The first two here from high west are fantastic, I have not tried the reserve, the campfire from High West is getting very good reviews.
Thanks, Precambrianmollusc. My list is getting longer…
I have liked every High West Rye I’ve tried. The Knob Creek rye is pretty good - the single barrel is awesome. Jim Beam Rye is just OK. Templeton is excellent. Rittenhouse is good, but at 100 proof, a bit harsh on my palate. Is the Jefferson’s a bourbon or a rye? I have a bottle of their rye on my bar now, and it’s currently what I’m making my Manhattans with. Pritchard’s is a small, newish distillery in Tullahoma, TN that has been making good stuff for a while now. Their rum is first rate. Now it seems their whiskey has been barrelled long enough to bottle, but I’ve not tried it yet.
As silenus says, everything by Black Maple Hill is superb, and some of their stuff (an 18 year old bourbon and a 23 year old rye) exceeds even Van Winkle.
Just joining in the adoration of Black Maple Hill. I cry if they’re out at the Seelbach Bar when I’m visiting.
Be prepared to weep. I understand Black Maple Hill is ceasing production. I have no particulars, but the beverage manager at my favorite Atlanta bar tells me he hears it from a reliable source. 
I wonder why they would bother to promote themselves at an event like this if that was the case? Not saying your info is wrong, it’s just curious.
Good question! If there is a distillery rep at the Black Maple Hill booth (as opposed to a distributor), why don’t you ask about this rumor and report back to us?
Keeping this list in mind for my next visit to the ABC store. Out of curiosity, for someone who prefers Woodford Reserve to Knob Hill or Maker’s Mark, which of these bourbons would you recommend?
Black Maple Hill, of course!
For a much cheaper tipple, I really like Jim Beam Devil’s Cut. You also can’t go wrong with anything Buffalo Trace puts out.
Do you really like Devil’s Cut? I found it harsh. I much prefer the Black label Beam.
Actually, I do. Remember I usually drink Wild Turkey 101 straight as a nightcap. Devil’s Cut is a right nice dram to me. I like what the extra age does to it vis a vis normal Beam, which is plebian at best.
Different strokes.
5 years ago or so I asked for bourbon for Christmas and got maybe 8 different brands. I did side-by-side tastings for a few months and decided that Eagle Rare 10yr was my favorite, which agrees with silenus’ statement about the general quality of bourbons from Buffalo Trace. So give that a try if you haven’t already.
I can echo Eagle Rare 10 year.
I always have bourbon around and Eagle Rare 10 year has been one of my staples. One of the best for the price (i.e. $30 or so for a fifth). Basil Haydn’s is also a good one and priced around the same as Eagle Rare 10 year.
Liz and I were also at Cochon555 in Chicago a few weeks ago. We tried the entire High West lineup (including their single-malt whisky). I highly recommend all of their products, not a bad one in the batch. (Well, they do have an unaged one, which pretty much tastes like every other good-quality unaged bourbon out there. It’s not bad, but don’t waste your brain cells and taste buds on it.)
You should be posting live tasting notes, I doubt much will be rememberd tomorrow.
I love all the stuff that High West sells that they’ve sourced, not made. Campfire, Rendezvous, Bourye and their barrelled Manhattans are all excellent. The stuff they make themselves, well, they’ve got a ways to go. That’s generally my opinion of almost all of the craft distillers. It’s very hard to compete with the big guys with their barrelhouses full of hundreds of thousands of gallons of spirits aged longer than the craft boom has existed.
Also, Black Maple Hill can’t be ceasing production. That rumor is flat out untrue. I can say this with confidence since Black Maple Hill has never ever produced anything period. They buy overstock from the big distillers and bottle it. That’s why their lineup, and sometimes quality, can vary so much. Their product line represents what they can get their hands on. That’s also why you won’t run into their distillery rep, 'cause they don’t have a distillery.
There are a lot of brands that work in more or less that same way. The number of national-scale distilleries making bourbon and rye is very small.
All in all, it was a spectacular event. The weather was great, the BBQ was top notch and there was good music. Getting the VIP tickets was definitely the right move. The lines during the first two hours were manageable, with the exception of the Pappy line. The space was pretty large and the little vendor map didn’t have specific brands on it. It had either the distillery, or in some cases just said "High End Bourbons"or “Rye Shootout,” etc.
By the time I found the Pappy line it was already 30 people deep. I am sad to report that they only had one (!) bottle of the 23 and it was gone before I made it to the front of the line. Despite that disappointment, they did have plenty of 15, which I sampled multiple times.
Some of the other standouts I tried included:
Knob Creek Single Barrel
Knob Creek Rye
Templeton Rye
Black Maple Hill (very interesting post above about them, btw)
EH Small Batch
Due to the layout and the lines, I did not get to find everything I wanted. I got lazy. One table had the Knob Creeks, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare 10 and Blantons. The lines were short and the pourer friendly. I had a quite a bit of each.
Some non-bourbons I tried and enjoyed included a Canadian called Pine Creek that is aged in port barrels, and a local Carolina rum from Broadslab.
I did not care for Woodford Reserve Double Oak at all (although they were nice enough to give me a t-shirt.)
I certainly got my money’s worth.
Let me make a small correction to my post. BMH doesn’t do their own sourcing. They contract that out to KBD.
And if you really liked the Templeton Rye, go check out the Bulliet Rye. It’s the same product, distiller by MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
From the excellent K&L Spirits Journal…
This makes far more sense! I would bet that the “rumor” came from a distributor who was tired of being badgered for BMH. Easier to say they’re not going to make it any more than to say I can’t get it any more!
Sweet, I’ve been loving me some Bulliet Rye for awhile now. It’s good, spicy stuff. My favorite, Willet, is distilled by KBD, runs about $35, and is on the shelves now. BMH fans may want to try it out (and I may regret making that recommendation, judging from the number of BMH fans in this thread).
I’ve never been a fan of bourbons or ryes or whiskies. But as I get older, they are gaining in appeal. I have some pretty old Crown Royal and Chivas Regal in my liquor cabinet. When I say old, I bought these particular bottles in the mid 90’s and never cracked the seal (for lack of interest thus far). The Chivas was a 12 year old when I first bought it. I don’t suppose they’ve matured or changed much sitting in their bottles.
I know these are whiskeys, but how do these stack up to the brands in this thread? Should I pour them down the sink and get myself some real bourbon?