Budget Bourbon Blowout Blind Tasting + 1972? Old Charter 7 Year Review

One of the most interesting things to happen as a result of joining /r/bourbon and /r/scotchswap was meeting a lot of local guys from the Nashville area. After quite a few in person swaps the resounding theme everyone I met agreed on was that competition in our market was insane. As more and more local trades went down I started floating the idea of banding together and starting our own little whiskey hunting group. Once I got everyone on board we set up a private Facebook group where we all share info on finds and keep each other in the loop with release dates/info from our preferred stores. After a while one of the wives joked with one group member that he was always talking to his “Imaginary Internet Whiskey Friends.” The name stuck and we’ve rolled with it ever since. Jokes aside it’s worked out remarkably well for us all and I would highly recommend that approach for any of you who live in a brutal market.

One of the other ideas for the group was to occasionally get together for some whiskey tastings. Last night was our first and I thought I would share our results. Since it was the first tasting for all of us we decided to start small. The category was any bourbon (no ryes) under $25 MSRP. To keep the tasting as blind as possible, /u/tvraisedme, /u/docjones12, /u/Imcoolerthanu50, /u/helios7, and myself submitted 3-5 bourbons to /u/werdx who couldn’t make the tasting. /u/werdx then sorted through the lists, eliminated duplicates, randomly picked a submission, then informed each of us what to bring. All of us then brought a one ounce sample for each participant. Once we arrived our submissions were given to some significant others that tagged along who anonymized the samples for us. All we knew was that our submission was present but we had no idea which one it was.

Here are the results in order of how the group ranked them.

1. Sample E: This one tied with A for the darkest of the bunch. I ended up making the most notes about this one as it was clearly the most interesting. I noted that it had very little spice, a good amount of heat, good up-front sweetness, and a good finish. This was our universal number one. I incorrectly pegged this as my submission but /u/docjones12 pegged it as his.
2. Sample A: This one had a lot of up-front sweetness but some harshness on the back. Myself and many others noted a higher bold spice presence and it was a bit hotter than most of the rest. /u/Imcoolerthanu50suggested perhaps Wild Turkey 101. I agreed it was likely. The boldness of the spice really threw me off from thinking it was mine. This was our universal number two.
3. Sample D: Everyone pegged this one because of the distinctive Beam yeast. Personally I’m not a fan of that flavor in any form except in Booker’s where I love it dearly. I noted that it had a peanut buttery high alcohol taste and I also got rotten bananas. There is a funkyness present that I dislike and I suggested it was probably OGD even though I personally had never had any of them but the 114. Everyone put this at number three except myself who put it at fourth.
4. Sample C: This was the lightest in color. The nose wasn’t bad but I got a lot of harsh alcohol vapor and my biggest note was that it tasted very cheap. I suspected it was something very low bottom shelf. /u/Imcoolerthanu50 pegged this as Evan Williams. I had this one as third but everyone else put it at fourth.
5. Sample B: The nose here was the worst of the bunch. Just by smelling it I knew I wasn’t going to like it and I was right because it all went downhill from there. My first sip was bad and it only got worse with more. I got a lot of hot bitter barrel char and not in a good way. again /u/Imcoolerthanu50 pegged this as Evan Williams and most of the group agreed. This was universally ranked last.

And now, the reveal, in order of our rankings:

1. Sample E: Old Weller Antique 107 - /u/docjones12
2. Sample A: Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond Age 6 year - /u/signde
3. Sample D: Old Grandad Bottled in Bond - /u/Imcoolerthanu50
4. Sample C: Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 - /u/tvraisedme
5. Sample B: Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003 - /u/helios7

I don’t think anyone was surprised the OWA 107 took first. Of the bunch it was the one I was most familiar with and the only one I keep stocked. The EWSBs were universally lauded by all as the worst. Not surprising for me there either as I’ve never had one of those I liked. I was particularly proud of my submission of the VOB 6 year. At $13 and almost half the price of the other offerings I think it did incredibly well. It is funny that we thought it was Wild Turkey 101 but to be honest this was only my second time tasting the VOB and I haven’t had the 101 in years.

After the tasting was over, /u/helios7 broke out some treats for us. One of them was a dusty tax stamped Old Charter that he believes was bottled in 1972. He warned us beforehand that we probably weren’t ready for what we were about to experience. It certainly wasn’t what I expected at all. Dusties are supposed to be awesome, right? Hahaha!

---

1970’s (1972?) Old Charter 7 year
40.0% ABV

Nose: Bad. I mean really bad. It did not smell like any bourbon I’ve ever nosed. I was making jokes of the most ridiculous funky things I could think of but honestly these aren’t far from the truth - old cigars, moustaches, cardboard. It had a flat staleness to it and a couple others mentioned it nosed more like a cognac than bourbon.

Taste: Not nearly as bad as the nose. Bitter oak char. Very thin. Ever so slight hints of wood sugars but it tasted like a watered down blended whiskey.

Notes: Horrid. I don’t ever want to drink this ever again. On the plus side, this really makes me appreciate all the good bourbons we have available today. While I am sure there was much better available back then I can’t imagine how sorry things would have to be to enjoy this.

Rating: F