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Bourbon 🥃

Chris Harmon

ITS Publisher
Staff
Aug 15, 2002
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Tulsa, OK
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Any Bourbon and/or Tennessee Whiskey enthusiasts in our community? If so, I thought I'd start a discussion on favorites, what you're currently sipping, suggestions, etc.

Nobody was drinking Bourbon when I first got into it back in the late 90s. Well, let me rephrase that, there were certainly a lot of college kids drinking cheap stuff to get drunk...but I'm talking about enjoying a glass or two of good stuff in the evenings.

I used to buy Blanton's and Rock Hill Farms twenty years ago. They were about $40 to $45 a bottle back then and readily available. Now, I can't find them anywhere, and when I do, they are anywhere from $150 to $400, which is ridiculous. Once Gen Y started drinking Bourbon and started buying it up, prices went way up on a lot of stuff. Weller Special Reserve even became hard to find, and a $20 bottle was going for $45. Weller is probably worth $40, but I can now find it again for about $22...but I still can't find Weller 12, Weller Antique 107 or Weller Full Proof. Now there's 1,000 YouTube channels reviewing Bourbon.

I really enjoy the flavor profiles from Brown-Forman, Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace distilleries, so I usually buy from those product lines. Big fan of wheated Bourbons. Last night, I had a glass of Larceny for the first time...really good...lots of vanilla, maple syrup and chocolate cherry notes.

As for Tennessee Whiskey, I'm trying to find a bottle of George Dickel Bottled in Bond.

HEAVEN HILL:

BROWN-FORMAN:

BUFFALO TRACE:
 
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Any Bourbon and/or Tennessee Whiskey enthusiasts in our community? If so, I thought I'd start a discussion on favorites, what you're currently sipping, suggestions, etc.

Nobody was drinking Bourbon when I first got into it back in the late 90s. Well, let me rephrase that, there were certainly a lot of college kids drinking cheap stuff to get drunk...but I'm talking about enjoying a glass or two of good stuff in the evenings.

I used to buy Blanton's and Rock Hill Farms twenty years ago. They were about $40 to $45 a bottle back then and readily available. Now, I can't find them anywhere, and when I do, they are anywhere from $150 to $400, which is ridiculous. Once Gen Y started drinking Bourbon and started buying it up, prices went way up on a lot of stuff. Weller Special Reserve even became hard to find, and a $20 bottle was going for $45. Weller is probably worth $40, but I can now find it again for about $22...but I still can't find Weller 12, Weller Antique 107 or Weller Full Proof. Now there's 1,000 YouTube channels reviewing Bourbon.

I really enjoy the flavor profiles from Brown-Forman, Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace distilleries, so I usually buy from those product lines. Big fan of wheated Bourbons. Last night, I had a glass of Larceny for the first time...really good...lots of vanilla, maple syrup and chocolate cherry notes.

As for Tennessee Whiskey, I'm trying to find a bottle of George Dickel Bottled in Bond.
Jim Beam Bottled in Bond isn't a bad cheap bourbon.($23) I get my stuff online. Easier to find than in store.
 
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More of a scotch guy.

giphy.gif
 
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If you ever get into Malts, I'll tell you the most heavenly place in the world. It's the Whiskeycafe L&B in Amsterdam. They have every whiskey under the sun from that side of the pond and it's the best atmosphere to sip whiskey in the entire world. You're not stuck with just one local brew like you would be touring Scotland or Ireland.

cafe-620x310.jpg
 
Jim Beam Bottled in Bond isn't a bad cheap bourbon.($23) I get my stuff online. Easier to find than in store.
I might give that a try. I have found really good prices on some things at B&B (71st and Mingo), like Weller's Special Reserve for $21. I had Old Grand-Dad Bonded from Jim Beam a few days ago. It's a high rye. I wasn't a huge fan, but that's just due to the hot, peppery, spice you get from rye bourbons. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is a good cheap one as well.
 
