Interesting, that's one I don't have, will have to look them up.

Got a bottle of Kentucky Spirit today and decided to keep it going for Turkey Thursday. Great suggestion wilmwolf80! I think I like it better than Rare Breed.

Nice! Rare Breed has it's place, but I'm a big fan of KS.

Okay peeps, give me your input. I just received a gift: a bottle of Thomas S. Moore, finished in cabernet sauvignon casks, 95.3 proof.

Anyone had it before?

Haven't had it. It's a new product line from Barton of cask finishes. If you like Barton stuff like Very Old Barton or 1792, and you like wine barrel finishes, you should like it. For me, the cask finishes are best when they are more subtle. Too long in the wine barrel, and it tastes like a wine barrel and not bourbon.

Just got home and poured a healthy pour of Evan and we called in a couple of pizzas from Lilly's.

Happy Friday y'all! What's everyone partaking in this weekend?

New Riff for me while watching the women's game.

Having a gathering tonight and a guest brought Michters. Half a bottle later, and life is good.

AlleyPack said:

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Having a gathering tonight and a guest brought Michters. Half a bottle later, and life is good.

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Half a bottle later? It's only 645!

wilmwolf80 said:

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New Riff for me while watching the women's game.

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Cheers to that. Second quarter better than the first!

Civilized said:

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AlleyPack said:

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Having a gathering tonight and a guest brought Michters. Half a bottle later, and life is good.

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Half a bottle later? It's only 645!

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Hey, this is a judgement free zone, lol.

Brotha, the evening starts at 5 p.m.!

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Had a Blade and Bow tonight. It was a gift as I probably would have never bought it myself. Glad I tried it. Good juice.

Cracked open the OF 1920. Does not suck.

Four Roses Small Batch. Just learned of the unexpected death of a long time friend in Alabama that loved the Wolfpack as much as any of us. Cheers, Boogie.

Trying a little Old Tub tonight.

Happy Friday folks!

Civilized said:

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Trying a little Old Tub tonight.

Happy Friday folks!

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Gosh I need one. Bought Old granddad 114 today based on recommendation from a friend. I have never had it before.

Old Tub was pretty good. If you like Booker's you probably like it, very similar profile in a lower proof. I like OGD bottled in bond, 114 is a little hotter than I typically go for, but is also good.

I was recently gifted a six-month membership to Flaviar for my birthday.
I've already received the initial complimentary bottle (Jeffersons) and sampler box of three different spirits.
Also, when perusing their stock selection, I've come across a brand that I haven't been able to find anywhere in NC or SC for several years now -- so I'm looking forward to buying a couple of bottles of it.

At some point in the future I'll likely ask some questions about some of the brands they offer that I've never heard of, in order to get some opinions. (because a whole heck of a lot of them don't show up on the NC stores' shelves)

Just checked out the website as I had never looked before. Some pretty cool bottles but some of them are ridiculously expensive. OF Birthday is good but definitely not 1.2k good.

If anybody is ever bourbon hunting don't waste your time going to Johnson City Tennessee. I went in about 6-8 different stores and was told that all rare bottles never make it to the shelf as each store basically has a list.

Really cool town if anybody is ever visiting especially the brewery downtown.

It amazes me how Whistle Pig, Makers, Crown, etc can keep the product in stock but some of these providers are always out. Think about how much more business some companies could do if they keep their product on the shelf.

For some companies, the scarcity of some of their products pushes sales of their other products. Chuck Cowdery, bourbon writer, has lots of tales of Sazerac sales reps promising store owners a bottle of Pappy in exchange for them buying large quantities of some crappy vodka or whatever. Also, most everything Buffalo Trace makes sells like crazy based on the reputation of a couple of sought after products. There have even been runs on Benchmark, just because it's made by them. I do think they want to sell more of their product, they are making and barreling more than ever, but the number of people in the bourbon game is increasing at the same or higher rate. The pandemic has brought a lot of people into that weren't before, and it was already increasing before then.

As to the crazy prices, I can say with absolute certainty that no bourbon is worth $1200 if used for its intended purpose. The fact that there are people willing to pay that much for things blows my mind. I'm at a point in my bourbon career where I'm tired enough of the chase, and buy so little bourbon, that I'm willing to pay more than retail to get something I really want, but I'm not spending the same as some people's mortgage payment on a bottle of booze. I suppose for people that aren't going to drink it and see buying it as an investment the thought process may be different, but the reality is that bourbon, even rare bourbon, isn't a great investment, because every year they make more. There are some exceptions of standout expressions that have become coveted over the years, but for the most part, there's not a giant increase in value for a bottle of Pappy or BTAC or Birthday Bourbon year to year.

I'm certainly not going to spend $1k on any bottle of anything, and likely would never spend over $100, either.
But Flaviar has, for example, Willet Pot Still -- which is a personal favorite and nowhere to be found in NC/SC over the past year -- in the $50 range. That is well worth purchasing a couple of bottles.

I probably never would have bought a membership for myself (because I already have a good-sized bottle collection that will take me several years to get through), but now that I've been gifted a membership, I'm planning on doing my research and buying a few bottles that I otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to get.

I'm also going to take the "sampler bottles" and share them with a group of friends.
The sharier the merrier.

Agree that bourbon is not worth investing in and that the chase is getting a little old. I am sure it was a lot more fun 5 or 10 years ago when every once in a while you would find a rare bourbon. Also wouldn't be as worried about opening it as you knew you would probably run into it again.

Always enjoy running into clerks that tell you stories about Wellers or Blantons just sitting on the shelf for extended periods of time.

In North Myrtle Beach for a long weekend. Where's a good place to go to find any bourbons that might be hard to get in NC?

I used to buy Blanton's every single week. It was my daily drinker, and store clerks would always say "oh, must be a special occasion!".

Total wine is always on my list down there. Not normally anything super rare, but definitely lots of things you can't get here. Owen's has rare stuff sometimes at secondary market type prices. Costco is good for bulk stuff but not normally anything you can't find here. There are a smattering of other stores around there that are decent, but these days they get picked over pretty good and have wised up and raised the prices on the good stuff they do get.

wilm, please check your inbox. Thanks.

I got you!

wolfpackfan04 said:

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In North Myrtle Beach for a long weekend. Where's a good place to go to find any bourbons that might be hard to get in NC?

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Pavilion Liquors has a bourbon sheet at the back of the store that usually has some hard to get items. Greens is also another stop you should make. Both places might have some Store Picks. Total Wine as mentioned is a must stop. You can usually find WB Saffel and Early Times in SC much easier than you can in NC and is something I seek.

Anyone give any insight to the selections now at Frugal McDougald's? It's been years since I was there.

Haven't been there in probably five years. Interested if anyone has any recent experiences.

Bell Tower Grey said:

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Anyone give any insight to the selections now at Frugal McDougald's? It's been years since I was there.

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Frugal MacDoogal is a chain liquor store that has locations in SC and in TN that I know of and the selection is pretty good especially the Fort Mill, SC location. I usually like StateLine Liquors better since they get allocated stuff more often.

Wanna know what's sad? Stopped by the store and they had Eagle Rare today for the first time in months and I was excited about it. This bourbon stuff has gotten crazy!