New Bourbon Thread: Bourbon Trail

How oaky?

 

ec18 isn’t real oaky. 23 is but 18 is very nice.

 

I have a bottle I just haven't opened it, and was trying to decide whether to keep or trade.

 

I have one and wanted another. It is a very easy drink.

 

I'm almost done with mine that I got a few weeks ago. I like it a lot. Super oakey and almost has a scotch-like smokiness which I enjoy.

 

Well now I’m confused.

 

I disagree that it is super oaky.

 

From Breaking Bourbon...

NOSE

Warming and deliciously rich, Elijah Craig 18 Year starts off incredibly strong. Orange, chocolate, toasted oak, honey, vanilla, and custard form an aroma that leaps from the glass. Its sweetness is perfectly tempered against hearty oak notes creating an amazingly balanced nose.

palate

Equal amounts of vanilla and oak form the palate’s foundation, with light brown sugar, caramel, and a fruit salad-like pop of sweetness joining in. The oak remains throughout, but is kept in check thanks to the palate’s fruitier side. The result is a very likable medium-bodied palate that is a crowd-pleaser at heart.

finish

Heavy oak pulls forward during the finish and quickly overtakes many of the palate’s fruitier flavors. There’s a dankness that lingers, and while it’s not overpowering, it is quite noticeable. It doesn’t completely derail the finish, but takes an excellent bourbon down a notch.

 

I am by no means a trusted expert on tasting notes. It tastes old to me. But in a good way.

 

Can someone tell me about smoke wagon bourbons?

 

delicious mgp
12 yr store picks are awesome.

 

I've heard good things. Was thinking of buying a combo pack.

 

Where is this and how much. They do a great job on their bottles.

 

https://www.donsliquorsandwine.com/collections/home-page-whiskey/products/smoke-wagon

I'm sure its overpriced but whatevs

 

not sure whether it is overpriced. $50/bottle seems not that bad.

 

Looking over their combo page, they have some fantastic deals. They essentially sell their allocated or harder to find bottles by saying, “have this at retail if you buy another good bottle from that distiller that you’d have purchased anyway.” I really like that model.

Definite buy on their Midwinter Nights Dram bundle at $150, and if Buffalo Trace products are difficult to come by I’d scoop up either of their Eagle Rare bundles.

 

I've bought a michters 10 and michters bourbon from there for $180

Also a little book chapter 2 for $90

 

I have the middle one, haven’t cracked it yet though

 

It’s skinny bottle rye night. BrickTamland got me started with the YKY and It was a nice change of pace.

 

Damn that is a good looking line. Only had the YKY but the Handy and Dram are on my list of go gets.

 

I’d definitely get that Smoke Wagon combo, but thanks Georgia shipping laws

 

Same I had it in my cart and they won’t ship to ny

 

I did something very similar, just... you know, Rittenhouse and Sazerac instead of MWND and Handy.

 

They are not skinny bottles?

 

They’re not they’re just the only rye bottles I had open and I wanted to compare rye tasting notes while also making a funny joke about how great your collection is and how mine is filled with Rittenhouse gosh!

 

I like both of them a lot too. I think that is one of the nice things about rye. Even more so than bourbon you don’t have to pay a lot because young ryes are still great.

as an aside, if I had to do a comparison of these five now that I sampled all, I really can’t separate them. They are all enjoyable in their own way.

 

As an aside, I enjoyed that YKY quite a bit, then recorded myself drinking Sazerac and Rittenhouse afterwards.

Spoiler

 

I guess Early Times BiB will be allocated before long since Brown-Forman sold the brand to Sazerac

 

Swung by Total Wine today and picked up a few single barrel store picks and a Willett 4 year rye. I drank that last night and I really enjoyed it. I literally have no more regular storage spaces for this. My wife will not be happy soon.

 

I’m afraid to ask what your NY pricing was on a store pick Eagle Rare.

 

$39.59 + Tax. Just went on secondary and looks like I can get minimum double on all of this stuff. I paid $70.19 for the 4R OESF, and $49.99 on the Willett 4 year. I think I bought their last bottles of these.

 

Total Wine prices are usually fair in my experience.

 

$71 for the OESF is ridiculous, but I know the non-OBSV picks are hard to come by.

 

I remember those days

 

damn

 

Ridiculous in what way? Too high or too low?

 

Lexington KY Liquor Barn 2012

kentucky_dawg said that liquor barn has been bought out and now kind of sucks

 

I’m used to seeing the 4R single barrels for $40-42.

 

uh, you're confused.

 

Thats the price of the small batch here. $60 is the single barrel price

 

you're confused too.

there is a small batch
there is a single barrel (all the same recipe at the same proof)
there is the single barrel store pick (different recipes, barrel strength)

 

In Oregon I don’t think there is a price difference between store pick and single barrel, both are $60 if I remember correctly.

Small batch was $40 last I checked.

Edit went and checked OLCC price sheet. $40 for small batch, $50 for singles barrel and barrel select. Barrel proof is $80.

 

Yes, this is the barrel proof single barrel store pick. They sell for $79.99, but they were offering a 10% discount on most 750ml bottles.

Looks like secondary on it is around $140-150.

 

barrel select = barrel proof. they don't do single barrel selects at 100 proof to my knowledge.

 

secondary on these has gone up quite a bit the last 3 months. covid pricing.

 

there is also huge differences in secondary value of proofs/rickhouse tiers, recipes, the reputation of the picker, etc.

 

they may have it labeled wrong on their sheet & really mean Small Batch Select is $50 along with the regular single barrel

 

that would make more sense!

 

$49 for the Willet 4Y is a great find.

Picked up the GTS today and also snagged another Mckenna 10 at $39, Belle Meade cask strength at $59, and handle of green label Weller for $42