325. Five Bourbons for Every Shelf - Talking Whiskey with Tyler

Welcome to another great episode of the Bourbon Road with your host, Jim and Brian, where they talk bourbon and of course, drink bourbon. Grab yourself a pour, kick back and enjoy another trip down the Bourbon Road.

We are excited to have back once again for 2023 our sponsor Seldom Seen Farms with their bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. Kevin and his staff there do a wonderful job. We're excited to have them sign on again this year to support the bourbon road and we love their product and with it being Christmas season, we hope our listeners will visit seldomseemaple.com and check out all they have to offer. A lot of great gifts there. Bourbon-aged maple syrup, bourbon-barrel-aged coffee, Rick House Reserve barbecue sauce, you can buy it by the bottle you can buy it by the case you can even get bourbon maple candle and they even have maple cotton candy definitely definitely check out seldom seen maple dot com support our sponsors support kevin and his family there they have a 5 000 maple tap operation in Ohio, and they're doing it right. You know, they don't just produce maple syrup. They're also urban enthusiasts, and we love them to death. Again, go check out seldomseedmaple.com. Kevin and his staff will take care of you. Hello, listeners, and welcome back to another episode of The Bourbon Road. I'm your host, Jim Shannon. We've got Brian Hyatt, our co-host in the house. We also have another guest. We'll talk about him in a minute. Brian, how are you doing today? Doing great. Happy to be back. Had one episode off, and here we go. Yeah, so it's time to drink a little bit of whiskey. I know for a fact that we have five bottles tonight. but you didn't pick them and I didn't pick them. Our guests picked them. That's right. And they're great picks. All right. So we're going to introduce you tonight to our new show producer and our media director, Tyler Wilson. Tyler, welcome to the Bourbon Road podcast. Thank you very much for having me.

I'm excited to be here.

Yeah, we're pretty excited to have you because we know that you drink some pretty fine stuff. And so you brought a little bit of that with you tonight.

Absolutely. I brought some of my favorite picks, some of my favorite bottles just over the years that I'd like to share with you all tonight and see what you think. What do you think, Brian? Are you excited about this?

I'm very excited. And I kind of had a little bit of a teaser earlier today, so I knew what was coming. Yeah. And I've been excited all day.

That's awesome. What you were on a few weeks ago when you joined the show and you introduced our listeners to those, uh, those bourbons that you, uh, that you like to keep around. They've heard it for me many, many times in the past. And then, you know, we don't need to go there again, but this is great. This is an opportunity for Tyler who is kind of. more times than not behind the scenes. They actually come on the show, get behind the microphone, talk a little bit about the whiskeys that he likes, and introduce this to himself. So let's get straight to the whisky. What do we have in our first glass?

So our first glass is one of my favorites. It is Buffalo Trace. This is a single barrel store pick. Hometown Liquors in Henderson, Kentucky. A friend of mine that lives in Henderson knows the store and the owner and will often reach out to me whenever they have a nice barrel or a bottle. Buffalo Trace is something that I've just always enjoyed. Whether it's just the regular Buffalo Trace right off the shelf or a single barrel, it's just something that I can go back to. It's a pleasant experience.

So for you this is kind of, would this be your daily bourbon? Would this be the one that you sort of make sure you have around at all times?

Absolutely. A friend of mine got me kind of hooked on it years ago and it's just something that I was, man, I was like, man, you know, it's available on the shelf. Not so much today as it was in the past, but it was something that I really enjoyed. The price wasn't too bad and I was able to get it.

And Brian, you and I have had some run-ins with some Buffalo Trace bottles in the past, haven't we? We sure have. The picks tend to be a little, um, They vary a lot. So you can get some really different picks of Buffalo Tray. So tonight we're having a pick bottle, but even just the straight small batch bottle off the shelf is pretty darn good. Oh, it's fantastic.

One of my favorite picks, I think you picked, you grabbed it for us. It was Chuck Norris' Tears.

Chuck Norris's tears. Yeah, that was 375, wasn't it? It was. Yeah. It's always great to get your hands on a Buffalo Trace store pick. So have you had this one before?

I have not had this exact bottle. I've had a similar pick from the store. So I assume they would be similar in flavor and profile, but I have not had this. This is actually a brand new crack that we're all going to sample here tonight.

Well, awesome. We'll all check it out together. Lizards are also saying, come on guys, get to the whiskey. We're ready. We're ready. Drink some of this whiskey. So this is Buffalo Trace store pick out of hometown liquors out of Henderson, Kentucky. I'm excited to try it. Cheers guys. Cheers. Man, that's got a nice baking spice and cinnamon roll kind of nose on it, doesn't it?

Yes, it is a little more spicier than I would expect typically out of the Buffalo Trace. It's just as soon as that flavor hits my mouth, I go back to the distillate and it's just it's just a pleasant reminder of, you know, something comfortable that I can go back to time and time again.

I agree with, with what both of you said. I do think it's a little more spice than I expected, but man, it's good.

Yeah. I just tasted it. I sort of jumped the gun here a little bit and took a sip, but it does have quite a bit of, um, a little bit of cinnamon spice on it. And, uh, I think I'm going to stick with cinnamon rolls here.

I think that is an absolute fair assessment.

It's got a good amount of oak to it. What draws you to Buffalo Trace? Obviously, it's a good solid whiskey. I don't think you'll find a single person in the United States who drinks bourbon on a regular basis who doesn't. isn't happy to sit down with a bottle of Buffalo Trace. It's good solid whiskey. It's not crazy. It's not out of the box. It doesn't wow you in any special way, but it is just good solid whiskey. So what part of that whiskey really gets to you? What makes it your daily?

So when I first started drinking whiskey, it was never straight or even on the rocks. It was always mixed with Coke typically or whatever I could find, Sprite. And it was always like, okay, what's the cheapest bottle I could find and I'm going to mix it with Coke or, you know, it doesn't really matter what it tastes like because it's just going to get mixed together. When I first started drinking Buffalo Trace, it was really the first It was really the first bourbon that I had to eat that I kind of slowed down and really kind of appreciated all the nuances of, like smelling it and just tasting it and having it roll around in my mouth. And so I don't know if it's just the nostalgia of it where I go back and I think about the first time I really started appreciating whiskey and it was really a bottle of Buffalo Trace that kind of opened my eyes to it. And then I think maybe that is it. It's just the nostalgia of it. I think about that first bottle that I cracked with one of my best friends growing up. He gave me a bottle when I had moved as kind of like a homewarming gift. We cracked it open. We shared some pours. And it's something I can always remember. And when I think back on my bourbon journey, it's like a cornerstone in it.

Sure, absolutely. Well, you know, for a namesake brand like Buffalo Trace Whiskey, it's pretty solid. You know, there are some whiskey brands out there that have a solid namesake bottle, right? And for me, it's Wild Turkey. Well, I kind of go for the Wild Turkey 101, but Wild Turkey and there's some others. You in particular like some of the Heaven Hill products, right?

I do. I like the Heaven Hill products and I'm big on the Four Rows of Single Barrel.

Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely the Four Rows of Single Barrel. All great pours, all solid. I don't think we're going to find anybody out there that'll disagree with us on those. Wow. Great daily, saying daily, but is it, can you get it?

You know, it kind of broke my heart the first time I went into a liquor store and they told me it was going to be allocated. I was like, really? OK, I guess. And so I never really considered that. I was like, well, sure. I don't know. It's always on the shelf when I go. And then I started noticing it kind of less and less and less until one day I went to a store. I think it was a Kroger near my house and there wasn't any. And I just couldn't believe it. I was like, where's all the Buffalo Trace? And they're like, oh, we haven't got any. It's disallocated now. And ever since then, if I see a bottle, I'll make sure to pick it up. Or if I get a lead on a single barrel, I'll definitely head that way. So it is something that I hope to have enough of to last me a lifetime. But I don't know. I might just have to keep going trips to the distillery and pick it up there.

