be true.

-----------------------------------------------

BTW, if you are looking for something good but cheap, I'd recommend the Stillhouse Bourbon Black which has become one of my favorites.

I've been looking for the Stillhouse Original (which "won" for "best corn whiskey" in the list above) but it's not available at my local TWM or BevMo stores. TWM only stocks Stillhouse's flavored whiskeys but not the "Original Bourbon" for some reason.

The Stillhouse Black Bourbon only retails for $23/750ml and I haven't seen any run up it their pricing yet fact, which I believe is due to a general lack of familiarity w/the brand and the fact that it comes in what looks like a can of thinner. I actually saw the last can of Bourbon Black for sale at my local Raley's for just $15 not too long ago, which they no longer stock on their shelves.

Should have bought it but I didn't which again brings into play my "if it's there," buy it" policy. LOL! ;)
 
Last edited:
Just bought these 2 bottles which placed 2nd and 3rd to Michter's 10 (which I already have) in the following blind taste test:

Here's Who Won Our Big Single Barrel Bourbon Blind Taste Test.

Have no plans to open them yet. Just wanted to have them on hand when I am ready to do so. Had been planning to buy the JD Select for some time but the WT Kentucky Spirit was entirely new to me.

Among other things, I want to see how regular JD compares w/JD Select and how WT Kentucky Spirit compares w/WT Rare Breed.

xGer3zZ.jpg
 
So quick tale, the wife and I are enjoy a mini-local(ish) get away to Pittsburgh for a convention...
We explored on foot, and found ourselves in a Liquor store before ubering back to our hotel, and stumbled across this gem on the shelf...
Now this gem is actually made in Hershey PA these days, but started in the town we live in, and this "batch #1" is in fact when they were still there... So we basically drove across the state to find hometown bourbon...
frfmccJ.jpg

*(now I know central PA isn't renown as a bourbon hub, but this guy here, this one is pretty dang tasty! And I hate this town, so trust me when I say I'm not biased in favor of, but rather against. This bourbon and local bologna, might be the 2 best things to come out of Lebanon, PA)...
 
So, check out this pricing for Weller at my LLS. LOL!!!! :eek:

rO7Zt3i.jpg


I also took a pic of the McKenna10 that they are currently selling at $130 but I cut off the pricing in the photo. Will take another photo of it later. Just bought a back up bottle of McKenna 10 for $60 at TWM after the SF International Spirits Competition results were released.

This is why I'm going back to buying/drinking scotch instead. ;)

BTW, the "list price" for CYPB is $50 and the ask is $900 apparently because it was just rated "THE BEST BOURBON IN THE WORLD" by a group of "judges" sponsored by a publishing company in the UK. LOL! 🤣

See: http://www.worldwhiskiesawards.com/...t-kentucky-bourbon-world-whiskies-awards-2021
 
Last edited:
Opened the bottle of Jack Daniels - Single Barrel Select (pictured above) yesterday and it was VERY, VERY GOOD!

Really smooth and suitable to drink neat, which is how I like to drink my whiskey. n Don't think I'll be buying any "regular" JD ever again and I'm tempted to just throw out what I have left.

I think it's THAT good! Check it out.

It only costs about $40/bottle at my local TWM which is a "bargain" for bourbon these days.
 
Last edited:
Well, being busy and couldn't post but this is the spread from last Friday:
Blue Note store pick, Baker's #7, regular Angel's Envy, Turning Dice, Early Times ( just hard to find bottle) and excellent Yellowstone,
plus 3 samples: Old Forester 1870, 1897 and a sample from the new Chattanooga Port Cask finish.

q9jlGg.jpg


Later on, we opened the StagJr and 4 samples of Deanston Scotch, great stuff.

iYsFXE.jpg


DnxxmS.jpg


Knife is Civivi Imperium_C2106A in Nitro V if you can trust the Chinese... :cool:

I also had a chance to try the very rare Blanton's Gold edition, great stuff, and this Tequila from Costco, probably one of the best tequilas I ever tried!

Mee9fN.jpg


driJFH.jpg


...And I finished my 1st bottle of Weller 12, so I consider this to be a very well rounded week, and I'm looking forward to the long Memorial day weekend !

Cheers and thank you for your service to all Servicemen in the forum !

cBmWsz.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top