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Thousand Oaks, CA
Quoted from ypurchn:hmmm when someone says Sonoma the absolute last thing I would think of is bourbon. Thoughts on it? Pricing?
I like to buy local whenever I can so I searched around a bit and found this one that is actually a California made bourbon from start to finish. Yeah I was surprised as well. I found a few other brands but they sourced from other states and finished them in California so I didn't count those. I'm far from an expert though, I'm still getting into drinking whisky straight (always mixed in the past). It was around $45 from Total Wine and they make a few versions. The one in the pic is their only bourbon I believe but they also have a 100% rye whisky, and a couple of more limited whiskeys done in cherry casks. I have both the above and their 100% rye whiskey, the rye variant is a little strong for me but their bourbon is pretty good. One thing I personally hate is smokey smell and this one doesn't have that. For palate comparison, I like Jameson as a mild drink and Maker's Mark when I want a little more bite, but personally don't like Wild Turkey or Bulleit.
Quoted from Goronic:If it meets the bourbon criteria before it is 'finished' it is still bourbon - BUT - they have to put it on the label. That's my understanding anyway.
Ah ok, makes sense because I've seen it listed that way on other bottles as well.
Quoted from Jackontherocks:A lot of people like this one and tried to turn me onto it but too light in taste in my opinion and very much overrated
It's definitely down to ones tastes, but for a random find at Target I was pleasantly surprised!
2 weeks later
Quoted from Fulltilt:VERY good stuff (IMO). Very smooth with a great finish. I had to pick up 2.
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Hmm need to try that as I like regular Maker's Mark. Just curious, how many whiskey bottles in general do you have?
Quoted from djreddog:At the New York City Pinball Championships and this is the spread in my hotel room. Anything worthy?[quoted image]
Never tried the Casamigos Blanco, but their Casamigos Reposado is really good, always keep a bottle handy! Personally I hate Johnnie Walker, don't like overly smokey smell or taste. Vodka is all the same to me so I just go cheap on that, good 'ol Classic Club vodka at $8.99 for 1.75L. Never tried Hudson...
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Ok F it i'm starting it now it's post some nasty ass crap bottle night. This crap I bought on a whim and wish I could have my money back! What you guys got to rag on?
[quoted image]
But the bottle says "Admirably Superior"!
After that great Wyoming Whiskey, decided to try another craft whiskey but this time a local one. Found this one, apparently distilled right here in Huntington Beach, go figure. Not quite as good as the Wyoming Whiskey, but pretty good as well. Maybe I just prefer craft whiskeys from small distilleries because they experiment more? Not sure...
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Decided to ask a dude at Total Wine what one of his favorites is and said this one. I mentioned that I don't like smokey smell or taste (I hate JW Black Label for example) and he said this one is smokey but more mild so I decided to give it a try. Didn't like it, I'm learning that I really don't like smoke anywhere near my whisky, gonna finish this one as a mixer.
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Tried two new ones today, I liked the story of Freedom Whiskey being 100% veteran owned so I gave it a shot. Not spectacular, but it's good. The other one though, The Burning Chair, that's up there as one of my favorites, so good! Love the black bottle as well.
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Speaking of so-so whiskey, just tried this one and it's, well, so-so just like the Freedom Whiskey. Part of the problem could be because I tried these after The Burning Chair whiskey which I thought was great, so these other two bottles didn't stand a chance.
00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190601175836909_COVER (resized).jpgQuoted from PinDeLaPin:So being pissed off like most at how difficult it has been lately to source good bourbon I was bored and just googled "bourbon shortage". This article is a year old but really sums it up quite nicely about how the i dustry is trying to keep the shelves sticked for us all. https://www.gobourbon.com/buffalo-trace-releases-statement-bourbon-shortage/
Man I dunno, it's plentiful around here. I've been venturing out into lesser known brands and have been hugely surprised, I'm liking the lesser known stuff more than the usual suspects when it comes to bourbon! Best thing I can suggest to people is step away from the typical stuff and explore the other parts of the rack, you'l be amazed at the good stuff that's out there.
IMG_20190516_191643 (resized).jpgQuoted from ypurchn:Fun ? Of the night. My low to mid $30s go to has been Eagle Rare or more recently Rowan’s Creek. What else does the group have to suggest? Been reading decent things about Jim Beam black
Comments?
I like Maker's Mark 46, it's around $27.