You know, Brian, when you came and we sat down here, we're at the Bourbon Road bar, by the way, folks. And when Brian came in to have his introductory episode, he brought a single barrel, four roses. It's just so happened I didn't have one on the shelf and I was kind of embarrassed by that. And now here you are, Tyler. You're bringing in the Buffalo Trace barrel pick and I don't have a bottle of Buffalo Trace on the bar. Man, I've got some work to do. I need to fill in some gaps, I think. I don't know. That bar is pretty impressive. Yeah, but I'm missing some basics here. You know, I've got a lot of variety, but I don't have some basics. And, you know, I did correct that by picking up that same bottle of four roses that you had brought over that night. I did go buy a bottle, but I've already, it's gone. I already drank it. That was a phenomenal bottle. It was really good. They still have them by the way. So just, just, just saying.

Well, Jim, I've got a, at least a half dozen more barrel picks at home. So I'd be happy to leave this one here for you and we can have it on the shelf or have some pours next time I'm here.

That's so awesome. Well, thank you, Tyler. You know, that's what it's all about, right? Sharing your whiskey. Absolutely. It's a lot of fun. So let's, let's talk a little bit about you. Um, you know, you, You're obviously a bourbon enthusiast. You're somebody who loves to try as many different products as possible. Where and how did it all start for you?

Well, it must have started, oh, I guess I became a serious collector, if you will, or an enthusiast, more serious collector, probably about eight years ago or so. And what's funny is previously I lived with a roommate who I didn't appreciate at the time, the kind of bottles that he was bringing home and sharing with us. And now I look back at it and I'm like, man, we really drank some great bourbon back in the day. And so I just started kind of, I don't know if it was more of a hobby or just because I just started appreciating it more. Or maybe it was just because more of my friends and it seems like, you know, people say when you turn 30 in Kentucky, you start a bourbon collection, whether or not you like it or not. And I wasn't quite 30 yet, but I was like, well, maybe that's the, maybe that's the reason. Maybe I'm just becoming a true Kentuckian. But I had always started like collected growing up. I was big into like trading cards and things like that. So it's not, I don't know if it's the collecting part of it, but it's almost the appeal of like, I really enjoyed a whiskey or a bourbon. And then it's just like, oh man, I'd really like to recreate that experience. And so the more and more whiskey and bourbons that I drank, the more I started to discover what else was out there. And so it just, it almost was overnight. I just started collecting and I, you know, next thing I know, I'm stopping in two or three stores on my lunch break every day and talking to the owners and the people in the stores and learning that, oh, okay, this is, you know, learning about mash bills and learning about, you know, what makes a great single barrel and what the aging and the position in the Rick house and all these little things I never even considered. And I'm always a type of person that's just curious by nature. So I think my curiosity really just drove my enthusiasm and bourbon and just keeps me driving to learn more. And it's just so fun to me. I don't know. I don't know how else to say it. I find it really fun.

That's pretty awesome.

So Tyler, I know that you have been able to accumulate a pretty nice bourbon collection. What's one of the more challenging bottles that you've chased that you have been able to get your hands on and just something that you're proud of? I know there's been some pretty cool ones that we've discussed, but

I think one of the ones that I was able to hunt down recently that I was, there's two that, one that I'm still chasing. When I heard the Russells 13 was coming out, that was one that was on my radar. I was really excited about it because I was a Russells, I'm still am a Russells fan and just hearing about how great that the bourbon was supposed to be. I was in the stores daily. But one that I started to chase down recently, too, was the midwinter's night's dream. It's something that, again, the more I get into the bourbon and just discovering what's out there and what I'm missing, it was one that I'd always heard that it was one of the better rise. It's a wine barrel or port finish. And Angel's Envy is something that I really enjoyed. So I remember going into stores many times in the past and seeing it on the shelves. And then thinking back, and I'm like, man, I really wish I could have picked that up back in the day. So I had an opportunity recently picking one up online. I'm excited to crack it open. It's the Scene 10 Act 4, I believe, the newest release. And now that I think about it, there actually is one other bottle that I never thought that I would see it like in the wild. As you say, you know, I'd been in many, many stores and you see bottles when they come out. But I was thinking to myself, you know, I don't think I'd ever go into a store and see a Pappy or a King of Kentucky, you know, just out on the shelf. Right. So one day I'm on my lunch break and I walk into the Kroger off Hirsborne Lane. and I walk through and I see the guy, I see him two, three times a week, say hello, and something to my right caught my eye. I was like, well. I was the king of Kentucky. Can't believe it because, you know, secondary markets crazy. You know, it's a limited release. One time a year, Brown Forum will put it out and it's a pretty new, I think 2017 or 2018, they started releasing the king of Kentucky's, but it was, you know, it was something that as a bourbon enthusiast and somebody that's, I wouldn't say active in the secondary market, but you know, familiar with what's out there. Just something that I never expected to see. And so, being able to actually acquire the King of Kentucky and bringing it home and just almost like showing it off to the friends was kind of fun.

All right, tell us. Now, what did you pay for it at Kroger's? At Kroger's, I paid $299.

It was last year's release.

And on the secondary, what's it going for?

Well, at the time last year is about $1,500 to $1,600.

So great grab.

Yeah, yeah. Have you cracked it yet? Well, no, not that one. I had this year's release. I was very excited to have that, honestly, and full transparency. It wasn't what it lived up to. At least in my opinion, I know the barrels are going to vary and people's profiles are going to vary as well. It just seemed a little bit hot. It wasn't what I was hoping for.

I think it can be. I mean, I've had a King of Kentucky before. I think I've had it on two occasions and both times I'm thinking, you know, this is good, but this is definitely not for everybody. You know, not everybody's going to like this. So just keep that in mind folks. If you, if you see a King of Kentucky out there and you can pick it up by all means, do it. But you can also get a pour in a bar and make it, make up your mind for yourself.

Absolutely. And that is definitely a good point, Jim. There's a lot of bourbons that I thought would be amazing and I thought were going to be unbelievable only to kind of be let down when I actually drank them. And it honestly made me appreciate the other bourbons that were more available even more. Yeah. because there's so much great stuff out there. And I think there's a lot of people myself even that get, you know, so focused on one bottle that they kind of, you know, when you finally have it, it's not what you expect.

Yeah. So, you know, we just had Jason Clorey on from The Mashing Drum and it was a great show. We really enjoyed having him on the episode. But one of the things that he said kind of sticks with me a little bit and that is 2022 is a year where there were more disappointments than usual. So it was one of those years where more of the releases were a little more disappointing than in the past. So just be aware of that, folks. Be aware that some of these releases may not live up to the name, right?

Absolutely. Absolutely. I can attest to that.

All right, so we've got three bourbons to get through in this first half. We've just had the Buffalo Trace store pick from Henderson. What do we have next? We've got an Elijah Craig toasted barrel coming up next. Awesome. Yeah, Tyler, I can see from my glasses, this has got a really deep dark color to it. Actually kind of a a mahogany kind of color.

It's very rich. It's got the caramel hues. It smells very sweet right out of the bottle.

Now what's the proof on this? 94 proof. Okay. So in this particular expression, they take the standard Elijah Craig, and then they introduce it to a toasted barrel. And it gives it that extra sweetness, a little bit of extra color from the secondary barrel. It's actually quite dark. It almost looks like a barrel proof.

