[OHMatt]

pnooner still speaking softly carrying the big stick. I promise to disappear into obscurity again but doing a drive by.

Here's another of my long winded posts for old times sakes.

1992 was the last year Stitzel Weller distilled (Bulleit reopened it in '13). IMO the Stitzel juice was the magic sauce in Van Winkle. Each year over the past decade, you've had to buy progressively more aged releases of VW to get the Stitzel (10, FR, PVW 20, PVWFR23). Much of the 2013 release was stolen and I know some guys who camped out overnight with 400 people starting at 1:30 PM for a shot at a few cases of the 2014 the next day; that was the end. I suspect some "barrels lost in the rickhouse" will show up in the blend of a $1000 bottle some time - but the "real VW" is gone.

I'm not saying the bottle of 15 year old Pappy you waited in line to get is bad whiskey but personally I'd skip the line and pick something off of the shelf - not necessarily cheaper mind you.. There are plenty of good wheaters out there. You don't have to jump from MM to the White Whale of bourbon. Buffalo trace distils the Pappy now, so you aren't getting a bad product.

My choice for sometime now among all wheaters is W.L. Weller Antique 107 or Weller 12 . If you are one that thinks it's a sin to splash some water into any whiskey you might not care for the 107. Two stores in N. KY sell single barrel expressions of 107 several times a year. One of the stores even buys multiple barrels and lets you taste the difference between the bottlings. I know there are other sellers that buy casks, I think K&L is one of them. The vatted stuff is good as well though.

The developing white whale NDP bourbon is Black Maple Hill, but it's a rye. The AS bottles have tripled in price. What hurts is their regular 8-ish bottling has jumped from $20 - $35 locally. I hate when that happens.