Want to host your own bourbon tasting but not sure how to get started? Or, are you looking for a gift for the bourbon drinker in your life. The Bourbonr Tasting Kit is an educational tool that helps facilitate home tastings. Sure, hunting rare bourbons is fun but the community aspect of bourbon is by far my favorite part. Sitting around a table with friends drinking bourbon is always a good time.
Last year I ran a post about pairing bourbon with each Thanksgiving course (make sure to read it before you start cooking or eating). This year I’d like to take a different approach. Instead of giving a recipe or a pairing I’d like to propose a challenge. The challenge: open your limited edition bourbon that has been sitting on your shelf for a “special occasion”. Forget resell value. Forget the hype. It’s time to drink. There’s no better time to imbibe than with family, friends and turkey.
Below is what we know so far. I’m digging to try and get some more details. Things like: Will there be a 2015 Rye? Is the 2015 20-year-old Stitzel-Weller or Bernheim or other? Are they still sourcing solely from Brown-Forman?
What else would you like to see answered?
Louisville, KY November 2015 — Michter’s Master Distiller Willie Pratt has approved the release of Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon and 20 Year Single Barrel Bourbon to the company’s distributor network for sale this December. This will mark the first release of the 2015 bottling of these two coveted expressions.
Time for another fall release review. Should you spend your time and money on a bottle of Angel’s Envy Cask Strength (AECS)? It’s time to find out. 2015 AECS is 127.9 proof and is aged up to 7 years. There’s no mention of how long they bourbon is in the port barrels. There are 7,500 bottles in the 2015 release and it’s expected to be priced at $170.
My demeanor towards the (fall) bourbon craziness varies. Sometimes I despise it, sometimes I partake in it and other times I’m apathetic. Visiting stores every morning doesn’t work for a lot of people’s schedules. Waiting in lines overnight isn’t an option for others (or something we want to do). Paying $1,000 for a bottle of Pappy will never be an option. What if we can’t spend thousands of dollars at a store to be on their “preferred” list. Or, maybe it wasn’t your year to win a lottery. Whatever your circumstances are these bourbons are a great consolation prize. Actually, “consolation” is too demeaning to these bourbons. These bourbons are great, high-end options to drink if you scored an entire BTAC and Pappy set or if you struck out.
Have I become bourbon jaded? Wyoming Whiskey was introduced to me through email by a PR company representing the distillery. My initial thought was “sure, send a sample” it will either be young craft whiskey in a beautiful bottle or an overpriced NDP. I’ve read about Wyoming Whiskey somewhere along the way but since it isn’t distributed in Florida, I’ve never paid that much attention.
Please Read: Each state is highlighted once one bottle is reported. Generally, that means that store, and a lot of times that city, is already sold out. This map isn’t an official release tracker from Buffalo Trace but a network of bourbon drinkers looking to help each other. Stores are dealing with smaller allocations and greatly increased demand. Please be understanding of this fact. Happy Hunting!
Nothing says fall like walking into a store to see a squat bottle with a colorful ribbon around the neck. Old Forester, an extension of Brown-Forman (read more here), released their Birthday Bourbon as a celebration of its founder, George Garvin Brown. In case you were wondering, George’s birthday is September 2nd and OFBB is typically released in Kentucky on this day every year.
This is a guest post from Matthew C. Hulbert, PH.D. at Civil War Governors of Kentucky. I think you’ll enjoy!
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On November 2, 1865, a petition arrived on the desk of Governor Thomas E. Bramlette. Two men from Wayne County, Granville Ingram and Levi Baker, each faced a $100 fine for “tipling.” (That is, for dealing in unlicensed liquor.) Relative to modern legal standards, it’s common to assume that alcohol restrictions were lax in the 1860s—if not altogether nonexistent. In fact, before proceeding with our story, it’s worth taking a moment to note that the production, sale, and consumption of distilled spirits in Kentucky were heavily regulated in the 1860s, almost as much as they are today. Even as the Civil War raged around them, scores of civilians found themselves in court for various liquor-related offenses: unlicensed distilling, unlicensed sale, selling in the wrong unit or quantity, selling liquor to minors, being drunk on duty, and a wide array of more violent, booze-fueled crimes ranging from arson and assault to homicide. (More on this in next week’s blogging.)
*Please Read:* Each state is highlighted once one bottle is reported. Generally, that means that store, and a lot of times that city, is already sold out. This map isn’t an official release tracker from Buffalo Trace but a network of bourbon drinkers looking to help each other. Stores are dealing with smaller allocations and greatly increased demand. Please be understanding of this fact. Also, I’m not a retailer. I don’t have a list to buy Pappy nor do I know where you can buy online at retail. If I did I’d buy it all myself 🙂 Happy Hunting!