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Yeah I am glad I passed on it I had a feeling it was probably pretty crappy
I actually like it, not amazing but it's a good change of pace sometimes. However if you prefer cask strength stuff you probably will find it too mild. For the price there are definitely better options though.
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1 week later
Quoted from Gorgar123:After reading about it a few posts up, I stumbled upon this at Costco and grabbed a bottle. Thanks for the tip, I like it a lot.[quoted image]
I admit I'm a sucker for a cool bottle! Will have to grab that one, they have it at my local Total Wine.
4 weeks later
Got a couple of new ones to try. At the left is a WA whiskey, Heritage. Don't like it, it will become a mixing whiskey 
It's weird that it's called a bourbon though even though it's a mix of new and used casks, not sure how that works. Middle is Redemption which is pretty good. I still like the one on the right better though. At first I wasn't as crazy about it but now I really like it, I guess my whiskey palette is changing?
00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190729161812945_COVER (resized).jpgQuoted from PinDeLaPin:I totally agree with both of these statements and I'm not slamming anybody else for a trying to make a good product but you can absolutely tell the difference hands down without a doubt where the product comes from. I'm not saying I wouldn't drink something else because I know a lot of Bourbons are actually produced in Indiana and are pretty decent products I'm just saying I really try to stick to the Kentucky or the Tennessee Products as a general rule of thumb. Definitely do not want to come off as a bourbon snob because I am definitely far from that I just really wanted to get everyone else's perspective on how they felt on the matter.
I used to be that way for wine, always had French wine because it was The Thing To Do (tm). Until one day I was like why am I ignoring all this other cool stuff on the shelf? So I started to explore and now I like Italian and California wine better than French wine.
Fast forward to drinking whiskey neat and I did a similar thing, always tried stuff from Kentucky eventually once again asked myself why ignore all this other cool stuff on the shelf? Fifty some brands later the first pic shows my favorites as the emptiness of the bottles show, four from California and one from Kentucky of which four are bourbon and one is a single malt. I do always prefer to support local but I won't buy something I don't like, and I definitely came across some local whiskey that I did not like but it just turned out that my favorites were indeed state local.
I threw in a second pic showing my other favorites after my top five, all four are bourbon, three are from Kentucky and one is from Wyoming. I find a lot of variance between whiskey that come from the same region so for example I've found a fair amount of Kentucky whiskey that I like, and a fair amount that just don't do it for me, but I'm willing to try unknown stuff from anywhere.
I guess point being that I never would have discovered my favorites if I didn't explore beyond the "accepted norm", the process of which included buying some that I didn't like but that's ok, because I found some gems during the process. To each their own of course but I don't see the point in limiting myself on booze to certain longitudes and latitudes. Of course a lot will depend on your local stock and we're admittedly pretty lucky here in Los Angeles with a stupid amount of whiskey selection that I can spend a lifetime exploring.
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Damn that one is $110 locally here! Is it worth it? The tasting notes on Total Wine are "Intense, Butterscotch, Caramel" which makes it tempting to try.
Quoted from flashsmith:I tend to stick to the tried and true. I've been burned a couple of times buying a "vanity" bottle only to find out it is "sourced" and not as the label represents the contents. Been picking up more scotch then Bourbon as of late because I like to know what I'm buying.
I definitely do research now, because damn it seems like 90% of whiskey's are just sourced with a fresh story added to them. I mean i don't necessarily mind if it's sourced if it's good, but some transparency would be nice!
Quoted from Fulltilt:It's a pretty damn good kick butt Texas bourbon.... $110 good only you can say. (:
I'm not too good at tasting notes. I never could find the chocolate and tobacco in my Pinot Noir.
Yeah me too I'm terrible with tasting notes. The "intense" part is what interested me as I've been looking into trying stronger stuff, so I'll probably grab a bottle next time I'm at the store. Not sure if I'm ready for Chisox's 131 proof just yet though...
Meanwhile someone on my Twitch stream recommended I try this one so I did, very mild for a 90 proof but I like it!
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Ok so it's not the barrel proof, but wanted to give the 94 proof a try after the chatter here. Got it for $25 at my local grocery store and it's pretty good! Admittedly now it makes me wanna try the cask strength version. I feel like I need to do a taste test of whiskeys in this price rage, maybe put this against Woodford Reserve, Larceny, and others in the $25 range.
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Well yolo as the kids say, went to a tiny store walking distance from home and bought these. Sonoma Bourbon is my favorite drink so had to restock on that, and decided to give some cask strength stuff a try. Sonoma Bourbon was $40, Stagg Jr was $90 (ouch) and Elijah Craig was $100 (ouch again). Definitely splurge booze but wanted to try it.
