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Started 2 years ago by Snarf
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turbo ninja
Crumb Bus, Oh.
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Bardstown is a quaint little place to stay if you're doing the Bourbon Trail - relatively central to Heaven Hill and Maker's, and not too far from Beam. Bourbon country is not like Napa where everything is right next to everything else, so be prepared for some windy, twisty roads. Everytime I go to Maker's, I wonder how they get huge trucks of raw materials in and finished bottles out.

MM is my favorite tour and they've overhauled the whole experience in the last few years. First time I went, they had a very small gift shop. We went back last summer and that small gift shop (the old family house) is now a visitors' center with interactive exhibits and an old warehouse has been converted into a sleek new gift shop.

They'll let you dip a finger into an open fermentation barrel, which is a big difference from the Jack Daniel's tour where everything is sealed off in stainless steel. The tour concludes with tastings of both unaged bourbon (white lightning, basically) and the finished product. Then you can buy small bottles and hand-dip them yourself in the famous red wax.

PROTIP: Sign up as a Maker's Mark Ambassador on their website a few weeks before you visit. If you ID yourself as an Ambassador on your tour, they'll make a big deal about it.

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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michaelcoyote wrote >>

lifeontwowheels wrote >>
I really need to try Rye. Not to go off topic, but any good recommendations for a rye newb?

Old Overholt is a good first bottle.. It mixes well and drinks fine on it's own... It's also $15/bottle

Thanks. Finally got around to seeking out some rye today. Slim pickings at the store in Pickerington (Old Overholt, Jim Bean 6 year and something else). Grabbed the Overholt and some good ginger ale.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>
Grabbed the Overholt and some good ginger ale.

...

and?

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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ehhh

I grabbed the ginger ale at krogers and it's the "made with fresh ginger" stuff. Also some honey. Too sweet for my taste. I'm going to grab the vermouth and bitters in a sec... :)

ETA

2 oz rye 1/2 oz vermouth and 3-4 dashes of bitters makes a damn good cocktail.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>
2 oz rye 1/2 oz vermouth and 3-4 dashes of bitters makes a damn good cocktail.

'at's what I'm talkin' about.... :)

Posted 2 years ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>
ehhh
I grabbed the ginger ale at krogers and it's the "made with fresh ginger" stuff. Also some honey. Too sweet for my taste. I'm going to grab the vermouth and bitters in a sec... :)
ETA
2 oz rye 1/2 oz vermouth and 3-4 dashes of bitters makes a damn good cocktail.

Sweet (red) or dry (white) Vermouth? If you're using sweet, then that's a pretty classic Manhattan, although I like to up the amount of vermouth to almost 1:1...

It's all to taste though...

Posted 2 years ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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I've been drinking lots of Old Fashioned lately..like lots, and they are GOOOD. Makers is the simple choice there.
__

Was given a bottle of Woodford Reserve, and while I had tried that once in the past and thought it too spiced, I've enjoyed this new bottle quite a bit. Tastes can certainly change/evolve.

__

1792 is still one of my top three. LOVE that stuff.

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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michaelcoyote wrote >>

lifeontwowheels wrote >>
ehhh
I grabbed the ginger ale at krogers and it's the "made with fresh ginger" stuff. Also some honey. Too sweet for my taste. I'm going to grab the vermouth and bitters in a sec... :)
ETA
2 oz rye 1/2 oz vermouth and 3-4 dashes of bitters makes a damn good cocktail.

Sweet (red) or dry (white) Vermouth? If you're using sweet, then that's a pretty classic Manhattan, although I like to up the amount of vermouth to almost 1:1...
It's all to taste though...

Sweet of course. I prefer a little more of the whiskey to come through, so I've been playing with different measures. All I know is that after my friend made me one with Woodford it's been hard to go back to tamer whiskeys that I usually used.

Posted 2 years ago #
Daz
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Snarf wrote >>
I've been drinking lots of Old Fashioned lately..like lots, and they are GOOOD. Makers is the simple choice there.
__
Was given a bottle of Woodford Reserve, and while I had tried that once in the past and thought it too spiced, I've enjoyed this new bottle quite a bit. Tastes can certainly change/evolve.
__
1792 is still one of my top three. LOVE that stuff.

You soaking your sugar cubes in bourbon as well?

I've been thinking of doing that lately, but that commits me to drinking far more bourbon than I should be.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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Tried 1792 at Barrel 44 a while back. A definite thumbs-up.

Daz, you talking about for an Old Fashioned? I could be mistaken but I think the idea was to soak the sugar cube with bitters, not bourbon... that might help with your bourbon intake. Then again, if it makes better Old Fashioneds, it might not.