It really does. It's got a very dark color. Even looking at the legs as I'm moving around the glass, it's very flavorful. It hits you right on the mouth and the finish isn't as long as I like, but the flavor on this is great.

Now, how hard is it to come across one of these bottles?

So the toast that I've noticed typically come out around the same time as your barrel proof releases. At least from what I've seen, you're looking at probably $50, $55 MSRP. This isn't something you're going to be able to find in a liquor store regularly. But if you know when the Elijah Craig is dropping, or if you have an idea of when the store is getting some things in, they'll get this usually three or four times a year.

OK. So it's fair to say that listeners can grab a bottle. They can find this in the wild. It's out there. It's getting dropped on numerous times during the year, along with the barrel strength version of the Elijah Craig. And it's out there. So you just got to look for it.

Yeah, I've noticed the best times are typically, you know, when the A, the B, or the C release comes out, you know, what it was, January, well, January-ish, April, and then, you know, September, May.

Like, usually it's like 5-2-2, or...

Those are typically the best times. Uh, at least that what I found that if they just come out, it seems around the same time. Um, and stores like Costco will get a bunch in and you know, somebody posted online and they'll be gone in 45 minutes or less. Yeah.

Have you had this before, Brian?

I have not. This will be my first time.

All right. Well, cheers guys. Let's check it out. Cheers.

Man, that's got a sweet nose on it.

I was hoping to get a little bit of cherry, but I'm not. I'm getting more kind of raisin plum on it than cherry.

Yeah. It's interesting to me because it, it almost, I almost get a different nose than, than, than I do on the mouth.

Um, but man, I tell you what I'm getting brown sugar. I'm getting caramel. It's almost a little bit of toasted caramel, kind of a little bit darker caramel on it. Very sweet brown sugar. Um, not a tremendous amount of spice, but the oak is ever present. It's got a lot of, it's got a little bit of, uh, like mature oak, like it's been in, it's been in the barrel for a while. And then it's got a little bit of that new oak flavor too.

Absolutely. I find it like a dessert bourbon. It's great to pair with some chocolate or some pie even.

It's not quite wood for double-double, but it's definitely a little chocolatey.

Yeah, yeah. The double-double is, that is one of my favorites. It is one I even considered bringing tonight because it is, you know, one you can find often in the store, even store picks that you can find those pretty easily. and double, double oak. The double oak is delicious.

I said double, double, didn't I? Just the standard double that you find in the grocery store, you find at your local liquor store. It's always got that very nice, sweet dessert kind of taste to it. This is very similar. It definitely reminds me of, what do you think, Brian?

I agree. I definitely think cinnamon, I get a little bit of cinnamon on the nose, but definitely the new oak. And of course it says that on the bottle, but I mean, it, it jumps out to me.

You know, I think that, uh, In terms of finishing, one of the things that I really like, I gravitate towards, are the toasted barrel finishes. I've had them from a number of places. Buzzard Roost, have you had their toasted? I have not. How is it? It's really good. They've got a great toasted barrel finish. We've had a number of them on the show recently, and the listeners can go back and check that out. I think that it's just got that allure to it, that extra sweetness, that extra... There are some things about new oak that are inviting. A lot of people say, yeah, I really like the older bourbons. Yeah, I do too. I love it when it starts to get the tobacco and leather and then the older oak influences, sort of that Rick House kind of effect. But there's something about the new oak, the younger oak flavors that come off that are just very delightful.

Absolutely. And this is almost a bourbon that I can recommend to people that may not necessarily love bourbon. And maybe not a hefty pour or a lot, but just to get them introduced into something a little bit more different than something that they might be used to in the past. Just to introduce a different note or a different kind of flavor.

Yeah, the more I sip on this, I'm starting to get a little bit of that toffee now, kind of that, um, English toffee flavor. I just think it's, it's really good. It's, it's very, it's very inviting. I was hoping to get a little bit of cherry on it and I'm still not getting it, not on the nose, not on the palette. Um, it's a little bit darker than that, a little bit deeper, very tasty, very nice. And, and you know, 94 proof is fine for this.

Yeah, it's not overpowering. The finish isn't, you know, a lot of, you know, higher proofs. You might still be feeling a little bit of heat or that little bit burn. Um, it's nice. It has a lasting link to it.

Jim, I think as soon as you said leather, I started to pick that up on the nose a little bit. And it, all it takes is that one mention of it. And then, uh, I don't know if you guys pick up on that at all.

Yeah, I think, you know, I've said this in the past and it, Every now and then I have to reiterate it, and that is when somebody mentions a note to you and all of a sudden you start to get that, it doesn't mean that they're influencing your palate or your nose. I truly believe that they're just making you aware of what you're already sensing, right? I mean, if I told you right now I'm getting dill pickle on this, you would look at me like I'm an idiot.

Probably wouldn't pick that one up.

So I don't think that it goes that far. I think it just, it just, you know, sit here and talking about it and sipping on a whiskey and bouncing, you know, flavor notes or nosing notes off each other. I think it just, it sort of triggers those memories, right? It brings back, yeah, you're, no, you're right. I'm getting that leather a little bit. I hadn't thought about that before, but yeah. So. Just saying, folks.

Yeah. And I find this just to be a nice sip in bourbon, just to kind of... It's got a deepened up flavor to it, to where you can really kind of enjoy it and sip on it for a little bit. But it's not, you know, higher proof enough to where it's, you know, going to be off putting at the end.

And it's still got that heaven hill nuttiness to it that we all love. A little bit of that, you know, that almond kind of nuttiness.

I just love Elijah Craig. I always have.

Right down to the 94 proof standard edition, you know, up to some of the more higher proof versions of it.

Yeah, and I think that honestly is one of the reasons that it opened my eyes more is because I was already gravitating towards just the standard Buffalo Trace and Elijah Craig small batch. And so as I started getting more, I guess, adventurous with my bourbon, I was going towards more barrel proofs. And then I started to look at toasted. I know toasted's really kind of gotten very popular over the last couple of years, especially. But it's something that I do enjoy. The caramel is typically something that comes out a lot. And I'm a sweets guy anyway. I like ice cream and Derby pie. So I can appreciate a nice sweet caramely bourbon.

Do you like chess pie?

I do. Yes, I do.

Oh my goodness. That's one of my faves. I try to stay away from it as much as I can, but.

We had some really good Derby pie today. You'll have to come down to global thoroughbred society and get some with us.

Oh, okay.

So Tyler, not only with, you know, collecting bourbon and. and all that fun stuff. You've also been able to create some pretty, pretty fun social media profiles. And TikTok has actually been one of the, one of the areas that you've really focused in on lately. And I believe you have an account that does pretty well focused on bourbon.

Yeah, we, we, I've got some views on, on, on account. TikTok is fun. I think Just in general, making videos, I didn't know how much I really enjoyed producing the videos and doing all that until I started doing it. But we started back in September, started an account. It's called Rare Bourbon Guy at the Thoroughbred Society. And the premise was just basically, there's a lot of rare bottles out there that people would be curious to not only see, but also curious, you know, where did you get it? How much did it cost? What does it taste like? That's the big thing, right? you don't see a lot of these old dusties that are actually being cracked and drank. So we kind of took the perspective, and when I say we, it's Derek Hagan. He is at the Louisville Thurber Society. Derek and I kind of collaborate on the videos. And we kind of take the perspective of let's crack these bottles open that no one's drinking and let's talk about them and let's show everybody what it's all about. And it's been a lot of fun. We, since September, we've gotten, oh, we've got six videos now with about two million plus views. And it's kind of incredible to me just to how popular Bourbon is. It's not a surprise. But I was kind of shocked to see just how successful it was doing. It's not something I expected. But it is something we're going to keep pursuing and something I'm excited that Bourbon Road is going to be pursuing as well.