Have to say the Elijah is glorious, the "intense" definition of its flavor is quite correct, like this one! The regular 94 proof is a better bang for the buck and is plenty good, but this one does take it up to that other notch.
The Stagg Jr, hmm, I'm not sure. It's no where as intense as the EJ and has quite a different flavor from anything I've tried. Palettes change so I'll see if I grow into this one over time, right now I'm kinda so/so on it but always happy to try new stuff.
The store told me they select their own barrels of cask strength Old Forrester and Whistle Pig, I'll pass on the pig because I'm not into high rye but I'll give the Old Forrester a chance at some point when they get them.
00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190820175504027_COVER (resized).jpgQuoted from Chisox:Welcome to barrel strength bourbon! Once you get a taste for it, nothing under 110 proof will satisfy you anymore. I’m only kind of kidding. That’s batch 11 from Stagg Jr. which I found benefitted from a couple weeks of decanting. I’ve had many debates regarding Stagg Jr./EC BP and people tend to have a strong preference of one over the other. Those prices are a tick high but as you said YOLO. Enjoy.
I'm curious if that will happen, to where barrel proof is the only way to go. I'll still play with Stagg Jr some more, I usually prefer neat but maybe I'll toss an ice cube in there and see what it does. My palette changes as well so who knows, maybe I have to hit it at the right time.
Quoted from Grandnational007:ECBP is great. But it’s price tag per proof is not. I saw a spreadsheet a while ago that broke down the price per proof of cask strength offerings compared to their regular versions, and was quite shocked actually.
Stagg Jr, when found at $50, is a great deal, MMCS at $45 is too. Technically, Jefferson’s at sea cask strength is as well, because there is a $5 markup over the regular version (though I would never recommend either at their price points).
Old grand dad 114, while technically not “barrel proof”, kicks ass at its $24 price. Once you make a julep or old fashioned with ogd114, chances are, you’ll never want to use anything else.
WT101, despite its “low” proof, is also close to a barrel proof offering because of the low entry proof to the barrels; very little water is added to proof it down to 101 (see rare breed, which is a true “barrel proof” offering, and is usually seen at a high proof point of about 113ish max).
That said, enjoy what you enjoy, but don’t be afraid of the lower shelf, legacy high proofers, you might just be surprised.
*tips back a glencairn of the final pour of a maker’s 46 cask strength a buddy brought back from the distillery...
Cheers!
Yeah barrel proof is so not worth it as far as bang for the buck goes, but I'm hoping to narrow down the high priced stuff to a favorite or two that I keep, and usually I'll stick to the $25-$50 range. I've tried Wild Turnkey and wasn't crazy about it but I'll have to try Old Grand Dad 114, my local Total Wine has it for $30. Prolly cheaper elsewhere but they are just so convenient to go to. For the Maker's Mark, do you mean this one:
https://www.totalwine.com/spirits/bourbon/makers-mark-cask-strength-bourbon-whisky/p/143298750
I have Maker's Mark 46 which I like especially at just $27, but I didn't see any high proof version of that one.
1 week later
Quoted from Fulltilt:How tight can you go..?
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Getting a little snug 
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Quoted from Grandnational007:But it's my damn money, and I'll spend it how I want. Now get off my lawn!
Now if only others on Pinside would let us do the same for pinball machines without calling us names. Yeah I know, I'm a dreamer lol.
On a different note, I wasn't a big fan of Stagg Jr neat but recently saw a Youtube video where they said it goes great with bbq. I normally don't do whiskey with food but I gave it a try and it actually works, go figure! It does have a very unique flavor so I guess it lends itself well to some foods.
00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190921203952249_COVER (resized).jpgQuoted from PinDeLaPin:Hmmm... Well since I don't want to see you have to choke that awful stuff down go ahead and send the rest of the bottle to me. I will properly dispose of it for you.
Hah, well it's definitely not awful! It has a unique taste but just not my thing.
Hey guys what do you think of Booker's? I've never tried it but people keep suggesting it on my Twitch streams. Asking because it's not cheap around here, between $70 to $90 depending on which one.
1 week later
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Anybody have any thoughts on these prices? I'm teally not a fan of regular Makers but if these are decent prices I may give em a try.[quoted image]
I personally like Maker's 46 but never tried the cask strength version. The price you show is kinda high, it's around $27 around here.
