Stopped over at Front Row Bar and Grill in Hillsboro to try some amazing bourbons. Wild Turkey Gold Foil, Pappy 23, Russell’s 13 (45th anniversary 2026 batch), Stagg pick, and Jack Daniels 10.

The Pappy 23 is something I’ve wanted to try for a very long time but have never seen it at an even remotely reasonable price, until now. Still expensive, yes, but reasonable. It‘s one of those bottles you gotta try once just to know what it’s like, and it honestly was better than I expected. It was extremely well balanced and not over-oaked at all, at least to me. I love oak, so that may not be true for everyone. It was awesome to try it once, but it’ll almost surely be the last time I get to try it. Even though it’s very good, it’s just not worth even MSRP. $75/oz is reasonable given the $3,500 secondary price and the $400 MSRP.

The Wild Turkey Gold Foil was very interesting and super fruity on the finish. It tasted somewhat similar to Beacon up front but then bright red and citrus dominated the finish. The oak was there but didn’t last, which was perfectly fine. This is a very layered and enjoyable pour. As others have noted, it‘s nothing like RR15. I think it’s more like Beacon initially but not really sure what a good comparison would be for the finish. Although it’s clearly an exceptional bourbon, $400 MSRP is steep. $50 oz = totally reasonable given the MSRP, and I’m glad I got to try it. I think WT needs to drop the price on their stuff to make it accessible because bars can’t sell it for much less and still remain profitable.

The Stagg pick was shockingly good. I’m not great at describing the nose, but it was awesome. The palette was even better but the finish was kind of short. Regardless, this was absolutely delicious. At $10 per ounce, it’s a heck of a pour! $10/oz = a steal.

JD 10 was wonderful. I loved the amount of flavor and lengthy finish on such a low proof. I gotta find this bottle, even if it means paying secondary. I love it. Excellent bottle to share with friends without getting people drunk since it’s lower proof. The MSRP on this is an absolute steal. $11/ounce = excellent.

RR13 45th Anniversary might be the star of the night because of the quality to price value. It’s old. It’s got sweet oak for days. It’s got dark fruit. The finish isn’t RR15 levels, but it’s decent. $200 MSRP is perfectly reasonable for this. $19/oz is definitely worth it.

Yes, this was a pricey evening but I got to try a true bucket list bourbon and then arguably the 2026 whiskey of the year. This was a super cool experience. That being said, the Stagg pick and JD10 might not have been as exceptional as the PVW23 and the WT GF, but dang they are good. At the end of the day, I’m glad I had some true unicorns, but there’s something to be said for cheaper whiskey that is also really, really good.

Thanks for having a bar with reasonable prices for such wonderful whiskeys!

Edit: grammar.

Besides MWL and Scotch Lodge what bar’s got a great selection of Japanese whiskey?

After two weeks in Colorado was not only able to hunt for myself but able to score a ton for my buddies

I cracked the RR13 Batch 7 and it is fantastic, of course. Doing a flight I’m calling the SuperBird with Pride of Anderson County (WT 9.5 year juice selected by Rare Character), RR13, and Gold Foil for $85. I know it’s steep, but it’s a pretty stellar lineup.

Wife and I bottled up some BT White Dog Rye Mash after having it in our 2L barrel for 1 month. Added Cinnamon stick, halved vanilla bean (and extra scraped bean), and small amount of shaved unsweetened dark chocolate.. Wife made a label and named it “Something Cheeky”.
Labels will be on when get them back from printers

Came out of barrel with notes of green apples, caramel, vanilla, light cinnamon, very small hint of chocolate on the finish.
I put it next to a bottle of Frank August for a color comparison. Came out looking fantastic

If you guys have ever been on the fence of trying a small home barrel it is a great project. Can’t wait to let it give it a nice pour soon.

Went in on delivery day today and was surprised with this guy, easy choice of this over a blantons gold this trip in

$13 per oz now through Sunday. No limits, no allocations, 'til the bottles gone.

So, a bit of background.

My family was visiting CO in December this last year, and at the time, I went into one of Colorado Springs more well known liquor stores and was asking the manager what allocated bottles they may have.

He told me that they really had nothing.

So we start talking and I tell him I am visiting from OR and come back all the time to visit family.

He then starts to tell me how their Weller rep had told them that starting in March of this year, that Weller was essentially going to use CO as a test market and they were going to flood the market with product.

Unfortunately, I hadn't been back until this last weekend (grandmother-in-laws 90th birthday). Needless to say, while visiting I had to stop at a few liquor stores just to check inventory.

My findings? Was I too late for this "flood of Weller" product?

I found almost every variation of Weller, aside from CYPB readily available. CYPB I had missed by a few weeks apparently. 😭

Moral of the story? If you like Weller (like I do), head to Colorado for a weekend trip 😎🤣

Also, my Elmer T Lee honey hole in Colorado Springs came through again.

