Favorite Whiskey?

Every time I drink Mellow Corn I am amused by how much it tastes like eating cornflakes. Recently, I thought "wait a minute, I like oatmeal more than cornflakes, why isn't there an oat whiskey?"
Well, unsurprisingly, there are a few. Picked up this bottle of Koval Oat. It's decent, but pretty mild. Doesn't taste nearly as much like oatmeal as Mellow Corn tastes like cornflakes.
Maybe it'll just take a few more servings to fully appreciate its subtleties? We'll see.

 

I apologize in advance to @Asphaltcowboychip for this post.

I bought another bottle of Peerless Small Batch to go with the one I'm working on.



"But Jandrews" you might think to yourself "You said a couple months ago, and have maintained since then, that $80 is too expensive for this whiskey. Nobody really gives a shit, but it seems strange you'd go buy another."

I plead no contest. The statements are on record and inarguable. In terms of quality and flavor of the juice, this stuff is comparable to many of my favorite $40 bottles.

And yet.

I was in the shower this morning (don't get ahead of me), where I do most of my better thinking, and as I was mulling over the bourbon world, a thought occurred to me. Kentucky Peerless is doing *exactly* what bourbon enthusiasts have been asking distilleries to do.

They are putting out barrel proof, unfiltered whiskies distilled by them and only them and making no secret in their press dealings about the age of the stuff. Their first release a few years back was a 2 year old rye priced at $125 a bottle. Currently, these bourbons I have are 4-5 year old batches at $80 a bottle.

So what about those prices?

Well, the simple answer there is that the cost to get a distillery up and running is no small thing. Even after the place is built and working, you still have to age your distillate meaning years with effectively 0 revenue. Most newcomer distilleries offset this by sourcing bulk whiskey from another producer, market it under their own label, and bring some money in to keep the wheels turning until their own stuff is ready to go. This can be good or bad - the consensus opinion out in the world seems to be that High West bourbon was better when they were sourcing from MGP rather than now, and it's a universal truth that the only good things Willett has ever put out in the modern day are barrels they bought from elsewhere.

Peerless, on the other hand, has decided to make "never sourced" part of their brand identity. It's front and center on the front page of their website: https://kentuckypeerless.com/whiskey/kentucky-peerless-bourbon/

You can read more about their startup process here: https://www.gobourbon.com/first-peerless-bourbon/

So essentially what they have done is unapologetically begun making whiskey the way whiskey-heads are asking for it to be made, they're being transparent about it, they're refusing to put anything but Peerless made juice in a Peerless bottle, and they are pricing their initial releases high partly to recoup their startup costs and partly because, they say, they expect their 8+ year aged products, when they get there, to be fully worth the pricing level they are establishing.

So I bought another bottle because I like what they're doing and how they're doing it and want to encourage them to continue. There are no secrets on this label:



And, of course, this is good whiskey. A little expensive compared to its peers (see what I did there?), but good. It's not a waste of $80, there are just whiskies out there that bang more for your buck. So, y'know, do you.

 

Mix it with fireball (cinnamon), and you have breakfast!









Please don't buy Fireball, it was a joke.

 

Fireball is the top selling hard alcohol in my county.

 

Cool insight! Thanks for that

 

Look, man, you don’t have to justify your addiction to us. I mean, look at your audience.

 

So I’m in Denver. Picked up a few bottles that I’ll post up when I get back. It was nice to see selections that I can’t get back home but the prices are a bit steep and not really set. What I’ve seen so far:

Buffalo Trace - $40-45
Buffalo Trace 1/2 gallon- $130
Weller SR - $65-70
Heaven Hill BiB - $58-90
McKenna BiB 10yr - $80
Sazerac Rye - $50-60
Smoke Wagon Small Batch - $70

…but my favorite gouge of all gouges:



Last time I bought JJB it was $40.

 

These are all pretty normal prices for a non-controlled state. The John J is kind of an outlier, I’ve never seen it outside of NC and have no idea what normal market prices would be, unregulated.

That Weller SR is actually kinda cheap for a non-controlled state.

 

Picked this guy up in Jackson yesterday. Passed on the latest batch of ECBP since it was going for 90 bucks and I'm not about that hype lyfe anymore. Still my favorite bourbons, but I'll wait to grab it for 70 bucks here at home in a month or so. It's so funny to me how my government controlled liquor state gets those types of bottles 2-3 months after their release, yet Jackson, being in a private liquor sales state, is just on the other side of the state line.

Anyway, this Single Track is delicious. Glad I opted for it instead of a 4 year Willet I was looking at.

I don't know how guys can do sober October when rye is the PERFECT beverage to have during this wonderful month.

 

Should buy all of these and come visit you

https://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&productId=1939586&langId=-1&partNumber=000001409prod&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&categoryId=&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&urlLangId=&categoryType=Spirits&fromURL=/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&pageSize=15&sortBy=0&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&searchTerm=whiskey+canada&SearchKeyWord=whiskey+canada

 

You really have to be a member of the big box stores to get the good allocated stuff out here, or get really lucky. Total wine, Daveco, Bevy's, Davidson's, Argonaut all regularly get allocated bourbon...but you have to have a certain amount of "points" to even buy them. There are some small shops that get them but it's a roll of the dice. The other way is having connections in the restaurant industry, though its definitely not legal.

 

My dad was running around picking up materials for a job and I put him on a mission. He done good

 

Some dude on reddit lucked into a Slam Dunk Maker's Cask Strength and I'm kinda jelly.

https://old.reddit.com/r/whiskey/comments/y0ae5u/traveling_and_dont_have_a_glassdont_judge_me/

 

You can get Weller SR for $25-30 a bottle out here, when it's available. The 1.75's go for $45ish. I remember when it was $22 a bottle and on the shelf regularly.

 

Anyone have any insight or opinions on this OF juice? Picked it up the other day, debating on whether or not to rehome it.

 

Hand selected by Bubbles?

 

Lol, ya I guess aside from the Bubbles part. I've heard very mixed opinions on OF Single Barrel BP's. I've only had there rye and I was not a fan, and I love rye.

 

I had a 2020 bottle that was spectacular

 

Score! How much?

 

The hard part about non control states is shit is literally all over the map. The first time I got Sazerac Rye at my local store it was in a glass case and $45. (before I learned how to figure out if I am over spending or not via the booze app). Same thing with the John J I have, was $65 in a store up in North Jersey. Meanwhile at the store I got the Fable and Folly from (Also Jersey) Sazerac rye is on the shelf for $25.