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I might give that a try. I have found really good prices on some things at B&B (71st and Mingo), like Weller's Special Reserve for $21. I had Old Grand-Dad Bonded from Jim Beam a few days ago. It's a high rye. I wasn't a huge fan, but that's just due to the hot, peppery, spice you get from rye bourbons. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is a good cheap one as well.
Have you been down to Valkyrie Bar in Tulsa? They have a 4 page bourbon menu. I'm sure a single drink is overpriced, but it might lead you to something you like that you can buy in a bottle.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/ca3f06fc-0dce-4a0b-84da-50db36e1bb28
 
Have you been down to Valkyrie Bar in Tulsa? They have a 4 page bourbon menu. I'm sure a single drink is overpriced, but it might lead you to something you like that you can buy in a bottle.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/ca3f06fc-0dce-4a0b-84da-50db36e1bb28
I've been by it numerous times, but I don't think I've ever gone in. It's by the Hunt Club, isn't it? Anyway, per their website, they are closed indefinitely due to COVID-19. Maybe sometime in the future, if they ever reopen, I'll give that a try. As long as the price for a pour isn't absurd, it's a good way to try new stuff.

Looking through their list, most prices are decent, and then they have some weird ones. $20 plus for a pour of Four Roses single barrel is ridiculous, but $12 for Weller 12 is decent. Most are a little high. $19 for Jefferson's Ocean is hilarious, as that is so over-hyped and over-rated.
 
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I've been by it numerous times, but I don't think I've ever gone in. It's by the Hunt Club, isn't it? Anyway, per their website, they are closed indefinitely due to COVID-19. Maybe sometime in the future, if they ever reopen, I'll give that a try. As long as the price for a pour isn't absurd, it's a good way to try new stuff.

Looking through their list, most prices are decent, and then they have some weird ones. $20 plus for a pour of Four Roses single barrel is ridiculous, but $12 for Weller 12 (aka Poor man's Pappy) is decent. Most are a little high. $19 for Jefferson's Ocean is hilarious, as that is so over-hyped and over-rated.
As someone who's not a connoisseur, I don't know the value very well other than I'm sure you can get bottles cheaper. Just figured it would be an interesting place to try out once they open again (assuming they do).

They charge more for the aged aged selections obviously. A new Four Roses single barrel is only listed at $8. In all honesty I forget exactly what whiskey (bourbon or rye) we had when we went there, I think we were drinking old fashions and I remember the guy serving us knowing quite a bit about whiskey.
 
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As someone who's not a connoisseur, I don't know the value very well other than I'm sure you can get bottles cheaper. Just figured it would be an interesting place to try out once they open again (assuming they do)
Oh, for sure. I'd go tonight to get a glass of Weller 12, as I've never had it and can't find it anywhere. It's also the closest I'll get to Pappy Van Winkle for a while.
 
Grew up in KY. Old enough to remember when Makers wasn’t sold outside the Commonwealth. I made a fortune at TU bringing back cases after breaks, especially the Sigma Chis.

All I’ve ever needed is Maker’s with a little ice to open it up.

If I fancy a cocktail, Blanton’s and a 100 year old craft soda pop made in KY named Ale—8-1 is all you need over ice. You can get Ale-8-1 at Cracker Barrel if you want to try it. It’s basically ginger ale but with real fresh ginger and real sugar. Fewer bubbles and stronger flavors than your average Canada Dry ginger ale.

You might think the minute julep is the historic Kentucky cocktail, but that’s one day a year and mostly fiction. You want an old school, backwater, Boss Hog seersucker suit wearing cocktail while you fan yourself and discuss race horses, then it’s Blanton’s and Ale81.

Noah’s Mill and Rowan’s Creek are legit.

Buffalo Trace is acceptable.

Woodford is starting to put out some limited editions that are nice.

The prob with Gen Y is that there is only so much capacity and the Asian market doesn’t help. A lot of the bourbons you are mentioning are stilled in Kentucky and shipped elsewhere for aging. Indiana and Illinois mainly. That’s a problem. It’s not just the limestone aquifer from Mammoth Cave that makes Kentucky Bourbon the best, it’s the unique weather that gives a constant heat and humidity fluctuation during the summer that opens up and contracts the barrel giving the whiskey the color and flavor you recognize. The depletion of Kentucky old growth forest to make the barrels is also playing a role. You see bourbons on the market marked as distilled in Franklin County but it’s just assembled there from stills in three states then shipped to a fourth state to age then shipped back to bottle and tax.
 
Grew up in KY. Old enough to remember when Makers wasn’t sold outside the Commonwealth. I made a fortune at TU bringing back cases after breaks, especially the Sigma Chis.

All I’ve ever needed is Maker’s with a little ice to open it up.

If I fancy a cocktail, Blanton’s and a 100 year old craft soda pop made in KY named Ale—8-1 is all you need over ice. You can get Ale-8-1 at Cracker Barrel if you want to try it. It’s basically ginger ale but with real fresh ginger and real sugar. Fewer bubbles and stronger flavors than your average Canada Dry ginger ale.