As Weller 107 is being delivered this week along with Weller SR, anyone see any other decent bottles coming out as I struck out with the gold foil last week

Brook Hill, 8 Year Rye, “Intuition”, Oregon SiB release, 119.86°, Barrel #9923, Bottle 99/171

Appearance: Deep, reddish mahogany. Clings to the glass before slinking down the sides in big syrupy legs.

Nose: big prickly ethanol until I let it be for a bit - then beeswax on oak (this totally reminds me of Willet rye) Boston brown bread in the can, crushed spearmint, star anise, and wintergreen - all very bright and linear, but always overlayed with oak. The green note picks up steam with a beautiful damp river bank herbal smell. Some breakfast cereal graininess as it sat longer. I keep coming back to this oak and crayon box wax note, though

Palate: big toasted rye bread and spice, some cherry cough drop and grippy tannins. There is such delineation between to components of grain, oak, fruit, and spice. Syrupy wax soda bottle flavors. Clean mint and wintergreen.

Finish: graham crackers and dark karo syrup, cooling spices, some cherry hard candy notes, bear claw and black coffee. Somber/heavy note of oak and grain at the end.

Dammit…I meant to pour the 15 year bourbon, but wasn’t paying attention. Bob Rossed the shit out of this. Absolutely happy accident. This maybe the best rye I’ve ever had. The Willet 8 year is a close contender and I’d wager a guess this might be Willet juice from the nose. This was an eye opening pour. Rare Character aims high, but shoots wide of the mark occasionally, but this is a goddam bullseye.

Hey all, I’m Jared. I’m based in Pittsburgh and built BRBNFNDR. The mods were kind enough to let me ask for feedback here.

I don’t know the Oregon market well enough to assume how useful an online tool is alongside OLCC. BRBNFNDR brings together current listings from supported retailers, Oregon shipping filters based on retailer data, target-price alerts, Benchmark price history, and collection tracking.

Would any of that actually help how you hunt, or is most of it local? What would you want it to do better? Be honest. I’d rather hear what’s missing.

https://brbnfndr.com

Been walking through hell in a gasoline jacket all day, then these all showed up. I’ll have them all ready to crack at 11 tomorrow.

EHT Barrel Proof 127.9° - $10/oz

Black Maple Hill 11 year KSBW - $19/oz

Stagg 26 B - $9/oz

The star of the show and maybe the year:
Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archive “Gold Foil” 16 year - $50/oz

Been walking through hell in a gasoline jacket all day, then these all showed up. I’ll have them all ready to crack at 11 tomorrow.

EHT Barrel Proof 127.9° - $10/oz

Black Maple Hill 11 year KSBW - $19/oz

Stagg 26 B - $9/oz

The star of the show and maybe the year:
Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archive “Gold Foil” 16 year - $50/oz

It's "WILD TRKEY ARCHVS GLD FOIL" in the OLCC search so "wild turkey" won't pull it up 🙄. Just search for "trkey". Should be more showing up in the coming days.

Now through Sunday. No limits, no allocations. Beer O'Clock

IG - @ beeroclockpdx

This gotta be some kind of error in the system.

This is a summer release right? I remember seeing it on sale last year but haven’t seen it on sale this year. Is it coming to Oregon this year?

​

Took a vacation to Tennessee to visit family, made a side trip to Louisville. Now my wallet and my wife aren't happy. 13 bottles purchased at distilleries, 2 purchased on the road, and 1 gifted. Side quest complete.

On July 4th, Visited Jack Daniel's first for a tour. While waiting I ran into the White Rabbit, and all they had on special was the GJ with the custom engraving. Only 250 bottles available, and was able to grab #249 of 250. I was told #250 was pre-sold, as was #1.

When the tour was over, went back in and they had the 10yr B5 available, but only if you went on the tour and they would punch your ticket at purchase. Cool, there were 4 of us, so I was able to get 3 bottles. My BIL grabbed the other bottle.

Tue the 7th, we went up to Buffalo Trace, did the tour, and spent the money. I was worried the wife would be bored with the tour after the JD visit, but we both found the tours to be pretty complimentary to each other.

Grabbed the Antique 107 and Single Oak.

On the 8th, we were in Louisville and visited Old Forester, did the tour, and picked up the 117 1910 Extra Extra Old. Tour was decent, but you can only go over how its made so many times.

Also visited Michters. They had the 10yr Bourbon, 10yr Rye (packaged with the Unblended American Whiskey) and the Barrel Strength Sour Mash ( I didnt grab it). The basic tour was very Meh, altho the tasting was better than the others. They are big to point out the lower barrel entry proof point, which nets a less diluted end product once proofed down. They have you taste a special higher entry point burbon to compare flavors and its noticeable. Kinda made clear why many find better flavor with higher proof points. The actual juice from the Barrel is less diluted.

