Stagg 26B, Single Oak Project, and Oak & Age; Ep. 75

Dan and Bob: Good evening. How's everybody tonight? Welcome back. Bourbon Brass and Beyond. Bob's back from vacation. Man, I don't so you know how vacation like I was three days in and I'm like, I'm ready to go all Not sleeping in your own bed. Yeah. My kids were driving me nuts. Like it was just a lot. So And then I came back to just busy work anyways. So Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know. You always you always had that feeling of knowing what you're gonna walk back into. yeah, you you know it's gonna be a lot, yeah. Yeah. Lisa's still digging out of emails. She's not on made it all the way through emails, so see that's the hard part. Yep. We had you know we came back to this week is hell week for my middle son doing two a day some football. So nothing too hot, I guess though, right? he's he's pretty well sunburnt. Yeah. He's he's getting there. Yeah, it's been yeah. but 'cause it was like ninety two today, sun, not a cloud in the sky. But so he has football from seven AM to two PM. Wyatt and Asher, my oldest and youngest, have marching band from eight AM to noon. And then on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays they have cross country from seven PM to eight thirty PM. But on Tuesdays and Fridays it's three to four thirty. So you're in the car non stop is what you Yeah. 'Cause it's twenty five minutes to their school for me. You know one of them boys to start driving. You need Yeah. So and and of course why it's getting his permit in October, but That's funny. Yeah. It i it is just non stop. Yeah. And of course Wesley my middle son being type one diabetic, you know, th this whole two days is just Yeah, I'm sure. Because your body's not used to this. No it's working so hard anyways. Just to keep up with that that I'm sure that it doesn't and he probably can't keep up with food or anything else just because they're busy. Yeah. Yeah. Well that stinks. But so last week Steph and I went down to Louisville, picked up the single oak. I'm so jealous about this one. Now maybe not because of the rye, but I am jealous. The single oak project is on the list of things I think is a very cool Yeah. The experiment, the everything else associated with it. I just wanted to smell it. So this one's been open for a couple of days. Smells really good. What else do we know about this thing? Of course it's on here. So barrel 80 is what it said, right? Yeah, barrel 80. this the was 12 months of seasoning. 125 entry proof, 12 months of stave seasoning, average grain size, warehouse type was concrete L, number four char on the barrel. The bottom half of the tree cut and it is 13 rings per inch. Hmm. Got it. Yeah. The I how many variables is that? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight different variables they're tracking. And who knows how many different versions of this thing they did. Top of the tree, bottom of the tree. Right. Whatever else. That's why I I'm a fan of data and trying to figure Yeah. And I guess putting in the time to try and see what differences things happen. So I get it's got a nice nose. Yeah. What am I doing? I'm out of practice or something. You had you had in such a nice pour, it's like the glass is like, I just gotta nice try or double contribute a little bit. But I'm getting I'm getting some Some fruit on that? Like a Like a lighter fruit, like a pear, peach, nectarine type. Yep. I almost was gonna say mustard too. Yeah, it's got a little bit of like a It's probably it's gotta be the rye spice, yeah. But it's not a dark space for having a four char. It doesn't say how long this is aged, right? No. No. It did not. 'Cause it's kinda lighter in color. Yeah. Yeah, so on the list of very cool projects for me. I love the fact that they go through and try and grind out and see what's what. Yeah. This is one of those we've we always watch what's going on on Unicorn too, and it's always funny to me. There was one of these, what was it, two hundred and forty five or two hundred and fifty bottles? It was all one ninety two. Well, okay. Yeah. And you're like, all right, so what's this gonna go for? Yeah. More than I was willing to spend is the answer. Yeah. Well, the last time that went through it was like it went for like thirty six thousand dollars. It's crazy. And then this last one I think was only like twenty four. Yeah. I how many buyers for that big of a Yeah. There's something else in there too. Ninety proof. Did we say that? Yeah. Got a rye to it. It's got a rye. Kinda has