After being asked to participate in
the multi-blogger post “If I had a Benjamin” to spend on Bourbon or other
American Whiskey, I thought it would be fun and easy. I’d find the perfect
balance between cost and taste for optimal “value,” and I’d deftly maneuver
around the deceptive brands and marketing scams, resulting in a stockpile of great
Bourbon at economic prices. It turns out
that this exercise is easier said than done, but still fun.
The participating bloggers got to
pick their scenario for their $100 purchase – like for a milestone birthday, a
week at the beach, or “the only Bourbons you’ll ever drink again” – so we
should end up with a wide array of purchases.
I would definitely have vastly different selections for each of those
scenarios.
I’m a “best buy for the money” guy
at heart who looks at the relationship between cost and overall quality and
experience, meaning that I appreciate the rationale of an expensive gift shop
bottle of Willett Family Estate 22 year-old wheated Bourbon being a better value
buy than a $9.00 bottom shelf bottle. It
also means that Weller Special Reserve and Four Roses Yellow Label are a better
value than many brands that cost $40.00 or more. It’s a highly subjective process.
To put my value theory to the test,
for my scenario, I imagined the old “if you were stranded on a desert island”
setup. I don’t know how long I’ll be
stranded, so I need to make my $100 go as far as possible, without making
matters worse by buying eleven bottles of Ten High. Plus, I wouldn’t leave the island a Bourbon
enthusiast after all of that swill, and at 80 proof, it wouldn’t even be useful
for starting a bonfire to signal for help…
The scenario was difficult from the
outset because price inflation eats up the Benjamin. In the past few years most brands have been raising
prices by at least 5% yearly, if not more.
Plus, every bottle in contention seemed to be a few dollars higher than
I remembered, which I’m chalking up to bad timing of Kentucky Derby pricing. I’d get out for about $90 at another time of
the year.
It was also difficult because one
of our rules is that our choices must be reasonably available at retail. That means no retail-priced Four Roses
Limited Edition or Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, but also no brands that I
used to highly recommend and that were once readily available and reasonably
priced (Elmer T. Lee, W. L. Weller 12 year, or now even Old Weller Antique 107
proof).
But have no fear, there are still
plenty of options to make my math work and to keep me happy on the island. In fact, once I had a few Bourbon drinks to
clear my head, I came up with at least ten bottles priced from the mid-teens to
mid-$30’s in my local market. I prefer
most of these ten over many brands that retail for $40.00 or more, so I just
monkeyed with my ten until I hit $100.
(1)
|
Elijah
Craig 12 Year Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey:
|
$31.00
|
(2)
|
Four
Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey:
|
$34.00
|
(3)
|
W.L.
Weller Special Reserve Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
|
$18.00
|
(4)
|
Old
Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey:
|
$17.00
|
$ 100.00
|
||
This list gives me the flexibility
of enjoying bourbon cocktails (I’m assuming that there will be lush gardens on
the island), drinking on ice, or drinking neat.
I tried to go for higher proof, there’s a nice mix of high-rye and low-rye,
and I’ve got some decent age. I would
have loved to have included Old Weller Antique or W. L. Weller 12 year, but I
couldn’t pick them under our rules since they’re no longer regularly on the
shelf, so I went with the 90 proof sibling to make sure that I had a wheated
mash bill represented.
I picked Elijah Craig 12-year
because for me it has replaced Weller 12 and Elmer T. Lee as an inexpensive
restaurant pour or a casual pour at home.
It has a great nose, balanced flavors of caramel, oak and light fruit,
and a nice finish. I wish that I could have
selected a Barrel Proof version of Elijah Craig to bring with me to the Island,
but at the standard 94 proof and usually about $28.00, this is one of the best
buys in Bourbon.
The Four Roses Single Barrel was
also a no-brainer. I looked for room in
my budget for Four Roses Small Batch or even Four Roses Yellow Label, which is
one of the best price performers on the market, and I’ve never found it to be
batchy or inconsistent. Still, Four
Roses Single Barrel with its standard OBSV recipe (containing a whopping 35%
rye) and 100 proof will keep me happy on the island. I was extremely
tempted to bring a private barrel bottle of OBSK or OESK plus two bottles of
Yellow Label to the island, but I decided to go for variety.
Old Grand-Dad is one of my favorite
inexpensive Bottled in Bond Bourbons. It
uses Beam’s high-rye mash bill (27% rye), but it’s very different from the Four
Roses Single Barrel. It is robust for
its age and balances spice with brown sugar, butterscotch and a hint of orange
citrus. I might have substituted Very
Old Barton Bottled in Bond for Old Grand-Dad, but I’m still not over the age
statement removal and the misleading numeral 6 that remains on the neck of the
bottle. I was also tempted to use Four
Roses Yellow Label as my last pick, but I went for variety and proof.
Now I just need to find an island
with the right barware, an ice-maker, a relaxing hammock strung between palm
trees, and cruise-ship rescue after about two weeks.
Thanks to Bill at Modern Thirst for
organizing “If I had a Benjamin” and for inviting me. I also want to give a special thanks to Eric
W. at Springhurst Liquor Barn for his help and for humoring me as I paced
around the Bourbon section with my calculator and camera.
Finally, here are links to the complete list of participating bloggers; be sure to check out their selections too:
Finally, here are links to the complete list of participating bloggers; be sure to check out their selections too:
Cheers!
Nice bourbon daydream. Might've gone FR Small Batch and Old Grand Dad 114 myself, but wouldn't complain with the list, as is.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been a great combo and would still hit the $100 target! That goes to show that there are a lot of ways to get plenty of good Bourbon for $100.
Deletewell, adjusting for a) me not being in the US, so the last two are not available, but they would make my list. I would only change the craig for eagle rare. FRSB is quickly becoming my fave.
ReplyDeleteon a side note, is it hard to get in your part of the world? suddenly, after only being available for about 3 months, it is gone here in AB, Canada. I hit 6 liquor stores, and found one bottle. and the three that I know had it, all "had it ordered"
bah
Rick
Thanks Rick ... that's a shame that Weller Special Reserve and Old Grand-Dad BIB don't make it to you. It's hard to find better Bourbon under $20. Eagle Rare was definitely a contender, making it to the top 10 in my deliberations. As for Four Roses Single Barrel, we still have plenty here. The problem is that last year I could find it on sale for $26.99, and now regular price is up to $38 at some stores. Buy it when you can, my friend.
Delete