Whiskey aficionados

[BMCSean]

Toby, I just grabbed a bottle of the TX. Did you not try it the last time I had it?

[Blackpony]

Toby, I just grabbed a bottle of the TX. Did you not try it the last time I had it?

No, I'll have to come over and tip a glass back one night then!

[TeeShock]

I am not a whiskey guy, but I bought a bottle of red river whiskey that I drank a lot of deer hunting this weekend. No hangover or barfing. Western sons vodka and red river whiskey are both bottle by Jems in Carrolton tx. Part of the purchase goes towards tx wildlife conservation.

[Shorty]

I am not a whiskey guy, but I bought a bottle of red river whiskey that I drank a lot of deer hunting this weekend. No hangover or barfing. Western sons vodka and red river whiskey are both bottle by Jems in Carrolton tx. Part of the purchase goes towards tx wildlife conservation.

I grabbed a bottle of it on a whim at Specs and wasn't disappointed.

[Strychnine]

Pop quiz:
You have a $100 gift card from Spec's. What do you buy?

[BMCSean]

Steel reserve, lots of it.

[SVT Lurch]

Pop quiz:
You have a $100 gift card from Spec's. What do you buy?

3 bottles of Woodford for an old college friend.


Or some 25 yo single malt at a more "reasonable" price.

[Tyrone Biggums]

Pop quiz:
You have a $100 gift card from Spec's. What do you buy?

A bottle of Booker's, three bombers of Rahr bourbon barrel aged winter warmer and two four packs of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy. Go!

[Silverback]

Got a couple more for Xmas.

[Nash B.]

I got a bottle of this yesterday. Not bad.

[Strychnine]

I grabbed a bottle of Aberlour 12 then a couple Wellers for an experiment.

http://bourbonr.com/blog/poor-mans-pappy/

This has been a pretty well known thing for a few years. I did the 60/40... And both of these together cost $50.

Poor Mans Pappy

Posted in Posts By admin On November 12, 2013

Pappy Van Winkle Alternative

We have already covered the popularity of Pappy Van Winkle on this blog. However, if you’re not familiar with it Pappy Van Winkle if one of the most sought after and hard to find Bourbons around. Most stores have waiting lists a mile long for one bottle and Pappy Van winkle bottles are selling for 10X the retail price on the secondary market. What if you want to drink Pappy without camping outside a liquor store or spending $1,000 for a bottle? I have a solution. No, I don’t have some secret way of getting a bottle and I don’t have any Pappy Van Winkle for sale. I just choose to drink a Pappy Van Winkle alternative which I call “Poor Man’s Pappy”.

The Old Rip Van Winkle Brand was set out on its own in 1972 after the sale of the Stitzell-Weller distillery. Pappy Van Winkle was originally distilled by the famed Stizell-Weller. Pappy Van Winkle is a wheated bourbon. Meaning they substitute the small portion of rye that is usually added to bourbon for wheat. This give the bourbon a more mellow flavor with the absence of the spice that rye lends to bourbon. In 2002 ORVW connected with Buffalo Trace for a joint venture with the Pappy Van Winkle brand. Buffalo Trace had already purchased W.L. Weller brand in 1999 so the deal made sense.

Why does any of this matter? Because what makes Pappy so unique is that it is wheated Bourbon. When they teamed up with Buffalo Trace they began using BT’s wheated mash bill, the same wheated mash bill used for the W.L. Weller Bourbons. Only the Pappy Van Winkle 23 year is still Stitzell-Weller juice. The rest was distilled and aged by Buffalo Trace. While you can’t replicate Pappy exactly you can come close.

By mixing Old Weller Antique and WL Weller 12 you can create an excellent substitute for Van Winkle Lot B or even Pappy 15. Before you cry heresy let me explain.

The Process:

Pick up a bottle of both W.L. Weller 12 (90 proof) and Old Weller Antique 107 (107 proof). They will cost around $20-$30 each. Start off with a 50:50 mixture of the two Bourbons. The easiest way to do this is with a digital scale. If you don’t have a scale just add a tablespoon from both Bourbons to your glass. With a 50:50 ratio you have a 98.5 proof delicious Bourbon.

Next, try a different ratio. Try mixing 60:40 Antique to 12. The Bourbon blend is now 100.2 proof and much closer in taste to the 107 proof Pappy 15. Some suggest that it is best to let it sit for several weeks before you drink. It does taste better after mingling for a few weeks but it still taste great right after it has been mixed.

[YALE]

That would be the perfect thing to put in one of those little blending kegs they sell now.

[Strychnine]

I got a bottle of this yesterday. Not bad.

Any good? I'd like to try it for sure.

[Strychnine]

That would be the perfect thing to put in one of those little blending kegs they sell now.

Not a bad idea. I can tell you that just two hours after mixing the blend is, in my opinion, better than either one by itself

(Yes, I've been doing tastings of all three )

[reo]

For Christmas I received another bottle of Red River, Balcones Brimestone (which is interesting to say the least), and a bottle of Witherspoon Texas Straight Bourbon, which I feel isn't too bad, fairly smooth for 100 proof I think. Not sure what it cost yet though so no telling if it was worth it. I already have a bottle of TX on hand, and am wanting to add something else to my cabinet, hopefully something within the state since I like the idea of supporting local distillers, but am open to others. Already had and plan to have again some Rebecca's Creek. Really been enjoying the thread, figured I post up finally.

-Eric