Speaking of Pritchard's

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Speaking of Pritchard's

Unread postby Mike » Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:29 pm

OK, so nobody was speaking of Pritchard's.........I saw a bottle at the liquor store today and am curious if anyone has tried it. Says on the bottle that it is doubled barreled. It is put back into charred oak barrels after being diluted from barrel proof to 90 proof. It doesn't say anything about the quality of the second barrels..........I assume that they are used barrels.

It is a beautiful rich color but is not cheap at about $38. I am tempted to give this and Pogue a try but that is almost $80.........enough to buy a bottle of Hirsch.

Any opinions or tasting notes on these fellows?
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:57 pm

I have a bottle of Pritchards. It has a caramel vanilla oak nose. The taste left a little burn with lots of oak char and cinamon. The finish was short and I wasn't at all impressed with this one. Might be good in a Coke.

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Unread postby Mike » Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:36 pm

Thanks, Gayle.............at $38, I think I will leave it alone. There is still one bottle of 8 YO 1849 at $14 and I know where I can get a bottle of ER 101 for $20 which, for $34 makes more sense to me............if I feel compelled to spend that money.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:45 pm

Oh Mike! Spend that money on the ER 101 and the 1849. You'll be a better man for it! By the way, you reminded me that I have that Pritchard's, so I went to the basement and poured some and tried to be open to it again, but! No. It just isn't there. I love Tennessee, but they don't make a good bourbon.

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Unread postby Mike » Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:52 pm

Actually, Gayle, I done bought two bottle of 1849 and one of ER 101, which gives me 2 and a half 1849 and just about two of the ER. At those prices, though, I probably ought to go and get the rest of them.

I got two Hirsch 16's today, but I am giving one away. The liquor store has 13 bottles of the Hirsch left.............one day soon, I will raid the saving account and lay back more of the Hirsch.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Unread postby cowdery » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:23 pm

Prichard's was mentioned in John Edge's Atlanta Constitution article. He buys bulk whiskey from somebody, probably (as always) Heaven Hill, dilutes it to bottling proof then rebarrels it. Does that do anything other than make him feel like he's more than just another bottler?
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Unread postby jburlowski » Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:03 pm

I posted a review here of Pritchard's back when it first became available in these parts. I found it pleasant but unremarkable and, IMHO, definitely not worth the premium price.
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Re: Speaking of Pritchard's

Unread postby Mike » Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:46 pm

Well, bygore, I couldn't reckomember much about this whiskey when Rocky at my liquor store moved it from its inconspicuous place on the shelf to a place among the top shelf stuff. Marketing is just plain devious stuff and is pretty much in the same class as TV preachers.........never to be trusted! T'ain't your interest they ever have in mind. Howsomever, I can't say a bad word about Rocky, he has always been fair with me and it is because of him that I have been able to get my hands on bourbons that are rare in Georgia.

I picked up this here bottle of Pritchard's double barreled whiskey and read the label and thought it might be interesting bourbon..........the idea of the double barreling sounded like it might have possibilities. Paid $41 for it. A poor investment as it turns out........except that I seem to have relearned some things from trying it so maybe it was worth it in the end.........read on!

It has a nice bite and is on the dry side with its uninteresting oakiness. I throwed it in the ring with Ezra Brooks Black Label (cost less than $10) and the two are not strikingly dissimiliar with the EB nosing (and sipping) to the finish line in first place......simply becasue it is better whiskey!

Out of curiosity, I took 10 ml of Pritchard's and 15 ml of regular Maker's Mark and see if I can salvage this 750 ml of poor bought 'Tennessee' whiskey. It did no good for either.

My 'read' on Pritchard's whiskey is a lot like Cowdery's above. Pritchard took what was essentially excess whiskey from one of the distillers, Cowdery says it was probably HH, put it back in some kind of cheap barrels for a while and has attempted (successfully in my case) to foist it upon the consumer as premium whiskey. IT AIN"T!! At best it is ordinary.........and a gimmick.

It is also my opinion that not only did Pritchard take excess whiskey, he took ultra aged excess whiskey that was almost useless as it was, and tried to 'revive' it with time in new charred barrels. Seems to me to show that you can't make good whiskey from bad whiskey by messing with it. Also, I think my experiment with regular Maker's Mark proved that same point. I have put regular MM down in the past as an incomplete whiskey, which I still think it is........but it is still a very good whiskey and the favorite of many, many folks.

Any thoughts on my 'read' on Prichard's...........was it a make a buck scheme by maybe devious means? Have I been unfair to Pritchard?
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: Speaking of Pritchard's

Unread postby cowdery » Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:01 am

I know it was Heaven Hill whiskey and it was around four years old when Pritchard got it. I have no reason to believe he used 'cheap' barrels. I would imagine he used perfectly good barrels. I rather like the stuff. I was just offended when it was entered in, and won, a contest intended for micro-distillers. I think it's a good product, he just didn't distill it or really even age it there. He finished it.
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Re: Speaking of Pritchard's

Unread postby Mike » Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:11 pm

My speculations on what Pritchard's did were not justified from the information provided by Chuck Cowdery.

I went back to the bottle today and tried to be as objective as I can about its taste. There is some nice opening sweetness, but I still find it to be a bit rough around the edges and in the finish. By my lights it is not a 'bad' whiskey but is still not justified in its premium price. In my opinion it compares poorly to Buffalo Trace's flagship bourbon at about half the cost.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: Speaking of Pritchard's

Unread postby libertybar » Sun Dec 19, 2010 9:20 pm

I agree with Chuck. It's...fine. Just like the rest of his bottlings.

http://www.prichardsdistillery.com/home.cfm
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Re: Speaking of Pritchard's

Unread postby Mike » Thu Jan 06, 2011 6:28 pm

I been aworrying this bourbon ever so often and its been aworrying me. It seems to be coming around a bit and each worry session seems to work out better for all both of us. My opinion is improving........exactly why I really ain't at liberty to say. Seems a bit more complex and just more enjoyable than my first few goes at it. Maybe Chuck's good opinion of it influenced mine. I see not a thing wrong about that.

Mind you, it ain't made its way to the top shelf yet.........and I doubt it will........still a shade less polished than some. But I am more than willing to apologize to Mr Pritchard for my unwarranted comments on his product. It rates better than my first impressions.........after sufficient worrying with it.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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