The 10 Most Annoying Things in Bourbon
I have been a bourbon/rye drinker since 2015. Admittedly, there are folks who have been drinking longer and who are more knowledgable. I am a hobbyist and I have no financial ties to the bourbon industry. I've never been afraid to speak my mind, so here's my top ten list of most annoying things in bourbon.
1. Ed Bley.
Who? Ed Bley is the former manager spirits and beer manager for Cork N' Bottle. Ed is highly praised for his barrel picks and most recently his ability to batch bourbon. His two batched bourbons (Old Baldy 1&2) resell for hundreds of dollars. Ed's recently left Cork N' Bottle to create his own blending company.
I am sure Ed is a nice guy, but is he really God's gift to the bourbon world? The guy picks decent barrels and blended a (supposedly) decent bourbon. Yet people make Ed out to be larger than life. BourbonPursuit ran an hour long podcast when Ed announced he was leaving Cork N' Bottle. It reminded me of girls losing their cool over the Jonas Brothers. People have T-Shirts of Ed Bley that show him pictured as an angel. Let's stop overhyping Ed Bley. Ed is just a nice guy who picks barrels. Ed is not a distiller, nor has he ever worked at a distillery.
2. 1792 (Barton)
Why does the best bourbon out of 1792 taste mediocre? Why does 1792 not have special releases (I don't count 225th or sweet wheat)? 1792 hasn't produced an impressive product since the 80's. With tens of thousands of barrels why can't 1792 produce a great limited release. Even a giant like Jim Beam is able to produce a wide spectrum of whiskey. If 1792 disappeared tomorrow I wouldn't lose any sleep and neither should you. There's a whiskey that's better than 1792 at every price point.
3. Barrel Picks Not Being Offered at Barrel Proof
This one makes zero sense. Imagine this scenario: I go to a disillery to purchase a barrel and shell out thousands of dollars. Upon picking a fantastic barrel I am forced to proof it down to a lower proof. Why? I own the barrel? Why does the company care? Is it cost prohibitive -- surely people would pay more. Barrel strength barrel picks would create huge brand loyalty among enthusiasts. As a result we are losing out on tasting some of the world's best bourbon. Can you imagine a Weller 107 antique pick bottled at barrel proof? Kudos to Four Roses and Willett for allowing unadulterated bottlings.
4. Chill Filtration
Again, like number three...why? For those that don't know, chill filtering is the process of taking aged whiskey and cooling the whiskey down. The fatty acids and proteins are filtered out of the bourbon. The process is done entirely for cosmetic reasons, as bourbon around 80 proof will turn clowdy without chill filtration . Fine for 80 proof bourbon, but any product over 86 proof should not be chill filtered. By chill filtering, distilleries are only taking away from the final product. It's an extra step with added cost that makes a less impressive final product. There may not be a huge taste difference, but the whiskey loses a lot of its viscosity.
5. Craft Whiskey
Your local craft whiskey isn't good. Please stop telling everyone how xyz is doing wonderful things. Virtually all craft distilleries produce absolute garbage. Craft distilleries release young aged product with a high price tag. Jim Beam can afford to sit on a barrel of whiskey for ten years, but xyz craft distillery has to release six month aged whiskey just to stay in business. Many craft distilleries use small barrels which gives the whiskey an unpleasant woody taste. If you feel compelled to purchase craft whiskey try one from this short list: Willett, Balcones, Stranahans, and Westland.
6. Crotch and Receipt Shots
There's not much to be said on this topic. You know who you are... The guys who can barely get to their car before taking a picture of their bottle. No one wants to see your junk and a bottle of EH Taylor. I also don't get why people post pictures of their bottle receipts. No one is really impressed that you found a Weller 107 at retail. Please stop.
