picked up two Jeffersons Select 18 this morning at $63 each at my local Twin Liquors.

Upon a recommendation from tx4guns, I picked up some Rock Hill Farms for $41 after tax. Congrats on the Jefferson 18yo find.

I'm heading up to Twin Liquors as soon as I leave work. I got some stuff at great prices the last time they had it, in February I think. I've never seen any bourbon as nice as the Jeffersons there though. Usually the highest end stuff they carry is Blantons and Rock Hill.

Picked up Evan Williams Single Barrel and 4 Roses Small Batch for $42.

Picked up one of the 2 Jefferson's 18 yo they had. $63 versus $99 made it a great deal. They only had one Blantons left. I would have taken it too but it wasn't a letter I need so I passed.

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tx4guns
user level: TexAgs LegendAggieBasic Level Supporter posted 8:33p, 06/05/13this user's public profilesend private message to useredit this replyobject to this reply



Finally found some Rock Hill bourbon today. This stuff is heavenly. Very smooth and sweet, lots of vanilla flavor. Made from the same mash as Blantons, but rotated in locations, whereas Blantons is kept in one place. If you can find it, buy it!

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Tried this for the first time today. Very good stuff, with Lots of vanilla and caramel. I rank it just behind George T Stagg for me.

I will have to pick up a bottle of this juice. I've seen it at one of my local stores for over a year and its still there.

For some Bookers the other day. That crap packs a punch, but it's loaded with flavor.

Blanton's Single Barrel Special Reserve tonight

Last weekend at Twins I picked up the last 2 bottles of Booker's. The Blanton's and Jefferson 18 were long gone. Cute girl behind the counter suggested Knob Creek Rye 100 proof for Manhattans so bought that. Also recommended Bulliet 10. Sipping the Bulliet 10 now and I'm not impressed.

picked up a bottle of Belle Meade from Spec's. Very herbal whiskey. Good stuff.

I just got some Sazerac rye (6 year old). Not bad at all! Sipping on some now, very heavy on vanilla and honey. A steal at $19.

I just opened up a brand new bottle of Noah's Mill and its fantastic. Had it before but I don't remember it being this good.

Will be sharing some Noah's Mill during the game tonight.

I've read through and found some good options but before I make a purchase I could use some help.

Need a gift for a bourbon drinker with experience. Something that's not overly sweet would be good. I would also like to get something from a smaller operation. Texas made would be good but a great bourbon would be better. Not sure what a good price is but between $50-75 seems in line with much of what I saw in previous pages.

tia

[This message has been edited by Greener Acres (edited 9/10/2013 7:04p).]

Yellow Rose Outlaw Texas Bourbon would be a good option. I think its priced around $60. 100% corn, aged in 3 gallon barrels. Young whiskey, but the small barrel helps add a lot of flavor quickly

Blanton.

For $50-$75 call around to retailers in your area and see if you can find a bottle of Jeffersons Reserve Presidential Select 17 or 18 Year. (the 21 year is very different from the 17 and 18, and I'm not a fan of it at the price point it occupies). The 17 and 18 are great bourbons that will be appreciated by even the most distinguished bourbon palate.

If you're going for something from a smaller operation, you may try Old Pogue. It's not available in all states, but in Texas you can find it at most Specs locations. But last I checked Specs was the only retailer in Texas that carried it. (~$45-$50)


Edit: if they're an experienced bourbon drinker, you're probably better off avoiding the Texas-made products, in my experience they don't stack up well with their Kentucky-bred counterparts at similar price points. Not that they won't eventually get there, but for now most Texas bourbons are very young, and the distillers are still tweaking their recipes. I imagine Texas will be making some pretty darned good stuff in another 5-10 years, but for now, good ol' Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is still your best and safest bet.

[This message has been edited by GregZeppelin (edited 9/11/2013 2:46a).]

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I've read through and found some good options but before I make a purchase I could use some help.

Stay away from anything made or claimed to be made in Texas with the exception of Balcones.

At your price point of $50-$75, your best bet for something readily available is Blanton's. anything worth $75 will not be found on many shelves unfortunately as those would be the limited releases.