You might think the minute julep is the historic Kentucky cocktail, but that’s one day a year and mostly fiction. You want an old school, backwater, Boss Hog seersucker suit wearing cocktail while you fan yourself and discuss race horses, then it’s Blanton’s and Ale81.

Noah’s Mill and Rowan’s Creek are legit.

Buffalo Trace is acceptable.

Woodford is starting to put out some limited editions that are nice.

The prob with Gen Y is that there is only so much capacity and the Asian market doesn’t help. A lot of the bourbons you are mentioning are stilled in Kentucky and shipped elsewhere for aging. Indiana and Illinois mainly. That’s a problem. It’s not just the limestone aquifer from Mammoth Cave that makes Kentucky Bourbon the best, it’s the unique weather that gives a constant heat and humidity fluctuation during the summer that opens up and contracts the barrel giving the whiskey the color and flavor you recognize. The depletion of Kentucky old growth forest to make the barrels is also playing a role. You see bourbons on the market marked as distilled in Franklin County but it’s just assembled there from stills in three states then shipped to a fourth state to age then shipped back to bottle and tax.

Of course it was the Sigma Chi's. Lol.

As far as weather goes.... that's why I go with Scotch. The weather in Scotland is pretty constant (constantly dreary). You can get a good cheap Balvenie 12 Year that first goes into an ex-bourbon barrel and then a port or sherry barrel. It tastes like sweet pipe smoke and spices. Friggin delicious.
 
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I might give that a try. I have found really good prices on some things at B&B (71st and Mingo), like Weller's Special Reserve for $21. I had Old Grand-Dad Bonded from Jim Beam a few days ago. It's a high rye. I wasn't a huge fan, but that's just due to the hot, peppery, spice you get from rye bourbons. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is a good cheap one as well.
I drink Evan Williams in bond occasionally, but I prefer Jim Beam. Jim Beam is harder to find, and a little more expensive. I get it as cheap or cheaper online as long as I order 3 or 4 bottles. You get hit a little harder w/ shipping if you buy 1 or 2 bottles. Blackwell's Wine & Spirits

Jim Beam Bonded
 
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I might give that a try. I have found really good prices on some things at B&B (71st and Mingo), like Weller's Special Reserve for $21. I had Old Grand-Dad Bonded from Jim Beam a few days ago. It's a high rye. I wasn't a huge fan, but that's just due to the hot, peppery, spice you get from rye bourbons. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is a good cheap one as well.
Yeah, unless you want to pay $325+, and have a NY buddy receive it, then ship it a second time(on top of the first shipping charge) you're generally out of luck on Wellers 12. If you stay on top of it and order it as soon as someone get's it in, then you might get it for $225 ish shipped to your door. It get's sold out thru most venders pretty quick.
 
Yeah, unless you want to pay $325+, and have a NY buddy receive it, then ship it a second time(on top of the first shipping charge) you're generally out of luck on Wellers 12. If you stay on top of it and order it as soon as someone get's it in, then you might get it for $225 ish shipped to your door. It get's sold out thru most venders pretty quick.
The secondary market is crazy. Once Gen Y got into bourbon, starting a bourbon boom over the past 15 years, so many things became scarce, and prices went through the roof. There was a time that it was hard to find Weller's Special Reserve. Pappy Van Winkle sat on the shelf and was easy to find 20 years ago. Now you can't find it, and if you do, you might pay up to $1,000 for Pappy 15. Blanton's and Rock Hill Farms are $150 to $400 if you can find it, which is stupid. I drank that stuff every weekend in the early 2000's for about $45 per bottle.
 
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If you want non-traditional, try Second Glance whisky by Savage & Cooke. Also, don’t poo-poo Japanese whiskeys.... they have been distilling for a long time and they make some exceptional whiskeys.

I can’t do any Weller’s products....yuck. Larceny is wheated, like the Pappy.

I actually have a serious hobby of mixology. Have taught classes in craft cocktails, both tequila and rum. I don’t sip straight, as I have found ways to enhance liquors. Today (Aug 25) is national whiskey sour day.... I just made a whiskey sour using Elijah Craig small batch, with fresh lemon and lime, along with a homemade orgeat syrup. But I’m always experimenting with riffs on traditional cocktails. I have hit some homeruns.

It would be fun to have an ITS cocktail get-together. Just let me know...
 
