Favorite Whiskey?

I'll probably move the WLW and ER17 up above some of the lower Pappy's. I have an Old Rip Van Winkle already (traded it for a Thomas Handy rye I won last year). I found it funny they included Blanton's on the list.

 

Yep I got mine today but haven't had time to sit down to order them!

 

My wife saw the local store had these so she went and got me one. Should be a good drink never had before.

 

Ok, one more... For now.

 

So true

 

Picked up a few today

 

For trade bait, I get it, but I've had all of the Van Winkle bourbons and the 23 is easily the worst of the bunch. Way overaged and tastes like a piece of tree bark. Perhaps a slight exaggeration because it is a "good" bourbon, but next to the 15 and the 20, yeesh. I'd take a Lot B or ORVW over it, too.

That Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye would be at the top of my list, for sure.

My group has been Grand Reserve members for years and never got a single perk out of it worth a damn, so we just all kind of quit buying from TW. Glad they added something for you all, though. Best of luck to you!

 

Who lives near El Paso, Texas?

 

I'll admit it - if I got any of the top half of my list I wouldn't open it and would use it for trades. I can't imagine 1 bottle would be so good it's worth 15 +/- bottles of something I know is very good. I don't know what Pappy 23 is worth, but I think north of $2-$3k. So that's really the basis for the ranking.

Anyway, I had read someone knows a store TW store manager who told them the very top bottles go to their large customers even before the lottery. Not sure if there's any truth to that, but has anyone heard of an average Joe winning one of those? I'm in a few groups on line and there are some winners (I got a Thomas Handy rye last year and traded if for Old Rip Van Winkle), but never a Pappy.

 

Not me, I'm closer to Tallahassee Florida than I am to EL Paso.

 

I know where Mont Belvieu is, I grew up (well, thru jr high) in Daisetta.

 

I've only been out here for three years now. I grew up near Fort Worth/Denton and then spent some time in ETX. It sure has changed a lot out here in three years though!

 

Baby steps to get my tolerance back. At least this cold front is allowing for an enjoyable smoke to go with this tiny amount of whiskey. Happy Friday y'all

 

Went with a lighter, sweeter peat sauce tonight.
Slainte!

 

Opened the bottle of Noah's Mill we got when we visited the Willett Distillery - 114 proof of heaven. What and awesome fragrance and taste.

 

Sometimes I forget how good Balcones really is. I think tonight I'll try to pick a favorite, but this Fr.Oak is gonna be tough to beat.

 

Alright enough screwing around... it's going down. LFG!!!

 

Came across this today in Huntington Beach. Looking forward to trying it.

 

A lot of you outside of Texas may not have any use for this, but in case you visit or if you get a chance to try these - here's what I've got.

Single Malt Longhorn Liquor pick - very fruity up front, apricots and peaches, tailing into mango and plum. Cinnamon brown sugar/molasses finish off into medium oak char. The flavors are all rich and vibrant, yet none overshadow the other. One sip and you want to take another. This pick is a standout when compared to the core range lineup. I really like it! Much more variety than the standard single malt core range offering.

Hechiceros - I've always thought of this one as dessert whiskey and that sentiment holds true in this flight. Without adding any water I get super rich sugar cane sweetness surrounded by light doughy bread - think sugar cookies, with the grape/fruit influence showing up on the back end with a touch of overly ripe blackberry - almost like preserves, fading into a rich charred oak.

Brujeria - I could smell this all day and night and die a happy man. The ripe apricot and melon sweetness open the door for a thick, rich campfire char. This whiskey makes me want to make s'mores. Toasted marshmallow on the midpalate with a dark cherry/plum influence just before that delicious and powerful sweet oak hits - with the perfect amount of char. Dammit, this is good.

Fr.Oak - The French Oak gives the standard single malt a greater roller coaster ride of intensity (more baking/christmas spices up front and a tingling punch from the cask). I think that's a fair comparison to the standard single malt, but this flight has the Longhorn Liquor store pick single barrel single malt, which is much fruiter and more enjoyable than the core range offering. Back to the Fr.Oak... it's effin' good. That goes without saying, just like the other three, but of the lot this one may be the greatest departure from center. It's a testament to what French casks can do to a whiskey.

This lineup tonight gets: 1st Brujeria, 2nd SM Longhorn, 3rd Hechiceros, 4th Fr.Oak. All damn fine whiskies though. If you see one on a shelf and you're on the fence, buy with confidence. If you don't like it I'll buy it off of you