352. The Brian and Tyler Show

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're very excited to have Blanton's bourbon shop.com is a new sponsor for the bourbon road podcast. In fact, this podcast is brought to you by Blanton's bourbon shop. Blanton's bourbon shop.com is the only official merchandiser for Blanton's original single barrel. Looking for unique gift. Blanton's bourbon shop has got you covered. Blanton's bourbon shop.com is your home for all Blanton's gifts. You know friends, it's never too early. Start planning your trip to the Bourbon Trail for 2023. We hope you'll join the Bourbon Road crew as we pull out all the stops this year at Bourbon on the Banks. So mark your calendars for October 6th and 7th and we'll plan on seeing you in Frankfort, Kentucky. Be sure to listen in during the halftime break for all the details on Bourbon on the Banks.

Hello listeners and welcome back to another episode of The Bourbon Road. I am your co-host Brian Hyatt and tonight we have an old friend joining us, Tyler Wilson. Our host, Jim Shannon is out. He had knee replacement surgery about a week and a half ago and he's doing well and we're all sending him well wishes and ready for him to be back to sipping some whiskey again. How's it going, Tyler?

It's going great, Brian. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, so it's been a while. Tyler has been very busy with work and raising children and doing all kinds of fun things, traveling and all that good stuff. And even on occasion, he's been known to catch a couple of snakes.

Yes, that is true. I do have some snake tails that go back. But yeah, it's great to be talking to you, Brian. I hope Jim is doing great and recovering well from his surgery, and I'm glad to be here and drinking some bourbon tonight.

Yeah, so we're in our own little bars in our homes tonight, and we each have A couple of bourbons we're going to drink through and whiskey. And then we have one that we both are fortunate to have a bottle of that will taste through at the very end of the show here. But I'll just pass it over to Tyler. What would you like to start with from your picks here?

So, over on my collection, I've got this Knob Creek 12 here. I actually picked this up, oh, about a year or so ago. I've had a few drinks of it, and it's something that I was impressed with, and I'd like to revisit it tonight.

Yeah, Knob Creek always does a pretty good job. I feel like I'm a big fan of the 12-year. So, yeah. I'm going to be working on a little glass of Yellowstone, the handpicked selection from Total Wine, the 115 proof. But what do you think, Tyler?

I like the nose so far. I mean, yeah, right out of the bottle, it smells great. I'm already excited to kind of taste this.

I picked it up at Total Wine, and so every now and then they'll have one of these out. I actually saw one at one of their Kroger liquor stores the other day as well, but this one I picked up I would say probably six or seven months ago, somewhere around in there. I doubt that they have any left. Maybe they do, but you're talking about a $73 price point.

Okay, okay. And I do believe at one point there was a Yellowstone MBA to Louisville bottle, is that correct?

That's correct. I still have that one sitting on the shelf. You know, they talk about bringing an NBA team to Louisville on a pretty regular basis, but that's never happened yet. So we'll see what happens there. But maybe I'll throw a picture of that up on the bourbon roadie page and shovel it off. It is a very cool bottle that was gifted to me from a friend.

That's awesome. That reminds me, I might have to grab it here in a second about a neighbor of mine was gracious enough to give me a really special bottle after just kind of helping her do some yard work. And it's really cool. And I might have to grab that here in a second just to talk about it.

I definitely think you should actually show some friends a picture of that on actually yesterday at my son's graduation party. So, uh, everybody was like, no way. So we'll get into that in a minute, but yeah, that's, that is a very special bottle.

I'm liking this Knob Creek 12 so far. It's got a nice nose, not too overwhelming, just kind of nice sweetness to it, kind of a little bit of vanilla I'm picking up. I don't know, nice legs on this glass here too. Knob Creek, they rarely disappoint. They usually make pretty high quality product.

Yeah, they do. I tend to look for those store picks on a pretty regular basis.

Absolutely. Especially if you can get some of those older, I mean, 12, 13, 14 year ones. Those are great value and delicious. How's that Yellowstone?

You know, I've taken a nose to it here and it's definitely going to be a little bit on the sweeter side. But I'm getting ready to have my first sip here. So cheers. Here we go.

Cheers. You know, this Knob Creek 12 is nice. It's not, you know, a home run. It's not, you know, like well or 12, talking about 12 years, but this is a nice bourbon. I think I picked it up for around $65, $70, you know, MSRP and is nice you know it's not it's not too crazy but it's got a nice flavor to it nice a little bit of vanilla some caramel um i don't know i get a little bit of sweetness on there it's got a bit heat to it but not nothing crazy you can kind of you know get a nice little hug to it but uh this is a nice bourbon i think you can sip on this this knop creek 12 year

Yeah, so on the Yellowstone here, I don't know if there's a better way to describe it than sweet and spicy. It is a little spicy, got a little heat to it. I would say cherries coming out, but you know, it's got a little kick to it.