Grew up in KY. Old enough to remember when Makers wasn’t sold outside the Commonwealth. I made a fortune at TU bringing back cases after breaks, especially the Sigma Chis.

All I’ve ever needed is Maker’s with a little ice to open it up.

If I fancy a cocktail, Blanton’s and a 100 year old craft soda pop made in KY named Ale—8-1 is all you need over ice. You can get Ale-8-1 at Cracker Barrel if you want to try it. It’s basically ginger ale but with real fresh ginger and real sugar. Fewer bubbles and stronger flavors than your average Canada Dry ginger ale.

You might think the minute julep is the historic Kentucky cocktail, but that’s one day a year and mostly fiction. You want an old school, backwater, Boss Hog seersucker suit wearing cocktail while you fan yourself and discuss race horses, then it’s Blanton’s and Ale81.

Noah’s Mill and Rowan’s Creek are legit.

Buffalo Trace is acceptable.

Woodford is starting to put out some limited editions that are nice.

The prob with Gen Y is that there is only so much capacity and the Asian market doesn’t help. A lot of the bourbons you are mentioning are stilled in Kentucky and shipped elsewhere for aging. Indiana and Illinois mainly. That’s a problem. It’s not just the limestone aquifer from Mammoth Cave that makes Kentucky Bourbon the best, it’s the unique weather that gives a constant heat and humidity fluctuation during the summer that opens up and contracts the barrel giving the whiskey the color and flavor you recognize. The depletion of Kentucky old growth forest to make the barrels is also playing a role. You see bourbons on the market marked as distilled in Franklin County but it’s just assembled there from stills in three states then shipped to a fourth state to age then shipped back to bottle and tax.
Good stuff, Huffy. I drank Blanton's often back in the day, when it was readily available at MSRP. Now I can't find it. It's probably my favorite product from Buffalo Trace, along with Rock Hill Farms. I pretty much like anything from Buffalo Trace, including Eagle Rare, Weller, Stagg, EH Taylor, Elmer T. Lee and so on. I'm interested to find Ale 81.

I noticed over the past 10 years that distilleries were sourcing a lot of whiskey, mainly from MGP in Indiana. It led to a lot of blending, and age statements disappeared. That's why I like Bonded whiskey, since it has to be from one season at one distillery and at least 4 years old. However, age statements are coming back as supply gets better.

I agree with you on Maker's. B&B currently has a store pick of Maker's Private Select for $70...I'm tempted to grab it.
 
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If you want non-traditional, try Second Glance whisky by Savage & Cooke. Also, don’t poo-poo Japanese whiskeys.... they have been distilling for a long time and they make some exceptional whiskeys.

I can’t do any Weller’s products....yuck. Larceny is wheated, like the Pappy.

I actually have a serious hobby of mixology. Have taught classes in craft cocktails, both tequila and rum. I don’t sip straight, as I have found ways to enhance liquors. Today (Aug 25) is national whiskey sour day.... I just made a whiskey sour using Elijah Craig small batch, with fresh lemon and lime, along with a homemade orgeat syrup. But I’m always experimenting with riffs on traditional cocktails. I have hit some homeruns.

It would be fun to have an ITS cocktail get-together. Just let me know...
Nice. I just finished off a bottle of Elijah Craig small batch last week. Sounds like you should be the ITS bartender! ;) I really like Larceny...had a pour two night's ago. I got a lot of vanilla, maple syrup and cherry. I'm looking for a bottle of their Barrel Proof next.
 
I drink Evan Williams in bond occasionally, but I prefer Jim Beam. Jim Beam is harder to find, and a little more expensive. I get it as cheap or cheaper online as long as I order 3 or 4 bottles. You get hit a little harder w/ shipping if you buy 1 or 2 bottles. Blackwell's Wine & Spirits

Jim Beam Bonded
Thanks. I've been looking for George Dickel Bottled in Bond 11-year (2020 release). It's a $40 bottle of whiskey, but Blackwell's is charging $75 because of the demand. Ugh! But they have Noah's Mill Cask Strength for $58.
 
I didn’t think they could sell Evan BIB outside of KY. For years that was one of four bottles I would have to haul back to FL after Christmas. Took me like 4 bottles a year. Recent hauls have been Four Roses Cask Strength. Makers Private Select. Old Tub if the Jim Beam store was open. That was always tricky though because the family farm is in a dry county.

Fun fact: Booker Noe and my grandfather were close friends. He ate in my grandfathers restaurant every Sunday and would bring me grapes or Dentyne gum. Which I loved. I was told years later he liked that I was maybe 10 years old and busing tables.

