Found a ECBP. Will have a couple of sips shortly.

What does anyone know or think about J.W. Kelly? Had not seen it before, so got one to try.

brickturner said:

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Found a ECBP. Will have a couple of sips shortly.

What does anyone know or think about J.W. Kelly? Had not seen it before, so got one to try.

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I bought a bottle of Old ****ord last year. Tried to like it, but there was just something about it I didn't care for. Maybe it was the rye, as I'm not a rye fan. Wound up giving it to my next door neighbor.

eta: not sure why M I L F O R D was starred out, but it was.

I've seen the JW Kelly many times but never felt compelled to buy it. They are a craft distillery in TN that sells products older than they've been around, so it's sourced from somewhere. I've never looked at the back of one of the bottles to see what State they say it's distilled in, which would narrow down who distilled it. Let us know what you think.

Keepers Quest. Chattanooga TN. Taking it to board meeting Wednesday to let board members ruminate over it.

George Dickel Bottled In Bond has been on the shelves for a few weeks in NC. It's a 13 year old, 100 proof Tennessee whiskey (which is also bourbon) product that's like $35. It's interesting, because Dickel has really caught up to MGP as being one of the biggest suppliers of aged product to non distiller producers. Someone at Dickel had incredible foresight a while back to make a bunch of hooch, because they are selling 10-13 year old product to a ton of people right now, from Barrel to Smooth Ambler to Uncle Nearest, it's everywhere it seems.

So it's interesting that they are coming out with their own bottle in this range. It's a good pour, if you like Dickel of course, that is incredibly priced for what it is. For example, the Smooth Amber Old Scout Single Select (different from the previous SAOS single barrel 10 year that came from MGP) is 13 years old, sourced from Dickel, and is $70. Look for the blue label on the Dickel BIB and pick one up.

Thanks for tip on Dickel. Their white label use to be my go to.

wilmwolf80 said:

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I've seen the JW Kelly many times but never felt compelled to buy it. They are a craft distillery in TN that sells products older than they've been around, so it's sourced from somewhere. I've never looked at the back of one of the bottles to see what State they say it's distilled in, which would narrow down who distilled it. Let us know what you think.

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So we tried the JW Kelly last night. Not a fan. Had a strange taste that we could not identify. Plus a funny mouth feel. Will not buy again.

Thanks for letting us know. There's so many good bourbons out there, there's no point in drinking bad ones!

Scored another ECBP. They had a Woodford Reserve "blue". Any insights on this? ~$40. Couple of BT sightings.

Replied in the other thread as well, but it's a malt whiskey that they came out with last year. I have not tried it, but there is a wheat whiskey with a red label that should be out soon that I'm looking forward to.

Thanks again. Appears it's just you and me out here today.

Lol, most of the time, I'm just posting to myself, so it's an improvement.

Tried some Blood Oath Pact No. 5 recently at a get together

While not a bourbon, the Woodford Reserve Wheat Whiskey is now in stores in NC. I picked up a bottle a few days ago and had a few samples. I like high wheat bourbon, so I was looking forward to trying just a straight wheat whiskey, but I also don't really like Woodford Reserve Bourbon, so I was apprehensive. The only other wheat whiskey I've ever had wad Asheville Distilling's Blonde Whiskey, which is hands down the worst alcohol I've ever had in my life. Back to the Woodford, it's a four grain whiskey, with wheat making up 52%. In essence, it's a four grain bourbon with the wheat and corn swapped in amounts if you want to look at it that way. I found it to be a very light drinking spirit. Ironically, very smooth in a Canadian rye sorta way. Fruity notes and some sweetness, a little bit of ethanol up front, some green grassy tastes, not much of a finish. They don't put an age statement on it, but I think it would be 4-5 years old. Like most high wheat bourbon, I think this would benefit to more aging, as I think it takes longer for the young, grassy wheat flavors to really mature. All in all, it's a good diversion from bourbon, an easy sipper for hot days, that I enjoyed. I will probably buy another bottle, depending on how this continues to taste after it gets some air on it.

