Bourbon & Tennessee Whiskey

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Anyone try Elmer T Lee single barrel?

I haven’t had the single barrel.
The plain old regular ETL I have had and am always looking for another bottle.
Tough to find though.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Anyone try Elmer T Lee single barrel?

I had a pour from a restaurant in Viroqua Wisconsin the other weekend. Was really enjoyable. I wouldn’t pay secondary for it, but would definitely grab it, if you found for a reasonable price.

I wish Bookers was easier to find here in Wisconsin. Pretty reliable over in Minnesota at least. So delicious!

Attachments:

1. 

   PXL_20230513_001708517-scaled.jpg
   

My fav is Jefferon’s, just found this beauty!

Attachments:

1. 

   Dinner-scaled.jpg
   

Eelpoutguy wrote:

My fav is Jefferon’s, just found this beauty!

Nice! I do like Jefferson’s and have not seen that one. Looks expensive.

Blue Run was just purchased by Molson Coors to expand their spirits line. hopefully that will include increased production and distribution. it will be interesting to see what they do with the sourcing, continue (Castle & Key, Bardstown, etc.) or add their own distilling?

Cheers!
(You probably deserve it.)

Attachments:

1. 

   PXL_20231013_010913265-scaled.jpg
   

We’ve been in Kentucky for almost a week now, doing the distillery rounds.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

We’ve been in Kentucky for almost a week now, doing the distillery rounds.

I hope your having a blast. That sounds like a great trip

Definitely something on my list of things to do in the near future. Can I ask how expensive or not it is to go to the distilleries?

Eelpoutguy wrote:

My fav is Jefferon’s, just found this beauty!

I enjoy hanging out with the Jefferson’s. They are one of my favorites. I normally have at least one of their bottles on hand. I have not tried the Marian. Wondering what you think of it?

It is a blast we did the same last fall. Makers mark and jim beam we’re the best.

I had a client last night that left me a tip like I have never received before!

Attachments:

1. 

   What-a-tip.jpg
   

That is a REAL nice tip BK. Have not tried the 12 year yet, really like the piggy back. As I said before for some reason not a huge fan of the Angel Envy Rye. Love the regular and have not tried the expensive one. Hope you enjoy sir.

My first gift the wife ever got me was a Whistle Pig 12. I have one drink of it a year, on our anniversary. I recommend tasting with a fried Spam and cheese sandwich, the tasting notes pair well with the rye.

I hope to crack the 12 year tomorrow.

mahtofire14 wrote:

Definitely something on my list of things to do in the near future. Can I ask how expensive or not it is to go to the distilleries?

we went this spring and toured/tasted at a number of distilleries. it is not too expensive, depending on if you’re getting a general tour (“bourbon is made with corn, here is our column still”) or a more private background tour and tasting experience. a few are free, many are around $25 for a basic tour, and then it can go up quite a bit from there for something more special.

the larger limitation is that many will sell out months in advance especially on weekends or during popular weeks. if you know where in Kentucky you’ll be going, hit the websites of the distilleries in that area and they pretty much all have tour info and ticket sales online.

I don’t drink a lot of bourbon but when I tried this Elijiah Craig single barrel I had to get a couple bottles, this stuff was great. Good thing it is expensive or I would be drinking it a lot more.

Attachments:

1. 

   IMG_20231005_194247_01-scaled.jpg
   

onestout wrote:

I don’t drink a lot of bourbon but when I tried this Elijiah Craig single barrel I had to get a couple bottles, this stuff was great. Good thing it is expensive or I would be drinking it a lot more.

Wait tell you try toasted barrel. Its great. I have an 18 year too. That is fairly good.

mahtofire14 wrote:

Definitely something on my list of things to do in the near future. Can I ask how expensive or not it is to go to the distilleries?

We’ve seen tours anywhere from free to $30.00. Buffalo Trace was a free tour and was really a nice one but they did not let you into some of the more inter parts of a distillery. Still it was informative and a great time there. This morning we did the Makers Mark tour at $24.00/ person. We got into just about every aspect of the distillery, seeing 8, I think they said, 30,000 gallon vats of fermenting mash was downright heady, smelling the process as well as seeing it literally under your nose. Historically every distillery we went to has been an education.

Honestly, I wanted to see Kentucky as a state since I’d never been here. I really wanted to see Churchill Downs and it was our first stop. Unbelievably rewarding. Then I wanted to visit Makers campus and other distilleries just fell in line.

