I need some help understanding the BT Antique series.
For the Sazerac Rye release this year. It states that it was distilled in 1985. Released in Spring of 2012. But it is called the Sazerac 18. I take it was in cask for 18 years, but why the delay in release?
The source for this was a batch that was distiller in 1985. Sometime in 2005/2006, BT put the remaining juice into steel tank to stop the aging process. Every year they release a bit from the tank for bottling until a new batch of distilled rye reaches the necessary age.
It’s widely understood that each year the rye looses a bit of its overall freshness maybe due to its exposure to air in the stainless tank. I’ve got an older bottle of the 2005 release and plan to taste it along the 2011/2012 to try and validate this claim.
OK. I was figuring you would be one that had some answers. I pulled up the media kit from BT to get the information I stated above.
So help me with the two bottles I got this year, the information doesn’t correspond.
My bottles just seem off from stated on the release sheet. My Eagle Rare states distilled spring 1984 bottled 2001. My Sazerac states distilled in spring 1984 and bottled in fall 2001. The back labels are different from last year’s releases, lacking WWW internet information.
What do you think?
This year’s purchase of Sazerac
It sounds like you struck gold. The old eagle rare and sazerac 18 labels stated the distilled date and bottled date on the front label, this was only for a few years until they went to the current label that only has the release date on it now. The 2000/2001 saz 18 are supposed to be the best of the bunch, it started in 2000. I don’t know much about the old eagle rare offerings. That being said this would been back when they still produced the eagle rare 10/101 befor it switched to single barrel 10/90.
Not sure how these are still out in the wild but its a very cool piece of booze history. Mind posting pics of em ?
This year’s purchase of Eagle Rare 17
Yup, you did strike gold. That is the first ever release of saz 18 and might be the first/second release of the eagle rare 17.
That stuff is unicorn whiskey, enjoy and nice find!
I will change them to full pictures later today when I get home from work. I was quite surprised. I thought maybe they rotated some old bottles in for fun. Liquor is controlled by the state in Oregon, so I don’t know how there could be grey market booze unless they just had them in their back stock and forgot about them.
When a store closes doesn’t the booze to back to the state then redistributed back out to other stores?
If so consider yourself crazy lucky!
I’m not sure. I think when they bring something in they actually pay for it. I honestly cannot think of a time a liquor store closed.
I am happy to have it, I knew it looked different and the back label lacked URL information I knew that it was older.
Wow, that is very cool Travis. You should go buy some lottery tickets today!
Now I wish I would have requested one of each release.
I just found out from their PR person that after Oregon got their allocation they pleaded for more. There was no more current release but found some older releases in their warehouse that offered uP to Oregon. Luck of the draw.
Saw some Wild Turkey Tradition 14y/o in a store over the weekend. Anyone tried this?
A friend was looking for a gift that’s not PVW, but has similarities. A shop owner suggested Black Maple Hill 16 year and I suggested Jefferson Presidential 18 year (I’m a big fan of this one at $80-90/bottle). Was wondering what everyone here thought of how the two stacked up against each other (taking out possible batch variability since they both can have it). I’ve seen a bunch of notes on this thread about each, but didn’t see a comparison between the two.
Ugh. The liquor store right under my office has the whole BTAC lineup for sale, but at extortionate, eBay-like prices. So frustrating!
JPS18 is the same stock as PVW, just not selected by Julian and bottled as Pappy. There seems to be thought that the lower the bottling/batch number the better. I personally really like the BMH, but if the selection criteria is most Pappy like, there is no choice but the JPS.
Asked my Sazerac person about this, and they don’t have anything this old available for any market…no reason this would go to a control state.
Kris,
I had a contact at Buffalo Trace who I have spoken to before. It seems the story is that Oregon pleaded for more of this year’s release of the Antique Family releases. They didn’t have any more of this year’s but had recently found some previously releases in the warehouse. These were offered instead. OLCC accepted and they were sold unknowingly and based on emailing her, I am the only one who has asked so far.
I was just gifted a bottle of Rock Hill Farms from a friend at work. Seems this is a board favorite so I’ll be curious to see how it shows.
UPDATE: whoa, this is fine stuff! Spicy rye with just the right amount of kick and sweetness.