that has the oaky taste from like that chihuapin barrels from that Heaven Hill. Okay. To me. But it doesn't have the the dark like tart fruit that that that had. Not much of a finish. No. No. It I mean th it holds, but I don't think there's much else on the palette there either. Right. It's a pretty good strong ride though. rye bourbon. So it is still at least fifty one percent corn. Yeah. It doesn't talk about the mash bill, right? Mm. Yeah, it's gotta be. They're not playing games at that point, right? Unless they're changing that just to see how it comes through. So using ninety-six specially selected American oak trees, a hundred and ninety two unique barrels were created with varying stave seasoning, charring, and aging techniques. Yeah. Throw it up against the wall and see what sticks. Right. I wonder what they do with the off like are they bottling all of these or they find something like, this is crazy good. We're gonna keep this for something else. Maybe. And you never see what doesn't come out of this. Or the the opposite is that they're like, Yeah, dump this into the mix of something else. Right. Put the this one wasn't so great, put it into the Eagle Tens. So speaking of unicorn. I I do have a bottle coming. you do? I thought you were cut off. Well, this was just before being cut off. This was part of the process being cut off. So I did win the experimental fifteen year weeded low barrel entry proof. Single oak. Well it's From the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection. okay. So it's it it is the fifteen year hundred and five barrel entry proof. Okay. You know, like Pappy used to do it. Yeah. Well. The only difference is it's from a higher floor. Okay. So it's got a little spice to it, they say. But I mean I'm super excited to get that one. Yeah. that's another Well I have a We're probably gonna take that with us next Okay. Next week. Try and compare it well, two weeks, right? Two weeks. Two weeks. Yeah. Try and compare it against some of the other stuff and see how it shakes out. Yeah. All right. Might as well. I also have some Pappy cigars coming for us to take down. Yep. but so Preston said that we should do the the tradition cigars with the twenty three. So Certainly, you listen to the man, you don't tell him. That's right. Yeah, certainly looking forward to that. We gotta find a way to pack all that stuff and make sure it stays safe, right? Right. Right. Well, I've got that deep floor in the Tesla, so I figure we'll take that. I'm not gonna take the big SUV or the gas mileage. Yeah, go all the way down there. Yeah. certainly can't take the convertible 'cause there's no space. If you want me to put it with me, I can take it. It's up to you. If that changes your mind at all. Mm. It's up to you, whatever. We're well, the thing is too, we gotta we're we're gone for so we gotta p pack for different things. Okay. the joys. The joys. Yeah, it's gonna be a fun trip. I'm excited. Mm. It's getting more and more orangey. Yeah. Orange. Yep. I listen, I think the taste is still good on it though. Yeah. I don't know if this is on the list of I not a fan of rye. This one's not too shabby. Like it's not overwhelming on the when you first get at it and it usually I feel like there's a lingering rye that holds around that I'm not a big fan of. Like the peppery bite that lasts afterwards. This one's not as bad. No, and that's probably from the char. I think the char mellows it. Yeah. Yeah. It's like that oak and age that Yeah. Yeah. Have you tried that one yet? Mm-hmm. So today newbies. Newbie is the Stag 26B hit Ohio. Yep. So we do have the new 26B. I actually got two of them. That's nice. It's between Saturday and today. so this is the barrel proof, 125.2 proof, 26B. Nice. I've heard good things. Yeah. So this will be a a fresh crack. What was the proof on? 125, 127? 125.2. Okay. Maybe. Fresh crack? Yeah, maybe. come on. There's a tab on these, isn't there? Yeah, but it's kinda like pushed down in. Doesn't mean it's gonna help me. I can see it better. Doesn't mean fingers are gonna work better on it. Right. Need to grab a knife. I don't have anything on there? I don't think I have one over here. Yeah. Got it. There we go. Just didn't break. Have to go through all of that again. There you go. That was a good pop. Got my new barrel stave holders for the I like One of the sales. Yeah. Was this the Buffalo Trace sale of the day? Yeah, when the guy comes out and starts talking about it. So if you bought a Glenn Cairn, that these came free with it. that's not bad