7. Shaming Liquor Store Owners
No one likes liquor stores that price gouge. Just don't shop at that liquor store and call it a day. There's no need to post prices all over the internet, and god forbid a video of you heckling the store manager. You are not going to change the habits of a liquor store owner with a photo. It's a business, and as Joe Dirt once said "This ain't UNICEF". If you sell items on the secondary market you should never criticize secondary prices. I'm shocked at how many folks have this hypocritical mentality.
8. Where The Hell Are the Good Releases of 2018.
2018 has been a shit year for whiskey releases. We are into October now and I haven't seen much to get me excited. Yes, we will have the usual Van Winkle/BTAC releases -- but what else? There hasn't been too much to speak of this year. If you haven't gotten a ton of store picks you are likely drinking rum, armagnac, and scotch just so that you can avoid being sober. I have my hopes set high for that Booker's 30th release in December, but the quality of that bourbon could go either way. I was hoping that craft distilleries might start to release something with some age, but short of Wilderness Trail we are empty handed.
9. Heaven Hill Doesn't Give a Shit About Their Consumers
Okay, admittedly I didn't care about Heaven Hill discontinuing their 6 year bottled-in-bond (BIB). But whoever handles their PR should be fired. The 6 year BIB was loved by many bourbon enthusiasts. There's no chance that Heaven Hill doesn't have six year stock on hand -- don't forget the 6 year BIB was only distributed in KY. If one of the bean counters at Heaven Hill thought it wasn't a worthwhile product, why not compromise? Either raise the price OR raise the price and only offer it at the gift shop. Heaven Hill undoubtable pissed off a lot of its consumers with this move.
The Parker's Heritage release this year is an 110 proof bourbon flavored orange juice. Parker's Heritage is supposed to be the pinnacle of bourbon excellence at Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill really half assed this Parkers Release. Heaven Hill has so many incredible barrels, as evidenced by many of the wonderful Willett releases. Heaven Hill could have thrown a stone in one of their warehouses and hit better barrels than this orange garbage. Even the bourbon muppet Fred Minnick said that the whiskey was polarizing. Heaven Hill missed a golden opportunity to release an aged rye at barrel proof. Heaven Hill has yet to release a high aged rye that they distilled (the old rittenhouse releases were not their distillate).
Finally, Heaven Hill has shit the bed with their barrel picks. The only picks that I am aware of that they release are Elijah Craig barrels (I believe ages 8-12) watered down to 94 proof. What a shame -- they have so many good barrels. Why would I ever buy a barrel pick when I can buy the Elijah Craig barrel proof for $55. Heaven Hill could be as notorious as Willett if they decided to allow folks to pick barrels at barrel proof. Single Cask Nation picked a 14 year old at barrel proof which has become legendary.
Heaven Hill's situation makes me sad. Heaven Hill used to be the poster child for value bourbon. This has become less true as time has passed, yet there are still good values such as Rittenhouse BIB and Henry Mckenna 10 year BIB.
10. People Hyping up Mediocre Bourbon
No one should obsess over Elmer T. Lee, Blantons, Weller Special Reserve, and Rock Hill Farms. I have ranted on this topic before, but it is still worth mentioning. The four brands listed above are some of many brands that make people lose their mind. These brands are worth MSRP and no more. If you feel compelled to spend $100+ on an Elmer T Lee please send me a message, I can find you 30 bourbons that are better values at that price point. Save $50 and buy a Stagg Jr. -- you're welcome.
Do you agree with my top 10 list? What did I miss?
1. Ed Bley.
Who? Ed Bley is the former manager spirits and beer manager for Cork N' Bottle. Ed is highly praised for his barrel picks and most recently his ability to batch bourbon. His two batched bourbons (Old Baldy 1&2) resell for hundreds of dollars. Ed's recently left Cork N' Bottle to create his own blending company.
I am sure Ed is a nice guy, but is he really God's gift to the bourbon world? The guy picks decent barrels and blended a (supposedly) decent bourbon. Yet people make Ed out to be larger than life. BourbonPursuit ran an hour long podcast when Ed announced he was leaving Cork N' Bottle. It reminded me of girls losing their cool over the Jonas Brothers. People have T-Shirts of Ed Bley that show him pictured as an angel. Let's stop overhyping Ed Bley. Ed is just a nice guy who picks barrels. Ed is not a distiller, nor has he ever worked at a distillery.