More fun facts: Back in the 80s and really up until it was sold to Jim Beam about 10 years ago, Maker’s used a single assembly line for bottling. Each bottle was dipped by hand by one of four women. The motion they used to dip was uniquely theirs and so repetitive that each bottle would drip wax in roughly the same place on the bottle. They were all friends of my family. I could walk into liquor store in New York City in the 90’s and pick out the bottles that Jo or LuAnn dipped. Once upon a time, Mr Samuels would sign each label with a Bic pen. I’ve got a bottle signed by all three generations. I’ll never drink it or sell it.
 
It would be fun to have an ITS cocktail get-together. Just let me know...
Thats called a “bourbon chew” when it’s a flight of different bourbons and paired with complimentary food. Try Samoa Girl Scout cookies with Maker’s/rocks btw or just throw a Reese’s in the freezer over night and eat with same.

Totally up for that if you want to do it sometime. We can invite LEC so he can shotgun PBR, chug some Rebel Yell and call us fools.
 
More fun facts: Back in the 80s and really up until it was sold to Jim Beam about 10 years ago, Maker’s used a single assembly line for bottling. Each bottle was dipped by hand by one of four women. The motion they used to dip was uniquely theirs and so repetitive that each bottle would drip wax in roughly the same place on the bottle. They were all friends of my family. I could walk into liquor store in New York City in the 90’s and pick out the bottles that Jo or LuAnn dipped. Once upon a time, Mr Samuels would sign each label with a Bic pen. I’ve got a bottle signed by all three generations. I’ll never drink it or sell it.
That is FANTASTIC. I actually learned about that old dipping process while watching an episode of A Chef's Life on PBS. Season 5, episode 6, titled "Bourbon Country". Vivian Howard and her husband were at a dinner at the distillery, and I think it was one of the Samuels that gave a tour of Maker's Mark.
 
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I didn’t think they could sell Evan BIB outside of KY. For years that was one of four bottles I would have to haul back to FL after Christmas. Took me like 4 bottles a year. Recent hauls have been Four Roses Cask Strength. Makers Private Select. Old Tub if the Jim Beam store was open. That was always tricky though because the family farm is in a dry county.

Fun fact: Booker Noe and my grandfather were close friends. He ate in my grandfathers restaurant every Sunday and would bring me grapes or Dentyne gum. Which I loved. I was told years later he liked that I was maybe 10 years old and busing tables.
More good stories. :)

I don't know how long Evan BIB has been on shelves here, but it's now readily available. Regular Heaven Hill quality house bourbon is also now outside of KY. I buy the 1.75 bottles by the case for mixing cocktails.

And I'm assuming you are a Willett fan, since you like Noah's Mill and Rowan's Creek? I've never had either.
 
Thats called a “bourbon chew” when it’s a flight of different bourbons and paired with complimentary food. Try Samoa Girl Scout cookies with Maker’s/rocks btw or just throw a Reese’s in the freezer over night and eat with same.

Totally up for that if you want to do it sometime. We can invite LEC so he can shotgun PBR, chug some Rebel Yell and call us fools.
I'm totally in. The other night I had a chocolate Zinger with a glass of 1792 Small Batch. I was shocked at how good it was. @Li'l Eric Coley makes every gathering better. ;)
 
That is FANTASTIC. I actually learned about that old dipping process while watching an episode of A Chef's Life on PBS. Season 5, episode 6, titled "Bourbon Country". Vivian Howard and her husband were at a dinner at the distillery, and I think it was one of the Samuels that gave a tour of Maker's Mark.
That was likely Bill Samuel’s, Jr.

Another fun fact. He liked to vacation in Panama City Florida. A lot. One night he’s out with family and he asks the waiter what type of cocktails the restaurant is known for. The kid replies that he is just a senior in high school and shouldn’t drink, but when he does drink he only drinks Maker’s so he has no idea what the restaurant cocktails are like. Mr Samuel’s introduces himself, invites him back to the distillery one day, takes his name down and asks him where he is going to college. He says he is planning on working through Univ of North Florida in the Fall. Woody shows up in the fall at the school to pay tuition and is informed he has a zero balance for the year courtesy of Mr Samuels. He later went on to law school and clerked for me. Woody has sold countless bottles of Markers telling that story. Cheapest ad ever for Mr Samuels. Probably $3500 back then .
 
