#allocated bourbon

[bourbonmetalhead]

I had a small taste of Pappy Van Winkle 15 Years Old Family Reserve bourbon.

[bourbonmetalhead]

A family member graciously shared some delicious half pours recently.

Van Winkle Special Reserve. 12 Year. Lot B.

[bourbonmetalhead]

A half pour of Weller 12. Weller 12 Year is the best Weller, for my palate.

[bourbonmetalhead]

Song for 64 Bourbons Bracket matchup 28 Knob Creek 15 Years vs. Eagle Rare is “The Needle Lies” by Queensryche.

Fuck! I gotta say, Eagle Rare led for most of this matchup. I used to get stale boxed apple juice palate notes from Buffalo Trace products, but this Hubba Bubba or Big League Chew grape taste has invaded my brain with lower end Buffalo Trace products (not lowest end, that’s fucking Benchmark gag). Eagle Rare was sweet and smooth, calm, and enjoyable. I was blasting through the 1.5 oz pour. As Queensryche jammed, Eagle Rare was sweet and smooth. More like a song by the Eagle instead of a metal track.

And the Knob Creek 15 Years was limping along. Wood. Meat. Odd woods beyond oak. Dill. Strange. A bit sour. But it kept finishing. Even with the strangeness, it journeyed. Whereas Eagle Rare was fairly consistent. A delightful sipper. Knob Creek looked like Gonzaga against Baylor. Fuck Baylor, by the way.

OK. That title game disappointed me. Eagle Rare was getting dunks, hitting free throws, getting Knob Creek 15 Years in foul trouble.

An overtime pour. Bot of Eagle Rare. But of Knob Creek 15 Years. The needle lied. The needle cried. Time to let the bourbon talk to me. So. I went for Kentucky chew on Knob Creek 15 Years and it was complexity upon complexity. Sweetness finally came sneaking in. But also some long lost tastes like cheap as undergraduate cherry cigars. And it had a finish.

That’s the problem with Eagle Rare. It only starts. It doesn’t finish.

Don’t get me wrong. I used to cringe at Single Barrel ER when DP (from Nashville) brought it over for the Super Bowl party. It was skunky, funky, crawlspacy. Fuck! I seek that out now! But I don’t get that with ER in this round. It is sweet, fairly uni-dimensional, and smooth.

It’s the needle, crying my name.

Dry your tears, needle, Knob Creek 15 Years advances. You can walk away, now, Eagle Rare. But there’s nothing to laugh at. You are a delicious bourbon that I will celebrate and drink on a regular basis. But this is a fist fight.

And Knob Creek 15 Years knocked you with an Ngannou upper cut with that Black Stone Cherry Cigars and complex finish.

Eagle Rare, the taters will continue to snatch you up. But Knob Creek 15 Years advances on to the round of 32.

[bourbonmetalhead]

Bourbons Bracket Matchup 31:

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Years vs. Michter’s

Song for the matchup: “No Excuses” by Thou

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Years Bottled-in-Bond advances to the round of 32 in the 64 Bourbons Bracket. Michter’s was sort of like an underwhelming, completely unspicy rye. To be honest, Michter’s got the shaft on the randomized draw. Michter’s may have had a shot of advancing in about half of the matchups. But, honestly, Michter’s just isn’t overly complex. I would guess that it is a younger bourbon in a nice bottle. I would guess that Old Tub, Evan Williams BIB, Old Grandad 114, Cooper’s Craft, and many other budget bourbons would easily advance against Michter’s.

My brother-in-law graciously gave me this Michter’s bottle as a gift and my brothers and father-in-law have crowned Michter’s ass in blind bourbon tastings that we did. I didn’t crown it, but I likely picked something higher proof — or something ridiculous like Jefferson’s Reserve. Yes, I admit that Jefferson’s Reserve has kicked some ass in blind bourbon tastings for me. But I digress.

Let’s make another digression as I have a pinch of loser’s pour. I sip on a bit of post-matchup Michter’s. Let’s talk about tunes. _Jar of Flies_ is one of the most important albums in my autobiography. It was an important bridge out of metal exclusivity for me. That EP really resonated with me as I journeyed from 11th (12th) grader into bill-paying, full-time working Playboy buying adult.

And this Thou song is not Alice In Chains. The clean vox are more Cantrell than Staley, but the fucking dripped tuning and distortion of the riffs really really works! And the growling distracted me at first, but as bourbon kicked in the growls and Cantrell vox and brutal riffs blend together expertly. As I ride the aftertaste of Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Years Bottled-in-Bond and reflect on the emergence of cotton candy, cherry Tums... and no excuses that I know.

