Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

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Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby nefarious_saint » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:28 am

Hi, I recently bought this 28 year old bourbon as a gift. I have tried looking for reviews online, but I cannot find anything about this bourbon.
Has anyone tried this or heard anything about it?
For $400 dollars I expect this to taste beyond amazing, however, the lack of information online makes me doubt this purchase.

Also, is it even possible to age bourbon for 28 years?
I bought this at a store called bevmo, and it was the most expensive bourbon they had. I would have purchased parkers heritage or pappy van winkle if those were in stock.

I appreciate any feedback.
Great thanks in advance .
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:31 pm

Sure, it's possible to age bourbon 28 years. I will probably too woody, or outstanding!
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:32 pm

That should be IT will probably be too woody, or outstanding!
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby nefarious_saint » Tue May 01, 2012 3:05 am

Really guys?

No one tried this?
Or even heard anything about this?
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Tue May 01, 2012 7:51 pm

It is possible to age Bourbon for 28 years but you better like wood on your Bourbon.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby William » Tue May 01, 2012 10:00 pm

Did they really close down, or is it a marketing gimmick? I see 3 different types at specs. I should have bought the special reserve today, but a journey on the bus can be rough so I bought less expensive whiskies.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby nefarious_saint » Tue May 01, 2012 10:17 pm

I doubt this is A.H Hirsch. They might be using the same name. Or a similar distributor.
On a side note, I had the impression that bourbon starts to evaporate after 18 years. I think someone told me that was the reason it won't age further. That it needs to be a cold enough climate such as in Scotland, where scotch can be 30years etc.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Wed May 02, 2012 6:25 am

Bourbon, or any whiskey will evaporate after many years if it has a cork in it, and not a screw top. It has nothing to do with cold climate.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Satty Beach » Wed May 02, 2012 10:19 am

For that kind of money I hope it's at least a handle. But it aint. If your task was to buy the most expensive bourbon then you fulfilled your task. You should be proud of your purchase. Otherwise your giving very little to work with what gifting occasion requires a $400 bottle.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Wed May 02, 2012 11:19 am

Also, the reason bourbon won't age further is because it's in the bottle. Once it out of the barrel, it stops aging.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Wed May 02, 2012 11:21 am

One other thing, as far as evaporation, it evaporates in the warehouse while it's aging. Thus (the angel's share).
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby nefarious_saint » Wed May 02, 2012 11:28 am

The occasion is my younger brother just graduated from the top 25th best MBA program in the country.... And he loves bourbon.
My task was to buy a superb bourbon for him.
I just assumed that age (28 year old bourbon) and a high prices equals quality.
Now I do drink bourbon myself and know that a $50 Jeffersons reserve tastes a million times better than let's say a bottle of Makers Mark.
I just assumed the same about this ridiculously expensive bourbon.
I was going into the store with the intention of buying parkers heritage, but they had none, so I bought Hirsch.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby cowdery » Sun May 06, 2012 9:55 pm

A. H. Hirsch Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the famous and generally well-regarded bourbon made at the distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, that was best known by the name Michter's.

The last company to market that whiskey was Preiss Imports. Preiss Imports has also put out several products under the name Hirsch Selections, including this one. I'd be reluctant to spend $400 on any product that I don't know anything about. All I know about the various Hirsch Selections bottlings is that they are not the same whiskey as the A. H. Hirsch Special Reserve.

All you have to go on is the reputation of Preiss Imports and that's positive, because they have a very good reputation.

Maybe you realize this now, but you should never assume that price = quality, not with bourbon, not with anything. With bourbon, you also should never assume that older automatically means better. There's also the matter of personal taste. Some people love a lot of wood flavor in their whiskey, some don't. If you buy the most expensive thing in the store believing it will be the best thing in the store, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.

As for evaporation, whiskey in the barrel starts to evaporate on day one. That's part of the aging process. Often with very old whiskeys the barrel will be half empty, maybe more, when it is harvested. Sometimes it all evaporates and the barrel yields nothing. That's why very old whiskey is so expensive. You're paying for all of the whiskey the angels drank.

In the bottle, there shouldn't be any evaporation if there's an adequate seal. Screw tops are better than corks but a cork can keep a good seal and it's easy enough to check by seeing where the fill line is.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby William » Mon May 07, 2012 5:16 am

My experience with a Macallan 18 year old bottle made me not care for age. Id say the best bourbons are in the $20 to $50 range, and that depends on location in the this country I guess. Thanks cowdrey for the heads up about A H Hersch Special Reserve, theres a ton of bottles of Hirsch at the store I like to go to and so I didnt know if it was the genuine thing or not really. Ill try other whiskies in the same price range instead. Probably Four Roses Single Barrel or Jeffersons.
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Re: Hirsch selection small batch reserve 28Yo

Unread postby Bourbon HQ » Mon May 07, 2012 6:10 am

Four Roses Single Barrel or W.L. Weller 12 year old. Can't go wrong.
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