Blade and Bow is interesting. It’s made from orphan bottles left at the Stitzle-Weller distillery during the Bourbon Recession and now being mixed with newer bourbon. It’s pretty good. I tasted some at S-W a couple weeks ago, also home to Bulleit, IW Harper and the Orphan Barrel lines. Just FYI.

Rogue Dead n Dead Ale
https://www.rogue.com/beers/dead-n-dead-ale

I've become a huge fan of the original Dead Guy Ale thanks to a recommendation from another member here. Saw this in Spec's today and while a bit expensive decided to give it a go. It's cooling in the fridge now.

North Coast Brewing Old Stock Ale is in the pint glass now. Fairly delicious and similar to Dead Guy though a bit less malt.

10 Barrel Brewing Co. Pub Beer. Decent Lager beer that doesn't taste like sour piss nor cost $10 for a 6-pack. Comes in cans, which is kinda funky. I like my beer in bottles, but fuggit because it still tastes good.

Booker’s

Elmer T. Lee tonight.

Mmmmmm....One of the finest drinking bourbons for the price (although extremely hard to come by). Savor that one.

I actually did some work on the development of that one. The solera (typically reserved for fortified wines) maturation process can really result in some interesting flavors and character.

I do like it a lot better than the standard Mac 12.

Pffft . . . what do you know about this stuff.

I like getting Breck’s responses and input in this thread!
I’d love to talk more about the solera process...

My beautiful lady & I are enjoying some Jameson 18yr “Bow Street” Edition tonight.

While I’m not typically too fond of Jameson, this one is a home run. Delicious. Bottled undiluted, at natural cask strength, a lot of the bold character that is typically missing from Jameson whiskeys is here in bold, beautiful amounts. Honey, caramel, vanilla, creme brûlée flavors all stand out.

*that Glenlivet 14yr behind it also deserves an honorable mention. Finished in cognac casks. Wonderful.

Sláinte!


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Essentially, the solera process involves adding younger whisk(e)y to very old whisk(e)y. (In the case of Blade & Bow, the original “mother” whiskeys are around 26 years old). The idea behind this is that there will always be amounts of the older whiskey in the blend. With fortified wines, there is a large solera vat that holds very old (I’m talking triple digits in age, in some cases) port/sherry/etc, to which younger wines are added. The solera wine is then drawn from the bottom of the vat and bottled.

Another exceptional solera-aged whisky is the Glenfiddich 15yr.


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Sherry.


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I love that Glenfiddich 15! One of my favorite Scotches.

It was interesting to learn about the rickhouses that were abandoned during the “bourbon recession” by the distilleries that didn’t want to pay the taxes on them. All the Orphan Barrel lines were a product of their “rediscovery” and you might as well use the solera process instead of wasting the rest of that glorious bourbon! I loved the history behind Stiezel-Weller as much as anything.

I’m drinking the Orphan Barrel 25 tonight, because I wanted something fancy and it was already open. I have some other special occasion bottles that I can’t quite bring myself to crack open yet.
Yet.