Favorite Whiskey?

Yes ! Yes ! Yes.... at $28-33 a bottle get 2.

 

Finally found me some Basil Hayden’s:

 

Is that hard to find in the south? That stuff is everywhere here... Saw 2 types of BH rye at Total Wines the other day (dark rye and two by two).

 

I look every time I go to the liquor store, so maybe 4 to 6 times a year and it took me 3 years to find it. I’ve never even seen a shelf tag for it. Maybe I just don’t go to the right store.

 

Drive 2.5 hours east on I-20 and you’ll find it everywhere

 

Funny how regional some bottles are. Let us know how you like it.

 

This one was pricey but planning on cracking this one open for a friends graduation.

 

Daaaaamn! Nice score!

 

Still got my 125. Well, the frame anyways.

 

Sweet! I am trying to figure out which bottle I want to keep for all my cigar wrappers. Seeing your 125, I might make 130 the one.

 

Taylor Rye and Small Batch are all over here. Is the rye really good? It was like $60 a bottle I think? And the small batch was $35? I bought a bottle of Basil yesterday to try and wasn’t overly impressed. Dry and more heat than I like. Ok for the $30 I paid.

 

I’m just wondering what that cost of that bottle was in your area ?

 

I didn't want to say anything, but one of the first "upscale" bourbons I bought when I started getting into them, about a year ago, was Basil H. That bottle is still in my cabinet and about 1/2 full.

 

I'll probably have a pour of the Two by Two this weekend, but I have a bottle of the Dark Rye. One of my least favorite whiskies. Instead of being just aged in port barrels, it is actually blended with port wine. 2% of the blend is port, if I recall. That 2% is the most forward flavor of the whole thing, though. I like port and I like rye, but this doesn't really marry the two flavors very well, in my opinion.

That's a helluva score!


I tried Compass Box The Spaniard this past weekend. It is certainly up to Compass Box standards, but not one of my favorite expressions. A little too heavy on the sherry cask influence, but otherwise nice.

The Old Scout 107 is a barrel select done by the local liquor store I go to. Pretty neat that he got a barrel select as he has a pretty small operation by most standards. It is an American Whiskey, not a bourbon, since some of the aging is done in re-charred (not first fill) barrels. I've see Total Wine with a barrel select version, too. The standard stuff is 99 proof and I can't say I've had it. This stuff is quite nice, though.

The last worth noting is the Ancient Age 10 Star. It comes from the Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 - same as Blanton's, Elmer T Lee, and Rock Hill Farms. The relationship to those is apparent, but I won't say it holds a candle to Elmer T Lee. I would be curious to subject myself (and some buddies) to a blind taste test of this and Blanton's. I think it'd fare pretty well. Especially for an $18 handle in a plastic bottle.

 

Weird. I don't care for it only because it is almost too clean tasting. I can't really find anything displeasing about the taste, only that it doesn't have much of it. A 100 proof version might be pretty solid.

 

It has been awhile since I had any. I may give it another shot tonight.

On another note, I opened up my E.H. Taylor Jr a couple nights ago. Gotta say, that first dram was disappointing. It was hot with not much flavor. I thought about returning the second bottle I bought back to the store the next day. Over the last few days it's had a chance to breath and it's decent now, but just ok. I find Four Roses Small Batch, Eagle Rare, etc far better for the same $ or less.

 

Just over 140

 

So the Ancient is worth giving a taster it sounds like. That's interesting might be the next pickup. Good info.

 

I'm at a Live Stream event with the Scotch Test Dummies and some folks from Bruichladdich and Westland. Not sure if you'll see me in front of the camera (I'm a guest), but check it out!

https://youtu.be/F2b3kTkCB40

 

Evan Williams Bonded. No flavors, just whiskey.