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i did some serious dusty hunting around miami and broward from 2013-2016. was able to get the entire van winkle line (other than the rye) and a bottle of hirsch 16 all at list out in west miami for a total of just under $600. i remember shaking as i made the purchases.

Hirsch 16 = best whiskey i've ever had. (2014 BTAC Stagg is the second best i've had). IMO, the best Van Winkles are the 12 and the 15.

had a bunch of old forester birthday bourbons from various years, a bottle of blanton's from 1993, a bunch of the dimpled bottled-in-bond old forester 101s, lots of parker's heritage, a bottle of evan williams single barrel from 1986 ... the list goes on. and i drank every drop with friends.
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it's a shame to see the cost on some bourbons these days. $600 for a bottle of michter's 10, $500 for van winkle 10-year. it's gross and not worth it. likewise, the demand for aged bourbon means that lots of standard drinkers have had their age age statements removed as the bourbon inside has become younger and younger.

i did get a bottle of schenks and a bottle of bombergers last year. they are both OUTSTANDING. came across a couple bottles of Four Roses Small Batch Select a few weeks ago and yanked those, too.
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best aged bourbon for the money right now (IMO) is Barrell Bourbon. It's sensibly priced (about $85 for the 10-year) and VERY good. henry mckenna 10-year is also great for a $45 bottle.

and on the other end ... if you ever are in china, and someone offers you Kweichow Moutai, JUST SAY NO. This **** is ******* gasoline and will give you the worst hangover of your life.
kweichow.JPG
 
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ben said:
i did some serious dusty hunting around miami and broward from 2013-2016. was able to get the entire van winkle line (other than the rye) and a bottle of hirsch 16 all at list out in west miami for a total of just under $600. i remember shaking as i made the purchases.

Hirsch 16 = best whiskey i've ever had. (2014 BTAC Stagg is the second best i've had). IMO, the best Van Winkles are the 12 and the 15.

had a bunch of old forester birthday bourbons from various years, a bottle of blanton's from 1993, a bunch of the dimpled bottled-in-bond old forester 101s, lots of parker's heritage, a bottle of evan williams single barrel from 1986 ... the list goes on. and i drank every drop with friends.View attachment 140275

it's a shame to see the cost on some bourbons these days. $600 for a bottle of michter's 10, $500 for van winkle 10-year. it's gross and not worth it. likewise, the demand for aged bourbon means that lots of standard drinkers have had their age age statements removed as the bourbon inside has become younger and younger.

i did get a bottle of schenks and a bottle of bombergers last year. they are both OUTSTANDING. came across a couple bottles of Four Roses Small Batch Select a few weeks ago and yanked those, too.
View attachment 140279

best aged bourbon for the money right now (IMO) is Barrell Bourbon. It's sensibly priced (about $85 for the 10-year) and VERY good. henry mckenna 10-year is also great for a $45 bottle.

and on the other end ... if you ever are in china, and someone offers you Kweichow Moutai, JUST SAY NO. This **** is ******* gasoline and will give you the worst hangover of your life.
View attachment 140280
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Not very often I come across a bourbon I haven't tried. I'll have to look for Hirsch, thanks for the recommendation. Definitely agree on PVW 10. One year I got to try all of them and was very underwhelmed.
 
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I'm relatively new to the bourbon game and don't normally keep more than a bottle or two at a time. What's the best way to know when harder to find bourbons are available? You guys just greasing the local liquor store clerks or calling weekly to see what they have coming in?
 
ben said:
i did some serious dusty hunting around miami and broward from 2013-2016. was able to get the entire van winkle line (other than the rye) and a bottle of hirsch 16 all at list out in west miami for a total of just under $600. i remember shaking as i made the purchases.

Hirsch 16 = best whiskey i've ever had. (2014 BTAC Stagg is the second best i've had). IMO, the best Van Winkles are the 12 and the 15.

had a bunch of old forester birthday bourbons from various years, a bottle of blanton's from 1993, a bunch of the dimpled bottled-in-bond old forester 101s, lots of parker's heritage, a bottle of evan williams single barrel from 1986 ... the list goes on. and i drank every drop with friends.View attachment 140275
Click to expand...
That Smooth Ambler Single Barrel is what’s up. Love that stuff.
 
d--1 said:
I'm relatively new to the bourbon game and don't normally keep more than a bottle or two at a time. What's the best way to know when harder to find bourbons are available? You guys just greasing the local liquor store clerks or calling weekly to see what they have coming in?
Click to expand...
you can try to form a relationship with your local liquor store guy. best way is regularly drop good coin on nice ($75 and up) bottles of bourbon and talk them up. it's not going to land you some secret bourbon club membership, but it might mean that he brings certain bottles to you before he places them on the shelves.

my best recommendation is pick a day to just go to several liquor stores. at this point, going to a liquor store in a nice neighborhood is going to likely mean that they have good bourbon, know it, and price it accordingly. so that means you should target liquor stores off the beaten path.

the term "dusty hunting" literally means that you just look for dustier looking bottles. good tells that you are finding a good old bourbon:
-if there is a true tax stamp -- i.e. no barcode on the bottle. this is increasingly rare but can still be found.

-older "bottled in bond" bottles. you'll see the term on plenty of new bottles, too (like old granddad). you'll start recognizing the more you hunt which bottles are older.

-you can always pick them up and look at the bottom of the bottle, too. often, there is a two-digit number on the bottle that represents the year of bottling. other whiskies may have the year of distillation and bottling printed on the bottle. another tell when looking at older whiskies that have been sitting on shelves is that they will often develop a (completely safe) sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

-lastly, once you get an old bottle of bourbon, DECANT IT. it helps open the bourbon up, and helps remove the dusty taste.
 
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d--1 said:
I'm relatively new to the bourbon game and don't normally keep more than a bottle or two at a time. What's the best way to know when harder to find bourbons are available? You guys just greasing the local liquor store clerks or calling weekly to see what they have coming in?
Click to expand...
Mostly from being a degenerate like me and going to the liquor store a lot. If you can get in with the people at your liquor store you have a better shot. The rare bourbons don't make it on the shelf usually. Liquor stores know who wants those bourbons and hold bottles for those people. Some liquor stores have a request log though and you can start by requesting some of these on here. Then when your requested bourbon comes in they should give you a call.
 
Usafcane88 said:
Not very often I come across a bourbon I haven't tried. I'll have to look for Hirsch, thanks for the recommendation. Definitely agree on PVW 10. One year I got to try all of them and was very underwhelmed.
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hirsch 16 is almost impossible to find at this point and goes at pappy-level prices. but if you find it at a nice bar/restaurant, it'll be worth the price of a pour just to try it.
 
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