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Still sipping my bourbon, but the great number of new bourbons and flavored whiskies has me wondering what is afoot. I was reading about a new old bourbon (which I tend to favor more than most, long as they's not too tannic) called Blade and Bow which is from Diageo. It is supposed to have a whiff of Stitzel Weller in it and is 22 years old. Asking price is $150, and although I am a mite curious, I ain't that curious. I see that WT is coming out with a 17 Year Old, and, if I see it anywhere, and I am of a weak mind on that day, I might buy it.......... oops, I just looked it up and its gone be $250, so it will stay on the shelf as far as I am concerned. I KNOW it ain't that good!! Some folks has gone plumb loco. A the liquor store where I shop, the have a few older bourbons (about 22 years old) that are going for $79 and $99 and the label (which I have forgotten) makes me think this is just some whiskey that was not really suitable for its intended purpose, so somebody's trying to slip something over on us. I ain't buying it. I don't mind making do with EW 1783, but I do like some variety, and I am willing to pay $50 for some of it. And, I have also found some favor with Jim Beam Black Label 8 YO....... a nice fairly sweet and soft bourbon. Even Jim Beam White, which is just about the only bourbon available across the pond, is respectable.

The liquor store here in Savannah ain't nowhere as good as my old one in Conyers, and I have been back there twice on return trips to the Atlanta area. But my old standby bourbons, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Old Granddad BIB, Knob Creek, Four Roses Single Barrel, and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee whiskey are readily available. Also, I have found Old Medley 12 year old to be to my liking.

Anybody got anything to say about Michter's bourbons. I see them, but for some unaccountable reason, I never buy them and have not had any in a long, long, time. Since I have cut back on my consumption of bourbon, my supplies are dwindling (still have a few splashes of Pappy 15, which will never be replaced), and often mix the contents of bottles as they begin to get low. Mostly, it is very good bourbon, but I suspect that my ability to notice subtleties in bourbon has long since departed.

Anyway, just checking in on the scene as I sip, in Squire's honor, a wee skosh of Old Granddad BIB, cause it, unlike me and Squire, don't get old. OGD BIB is the real deal and I do hope it is served in the afterlife wherever it takes me.

Welcome back Mike. The golden age of bourbon, as we knew it, is over. There are very few old bourbons any more. I read your list and I agree all but the Medley 12. The bottle I had was godawful. I keep looking but I don't find much. How I long for the old days.
Joe

Hey Mike, good to hear your voice. Things have gotten a bit quiet around here but it remains a congenial place to visit.

I will not, will not, not, not, buy anything carrying the highly deceptive marketed, highly deceptive hyped, grossly overpriced label from the current NDP who has appropriated the famous Mitchter's name. When the old Bomberger/PennCo/Michters plant went bankrupt and the assets sold off, the name fell out of commercial use and became part of the public domain. A couple of smart marketing guys from California realized this, grabbed the name and started bottling bulk whisky to cash in on the famous brand. Is the new stuff bad? No, it's not, but it's also not a super premium or even a premium for that matter and certainly has no connection whatsoever to the Michters Original Pot Still Whisky. The fact the current owners put 1753 on the label and claim a heritage from the original Pennsylvania plant is an insult to any serious student of Bourbon history.

Diageo's Blade and Bow is essentially some unsold Old Charter stock made at the Bernheim plant prior to 1992 and the only connection to Stitzel-Weller is the barrels were stored in the SW warehouses which Diageo also owns. Basically some surplus stock nobody wanted and now being dressed up in new clothes to be marketed to the unaware who can't get Pappy and want something that might impress their friends.

Another bourbon I failed to mention, actually a couple of bourbons, that I usually have on hand, even though both are probably a mite overpriced, are Maker's 46 and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Both have a bit more wood than most people like, but my palate has always found something not too sweet and not too tannic in my favorite bourbons. I still have a few sips of a Birthday Bourbon, which I have always found to be to my liking but have not seen on the shelves in a couple of years.

Last time I was in Conyers and visited Rocky at my favorite liquor store, he says he was forced to raise his prices because people have been coming in from places far away and buying the high dollar stuff and then selling it on the internet for a nice profit. He has several 'package' deals, some of which go for thousands of dollars. He offered to sell me some premium bourbon at reduced prices, but I have grown too cheap, and I know that the very best bourbon is only a little better than the $15 stuff, and to many people it ain't no better. I was unwilling to pay $70 for a bottle of Rock Hill Farms which I did like a lot when it was $45.

The number of new bourbons is amazing and new labels coming out all the time. I have tried a few, including one called 'Savannah Bourbon' which is passable but into trickery...... says it is from 8 grains by which they apparently include several varieties of corn as individual grains. There is very little to be believed in labeling these days.

In all honesty, the best bourbon to my palate on my shelves is some Cheryl Linns gave me a few years back. Some of you will remember Cheryl. She gave me several small bottles of her bourbon, her rye, and some white dog. I have some of that left because I have really hoarded it. As those of you who knew her may remember she has/had? a small distillery in upstate NY and made her whiskey from old, old recipes. She made a whiskey full of the flavors of the grain. unusual, but just great stuff. Anyone know if Cheryl is still making whiskey?

Yes, Cheryl is still around, doing business as Delaware Phoenix Distillery. Her website is worth a visit and her products worth seeking out.

Thanks for that info, Squire. I will take a look.

Mike wrote: I have grown too cheap, and I know that the very best bourbon is only a little better than the $15 stuff, and to many people it ain't no better.

aint nothin' wrong with that, mike!

while my favorite two (Booker's and Dickel 9 year/103 proof) both push the $50 limit, 9 times out of ten I have a pour of a $10 bottle of Heaven Hill 6 year BIB and enjoy it nearly as much. With perfectly enjoyable bottles like HHBIB, WT101, OGB BIB and 114 at their respective price ranges, I make few exceptions for $40+ whisky, and refuse to pay $50 for a bottle of anything. Bookers in many places has crossed the $50 line, so I buy them when I see them on sale only, which now and then puts it in the $45 range.

with the HH6BIB, the longer the bottle has been open, the better I find it to be. I keep a bottle stashed at a friends house and at the in laws, and those always seem to be better than the newly opened bottle here. maybe it s the company too though.


glad to see you back here!

Squire wrote:Diageo's Blade and Bow is essentially some unsold Old Charter stock made at the Bernheim plant prior to 1992 and the only connection to Stitzel-Weller is the barrels were stored in the SW warehouses which Diageo also owns. Basically some surplus stock nobody wanted and now being dressed up in new clothes to be marketed to the unaware who can't get Pappy and want something that might impress their friends.

Actually, I'm rather fond of the B&B 22 and think it's probably one the best whiskeys to be released this year. And since I sell it for on-premise consumption I also get to see the reaction to it by many others. They might not wax as poetic as I do about it ("fruitcake, dates, banana bread") but everyone agrees it's more than just "some surplus stock nobody wanted." And I laud Diageo for NOT releasing it as another Orphan but rather it's own line. (BTW: the regular release B&B, on the other hand, is certainly nothing special.)

(Yet another) Michael

Hello Michael, welcome aboard. If you would like to expand your comments on this expression please feel free to post a write up in our review forum.

Squire wrote:Hello Michael, welcome aboard. If you would like to expand your comments on this expression please feel free to post a write up in our review forum.

Roger that. Hope my post isn't viewed as disruptive, only thought provoking. ;->

Oh of course not, this is a place for discussion and exchange of ideas.

Welcome back Mike, pull up a stool and have a bourbon on ice.

Welcome Back Mike. You were missed.