Imaginary Internet Friends Blind Tasting Part V: Best of 2013 Allocated Items

Here's another write-up from a whiskey tasting I participated in last night. You can find the backstory and links to the previous tastings at the end of this post but the TLDR; version is a local group of us from /r/bourbon banded together to help each other sourcing booze and also to get together once in a while for tastings.

At the end of every tasting we start kicking around ideas for the next one and the last time around /u/dannyg483 threw out a pretty good one. With Fall bourbon Christmas almost upon us, he suggested we do a best of 2013 with all the heavy hitter bourbons from last year. Anything goes, no proof limit, no dollar limit, the only stipulation was the item was a limited release from 2013. In the interest of not blowing out our palates we decided to ask our blind impartial to limit any barrel proofs to a max of two. Each of us submitted a list of bourbons to the impartial who then informed us what to bring. My submission for the night was selected as Eagle Rare 17. All I would know is that my submission would be present but I had no idea which one it was. Here are my notes for the five samples, in the order I ranked them.

1. Sample B: This was the darkest of the bunch by far. The nose gave off some ethanol so it seemed to be the highest ABV of the bunch. The taste was smooth, rich, and thick. Initial thoughts were that it was really good but with revisits this one just shot higher and higher. The finish had a nice strong mint which then gave way to a deep dark sweetness.Guess: Four Roses 125th, Rating: 9.6
2. Sample A: Upon first sip though this one was very, very good. It was woody and fruity with a nice sweet cola texture and hints of minty rye. The excitement level was peaking with everyone at this point as we were off to our best start ever. My initial rating was a 9 which I later upped as I revisited it. Guess: ??,Rating: 9.5
3. Sample E: This one as the next lightest of the bunch. The taste was slightly metallic but there were nice hints of sweet syrup and a fair amount of woodyness. I was pretty sure this one was mine as the metallic and heavy wood were a dead giveaway. Guess: Eagle Rare 17, Rating: 8.3
4. Sample C: This one was the lightest of the bunch and also the most difficult to figure out. I finished this sample rather quickly as I was completely puzzled as to what it was. On the nose I got fruit like peaches.The taste was good but not great but it was balanced even if the flavors were odd.Guess: No clue,Rating: 8.2
5. Sample D: This was the second darkest of the bunch. The nose was an immediate giveaway for me and for everyone else. I was 99% sure I knew what this one was just by the nose. A small sip and I was 100% sure. I always get an overwhelming acetone taste from this one and it was very present. Guess: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Rating: 7.5

So the reveal, based on my rankings:

1. Sample B: Four Roses 125th
2. Sample A: Parker's Heritage Promise of Hope
3. Sample E: Eagle Rare 17
4. Sample C: Abraham Bowman Gingerbread Beer Finished
5. Sample D: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

Three out of five for me! I've never had the Bowman so I feel I really got three out of four. Really no surprises here as this us how I would have ranked them prior to the tasting. I know a lot of people really love the OFBB but I'm one of the few people who really don't care for it. I was especially pleased to see Four Roses make its first appearance in our tastings and also take the crown. On the Parker's 7, after I had already recorded my guesses someone mentioned it in a side conversation and a light bulb immediately went of as one of the ones I hadn't pinpointed. I felt it was unfair at that point to change a guess so I left them as is. I really liked the Parker's this year - I think it's a no bullshit, straight up classic bourbon. I was pretty happy to see it rank so well in a blind tasting with the cost factor removed.

As for the group, the results were pretty similar to my rankings:

1. Four Roses 125 submitted by /u/dannyg483 with 25 points
2. Parker's Heritage Collection Promise of Hope submitted by /u/werdx with 24 points
3. Old Forester Birthday Bourbon submitted by /u/Imcoolerthanu50 with 19 points
4. Eagle Rage 17 submitted by /u/signde with 12 points
5. Abraham Bowman Gingerbeer Finished submitted by /u/helios7 with 9 points

First and second was a close race but again no real surprises here. After the blind tasting was over I raided the bunker. Broke the seal on the High West Midwinter Night's Dram and broke out a few others - VW 12, WFE 7yr, WFE 10yr, AECS, JPS 18 b13, JPS 18 b14, WLW, Stagg. It was a pretty killer night of tasting some of my favorite bourbons of all time.

Final Thoughts: I have to hand it to our blind impartial /u/hispes for doing a hell of a job picking these out from the big range of things submitted. All of us were both excited and terrified of the barrel proofers we thought would sneak their way in but I think he made the right move keeping them all on a level playing field. I'm also very impressed with the palates of the guys in this group as most everyone nailed 2 - 3 of these with their guesses. It's not an easy thing to do in a blind tasting.

That's all for now but stay tuned for the next one. We haven't voted yet but some front runner themes are wild wild west any whiskey goes, barrel proofers, or another budget bourbon blowout night.