I have no idea. I poured it because it was the bottle my friend was trying to steer me away from. I listened to him for the next glass and tried the Thomas Handy Sazerac rye, which I gather is also super fancy, but I liked the Orphan better.

Killer lineup. Can't go wrong with any of those. I would definitely need a cab home.

The Orphan Barrel Rhetorics go from 20-25 years. While they change a bit year-to-year, there's no commonly accepted sweet spot for them. Thomas H. Handy, being a ~6 year, barrel proof rye, is going to stand out as young, bold, and spicy compared to a mature, 90-proof oak bomb like the Rhetorics.

Just tasted this year's Old Forester Birthday Bourbon... one of the best pours I've tried in a long time.

I realize this thread is mostly about high(er) end Bourbon but I'll pitch Benchmark as a really tasty cheap bourbon. It's perfect for the last drink of night or for mixing.

There's room in this thread for that too. Last week at the end of a long week I had a shot of Makers Mark and a nice IPA chaser and it hit the spot.

Fair enough. Maker's is my mainstay but Benchmark is one third of the cost.

High West Double Rye

It’s fine — need to re-supply my Sazerac stash though, still haven’t found something better in that price range.

Unfortunately NC ABC sucks so I’m not sure I’ll ever get a chance to try the Sazerac 18 at least in the current climate — or any other BTAC.

An interesting way to endorse it.

Reminds me of that beer that used the confusing slogan: "The one beer to drink if you're drinking more than one."

Not just a slogan, it was a jingle too. I can still hear the tune in my head.

Shaeffer. Good enough to serve to my father's poker buddies as well.

Saw Sazerac 18 at a LHR duty free this past weekend. They wanted 300 pounds. Nope.

I love the Thomas Handy Rye, and I bet I'd love the Sazerac 18. But not at $400+.

Actually might have gone for that though admittedly is pricey -- I literally can't get my hands on it in NC (sure I sign up for the lottery every year but it's almost certainly rigged for those connected to the ABC store since it happens privately behind closed doors). In my years of living here, I've never gotten anything from an NC lottery (Pappy, BTAC, one-offs, etc.) -- and these days it's hard to even get my hand on the Baby Saz (I typically have to get it shipped from out of state or pick it up when I travel to CA/NY, it never really makes it to NC).

And the old secondary market seems to have Saz 18 routinely in the $800-900.

Unfortunately have nothing planned through LHR in the next few weeks so don't have to worry about deciding on that one :D

300 GBP= $387

Sazerac 18 is one of the more limited BTAC...

I'ld pay that.. I wouldn't pay that for William Larue Weller, George T STagg or Thomas Handy

but yes in a heartbeat for Saz 18 or Eagle Rare 17

For reference

I see the Saz 18 going for $70-800 easily on the secondary, even in spite that the last two releases are "new"

Find an older tanked Saz 18 though.. much better than the stuff actually distilled by BT

FDW

Mrs BamaVol gave me a bottle of Jefferson’s Reserve Friday to celebrate my retirement. I am enjoying both.

ABC Store was out of my usual Rittenhouse Rye (and of course my go-to baby Sazerac nowhere to be seen in the state of NC).

Grabbed a bottle of the 100 proof Old Forrester Rye which sells for about the same as the Rittenhouse at the NC ABC.

Pretty tasty -- not as heavy "rye" with that spicy "rye" taste as the Rittenhouse (which is why I love it) but a pretty good drink for the price point

Agree that the 2019 OFBB is very good. Near impossible to find for sale at retail, unfortunately.

Inviting all FT bourbon lovers to the 16th Horse and Bourbon DO in LEX. Over Easter weekend, April 9-12, 2020. Might be able to have an extra day because of the holiday.

We have people who come every time. You will enjoy I think. Distillery/bar visits, southern food, brewpubs, best ice cream in KY, party on the lake, points/miles talk.

Thread in Community Buzz, generally on the first page.

wow - I'd pay ~$400 for WLW any day of the week

I was just notified I won the Maine Spirits lottery to buy a bottle of Pappy van Winkle 20 for $180. Looking forward to trying it! Though part of me wants to turn around and sell it...

congrats - open it and enjoy it!

Enjoy with friends. Then sell the empty bottle.

please don’t take this advice. There are fakes floating around - people will refill empties and resell at huge markups.

