I have definitely learned that the single barrel single barrel only works for me if the picker’s palette is the same as mine. There are stores where I will always take their pick, and there are others that I won’t touch. Completely based on experience and learning what flavor profile they will select.
I haven’t found two Blantons that are alike. Same with the EH Taylor. Eagle Rare is more consistent. The SB/SB pics that I have been involved in sometimes have good barrels and sometimes one that stands out. We usually pick the one that stands out above the others.
We've done blinds of Blanton's and Buffalo Trace and each bottle was noticeably different and the picks stood out from the shelfers. The WRDO pick I have is so much better than the shelf bottle. I agree, it's ideal to try before you buy. That's our motto.
Just did a single barrel pick of BT, ER and WFP last month. Freddie specifically said ER is batched and said they started winning awards for it after moving from single barrel to batching so I don’t believe the story of the bottling one barrel at a time with intermixing between barrels. Or at least that hasn’t been the case for quite a while.
I have a box from this year that has a sticker that says it's a single barrel. So I'm more inclined to agree it's a technicality that's it's not on the label as such. I can't post a photo here of my ER case. It may be a distributors sticker that is out of date but I think it's a BT sticker and if they are batching it now it's recently they've done so.
I’ve been invited to help pick a Weller 107. I was not blown away from the 3 samples. Just oaky and not better than a reg bottle. Not sure why but we all agreed. Still picked one but it was not worth the mark up
In all fairness, I love single barrels because they're /different/ even if they're not true hitters. Sometimes I think that distillery's batched products are better (because they tend to be more balanced), but usually I'm game for an unbalanced pour that's just plain fun and group picks often deliver that for me. And group picks often have an added layer of story to them that makes the bottles great to experience, right?
I have had the privilege of trying each of the base offerings of these, but never any of the Single Barrel/Select options. What a cool blind this would be to get to do.
It might be BT mash bill 2, which is peach forward. It doesn't happen often, but on rare occasion BT will put a MB2 barrel in the ER program. I have had one and it was interesting.
Randy and Wes, great video! I had no idea about the “single, single” barrels and the price difference! Great job! And you guys cracked me up! I would never describe you guys as jacka…….. lol 😂
Single barrel selects are usually only as good as the folks picking them. There are a few stores in my area that get "store picks" but it's no more than them getting a random barrel assigned that they never actually tasted.
Kelly Liquors here in Albuquerque has a *marvelous* Knob Creek store pick. Several employees went to Kentucky and picked the barrel, and man, they did a great job. 😍
@@WhiskyForBeginners I’ll swing in next time I’m down that way. If you’re ever in Colorado Springs check out Oasis liquor, some phenomenal store picks, a few I’ve been proud to be a part of.
Curious why this was all BT? 1792 SiB is both a standard release and has picks all over. Others… Russells, Garrison Brothers, Knob Creek SiB, Jack Daniels SBBP both Bourbon and Rye, John J Bowman, etc.
I will quibble with y’all just on one thing. For 95+% of the bottles consumed from a typical (at least store) single barrel selection, the pick experience isn’t a consideration…save maybe having a trusted palate making the given pick. Also, would more typically available (in most worlds, I think) desirable selections like Knob Creek and Russell’s Reserve have fit the criteria for this video, given their in-every-store shelfer versions?
@BourbonRealTalk what happens to the remainder after the last full bottle is filled? There will always be some remaining liquid in the line, whether it's 10 ml or 625 ml, etc.
@BourbonRealTalk Perhaps - and hopefully - it is not just dumped down the drain, but goes to either the lab archive or to sample bottles for media, wholesalers or friends/clients of the distillery. I've had the fortune over the years to get several lab samples and it's pretty special - as a fan of the particular brand - to get those lab samples.
I've seldom if ever bought a store pick over a shelf bottle. I'm good without any hype! Remember, if you woke up this morning wondering if anyone loved you, just know that we all love you! Great show as always! Cheers!
