Sierrawolf said:

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Went and did the bourbon trail last weekend. I was disappointed of the lack of available bottles of "rare" stuff. Tried to buy a few things that we can't find at home.

Makers 101
Four Roses Small Batch Select
Buffalo Trace(it was cheap)
Old Forester 1910
Old Fitzgerald(never tried it)

I did find 1792 Full Proof in lots of bars and loved it. Also did a Pappy flight of 10, 12 & 15.

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Only Fitzgerald is a bottle I have never seen show up in Virginia. We have a pretty good supply of the 1792 full proof.

Having Stagg Jr. Batch 6 tonight. I bought two bottles of batch 1 when it first came out. It was pretty awful. So bad I gave the second bottle away. I bought this bottle a few years ago just because it was there, and it's been sitting unopened since, with visions of how bad the first batch was dancing in my head. Finally opened it tonight, and I must say, I regret ignoring it for so long. It is leaps and bounds better. I'll have to stop leaving bottles of this on store shelves when I see it from now on, which is probably bad news for you guys, lol.

Went to DC last night and always find it interesting to see how much they are selling product for. The guy recently said they had blanton's and they sell it quickly for 140 a bottle.

I was curious if any on the board were willing to pay that price?

Nope. Much more than can be found here for. I personally don't even taste much of a difference in that and Buffalo Trace.

I wouldn't pay $140 for Blanton's, no.

no way.. it was barely worth $80 when you had no trouble getting it. People have lost their minds

burnbarn said:

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no way.. it was barely worth $80 when you had no trouble getting it. People have lost their minds

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Exactly.

Hell, I remember when it was $59 and always on the shelf.

I do too. Lots of things used to be on the shelf.

What's the best way to find bourbons you haven't tried? Any monthly bourbon clubs worth trying? Only so much to be gained from the local ABC stores.

There are some monthly type clubs out there, but I've never tried any. Most of the ones I've looked at don't really have anything special to offer. There are some single barrel groups that buy barrels for members, typically with a monthly fee through something like Patreon that gives you access to purchase bottles from online stores that come from the barrels that have been purchased. I've been a member of a few of those with varying results. Private selected single barrels, be they from clubs, stores, or local ABC boards are some of my favorites because they are always different. Some of the best tasting bourbon I've had came from barrel picks. Keep in mind, having liquor shipped from out of state is illegal. There are stores that will do it due to a gray area with shipping beer and wine, but it is technically against the law.

If you have exhausted all the brands and expressions at your local ABC store, there are a few other options. One is to do some driving. Virtually all of the bottles I have come from somewhere within driving distance to my home, and it's not though special hookups or anything, it's just driving around seeing what stores have. Typically each ABC board has a flagship store, and these normally have the best bourbon selection. Here in Wilmington for instance, that's the Porter's Neck store (though that may change now that the new fancy Wrightsville Beach store is open). That's your best bet for finding things you haven't tried. Another option is to check the special order list (https://abc.nc.gov/Pricing/SpecialOrders), and have your local store order things from that list. Those items aren't the rare allocated stuff, just some things that aren't a part of normal deliveries (Belle Meade is an example from that group). Now one thing I've found is that the flagship, bourbon centric stores are actually taking the initiative sometimes and ordering these things for their store to help their selection. There's lots of good stuff on that list to try.

What would be the flagship store in Wake county?

That I don't know, Cameron village maybe, but I'm really not sure. Wake county is tough because of population density. They get the same as everywhere else, just way more people looking for it. Best stores in the triangle area are going to be outside Wake county.

Just bought two bottles of Peg Leg Porker in Cape Carteret. I've got half a bottle of the 8 year at home. It has a silver seal on the top whereas this one has no age date and has a red seal. Can't find online what the age may be with this one. Wilm do you have any idea?

I think it's in the 4-6 range based on what I've heard, but nothing concrete. I too have an 8 year that I picked up in Tennessee. For awhile they had a 12 year, but I've never come across it. The non age stated ones showed up in NC at the end of last year or early this year. As far as I know it is still sourced from Dickel. Supposedly he runs it through his own charcoal, but it just tastes like regular Dickel to me, which isn't a bad thing.

Yeah that 8 year I have at the house is pretty good stuff. Looking forward to trying this. Jumped on it because I don't see it very often at my normal stores.