That's what I'd thought people bought the empty bottles for. It will get recycled on the day it finally is empty...

To be clear, I agree with his point about opening it an enjoying it :)

Picked up a Pikesville Rye at the Durham ABC the other day (on "sale" for the month of March). Very tasty -- a more refined Rittenhouse (it's baby brother) and a great sipper where Rittenhouse is better served as a mixer (a very good one but it's pretty hot and spicy on its own).

May have to grab another bottle before the end of March while the "sale" is still going on.

If the Durham ABC you're going to is the one on Guess and Carver stop by my office and say hi. I'm .4 miles away :D

Congrats! This year’s Pappy 20yr is excellent. Last couple years sucked. Pappy is back.

I’ve seen this year’s Saz at closer to $1,500 because of how few were produced. Which is crazy because older bottles are slow to catch up. Even pre-tank bottles were cheaper. Saz isn’t my thing, but if paying secondary rates, pre-tank is what I’d be spending my $ on.

Ah never been to that ABC. Post COVID19 will have to make my way over there. The Durham ABC on Hillsborough is my go-to and the one on Durham-Chapel Hill Road is my backup.

As for tonight -- killed my last remaining bottle of Buffalo Trace that was leftover from our wedding 18 months ago and opened up a new bottle of Sazerac. Down to just 3 bottles of Sazerac (more like 2.8 after tonight) -- need to figure out how to obtain more at a reasonable price (with reasonable shipping).

Back in the fall I happened upon an unopened case of E.H. Taylor Single Barrel on the floor of a Texas liquor store. I only bought two bottles and am kind of kicking myself for not buying the full case. Haven't opened either bottle yet but am leaning towards keeping one and selling the other. I've always enjoyed the Barrel Proof expression of EHT (in bars and restaurants, I've never found a bottle for sale at MSRP).

Does Maine's lottery require state residency?

Aside from the legal issues, you’re not going to be able to sell the EHT single barrel for much more than you paid for it in the first place. There’s little secondary value to it. Since it’s single barrel there is some variance but it’s usually a solid drinker. Because you bought two bottles from the same case there’s a pretty good chance they’re from the same barrel... might as well crack one open and see if you like it.

Alas and alack (for you), yes.

Update: I opened the bottle and sampled it. Delicious!

Nah, keep it around. Refill it with Malört. Place it in a highly visible part of your bar/cabinet and wait for your unsuspecting friends to ask to try it. Then ask them what they think with a straight face.

Hah, that's hilarious.

I actually tried Malort a few months ago. It was, to put it mildly, vile.

Bourbon Shortage?
 

Have major distilleries cut back or suspended bottling and shipping operations due to COVID-19? I've been in a couple of liquor stores in the past month and noticed that the shelves aren't as well stocked with many popular mid-shelf bourbons as I'm used to seeing.

I know that several distilleries have temporarily cut over to production of high strength grain alcohol for hand sanitizer usage but that would not impact bottling of juice that was entered into barrels for aging a long time ago.

Full shelves by me. And several barrel picks that my local stores weren’t expecting for some time yet showed up early.

Good to know. Maybe my timing was just poor relative to when the liquor stores I visited get their weekly deliveries.

Could be, especially if demand by you is anything like it is here. The manager of my usual store says they’re doing probably 30-40% more business than usual.

I was in the neighborhood of the "signature" ABC store (where they stock higher-end items than the regular ones in the area). Imagine my disappointment to see it closed with a sign suggesting it was due to a Covid-19 exposure and steering me to a couple of other locations (none of which have the selection I was interested in).

VA ABC is also limiting access to over half their stores, such that customers aren't allowed to browse the aisles and instead are steered to "ask the clerk for recommendations, or check inventory online before going to the store." IME, the signature location often has stuff not on the website, so it's doubly disappointing not to be able to browse.

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I picked up a Knob Creek single barrel store pick (Goody Goody) yesterday. I'm looking forward to cracking it open and giving it a try. Bottled at 120 proof and this particular one was aged 11 years, 3 months. Will be interesting to see how it compares to standard Knob Creek.

Edited to add: selection seemed to be back to normal yesterday.

Tasty stuff... one of my favorites. If you've got a good crew picking the barrels they can be really spectacular. I've had some that were over 14 years old. And $45ish for an 11+ year bourbon at near cask strength might be one of the best values out there today.