then. Yeah, it was I wanna let it set a second, but So the thing you said, I don't know if that's just stuck in my head, but it really is. Yeah. So there were rumors of what this would taste like. But that's definitely what it smells like. It does. It smells like grape laffy taff. It really does. Yeah. How do they catch, how is this that different from everything else? Yeah, and it's not ethanol at all. No. And that's a fresh crack. And at $125. I guess I won't pin it to laffy taffy, but it's definitely grapey. Yeah. It's on the list of things. I don't know if it's because the mind tells me that y that's what you said and that's what I'm smelling, but Definite grape. A little bit hotter than what I was saying. I was saying it's got a lot proof on it. No, we jumped but still I don't. Yeah. It's got a lot of proof. My I've always said these stags always drank higher proof than what they are. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So I would be curious what batch. Which B batch this is? Well, yeah, because it what Another couple of years in the barrel to make a George T stag. Yeah. Of that. Yeah. wow. Yeah. Same thing. They probably got it sitting around. Yep. It's really, really nice on the nose though. yeah. Great legs. Good finish on this. Yeah. Not crazy long, but it's got a good finish. I don't it's not holding like that rye did. It's hot, but it's got a great flavor. Think it's I've always been able to nose things better than taste them on the palate. And I don't know why that is. But I don't think this one is as good on the we've talked about some of these others that are crazy good on the palate, even though they smell good and they hold this one. Doesn't taste as good on the palate for me as I as it smells. Yeah. maybe that's the fresh crack. I almost get like a gram cracker or something in there, too. There's a Something else. It's good on the nose, man. Like that Fig Newton type cookie. I don't know what else that is. Listen, these are always on the list of nice to have around. Everybody always wants some of it. It's very popular. Yep. This is a better of the batches. Right. Yeah. And I'll be interested to see how this does in a month. Yeah, that's fair. We you know listen, we keep adding to the things we've got to come back to in a month. We're never gonna get to anything new or different or other things, but we just keep go 'cause I still wanna go back. I've not gone back to the cured oak. I've not gone back to that. and I probably should. How long ago was that? That's gotta be what, three weeks ago now? Yeah. So maybe we should revisit the the four grain. The four grain. Cured oak. Cured oak. And Did you get one of those or no? No. I have not gotten a cured oak yet. I don't know. Nose is good on this. It's hot. Yeah. So going down that line, something that I don't think drinks us near as hot as this. Here we go. Well, and you weren't here for this. Yeah. So went to Oaken Age. we tasted, I don't know, nine or ten barrels. Okay. And this one was something I just kept going back to. I'm like, this is so good. This one's good. And the the groups we were down there with didn't want to pick this barrel because of where it came from. Okay. Because to do a barrel pick it's it's hard to do a beam. Okay. So this was an eleven year beam barrel. Okay. one hundred and forty-three proof. Total. Now. It drinks yeah. Easier than that. Much, much easier. Okay. So this was you you got to pour this out of the barrel outside of the outside of the pick. Okay. I said I really want to go home with that. Yeah, can I have that one please? None of these guys know what they're talking about, but that's the one I want to have. Yeah. And it is just nice. I mean this thing's just so dark. Yeah. So I think it's off profile. I think it's off profile beam. And 'cause I'm I've not really been a a beam fan, so to speak. But I think this is f fantastic. Okay. Orangy? Mm-hmm. Did you say that or did I just pull that? You just pulled that. And remember, beam is a high rye urban. I'm afraid to go into this thing. there it is though. Okay. So it it's drinking a little hotter than it did the last time. It starts off light and it builds is what it does. the proof the is the way I would describe that. The finish. It's not overwhelming. But it just lasts. It's got a really good mouth f feel. It's more substantial. I don't know. I has I don't think it's clearly not the right way to describe that, but it holds better than the stag did. Interesting. I think it has something to do with the age. Yeah. That's a r