Absolutely. I always say, hashtag OTDB, right? Open the damn bottle. That's right. No matter if it's a pre-prohibition or not. And look, it's OK to have unopened bottles in your bar. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying you have to open every bottle you have. If you've got 200 bottles in your bar, dear Lord, I hope they're not all open, but don't save it forever. Don't let it gather dust. If it's been around since pre-prohibition and nobody's tried it yet, man, can you imagine the look on your friend's faces when you crack that bottle?

It is incredible and it's kind of funny, I find. I don't know if funny is the right word. Maybe shocking. I've been fortunate enough to crack some bottles from the 1906, from 1915, from 1940s. And honestly, it's sometimes not as good as you'd hope. We've had bottles we've opened that had completely sealed corks, or at least we thought they were sealed. They weren't stored properly over the years, no telling what's happened since World War II. but we get the bottle open and it's not great. It's gone bad. And unfortunately that is what can happen. So like, like Jim, you just said, you know, it's not getting any better in the bottle and you only have to open it today, but don't, don't wait too long because that bourbon is delicious and don't let it go bad.

That's one thing for sure that we know. Bourbon only improves in the barrel. It does not improve in the bottle, right?

Absolutely. And, and Tyler, I know there's one, uh, uh, that, that I actually got to taste with you. Um, and it was, it was really cool, except it was, uh, the flavor profile was, uh, mothballs.

Yes. Uh, so we, uh, we cracked in 1915 to 1919, Colonel Taylor, um, seal, tax stamp, tax stamp, everything appeared intact. Get the bottle open and. At first smell, you say, well, something's off. Something's off. A little discoloration. Yeah, some discoloration. Upon closer inspection of the cork, it was foul, very foul. We probably shouldn't have drank it, but you know, you only live once and you can only drink bourbon from 1950 once and we drank it. And we can at least say that, hey, I wouldn't drink it again.

Yeah. I think in many cases, those bottles that have soured or whatever you want to call it, they've been in somebody's window in their den for 50 years. Of course, they're not going to be drinkable, right? But you know, it's hard to, it's hard to do that. It's hard to pour it down the drain. You know, you almost, I mean, I've got a bottle over here that I opened a while back. That's probably 50 years old and it's in a decanter, but I can't, I can't make myself pour it. It just doesn't taste very good. So it's just the way it is.

Hey, look at the draw. I don't think there's any reason that you can't keep it, and at least it provides a story. If somebody is brave enough to want to sample it, then by all means, I'd give them a pour.

All right. So what in the world have you got for us now? So far, we've had a Buffalo Tray store pick. We've now had the Elijah Craig toasted barrel. What's number three on our list?

So we're going to jump up in proof a little bit. We're going up to about 110.

So that's our motif tonight, right? We're climbing in proof.

That's right. We started at 90, we went to 94, but now this one is going to jump us up to 110. Big jump. This is out of the down home whiskey thief, I believe is the whiskey thief distilling. I'll have to check on that. This was a liquor barn pick, down home toasted barrel. And it is something that I discovered, oh, a year, year and a half ago. I was at a sampling with some friends and somebody had brought some down home and I had tried it and I enjoyed it. So I picked up a bottle at Liquor Barn and I've had the toasted rye and the toasted bourbon and it's something that, yeah, I think it's good.

All right, so Down Home Distillery.

Now where are they located out of? Yeah, so we've got Down Home here. They are out, they are bottled by Whiskey Thief Distilling Company out of Frankfurt.

Okay. And now this is, this is not their own distillate. They, they source this.

That's correct. This is distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. So is MGP. So they are a 10 year old distillery. And this is actually a Liquor Barn bottle pick. This is a medium toast, single barrel, and it's got the toasted barrel finish on it. So another toast.

Another toasted barrel finish. All right. So we all know we like toasted barrel finish on it. Now this actually isn't as dark as the Elijah Craig toasted, is it? It's not. Isn't that interesting? But this is a hundred, what'd you say, 110 proof? 110.8. Wow. And which barrel is this for those who care? This is batch number LB number four, LB four. So this is a small batch bourbon and it's LB number four, 55.4% 110.8. Wow. Let's check it out. Cheers. Oh, that's got a little bit of a different nose to a little bit more of like a spice drop kind of nose.

And it's almost a less on the front and more on the back, at least in my opinion. I don't get as much on the, on the mouth and on the taste, I guess. Um, it's, it's at least to me, it's smoother than a 110.

Yeah, I just tasted it. So this is, is definitely a back of the palette whiskey, right? It's not, there's not a lot up front. Right. I tend to agree with you there. You think with a toasted finish, you get a lot of that sweetness up front, but you're not really getting that, are you?

No, you're not. And I don't know if that goes into their process of acquiring the barrels and then whatever's happening at down home itself. It is something that I've had a number of different down home picks. This isn't necessarily my favorite of the bunch, but it's not my least favorite either. It's about the middle of the road.

I've seen these on the shelves. I've seen them all around. So they're pretty prolific here in Kentucky. You can find down home pretty much any liquor store you go to. I don't know what their distribution is. Do you have any idea on that?

Not really. They seem to be more on shelves at least in the last six to 12 months than they were previously. But yeah, I'm not sure exactly.

Have you had this before, Brian?

I have not. This is my first time.

Okay. Well, I mean, MGP makes some fantastic whiskey. Um, this is probably, I mean, there's no age on it. So I'm going to say it's at least four years old, probably in excess. Well, in excess of four years old, this has a nice mature taste to it, but man, it's, it's got that, that really nice a back of the palate spice to it, almost a spiced fruitcake kind of thing. It's kind of good for the holidays, right?

I think so. I get a lot of the spice. It reminds me of, you know, staying in and, you know, it's snowing outside and you're sitting by the fire. And yeah, I think it's a great winter bourbon.

Yeah. Well, if you, you, you said you did or you did not crack the midwinter nights.

I have not cracked it yet, but I am happy to crack it here.

That is, that's a Christmas whiskey right there.

I was actually honestly saving it for probably Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to crack it. But I guess it all depends. We'll see what happens.

Yeah, I think you should. I think you should wait till Christmas Day and you should pour yourself a nice pour and put a sweater on and a scarf and walk out on the porch. I get the feeling it's going to be a white Christmas this year. I don't know. I can't imagine how awesome that would be having a porch whiskey in December 25th, midwinter's ice dram.

How's that? That would be awesome. That sounds great.

Do you have one of those things on your patio that fire comes out of?

No, maybe I need to get one just to have the full experience.

Brian, do you have one of those little flame pits for your patio?

I do have a little fire pit. Um, and thankfully we have a lot of branches that fall. So we do, we use it.

Yeah. I saw that, you know, the trees and the, well, the leaves had definitely the leaves. That's pretty awesome. Yeah. We've got a nice fire pit out back. We don't usually visit it in the winter time, but I think a good spicy wintery pour of whiskey would get me out there. I think.

I mean, that sounds like a good draw to most things for me.

So, Tyler, tell me a little bit about your kind of wish list. What are you looking for? I mean, what are the whiskeys that you'd like to lay your hands on? You're not 100% sure you're going to, but what are the ones you're looking for?