Michter’s isn’t necessarily bad bourbon. But it is bad rye. It’s kinda like rye mixed with a bit of clover honey. “And if we change, well I love you anyway,” they sing.

I must say that Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Years Bottled-in-Bond didn’t knock it out of the park. It’s age showed and there was massive oak, but there wasn’t the complexity of say Booker’s or OBC 11.5 Years, or novelty of Town Branch Cask Strength, or the absolute smoothness of IW Harper 15 Years. And that delights the fuck out me. My hands aren’t bruised from breaking rocks all day, but my suburban ass has golfer’s elbow. No excuses. I didn’t stretch and I have never gotten golf lessons or even watched a video or read a book on golf swings. I just do it. Raw. Like this past. So, what I was meandering around to is that I am pleasantly pleased that Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Years Bottled-in-Bond isn’t getting a bye straight to the title matchup. Yes, it’s allocated, old, and I traded a bottle of Very Special Old Fitzgerald for it... but it is going to have to show up matchup after matchup... or its ass will get bounced. If Dick Vitale were here, I would invite him to reseed the brackets. But let’s roll with what we have. No excuses! Bottoms up!

[bourbonmetalhead]

64 Bourbons Bracket Matchup 21: Booker’s Boston Marathon Batch vs. Fighting Cock Bourbon

Booker’s Boston Marathon Batch advances to the round of 32.

After the Fighting Cock Kentucky chew made my mouth super chalky and yeasty, I took and intermission to eat some dark chocolate and dance around my living room while blasting “Scottish Hell.” With some handbanging, of course.

Man, Fighting Cock hung in there. It was really was as Booker’s Boston Marathon Batch was a slow, slow starter. I was easily proclaiming Boston Batch as the worst of this year’s Booker’s releases and considering the Fighting Cock upset. And then Booker’s creeped on a come up. Whatever the fuck that means, and youthful Bone Thugs N Harmony know. So, I switch the song to “Creepin On A Come Up” and that Cleveland slangin’ funk fit perfectly.

Let’s talk about the mic drop, before I forget about it. Homestyle Cherry Cordial Ice Cream. All of it. Chocolate and all. No spoon required. With barrel proof tickle. And a buzz, south of E. 99 - with no need for green.

Booker’s Boston Marathon Batch was slow, Creepin and making Fighting Cock start slippin’ as it was trippin’ half steppin’ with its weapon on safety. And Booker’s Boston Marathon Batch? Not strapped. No trash talk. Calm and confident. Like a real O.G. The kind of OG that doesn’t worry about adding dollars on top of its lawyer’s retainer. It’s all good.

Booker’s slowly developed, twisted, turned, rhymed, creeped ‘n’ came up.

Oh, and what a come up! This was a slow starting bottle - but I’d love to see how it would fare in a backyard dust-up against Granny’s Batch and One Big Holiday Batch. Maybe it’s because I am hoping to actually earn a Boston Marathon medal this year, that I think Booker’s Boston Marathon Batch might be the best of the Booker’s 2020 releases. All you busta bourbons out there, beware!

[liwinespirits]

Rare Spirit Bottle Sizes and Their Appeal for Collectors

Bottle size matters more than you might think when collecting rare spirits. A 700ml European format, a 1.75 liter handle, or even a 375ml half bottle of allocated bourbon can all affect both the presentation and investment potential of a bottle. For home bar enthusiasts, mixing unique sizes—like a 3 liter Don Julio 1942 or a limited edition 500ml scotch—creates visual variety and sparks conversation. Understanding these exclusive liquor bottle size options helps you make smarter purchases and spot truly special releases. Whether you're after a rare single cask or a limited bourbon, knowing the dimensions adds an important layer to your collection strategy.

[liwinespirits]

Hunting Rare Whiskey and Allocated Spirits in Commack

THE HUNT FOR PREMIUM SPIRITS Hunting for rare whiskey on Long Island requires more than luck. In Commack, collectors know that securing high-end bourbon depends heavily on a knowledgeable local partner. UNDERSTANDING ALLOCATED DROPS Premium distilleries release sought-after bottles in restricted waves, known as allocations. Navigating this requires local expertise: - Limited Supply: Demand outpaces the availability of unique batches. - Curated Access: Local merchants secure exclusive drops through strong industry relationships. - Quality Assurance: Experts provide proper storage to maintain temperature control and bottle integrity. DECODING COMPLEX FLAVORS Working with a spirits expert ensures transparent advice about complex flavor profiles. You gain insights into the raw intensity of cask strength varieties and single barrel selections. Instead of relying on hype, buyers get honest feedback on a distiller's reputation. This approach transforms the search for limited-edition liquid gold into an educational, rewarding experience for your home collection.