Yeah, I think though that heat or that maybe, I don't know, a little bit of spice, cinnamon. I don't know if that's come in. Is there some rye in the mash bill or do you know the mash bill on that Yellowstone?

I was trying to research a little bit. Not a whole lot out here on it to see what that mash bill is.

So I'm looking at one Yellowstone select. It is 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malt.

There we go.

So maybe that barley that do you think that malted barley is coming out that 13% ride 12% malted barley? Yeah, I mean you think maybe get some of the heat from coming from there.

Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's you know, it's definitely. You know, again, I don't know how else to say it other than it's it's definitely sweet. It has a little bit more spice than what I expected. I read that it was sweet and spicy, but I didn't expect it to be quite that forward, but it is. I've been a fan of Yellowstone. I'm not going to say that I like everything they release, but if you think about those limited releases, the 101s that came out four or five years ago, something like that. They were pretty good. Did you have any of those, Tyler? The black and the gold label?

They definitely sound familiar. I'm sure I had a pour at some point. There's been a lot of them.

Yeah.

I think they were around 110, 120 a bottle, if I remember correctly. But they were good. So when I saw this black label, I was immediately drawn to it. Because the last time I saw a black label for Yellowstone, it was on point. Very, very good. So I think I may have gotten a little too excited because I'm not going to experience that one again. This is a good drink. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. You know, for $73, it may be a little much for some people, but it's not too bad.

Yeah. How's that? I mean, you said it's 93 proof, right?

It's actually 115. Oh, I'm sorry.

115 proof. Wow. Okay. So does it drink like 115 proof? Kind of sounds like a little bit of heat to it.

A little bit, but you know, to me, it's more of the spice. It's not necessarily the ethanol, the heat, you know, the alcohol that shines through as much. But, you know, I'd say from a heat standpoint for me, no, I don't think it punches like 115, but I think the spice definitely brings a little something out in it.

Okay, nice. Nice flavor to it. Maybe go well with some gingerbread cookies or something, or something like that, yeah.

I would think this would be one that would probably be better around the holidays. Might be a good one to put back and wait.

Yeah, yeah, well, wait for a cold winter's day. I think it'll be 90 today, it felt like.

Yeah, it's been a little hot. What about the Knob Creek 12? What are you getting there?

You know, this is nice. The more I sip on it, the more a little bit of the flavor comes out a little bit. It's not too bad at all on the burn. There's not really a big burn. You do feel a little bit of heat coming down, but overall it's It's got a nice flavor to it. I mean, this is something that I could definitely kind of sip on throughout the night. And I'm sure it would be just fine on ice. Probably taste a little bit, I don't know, I wouldn't say better, but bring out a little bit more of that flavor, a little bit syrupy. I think we're really nice with some ice cubes, actually.

Yeah, like you said, not great because they're just solid, it's reliable. You know, you can go pick up a bottle of it. And you're not really going to go wrong. I mean, some are better than others. And like you said, the 12, 13, 14 year picks, if you can find some of those, they're just, they're not going to disappoint. So, you know, I guess Tyler, you would probably recommend this to people if they see the 12 year to grab a bottle.

Definitely. I mean, you know, typically you expect around, you know, what $10 a year on average, you know, around And for a 12-year solid bourbon for $65, $70 at MSRP, that's solid. I've seen it on shelves on occasion. I'll go to a Kroger and I'll see it, but not all the time. But if you get there on the day they get their inventory, you can probably maybe pick a bottle up. But I wouldn't be too surprised if they start disappearing like a lot of these others, these allocated, and as more people kind of discovered across the nation, I could definitely see this being one that people would be picking up.

Yeah, I mean, I always wish I had the foresight thinking back when tonight when I very first started drinking bourbon and try to start to buy bottles and collecting a little bit. Of course, I've never had bottles that I didn't open up, but, you know, just buying different bottles and working through those. I wish I had the foresight. to put back a few bottles of different things. You know, you think about the Albert E. Lees and even just the Buffalo Trace. Who would have ever thought we'd be in the spot that we are where you're waiting for a liquor store to say, hey, we put out our Buffalo Trace today.

So pretty interesting. It's crazy. It's crazy. I mean, it's awesome that the market and everybody's so excited about it and the demands there. But it's also kind of insane. I got married not too long ago. I mean, years ago. But for our wedding, I remember we walked in the total line and we just bought handle after handle of some well or special reserve. And it was no big deal. You got as many as you wanted. And now you can't even find it.

