Charter 101 anyone?

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Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby drinkdrankdrunk » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:23 pm

My favorite local package store, Spirits in Dallas, has recently started selling Charter 101. I have not seen any reviews yet and I am not confident enough to post one my self (I am still just a bourbon student). Just wondering if anyone else has tried this product. I have had the 10 year and the 101 seems to be a more complete rye. It's very sweet and more comparable to what I have sampled of Sazerac 6.
Also, I am in Houston at the moment and stumbled upon a liquor store with Old Forester Signature, older bottles from 2006. Only $20 a fifth. I have not seen it for less than $27-30 anywhere else. Is this what it should cost or is it a good deal? I may buy them out before I hit the road. Thanks!
Last edited by drinkdrankdrunk on Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby TNbourbon » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:18 pm

Well, I have a bottle on the shelf I purchased mainly as mixer, because I've sampled it, and that's what it seemed like to me -- at a pretty good price for 101 proof.
Corn is the primary sense, both in nose and palate. It is by no means unpleasant, but pretty one-dimensional and simple.
I plan to mix with cola.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby drinkdrankdrunk » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:53 pm

Cottonwood is 50 miles south east of Big D in what is left of the country that close to Dallas (the goats like it anyway), and I like the OF 100 proof. Thanks for the advice. I will buy a few more for reserve.
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Re: Charter and OF

Unread postby PaulO » Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:48 am

I have found more recent bottlings of the Old Forester 100 Signature for just under $20 before tax at a couple of the better stocked liquor stores in southern IN. It is a nice well rounded bourbon and maybe as good as several that cost more (EW SB, JB Black). I don't think I have seen the Old Charter 101 around here, but the 8 year old 80 proof and 12 year old are. I recall reading on another post here that Old Charter's mash bill is nearly all corn. It is smooth and probably one of the better 80 proof bourbons out there. It is a contrast to bourbons with a high rye content like OGD and WT.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:27 am

I had some of the Charter 101 at the Bourbon's Bistro a couple of weeks ago. I rather liked it as an inexpensive bourbon. I agree with TNbourbon that it probably is better as a mixer, but I had no qualms about drinking it straight. It seemed to me a good bourbon to drink when you are looking for something that will not bust the budget such as on a fishing trip or camping.

I remember a lot of corn sweetness and a hint of vanilla and caramel. Not a lot of spice or fruit, but jsut a little oak wood on the finish.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby Dump Bucket » Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:40 am

drinkdrankdrunk wrote: I have not seen any reviews yet and I am not confident enough to post one my self (I am still just a bourbon student).


Barleycorn-pucky! Smell it, taste it, swallow it and write down what you think.

Can't get better until you start off bad. SB.com has a great list of terms for depicting different tastes... Just write sown what comes to mind.

Example:
It smells light and fluffy, sort of a tangential scent that wafers with odd melody.

The taste reminds me of something I cannot remember, but you kind or know right.

The finish is like a race with Tom-n-Jerry where you cannot really tell its a race before it is over...


Blah-blah-blah... Got a nickel you can write one better than this one :D

This is fun, not graded...
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby drinkdrankdrunk » Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:37 pm

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I forgot I nose dived into the world of bourbon and not wine.
I will work on a review soon. I hope all in the bourbon community can handle the overwhelming anticipation. At least you have medication handy to ease the anxiety!
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby angelshare » Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:08 am

How old is OC 101 known or assumed to be? As fans of the other OC expressions, we're looking forward to trying it.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby drinkdrankdrunk » Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:09 am

There is no age statement on this bottling unfortunetly and I cannot speculate on what it might be. I do have to say this is not a mixer like the other guy said. It is simple but it is too full of flavor. You won't stop at just one bottle. Plus at $18.99 per 750 ml I can't bring myself to add anything to it. I can think of a whole lot of other mixing bourbons and this ain't one.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby jburlowski » Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:40 pm

I found this to be rather young whiskey and, as a result , not very complex in flavor. Best thing I can say is that it has surpriaisngly little burn for the high ABV.

I think the other OC expressions are a much better value.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby bourbonv » Sun Jul 06, 2008 6:44 pm

I just reviewed this product and did a side by side tasting with Old Charter 8yo. The 101 was better than the 8yo in my opinion but the best combo was mixing the two together after the tasting. The addeed proof helped the 80 proof 8yo quite a bit, adding to the complexity of the bourbon. Even so I think the 101 is a good bourbon for a simple mood. If you want it sweet and simple, then the 101 will fill the bill.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby 393foureyedfox » Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:27 am

just discovered this and am quite enjoying it.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby EllenJ » Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:10 pm

This one belongs on everyone's list of little-known gems. Glad you've discovered it. It's pretty widely available in Kentucky, but most of us won't find it on our local liquor store shelves (not even the bottom ones). However, we can mail-order it from the usual sources.

Old Charter was the main product of the old Bernheim distillery in Louisville until Diageo sold the distillery to Heaven Hill and the brand to Buffalo Trace. It had the reputation of being a very distinctively corn-forward bourbon, with estimates of 80%+ corn in the mashbill. That makes it pretty much an example of what really good corn whiskey can taste like when barreled in new charred oak (which you can't do with a product labelled "corn whiskey") and aged for a proper four years or more.

I don't know if Buffalo Trace continues the mashbill tradition. That would mean they have yet another mashbill besides the two rye-based bourbons and the wheater. But they might. Some people suspect that the juice sent to A. Bowman in Virginia might be the 80% corn recipe.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Mon Aug 19, 2013 3:47 pm

This stuff may be decent but it can't be anywhere near as good as OC-12 or Proprieter's Reserve 13 y/o. I still long for the Old Charter of yesterday.
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Re: Charter 101 anyone?

Unread postby Squire » Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:35 pm

Not what it once was certainly but at least they didn't drown it.
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