Need a gift for a bourbon drinker with experience. Something that's not overly sweet would be good. I would also like to get something from a smaller operation. Texas made would be good but a great bourbon would be better. Not sure what a good price is but between $50-75 seems in line with much of what I saw in previous pages.

tia

[This message has been edited by Greener Acres (edited 9/10/2013 7:04p).]

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Old Pogue. Very good whiskey. Tight. Fruit it carries is of cherry.

Thanks for all the great information.

I attended my first Bourbon tasting event last night at a friend's house. There were 20 Bourbons. I tried 12 of them:

1. Basil Hayden's 8 Year Old
2. Herman Marshall
3. Elmer T. Lee
4. Eagle Rare Single Barrel
5. Noah's Mill
6. Breckenridge
7. Henry McKenna
8. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel
9. Prichard's Double Barrel
10. W.L. Weller Special Reserve
11. Booker's
12. Parker's Heritage Collection 6th Edition Small Batch Bourbon

My top 3:
1. Elmer T. Lee
2. Parker's Heritage Collection 6th Edition Small Batch Bourbon
3. Breckenridge

random question but was a J Bobo there at that tasting?

Parker's Heritage 7th edition is a good try

I picked up some Hirsch small batch tonight, hoping it was in the same vein as the older Hirsch 16 year old from Michter's. This one is bottled for Anchor Distilling. It's not a great bourbon, but it does have some appealing spice/cinnamon. There's not much of a finish. $36, so there are plenty of better options at this price.

Tried Garrison Brothers for the first time tonight. It was pretty good, much woodier than I thought it would be, but very enjoyable overall.

I've wanted to try it for a while, but I wasn't about to drop $70 on a bottle. Went to Tolbert's in Grapevine and got a glass of the stuff neat for $6. If anyone in northern DFW has been curious about trying Garrison Brothers, it's not going to get much better than that.

Still not sure it's worth the price tag for a bottle on my current income, but I would certainly order it again if the price was right. I look forward to trying their stuff in the coming years as the quality improves with a little more age and experience.

Does anybody have a little bit of Balcones Single Malt they are willing to part with?

Went on a buying spree this week and picked up some Willet, Eagle Rare and Angel's Envy. Love the Eagle Rare and Angel's Envy. Have not gotten to the Willet yet. Being new to Bourbon my goal this year is to get the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and all 3 Pappy's. Any help would be appreciated. Also, this thread has been a huge help with my new bourbon journey. Thanks to all.

[This message has been edited by coachallout (edited 10/1/2013 8:50a).]

stevopike,

How do you know J Bobo?

David

Had a chance to taste Garrison Bros this weekend in Hye (at Hye Market). Definitely not worth the asking price...not even close.

Liked Hye Market and how they're trying to build up the towns appeal to tourists though

Coachallout:
Not sure where you are located, but if you are in Houston, the Spec's in Midtown gets a pretty healthy shipment of most bourbons. You are not going to be able to get pappy, as the list is like 600 people long, but you could probably score some BTAC bottles if you go talk to the bourbon guy and get on the list.

That said, has anyone found any of the LE Four Roses Small Batch (125th Anniverssary Ed.) within 50 miles of Houston? I read that it was going to be released in late September, but have not been able to locate a bottle.

Went to high school with him, saw his post on FB about it, then the next day saw your post.

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Had a chance to taste Garrison Bros this weekend in Hye (at Hye Market). Definitely not worth the asking price...not even close.

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I agree. The second time I tried it was not as bad as the first, but it would lose to the vast majority of $15-30 bourbons.

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Being new to Bourbon my goal this year is to get the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and all 3 Pappy's.

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I try to stock up on Pappy every year & sell the excess bottles to Texags posters. I've started to make calls to liquor stores, and I hope to get another 5-10 bottles this year.... I think I got 7-8 last year.

If you do please keep me in mind when you decide to sell. I have a buddy who owns a mom and pop store here and I am going in today to talk to him and see if he can get his hands on some.

Proudaggie, you're in Colorado, right? I'd appreciate it big time if you could sell me a bottle of Pappy. I've talked to most of the liquor stores in San Antonio over the past 7-8 months trying to get on a wait list. I usually get either a confused look, or they laugh and say "good luck".