Well, you know, I spoke earlier, the Russell's Reserve 13 is definitely one that is in my whale house. It's kind of got everything I'm looking for. The age is, you know, 12-ish, 13 years is typically pretty good. Just Russell's stuff in general, whether it's the 10-year or the 101, it's hard to go wrong with it. The other, I mean, the William Lerue Weller is obviously one that is, I think everybody is very sought after. Any of the Buffalo Trace antique collection, right?

Yeah, so William Lerue Weller is, yeah, the BTAC collection, but it's basically, I guess boil it down. That's probably Weller 12 at full strength.

Right, right. And they're typically, at least the ones I've seen are, you know, very high proof, very flavorful. It's something that I, it actually, when it came down to making a decision, a very hard decision on which two whiskies I wanted, Weller, O5 William LaRue Weller was one of the options that I passed on. I'm glad at this time I did pass on that because it opened a whole world of opportunities just by making that decision.

Yeah. Wow. I remember Mike called me from the road one time and he was traveling and he said, I just left a liquor store and they had a Buffalo Trace and tea collection. They had all the entire collection for $200 a bottle. He said, I just, He said, I didn't have the money. I mean, I couldn't do it. I couldn't spend that kind of money. I said, where are you? I said, no, well, I said, go back, right? Go back and get it. But no, he had already passed. He was well on his way. But they're out there sometimes. You just have to keep looking. You can find them. There's little stores out there in the middle of nowhere. They get their allocation, and just nobody in town wants them, right?

Right, right. And again, it could be one of those that I'm chasing that doesn't live up to the, you know, the hype. There are others that I can get regularly. You know, the Elijah Craig barrel perp is always a awesome bottle and go to, but some of the others that I would like to get a hold of are some of the E.H. Taylor barrel perps. You know, those are highly coveted. I've had samples of some and they've been great, but I've never seen one on the shelf. And I don't know if I will. I mean, maybe one day, maybe one day.

Yeah, I just finished one off about three or four weeks ago. But yeah, I don't have one right now. I've still got a four grain. You know, I've still got a small batch. I think maybe a single barrel. I don't remember what it is, but yeah, I don't have my, my barrel proof anymore. I took it to a blind bottle share by the way.

Oh really?

And it lost, you know who it lost to? Horse soldier. Really? Yeah. It lost a horse, well the full strength horse soldier. That's still surprising. Yeah, yeah, it did. I mean, I thought for sure I was a ringer, right? I, I'm going to win with this one because it was a great, it was a one 29.7, which was one of the better.

Yeah, they're awesome. Yeah.

Nope. The old horse soldier won it. Well, that is awesome. So we've had three great whiskeys from you today. Uh, the first one is kind of your daily drinker. The other one is one that you, uh, you dearly love. This one is one that you just happened upon and you've had a few expressions of this one.

Yeah, and it's not something that I would necessarily go out of my way. To be candid, I mean, these are a little bit more expensive. I think this was probably $80 or $90, which at that price point, there's a ton of great bourbon that you can get that quite honestly is better. But it is something that when I started to explore more of my palate and try to just venture to see what else is out there, because if you don't go and try it, you won't know. And then, you know, you don't want to just get in the same rut of there could be stuff. I know there's stuff out there that may be the best bourbon I've ever had. And I haven't drank it yet.

So we haven't seen a weeded bourbon yet from you. So you're kind of a little bit more of a spicy bourbon guy, right?

Yeah. I like wheat, but I like the, I do like the spice. I'm not high on the, you know, the really like the red hots and the cinnamon, but I do enjoy the little bit of the aftertaste and just getting the warm feeling. So we're up to 110 proof now. Is this kind of your happy place? I think so. I think between 100 and 110 is probably a 107. I find, you know, antique 107 is one of those. It's not a daily drinker by any means, but it's something that I think it's an outstanding bourbon, especially for if you can get it at MSRP. And it's something that it is hard to get, but at 107 proof, it's just got a great flavor too. And it's something that I really enjoy. Awesome.

All right, guys. Well, let's take a quick break. Let's pay the bills, have our sponsors come on. And when we get back, we'll we'll visit two more bourbons that you felt that were worthy of your introductory shows. Folks, we definitely encourage you to check out seldomseenmaple.com. That's seldomseenfarms. Kevin and his staff here are doing a fantastic job. Like we said at the beginning of the show, they've got a 5,000 maple tap operation. They're a first-generation farmer with a passion to produce the very best maple products available. They've won so many awards and they have a very special unique aging method for their syrup and for their barrel-aged coffee. They provide quality at a very affordable price. They're not a maple factory or a co-packer. Kevin and his staff there are farmers with a passion for maple. Like I said before, Kevin is a bourbon enthusiast. He's not just a paid sponsor. He's a friend of the show. He's a roadie and he loves helping roadies get down the bourbon road. Make sure you check out seldom seen maple.com. You know, they're constantly producing great. bourbon aged maple syrups using barrels from the very best distilleries. They also return those barrels to the distilleries afterwards. Distilleries like New Riff, Leapers Fork, Treaty Oak Distilling, the Bard Distillery, Pine Bluffs Distilling, Mystic Farm and Distillery, Jay Riger, so many more to come. Kevin and his staff there just spreading the love, spreading the maple syrup, making it happen. And you know, at the end of the day, those barrels that age that maple syrup get refilled with some wonderful bourbon and make some great maple finished bourbon whiskey. How awesome is that? Definitely check out seldom seen maple.com. All right, listeners, we are back. It's been a great show so far. It's great to have Tyler Wilson on the show today with us, our, our producer and media director, and definitely carries a load for the, the bourbon road podcast. And we appreciate everything you do. It's nice to have you on the show today to take us through some of the bourbons that you find special. We had three in the first half. That's the sort of recap. We had the Buffalo Trace single barrel out of Henderson, Kentucky. That's right. The hometown liquors, the Harlan Wheatley hand selected bottle right there. Absolutely. We had the Elijah Craig toasted barrel finish. Yes, sir. What a fine pour. What a fine pour. And then we had the down home small batch, 110 proof. Yeah, I think medium toast. Another toasted barrel bottle. All great pours so far. Definitely giving us kind of a little bit of a look inside of what you like in bourbon. What do we have in our glass for the first part of the second half?

So this next pour is one of the bottles that I, oh, I think I ran across this, you know, after COVID and it is a fairly newer. This is the smoke wagon, uncut, unfiltered. This is batch 48. So, you know, I believe it was somewhere early 2021. This is actually something that I came across Kind of by accident, another barrel share or bottle share. And if anybody has seen the smoke wagon bottle, it's a beautiful bottle. It's got this great glass. It's got these wonderful roses on it. And it just looks like a nice. I always look at it like a Western, like a cowboy bottle. This one is actually a high rye. I think it's 38 percent rye. That is high rye. And honestly, I'm not the biggest rye person. I'll drink rye. I like it. You like spicy whiskeys. I like the spicy whiskeys though. Yeah. So this is one that I don't know. It's got a great flavor to it. I don't think it's as It's a 113 proof, but I don't find it to be that hot. It's smoother on the way down. It's just more flavorful. You definitely feel it. It's got a nice, almost like a tingly mouth feel. You definitely notice the spice, but it is something that I find myself coming back to over and over. All right.

Let's check it out. Now I'm getting a little bit more ethanol on the nose, and this is 130, I'm sorry, this is 113 proof. The last one we had was 110, but I'm getting a little bit more ethanol on the nose on this one.

