Rant/Rave: Bourbon

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33anda3rd
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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by 33anda3rd »

Thrill, I like your style. I don't think you're doing it wrong, because it's a matter of taste and the individual's taste wins out in my opinion. Don't know about the Arrogante, I'm not sure it's distributed in IL.

Me, I prefer my agave spirits at room temp so that I'm getting the full nose, the full flavor, and my senses are not being dulled by chilling. You can dig around on the web and read about Highlands v Lowlands tequilas. Highlands are on clay soil and richer than Lowlands, which grow on a lot of volcanic terrain and have that peppery flavor you're talking about, so I'd explore the Lowlands if that's your jam--Highlands are more rich, floral, fruity.

Tequila is the wine person's spirit of choice because (except maybe Amaro) it displays terroir more than any other distilled spirit. Bourbon, rye, scotch, they are all distilled from a commodity product. It doesn't matter if you buy corn from farmer 33anda3rd in Illinois or Farmer Thrill in Arizona, it's the same commodity product and the difference is in the barrel and the blend and the distillery, not in the product that gets mashed in. Tequila, not so much. So if you're liking that peppery thing, it's not unlike if you really dig an Austrian Gruner Veltliner wine and it's probably because of terroir, and you would probably do best by yourself to stick to other Lowlands tequilas.

I like Casa Noble and Arette as far as Lowlands tequilas go.

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thrill
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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by thrill »

I'm going to try one of those. Thanks for the lowland/highland tip. I did not know that. I'll let you know if I find a southern az mezcal worth a try.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by Swirls »

When did you move back to AZ from FL, thrill?

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thrill
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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by thrill »

Swirls wrote:When did you move back to AZ from FL, thrill?
End of May.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by 33anda3rd »

About 800 dead fish in the water from the Barton 1792 collapse and they're looking at a healthy fine for not reporting the collapse quickly enough. Bummer for the Sazerac Group.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by Michael »

33anda3rd wrote:About 800 dead fish
I'd eat one. Bourbon flavored fish is something I can work with.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by Jocephus »

frick. my pop bought a bottle recently in support of them. (he's liked them plenty beforehand).

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by 33anda3rd »

I can't wait for the Barton 1792 Surviving Barrel Series, MSRP of $399.99.

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Re: Rant/Rave: Bourbon

Post by 33anda3rd »

So like 4-5 years ago my favorite value bourbon was Heaven Hill 6 Year Bottled in Bond KY Straight Bourbon. It was the house shot at the bar for $3, and I loved to sip it. Then one day my Southern Wine & Spirits rep goes "yeah, sorry, no more, they're not making it anymore." And I get sad b/c it was 100 proof and 6 years and like $14/bottle. It and Very Old Barton Bonded were the two best value bourbons out there during the first wave of the boom. Now it's VOB for value bourbon, when it's in stock. Or slum it with Ezra Brooks 90 proof, which is fine but not as good as VOB and certainly not on the level of HH BiB 6.

Flash forward to yesterday and I'm in a Liquor Barn down here in Loo-vull because I was told they have some decent barrel picks and a house label, and lo and freaking behold they have Heaven Hill BiB 6 Year. For $12.29/bottle pre-tax. Have they been hoarding it for 5 years? Do people just not buy it? I mean, it's not even on the Heaven Hill website under "our products," so they can't still be making it, right? Well, they didn't stop making it, they're just not shipping it outside KY or advertising it. Sneaky little mothergrabbers, they only sell it near home and they're able to make enough to fill all the shelves, whereas if they shipped it everywhere they'd always be in low supply. So they take care of the locals, the people who work for them, their families, their friends always have plenty of HH BiB.

I have plenty now too. Two cases in the trunk of my car. That's my Christmas shopping for my bar friends done five+ months early with a handful of bottles for myself. Had a couple last night, was nice to be reunited with an old friend.

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