Lets talk about bourbon, scotch and whiskey

[mdf]

For who every needs to hear it… next time you’re buying that $500 bottle of bourbon from a rando in a sketchy facebook group, make sure it’s not a fake!

This is a quite enjoyable read
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/dining/drinks/fake-bourbon.html
“To the casual eye, there was nothing amiss about the bottle of whiskey sitting on a shelf at Acker, a wine store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But for anyone who knew what to look for, the warning signs were clear.”

$500? pocket change in the wine-fraud business....
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/sep/11/the-great-wine-fraud-a-vintage-swindle

 

[Tricia]

I had a conversation with @bbinder about some ads I was seeing on FB for $2000 Eagle Rare. Both of us figured that we may as well give them our ss#, name of our favorite pet and mother's maiden name.
*screenshot of link/ad, to avoid posting the actual link.
$60 for a $2000 bottle of bourbon.

 

[BigSlick]

Good to know. I haven't tried their rye but now you've got me drooling for a few fingers of their bourbon! And you can use the bottle as a weapon when it's empty!

EDIT:
View attachment 154823

I second the Frey Ranch rye. Best they offer as of now, too good to mix in an OF or Manny. Their bourbon is promising, but needs another year or two in the barrel. If you do like their bourbon, then try their single barrel cask strength offerings that pop up at Raley‘s and Total Wine.

 

[Rostapher]

$500? pocket change in the wine-fraud business....
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/sep/11/the-great-wine-fraud-a-vintage-swindle

Another enjoyable article with a very similar feel, but with much higher stakes And what a lovely group of people to hang out with

 

[BLiP]

500? pocket change in the wine-fraud business....

I had a bottle of Margaux Grand Vin recently and the security measures taken for a bottle of wine are laughable. The bottle is laser etched with a serial number and it comes with a bubble coded non-removable security label. You can go online and check the authenticity of your bottle. I guess people will forge anything to make a few dollars.

 

[TexasStout]

I had a conversation with @bbinder about some ads I was seeing on FB for $2000 Eagle Rare. Both of us figured that we may as well give them our ss#, name of our favorite pet and mother's maiden name.
*screenshot of link/ad, to avoid posting the actual link.
$60 for a $2000 bottle of bourbon.
View attachment 154851

There's a number of posts on FB warning about this being a scam site for a variety of products from people who have been ripped off.

 

[Andy Mink]

I guess this fits here. I'd never heard of sotol before so this caught my attention at Total Wine and Spirits. A quick read on the short history of Desert Door revealed a neat path to where they're at. Apparently, sotol is a plant that is used fairly widely in Mexico to make spirits but Desert Door harvests and distills in Texas. My initial reaction is it has a vaguely familiar tequila nose, but not tequila. On the palate I get some anise mixed with herbal/earthy flavors. It finishes smoothly. I tried it neat, as according to one review water or ice will dilute it enough to mask the delicate flavors of this clear spirit. I'd definitely look to the larger bottle should it not be too expensive. This little guy was in the "gotcha" rack up near the checkout.

 

[Andy Mink]

 

[Ogg]

View attachment 155088

That's way too much to add to something I enjoy neat, with a splash or ice cube, IMO.

 

[Andy Mink]

That's way too much to add to something I enjoy neat, with a splash or ice cube, IMO.

Yeah, I like cherries plain too!

 

[Paul Lutes]

Haven't seen/tasted the Tillen Farms Pearl cherries - please describe.

 

[Andy Mink]

Haven't seen/tasted the Tillen Farms Pearl cherries - please describe.

Smaller BadaBings. Same Tillen Farms. I use them mostly because it's fancy.

 

[pete]

I had a bottle of Margaux Grand Vin recently and the security measures taken for a bottle of wine are laughable. The bottle is laser etched with a serial number and it comes with a bubble coded non-removable security label. You can go online and check the authenticity of your bottle. I guess people will forge anything to make a few dollars.

Folks will forge anything for money. Lots of stories on Counterfeit everything from fashion cloths, wine, watches, meds, semiconductors and even whole servers.