2. 1792 (Barton)
Why does the best bourbon out of 1792 taste mediocre? Why does 1792 not have special releases (I don't count 225th or sweet wheat)? 1792 hasn't produced an impressive product since the 80's. With tens of thousands of barrels why can't 1792 produce a great limited release. Even a giant like Jim Beam is able to produce a wide spectrum of whiskey. If 1792 disappeared tomorrow I wouldn't lose any sleep and neither should you. There's a whiskey that's better than 1792 at every price point.
3. Barrel Picks Not Being Offered at Barrel Proof
This one makes zero sense. Imagine this scenario: I go to a disillery to purchase a barrel and shell out thousands of dollars. Upon picking a fantastic barrel I am forced to proof it down to a lower proof. Why? I own the barrel? Why does the company care? Is it cost prohibitive -- surely people would pay more. Barrel strength barrel picks would create huge brand loyalty among enthusiasts. As a result we are losing out on tasting some of the world's best bourbon. Can you imagine a Weller 107 antique pick bottled at barrel proof? Kudos to Four Roses and Willett for allowing unadulterated bottlings.
4. Chill Filtration
Again, like number three...why? For those that don't know, chill filtering is the process of taking aged whiskey and cooling the whiskey down. The fatty acids and proteins are filtered out of the bourbon. The process is done entirely for cosmetic reasons, as bourbon around 80 proof will turn clowdy without chill filtration . Fine for 80 proof bourbon, but any product over 86 proof should not be chill filtered. By chill filtering, distilleries are only taking away from the final product. It's an extra step with added cost that makes a less impressive final product. There may not be a huge taste difference, but the whiskey loses a lot of its viscosity.
5. Craft Whiskey
Your local craft whiskey isn't good. Please stop telling everyone how xyz is doing wonderful things. Virtually all craft distilleries produce absolute garbage. Craft distilleries release young aged product with a high price tag. Jim Beam can afford to sit on a barrel of whiskey for ten years, but xyz craft distillery has to release six month aged whiskey just to stay in business. Many craft distilleries use small barrels which gives the whiskey an unpleasant woody taste. If you feel compelled to purchase craft whiskey try one from this short list: Willett, Balcones, Stranahans, and Westland.
6. Crotch and Receipt Shots
There's not much to be said on this topic. You know who you are... The guys who can barely get to their car before taking a picture of their bottle. No one wants to see your junk and a bottle of EH Taylor. I also don't get why people post pictures of their bottle receipts. No one is really impressed that you found a Weller 107 at retail. Please stop.
7. Shaming Liquor Store Owners
No one likes liquor stores that price gouge. Just don't shop at that liquor store and call it a day. There's no need to post prices all over the internet, and god forbid a video of you heckling the store manager. You are not going to change the habits of a liquor store owner with a photo. It's a business, and as Joe Dirt once said "This ain't UNICEF". If you sell items on the secondary market you should never criticize secondary prices. I'm shocked at how many folks have this hypocritical mentality.
8. Where The Hell Are the Good Releases of 2018.
2018 has been a shit year for whiskey releases. We are into October now and I haven't seen much to get me excited. Yes, we will have the usual Van Winkle/BTAC releases -- but what else? There hasn't been too much to speak of this year. If you haven't gotten a ton of store picks you are likely drinking rum, armagnac, and scotch just so that you can avoid being sober. I have my hopes set high for that Booker's 30th release in December, but the quality of that bourbon could go either way. I was hoping that craft distilleries might start to release something with some age, but short of Wilderness Trail we are empty handed.