you said this is high rye and it's still eleven years. I feel like that's a long time for a rye. Like Yeah. They this is the reason they got this as a pick is because it was laying in a corner somewhere, right? That's my guess. Had to be. They forgot it and then they're like, Well, we're not gonna pour that thing ever, let's just sell it off. Yeah. Huh. I have to say, Oak and Age, they had some really nice stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Trip, I wish I could have made Yeah, it's certainly That proof builds as as you How do describe that? Well, I think the the stag proof hits you immediately. Correct. Yes. And then this one doesn't but builds as it yeah. Look at the legs on that though. Man. Yeah. Isn't that great? Yeah. She's hot, but not I to your point it's not overwhelming. Like the stack. Yeah. That stack just hits you. Yeah. Whereas this one you're like, all right, I get a little of the Kentucky hug. wait a minute. Yeah, but it's not you're right, it's not as ethanolly hot, but it's yeah. But for one forty three? No, you you're exactly right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That we went up thirty, then we went up another fifteen, right? Yeah. eighteen. Eighteen. Wow. That's nice though. Hmm. W were all of their picks this high? No. Okay. What'd you guys end up with, do you remember? We we actually didn't come home with anything. you didn't? No. No, wow. Nobody wanted to commit to Said that was the one that we all agree on? Yeah. Huh. But this I'm just like Yeah, that one's me. Yeah, well and I'm not a proof person. Yeah. Yeah. But the flavor in You gotta be the highest one you got, right? Yeah, that rare character I think is one forty six. Listen the overwhelm it's one forty. I think that this is probably my highest. Overwhelming stuff, num number of things that we end up drinking don't come close to that. Right. Hm. But I just I had a great That's the one, yeah. That day, that proof that yeah. Yeah. Well, and I think I like I like the oak. Yeah. I like that nice Listen, that's why I got that that makers that I got. Because it we've talked about I always end up liking things that are French a French oak aged. Yeah. And that one was three parts French oak, four parts French oak. So I figured if I'm gonna pull one, this is gonna be the right. So wait what they said though is they they brought samples to the store for them. And they picked it in the store, I assume, with some of their bigger customers. And then they went back and basically pulled the barrel for and shipped it back. Well, and they don't really pull the barrel. Well, yeah. Staves. Yep. and then they pull how much of that out. Yes. Yeah, yeah. I don't know if this is one I would reach for. But in terms of high proof. Maybe that's the rye that's biting at me too, not the proof. Yeah. But it's a lot more subtle. The rye is a lot more subtle. I yes. I would even compare to the single oak. Go figure. I don't think that drinks as hot as the George T Stag that we had. The U Lucen, I stag drinks hot, George T Stag drinks hotter. But yes, hundred percent of time. Yeah. but then this is one hundred forty three and that's one forty two point eight. yeah, you're right. Listen, I that's a good pour. Yeah. I again I I don't know if I would have picked it, but I'm not sad we tried it. So And again it's a rye. I mean I I'm not searching but Right. Well, it's still bourbon. It's it's just Yeah. High rye, okay. That Bardstown area. Yeah. I arrived. Not bad. No. Mm. Now I'm getting the grape on this. I don't know if I would say that. But I'm getting it mid palette, bold, great. Yeah, I catch the rye. I the the longer it sits, I get the rye. Well, good stuff. That's the I can tell you which one, yeah. Yeah. Let me see. I mean I could just still smell the grape on this the on the stag. Yeah. Hmm. Go figure. Yeah. It's hiding in there. Very interesting. Well, yeah, that's that's it was a good day. Yeah. Yeah. You got a stag today. Can't cut. Yeah. Yeah. I got my Russell's thirteen in the mail today. Nothing wrong with that. No. Forty fifth. Yep. I finally got that one. What else? And I got that over the weekend, so store pick makers? Yeah. Nice. Good old Evans. It's it's a mix because there's enough stuff that we see under their price that I'm always surprised at the price. But then there was they had a Heaven Hill nine t twenty two that was a surprisingly good price. Did you not see the pictures? Bob, what was the price on that? Hold on. You're gonna be mad. Hypothetically. I mean if I were