Yeah, yeah, that is pretty interesting. But you seem to have some pretty good luck finding cool bottles and having some neat opportunities. And I would just tell all the listeners, if you are on TikTok, look up the Digital Whiz Kid. That's Tyler, and he's got some really cool bottles that he tastes through, but also some really cool things that he's able to get his hands on. So I always enjoy seeing those. And I feel like Tyler is kind of TikTok famous at this point from the amount of views that he's able to generate from these suburban videos that he puts out.

The last 12 months have certainly been interesting. I never would have anticipated all the opportunities that have, you know, been unveiled from just making really one video. I remember it all kind of started with Brian and I went to, you know, the Thoroughbred Society and you were trying to decide what to get a pour of. And I was really going to dead set on the, I think it was a 2005 William LaRue Weller because, I mean, You know, that's an awesome, awesome bottle. But you know, Brian didn't have to twist my arm too bad. And we went with the 1944 Golden Wedding whiskey and it was delicious. And you know, ever since then, it's kind of been a little bit of a whirlwind.

Yeah, I feel like that's a bottle I need to go back and revisit soon. Maybe when Jim gets better and he's able to move around, he should have a nice little treat waiting on him down there.

Definitely.

So yeah, we can move on to the next taste that we have ready in our glasses here. And I'll just go ahead and start and say I have the John Jay Bowman single barrel. And this was a gift to me from a friend that's from Virginia. He had come in town and we spent a little time together. I sent him home with some couple bottles and then he came back in town and he brought this to me and he said I need to give it a shot. So this is one that honestly I'm happy to have in my glass right now.

You know, Brian, I haven't personally had some. I've read a lot of great things about that Bowman, especially the one that you have right there. And I'm really kind of curious to see how you like this. Um, that is Virginia whiskey or is that Kentucky, uh, sent to Virginia or what is that exactly?

So it's, uh, you know, on the, on the bottle, it says Virginia straight bourbon whiskey or a straight bourbon whiskey on the bottle. And. You know, this, if you were to go and do some research and read a little bit, um, you will see that, uh, some people say that. You know, it's new make that comes from Buffalo Trace. Uh, so, you know, I don't know, but, but this is age for nine or 10 years. Um, but yeah, I, I can't confirm that that's, you know, where the new make comes from, but, uh, that's kind of, kind of the thought.

Okay. Yeah. I thought, I thought I heard. read something in Buffalo Trace at some point or another, but also I was reading, you know, Virginia whiskey and I guess, uh, There's a long history of Virginia whiskey and Maryland whiskey and ryes. That is some of the things that I started taking cover in the last year. Some of these older Dusty's and brands that I didn't even know existed. It's amazing that the level of quality that was even been done years back without all the technology and the corn and the rye and all this stuff. Things are just different, I guess. You know, corn was different back then. The oak, the wood was different back then. Good and bad, right?

Yeah. I mean, you always kind of wonder, too, like, what was it like for these people that were distilling? You know, now we have all this technology, like you said, where you can see if there's something wrong with the corn. You can see all these things. And you know, these guys, way back in the day, they had to just, go on instinct and knowledge and look and feel and smell and not technology, which is just incredibly impressive.

Yeah, I mean, it gives me a lot more respect for, you know, those master distillers and everybody else. And, you know, here's an older one right here. Not necessarily an older bourbon, but an older, you know, whiskey, old Forester. They've been around for a while. They know what they're doing.

Yeah, they do it right. I mean, there's no doubt about it. And, you know, I love so many of their expressions, but I think you have something a little special though, that I can't really find on the shelf. Is that correct?

Yeah, so I picked this up last few months, somewhere earlier this year. Actually, I'm sorry. I think it was last year, last fall, because this was a release in July 2022. So we're on Main Street a lot, Brian and I. And so if people can remember back to back on July 2015, there was quite a fire, a four alarm fire on Whiskey Row. And there was a lot of buildings on fire. They were getting barrels out and trying to save the barrels. It was a big deal. And so Old Forester, as part of that fire, they had taken some barrels that had aged since then and kind of selected them as part of some charity and, you know, money that went to, I think, firefighters and some this and that. But basically, you know, as part of that Whiskey Row fire, this is some of the whiskey that was pulled to kind of, I guess, commemorate that occasion back in July of 2015. So this is a seven year, so this was, bottled, or I'm sorry, barreled in July 2015 and then bottled in July 2022. So seven years, but this was, you know, basically put in after the fire just as a kind of a commemorate and the occasion. Then this was just recently released last year as part of that.