Mind if I ask how expensive this was. Doubt I'll ever be able to find it in my haunts. Thanks

I think it was $35. It's a regular release, shouldn't be something that is hard to find. I've been in three stores here since it came out and they've all had plenty.

Having some Evans after yard work.

12 bottles of Buffalo Trace at the Kenly store.

BT went out in some parts late last week. Interestingly, the places I talked to didn't get their Blanton's shipments. Interesting since they typically go together. Lot's of other, actual rare things have come out in the past few weeks, and will be coming out in the near future. OF Birthday, EH Taylor Amaranth, Weller CYBP have all been in the wild in the last ten days. I lack the contacts or pull to have gotten any of those, though I know people that have, but I did get Little Book Chapter 3 over the weekend. Interesting to see how it is as a blend of the four premium Beam products, Bookers, Bakers, Knob Creek, and Basil Hayden.

wilmwolf80 said:

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BT went out in some parts late last week. Interestingly, the places I talked to didn't get their Blanton's shipments. Interesting since they typically go together. Lot's of other, actual rare things have come out in the past few weeks, and will be coming out in the near future. OF Birthday, EH Taylor Amaranth, Weller CYBP have all been in the wild in the last ten days. I lack the contacts or pull to have gotten any of those, though I know people that have, but I did get Little Book Chapter 3 over the weekend. Interesting to see how it is as a blend of the four premium Beam products, Bookers, Bakers, Knob Creek, and Basil Hayden.

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I bought two bottles of Blanton's in Kenly today. Have a good supply of BT so left them on the shelf, though I'm wishing I had grabbed a bottle now.

I did snag a bottle of Michter's Toasted Barrel Sour Mash last week, haven't opened it up yet though.

Funny story, I stopped at Warsaw on the way to the game Saturday. I had one foot in the door, and the girl at the register says "I've got Buffalo Trace behind the counter". So apparently, I look like someone that is looking for BT. I too have plenty, so I left it on the shelf there and one other place. I just thought it was funny that I got profiled by the store clerk.

Little Book sounds interesting. Let us know.

Hey I think that's a good thing right?

Has anyone seen the Taylor Grain of the Gods?

Yes. In the hands of my friend that got a bottle in the Raleigh area. From what I was told, here in New Hanover, one six bottle case was delivered, and all of those were "spoken for" before that case was opened. Gotta love the good ole boy network at work.

Tried a bottle this weekend that I picked up a few weeks ago called Knob Creek Quarter Oak. It is a one off release that came out with very little fanfare, I hadn't even heard about it when I saw it on the shelf, which is rare. It's a double aged product in the line with stuff like Woodford Double Oak or Old Forrester 1910. Only had one drink of it, but it was very good, typical Knob Creek taste with a bit of a more oak-forward profile due to the secondary aging. I don't think it's worth the $50 that it runs, but I don't think hardly anything is worth what it goes for these days, so take that with a grain of salt. If you are a Knob Creek fan, or looking for a nice gift bottle that won't break the bank entirely, I would say pick one up.

Thanks. Will look for Knob Creek Quarter Oak.

My store got lots of buffalo but no blantons. Was told this week will have some interesting bottles will report back mid week.

Missed my opportunity for stagg jr. but was able to get EH Taylor small batch and Pikesville Rye.

Also got a McKenna 10 year but heard mixed reviews. Wasn't expensive so figured I would pick it up.

McKenna 10 year BIB is one of the best sub $40 bourbons on the shelf. It's a single barrel, so there will be variance there, but I find them to be very consistent. Now that it has started to get hype, it will be interesting to see if the quality stays the same, since Heaven Hill has reportedly started pulling from their other stocks to meet demand for it. I don't think you missed anything when it comes to the Stagg Jr. There are those that have said it has gotten better over time, but every bottle I've ever had was like drinking jet fuel. Barrel proof stuff is really popular right now, but IMO Stagg Jr. is too much heat for too much money. I continue to buy it from time to time thinking the results may be different, but I usually end up just using it for cocktails or giving it away to someone eager to try it. The BTAC George T. Stagg is a different animal.