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:If you don't have this bottle I suggest you get one this stuff is fantastic. I find myself reaching for this bottle first a lot of times.[quoted image]
Cheers, this is good stuff!
00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20191010124457662_COVER (resized).jpgQuoted from S-Miles:What price point are ones seeing this?[quoted image]
I just got one for $99, not cheap but really good.
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Wow that is just nuts. Some of these prices are just getting completely out of control. I used to pay $14.97 for a bottle of old weller antique just 5 years ago. Prices keep trending up the way they are I may just cash out my whole collection and make a fortune
Speaking of nuts, saw this on the shelf.
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2 weeks later
Quoted from kcZ:Today's haul.[quoted image]
Nice, Burning Chair is a favorite of mine
Quoted from DBLM:I find Blantons to be ok but not with the hype trying to find it (not readily found around here for some reason). For the price point, I think there are better bourbons.
I know everybody on here likes the Stagg Jr but it did nothing for me. The one that I had had alcohol but no flavor. If I want high proof, I much prefer Bookers.
Sprained my ankle today so drinking some Blood Oath 4. Doing a much better job for me vs the Advil.
Stagg Jr also didn't do much for me, Bookers on the other hand is really good. Haven't tried Blantons yet...
2 weeks later
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Local liquor store did a barrel pick of EC and its a 10yr 10 month single barrel. Couldn't beat the price either.[quoted image][quoted image]
When a store does a barrel pick like that is the only difference that they go to the aging facility, sample some barrels and pick some for their own store? Other than that that it's all the same as others in the same batch? I'm curious because EJ is great, but I wonder how much different store selected barrels would be given that they charge more for it.
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:My understanding is that they get offered certain barrels to pick from. What I can say is this particular Barrel was 10 years old and 10 months and I know that the regular EC is between 6 and 8 years old.
Ahhh interesting, so there is an aging difference, cool. Will need to procure some at some point.
1 week later
1 week later
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Don't forget to post your thoughts on the Woodinville
So I like the Woodinville, overall pretty good. But for some reason so far all the pacific northwest whiskeys I try have a bit of a slightly bad aftertaste to me, not a deal breaker but it's there. Still good but I like something like Makers 46 better for example. Having said that I know my palette can change, so I'll revisit this again in the future and see how I feel then.
As for the Old Forester talk, I kinda like their 100 proof. I've moved it to the back of the shelf so that I don't tear through it too quickly.
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1 week later
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:I guess I underestimated how difficult it is around here to score one of these bottles.[quoted image]
I got some of that locally a few months back but I dunno, it was fine but lots of cheaper stuff tasted better to me.
Quoted from PinDeLaPin:Looks like u reeled in a big one! How the hell did you score that for only $130?
I think that's msrp, it comes up as $130 at my local Total Wine:
https://www.totalwine.com/spirits/bourbon/small-batch-bourbon/elijah-craig-18-yr/p/99139750
Quoted from Whysnow:One is fun. But 2 is twice as nice.
Like pinball, there is usually no additional charge when shipping a second in the same package.
Secondary market so I paid $450 shipped for the pair, but I wanted them and will drink em.[quoted image]
Anyone know how this compares to EC barrel proof? That's one of my faves, but there seems to be diminishing returns past $100 or so.
1 month later
1 week later
Quoted from ZAuxier:Maybe not the most indulgent pick, but easily a favorite go-to budget pick.[quoted image]
I kinda feel the $24 Elijah Craig and $29 Maker's 46 are the best bangs for the buck out there, budget price but not budget flavor.
3 weeks later
Quoted from ZAuxier:So, I can't really say that I'm as IN to bourbon as many of the folks on this thread - but wondering what the consensus is on this stuff? Did a blind taste test against one of my baselines, Elijah Craig, and I honestly think I like the Craig better?[quoted image]
I have that one and EJ, personally I liked EJ better.
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:I was running low on my favorite go to bourbon, Woodinville whisky company port cask finished bourbon so I stopped by at the distillery to get a bottle. To help out fight the virus they have pivoted to also manufacture hand sanitizer which they donate for free to health and government organizations on the frontline of this crisis. When you bought a bottle, they gave a bottle of the hand sanitizer also. Talk about win win, love this company and their bourbon[quoted image]
Definitely want to try that one. I tried their regular one and it was good, but I find I'm usually a big fan of whiskey that's finished in port casks.
1 week later
Quoted from Forum-ninja:I think it is better than C919 ECBP.
Well damn, yeah I'll definitely add this to my list.
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