Dram of the Day

[JayRay]

Picked this up aftrr work today. Very tasty. Definitely a hidden gem! Thanks to @soulsea for the original recommendation and @Jackson for reviving the recommendation! Cheers fellas.

 

[Justbob]

Straight from the barrel is like driving a 702 horse power truck. Special reserve is when you are obeying the speed limit. Gold is the best of both. Regular Blanton’s is good and solid.

 

[soulsea]

Straight from the barrel is like driving a 702 horse power truck. Special reserve is when you are obeying the speed limit. Gold is the best of both. Regular Blanton’s is good and solid.

Having tasted 2 of 3 of those bottles, they they are exceptional and not within reach of most retail buyers, nor what I was referring to.

If you can grab a bottle of Hancock's (giggity) I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it vs the basic Blanton's.

In the subjective world of taste there's not much I'll dig my heels in, the only thing I'm certain of is that the regular Blanton's is the most overrated bourbon in the world. If anyone has the least bit of curiosity in them they can find infinitely better bourbons at half the price, and double infinitely better bourbons at the same price. It's the submariner of bourbons.

 

[Bambi]

I think I figured this bourbon out ...

You know how we all have that one girl in our past that drove us crazy but was reaaaaally good at that one thing?

This bourbon is exactly like that ... if that one thing was quilting.

So this bourbon makes you want to scream and jab pencils in your ears when it’s not “quilting”

i think I’ll pass

 

[Bambi]

Whoa there big fella. I know you didn’t just dis one of the most classic mens watches of all times

It's the submariner of bourbons.

 

[MAXGroup]

The booze fairy is real!
This just landed today at my doorstep. After tasting the GOT Oban the night's watch limited edition, and it tasted like a limited edition Oban, which is to say really good, and only $20 or more cheaper I decided to try the whole series of GOT branded whiskies. A Lagavulin 9 yo, a Mortlach 15 yo, and a couple more the booze fairy will deliver in two days. I'll report back to the group as all these single malts are typically very good, but the GOT special branding is somehow cheaper, as if HBO paid the distillers to sell us whiskey.

Oh and one El Dorado, cuase that 15 yo rum has such a rich complex flavor and not present in my two favorite liquor stores. If you guys do not hear anything back from me, don't worry, I may just be passed out drunk in my bar from too much whiskey.....

 

[soulsea]

The booze fairy is real!
This just landed today at my doorstep. After tasting the GOT Oban the night's watch limited edition, and it tasted like a limited edition Oban, which is to say really good, and only $20 or more cheaper I decided to try the whole series of GOT branded whiskies. A Lagavulin 9 yo, a Mortlach 15 yo, and a couple more the booze fairy will deliver in two days. I'll report back to the group as all these single malts are typically very good, but the GOT special branding is somehow cheaper, as if HBO paid the distillers to sell us whiskey.

Oh and one El Dorado, cuase that 15 yo rum has such a rich complex flavor and not present in my two favorite liquor stores. If you guys do not hear anything back from me, don't worry, I may just be passed out drunk in my bar from too much whiskey.....

View attachment 11617

You're all set for your Big Bang Theory marathon.

 

[MAXGroup]

You're all set for your Big Bang Theory marathon.

You picked the one show I will never watch not even with all that booze!
Now Justified, or battle star Galactica, that's a marathon I can support.....

 

[Caliche]

I have been trying my best to become a General, and I have been failing miserably....... so all I got is a sunset from last night..... Cheers y’all!!

 

[Shutdown]

Standing in the Scotch isle looking for something I haven't tried before and this packaging jumped out at me. I typically stick with single malts but though to try this small batch blend. Lighter in colour than expected but does have a good smokey peat flavor that is bold but not overwhelming. Sure it will be added to the regular lineup.

 

[JayRay]

A Manhattan or two tonight! Cheers all!

 

[Jackson]

I decided that tonight is the night I am going to figure out a bourbon rumor, namely that Hancock's (giggity) President's Reserve is lower priced overstock Blanton's quietly released by Buffalo Trace to keep Blanton's scarce, and that you could hypothetically get Blanton's on the cheap.

Before I even get into the the taste comp I need to note a couple of things that are fundamental to my bourbon life.

1. Base Blanton's is good not great. It is by far the most overrated bourbon in the world. It is fundamentally a $40 bourbon at best who's great marketing and scarcity management has propelled it into a desirable thing. It is the epitome of what people who know nothing about bourbon desire. Again, it's not bad, but it's not special in any way. If you blind pour it into a glass next to base $35 Eagle Rare most people would chose the ER. People who really know bourbon won't pay for it. People who don't know bourbon gift it to me, and I regift it to people who know nothing about bourbon cause it makes them feel happy and special.

2. The Hancock (gigitty) as a secret Blanton's isn't a thing any more. First of all it's actually harder to find than Blanton's, and it trades at even more $ than Blanton's. So even if they were the identical product for all intents and purposes the Blanton's is now the cheaper one of the two. This is funny, because this price inversion isn't based on substance, it's purely based on rumor, and the fact that the thing that's supposed to copy the other thing is more expensive than the thing it's copying is a clue as to the absurdity of the market.

