by TNbourbon » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:34 pm
A very interesting and notable thing about Buffalo Trace's single-barrel program is that it is not limited to retailers. A number of us -- Mark and Bob, for example -- have participated in private groups of buyers who have purchased a barrel or barrels for personal consumption (though, by legal necessity, via the 3-tier distribution chain). Personally, I've been involved, either directly or peripherally, in the private selection of 11 barrels on four different occasions, and own selections from each.
To me, one of the things the single-barrel program does for BT is it demonstrates how fine their standard products are. While one can, and does, fine-tune a single-barrel selection to personal and/or unique taste profiles, I have not encountered one that is anything more or less than an accentuated version of the standard retail bottling.
Sure, I'm glad I got to select those ETLs, and Weller 12yos, and Pappy 23s, but the bourbon I'm drinking is/was going into those brands anyway. The selection is a personal and fun whiskey education, but the bourbons all were pretty good to begin with.