Blantons, enough said
Straight bourbon by law must be aged a minimum of 2 yrs, but if the age is not marked it must be a minimum of 4.
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Blantons is a very good everyday/semi-premium bourbon.
I'll admit that I was never a fan of Blantons but I've changed my mind, now I enjoy it. Very good, not greatness in the bottle. I do like the collector corks. If you get each of the corks (they spell out B-L-A-N-T-O-N-S) then you have a scene of a horse running in a race.
In the under $50 category its hard to fit Blanton's because I typically see it just over the $50 price. Same is true for Jefferson's 'Reserve' and Bookers. Its not hard to find Blantons or Jefferson's 'Reserve' at large supermarket chains like Meijer and they sometimes can be found on-sale for under $50. Its been a very long time since I've found Bookers under $50. But normally I find all 3 of those brands priced right about $55-to-$59. Of those 3 I'd always pick Bookers. The choice between Blantons and Jefferson's 'Reserve' is a toss-up. I used to consider the Jefferson's 'Reserve' the best non-barrel proof in the $50 price range. It might still be. Especially since Meijer is pricing it at $44 right now, at that price its a huge value and would tip my hand to that brand over the Blantons any/every day. But when those 2 brands are the same price I'd just flip a coin.
The only requirement for aging is that a "straight" whisky must be aged a minimum of two (2) years. That is all. If it is unmarked then it is at the minimum of two (2) years but could be any amount of time above that.
Linky to law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/27/5.22
See specifically (b)(1)(iii).
Presumably there would be a drive to advertise a well aged whiskey and that would be covered by other laws regarding truth in advertising, but the actual legal requirement for "straight whisky" is merely a minimum time of two (2) years.
Regards,
Doug
§5.40 Statements of age and percentage.
(a) Statements of age and percentage for whisky. In the case of straight whisky bottled in conformity with the bottled in bond labeling requirements and of domestic or foreign whisky, whether or not mixed or blended, all of which is 4 years old or more, statements of age and percentage are optional. As to all other whiskies there shall be stated the following:
Sadly many of the small craft bourbons do not comply with this law.It's not under the ageing section, it's under labeling regulations if the whiskey is under 4 years old it must state the age. ...
Sadly many of the small craft bourbons do not comply with this law.
Further, they must state the location where it was distilled, but many do not comply with that either.
Never heard of Nor'Easter so please do and tell us about it.Should I break with tradition and try a New England made bourbon this weekend?
Perhaps Nor'Easter?
Never heard of Nor'Easter so please do and tell us about it.
I'm not one of the "Kentucky" snobs who believes bourbon only comes from Kentucky.
I've got bourbon from NY to California, Wyoming, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and several other states, plus Kentucky. Some are good, some excellent, some marginal to bad. So please, tell us about Nor'Easter.
OK. Now I've asked by INGO and by a man whose cigar collection I lust see one day.....(IIRC).
I'll grab a bottle tomorrow. I'll get some shots of the shelves and our price out here. Have you tried Hudson? New York Corn Whiskey***,,ot's about $8mil per 375ml. They have a few varieties, including a 4 grain. For the money I'k\d rather get a Maker's Cask Strength (Something I've never tired....for the same price as two Hudson.
Anyway, I will try a New England one. Likely Nor'Ester, and report back.
You mean the walk in humidor full of cigars?
And yes, I own 2 of the varieties of Hudson. Baby Bourbon and Four Grain. I'd like to try the Maple Cask aged bourbon they offer too. Honestly not thrilled with the Baby Bourbon. Four Grain is a better drink.
Wait...who has a walk in humidor? Im jealous!
I did end up picking up a bottle of something I never heard of before since it was on a limited "one per customer sale" along with a few others/ I ended up picking up a bottle of W.L.Weller Special Reserve 90 proof. It was $29.99 on sale.
Should I get another bottle of that or a bottle of Buffalo Trace at the same sale price? (I guess I could get one of each today...) I am wondering if the "deal" prices out here are less than the regular price in IN?
On sale?! Wow! Interesting to see the difference in pricing from location to location. Both Weller SR and Buffalo Trace run around $19 here in the D/FW area.
Both are out of Buffalo Trace Distillery. The Weller is a wheated bourbon (Pappy Van Winkle, the holy grail of bourbon, is a 'wheater'). Buffalo Trace, from Buffalo Trace's Mash Bill #1, is going to be a low rye bourbon. Both are fantastic entry level bourbons and I would recommend picking up one of each to compare.
Not sure they're worth $30 but I supposed it's all relative to pricing in your area. Will say that all of the Weller's (Special Reserve, Old Weller Antique, Weller 12) are getting more and more difficult to find. If you happen to run across any of those others... especially the Weller 12... pull the trigger!
Cheers!
EDIT: Got a second Weller 8. Turns out they were 26.99. I remembered it wrong in my other post. Still high.
This means I'll be sampling some Weller today/tonight
I had some W.L. Weller 12 last night. Good stuff.
I'm missing the Old Weller Antique, that one is always hard to find. W.L.Weller Special Reserve is pretty easy to get your hands on in my area.
Never heard of Weller 8. Typo maybe? Autocorrect does some bizarre things too.