Costco in Webster with a Blanton's store pic?

I'll check them out. Thanks

Interesting question popped up on HBS, and I'm curious to know the answer here. I'm also going to add a second part.

What bottle got you into bourbon?

What bottle pushed your collection from "normal" to "excessive"?

My answer to the first is EHT SmB, and the answer to the second is Whistlepig Specs store pick (forget the proof). The first had me chasing bourbon, and the second had me chasing WP picks.

jh0400 said:

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Interesting question popped up on HBS, and I'm curious to know the answer here. I'm also going to add a second part.

What bottle got you into bourbon?

What bottle pushed your collection from "normal" to "excessive"?

My answer to the first is EHT SmB, and the answer to the second is Whistlepig Specs store pick (forget the proof). The first had me chasing bourbon, and the second had me chasing WP picks.

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Jack Daniels Sinatra got me started drinking whiskey without a mixer. Willet Pot Still was my first purchase after that and when I couldnt find another a few weeks later the bourbon chase began. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof sent me over the edge.

Eagle Rare is what kicked it off for me. Then when I was willing to start dropping 90+ for a store pick 12 year whistle pig and then found an EC18 in the wild I was really at my peak. I've slowed since then. It's too much a hassle to REALLY get into it.

Have always loved bourbon. I remember my Dad used to drink Hill and Hill and Walkers Deluxe. In college used to drink Weller and water. I wish I had those Weller bottles from the early to mid eighties back right now.
More recently in 2012 when I started hunting the harder to find stuff I used to find ORVW squats in the wild. I remember leaving squats on the shelf for someone else to buy.

Third part...

How have your tastes evolved? For me I started with BiB bourbon, eventually got into cask strength, and then a coworker bought me a WP10 Specs pick. That got me on the path of cask strength rye which is about 90% of what I drink now.

My taste buds evolved towards barrel proof and cask strength for sure. I rarely drink power proofs anymore.

FriedTex said:

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WOW, just watched NEAT: The Story of Bourbon and it was a heckuva documentary. Best doc I've seen on Bourbon this far- totally recommend it

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So it took me awhile to get to this, watched it last night on Hulu. Really interesting. And it's amazing to me when you look at today's bourbon market how it was struggling so badly just 30 years ago.

Booker's 30th has begun to show up. That's all I'm gonna say.

First "nice" bottle I bought was ER10 thanks to a thread on the OB. The bottle that put me over the top was 4R SiB about a year ago. Was my gift to myself for finals

Old Willett Pot Still Single Barrels for daily drinkers probably cranked it up. A pour of old A.H. Hirsch sent me over the edge.

Had a fairly eventful Christmas eve and felt like bragging a little.

Had to make a run by Costco early in the AM, so I stopped by the WB to see if there was anything interesting and managed to get my hands on 2 Blanton's Store Picks (375's).

Then, on a whim, I ran by Total Wine to see if there was anything interesting on the counter. There wasn't, but as I was walking away a guy came up and the counter manager started saying something about "Sorry Bob, someone sold the antique, but I've got the 12" and I decided to stick around.

Turns out they were hiding some Weller 12 behind the counter. Guy in front was asked if he wanted the 750 or the 1.75L. He just wanted the 750...so, I said, I'll take the 1.75L if you're giving it out.

So...I walked out with a 1.75L of W12 at retail ($45 after tax)

Not the most exciting story, I know, but not bad for a couple of quick stops at big retailers without a lead...

Farmer1906 said:

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Quote:

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Turns out they were hiding some Weller 12 behind the counter.

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Can someone explain to me why liquor stores do this?

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Because of taters.

Deats said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Quote:

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Turns out they were hiding some Weller 12 behind the counter.

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Can someone explain to me why liquor stores do this?

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Because of taters.

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It usually leads to awkward conversations for me.

I ask then if anything is not on the shelf then sometimes they ask me what I am looking for. I could literally name 30 different things I could be interested in buying and I'd probably miss another 30 I'd buy.

Farmer1906 said:

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Deats said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Quote:

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Turns out they were hiding some Weller 12 behind the counter.

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Can someone explain to me why liquor stores do this?

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Because of taters.

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It usually leads to awkward conversations for me.

I ask then if anything is not on the shelf then sometimes they ask me what I am looking for. I could literally name 30 different things I could be interested in buying and I'd probably miss another 30 I'd buy.

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I ask what do you have. Most of my places know me and will list it. I also don't buy everything they have.

Farmer1906 said:

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Deats said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Deats said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Quote:

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Turns out they were hiding some Weller 12 behind the counter.

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Can someone explain to me why liquor stores do this?

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Because of taters.

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It usually leads to awkward conversations for me.

I ask then if anything is not on the shelf then sometimes they ask me what I am looking for. I could literally name 30 different things I could be interested in buying and I'd probably miss another 30 I'd buy.

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I ask what do you have. Most of my places know me and will list it. I also don't buy everything they have.

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Cool, Mr big shot alcoholic.

