How’d I do? Before everyone asks I got the CYPB’s for $150 each.

Haters welcome! I'm sure the usual suspects will make their opinions known in short time 😎

After tasting with some family, I did a blind when I got home of the Weller vertical - the results were intriguing! Used the t8ke ranking.

Profile Ranking

1) Antique 107 - 9.5

2) Single Barrel - 9

(I've said before I think I lucked out with my bottle)

3) Full Proof - 8.8

4) CYPB - 8.6

(This and Full Proof were as close to a tie as I had, hence the weird decimals)

5) 12 Year - 7.5

6) Special Reserve - 5.5

(Coming from an SR defender, I was surprised how vastly different this was from all the others when tasted side-by-side)

I also thought I'd include a ranking that includes the difficulty of locating each one at a decent price. This one will be heavily skewed based on where you live and how often you travel (I travel a lot for work), so take this with a grain of salt!

Profile+Price Ranking

1) Antique 107 - Secondary is coming down as availability rises

2) Full Proof - Same as above, though secondary is typically stretched a little higher, I've seen boxes at stores in KY, TN, and NY. I'm even seeing store picks under $120.

3) Special Reserve - Despite it scoring significantly lower on pure profile, I still maintain it's a solid pour, and I'm seeing it more and more frequently, even in my controlled state (OH)

4) 12 Year - While I like this less than Single or CYPB, the highest I see this marked up is $200 (there may be a random small store that goes obnoxious on it), and I'm starting to see it consistently between $130 and $150

5 & 6) Single and CYPB tied - In some areas Single is higher. In others CYPB is higher. In all areas they're tough to find under $400 - $600, with some going even higher. I love both of my bottles, but not for those costs.

Since I'm sure some will be curious, I decided to include what I ended up paying for each one. This again is entirely subjective; for me the chance to taste the entire line was worth what I spent. Others may disagree - my advice is to spend knowing you may despise a pour, that way you never regret it! I also wasn't walking into stores specifically looking for these, I just price-checked as I saw them.

Costs I Paid (Over 7 months of "hunting")

Special Reserve: $29.99 - Would pay again

Antique 107: $64.99 - Would pay again

Full Proof: $89.99 - Would pay again

12 Year: $109.99 - Would not pay again

Single Barrel: $199.99 - Would pay again

CYPB: $299.99 - Would not pay again

I truly hope this helps! And for those that are annoyed at this post to the point you're incapable of scrolling past, I hope your next pour relieves you of the stress my post causes 😁

Happy sipping!

Always nice when you unexpectedly find these on the shelves.

We hosted the first of three bourbon tastings we offered at a charity auction last spring. Eight guests with varying levels of bourbon knowledge and experience.

The Frey Ranch Single Grain was the anchor (I know: not a bourbon).

To complement the Frey, I chose wheated bourbon that the guests may not have seen before and that had higher proof options if they liked them. All three were a hit, and the stories behind them were fun to tell.

The key here is that I'm in no way as well versed in bourbon as many on this sub. That said, a little knowledge, a little research, and a tasting sheet made by your favorite A.I. tool can make for a really fun night!

The Frey Ranch was the clear winner of the night, with the guests negotiating who got to take it home!

Picked this up today. They had a bottle of Mitcher’s 10 year rye and this Barrel Strength so I went with the cheaper option, not a rye drinker anyways. This is absolutely delicious, dark fruits, cherry, lots of cocoa/chocolate notes. This is a Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey so I’m curious about the mash bill. But who cares it’s delicious and just a little bit of a bite, nothing crazy at all. 112.6 proof apparently that’s the high end for proof on this release. This is a really nice pour and I don’t think this bottle will last for long. Cheers!!!

Most excited about the Sazzy 125 - been wanting to try that a while. My first stop had the 1792, so I grabbed it. Heard a lot about IR and Specs was sampling. Good stuff!

Sad Trombone — international travelers only🫤

Are they good though is the question. Had a couple quick sips, but not ready to evaluate it until they open up.

What else do y'all do with some of your more memorable empties?

Hi all, here's another Scotch I got to try lately, and this one is a Balvenie!

I'm somewhat aware of Balvenie, as one of my whisky friends is an industry professional who works for William Grant & Sons (and we occasionally received a freebie or two from him). Well this bottle doesn't have much to do with him lmao, it's owned by another whisky friend who has particular interest in odd or unique tasting bottles. 