9. Heaven Hill Doesn't Give a Shit About Their Consumers
Okay, admittedly I didn't care about Heaven Hill discontinuing their 6 year bottled-in-bond (BIB). But whoever handles their PR should be fired. The 6 year BIB was loved by many bourbon enthusiasts. There's no chance that Heaven Hill doesn't have six year stock on hand -- don't forget the 6 year BIB was only distributed in KY. If one of the bean counters at Heaven Hill thought it wasn't a worthwhile product, why not compromise? Either raise the price OR raise the price and only offer it at the gift shop. Heaven Hill undoubtable pissed off a lot of its consumers with this move.
The Parker's Heritage release this year is an 110 proof bourbon flavored orange juice. Parker's Heritage is supposed to be the pinnacle of bourbon excellence at Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill really half assed this Parkers Release. Heaven Hill has so many incredible barrels, as evidenced by many of the wonderful Willett releases. Heaven Hill could have thrown a stone in one of their warehouses and hit better barrels than this orange garbage. Even the bourbon muppet Fred Minnick said that the whiskey was polarizing. Heaven Hill missed a golden opportunity to release an aged rye at barrel proof. Heaven Hill has yet to release a high aged rye that they distilled (the old rittenhouse releases were not their distillate).
Finally, Heaven Hill has shit the bed with their barrel picks. The only picks that I am aware of that they release are Elijah Craig barrels (I believe ages 8-12) watered down to 94 proof. What a shame -- they have so many good barrels. Why would I ever buy a barrel pick when I can buy the Elijah Craig barrel proof for $55. Heaven Hill could be as notorious as Willett if they decided to allow folks to pick barrels at barrel proof. Single Cask Nation picked a 14 year old at barrel proof which has become legendary.
Heaven Hill's situation makes me sad. Heaven Hill used to be the poster child for value bourbon. This has become less true as time has passed, yet there are still good values such as Rittenhouse BIB and Henry Mckenna 10 year BIB.
10. People Hyping up Mediocre Bourbon
No one should obsess over Elmer T. Lee, Blantons, Weller Special Reserve, and Rock Hill Farms. I have ranted on this topic before, but it is still worth mentioning. The four brands listed above are some of many brands that make people lose their mind. These brands are worth MSRP and no more. If you feel compelled to spend $100+ on an Elmer T Lee please send me a message, I can find you 30 bourbons that are better values at that price point. Save $50 and buy a Stagg Jr. -- you're welcome.
Do you agree with my top 10 list? What did I miss?
Overall, pretty solid list. Great job. I would disagree with shaming liquor store owners and the bit about Ed Bley.
ReplyDelete1. Local groups have in fact forced changes and mentalities of liquor store owners and their shitty behavior
2. Ed has done so much more than just barrel picks. He's brought several brands to market on a state level and put a spot light on small brands that deserved love.
He is somewhere between a store owner, a brand rep and a blogger who people follow for his opinion. Except he has gone way above that and also raised thousands for Charity as well as helped coach and mentor people all over the US on how to make certain things happen in their own whiskey clubs and markets.
He has done the most anyone could do for bourbon on the national level who wasn't a supplier/distiller.
Your list, while overall pretty great, its from a place of someone who clearly doesn't understand some of the things you are complaining about.
You got some stuff right and a lot wrong.
ReplyDelete1. Ed is way over hyped for sure, Old Baldy is legit garbage but the admiration for him is legit and well earned.
2. 1792 is completely average bourbon with little to care about. I'm with you there.
3. There are many reasons barrel proof offerings are not offered, your ignorance on the subject is apparent. You even sort of answer your own question in the section about Heaven hill.
"Why would I buy an EC pick when i can buy BP for $55" is one of the reasons why many places do not offer BP bottlings. Because it hurts their core brands. There is a lot more that needs to be elaborated on here for you to fully understand, this i realize. Just know you are way off base.
4. I agree with you on Craft Whiskey 95% of the time.
5. The liquor store thing works, so you are wrong.
6. WHERE THE HELL ARE THE GOOD RELEASES IN 2018. THIS YEAR WAS GARBAGE.