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Yeah, the wife and I kill a 1/5 a week... I also give a lot away or sell to neighbors(oj99 cough cough) at my cost. I might have a small stash.

The resellers are really who they are trying to stop.

If you couldn't tell, I was just joking. I still appreciate your Blantons Gold bulk buy.

Oh I know.

Twin by the new HEB in Jones crossing has Angels Envy CS behind the counter. Least looked like it, not sure if any other Angels Envy comes in a big wood box.

I managed to score 2x Willett Family Estate 10 Yr Rye bottles today at (what I believe to be) retail price. I'm up in Nashvegas.

Retail is around 200.

Gift store charges 350.

jh0400 said:

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Interesting question popped up on HBS, and I'm curious to know the answer here. I'm also going to add a second part.

What bottle got you into bourbon?

What bottle pushed your collection from "normal" to "excessive"?

My answer to the first is EHT SmB, and the answer to the second is Whistlepig Specs store pick (forget the proof). The first had me chasing bourbon, and the second had me chasing WP picks.

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My answer to the first question isnt even a bourbon. I was primarily a craft beer drinker for many years until I was given a glass of Caol Ila 12 year. Having never had scotch before, or even peated scotch, it was a real shocker. I hated it at first but it grew on me over time which lead to me exploring alot of different scotches. After a few years, I picked up a bottle of Eagle Rare 10 year on an impulse buy, Having tried a couple other decent bourbons, I am realizing that I actually like bourbon more than scotch and am pretty much shifting my focus now to bourbon, and some rye.

I dont think anyone would consider an 8 bottle collection with the most expensive being $120 being excessive from a collector standpoint. I'm sure my wife would disagree though. I've only tried a handful of decent bourbons so I enjoy reading this thread and trying new ones. Though the industry appears to fast becoming yuppified and decent bourbon is almost to the point that it is no cheaper than decent scotch anymore.

CharlieBrown17 said:

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Specs on university and Texas and twin on Texas are all within like 7 minutes of each other and should have all that. Only thing. I saw ever sold out in CS that you listed was 4R SiB

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I've not seen a W12 anywhere in town unless it's one of those "you gotta ask the cashier and they'll go pull one from a hidden box" situations.

rshackelford said:

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jh0400 said:

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Interesting question popped up on HBS, and I'm curious to know the answer here. I'm also going to add a second part.

What bottle got you into bourbon?

What bottle pushed your collection from "normal" to "excessive"?

My answer to the first is EHT SmB, and the answer to the second is Whistlepig Specs store pick (forget the proof). The first had me chasing bourbon, and the second had me chasing WP picks.

---

My answer to the first question isnt even a bourbon. I was primarily a craft beer drinker for many years until I was given a glass of Caol Ila 12 year. Having never had scotch before, or even peated scotch, it was a real shocker. I hated it at first but it grew on me over time which lead to me exploring alot of different scotches. After a few years, I picked up a bottle of Eagle Rare 10 year on an impulse buy, Having tried a couple other decent bourbons, I am realizing that I actually like bourbon more than scotch and am pretty much shifting my focus now to bourbon, and some rye.

I dont think anyone would consider an 8 bottle collection with the most expensive being $120 being excessive from a collector standpoint. I'm sure my wife would disagree though. I've only tried a handful of decent bourbons so I enjoy reading this thread and trying new ones. Though the industry appears to fast becoming yuppified and decent bourbon is almost to the point that it is no cheaper than decent scotch anymore.

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We are well past that point by now IMO. You can get ton of really great scotches for the price of decent mid-range bourbons these days.

I started off being a scotch guy, switched to bourbon because I liked it just as well and you could get some pretty great bottles for a lot less than scotch. Now I'm moving back toward scotch. It's just not worth the hassle to go after bourbon anymore.

Thoughts on col eh Taylor straight rye versus pikesville?

rshackelford said:

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Thoughts on col eh Taylor straight rye versus pikesville?

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pikesville is cheaper and better IMHO. col. taylor is good, but just pricey and more similar tasting to col. taylor bourbon. col.taylor is also harder to find.

I prefer the Taylor rye, but when talking value I would go with pikesville

Gave that Kentucky spirit pic that started this thread all those years ago a 4th blue star for snits and giggles just to change things up!

I second the going back to scotch. I can find a bunch more types of Scotch that suits me versus the Bourbons I like and now are hard to come by.

Blantons got me interested in bourbon. That was when you could walk into most decent stores and find 2 or 3 bottles on the shelf. Then I got into Scotch. Searching for the flavor I liked and then looking into purchasing some higher priced, in my mind, bottles to try once I found my taste profile. That then got me looking for the now hard to find Bourbons I like, as I kinda gave up on it once I took a liking to Scotch.

We'll see what the future holds. One thing is that this thread and the Scotch thread has helped me out immensely. That along with finding a good person in a store that could point me too certain bottles due to them tasting a multitude more than myself.

Yeah he said he's not looking for Blantons or weller 12.

What he's looking for is on the shelves in CS