And I have had some of the newer batches, and some of the newer ones even, I don't even know what we're on now in the hundreds, and they started to have like 140B and things like that. I haven't been as impressed with the more recent batches as some of the older ones. I don't know if it's them trying to just, you know, the product is very popular. Now this is MGP again. Smoke Wagon is out of Las Vegas. They've done an outstanding job, not only with their marketing, but you know, their branding and the bottle and everything. And it's got a lot of hype to it. I don't know if it has lived up to the recent hype.

So you think over time, the profile is drifting, the brand is drifting a little bit.

I think so. Now, there's some phenomenal private barrels out there and private barrel bottles that are, I mean, I've seen secondaries over a thousand dollars. I haven't had any of those. But the uncut batches that I've had, I was more impressed with the younger ones. So the older ones, the 48s, I had a 33, I had a late 20s. I had the 71, it was in a clear bottle. There was a brief period, they went from the darker bottles to the clear bottles back to the darker bottles. But the ones that I've had recently over the last three to four months, I just I don't know, I haven't been as oppressed as the others.

Brian, he kind of knows his smoke wagon just a little bit, I think.

I think he really likes the smoke wagon. He definitely knows a lot about it.

Yeah.

Well, let's check it out.

It's not real super sweet on the nose. Kind of a little bit dry, but a little bit of spice there.

I get, I definitely get a little spice on the nose. Um, as we move on to the taste, uh, little, little more leather, uh, some, uh, tobacco, maybe cigar.

This, this could be a good cigar whiskey.

I think it would go great with the cigar.

Now I don't, we've had, we've had the, the smoke wagon uncut unfiltered on the show before. What batch? I don't know listeners. You can go back into the Rolodex there and figure it out, but, um, I've, I've definitely been a fan of their products. This is definitely a whiskey that would stand up to a cigar, um, some barbecue, maybe a little bit of, uh, I don't know, spicy side dish kind of thing with you, with your butt. Yeah. I think it's, it's really a good whiskey, but I'm getting kind of a, like a pop rocks kind of impact on my palate. It's kind of sizzling a little bit on the way back.

It's definitely, um, I think that's a great explanation or a great description of it. You definitely feel it, I think, more than some of these others that we've had. And I don't know if that's the higher of the rye. Is some of that coming out or maybe it's just part of the flavor profile? But this is a whiskey that I like to, it's always one that I'll ask my friends, hey, have you ever tried this? And they say no. I'm like, okay, well, I'm going to bring some over and we can have it. Just to see what their thoughts are. And it's something that I didn't expect to like. And I don't know, I just keep finding myself coming back to it.

Now, MGP has a number of mashbills. They have a number of bourbon mashbills and this particular mashbills, they're high rye bourbon mashbill, right? They're 38% rye mashbill. And I think I've had it before, certainly from, in other expressions, and it does always tend to have that kind of a, that really a spicy tangle on the tongue. It's devoid of sweet, no, that's not completely devoid of sweetness. It has a little bit of sweetness, but it's mostly not sweet, I would say.

I would agree with that assessment. I mean, when we were comparing it even to, I know it's a different proof, but even the Elijah Crack Toaster or even what we just had previously with the Down Home, it's not as sweet or sugary. I don't know. I guess the spice to me is two kind of different kinds of spices, if that makes sense.

And I guess we should probably qualify that a little bit. I mean, we just had a couple of toasted barrel finished whiskeys before this and they're both a little more sweet. Yes, absolutely. Because that's what the toasted barrel tends to do. The finish tends to do to a whisky. So I would say that this one would Seemed to be a little less sweet, a little more dry, a little more, uh, in this case, it is spicy. I think it's a good whiskey. I love MGP by the way. I mean, I, I very rarely get a good, you know, good MGP whiskey that I'm not happy with.

I think that there is a reason that there are so many bottles out there that source MGP whiskey and it's solid. There's nothing wrong with it. You know, you hear a lot of people and I've even done it in the past. You say, well, you know, it's not distilled in Kentucky, right? Or it's not a Kentucky whiskey. Almost it's like a slight, but MGP makes some really good stuff.

Now, Tyler, you're not going to be on every episode. I mean, just the kind of the nature of your job here at the Bourbon Road is to kind of be behind the scenes a little bit more than, you know, on air. But what's that one distillery that we're going to go to where you're like, Jim, Brian, I need to be on that show.

So there's a couple that I really would, I don't know, love. Heaven Hill for sure. Just between the Elijah Craig and all their other expressions, Heaven Hill to me is just... It's something that I grew up drinking the Heaven Hill vodka. And I was always like, man, Heaven Hill, like, that's not any good. But once I started having the Heaven Hill bourbon and learning more about what they're producing and I love Elijah Craig and I love a lot of their other stuff. But the other one, The castle in Key, I think, is just beautiful. Old Taylor and just the history there and just really going behind the scenes, I think, is a lot of fun. I think the older, really any of the older distilleries, just being able to explore them and seeing what things are like. I don't know. I'd say maybe those two Castle and Key and Heaven Hill.

I think we could probably make that happen. Now we had, I think we had both Castle and Key and Heaven Hill on during this last year. We try not to repeat too often, but I will tell you this, we did go to the Heaven Williams distillery in downtown Louisville and met up with Bernie Lubbers down there. We went down to the Speakeasy downstairs and he pulled out a number of Heaven Hill expressions and broke out his guitar. That's awesome. We had a great show. If you haven't heard of that show, Tyler, I highly recommend you listen in because he's phenomenal. He's a lot of fun and we tasted through a number of expressions of Heaven Hill and it was just a really great time. So maybe we can get you on a show. That would be good.

That would be a blast. Brian and I actually were fortunate enough to do an Angels Envy distillery tour in a barrel pick. We were a part of the pick and just going behind the scenes and understanding all these little nuances of, oh, we get the corn and we're actually going to be running that in the microwave and we're going to be looking at the radioactivity of it just to make sure it's quality. And I'm like, wow. There's these things that you'd never even consider. And it's so fascinating to me. Just all the little bits about it, you know, looking at the, you know, I don't know, everything.

Yeah. So Tyler, you know, being from Kentucky, there's always that potential that you may have some type of family tie here or there to the bourbon industry. Is there anything in your family that would connect you with any old distilleries or anything like that?

You know, funny that you say that. My mom's side of the family, her maiden name is Taylor. And so I actually have some relation to the former president, Zachary Taylor. My grandpa or my great, great, great, great uncle was Zachary Taylor. And so one night I was just kind of digging around on the internet because I'm a big Buffalo Trace fan and Colonel Taylor fan. And I was just kind of curious. I was like, I wonder if there's any relation there. And I started digging through some family trees and I saw that Colonel Taylor is actually related to Zachary Taylor as well. So by some, you know, distant cousins or some distant relation, yeah, I do have some connection to Colonel Taylor and Zachary Taylor too, which I thought was pretty cool. That ought to get you a bottle. You would think so, right? Absolutely. You know, having in this relationship, it's been awesome, but I haven't really benefited too much from it in my life. We need to talk to some people.

Absolutely. So let me ask you this. So in addition to bourbon, we know you love bourbon. You've brought several here tonight and they're all grand and we still have one more we haven't tried yet. Let's talk about some other spirits that you enjoy. You'd mentioned during the break something about vodka, I think. What are your other spirits that you like to drink?

Sure. So, you know, many, many years ago, back in, you know, before I probably was old enough to drink, we'll just say that, Heaven Hill Vodka was one of the cornerstones of my journey into the spirit's world. But outside of bourbon, I find myself drinking a lot of beer. I like the IPAs, the double IPAs. I like, I don't know, I don't know if it's the flavor that draws me to it or if it's just that I spent so much time drinking, you know, Bud Light and Miller Light and just Not that there's anything wrong with those per se, but just, I guess, average beers or ordinary beers that when I started branching out in bourbon and exploring my palate a little bit more, I started to do so with craft beers and that as well. So the IPAs or the American pale ales, the Indian pale ales, I do find myself drinking those a lot.

