Not going to cap it since it will all go to Texas Children's Hospital.

I'm in as well. Want me to put username in the comments of PayPal?

Yes please.

197 pages & no Kentucky Gentleman ??

No Kentucky Gentleman......for a reason.

My wife got me one of those little 3L barrels (I think it's 3L) for my birthday...and before venturing off into my own concoctions, I wanted to start with something simple for the holidays...does anyone have a good "cheaper" bourbon that you would recommend using to age/make a Manhattan?? I'll look up how many parts of each online, but based on experience from any of you that have done this before, is there a certain mix (how much bitters/vermouth/etc.) that you would recommend using and how long would be good time to age it...is Christmas time too early to enjoy it??

Thanks for any responses!

I have a barrel as well (1L) and enjoy messing with it. One thing to keep in mind is the first time you use, the oak flavor is STRONG. It mellows out over time, but I had read that the first time you put something in there, rinse it out well first and then only age it for 2 weeks the first time, otherwise it will be way too oaky. I had a buddy actually recommend using cheap moonshine the first time, so I did. Kind of cool to see a clear liquid go in and then come out caramel colored. So that being said, I would do something cheap and easy for 2 weeks the first time, and then you can experiment. Last time I did a Bernheim Wheat in my barrel for about 5-6 months. If you are wanting to make cocktails you might want to use something that has a higher rye content. A good option would be the regular Four Roses or Bulleit. Both are higher rye content as opposed to wheated bourbons.

EnronAg said:

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My wife got me one of those little 3L barrels (I think it's 3L) for my birthday...and before venturing off into my own concoctions, I wanted to start with something simple for the holidays...does anyone have a good "cheaper" bourbon that you would recommend using to age/make a Manhattan?? I'll look up how many parts of each online, but based on experience from any of you that have done this before, is there a certain mix (how much bitters/vermouth/etc.) that you would recommend using and how long would be good time to age it...is Christmas time too early to enjoy it??

Thanks for any responses!

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Old Grand Dad 114. Cheap, high rye content, 114 proof, and just overall a really good young juice. Great candidate for aging in and of itself, and also makes a dynamite manhattan.

Stock up quick though, because it is apparently being discontinued in the coming months.

I have made Manhattan mixes with Sazerac Rye. Works well. I don't remember exactly how much vermouth but it was 2x750ml and roughly 60 dashes of bitters. I prefer dry vermouth but add simple syrup.

For a non-Manhattan and just straight aging - I love Evan Williams Bottle in Bond - age it 3 months and enjoy!

Currently have 2 3L working and it has become my everyday drinker - its a budget saver!

I will add for a Manhattan I think you are giving the flavors time to meld together more than adding oak or extra barrel flavors and you should start with a good Rye or high rye bourbon. Start with a bad mixer and are in trouble.

look at using Rittenhouse Rye for a manhattan mix

I recommend aging whatever Bourbon you like and mix your cocktails after. This gives you the flexibility to make different cocktails and also try the aging at different stages.
My first batch I made Poor Mans Pappy and lost a lot to the devils cut.
My next batch was Wild Turkey 101 and didn't loose nearly as much and the flavor was more balanced and not over oaked.
I currently have Buffalo Trace aging, enjoying it the most so far.

I was joking earlier about Kentucky Gentleman of course, but this is an increibly interesting t
hread

I don't know if any of you degenerates are willing to pay 500 for Bookers Rye but there is one out in the wild in Kingwood

FriedTex said:

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degenerates

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Would you believe you could get pretty close to $600 for Bookers Rye on the Secondary Market now?

RenoAg said:

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Would you believe you could get pretty close to $600 for Bookers Rye on the Secondary Market now?

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yep, saw $560 and 575 yesterday. If you bought it at $500 and held it for a few years, I bet you get $750 at least due to it never being made again and the epic reviews.

Costco in Humble has 6 bottles of Stagg Jr for $50 on the shelf if anybody is looking for it.

I passed bc I wanted to have a happy holiday

FriedTex said:

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I don't know if any of you degenerates are willing to pay 500 for Bookers Rye but there is one out in the wild in Kingwood

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And here I was thinking that the guy near me was crazy to think he could get $450 for the on on his shelf. (it was sold the next time I went in) I passed but was lucky enough to grab one more at retail a couple weeks ago. Anyone know when BTAC / Pappy will hit Houston? Has to be soon...

jayelbee said:

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I was just in a local shop and happened to ask about Blanton so the guy set me up. But he was also being really weird, and asked me if I was looking for anything else. I mentioned that I knew the allotment stuff was coming and mentioned the pappy lines, but I couldn't get anything out of the guy about what else he had in the back. He was looking for me to name a bottle by name.

So what other stuff should I have asked about that I was too simple to know about?

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I like this approach. The system gets the bottles to the people who are specifically looking for them. Cuts down on the resellers that just take whatever rare stuff they can find knowing they can resell it for profit.

Anyone tried the Yellow Rose Premium Collection #1 Bourbon? I was pleasantly surprised with what I've tried from them and saw this bottle today.

http://yellowrosedistilling.com/pr-collection

I like this approach as well. That's how I happened on that bottle of Booker's Rye. Saw a Michters 10 today on the shelf for $300 if anyone wants action on that. Haha.

I had it at the distillery. It was a pass. Our party of 3 agreed their Rye was the best offering, and we bought that.

As a side note, if you do visit the distillery, be very wary about their 'cocktails'. They cannot serve anything with alcohol that they don't make, so they won't have any vermouth etc... Everything was really sweet, so just stick to booze on the rocks.

malibuVLX said:

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FriedTex said:

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I don't know if any of you degenerates are willing to pay 500 for Bookers Rye but there is one out in the wild in Kingwood

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And here I was thinking that the guy near me was crazy to think he could get $450 for the on on his shelf. (it was sold the next time I went in) I passed but was lucky enough to grab one more at retail a couple weeks ago. Anyone know when BTAC / Pappy will hit Houston? Has to be soon...

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It has hit DFW. I got a THH for MSRP yesterday. Wish it was a Weller, Stagg, or ER17 though.

Yep. My liquor store in DFW confirmed they are expecting BTAC today. Not sure what they're getting, but I'll take whatever they'll give me.

Any tips on liquor stores to check in Dallas for BTAC? I'm 0-5 so far....

The stuff is so highly allocated I'd be shocked if anyone finds much sitting on the shelf. A 'case' is 3 bottles of any 1 label for BTAC.

Good luck, but don't get your hopes up.

Got a call today for stagg from a guy who sold it for $250 last year. Price was $450 this year but he had sold out already. Had some handy at same price. Still had one WLW selling it for $650. He said that was the minimum his distributor would allow him to sell it for and his agreement on that minimum price is the only reason he got any bottles. Not anything I am interested in but it won't last past tonight.

That's robbery.