More good stories. :)

I don't know how long Evan BIB has been on shelves here, but it's now readily available. Regular Heaven Hill quality house bourbon is also now outside of KY. I buy the 1.75 bottles by the case for mixing cocktails.

And I'm assuming you are a Willett fan, since you like Noah's Mill and Rowan's Creek? I've never had either. I've only seen one bottle of Noah's Mill at a liquor store here.
Noah’s is good. I like Rowan’s Creek because I had carnal knowledge of Judge Rowan’s daughter in high school. Sipping memories lol
 
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That was likely Bill Samuel’s, Jr.

Another fun fact. He liked to vacation in Panama City Florida. A lot. One night he’s out with family and he asks the waiter what type of cocktails the restaurant is known for. The kid replies that he is just a senior in high school and shouldn’t drink, but when he does drink he only drinks Maker’s so he has no idea what the restaurant cocktails are like. Mr Samuel’s introduces himself, invites him back to the distillery one day, takes his name down and asks him where he is going to college. He says he is planning on working through Univ of North Florida in the Fall. Woody shows up in the fall at the school to pay tuition and is informed he has a zero balance for the year courtesy of Mr Samuels. He later went on to law school and clerked for me. Woody has sold countless bottles of Markers telling that story. Cheapest ad ever for Mr Samuels. Probably $3500 back then .
That is a helluva tale. Wow!

Noah’s is good. I like Rowan’s Creek because I had carnal knowledge of Judge Rowan’s daughter in high school. Sipping memories lol
Lol...nice!
 
Thats called a “bourbon chew” when it’s a flight of different bourbons and paired with complimentary food. Try Samoa Girl Scout cookies with Maker’s/rocks btw or just throw a Reese’s in the freezer over night and eat with same.

Totally up for that if you want to do it sometime. We can invite LEC so he can shotgun PBR, chug some Rebel Yell and call us fools.

lol, that sounds like me. Do they still make Parfidio tequila? Like the actual good stuff with the glass-blown cactus on the bottom of the bottle? I remember I had to ask for it at that 71st & Mingo liquor store b/c they kept it under lock and key. Goodness, that had to be 20 years ago. I felt like a badass buying a $100+ bottle of tequila.
 
My tequila recommendation: Exotico reposado. Small family distillery, is actually one of the cheapest on the shelf. Can’t be beat.

I see Parkhill’s is now carrying Belle Meade bourbon. Excellent, but is $50-75. My buddy bought same thing in Knoxville for $30. Ugh.
 
I would definitely be up for a bourbon-soaked evening. Surprise entry: a dessert Bourbon drink. Won’t divulge ingredients. It’s off the hook, for what it is.
 
I see Parkhill’s is now carrying Belle Meade bourbon. Excellent, but is $50-75.
I've heard good things about Belle Meade. From what I understand, it's a small batch blend sourced from MGP in Indiana. Blended from seven barrels aged 7 to 11 years. High rye content in the mash bill. MSRP is actually $60, but I think I saw it at B&B on the "New whiskeys" shelf for between $50 and $60. I'd love to get it for $30 in Knoxville!

Is the bourbon trail shut down due to COVID?
 
actually bought a bottle of that a few weeks back! I made a few jalapeño margaritas using Trader Joe’s limeade.
LEC you are the intellectual and philosophical glue that holds this board together, but for the love of all that is holy, noooooooooooo :puke:

This is going to require an intervention.
 
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I had always heard great things about Early Times Bottled in Bond, sold in 1L bottles for about $25. Sazerac/Buffalo Trace just purchased Early Times from Brown-Forman, so I recently bought a bottle of BIB before it possibly changes or goes up in price. Had a glass last night.

Wow...super good, especially for the price. I got tons of butterscotch and pancake syrup notes, along with some sort of citrus. It got better and better as I sipped it. Might buy another bottle just to have on hand for down the road.
11770061324318.png
 
f I fancy a cocktail, Blanton’s and a 100 year old craft soda pop made in KY named Ale—8-1 is all you need over ice. You can get Ale-8-1 at Cracker Barrel if you want to try it. It’s basically ginger ale but with real fresh ginger and real sugar. Fewer bubbles and stronger flavors than your average Canada Dry ginger ale.
I just realized that this is exactly like a Presbyterian, but without the club soda. I'll have to give it a try.
 
Just don’t go crazy with the Ale81. Add it to the bourbon, not the other way around. 2 to 1 Ale to Bourbon if you measure. You’ll get a feel for what you like real quick. Lime to garnish if handy.
 
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