It has to, Bob. I can't imagine the regular being consistently better than SFTB, Takara, etc....

I went back to Binny's yesterday and scored another EHT. I wish evert week was like this.
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The roads finally cleared up, so I hit up a few local shops to see what they had. Tuesdays are delivery day (Fridays too). My main B&M got their ECSB pick in. 9yr, 127.5 proof. Just had a pour, then another. Safe to say I like it. Oakey, chocolate covered cherry, maraschino cherry. For being a fairly high proof, not much Kentucky hug.

While I was there, the one store manager was showing the Heavens Door Bootleg they also got in to another person. Turns out that other guy is a friend of a friend.
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I have the Blantons ranked in that order from my experience as well. It's sad that Blantons gets the hate that it does, but I get it. It's certainly because it's so sought after (mostly because of the horses), but I really think it's one of the best bourbons at that abv. It leaves a little to be desired proof wise, but the flavor is fantastic in my opinion.

Kind of like the Yankees of bourbon I suppose.
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I was thinking the Corona Light of bourbons, Pete, but I am a douchebag. :-) :-)
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Cracked a '23 Gatsby Reserve last night. 15 year aged MGP. Super delicious and packs a flavor punch for 98.1 proof.

That being said, I like the Volstead and 1st Gatsby releases better.

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Hey Tom...

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24-01, Tony?
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23-04
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Grab me a case? :-)
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That can be arranged! :-)
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That's a lotta Bookers, likely on par with how much comes into the entire state over here. It's crazy how rare it is to see it around here, good thing I have a few bottles open that help me scratch the itch when I feel it

A friend put together a march madness competition to determine what the best batch of ECBP is once and for all, he used all 12 year age stated bottles with batch codes, so A118-A123. First matchup was wildly different with a clear winner, second was harder to pick. I think after the first round it's going to start to get pretty tough to tell these apart but I'm super excited to find out the results

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That’s a very cool idea Ben. Good luck with it. Can’t wait to hear your results.
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That is awesome, Ben. I've got a list ranking the batches I've tried, maybe 13-14 since A117. Looking forward to hearing and comparing.
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:-)
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Friends got me a gift card from my main local store. Used it yesterday to buy a bottle of Bowman Brothers. Gotta say, for $35, it’s a very good bottle.
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I've had that as well. It is pretty good stuff. If I remember right, there are two or three different variations and the one I was recommended was goof.
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Yea, there are Bowman Brothers, Issac Bowman and John J Bowman. Idk if Michigan gets the other two.
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Love me some Bowman, some of the John J Bowman single barrels have been delicious but the Brothers small batch can be right up there with them, just a little lighter on the proof. If you ever get a chance to try any Abraham Bowman's don't pass it up, their annual release that has some seriously big hitters (going back to the old days of 17yr 140+ proof "Abe Bowman" aka GTS single barrels). I got a bottle of their Gingerbread #2 in a lottery a couple years ago, they took barrels used to age Hardywood's gingerbread stout and put some aged whiskey in them to finish off, the result is the perfect snowy winter day pour :-)
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