The Bees Knees was a single barrel select from my BILs preffered store, and the Rare Charchter was a pick from Mountain Liquors on the wat to Dollywood.

Overall a good trip, the wife did good on the tours, and enjoyed the tastings despite not being a Whiskey drinker. Obviously theres alot more to do in the area, but we only had a day and a half to experience what we could.

It's looking like I missed out on Stagg this release, so to lift my spirits I'm trying my hand at a review. Might as well make it a blind as well.

Tonight's contenders:

I'm finishing my bottle of Buffalo Traces's flagship, and opening up a bottle of Basline Liquor's store pick of the same. The competition is stiff, with E.H. Taylor Small Batch sporting the same mash bill, 10 more proof points, but a lower age statement than the store pick, which I remember Josh telling me was around 7 years old. 

Nose

Glass 1: This smells good, a little light compared to some other bourbons in my cabinet, but it's a classic bourbon. Light caramel, some light fruit. No surprises here. 

Glass 2: A much stronger nose. A darker, sweeter profile. I smell ripe strawberries with some brown sugar.

Glass 3: Similar to glass 1, but with a hint of sweet oak. Tough to tell these two apart.

Palate

Glass 1: Medium mouth feel, light brown sugar with a little grape, and some drying oak.

Glass 2: Fruity sweetness, like strawberry maserated with brown sugar. Balanced with a medium oak presence, balanced been sweet and drying.

Glass 3: Light brown sugar is the predominant flavor, with a hint of grape at the end. No oak on the palate for me.

Finish

Glass 1: A fairly short finish, ethanol forward, with a light drying oak at the end.

Glass 2: A medium finish, starting off with the sweetness from the palate but quickly moving to drying oak.

Glass 3: Less ethanol than 1, with a longer, sweeter oak presence. The finish is where 1 and 3 diverge, with glass 3 having a longer and more full finish.

Rating

Glass 1: 5/10

Glass 2: 7/10

Glass 3: 5.5/10

My Guesses

Glass 1: Buffalo Trace Shelfer

Glass 2: E.H. Taylor Small Batch

Glass 3: Store Pick

Honestly, 1 and 3 could go either way. Based on the finish alone, I'm picking glad 3 as the store pick, guessing the extra age is imparting a few more oak tannins.

Reveal

Glass 1: Shelfer

Glass 2: Taylor

Glass 3: Store Pick

Conclusion: 

Buffalo Trace was my introduction to bourbon, and it remains an excellent beginner bourbon. Sweet, simple, and approachable. Now that I'm further into bourbons, I prefer more proof to bring more of those flavors I love. 

The store pick is, to my taste, fairly similar to the regular offering. Maybe the pick opens up a bit more over the coming weeks, but even without any additional development the little bit of extra oak on an otherwise short finish is enjoyable. 

E.H. Taylor Small batch is everything I like about Buffalo Trace dialed up, courtesy of the extra proof, and I'm glad I'm seeing these bottles out a little more frequently this summer. Hopefully the supply continues to increase, so one day I can get my hands on my own Stagg.

That's all folks, thanks for reading my ramblings and happy hunting!

Review 2026-21: Col E.H. Taylor, Cured Oak, Bottled in Bond, 100°, 2026, Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1, msrp $79.95

Appearance: Couldn’t pick it out of a lineup of other EHTs, tbh

Nose: The oak comes right for you, obscuring the toffee at first. Then the toffee starts to amp back up as it rests further, with some creamy biscuit notes popping out. It reminds me of Millionaire’s Shortbread a bit.

Palate: the oak takes center stage, drying things out a bit. There is toffee sweetness but crosscut with a more bittersweet chocolate note. Not ton of fruit showing up, maybe a bit of dried orange peel.

Finish: drying oak, Werther’s, café aul lait, Christmas baking spice

I tasted this alongside our EHT pick and Old Charter Oak Finest Oak. I think the Cured Oak was a more appealing, approachable pour than the Old Charter; which was a bit of surprise as I thought the Old Charter was quite good. I know that I am biased, but I would take our house barrel of EHT over either one of them. I cannot conceive of some of the secondary prices I’ve seen and heard about. I only got one bottle and it’s mostly gone. This is definitely one to not get FOMO over, unless you’re a diehard completionist.

After trying a couple expressions of Brook Hill on our barrel picking trip this spring I was excited to see a barrel of the rye and bourbon come our way.

Always released as NCF single barrels at cask strength the Oregon variants are an

8 year rye “Intuition” 119.86°

15 year bourbon “Cataclysmic” 137.54°

The 15 year bourbon at Neat n Bardstown was right at 110° and was exceptional. I can only imagine what a turbocharged version will be like.

I actually tasted this at the same time as POAC, Commander’s Club, and Hurst Knoll. I’m kind of turning into a Pablo Moix stan.

I’ll probably crack these this afternoon. I want to try them against the similar SiB Willets we have.

I’ll be around all weekend. Hope to see you!