2 newer releases I've found, neither are bourbon (neither are exactly cheap either), so sue me: Jack Daniels 10 Best sip of Jack I've ever had. Not sure I'll buy another bottle though ($) but will enjoy this from time to time. Smooth Ambler Founder's Series Cask Strength Rye From WV of all places. Top shelf rye whiskey and not all that expensive. I love this and will buy again.
Garrison Bros is releasing their annual Cowboy Bourbon on Oct. 1st, 8500+ bottles nationwide. Retail is $250, so don't let them violate you with markups. Picked up my 2 earlier this week. It's absolutely worth it for a true, excellent, distinctive Texas bourbon.
will have to see if Total Wine has it. it's not bourbon, and I may have mentioned it elsewhere, but through an unusual sequence of events I acquired a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue. if it's good enough for Jerry Jones, it's good enough for me, and it's quite wonderful indeed. but this rereading this thread put me in mind of a Manhattan, which I am sipping while listening to CSNY on vinyl. classica ingredients: Rittenhouse Rye and Dolin vermouth.
It's going to be available in something like 40 of the 50 states, iirc (I was at the distillery, things got a little foggy). I don't remember where you live or I'd inquire about stuff for you (eta: just noticed they have a store/shipping locator on their website). F**k Jerry Jones, but how can you not love JW Blue? I've been gifted a bottle and had it ordered for me several times by the glass at restaurants, and have managed to never pay for a drop. I noticed your 3 "go-to cocktail" mentions, and those are all favorites. I like a proper whiskey sour as well, and there are others. And it's hard to go wrong with CSNY. Or CSN. Or just Y.
I've been enjoying Michter's Small Batch and also had a great bottle of Elijah Craig Small Batch and a Basil Hayden recently. Wild Turkey 101 is a nice budget bourbon.
I'm in SE PA, but the state stores are generally terrible. luckily, I'm ten minutes from Delaware, and Total WIne stock Garrison, and it appears to be a few bucks less than buying direct from the website.
Here's a solid review, I trust this guy even though his tasting notes read like an AI-generated madlib of pretentious crap: https://uproxx.com/life/whiskey-review-cowboy-bourbon-garrison-bros/
135 proof! I'm not sure I have that in me at this stage, if I ever did. went through about five of his tasting reviews- fun stuff. I usually keep Woodford Reserve (standard bottle), Four Roses small batch, and lately 1792 small batch in the house. the first is classic, and the last really interesting, but it's 4 Roses small batch I usually turn to.
It's not cut, goes straight from barrel to bottle. I've been sipping it on rocks or with some water, after letting it sit for a couple of minutes. Haven't tried it in a cocktail yet but it's in the future, there's no way it could possibly be bad. Just do it, "yolo" and s**t and all that.
total says they will have it in November, so will look for it then. sipping 1792 with a few small rocks now, it suits me just fine. switching gears slightly, we were in Quebec recently, and happened upon a small local distillery that made vodka, gin, and a few other spirits from...honey. we bought a bottle of the gin, which uses the vodka as a base, and then adds local herbs. it's quite nice, almost delicate, and not at all sweet. bought some of their honey too, which is unfiltered, as you'd expect, and is spectacular. probably weren't supposed to bring it back across the border. https://apikol.ca/
picked up a bottle of Garrison Bros Small Batch today; 94 proof is about as big as I can go. Spoiler no homo may give it a taste tonight for halloween.
put a bit of a dent in it, and it's good stuff. will wait to drink more when our kitchen is back up and running, and I can make a proper ice cube. Total also had Balcones Pot Still bourbon, which looked interesting, and is more reasonably priced. similar proof to the GB Small Batch.
The pot still is their entry level and decent for the price, but look for George dickels 8yr bourbon. Similarly priced and fantastic.
They have single malts, like the entry level, lineage, but I've never seen them cheaper than the pot still.
I've had the lineage, and there's also Blue Corn (I think). both were cheaper than Pot Still at Total, but might just be a regional pricing disparity.
Hmmm. Blue corn and baby blue(dc'ed) have always been about 50. Pot still around 30 and lineage around 40. Anyway, just try the dickels 8yr bourbon