I work avoidance as part of my job and one of my favorite stories on it was from 5 yrs ago regarding wine: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-39404487

60 min did a story long before this on recycled and forged semiconductors. Some pretty stiff federal laws if you sell to the US Gov't ... which I like.

 

[Rdputnam515]

Let’s not forget just plain old, cheap, delicious

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

if anyone into bourbon has forgotten about it, pick up a bottle and try it neat. It even has a new classy looking bottle and label.

i was completely shocked at how great it tasted after years of turning my nose up at it. can be had for $19 and sips better than $40 Woodford Reserve.

completely serious here

 

[doc]

Let’s not forget just plain old, cheap, delicious

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

if anyone into bourbon has forgotten about it, pick up a bottle and try it neat. It even has a new classy looking bottle and label.

i was completely shocked at how great it tasted after years of turning my nose up at it. can be had for $19 and sips better than $40 Woodford Reserve.

completely serious here

Review of WT at about the 4:00 mark.

 

[BigSlick]

Let’s not forget just plain old, cheap, delicious

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

if anyone into bourbon has forgotten about it, pick up a bottle and try it neat. It even has a new classy looking bottle and label.

i was completely shocked at how great it tasted after years of turning my nose up at it. can be had for $19 and sips better than $40 Woodford Reserve.

completely serious here

Russell Reserve 10 y and Russell Reserve Single Barrel picks are some of the best (albeit more than $20) that WT produces, along with Rare Breed (barrel proof) and Kentucky Spirt (basically single barrel 101). My personal favorite is the WT Rare Breed Rye.

 

[Rdputnam515]

Russell Reserve 10 y and Russell Reserve Single Barrel picks are some of the best (albeit more than $20) that WT produces, along with Rare Breed (barrel proof) and Kentucky Spirt (basically single barrel 101). My personal favorite is the WT Rare Breed Rye.

The Rare Breed is hard to find by me. I will keep looking, but I can find Eagle Rare easier and with a $25-$30 price tag I’d rather go there? How much is the Rate Breed?

 

[BigSlick]

The Rare Breed is hard to find by me. I will keep looking, but I can find Eagle Rare easier and with a $25-$30 price tag I’d rather go there? How much is the Rate Breed?

The Rare Breed Bourbon is $49 and the Rye is $59 retail, but they are 112 proof so lots of bang for the buck. Got my last bottle at Costco... should have bought 2. Russell's 10 year is around $30-$35 and IMHO is better than Eagle Rare IMHO. Also, don't sleep on Old Grand Dad 114, which is around $30.

 

[Rdputnam515]

The Rare Breed Bourbon is $49 and the Rye is $59 retail, but they are 112 proof so lots of bang for the buck. Got my last bottle at Costco... should have bought 2. Russell's 10 year is around $30-$35 and IMHO is better than Eagle Rare IMHO. Also, don't sleep on Old Grand Dad 114, which is around $30.

I will be on the lookout for all the above!

thanks for the tips!

 

[DocGKR]

Besides the occasional summer gin & tonic, following school I had never delved into hard spirits, preferring other beverages such as wine and beer. However, during the first year of COVID seclusion, I decided to explore Bourbon, as one of our Post-Docs did his PhD at the University of Louisville and waxed quixotically regarding the joys of a nice Bourbon and other brown spirits.

Woodford Reserve—works great as a nice simple smooth and mellow sipping bourbon and also mixes well for cocktails, specially mint juleps!

Blanton's Original Single Barrel—the first single barrel bourbon commercially available! Complex flavors, lovely finish, kick in the pants! Hard to go wrong with this one.

Angels Envy—Developed by Lincoln Hendersen, Woodford Reserve’s former master distiller and aged in old Port wine barrels. A bit of fruit flavor comes through, as does oak. Definitely worth trying alone or in a cocktail.

Eagle Rare 10—Dark complex flavors with a bit of oak. Can be sipped and is also great in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan.

Willett Pot Still Small Batch Reserve—Gloriously smooth and flavorful; delightful neat or with an ice cube. One of my favorites to sip so far!

Four Roses Small Batch Select—Elegant, complex, flavorful, smooth. It does not get much better than this!