Beagleone 11:13 PM 12-25-2023
So Spec's has announced the New Year's drop for this year. Again, it will be i three locations, Houston, Austin and DFW, for this Thursday at 10am. This year, they have moved the DFW location to north Irving, so near my office. I suspect that DPD decided they had enough of having to monitor several thousand people standing in line for three days to pick up allocated bourbon, thus they moved it to another large store (basically a half size big box store, formally a Best Buy).
I haven't decided if I am going to go yet, but I am not going to camp out for the next three days just to be getting first dibs on the bourbon. There are already two tents set up outside the store. Irving PD also won't put up with ****, so we'll see what happens.
Here is the list and locations.
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icehog3 09:11 AM 12-27-2023
I opened a Weller Full Proof pick with much trepidation last night. It’s a Warehouse Liquors single barrel and I had been disappointed by a Stagg Jr. Warehouse pick I opened a couple weeks ago.
My fears were quickly allayed with orange peel and burnt sugar on the nose, sweet heat on the palate, and a long finish. It’s still not in the league with the Binny’s latest WFP pick, but it’s a league above the Warehouse Stagg pick.
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icehog3 09:34 AM 12-28-2023
My haircut got delayed an hour yesterday, so I went to Garfield's and they had a Still Austin single barrel pick. I've been intrigued by the brand, but the other store nearby that had a cask strength pick (Binny's) offered it only in a high rye version. I passed for months on that, but when I saw Garfield's had a CS straight bourbon pick, I decided to try a pour at their bar.
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Enjoyed it and told the bartender was going to grab a bottle. He said in that case the pour was on him. Brought it home and had another pour. little different as the bar's bottle had been open a couple weeks, but still really tasty.
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Chainsaw13 12:31 PM 12-28-2023
Hmm…I saw a SP of this at Total Wine yesterday and passed on it. Might need to head back.
[Reply]
icehog3 02:46 PM 12-28-2023
Originally Posted by Chainsaw13:
Hmm…I saw a SP of this at Total Wine yesterday and passed on it. Might need to head back.
I've seen two varieties around here, Bob, High Rye Bourbon & regular Straight bourbon. I have not tried the high rye version.
[Reply]
big a 03:22 PM 12-28-2023
Well in a couple weeks I’ll have a DEVR
:-)
[Reply]
Beagleone 10:26 PM 12-28-2023
So today, the FOMO overtook me and I went to the local Spec's for the mega NYE drop. It was impressive. I got there around 7:30 am and was about 405 in line. At 9am, they required everyone to remove their chair and stand until you got in. Peter sent this pick and pretty much X marks where I started.
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I was finally able to enter the store at 1pm. The guys I met ordered lunch through Uber eats and got me a sandwich. They were quite fun to talk to. As we entered, you grab a cart and follow the maze until you get to the tables that had everything. Almost everything was a store pick. The Hancock wasn't, but the distributor sent the Hancock intended for today to another distribution center. Oops.
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I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left. The EHT and Willet Purple was gone by the time I got in, but my group of guys got the last 5 bottles of Stagg, which i really wanted. I also got the last bottle of Hancock. I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left, came home, showered and napped. Around 630pm, I decided to go back and pick some scraps. The Blantons was all gone, as was the ER, but the OFSBBS was still there and the BT. That was when the district manager yell out to everyone, "TAKE IT ALL! NO LIMITS!" I grabbed more OFSBBS and BT but some others. One guy took 5 cases of BT. Another grabbed a case of OFSBBS.
Here is my final haul, including the Blantons Gold.
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It was a good day and my debit card (5% discount for cash and debit transactions) is melted.
:-)
[Reply]
Chainsaw13 04:47 AM 12-29-2023
Porch Dweller 06:43 AM 12-29-2023
I've really been enjoying this Ragged Branch store pick. I'm usually not much of a fan of "Double Oaked" whiskies, as the oak usually seems overpowering. This one's definitely oak forward, but it quickly fades. It's quite tasty.
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[Reply]
Weelok 07:32 PM 12-29-2023
gettysburgfreak 08:31 PM 12-29-2023
This is insane, really wish Michigan didn't suck ass for bourbon. I have never seen a Stagg, Blantons Gold, or Hancocks Reserve on a shelf here.
Originally Posted by Beagleone:
So today, the FOMO overtook me and I went to the local Spec's for the mega NYE drop. It was impressive. I got there around 7:30 am and was about 405 in line. At 9am, they required everyone to remove their chair and stand until you got in. Peter sent this pick and pretty much X marks where I started.
