Have a seat at the bar.

[Natsinpwc]

http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/virginia-now-has-a-state-spirit-george-washington-s-rye/article_f86ce936-0f32-11e7-b9ca-47b31883a860.html

[tomterp]

Hey Turtle,
You see the 2 high priced bourbons going on sale Wednesday thru the ABC website? Can't say I've heard of either. Rather pricey as well.

WAY over my price range.  And those 375ml single serving sizes?   

I did like the concept though and would like to try them sometime.

Bond & Lillard Bourbon - Bottled at the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, Bond & Lillard recreates the “Best American Whiskey” from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. A popular brand prior to Prohibition, Bond & Lillard has lighter, floral and fruity top notes with a smooth caramel sweetness on the finish.

Old Ripy Bourbon - This special offering revives a pre-Prohibition whiskey that was once distilled and distributed by one of Anderson County, Kentucky’s original whiskey barons, James Ripy. This bourbon is intense, rich and oaky with plenty of smoke.

[DCFan]

http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/virginia-now-has-a-state-spirit-george-washington-s-rye/article_f86ce936-0f32-11e7-b9ca-47b31883a860.html

We were out at Mt. Vernon a couple of years ago and inquired at the visitor center about his whiskey.  I had always heard it sold out fairly quickly but for me, it was available. They had some of the unaged (I thought it was bourbon, might've been rye) but it was $99. I thought that was a little much for something right off the assembly line even if it was George's original recipe and went towards the upkeep of the place.

[DCFan]

WAY over my price range.  And those 375ml single serving sizes?   

I did like the concept though and would like to try them sometime.

I saw this review. Always get a kick out of the verbiage reviewers use to describe bourbon. I'm sorry but I hardly ever pick up the various flavors and aromas they use to describe bourbon. That said, Woodford Reserve does have a very oaky flavor that I can pick up.

http://whiskeyreviewer.com/2017/02/old-ripy-bourbon-review-020717/

[DCFan]

http://www.gobourbon.com/25-year-old-van-winkle-bourbon-released-spring/

 

[tomterp]

http://www.gobourbon.com/25-year-old-van-winkle-bourbon-released-spring/

 

At that price they're going to sell like hotcakes. Not to mention the Glencarin crystal.

These extra special bottles deserve an extra special vessel, so each bottle is a handmade glass decanter from Glencarin Crystal Studio. The bottle information is engraved on each decanter, individually numbered, and hand finished with a silver stopper. A glass top for the decanter is also included.

Each decanter is packaged in a handmade wooden box crafted in North Carolina by James Broyhill II of Heritage Handcrafted. The lid is constructed using the oak staves from the 11 barrels that held this bourbon. The outside of the box bears a metal plaque with the Old Rip Van Winkle logo and states “asleep 25 years in the wood.”   Inside each box, along with the decanter and glass top, is a bourbon certificate of authenticity, numbered and signed by Julian Van Winkle, grandson of original founder Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr.

“We are excited to be able to offer something so unique and rare for our most devoted fans,” said Julian Van Winkle, president, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. “This is a once in a lifetime offering and the beautiful decanter and wooden box just take it to the next level and make it something in which I’m very proud to be associated.”

The 25 year Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon is bottled at 100 proof and will start shipping in April. It is packaged one bottle per case. Suggested retail pricing is $1,800 for a 750 ml bottle.

[DCFan]

At that price they're going to sell like hotcakes. Not to mention the Glencarin crystal.

Investment grade stuff. I wonder if the ABC will get a couple to offer in a lottery?

[tomterp]

Investment grade stuff. I wonder if the ABC will get a couple to offer in a lottery?

Yeah, you don't buy this to taste unfortunately, unless you're rolling in the dough.  You buy to sell, and I wouldn't even want to flip it, just hold for a while to see how the market matures.

One does wonder how the distribution for such a product works.  I would bet this is an insiders' business - relationships, favors for friends, "hey, we'd love to fly you down to the Grand Caymans for a couple of days of flyfishing", and before you know it you get 20 instead of 5.  Hard to imagine an ABC network can offer much to the distribution manager at Buffalo Trace.

I can at least afford the Pappy Glencairn Tasting Glass.

[DCFan]

One does wonder how the distribution for such a product works.  I would bet this is an insiders' business - relationships, favors for friends, "hey, we'd love to fly you down to the Grand Caymans for a couple of days of flyfishing", and before you know it you get 20 instead of 5.  Hard to imagine an ABC network can offer much to the distribution manager at Buffalo Trace.

I would think that the buying power of an entire state would be better at this type of thing versus a wholesaler. Granted Virginny aint California or Texas but they aren't chump change either.

I'm being schooled at SB on the love affair that Weller has with Texas and why their stores are stocked with all sizes of Weller products while we're only looking at pictures on the internet of the stuff. 

[HalfSmokes]

It depends on how much leeway the state in what it carries, I'm guessing, if you want us to take the regular stuff, we want 20 goes a long way if you buy enough of the regular stuff.

[DCFan]

Yeah, you don't buy this to taste unfortunately, unless you're rolling in the dough.  You buy to sell, and I wouldn't even want to flip it, just hold for a while to see how the market matures.

One does wonder how the distribution for such a product works.  I would bet this is an insiders' business - relationships, favors for friends, "hey, we'd love to fly you down to the Grand Caymans for a couple of days of flyfishing", and before you know it you get 20 instead of 5.  Hard to imagine an ABC network can offer much to the distribution manager at Buffalo Trace.