Posted 2 years ago #
Daz
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Bear wrote >>
Tried 1792 at Barrel 44 a while back. A definite thumbs-up.
Daz, you talking about for an Old Fashioned? I could be mistaken but I think the idea was to soak the sugar cube with bitters, not bourbon... that might help with your bourbon intake. Then again, if it makes better Old Fashioneds, it might not.

Ah... that explains a lot.

I'll try this other method.

Posted 2 years ago #
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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After a REALLY bad afternoon, I stopped in at Club Diversity for one of their Manhattans. Truly, these guys know what they are doing. Highly recommended to all.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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Noticed Bulleit on sale at the liquor store west of Olentangy on 5th... something like $23 a bottle. Stuff was flying off the shelves -- I got the last bottle, but the guy assured me there was a lot more in the back.

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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What's their Rye selection like? I know I've always liked their stock and usually head that way for my whiskey when in the area.

That's probably a good question in general: which store has the best selection of Whiskey in CMH?

Posted 2 years ago #
Sandor17
5XNW
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I can't speak to whiskey in particular, but for classic cocktail nerds, you really can't beat Weilands as a supplier. They will often take special orders. As long as a brand is registered with the state, and you get a group together to purchase about half a case, they will sell the rest of the case on the shelf. Some Hungarian friends and I used to get Unicum from Budapest this way. I have seen several hard to find rums, whiskeys, and various bottles from overseas come through this way.

And if all else fails, it is only an hour and 45 minutes to the Party Source in Newport, KY.

Posted 2 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
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Sandor17 wrote >>
I can't speak to whiskey in particular, but for classic cocktail nerds, you really can't beat Weilands as a supplier. They will often take special orders. As long as a brand is registered with the state, and you get a group together to purchase about half a case, they will sell the rest of the case on the shelf. Some Hungarian friends and I used to get Unicum from Budapest this way. I have seen several hard to find rums, whiskeys, and various bottles from overseas come through this way.
And if all else fails, it is only an hour and 45 minutes to the Party Source in Newport, KY.
I couldn't have said it better. I would only add, if you are a vodka connoisseur, the Bexley liquor store is owned by Russians and seems to have the best selection.

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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On Livingston? They seemed pretty well stocked with most things.

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Sandor17 wrote >>
I can't speak to whiskey in particular, but for classic cocktail nerds, you really can't beat Weilands as a supplier. They will often take special orders. As long as a brand is registered with the state, and you get a group together to purchase about half a case, they will sell the rest of the case on the shelf. Some Hungarian friends and I used to get Unicum from Budapest this way. I have seen several hard to find rums, whiskeys, and various bottles from overseas come through this way.
And if all else fails, it is only an hour and 45 minutes to the Party Source in Newport, KY.

I'm thinking we might need to start a CU liquor of the month thing...

Posted 2 years ago #
Daz
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>

Sandor17 wrote >>
I can't speak to whiskey in particular, but for classic cocktail nerds, you really can't beat Weilands as a supplier. They will often take special orders. As long as a brand is registered with the state, and you get a group together to purchase about half a case, they will sell the rest of the case on the shelf. Some Hungarian friends and I used to get Unicum from Budapest this way. I have seen several hard to find rums, whiskeys, and various bottles from overseas come through this way.
And if all else fails, it is only an hour and 45 minutes to the Party Source in Newport, KY.

I'm thinking we might need to start a CU liquor of the month thing...

I need a thumbs up emoticon.

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Daz wrote >>

lifeontwowheels wrote >>

Sandor17 wrote >>
I can't speak to whiskey in particular, but for classic cocktail nerds, you really can't beat Weilands as a supplier. They will often take special orders. As long as a brand is registered with the state, and you get a group together to purchase about half a case, they will sell the rest of the case on the shelf. Some Hungarian friends and I used to get Unicum from Budapest this way. I have seen several hard to find rums, whiskeys, and various bottles from overseas come through this way.
And if all else fails, it is only an hour and 45 minutes to the Party Source in Newport, KY.

I'm thinking we might need to start a CU liquor of the month thing...

I need a thumbs up emoticon.

I'm assuming Weiland's would be open to ordering the smaller size bottles? I think this is my biggest problem-trying to find a place that has the smaller bottles of good stuff at a good price that I can try in the comfort of my own home before investing.

Heck, we could probably find a bar to host each month, charge a small cover and mix a handful of choice cocktails with the feature liquor before anyone fully committed.

(Hey Bristol, still looking for an idea on Saturdays?)

Posted 2 years ago #