Favorite Whiskey?

LOL, notice I said I bought what they had. I asked if there were any more bottles in back, but no dice. Probably the best deal I've found so far. Pretty sure they were liquidating stock since they're the only place I've seen that had it locally.

 

If you got any almond tequila your looking to get rid of, might know someone, me !! Love that stuff.

 

Well, I've always been a fan of Gentleman Jack (better Jack Daniels)

But lately been enjoying buffalo rye, or bullit whiskey, also. Nothing fancy... I know.

 

How’s that Michters? Received a bottle for Christmas and haven’t opened yet.

 

Well, I managed to get my hands on my personal unicorn of unicorns. As much as I'd love to have the Pappys, BTACs, older Michters, etc., being a Booker's fan, the bottle that I've coveted more than any is Booker's Rye - The Big Time Batch.

Booker Noe laid down some barrels of rye in 2003. He passed away in 2004. His son pulled them from the barrels after 13 years, 1 month, and 12 days. 136.2 proof straight rye. No official word on how many bottles were released, but the 4 digit numbering suggests it's less than 10,000. There won't ever be another rye with Booker Noe's fingerprints on it, so it is pretty special.

It's the most I've spent on a bottle - crazy considering I've never tried the stuff. I've heard great things, though.

Pristine wax, label, and box:






It'll get opened and consumed, but I'll let it sit front and center of the other Booker's for a little bit.

 

Very nice - congratulations! Do you have a picture of your entire inventory? I'd imagine you'd have to use a wide angle lens!

 

I'll try to snap one before heading to work. Need an updated picture since getting the Booker's Rye anyways!

 

The Monkey Shoulder is on the desk.

It's 60 bottles or so. About 50 are opened. Most of the unopened are either duplicates of stuff I really like (i.e. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Booker's Kathleen's Batch) or being held for a future tasting event with the guys. A Booker's batch from each of my daughters' birth years will be sealed long term until the right time presents itself.

I didn't get a picture of the second row of Booker's to see all the different batches. Might do that this evening.

 

Congrats on the score. Ever find the 30th?

 

I haven't found one, yet. A buddy of mine is a pretty big Booker's fan, too. He just helped me acquire another bottle of Big Man, Small Batch (my #1 Booker's of all time) and the guy he got it from gave him a sample of the 30th. Doubt there is enough for the both of us to try, but happy he gets a taste. Unlikely to find in the stores anymore, already, but I'm looking! It has received very high praise.

 

I still need to break open my Kitchen Table Booker's. Have been holding off until my palate gets a little better with flavor differentiation. Same thing with the Stagg Jr.

Cracked the Lot 40 last night. Pretty good, especially for the price point I got it at. Has a little of that dill flavor on the front end, but nothing too crazy.

 

I got a lot of dill on mine which didn't sit well for me. It's now at the back of my cabinet, where I imagine it will stay until I can pawn it iff on someone else.

 

That sucks. Yeah, if it had been more prominent I would not have enjoyed it much at all. Thankfully it lasted maybe a second or two for me.

 

This may interest some of you.
http://www.gobourbon.com/double-eagle-very-rare-has-landed-from-buffalo-trace/

 

Would like to get but not at $2k

 

If you find it for 2k is suggest buying it.

 

God knows what it'll go for secondary market, guarantee its gonna be a dollar or two more.

 

LOL, yeah that's gonna be a nope for me. Besides the fact I'll probably never see it, how much better can it really be than a $100 ER17 or GTS? Those two are also obviously hard to find and usually are lottery picks, but 1900 more dollars for a few extra years of aging?? Not so much in my opinion. That ER20 would certainly be a collector's piece to sit on some rich dude's bar.

 

I think it’s a supply and demand thing with only 300 bottles getting put out. Also the hand made crystal decanter has to factor in on the price. Definitely targeted to the rich guy market. Or those with connections. Like you said I doubt any of us will see it. I thought it was cool none the less.

 

It is like when that Final Reserve 45 year old bourbon came out last year. 250 bottles made, around 150 sold to the public at something like $1,800 a piece. For that, you got a 750ml bottle, a 100ml bottle for tasting, a crystal drinking glass, and a piece of one of the barrel staves. It all came in a very elegant box. Crazy thing is, all you had to do to get a bottle was be in line at the museum it was released at. Some people even got two bottles by getting back in line after buying their first bottle!

The price was partially due to the investment it took to distill the spirit and age it safely for 45 years, but much of it had to do with the exclusivity, the packaging, and the fact that it was raising money for charity. By all accounts from people that have tried it, the stuff is terrible and tastes like tree bark, so you aren't paying for the joy of drinking it .

It sold for $5,000+ on secondary that same day. The price has ultimately settled down to around $3,000-3,500, I think.

I suspect something similar for the Double Eagle Very Rare. $2,000 to a select few individuals, $5,000 - $10,000 on secondary right away (given the Buffalo Trace roots, I'm assuming it will be more coveted), then will ultimately settle to around a 100% markup. Who knows, though.

I'm curious how much they distilled to get that yield. This year's Eagle Rare 17 lost nearly 90% of the barrel fill to the angel's share. That's a staggering loss and why this year's production number was so low.

Regardless, that crystal decanter bottle is absolutely stunning. Wish I could buy that by itself.