I can at least afford the Pappy Glencairn Tasting Glass.

I see ABC has a placeholder set up already;

https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products/bourbon/old-rip-van-winkle-25yr#/

[HalfSmokes]

So what makes a 25 year bourbon so much more expensive that an equivently aged scotch? Is it just that not much was held for aging 25 years ago?

[DCFan]

So what makes a 25 year bourbon so much more expensive that an equivently aged scotch? Is it just that not much was held for aging 25 years ago?

What makes anything more expensive than something else? Supply and demand. The maker of this bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, is the most highly sought after and prized bourbon on the market, hands down. And since it's made in such limited quantities it is the ultimate "unicorn" in the bourbon marketplace.

This particular batch, 25 year, is not in their ordinary production cycle. I believe it's 13, 20, and 23 years aged. While the msrp of the 23 year bourbon is about $250, if you can find it on the shelf of a liquor store you'll see a price markup with a factor of 10. I can only imagine what the price on the secondary market for this 25 year bourbon will be.

[HalfSmokes]

seems to me that Sazerac has quite the racket- contract produced product selling at multiples of what the stuff in the next door barrel goes for

[DCFan]

What makes anything more expensive than something else? Supply and demand. The maker of this bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, is the most highly sought after and prized bourbon on the market, hands down. And since it's made in such limited quantities it is the ultimate "unicorn" in the bourbon marketplace.

This particular batch, 25 year, is not in their ordinary production cycle. I believe it's 13, 20, and 23 years aged. While the msrp of the 23 year bourbon is about $250, if you can find it on the shelf of a liquor store you'll see a price markup with a factor of 10. I can only imagine what the price on the secondary market for this 25 year bourbon will be.

https://www.straightbourbon.com/community/topic/25043-what-bourbon-did-you-pass-up-today-spring-2017/?page=5

Scroll halfway down on page 5.  A poster in San Diego took a photo of Pappy Van Winkle for sale in a liquor store there.  Take a look at the prices. 

[GburgNatsFan]

I heard someone say once that it's very good, but not great bourbon. Just rare.

What makes anything more expensive than something else? Supply and demand. The maker of this bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, is the most highly sought after and prized bourbon on the market, hands down. And since it's made in such limited quantities it is the ultimate "unicorn" in the bourbon marketplace.

This particular batch, 25 year, is not in their ordinary production cycle. I believe it's 13, 20, and 23 years aged. While the msrp of the 23 year bourbon is about $250, if you can find it on the shelf of a liquor store you'll see a price markup with a factor of 10. I can only imagine what the price on the secondary market for this 25 year bourbon will be.

[HalfSmokes]

https://www.straightbourbon.com/community/topic/25043-what-bourbon-did-you-pass-up-today-spring-2017/?page=5

Scroll halfway down on page 5.  A poster in San Diego took a photo of Pappy Van Winkle for sale in a liquor store there.  Take a look at the prices. 

I just think it's ironic, that Pappy is owned by a conglomerate and produced by another distiller under the same umbrella, but still retains that exclusivity

[tomterp]

So what makes a 25 year bourbon so much more expensive that an equivently aged scotch? Is it just that not much was held for aging 25 years ago?

Age has the opportunity cost of deferred/lost revenue to a distillery.  You can sell 6 times as much 4 year old product as 24 year old product for a given level of production, so that 24 year old has to be able to earn a massive premium to make up for the lost volume of units sold.

[tomterp]

I just think it's ironic, that Pappy is owned by a conglomerate and produced by another distiller under the same umbrella, but still retains that exclusivity

The Weller labels are headed in that direction, same pedigree.  I shopped in the Total Wine in Charleston SC today, great liquor store but they laughed when I asked if they had any Weller labels.

[DCFan]

I shopped in the Total Wine in Charleston SC today, great liquor store but they laughed when I asked if they had any Weller labels.

SC isn't an ABC state?

[mitlen]

SC isn't a n ABC state?

[DCFan]

  You a funny guy. 

[tomterp]

SC isn't an ABC state?

Evidently not.  Picked up a 1792, a McKenna BIB (10 yr old) and a Powers Gold Label.  Also they had Connemara Peat that I bought one of for my FIL who doesn't really care for  bourbon very much.  He did have a Redemption High Rye bourbon waiting for me when we got here though.

[Mathguy]

This is a very interesting article

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/how-to-day-drink-day-drinking-tips-thrillist-nation?ref=facebook-869

[tomterp]

Have tried a few barrel aged manhattans recently - at the Caboose Brewing Co yesterday and a few weeks ago at Mon Ami Gabi.  I like manhattans generally, but I have to concede that barrel aging is a step up in quality.  The flavors meld together into a seamless whole, a blend that is oneness, in contrast to a "fresh" manhattan in which each of the flavors - rye, vermouth, bitters, cherry - are distinct.  There is an oak overlay, not unpleasant at all.  Seeing the small barrel used at Caboose it hit me - I could do this too.  Sure enough, there is a robust market for whiskey barrels of the 1, 2, 3, and 5L sizes.  Some of these are formerly bourbon barrels that are re-charred and fashioned into small barrels.

Also, there is a technique of aging with wood chips - Jack Daniels markets these for food cooking but they can be used in a mason jar to age drinks, not just manhattans.

Quite a discussion here if anyone finds this interesting.  Has anyone tried this?

https://www.straightbourbon.com/community/topic/18820-barrel-aging-cocktails-at-home-anyone-else-doing-this/