Re: The Bourbon Thread!!
 

Well, I told myself I was taking a break from buying anymore bottles. Yea, right. :fp

https://i.imgur.com/0v2eK8Zl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RkF16VKl.jpg

Re: The Bourbon Thread!!
 

130+ proof, nice Bob!

I received a bottle from one Mr. Ben Stearns yesterday...also 13+ proof and right in my wheelhouse. Thank you Ben !

https://i.imgur.com/WWSdhkK.jpg

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I’m hoping it’s good, Tom. He wasn’t pouring samples. But I’ve enjoyed most of their store picks so far.

Oh, he offered to sell me a Whistle Pig 21 year Beholden, at msrp ($800). Ouch.

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Christmas allocated drops have been announced at the local spot, they tried being cute last year with random timed releases each day but they probably got tired of people standing around in the store so this year they're going straightforward, a table of stuff out when they open each morning Friday-Sunday. Usually the first 2-3 spots get the big boys (pappy, birthday bourbon, etc) and the next dozen or so get something special (parkers, 4R LE, etc). Last year I got an EHT BP at one of these but the guy a few in front of me that was only there a couple hours earlier got Pappy 23, hopefully I can out-crazy them this year :noon:sl:tf

Get that overpriced single malt out of here!

Actually that price is pretty fair but I'm certainly not a buyer, I have a friend that got one but never heard if he liked it or not

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Im hoping I can snag something from my local store. Owner mentioned a while back their allotment was coming in. Keep going by every few days to see what’s new. Not sure I’ve developed the clout yet. He didn’t mention anything today about those, so the WP surprised me.

BTW, that Blantons is a store pick. Not sure when I’ll crack that. Maybe Xmas.

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Well midwinter night dram and two bottle high west bundle dropping in Minneapolis tomorrow am at top ten so at 9 will see what me and mom get

Should be fun she has never been in a bourbon line

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Cracked open the OFSiBBP. The nose reminds me of buttered French toast with maple syrup. Not shabby for a neck pour.

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Oh that will be fun. Hopefully she enjoys it. -(P

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We are not sure about the annual massive New Year's Eve Eve drop from Saz/BT and Spec's this year. The social media guy from the main store has let it be known he is not in the loop for this year's potential drop. My telegram group is saying it will move from the main Dallas store to one close to my office and corporate apartment. How big and what will be available, we have not heard yet. Last year, the party started 5 days earlier and there was several thousand in line. I avoid it if possible, but with a bed/show/toilet within striking distance, I might consider it if the rumor is true.

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Always sounds like a fun time, but even with decent weather I'm not gonna be waiting days, especially not for store picks even if it's a whole lot of all the good ones. I'm hoping to score something shiny that makes me feel like the numb toes were worth it :tu

In my experience there are two very different ways it can go when somebody else sees this side of the hobby. I'll never forget the thanksgiving drop when a guy brought his girlfriend, got there 5 minutes before they opened so he was about 300 people back, then she pulls out her phone to make a video calling everybody there plus her boyfriend an idiot for waiting for bourbon. I can't imagine it was worth the day full of ridicule for a consolation bottle of Eagle Rare :r :sl

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Tony have you seen any Blanton's Gold store picks? I've got a friend in Texas that got one and said there were a few other stores around that had them, first I'd heard of them but he said it was delicious

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Well very civilized, skipped the mid winters since they offered me an Elmer t with a anejo cincorro bundle and mom and old ritz 17 with a casa azul

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Double Jackpot!

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Great scores, John!

Glad the OF is good, Bob.

Ben, out-crazy them all for sure!

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Good score! -(P

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I haven't seen it, but I haven't been looking for Blantons either. I have plenty as is. I picked up a Gold earlier this year. I should check to see if it was a SP or not. -(P

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Did a little hunting while I was out Xmas shopping. As usual, my local store comes thru.

https://i.imgur.com/qjmSccwm.jpg

Looks like they’re putting out various HTF bottles. There was another one I wanted but it was a limit of one. So I had a friend stop by after work. Snagged me a Bookers 2022-01. :banger

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:adam:adam:adam:adam:adam

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Some more nice pickups, Bob. :tu :al

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Pretty much.

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So Spec's has announced the New Year's drop for this year. Again, it will be i three locations, Houston, Austin and DFW, for this Thursday at 10am. This year, they have moved the DFW location to north Irving, so near my office. I suspect that DPD decided they had enough of having to monitor several thousand people standing in line for three days to pick up allocated bourbon, thus they moved it to another large store (basically a half size big box store, formally a Best Buy).

I haven't decided if I am going to go yet, but I am not going to camp out for the next three days just to be getting first dibs on the bourbon. There are already two tents set up outside the store. Irving PD also won't put up with ****, so we'll see what happens.

Here is the list and locations.

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...TSCwK6v-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...qShjhS6-XL.jpg

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I opened a Weller Full Proof pick with much trepidation last night. It’s a Warehouse Liquors single barrel and I had been disappointed by a Stagg Jr. Warehouse pick I opened a couple weeks ago.