That's awesome. I always love to hear the stories of, you know, when these distilleries do something like that, where they're trying to raise some money and just You know, there's just stories going way back from, you know, fires and floods and, you know, all kinds of different things that we've seen over the years. But yeah, that is a very cool bottle. So what, can you tell us a little bit more about proof and all that good stuff?

Yeah, so this is actually right at 100 proof. Not super dark brown, but it's kind of nice, kind of amber, brownish, kind of honey-ish color. You know, it smells great. And I was also reading, and it says a little bit more on the bottle here. So it's part of the, there's a four alarm fire that ravaged the buildings. I'm going to read this verbatim here. In July, 2015, a four alarm fire ravaged through the buildings on historic Whiskey Row. Teams of brave Louisville first responders were able to contain and extinguish the catastrophe, preserving the site for the Old Forrester Distillery at 117-119 West Main. This bottling is a blend of barrels which were filled on July 7, 2015, the day the fire was put out. And these were Jackie's icon. I don't know if this was the last release that she was a part of, but certainly not there anymore. And she had always done some great picks there. So this is one that was I was just excited to kind of pick it up as part of the opportunity to get it because it was a select number of barrels that they had raised with the fire fires. And so I was fortunate enough just to be there at the right time and pick up a couple bottles of it, which of course had to be opened, right?

Yeah. Open the damn bottle. You know how that goes. Yeah. So, well, Tell us what you think on the nose.

That's kind of nice. I wouldn't say it's as sweet as the Knob Creek that I just had there. And actually, just to compare, I'm sorry. I believe that Knob Creek 12 is also 100 proof. Yes, that's correct. So they are the same proof. They are both 100 proof each. This smells a little bit more, I wouldn't say aromatic, but more almost more of that spice to it. Not overwhelming, but it is nice. It does have a nice pleasant kind of more of aroma to it. Almost like a, I wouldn't say honey, but almost more leaning more of that floral as opposed to more of that like caramel sugar sweetness. I don't know, it smells just really nice. It smells nice and kind of floral to the nose to me. I got to tell you off to first impression and tonight I have had this in the past and it is something that I've talked to other people. The finish isn't as powerful or as long as I would like. I have gotten similar kind of feedback. It is only seven years old. So, you know, you can't really fault them too much. And it is only 100 proof. So again, you know, you can't really get too overwhelming. You know, you think about like a barrel proof or something like that, or it has more of a refined finish and just kind of more lasting. This isn't like that. It's nice. It's very flavorful. It's got nice kind of brown sugar, vanilla ish. But This is something that you can definitely kind of sip on a lot and not feel too bad about it. The finish just, there's not a lot there. It's nice for what it is, it's just too short. I mean, I would rate this, I don't know, a B. B minus, if I gotta be honest. It's not the worst, it's great, I'm being a snob, but B minus.

No, I mean, there's nothing wrong with a B minus. I drank a lot of, a lot of bourbons that are D's and F's. So, and, you know, I go back and try them every now and then just to make sure that I didn't like them. Um, but certainly don't let anything go to waste in my house. So I'll tell you a little bit about the, the John Jay Bowman, uh, right now, you know, I gotta be honest. I, uh, I couldn't quite figure out what's on the nose here. And maybe, you know, maybe I'm tricking myself, but I get probably way more green apple than I should.

Uh, green apple. Okay.

But, but it really is, it's, it's there and it's present to me. Um, you know, that's, it's a little bit different. Of course I've had some, some flavored whiskeys and different things that Jack Daniel's and some other things that are released with Apple and You expect that, of course, from something like that, but this is just different. You know, this is a straight bourbon whiskey. So to have the green apple on a nose like this is a little surprising. It's a pleasant nose. I mean, it really is. I feel like there's a little bit of chocolate in there. I'm just really interested, to be honest, to see if I get any green apple on the palate.

I am too. Well, what did you think?

Well, I don't get any green apple. I mean, not any of it, but I do get chocolate.

OK.

It feels very heavy from the chocolate standpoint, like a malted chocolate. Yeah, I mean, that's pretty Pretty interesting, I'm gonna go back and take another nose here and see if I still get this green apple. So the green apple on the nose for me is gone. Not picking that up at all. So I don't know, I feel like my nose and my palate are really playing tricks on me right now. So I can say I have honestly never had an experience like this.

So I'm trying to think here, I feel like we had drinking, I had drinking with you and Jim, at some point some sort of malted, was it the 291? There was an Aspen Stave finished, but there was something at some point with a malt in it, and I'm wondering if that, I'm just, I'm asking because I'm wondering if that was similar or if there was something similar that you would compare it to.