Yeah. I mean, I guess you could call hoppiness, spiciness a little bit, right? A little bit of aromatic there.

So what about tequila? Oh, man. Tequila is probably the only spirit that I cannot drink. Gin? Gin, I can do. I'm not a huge on gin. And honestly, rum, rum is something that I really appreciate, but I never really think to really drink it.

Yeah. So have you had any, like, what about, like, Meads. You like Meads? No, not really. Not the super sweet stuff, right?

No, no. And even like wine, it's funny. I get a lot of indigestion, heartburn with wine in general, like red wines typically, but all like a Riesling. And my wife's like, oh, it's just so sweet. I'm like, yeah, it's one of the only wine I really kind of like. Um, I don't know. I stick to Diet Coke a lot and water or bourbon. That's okay.

So let's go back to the whiskey world. So let's stick in the whiskey world here for a minute. Bourbons and rice. What about American whiskeys?

I like American whiskeys. Malts? Uh, not so high on malt. No, not so high on the malts. Um, and I don't know if it's again, maybe it's, I might, you know, explore them a little bit more. Maybe it's something that maybe I just haven't given enough shot. Um, I'm not opposed to them, but it's okay.

We can work on you a little bit. We have a pretty decent library of American single malts and some American single pot still whiskies. I think, I think we might be able to introduce you to them and then you can make up your mind properly.

Absolutely. I, you know, I don't know what I don't know. Yeah. That's for sure.

Well, that's fair enough. What do you think Brian?

I think that's very fair. Um, I know Jim has introduced me to quite a bit, uh, here lately for sure.

Yeah. I'm a big Ry fan. I love Ry's. I love. high rye bourbons. I love, you know, rye whiskey in general. I'm a big fan of white dog, believe it or not. Most people don't like it very much, but for me, I can just, I can taste the buttery future of that whiskey. And I just love white dog. I drink it for what it is. Now I've had some white whiskeys that I don't like, some that I think are rough around the edges, but you know, I just, I just have this wide variety of things that I like and there's not much that I won't drink. I always say that's my other bourbon. That's my other bourbon. The only thing that's not my other bourbon is vodka, I would say. And this is because it has no flavor.

Yeah, once I really got more involved in whiskey, I kind of pushed vodka to the side. It's not really for me anymore. So with rye, what is your favorite rye?

I've got a number of them. I think, oh, that's such a hard question. I love Um, I love 95, five rise. So I like really high rise. Not that there aren't some good Kentucky rise. I'm not going to tell you what my favorite is because my favorite is the one I haven't had yet, but, um, I will say this, I love sweet candy ryes. Ryes that are 95.5, they've got a little bit of that bite in the back end. They might have a little bit of the cedar or dill or whatever, but on the front it's like super sweet and candy syrupy. That's what I love about rice. I just always have. And you know, uh, some of the rice from old Carter just, just get me. I just love them. They do such a great job of blending those.

What do you think about the Michter's Single Barrel Rye or the Barrel Strength Rye?

Their ryes are very tasty. I love the new rye from Hard Truth. It's only two to three years old, but it's almost candy already. It's just unbelievable that they've been able to do that with a sweet mash rye. Uh, wilderness trail rise. Phenomenal. Pat and Shane have done just great things with their, with their whiskeys down there. And there's a lot of rice out there. I like the old Elkry actually. So yeah, there's a number of them that I really, really like. Um, I'm just, I'm not a super big fan of. Uh, you know, the 51 rise, you know, the 51% rise.

I mean, I like them. They're good.

There's nothing, nothing wrong, but I want to ride to be a ride like a pounded home ride.

Did you start on rye or did you start on bourbon and make your way to rye?

That's exactly right. I started on bourbon and made my way to rye. I think I just kept searching for that extra shot of spice, that little bit more, more proof, more spice, more proof, more spice. And it kind of grew on me over time. And you kind of find your, it's kind of like with hot sauces, right? You find that, that saddle, that place that kind of defines you. And for me, it's right. It's right. It's right. Whiskeys and right. Bourbons. I just love them.

What's the first ride that you remember?

Oh my goodness. The first ride that I remember. Honestly, I think it was Michter's rye. I think it was, I was just, it's just their standard US one rye, right? Not anything special. That's the first rye that I remember. And, and, and in fact is, is a, is a, you know, a low rye rye, right? I don't know. I think it's a journey. Everybody's on a journey. Everybody's trying to find what fits them and we're all different. You know, certainly you've shown us tonight and we got one more by the way.

We do best for last, I think. Highest proof at least. Yeah.

But you know, Brian, you took us on a journey on your show too. I mean, everybody has their own. They found their own way. You've kind of decided what you like and nobody gets to tell you what you like to drink. You just drink what you like. So what's next on our list?

So the next one on our list is something that is very special. It is an Elijah Craig barrel proof. We had the Elijah Craig toasted earlier. This is an older one. This is the September 2020. This is the C920. This is a 132.8, 133 proof somewhere in there. So they, I want to say they, I say they started proofing them down and I've got, you know, the down in quotes. But that's only because we went from 130 ish to, you know, the 120s to 110. It's still, it's still high proof. Yeah. But not as high as, you know, previously, I guess.

Now the C920, I won't call it legendary, but it is well known. It's a good one. Yeah, it's a good one. And it's been a minute since I had it. I scanned my bar earlier cause I've got a number of barrel proof Elijah Craig's up there. And I was kind of hoping I still had that one, but. So the C920, so just to sort of let everybody know who might not already know how Elijah Craig Barrow proof, you know, labels their releases. You have an A, B, and a C every year, A being the first release, B being the second release, and C being the third release. So, uh, a, and then the next number represents the month. So it might be, it might be a nine, I mean, a one, one eight, which would be the first release release in January of 2018. Correct. So C nine 20 would be the third release of the year released in September, the ninth month of 2018, 2020, sorry, 2020. And so this is a COVID bottle. It is. Yeah. So where did you, where did you get this one at?

This one? I, I remember it like it was yesterday. I walked into the Kroger on lower Brownsboro. It's my, my frequent store. I had great people in there and you know, The usual, hey, how's everybody doing today? Got anything special out? And they had one bottle left that they just had released about an hour ago. It was the Elijah Craig C920. It's $59.99. And that isn't the same bottle this is, actually. I got another bottle of it after I cracked that one because it was so good. And it's what 132.8 proof. This is the last bottle before they started proofing them down into the 120s and 110s. And it's fantastic. Yeah.

Yeah, I think. I think this particular release has gained some popularity, uh, on, uh, on social media. Certainly people recognize the C nine 20 is a special bottle and it's pretty cool to have it here today. I've got a number of them. I don't have this one. I've had it, but it's been a minute.

So I think Brian, I think the nose is fantastic.

Yeah.

I think, uh, one of the first things that jumps out, uh, probably cherry little cherry to it. But the nose is just, I mean, it, it's a beautiful nose.

Kind of cherry coke even, like cherry cola, right?

And the color is dark too, like the toasted we had earlier. I don't know if it's even as dark as that toasted. The toasted almost seemed darker.

Yeah, it's close. It's close. Yeah.

It's, you know, beautiful caramel color. It smells amazing. This is one that I liked a lot.

Well, let's check it out guys. Cheers. Cheers. Oh wow. It's like velvet. It's so smooth, isn't it? It is so, so creamy. Wow. But it's got, it's got a punch to it.