My fears were quickly allayed with orange peel and burnt sugar on the nose, sweet heat on the palate, and a long finish. It’s still not in the league with the Binny’s latest WFP pick, but it’s a league above the Warehouse Stagg pick.

https://i.imgur.com/3dVKkIJ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/A1liQyU.jpg

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My haircut got delayed an hour yesterday, so I went to Garfield's and they had a Still Austin single barrel pick. I've been intrigued by the brand, but the other store nearby that had a cask strength pick (Binny's) offered it only in a high rye version. I passed for months on that, but when I saw Garfield's had a CS straight bourbon pick, I decided to try a pour at their bar.

https://i.imgur.com/ZI7W2DV.jpg

Enjoyed it and told the bartender was going to grab a bottle. He said in that case the pour was on him. Brought it home and had another pour. little different as the bar's bottle had been open a couple weeks, but still really tasty.

https://i.imgur.com/GHR60LJ.jpg

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Hmm…I saw a SP of this at Total Wine yesterday and passed on it. Might need to head back.

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I've seen two varieties around here, Bob, High Rye Bourbon & regular Straight bourbon. I have not tried the high rye version.

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Well in a couple weeks I’ll have a DEVR :O

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So today, the FOMO overtook me and I went to the local Spec's for the mega NYE drop. It was impressive. I got there around 7:30 am and was about 405 in line. At 9am, they required everyone to remove their chair and stand until you got in. Peter sent this pick and pretty much X marks where I started.

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...2MNF47b-XL.jpg

I was finally able to enter the store at 1pm. The guys I met ordered lunch through Uber eats and got me a sandwich. They were quite fun to talk to. As we entered, you grab a cart and follow the maze until you get to the tables that had everything. Almost everything was a store pick. The Hancock wasn't, but the distributor sent the Hancock intended for today to another distribution center. Oops.

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...PrgJZTD-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...S7w7GfG-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...TLpQ2xz-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...q4T5v6n-XL.jpg

I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left. The EHT and Willet Purple was gone by the time I got in, but my group of guys got the last 5 bottles of Stagg, which i really wanted. I also got the last bottle of Hancock. I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left, came home, showered and napped. Around 630pm, I decided to go back and pick some scraps. The Blantons was all gone, as was the ER, but the OFSBBS was still there and the BT. That was when the district manager yell out to everyone, "TAKE IT ALL! NO LIMITS!" I grabbed more OFSBBS and BT but some others. One guy took 5 cases of BT. Another grabbed a case of OFSBBS.


Here is my final haul, including the Blantons Gold.

https://photos.smugmug.com/RandomUpl...m3DxKTx-X2.jpg

It was a good day and my debit card (5% discount for cash and debit transactions) is melted. -(P

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Nice haul Beagle.

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I've really been enjoying this Ragged Branch store pick. I'm usually not much of a fan of "Double Oaked" whiskies, as the oak usually seems overpowering. This one's definitely oak forward, but it quickly fades. It's quite tasty.

https://i.imgur.com/JhSlf8J.jpg

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This is insane, really wish Michigan didn't suck ass for bourbon. I have never seen a Stagg, Blantons Gold, or Hancocks Reserve on a shelf here.

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Local store here had an end cap full of Blantons Gold early New Years Eve day. Picked up a bottle. Had to go back about 3 hours later, no more Blantons !

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Nice score Scott!

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Wow!!!! That is a lot of hard to find bourbon!

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New Years Eve was a day of great whiskey, starting with some sample kills at Peter's including some (allegedly 16yr) Blanton's from 1991 to a super rye blind flight in the afternoon where Booker's Rye took down POAC, PHC 10yr and 2022 THH in that order. Finished with a purple top OG mash vertical 6,8,9,10yrs. Took yesterday off :r

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A few months back a local friend was splitting a bottle up, another friend said he'd buy me one ounce if I'd get one for him, he ended with a cohiba in the box with his sample and everybody ended up happy. I was just waiting until the right time to get into the sample

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Out running errands, stopped by my local store. The owner was in and got a chance to talk with him. Took down my name/number to add to his raffle list. It’s his list of regular bourbon buyers that he blind raffles off bottles of his high end stuff. If my name is picked, I can grab a bag. Fingers crossed.

Oh yea, they still had a couple older Bookers in the back. Grabbed this.
https://i.imgur.com/f7Us4BAm.jpg

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love finding old Booker's batches "in the wild", Bob.

Hope you score something cool in the raffle. :tu

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Finally finished the bottle hotreds Hugh gifted me back in August. 141+ proof of sheer flavor. Thank you again, Hugh.

https://i.imgur.com/d0cNKoX.jpg

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They had the 2022-01 also. But I had my friend grab that bottle right before Christmas.

141 proof. You could run your car on that.

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Anyone else see all the hubbub with ECBP C923 and the laser codes?

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Did you ever see "Lawless" with Tom Hardy, Bob? Great movie, and Shia LeBoof ;) does exactly that. :r

That some people are saying some laser codes are better than others? Bourbon's version of box codes?

Well, I must have gotten one of the lesser codes, because I wasn't all that impressed. :2

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Whoooo eeeee 141+ proof!!! That will wake you up hah!!

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One pour will. 2 pours will put you to sleep. ;) :lr

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I did not. Might have to check it out.

Yea, supposedly if the laser code you want is A23. The A22 is getting lesser reviews.

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I won't be grabbing another unless it's at MSRP.

Yeah, Lawless is worth a watch for sure.

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I have not heard this, but would be surprised if there was a difference between what was bottled one day vs the next for something that there was only one batch of. That being said, who knows. I was able to grab a pair at SRP over the holidays, pretty happy with the bottle I opened in that it is some great bourbon and an excellent batch of ECBP, probably wouldn't put it as best whiskey of the year but I've spent more than $80 on bottles I like a whole lot less many, many times

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Yeah, the new normal :(