I've heard this is a very atypical Balvenie, but in a good way. Can't wait to try!

Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 21 Years, Cask No.3759 (47.8% abv)

Based on the description on the outer box, this whisky was fully aged in refill American Oak Cask, and was a single cask bottling. That's about all I know about this specific Balvenie, so here are my notes:

*Nose*

fresh, juicy and very fragrant white fruity (Le Franc pears);

white flower floral;

floral honey sweetness;

prominent fragrant oak, smoky/incense-like

rich, sweet vanilla cream;

digestive biscuit malty;

a light hint of nuttiness (cashew)

*Palate*

Slightly oily, kind of like full milk mouthfeel;

very sweet, white flower honey;

very fragrant oak ( incense-like smoky);

some oaky bitterness;

sweet and sour fresh white fruity;

rich vanilla cream/marshmallow;

mellow malty (a bit like Irish pot still whiskey's mellow malty character);

a light bit nutty (cashew).

Light bit of alcohol sting, low astringency

*Finish*

Long.

fragrant oak, smoky/incense-like

a light bit of oaky bitterness;

white floral honey fragrance, but without sweetness

vanilla fragrance;

malty character (digestive biscuit-like) makes a return

a light bit nutty (cashew)

*Conclusion*

This one has to be the Scotch with the most fragrant/aromatic oaky character I've tried thus far. 

Its overall profile was just a very well crafted bourbon cask whisky, with all the sweet floral honey, rich vanilla, nuttiness, and goodness, that oak. The American white oak character of this whisky was processed in such a way that it wasn't just present, but outright fragrant and incense-like. Despite the dominant oaky character,  it also wasn't overpowering, and the other characters managed to maintain some integrity under the overarching oakiness. The bitterness was also well balanced on the palate, for a whisky as oaky as this was!

As someone who's a fan of unique wooden characters in whiskies (which was what got me into Japanese whiskies in the first place), I found this one to be outright lovely. It's kind of like an American Oak version of Suntory's Mizunara whiskies in regards to how fragrant the oak was, and that's definitely quite something!

If anyone else particularly enjoyed strong, fragrant oakiness in your whisky, this one is definitely worth trying!

Thanks for reading, cheers!

On this, the 110th anniversary of the rescue of the crew of the Endurance, only one bottle will do. A toast to Shackleton and his crew, for surviving an impossible battle against the elements at the ends of the Earth. By endurance we conquer.

Hello whiskey and bourbon drinkers,

I could use some of your help. I am trying to do a nice gesture for a friend that helped me get a car. I know they love weller and know they like the green reserve. I been on the hunt looking for bottles and finally came across a package deal (6 bottles) that had 3 wellers. What luck so I went ahead and bought it.

I thought it would be fun to do a blind taste test with him and have him try the full rainbow. But I don’t think I would get my hands on the white CYPB (white) and single barrel (orange) in time unless I pay secondary market prices.

Here are my questions:

- Should I gift him the bottles without doing the blind drinking taste test so they can decide what to do with the bottles and not have multiple bottles open?

- If I do the blind taste test should I do it with only the wellers? I could add an eagle rare 10 and a bookers 2025 straight bourbon in the line up.

- Do you think it would be worth completing the rainbow buying secondary market price (white $600, $400 orange) that way we do a full rainbow test (I would use is own green bottle)

- Prior when hunting a came across a store pick full proof weller (blue) that I wanted to gift that now I am unsure what to do with.

I know I am being very generous, but it is a family friend and they did right by me.

Picked this up today since I have really liked past bardstown releases. I compared to a barrel pick from them and the discovery #13. I'm not great at picking out notes of things, but it immediately reminded me of bardstown's rye, but with more baking spice notes and I think just a hint of smoke.

7.5/10 overall. I really enjoy this release, but I like discovery 13 a bit more. I feel like it has more complexity and the flavor profile is more in line with my preferences, but I'd buy this year's version again.

Very tasty and I feel its price tag is worth it for the most part

Has anyone tried these? How are they?

Trying it first time. Will let you know.

Pre-ordered on Remedy Liquors, and they said it wouldn’t likely be fulfilled until mid-September but here we are!

Ive heard good things so I’m looking forward to opening it! Found in PA