PappyVanWise Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 The [Wild Turkey "Forgiven"] whiskey is exactly as advertised - you can distinguish the Rye, you can distinguish the Bourbon, and you can enjoy the blend: it is indeed big, bold, spicy, and smooth - definitely mellowed from some age. My only question: is the backstory bullshit? My brother and I hosted a bourbon tasting last night, and you could go blind trying to read all of the small print on the backs of the bottles. After successfully reading all the small print, you'd then go crazy trying to separate the BS from the stories that might have some truth. The winner of the night for me was Black Maple Hill, which is the best $40 bourbon I've found. Added bonus is that there's no marketing fluff on the package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 My brother and I hosted a bourbon tasting last night, and you could go blind trying to read all of the small print on the backs of the bottles. After successfully reading all the small print, you'd then go crazy trying to separate the BS from the stories that might have some truth. The winner of the night for me was Black Maple Hill, which is the best $40 bourbon I've found. Added bonus is that there's no marketing fluff on the package. Here's a wonderful essay on Black Maple Hill by David Driscoll on K&L Wine Merchants' blog. It is both informative and entertaining. Also, some information on Kentucky Bourbon Distillers on the increasingly reliable (and, admit it: indispensable) Wikipedia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronsinger Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Wow, thanks for this! I worked at a bar/restaurant in Atlanta in 2006-7 and had Black Maple Hill there and loved it! Around that time I also remember seeing their rye sold for around $100 retail. Haven't really seen the label at all since then, however. Are there other similar bourbons made by KBD at somewhat reasonable price points? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Are there other similar bourbons made by KBD at somewhat reasonable price points? You know all those Willetts you've seen in the DC area in the past couple of years? Yep, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 You know all those Willetts you've seen in the DC area in the past couple of years? Yep, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. Also Noah's Mill, my particular favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 I don't know if we should start a new bourbon thread, but another under $40 bottle that people enjoyed at our last tasting was Belle Meade. A quick google search showed it's a relatively new entry into the market. I don't think it has VA distribution, but you should be able to find it in DC and MD. If you're looking in VA ABC, I like the Elmer T Lee and some of the more standard Four Roses bottles are pretty good, though the single barrel and special edition runs get a little pricier. Bourbon recommendations are hard, though, because everyone looks for something they like. I'm drawn towards vanilla flavors, and the ones I like tend to show them pretty well. Some of the wheatier and fruitier ones scored better with the other people at the tasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I haven't tried the Belle Meade yet, though their PR person did send us a "you should do a story on us, here's some pictures and descriptions" email that always pisses me off. (If you actually READ our blog, you see we don't run that kind of story. We only do stories where we A: visit the distillery or B: run into a product THAT WE HAVE TRIED and like it a lot. I asked the PR lady if she actually read our blog and why she thought we should care and just got a "well, it's popular in DC, and Derek Brown likes it". Sigh.) I am a huge fan of the Four Roses bourbons. In my opinion, they're some of the best values on the market. Same with Henry McKenna bottled-in-bond. I'll be doing a post on the blog today or tomorrow talking about that GQ chart and my experiences with the brands listed on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I haven't tried the Belle Meade yet, though their PR person did send us a "you should do a story on us, here's some pictures and descriptions" email that always pisses me off. (If you actually READ our blog, you see we don't run that kind of story. We only do stories where we A: visit the distillery or B: run into a product THAT WE HAVE TRIED and like it a lot. I asked the PR lady if she actually read our blog and why she thought we should care and just got a "well, it's popular in DC, and Derek Brown likes it". Sigh.) I am a huge fan of the Four Roses bourbons. In my opinion, they're some of the best values on the market. Same with Henry McKenna bottled-in-bond. I'll be doing a post on the blog today or tomorrow talking about that GQ chart and my experiences with the brands listed on it. Try getting 10 emails like this a day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Noah's Mill and 4 Roses Single Barrel are on the shelf for me and Kay makes Manhattans with Johnny Drum. I've actually taught her to make a more than passable Manhattan and an extremely good martini. You will not see her making drinks at Dino however, her price is to high! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronsinger Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I walked into a liquor store on saturday night set out to buy gifts (wine for my aunt, beer for my cousin, her son) and I ended up also walking out with a bottle for myself. I ended up with the 12-year Weller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Try getting 10 emails like this a day! My average is pretty close to that. Hers is one of the few where the PR person responded. (And I got to tease Derek about it on Saturday night.) Hopefully later today we'll have an official "policy" post on it on the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Riley Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I walked into a liquor store on saturday night set out to buy gifts (wine for my aunt, beer for my cousin, her son) and I ended up also walking out with a bottle for myself. I ended up with the 12-year Weller. Where (roughly) do you live? I know for a fact that it's not available in the D.C. or Maryland markets, darn it all. The Sazerac company rep for the mid-Atlantic informed me earlier this year that, while they have enough to supply their current markets, they had no plans to open any new markets with it this calendar year. I really look forward to being able to offer it someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronsinger Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Where (roughly) do you live? I know for a fact that it's not available in the D.C. or Maryland markets, darn it all. The Sazerac company rep for the mid-Atlantic informed me earlier this year that, while they have enough to supply their current markets, they had no plans to open any new markets with it this calendar year. I really look forward to being able to offer it someday. Evanston, Illinois. I bought it at the Binny's in Skokie. Weller, not Black Maple Hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoastMonkey Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Eagle Rare is my cabinet staple. It's a readily available, 10-year, single barrel for under $30. I can't think of any reason I wouldn't have a bottle on hand. I also really like the Evan Williams Single Barrel and Henry McKenna Single Barrel when I can find them. See a trend here? I can enjoy a good blend, but have never found them as satisfying as single barrel whiskeys. In that way whiskey is very much like my other beverage of choice, coffee. Always go for the single-origin over a blend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ad.mich Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Anybody seen any bottles of BMH with age statements (aka not the 'small batch' orange label) in the area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 Anybody seen any bottles of BMH with age statements (aka not the 'small batch' orange label) in the area? The Black Label BMH, which I think was the 16 year, is definitely a rare bird these days. From my little, tiny bit of research it sounds like they're getting out of the rye and defined aged bourbons altogether and just putting out the orange label. Then again, with the supposed bourbon shortage on the horizon, they could start buying inferior juice or just skip some releases. I've already seen the price in the retail market approach $100, which is kind of nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ Cooper Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Where (roughly) do you live? I know for a fact that it's not available in the D.C. or Maryland markets, darn it all. The Sazerac company rep for the mid-Atlantic informed me earlier this year that, while they have enough to supply their current markets, they had no plans to open any new markets with it this calendar year. I really look forward to being able to offer it someday. ITS BULL SHIT!!!!!!! IM TRYING TO GET SOME BOOTLEGGED IN!!!! FUCK PAPPY THIS IS THE BOMB!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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