I am a big fan of McKenna BIB. Unfortunately, have been unable to find it for last 8-9 months.

Things I've seen this week that are worth a try:

- Makers Mark Private Select. This is a variation on the Makers 46 process with different types of staves added to the barrel after the initial aging. These will have variation, as the combination of wood is different. I know they are available in Wilmington and Raleigh. I haven't had either, but I bought one from Onslow county last year that was one of the best bottles I've bought recently. So good that I drove back to Jacksonville the next day and bought another. $65 I think.

- Peg Leg Porkers. Peg leg owns a famous barbeque restaurant in Nashville. This is bourbon made by Dickel, (he doesn't say this is where it's from, but it is). After aging, he runs it through his own charcoal. When I've bought it in the past, there was an 8 year age statement, but the bottles I saw today were not age stated. I've never seen it on NC before, and can only confirm that it's in Wilmington. As far as Dickel sourced bourbon goes, it's cheaper than Barrell and Uncle Nearest at $45.

Very Old Barton 100 Proof - best 16 bucks you'll spend on a 750mL

Trip down to the redneck Riviera this past weekend added a few bottles to the always growing bunker. To continue my exploration of bottom shelf stuff, I'll touch on two that I picked up that aren't available in NC.

The first is the house brand bourbon for Total Wine and More, Two Stars bourbon. The name is a reference to some flag, but is humorous of course being that it's a bottom shelf product. Two Stars is made for TW by Barton. In fact, it comes in the same bottle as Very Old Barton, with a different label. It is easily identified as Barton when tasted. Some cinnamon spice, but not very complex, and way hotter than proof on the finish. There's no age statement, so I'll assume it's in the four year range. Been a while since I've had Barton, but this has a harsher finish than VOB. At $19 and change, it's more expensive than I remember VOB being, and frankly, since it seems to be the same juice, that seems to be overpriced. Still a good value I think, there's worse things in this range. I think it will work well I'm cocktails, but I don't plan on drinking it straight after my initial tasting.

The second bourbon comes from Costco, and it is indeed Kirkland's Tennessee small batch bourbon. It is age stated seven years and was about $30 for a liter. This is George Dickel. It doesn't say that anywhere of course, but there's nobody else in Tennessee selling barrels in any great quantity, and upon opening it, the smell of Dickel is unmistakable. This is very good bourbon. It's not the best Dickel I've had, and there's lots of it out there right now (Barrell, Smooth Ambler, Uncle Nearest to name a few sourcing from there at the moment), but the intersection between value and taste is high here. If Costco sold liquor here, this would be a go to house bourbon. Keeping in mind, I like Dickel, but not everyone does. The heavy corn flavor and the butterscotch and other signatures of Dickel aren't for everyone, particularly people more into spicy rye types.

WolfpackCPA said:

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Missed my opportunity for stagg jr. but was able to get EH Taylor small batch and Pikesville Rye.

Also got a McKenna 10 year but heard mixed reviews. Wasn't expensive so figured I would pick it up.

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Somehow have never ventured into this board on IPS, i've been missing out!

I too missed my chance for Stagg Jr 2 weeks ago. Got a tip from a buddy that the Wilson county ABC store had gotten a really large shipment of Blantons, some Stagg jf, Weller 107 and a few other decently rare bottles. They were putting them on the shelves and limit one per person when the store opened at 9. I show up about 9:05 and the line is already out the door. I hop in line and doubt i'll get anything. Look and the lady in front of me had already been through the line twice and had a bottle of Stagg Jr and a bottle of Angels Envy Rye and was going back to try and get a Blantons or OWA. Pretty BS if you ask me but that is what the bourbon world has turned into unfortunately.

My buddy works for the main distributor for Old Forester and Woodford and he couldn't even get me a bottle of the OFBB this year. Pretty disappointing. He sent me to a few stores out in the sticks that he knew got a case and they just straight up lied that they didn't get any because they were saving them for a buddy. Almost makes me want to see it all get privatized but then the prices would go nuts so who knows.