Image
I was finally able to enter the store at 1pm. The guys I met ordered lunch through Uber eats and got me a sandwich. They were quite fun to talk to. As we entered, you grab a cart and follow the maze until you get to the tables that had everything. Almost everything was a store pick. The Hancock wasn't, but the distributor sent the Hancock intended for today to another distribution center. Oops.
Image
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I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left. The EHT and Willet Purple was gone by the time I got in, but my group of guys got the last 5 bottles of Stagg, which i really wanted. I also got the last bottle of Hancock. I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left, came home, showered and napped. Around 630pm, I decided to go back and pick some scraps. The Blantons was all gone, as was the ER, but the OFSBBS was still there and the BT. That was when the district manager yell out to everyone, "TAKE IT ALL! NO LIMITS!" I grabbed more OFSBBS and BT but some others. One guy took 5 cases of BT. Another grabbed a case of OFSBBS.
Here is my final haul, including the Blantons Gold.
Image
It was a good day and my debit card (5% discount for cash and debit transactions) is melted. :-)
[Reply]
SSDVC 01:26 PM 01-01-2024
Local store here had an end cap full of Blantons Gold early New Years Eve day. Picked up a bottle. Had to go back about 3 hours later, no more Blantons !
[Reply]
Chainsaw13 06:13 PM 01-01-2024
Weelok 06:42 PM 01-01-2024
Wow!!!! That is a lot of hard to find bourbon!
Originally Posted by Beagleone:
So today, the FOMO overtook me and I went to the local Spec's for the mega NYE drop. It was impressive. I got there around 7:30 am and was about 405 in line. At 9am, they required everyone to remove their chair and stand until you got in. Peter sent this pick and pretty much X marks where I started.
Image
I was finally able to enter the store at 1pm. The guys I met ordered lunch through Uber eats and got me a sandwich. They were quite fun to talk to. As we entered, you grab a cart and follow the maze until you get to the tables that had everything. Almost everything was a store pick. The Hancock wasn't, but the distributor sent the Hancock intended for today to another distribution center. Oops.
Image
Image
Image
Image
I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left. The EHT and Willet Purple was gone by the time I got in, but my group of guys got the last 5 bottles of Stagg, which i really wanted. I also got the last bottle of Hancock. I ended up getting 9 bottles at this time. Paid and left, came home, showered and napped. Around 630pm, I decided to go back and pick some scraps. The Blantons was all gone, as was the ER, but the OFSBBS was still there and the BT. That was when the district manager yell out to everyone, "TAKE IT ALL! NO LIMITS!" I grabbed more OFSBBS and BT but some others. One guy took 5 cases of BT. Another grabbed a case of OFSBBS.
Here is my final haul, including the Blantons Gold.
Image
It was a good day and my debit card (5% discount for cash and debit transactions) is melted. :-)
[Reply]
stearns 09:16 AM 01-02-2024
New Years Eve was a day of great whiskey, starting with some sample kills at Peter's including some (allegedly 16yr) Blanton's from 1991 to a super rye blind flight in the afternoon where Booker's Rye took down POAC, PHC 10yr and 2022 THH in that order. Finished with a purple top OG mash vertical 6,8,9,10yrs. Took yesterday off
:-)
[Reply]
icehog3 12:28 PM 01-02-2024
Originally Posted by stearns:
New Years Eve was a day of great whiskey, starting with some sample kills at Peter's including some (allegedly 16yr) Blanton's from 1991 to a super rye blind flight in the afternoon where Booker's Rye took down POAC, PHC 10yr and 2022 THH in that order. Finished with a purple top OG mash vertical 6,8,9,10yrs. Took yesterday off :-)
[Reply]
stearns 01:13 PM 01-02-2024
Originally Posted by icehog3:
A few months back a local friend was splitting a bottle up, another friend said he'd buy me one ounce if I'd get one for him, he ended with a cohiba in the box with his sample and everybody ended up happy. I was just waiting until the right time to get into the sample
[Reply]
icehog3 08:58 AM 01-03-2024
Originally Posted by stearns:
A few months back a local friend was splitting a bottle up, another friend said he'd buy me one ounce if I'd get one for him, he ended with a cohiba in the box with his sample and everybody ended up happy. I was just waiting until the right time to get into the sample
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Chainsaw13 11:45 AM 01-03-2024
Out running errands, stopped by my local store. The owner was in and got a chance to talk with him. Took down my name/number to add to his raffle list. It’s his list of regular bourbon buyers that he blind raffles off bottles of his high end stuff. If my name is picked, I can grab a bag. Fingers crossed.
Oh yea, they still had a couple older Bookers in the back. Grabbed this.
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icehog3 01:08 PM 01-03-2024
love finding old Booker's batches "in the wild", Bob.
Hope you score something cool in the raffle.
:-)
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