So as far as the chocolate goes, that chocolate flavor, I've had a Woodford Reserve that was finished. I had a Woodford Reserve that was finished and it definitely did have a similar taste from a chocolate standpoint. The chocolate malted Woodford Oh, yeah. As far as the chocolate whispers, is that the yeah.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Yep. Yep. So so similar, you know, obviously different mash bills, all that good stuff. But that's that's what it would remind me of from a chocolate standpoint, because it is so forward. The finish is like it's I'd say it's a long finish. I don't feel like it's really overpowering or anything. It's pretty good. I mean, you know, leathery chocolate and leathery is, you know, the best that I can say for the palette and the finish. I wish I could get that green apple back. I don't think I'm going to get it back until I take a break and revisit this in a few days or something.

So, personally, because I'm not always the biggest fan of, you know, like the Whoppers, the candy. And when I hear malted, that's always the first thing that kind of comes to my mind is a Whoppers. It's probably not a fair comparison, but that's just always what I think Whoppers. And I'm like, I don't know if I like Whoppers.

No, I am a fan of Whoppers and I've been a fan of chocolate malts my whole life going to different places to get milkshakes. My dad would always talk to me about growing up and having, you know, malts and all that good stuff. So I am a big fan of those things. But yeah, I wouldn't say that you would pick up any real resemblance of, you know, the malt balls, the chocolate malt balls or anything like that. Definitely not as sweet. So yeah, when you think about, you know, those small balls are a little bit on the sweeter side. This does not, to me, go that far sweet.

Is it more like earthy, more kind of, I wouldn't say like gratt, like oaky, but more like nutty kind of?

Not so much nutty, but like a dark chocolate, you know, how the dark chocolates are a little bit more, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Uh, they're not as sweet. They're, you know, they're almost like you can get those chocolate chips that, yes. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, that, that's what I feel like is, is going on here, but you know, on the finish, I do feel like you get some of that, some of that leathery, uh, finish to it. It's, it's a long finish. I feel like it's really warming my throat as I have each sip. So it's kind of a nice long finish that lingers, which is pretty cool. I have to bring you a sample of this so you can give it a taste. I'll be really interested to hear if you pick up on that green apple.

Definitely, and I'll bring some of this, I'll bring some of this Whiskey Row Fire to see if you have the same thoughts on the, I mean, it's a great upfront palette, you know, wonderful. Tastes great right in the mouth, the finish just, you know, I wish it was just a little bit longer.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now this is pretty good. So, well, I think we're gonna take a quick break here and we'll finish off these two glasses and we'll be back in just a second.

Unique gift? Blanton's bourbon shop has got you covered. All of their handcrafted wood products are made in their in-house wood shop with authentic bourbon barrels. Specializing in barrel-age potent treats, they use Blanton's barrels to age their own maple syrup, honey, and coffee. Find the most unique gift ideas for your golf lover, cigar connoisseur, avid coffee drinker, and Blanton's fan. Want to win an authentic Blanton's barrel head? Make sure you sign up for the giveaway on the home page of their website. Blanton'sBourbonShop.com is your home for all Blanton's gifts. As we mentioned earlier in the show, we hope you'll join us this fall on October 6th and 7th for Bourbon on the Banks. The festival itself is from 2 to 6 p.m. on October 7th and you can pick those tickets up at bourbononthebanks.org for $65. They also have an early access ticket for $75. It'll get you in an hour early and definitely get you access to some special pours. But if you always like that VIP access this year, they're bringing in the VIP access tickets to give you access to their VIP tent and all the great things that go along with that for $175. Be sure to check out bourbononthebanks.org. You'll get all the details on this year's event.

Alright folks, we're back for the second half. We just finished off the two glasses that we were sipping on there and we're going to move on to, I would say Tyler, one of The better bottles over the years that was under $20 in its heyday and a very, very cool and unique bottle. Now I'll be honest, mine was sketched to me from Jim. So this is something that I've had probably for five years or so, maybe six years. Just been sipping on it very slowly. Typically just have this out to share with people when they come over so I can say, Have you ever heard of this? Have you ever seen it? And you know, people that have been around for a while are like, yeah, that's the cheap stuff. But we're talking about the Heaven and Hill Bottle and Bond six year, six years old bottle. And I got to tell you, I'm always excited to taste this one.

Yeah, this is awesome. This is one that it was discontinued in 2018. I'm not sure why, you know, they do different things. I suspect the seven year bourbon that's out now, the Heaven Hill seven year, is the same barrels that they just aged another year and started, I don't know, that's what I suspect. But yeah, I mean, this is one that, you know, in the day you could, not that long ago, 10 years ago, you could go in, you know, pick it up off the shelf for 10, 11 bucks and be really impressed with what you got.