Aaaaaaall of that said, they are not the same thing. The Hancock (giggity) is much better. It is sweeter, deeper, more complex. If the liquid was in a Blanton's bottle it would really be worth $100. Is it worth more than $100? I'm not sure. But if you run into a bottle for around that price or less I would recommend you pick it up. Your friends won't be impressed with the label, but YOU will not regret it.

Fearless Leader,

Here we must disagree. Let's begin with #1: You say it's overrated? I agree. You say "It is fundamentally a $40 bourbon at best who's great marketing and scarcity management has propelled it into a desirable thing" and I'd swear you must be "Rekt." That's not a bad thing but to say that this $55 whiskey is akin to any $40 bottle on the planet is, dare I say, lunacy. Take the cardboard packaging that it comes in. It's very nice. Let's remove the "felt-ish" bag from the cardboard packaging and then peel back that layer. Now to the bottle. Wow! Have you ever seen such a thing? No, you haven't because it's unique to Blanton's and ONLY Blanton's. I've eaten at high end restaurants across the globe that serve their signature cocktails in said bottle. It's bespoke..... It's the Blanton's signature and nothing on God's green earth compares. But we still haven't justified the hype so let's press on. Now I see there's a horse and a jockey atop this wax-sealed bottle to ensure the bottle hasn't been tampered with. You see that each jockey is in a unique pose with the horse's stride and a letter is assigned that will spell out the word "Blanton's" when the set is complete. This isn't a happenstance occurrence. This is Elmer T. Lee's tribute to the man that originated (purportedly) the single barrel offering which means variability exists depending on which barrel you're drinking. It might be exactly what the Master Distiller had in mind when he releases that barrel or it could be slightly off. That's the magic of it. Nevertheless, it was tasted by the guy that knows and deemed ready for release in it's raw format, never blended like the other you've mentioned to fit a profile. Are there more bottles more complex than Blanton's Single Barrel? Absolutely. Are there bourbons with a longer finish at $40? No. Are there bottles with a longer finish at $55? Nope. Are there bottles with a longer finish at TWICE the price? Maybe. The Weller 107 (more than twice the price) has a longer finish but Weller 107 doesn't exist in the wild unless you know somebody. Other than that, you're going to spend far more than twice the price to get that lingering on the palate twenty seconds after the liquid is long gone. I think there's magic in the "Mashbill #2" and the high rye content. It adds spice and complexity but more than that whiskey you're comparing it to.

Then you say "It is the epitome of what people who know nothing about bourbon desire." As Dr. Phil says, some people get it, and some just don't get it. I'd say that you're one of the ones that just doesn't get Blanton's. There's nothing wrong with that. You're more like me in that you're a purist. I want something to speak on its own merit. If you think Blanton's is a $40 bottle than you are missing what the rest of the world is buying. You don't care for the "accoutrement" of the golden liquid. I could sell endless bottles for $100 if it came in generic packaging. But the way they dress that golden elixer makes it command $200 on the gray market.

And really that's only if they have one of the bottles to sell. No matter what, you can't tell me that this bottle doesn't look badass sitting on the bar. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something. I'm not going to get into the Straight From the Barrel, the Black Label or the Gold Label offerings. These are all whiskies from a very specific rickhouse, a specific mashbill, a designated timeline in a singular barrel and only once certain criteria are met are they bottled. To call this a $40 equivalent is blasphemy or worse. And just to show this isn't my personal opinion I'll go back to our dear friend from earlier this week:

Now on to #2 and the Hancock's President's Reserve's (apostrophe edition) comparison....... There's just so much wrong with this I don't know where to begin.

Soulsea, the father of modern TRX Bourbon Threads, is a guru, no doubt. He despises the use of optional apostrophes, and commas, as do I, and therefore we must heed this modern-day predilection. Soulsea has passion for what we do, as do I. Is Blanton's overpriced? I think we established it's a $100 bourbon and not a $200 bourbon which the market today demands. I can't begin to comprehend the Submariner slam or the fact that he might have compared GOT to the Big Bang Theory but I digress. I think this is one of those multiple topics that is better discussed in person with a range of copitas in front of us containing many of our finest elixers. I very much enjoy our fearless leader and his fervor for life, fine whiskey and fast trucks. Soooo.... A toast.

Cheers, Gents,

Jackson

 

[HiElevation]

You guys made me jelly with the finished rye.

 

[soulsea]

What just happened?

#blandtons

 

[Jackson]

What just happened?

#blandtons

I might have just spit on my screen. Yes, more Blanton's.

This was all just a ploy to bolster our friendship. My address is 2704 Blanton's Blvd, Greenville, TX 75402 if you're doing any regifting.

 

[Jackson]

You guys made me jelly with the finished rye.

View attachment 11629

I had my wife come read the post and her response was...... This Angel's Envy Finished Rye has a longer finish. I meant bourbons! *runs out of the room*

 

[soulsea]

 

[Jackson]

I would just like to point out that Handcock is NOT on the podium.

 

[soulsea]

Giggity

 

[Shutdown]

Great laugh guys. Keep it up