It does. It hits you, you know, it's not immediate. I find it just, it's very smooth. The front is just wonderful. I find a lot of sweetness, caramel. And then as you finish it, it kind of hits you on the back, doesn't it?

Wow. Yeah. I mean, this is, Yeah, it's creamy, it's almond extract, it's rich. You said cherry.

Very, very creamy. The cherry even popped out more on the front. Yeah.

And it's just so velvety. I'm going to call it velvet hammer. I mean, it's a velvet hammer, right?

For the proof, I mean, you definitely feel it, but it's so smooth going down that it's very pleasant.

Maybe again, for me, a little leather on the finish, but that, I mean, the cherry really that popped to me on the nose and on the front end.

Now these are typically in the 12 year range.

That's my understanding. Yes. 12 year and you know, for the price point at that proof, it's hard to go long.

You can't beat it. And you know, I'm the price on this. What did you pay for it?

MSRP 59.99. Secondary you're looking at probably 90 ish. Not terrible.

Yeah. And you bought it near retail.

It was at retail. Yeah. Yeah. This one was. Yeah.

I always like to buy at retail and now I'll go a little bit over for a local store. Like, you know, our little store here in Simpsonville, Kentucky, I know that they need to charge just a little bit more because they have to carry in order to, in order to get, you know, a case of, uh, Elijah Craig Barrelproof, they have to, they have to agree to buy 20 cases of vodka. So, you know, I understand it costs some money, but this is, uh, this is something that I would be very happy to pay. $75, $80 for?

Oh yeah. This is certainly one that I have no qualms with the secondary pricing. I mean, I think it's fair for what you get. Yeah.

I normally don't like to pay over retail, but I understand with a local store trying to make a living, you might have to go 10, 20% over or something like that. I'm okay with that. But you know, quality speaks and this is some quality whiskey.

I'd be more than happy to pay that.

Yeah.

And this is, I think, one that if you're at a bar, it's one that I would absolutely order or order some Elijah Craig Barrel proof because you may not have had it before or understand. I think it's one that it's good to experience. And then if you like it, absolutely go all in and get a bottle. But if you're on the fence or if you're curious about it next time you're at a bar or at a restaurant, then see if they got a pour.

And if you're in a stone's throw from Louisville, make sure you head down to the Silver Dollar.

Yeah. They got a lot going on there right now, don't they? They have some awesome stuff. I just was fortunate enough to get a full well or full proof a few weeks ago and they, they do a great job picking their, picking their burger.

Yeah. So Melody and I went there the other day and we had some pours and it's always a great place to go to. It won't be there forever. You know, just, just enjoy it while you can, but I guarantee you'll find a C920 there. What do you think?

I think so too. They've got a lot of, I think they even had some sort of 12 days of Christmas or some sort of promotion going on where they even had some older Elijah Craig Barrel first bottles on the shelf.

They do. They have some older stuff. And if you're not a member of the Bourbon Roadies, I highly suggest you become a member of the Bourbon Roadies. Just go on Facebook. search out the bourbon roadies hop on there i guarantee you you will see some posts from the silver dollar saloon yeah awesome this is a great pour this is a great pour so is this your uh Is this your private sipping whiskey or is this your share with friends whiskey? What is this?

Well, yeah, it depends how good I like the friends, right? I have it in my wife's like, why do you have six of the same bottle? And I'm like, well, those are all different, you know? But the Elijah Craig barrel proof is one of the it is one of the ones that I won't break out for everything because I like it so much. And I don't know, I guess I'm greedy. I want it all to myself.

So you mentioned your wife, Cameron. Is she a bourbon drinker?

She's not, she's not at all. I've, I've tried to get her to sample some things, just not really for her.

Yeah.

Yeah. What about the cocktails? Uh, she does like the cocktails and she does like the, the, um, Oh, what are they? Uh, the, the seltzers, they, you know, whatever, you know, the more, yeah, those things they've gotten more popular, which, you know, I get they're, they're okay. Um, but I'm more of it. I like the juice.

All right. Well, Brian, it's been a blast to have him on the show today. What do you think? It's been awesome. Yeah, we've had such a great time today with you. We hope that we have many more opportunities in the future to bring you on air and introduce you to some pretty great whiskeys out there. You're always going to be chugging in the background, making things happen for us. And we certainly appreciate that. roadies. If you see, uh, if you see Tyler out there in town, make sure you shake his hand. If you see him in the roadies group, welcoming a board, uh, it's always great to have somebody like him on the team. That's going to elevate the bourbon road podcast and take us to the next level. We really appreciate you bringing your whiskey over and sharing it with us tonight.

Well, I can't thank you both enough for not only inviting me out here tonight, but letting me be a part of this. As a bourbon enthusiast, as a fan, this is fun for me. This is great. I love to see the bourbon world and culture grow. I think I have more fun sharing whiskey and drinking whiskey than anything else when it comes to bourbon. I think that's, maybe we all do.

Yeah, I think we share that passion with you for sure. Well, it's been great to have you on here, Tyler. We'll have you on from time to time. Certainly you'll be a guest host sometimes even, I'm sure. So it's, it's great to have you and, and get a glimpse into the, you know, the whiskeys that you like to drink on a regular basis. I think our listeners are, are pretty excited to hear that and, and share your enthusiasm about the bourbon rose. So thank you again.

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.

All right. Well, you can find The Bourbon Road on all social medias. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. You can find us on our private Facebook group, The Bourbon Roadies. You can find us on YouTube even. We definitely would love you to join The Roadies. It's a private Facebook group. You can go onto facebook.com and search out The Bourbon Roadies. you'll get presented with a question to join actually three questions do you like bourbon are you 21 and do you agree to play nice because we don't accept any rudeness in that group Uh, we're pretty adamant about that. We want to make sure everybody's having a good time. They're sharing their whiskey, sharing their story, sharing the pictures of the whiskey. Um, you know, it's not about what you like. It's just that you share what it is you like to drink and you let everybody know. And if you're drinking from the bottom of the shelf or the top of the shelf, you know, it just doesn't matter. Uh, you know, you just enjoy what you like. It's your bourbon, your way. Nobody should shame you for that. And if, and if you do get shamed in there. I'm pretty darn sure one of the moderators is going to kick you out pretty quick. So definitely come join us. We'll have a great time. We do a show every single week on Wednesday. We'll have a guest on like today. You know, we'll just be a few guys sitting around drinking a few pours and having a good time. Sometimes we'll have an author on or a chef or you know, somebody in the music industry. We always have a great story. It's a good show every single week. We hope you join us. One way to make sure you don't miss it is to hit that little notification button at the top of the app you're listening to us on. Subscribe or check mark or follow or whatever it might be. You click that every single week. You're going to get a message reminding you that we just came out with a new episode and you can listen to it, whether you be driving down the road, cutting the grass, sweeping the house. It doesn't matter. We'd love to be a part of your day. Definitely make sure you follow us and listen to what we have to say every single week. I think we'll entertain you. We're pretty open to suggestions. You know, we've got a website, the bourbonroad.com on there. You'll find our swag and you'll find our articles and you'll also find our contact us page. If you've got a comment for us, a suggestion for a show, a guest you think we ought to have on, hit that contact us page and let us know. We'll get back with you. We'll do the work. We'll make sure it happens. You can always send us an email. You can reach Tyler or Brian or myself at team at the bourbonroad.com. We'd love to hear from you. If you see us out in town, see us at a liquor store, an event, make sure you walk up to us and shake our hands. We'd love to hear your bourbon story until then. Listen in. We'll see you down the bourbon road.

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