We have driven to each site. There are day and half-day organized tours but they book fast and are not cheap, but after a cheap party type of atmosphere. It’s amazing how many families with kids there are visiting the sites.

If you drive, be prepared to do lots of rural driving on generally asphalt roads, just ones without any sort of shoulder. And many of the locals have less than good driving habits. Gas-wise, prices have been realized between those in Minnesota to as low as $3.19.

Is it worth it? For me it’s been priceless regardless of what it is costing. We’re both retired and have found plenty of places along the way to snoop and stretch the legs, but if I (we) were to do this trip again I think doing it with another couple to help with driving would be the way to do it.

We’re still here and having a hoot. Maybe home in 3-4 days. Who knows.

Cave tours out there are pretty cool Jimmy, if you’re whiskey travels brings ya by one I recommend checking one out. Our cave had stocked rainbows swimming w the boats

Stop by Rebecca Ruth Candy in Frankfort, they make amazing bourbon balls. Mammoth Caves is awesome, too. Spend a day driving through Versailles and check out horse country and if you can schedule it, there’s a dinner train that goes by the Beam distillery, it’s worth it.

Steven Krapfl wrote:

Stop by Rebecca Ruth Candy in Frankfort, they make amazing bourbon balls.

Those bourbon balls are something else. So are the malted milk balls.

Thanks Jimmy and Mike for the info. Sounds like you had a blast Jimmy!

We’ll be home tomorrow afternoon. Staying in Missouri tonight, lots of miles today for this old fart. I stocked up on crow repellant (screamer bottle rockets) in several sizes this afternoon. I broke down and bought a bottle of Makers46, really enjoy it. We saw a mess of distilleries, some super decent, some not so interesting. Been fun.

I think driving into the deep country to get to some of these distilleries offerrees some really good up-close look at some seriously impoverished living conditions… sort of makes a person realize just how good he has it. We came upon a woman with two young girls selling watermelons for $3.00 apiece. I picked out two and paid her with a ten and said no change needed. I told her to get the girls and herself a treat on the way home. Very nice lady and those girls were absolute sweeties.

The history in bourbon country is interesting and every different distillery had its own twist. Some of the structures used today were built in the late 1700’s. Seeing a 100 acres plot with twenty or more warehouses that hold upwards of 60,000 53 gallon barrels just makes it almost impossible to fathom the kind of impact booze has on this special region in Kentucky. We’ve had a super good time.

Ill take a long shot–anyone have access to a btl of Stagg-im talking ‘jr’. not George T. that would be willing to trade or sell? I know I can pretty easily get it from an online store–currently it goes for about 300-400 but I just cant justify that–I bid up to 200 on a btl in a silent auction and it sold for 210–kinda kicking myself on that one
Gotten into bourbon too late i guess and everything is allocated now–been looking for my own bottle of stagg after falling in love with it-

Stagg is around but tough to find, I am looking for one too. The problem is people willing to pay that $300-400 price. That’s insane if you ask me. None of this stuff is worth what we are paying for it now.

If interested, i have quite the pile of allocated bourbons that I was looking to sell, got an IRS bill that needs paid or i can’t renew my registration for my car. Let me know if you’re looking for something, perhaps I can help. Off the top of my head, I got a McKenna 10 year or two i could sell, some Elijah Craig barrel proof and toasted barrels, some Weller SR and full proof, some Eagle Rare, Blantons, a bottle of 16 year Old Fitz decanter series, which was a distillery only release, perhaps an EH Taylor and some others. Damn IRS.

Go Spuds wrote:

Ill take a long shot–anyone have access to a btl of Stagg-im talking ‘jr’. not George T. that would be willing to trade or sell? I know I can pretty easily get it from an online store–currently it goes for about 300-400 but I just cant justify that–I bid up to 200 on a btl in a silent auction and it sold for 210–kinda kicking myself on that one
Gotten into bourbon too late i guess and everything is allocated now–been looking for my own bottle of stagg after falling in love with it-

Can find them pretty easily for around the 225 mark in Mn. Lemme know if thats in your wheelhouse and I can point you in the right direction.

I just picked up a bottle of Vikre’s Sugarbush Whiskey. I had once a while ago and liked the bit of maple flavor in it. Was limited to 1 bottler per purchase so must be popular?