So what, on the secondary market, if any of these were available, what would you think these would go for, Tyler?

Well, if I would speculate some prices, this bottle is about $40 or $50, actually. It may not be as high as it once was at its peak about six months ago. But I mean, this is still very sought after, especially the 1.75, the handles of them, because it's just great juice. And it's hard to go wrong. It's a cool bottle. It's got the white label. It just looks, you know, it's not the pre fire, but it's, it's, it's damn good.

It's pretty cool. I would say right now, I never encourage people to buy bottles off the secondary market and take the risk of someone ripping you off. Of course, we see so many folks that try to join the bourbon roadies that come on and say that they have this and that and they're always spamming folks. It is very frustrating when that happens. If I had a very reliable source that was secondary market, which is just a few folks that I talked to, I would certainly pay $50 on this secondary market for another bottle of this. I think it'd be well worth it.

I'd have to agree with you. It was great value back in the day and it's still a great value for that. It's very similar to what people have discovered with some of these bottles like a George T. Stagg or a William LaRue Weller. It's not an antique collection type of value, but it holds its value to where it is probably one of the few that is worth four to five times the MSRP. as opposed to a lot of these that, quite frankly, they're not worth what people are selling them for. But this is one of those that I would agree. Yeah, this is great stuff.

Yeah, yeah. So, well, let's get to the nose here. I'll tell you what, I've got something that I'll throw out here and see if you get the same thing. I feel like I have a bag of peanuts. Yeah.

I get that. It's nice. Like it's not no ethanol really. And I had all hundred proof bourbons. And honestly, you know, I would say the old Forester did have the most pleasant nose, but of the three, like this is probably the one I go to like time and time again, just because I know what kind of what to expect with this one. It's just solid.

And it's, I mean, the nose is just so pleasant. I mean, it really is. It's light, pleasant. Of course, you know, I feel like I'm getting a bag of peanuts. Maybe something weird is going on with my nose these days. You know, I had green apple. Now I have a bag of peanuts. Um, but yeah, this is a, the nose is so good. I'm ready to jump in and have a little taste here. Cheers. Cheers.

You know, it's just really, it's so smooth. It's just, it reminds me a lot of just like, uh, Russell's reserve 10 in general, just solid go to just, you know, it's nothing crazy, but it's, it's good every time.

Sweet. A lot of the sweet.

And this is actually not too dissimilar. I was gonna say the Mash Bill on this isn't too dissimilar from the Yellowstone. This is a 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% barley. I believe the Yellowstone was 75, 13% rye, 12% barley. But it's not, I don't mean, you had both of them, but I would say they don't taste as similar as the Mash Bills say.

No, they really don't. With the Yellowstone, it was definitely more spicy. They had a lot more spice. This is not. There's just not a ton of spice to it. Man, it's just good. Sweet, caramel. I still feel like I have a little bit of peanut in there for me. But man, it's good. Jim always gives the best gifts. I got to tell you, he does a good job and I feel like he knows my palate so well that he knows exactly what to give me that I'm really going to enjoy.

The more you say that, I hadn't thought about it as much on the peanuts, but the more you said that, I definitely pick up a lot of that peanut. Like when I was when I was smelling it, I got a little bit just on the back end of some some oak, but nothing like, you know, some of the newer like Elijah Craig, like you really kind of pick up a lot of that oak. But it's just so sweet to me. I wish and like I was going on about the finish. This is kind of even less of a finish than even that old Forester. But it's it's just so smooth and just so I don't know. It's sweet. It's nice. It's just a nice sipping bourbon.

Yeah, very, very easy drinker. Very easy. So Tyler, you've got a very special bottle sitting next to you and I'd like for you to share it with everybody and just tell them what you have here. Cause this is, I mean, this is a really, really special bottle, special gift.