FYI To anyone around JoCo...Kenly location has a few bottles of Blanton's and Smithfield has a few of Buffalo Trace.

Well, this dang coronavirus (which has also meant working from home) has caused me to revisit this thread.

I was big into having a glass of bourbon 3-4 times a week, but stopped a few years back. No real reason other than a change in my work schedule.

Anyway, this new situation has led me to cracking open the ol' cabinet again.

My discoveries this evening have unearthed bottles of:
Blantons
Buffalo Trace
Stagg Jr.
Basil Hayden
Rowan's Creek
Noah's Mill
Hirsh
Willet Pot
Col. EH Taylor
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Woodford Reserve

I'd honestly forgotten I had some of them.
Needless to say, it has brightened the mood quite a bit.

Sipping on Buffalo Trace this evening.
We'll see if tomorrow night brings another reunion.

That's a nice spread. Cheers!

Snagged a Derby bottle of Woodford. Should I leave it unopened or just drink it?

Well, as far as the contents of the bottle, it's the same as any other bottle of Woodford. I honestly don't know how collectible they are, they seem to put out a bunch. Maybe moreso valuable this year with the Derby getting postponed. Any collectible value would be with the bottle unopened. I would lean towards just having it as a nice display piece and buying a regular bottle to drink, but that's just my opinion.

Picked up a bottle of Larceny that I am going to open tonight. Haven't tried it before but have read the positive comments here

Four Roses Small Batch Select was in stores today in Wilmington. Will report back when I get around to opening it.

wilmwolf80 said:

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Four Roses Small Batch Select was in stores today in Wilmington. Will report back when I get around to opening it.

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opened mine on Weds.... very smooth and I like it much better than the SB. (costs more). I would say it is one of my favorites. I have hidden the bottle way in the back so no one sees!!

Tried it last night, thought it was very good. I'm not sure it's worth twice what the regular small batch is, I'll put them up head to head sometime and see. Interestingly, my first experience with Four Roses many years ago was a single barrel, because everyone was talking about them at the time, and I thought it was awful. I actually couldn't finish it, ended up giving it away. I don't remember which letter code it was, but it just really didn't agree with me. Turned me off of their stuff for a while until just recently picking up a small batch, and now the select. These days, one bad single barrel wouldn't necessarily turn me off of a brand all together, because I know how much variance there can be in single barrels, but a decade ago it did.

Had the thought this afternoon that I'd stop by the ABC store and see if anything tickled my fancy. When I arrived, they had people lined up single file, letting what appeared to be only a limited number of people in the store at the same time. I decided I would just make do with one of the 100+ bottles I have at home. Having a glass of a private barrel selection of Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit that is sublime. This bottle is beginning to run low, I'll be sad to see this one go.

I've really enjoyed the Woodford Reserve double oaked.

My latest line up has been that along with michters, Buffalo Trace, and blade and bow. I've liked the four roses small batch better than single batch in limited tasting so far.

Nice line up. Since you like the double oak, you should try the Old Forrester 1910. Same concept, actually the same parent company of Brown Forman over both the brands. If you're in NC it's hard to find sometimes, but would be a nice comparison.

Going with Hancocks President's Reserve tonight and very impressed. Came across a couple bottles a while ago and decided to finally crack one open. Now I am disappointed I waited this long!

I have a bottle of old rip van winkle I haven't opened for over a year. I'm scared it will get gone too quick... couple sips left in the bottom of a blantons bottle.

I like Old Rip. It and the 15 are my favorite from the van Winkle line. For as rare as it is, the ORVW isn't leaps and bounds better than Old Weller Antique, but it is very good.

How do you guys recommend drinking these Bourbons?? Neat? If so which ones? 1 cube of ice? A splash of water? As an old fashioned?

Whatever floats your boat. Personally I don't like drinking warm bourbon, so I generally use one large ice cube. The only time I drink it neat is if I'm doing a tasting. I also enjoy cocktails like old fashioneds. I don't mix with soda, but I don't begrudge anyone that does. I'm a big believer that you should drink it in whatever way you enjoy. Elmer T. Lee liked to mix his with Sprite, and he knew more about bourbon than most anyone that ever lived.

I like one of the large spheres of ice. If that's not available one or two normal cubes will suffice. Cold tap water isn't bad either.

Enjoyed the four roses select. Nice bourbon. Gonna hide that one in the back.