allowed. Yeah. Now I gotta go back and find it. I was under five hundred bucks. I gotta go back. I think I deleted the photos. I know they're in the chat. Yeah, 'cause they're like on the secondary for like seven something. Correct. I think it was four ninety nine. How far back do I have to go? Hmm. See, I just like that that I'm still getting the finish on that oak and egg. I agree. Mm. Where'd it go? But I'll agree that that's so great. Four ninety nine. Heaven Hill twenty two. That one was the one that surprised me. I didn't do it, but then there was a bunch of Buffalo Trace stuff that was in there that was seventy five dollars over what we see it here. Taylor Barrelproof 249, straight rye 199, single barrel 199. 60 bucks over at least. Steph found a single barrel, Taylor, for me in Massachusetts of all places. It was like 79 bucks. Listen, this is the difference in states. It's always funny to me. I kudos to Evans. They've always got good selection. I actually saw two different stores, I saw Blantons on the shelf in the wild, which we never see here. Usually it goes relatively quick. Somebody's got it. Now, so I'm like, they got blantons on the shelf and I walk over and look, it's 'cause they wanted one twenty nine for it. That's why it's on the shelf. So Well, it should be on the shelf at sixty nine. Yeah, well, yeah. Still not paying forty dollars over what we can find it here for. Right. So that's eighty bucks now Ohio. Did it go down? I thought was eighty five. Eighty I'm sorry. Everybody's talking about it. It went up. did it go up? Eighty seven? That's eighty seven. Yeah, well. Still sells out every d every time, so I guess I don't blame No, there were still blands left over from the last two weeks. A week ago. Yeah. Yeah. Where? At Shelly? I think it Giant Equal. Okay. Yeah. Listen, they flooded the after that last drop, they flooded it was well or twelve, right? No, it was well or foolproof. Each store was getting twelve or fifteen cases of twelve. It was everywhere. So and you you've noticed the prices on unicorn have come down substantially. Full or even locally are yeah. Antique. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, antique has been, you're exactly right. And they're down to like one fifteen, one twenty for foolproof. Yep. It was only a matter of time. I mean it was yeah. And again, some of this is their production finally coming to to fruit. I agree. So when we were down there doing the tours, I mean that's I mean that they were talking about that. Yeah. Listen though, the weird part is is that it is cheaper everywhere. It is barely shelf secondary market is almost non existent here for it. Yep. Like the markup or whatever you want to call that, the bump. But everywhere else ain't seeing it like that. I guess if you live in Michigan, you're s you're happy 'cause instead of one thirty you're paying one fifteen. But Well, and I think so Nick said something real interesting over the weekend, talking about the the first and second and third tier distribution. And I I mean I think this is kind of the fallout. This is the You know, so each each tier takes a little cut of the pie and then redistributes the bourbon where they see fit or where their friends are. Yeah. And You know, this is this is what happens when everybody keeps trying to manipulate the market. Yeah. So now that that R what was it, R N D C or whatever that thing has gone out. I I'm hoping that this changes yeah the way that distributions here. Listen, I don't You're talking about changing a hundred and twenty years worth of distribution? I I don't think this is the change in the bourbon market that's gonna make that thing happen. We we talk we have talked about this before. You are more likely the average bourbon buyer is more likely to spend $50 on something than $30 on something than $50 on something rarer than $25 on their normal shelter because it's different and it's probably double the product. Now, they're still selling their bottom shelf liquor, let's be clear. But I just think that the market has shifted enough that there's a whole bunch of in between that the top of the market's still really doing well, the bottom of the market, but I think that bottom of the market is changing. So Yeah. Well, I'd agree with that. And I don't I just don't think that's gonna be enough to say what you want about taxes and tariffs and whatever else. I don't think that that's going to be the thing that's pushing these guys to just Yeah. Ohio doesn't want to take on distribution. Well but they do. They already do. So they're the they're the tertiary, they're the third tier. Yeah, but I they're not going to give up the the control of that is my point. They're not going to they're not going to back themselves out, but they're also not going to just say, just send it to the distributors. And for what it's worth if I'm Buffalo Trace, I don't want to send it to I'd rather send it to one state than to forty-seven local distributors. Well, yeah, but what they were doing is they were having to send it to a d distributor who then sent it to the state. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Their own. Yeah. You know, so each any way you look at it, th this is why we were getting delayed products. Yeah. You know, so that big drop that we were talking about, there was 2024 stuff that came out in that. That's the same thing. That that's not because they just got it shipped to them. No, that's because they've been sitting on it, but or it's been in that process. I think that what was it? It was the was it the George T. Stags that were the old ones? Is that what it was? Yeah. I that's somebody holding on it to the in the warehouse just because Well i in my my point is that should never be the case. No, I agree. Yeah. You know, and if they're gonna hold on to it for a lottery bottle or something like that, then then why isn't it gone? they make mistakes. I think just like we joked that the that this Oak and Age got left in the corner at at Beam that guess what? Same thing happens at the state, same thing happens at distributor. Yeah. Somebody's like, crap, guess what we forgot to do? There's there's a pallet of this sitting in the corner. Yeah. I just I don't know. See the more I can. You love it. That that open age. I yeah. Come back to it now. It's it hit me hard in the in the glass. It's hot. Funny. Go back to the That I don't think I that single oak has got nothing on it. That ninety proof is sitting flat compared to everything else. Stag's still good. Yeah. Well this is a good one. Yeah. I like this. Yeah. A little bit of variety, a little bit mix and Yeah. Welcome welcome home. Yeah. Listen to it. We got a couple of weeks before we're right back out again. Right. But that's a good one. That's a well yeah. Of a lifetime. Yeah. Yeah. If I have to. So we're going down the day before. Yeah. And I'll drive down Sunday. Okay. Yeah. We're we're going to Bardstown on Sunday. Okay. And hit Heaven Hells. Okay. So I'm I'm doing the the one tour that the tasting tour. So you should be able to get a bottle after we'll see. We'll see if that happens. I will I would be all defined to V V S. Or even a fall release. Like a higher age fall release. I don't think I think we're still too early for this. True, but you never know. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, you're right. And then we'll get up and leave the next morning to do our later morning start. Yeah, 'cause that's my point is I don't want to have to try and do that morning of I'll come down, spend Sunday, relax and Plus you don't want to be tired for this. No. Well, listen, I don't do well any of the evenings anyways. I'm a early riser and I prefer to get it done and out of the way and yeah. So my buddy Alex is gonna meet us there. Okay. And he'll help do whatever we need to do. And then other than that. Yeah. Looking forward to it. Yeah, it's gonna be super cool. So I I think maybe we need to try to get out one more episode between this one. Okay. And that one. Because that one I think we gotta do at two more we talking about. Well, so three more. You think? So we leaving? Julian Van Winkle just turned seventy seven. Okay. So this is we're currently recording our seventy fifth episode. you wanna make that one okay. We should make that one seventy seven. Okay. I'm just just saying. Yeah. To make the math right. Yeah. Make the make it work out. We might have to release out of order. Well, we can't release that one till yeah first week of September anyway. You're right. You're right. All right. Well then maybe we won't say which episode that is yet. Yeah. All right, then we can do two more this week. Yeah. You were just saying. I was just saying. Tell him to eat. And just like that way. Well, folks, thanks for watching. Everybody have a great night. like and subscribe. please share. And give us a follow. Any reviews or comments, please leave them. Bad one sended Dan. I don't want to hear it. Right, right. I'm not listening to your shit. We haven't got any, but you know, we'll take We'll take Have a great night. god. Good night.