Yes, yes. And I think, you know, there's a couple lessons. One, obviously be grateful for everything that you have. But two, it doesn't hurt to do a good deed every once in a while and take care of your neighbors. And, you know, ordinarily I would be doing that anyway just because I I live next to a couple older people, and I'm younger. I'm not as spry as I once was. I'm in my older 30s, but they're in their 80s. And so it's just a little bit harder for them to get around and do some things. So we had some tornadoes and wind damage a few months back, and we had some big trees that came down in our neighborhood. And my neighbor out back, well, she had some on a big branch that came down and I saw her out there with some hedge trimmers and you know she's very independent so I didn't want to like you know overstep but I said hey you know let me come over there with my chainsaw and kind of help you out here and and so I kind of went over there and kind of took care of the trees, kind of cleaned it up a little bit for her. And she was very grateful and I was gonna be on my way, but she said, you know, I know you're a big bourbon fan and I've had this bottle for years and I just want you to have it as a gift. And I was like, no, no, no, that's quite all right. We're neighbors, it's just, I still don't feel quite right having it, but she really wanted me to have it and she knew that I would appreciate it. I took it off her hands and I went home and later that night I get to looking at it a little bit more and I'm like, huh, this is interesting. And so the story she tells me is that she used to work at this company And I'm guessing the company's Brown Form and she didn't say. She used to work at this company as an accountant and they had a Christmas party and she won a door price and somebody just hands her this bottle. And this bottle is in mint condition. I mean, it's been sitting on her shelf since the day she won it. So she says, oh yeah, I won this bottle and somebody hands it to me and I don't really drink. So I just put it on my shelf and it's just been sitting there. And I was like, really? You know, this is a, it's kind of a special bottle. So, I don't know if a lot of people know this, but Woodford Reserve originally came out in 1996 by Lincoln Henderson. You can see there Lincoln Henderson. And so, this is from the first batch of Woodford Reserve, and this is bottle number 3202. Now, I don't know how many millions of bottles they've made, but this is This is about as mint of a bottle in my collection that I have. And this thing is from 1996. I mean, it's it's unbelievable the condition this thing's in.

Yeah, I mean, I will share a picture of it for sure. And it's it is mint condition. Super cool bottle. You know, when I see things like that, I just always wonder. I wonder what that juice tastes like. And I bet it's gotta be good, because I know Lincoln Henderson always did a phenomenal job at everything, and just so well respected. He knew exactly what he was doing. I just had an amazing palate and a way to put out phenomenal bourbons. So I'm sure that juice is amazing, but Tyler will probably never know, will we?

You never know, you never know. Part of the thing that led into that discussion was, when we had talked before, she actually asked me if I wanted some wine and I'm not much of a wine drinker. But I was like, yeah, you know. We had opened an old Taylor from 1915, and I was telling her about opening it up and making some videos. The thing is, a lot of people just really don't open these old bottles, and that's the big draw to it. She says, well, you're welcome to drink it. If you want to open it, go right ahead. I told her, you know what, I might. I'll get it on video if so, but I might.

Well, you know, we always have a saying, and it's really Jim saying, but I truly agree with it and believe in it, and it's open the damn bottle. You know, I have a couple bottles that I do hang on to for special moments. I actually have a very special bottle of wine. It's a special release of Caymus. And it was gifted to me from a guy in California, phenomenal guy that works with my brother, knows my brother real well out there. And I was able to take some samples of different bourbons out, actually shipped out a pretty big box. So we went to his house. He had an amazing bar. And he gave me this very nice bottle of Cayman so. You know, I do very much believe in opening the damn bottle, but I also know that there's a time and a place. And, you know, sometimes folks make comments, you know, gotta open that bottle. I guarantee you, my bottles will be open when the time is right, but there's nothing wrong with hanging onto a bottle for a special moment. Whether that's a child's birth or a college graduation, are just a very special moment in your life. And I do encourage folks, if you have a bottle that's special to you in that way, just hang on to it. And when the time's right, you'll know and open that bottle up and enjoy it and share it with those that you love and that you're celebrating with. And it'll be all that much more special once you get to that moment in life. Tyler, I hope one day that that special moment comes along when you get to open that up because I know you will thoroughly enjoy that one for sure.

Absolutely. And honestly, a lot of what I have fun with is when people are over and they appreciate bourbon, they're like, oh, man, that's some awesome stuff. That's when I'll open it and say, no, if you appreciate it that much, then let's open it and let's drink it because I'd rather have a pour with somebody that'll appreciate it than somebody that won't, you know?

Yeah, yeah. You know, and I always do like, I think I've said this on the show a few times, but I really do love to test people. And if they can drink some of my stuff that I just think is not good, and they're willing to suffer through that, anything on my bar. Go ahead and take your pick. But I do have a couple of whiskeys that are not very good, but I always like to have some fun there with that. But yeah, Tyler, that is so cool. And I agree with you 100% that helping those that that need help in different ways and doing it, not expecting anything in return. Sometimes you are gifted with something amazing or just an experience to get to know somebody and you get to hear stories that you would never have been able to hear. And it's just, I think it's so cool that you're always willing to help these folks around you. And it says a lot, you know, We're in a changing world and that's not always the case anymore, but I know they greatly appreciate all your help.

Hey, I enjoy it, honestly, and to be fair with you, None of these experiences I would ever even have in the bourbon world would be without helping out others and helping just wherever. For example, with the Thoroughbred Society, we made the video about the 1944 bourbon with Brian. Then they said, hey, well, can we make some more? We got some other cold bottles. I was like, well, sure. We'll open whatever you want. You know, I'll just give me a pour. I'm in. And so just by being a part of it and by volunteering kind of a, okay, well, let's have some of this. Let's have some of this. Great. You know, I'm along for the ride.

Yeah, very cool. And I'm really hoping to get some folks from the Lowell Thoroughbred Society on the show soon. And I've kind of teed up a couple and I don't want to bring anything until we actually get those scheduled in and really make sure that these are going to happen. But I can tell you that You know we're looking at having a couple different folks on maybe a couple bartenders from up there they do some phenomenal work with with cocktails and different things and you know they do everything From scratch, they don't buy mixers and all that good stuff So they they do a phenomenal job and they really do put a lot of thought and effort Into the different drinks that they're gonna put out and then of course, you know our buddy up there and I won't mention his name I don't want to Put him on the spot or anything But we do have a really good friend up there that does a great job of selecting Bourbons and making sure there's just some phenomenal options on the shelves there So I'm really looking forward to and hopeful that we'll have some of these folks on here soon.

Oh man, they're awesome. Especially, I won't mention the names either, but the expertise is just like, they're great about, you tell them what you're looking for and what you want to have and they'll find the exact right one for you. And that, I had some of their Willett pick that they had there and that stuff's awesome, man.

I did too. You know, they were gracious enough. We had a very nice win at work and went up to celebrate and just told them I needed a nice pour of something and they were so gracious to share that with me and I was blown away. Definitely a great pick, Willett pick for them. So yeah, that's a super cool place and I know it's special to us near and dear to our hearts. But yeah, I'm happy that you have that bottle Tyler. Uh, pretty cool. You know, like I said, we'll definitely share some, some photos of this on social media, just so everybody can check it out and, and see what it's, see what it looks like. And wow, the first 30, one of the first bottles out of 3,200 that they released. So, uh, pretty cool stuff.

Yeah. I'm sure me and Wes, uh, Wes Henderson over there at Angel's Envy can make a, Make an agreement for it. I'd much rather to go to somebody in the Henderson family than otherwise, if I don't open it myself, right? Just because I'd rather pick somebody in that Lincoln generation.

Yeah, yeah. There's definitely some special memories there, I'm sure, for the entire family. So, well, that's about all the time we have for today. And Tyler, I just want to say thank you again for jumping on and spending a little time with us tonight. Really enjoyed drinking through these different, different bourbons with you and hopefully our listeners have something that they can go and pick up from this. You know, we definitely recommend it and I have a great 12 year. 12, 13, 14 year bottles, go pick those up. We can share pictures of this one as well on social media, just so everybody knows what we're talking about here. But Yellowstone, I would also recommend. I don't think there's anything wrong. And if you have the opportunity to pick up one of these old foresters that Tyler's talked about, I would strongly recommend that as well. The John J. Bowman was solid. And folks, as always, you can find us on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and others as well. Of course, we have our private Facebook group, The Bourbon Roadies. We're about 3,000, just over 3,000 members strong. And again, you know, we don't have a large number for a lot of reasons, but, you know, we want to make sure that folks, number one, are over the age of 21 years old. We also want people to be nice. Don't make fun of somebody because they drink bourbon that you don't like or they drink it in a way that you don't think it should be consumed. We welcome people that drink all different types of bourbon. I've got a bottle of Benchmark Apple. that I sip on every now and then, and I'm sure that's probably not everyone's top pick to ever drink, but it's something that doesn't bother me. So just be courteous and nice to each of the members on there. And also, like we just talked about a few minutes ago, If someone says that they have a bottle they're going to sell you in our group, just be very careful. We don't recommend doing that. It's just not a good idea. There's lots of ways to acquire bottles at Bourbon. It's not recommended to do that through our group. We do really appreciate all of our members and we appreciate all of the conversations and the sharing of pictures and bottles and cocktails. I even saw some beer on there the other day, which made me really happy that someone was willing to share that on the group. As everybody knows, each week we release one episode on Wednesdays. And if you want to be notified, you just need to go to Spotify or Apple or any of the places that you can find a podcast and you want to click the subscribe button and you'll be notified each time that we release an episode. So we appreciate everybody listening and we look forward to having Jim back here soon. But until then, we will see you down the Bourbon Road.

you