Antique collection?

Have you forgotten the first rule of fight club?

If you have to ask, you may already have missed your opportunity to reserve some.

These very rarely sit on store shelves. You don't wait for either of those to come out, you make your connections and do your talking...NOW!

. . . NOW . . . for next year . . . or the year after . . .

Pappy allocations will be announced Oct. 1st The Antique collection has already been announced and described on Sep. 10th. It will hit stores randomly.
Sadly, the Stagg is only at 128.2 proof this year . . . and the Handy will be 128.4 proof. . . the Weller will be a more respectable 136.2 proof. Dark times for the Hazmat-Stagg lovers out there. I almost hope I don't have the opportunity to buy . . . because I won't be able to say no.

@Nock, I will be happy to take your allocation of Stagg.

Oh come on now....these rarest of the rare...are they really THAT good? Will I regret forever that I will never taste pappy? Or is there a small possibility that there are enough good accessible bourbons out there that will satisfy me should I ever taste one, that is?

@Nozinan, of course there is no whisky that is 'necessary' for any one individual's whisky journey. Anyone of us could be just as satisfied with any given whisky on any given day depending on the circumstances. But make no mistake, there are some whiskies that once you've tried... you continue to crave for the rest of your life!

Some whiskies can truly be life changing I think. For me, Pappy is a perfect example. At one time if I were asked 'Do you like bourbon?', my answer would have been 'I hate it!'. However one day, in a tiny bar in southern Japan, I was lucky enough to come across a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's 20 yo...

WOW! This bourbon blew me away! It taught me how great bourbons can be. Since that day, with the help of many of my good friends on this site, I have been rediscovering bourbons and ryes and I have come to be a lover of both.

So to answer your question, no you will probably not regret never trying a particular whisky. But your whisky experience will possibly not be as rich as it could have been. These rarest of the rare... are really THAT good!

@Nozinan I think it depends on your preferred flavor profile. If you love wheated bourbon . . . it is the top of the heap. I have tried Pappy 20yo and while it is decent I wouldn't go crazy to get a bottle. @Victor shared a sample of a Pappy (was that the 15yo? or the 10yo?) with my wife and myself. It was a very lovely experience, but it didn't transform my drinking life - and I won't sign up for a bottle (just because I don't believe in buying for resale).

But that is just it. You never know when your world is going to be rocked by a whisky. That is what happened to me with my first bottled of George T. Stagg in 2005. It blew me away. And it has been my favorite American whiskey ever since (and it sent me on a bourbon journey full of disappointment).

But will you regret not buying a bottle? That will depend on you. I am so glad I have had the opportunity to try a few Port Ellen samples. I can skip them. More bottles for you guys out there. If I hadn't tried them I would probably be eaten up trying to get my hands on a bottle. Now I know it isn't my flavor profile.

Will you regret not getting a bottle of Pappy? It all depends on you. As my brother-in-law says . . . it all tastes like whiskey . . .

just my thoughts

Earlier this year when I got my name on the list for the Pappy (whatever age is available here when I get the call) I was told I was number 45 on the list. So, I figure it maybe 3 or more years before the phone rings. Maybe longer!

@Victor if I get the opportunity to buy from the Commonwealth of Virginia . . . we might need to talk about a trade. But who knows! I probably won't get any this year.

@Nozinan The Stagg is the whisky that I used to convince my brother in law that some bottles were worth $300 or more. Up to that point he was convinced no whisky was worth that price. I'd had it before and it completely rocked my American whiskey world. Immediately fell in love. So I bought my brother in law a bottle for his birthday. He was nice enough to crack it open that night and share it with me.

At one point he goes "this is one of the best whiskies I've ever tried, massively complex, yet approachable. How much does it go for a bottle?"

"$300 roughly"

"You ordering any more for yourself"

"Yep"

"Can you put me down for 2 then?"

It's funny as we almost never give one another birthday presents, we just don't do it. But I knew he'd never buy it without trying it and I knew he'd love it. That year for my birthday he bought me a $1500 60inch big screen tv which he knew I'd always wanted. I do believe that whiskey changed his life. Now when I say a whisky is worth that price he just asks me to order him a bottle.

Do you need to run out and buy these bottles? Nop, but if you ever get a chance to try them, do so and I honestly wouldn't hesitate to spend a good deal more then I normally would on a dram to try them.

@Nock VA does not carry PVW15 and they are not taking any more names for special order of PVW20. Evidently, the list is so long they are not adding anymore to it.

I guess I'm in a different camp when it comes to PVW and the BTAC's. I do like the Pappy 15 and have a couple bottles tucked away, but by and large there are other whiskies that are just as satisfying, if not more. The 20 year I dislike and have traded/sold off all that I had recently. I stopped chasing the BTAC's back in 2009 due to personal preference and price increases. As @Victor knows, I'm at the stage where I pick my own barrels and those really have become my favorites over time. There's a place for PVW on my bar as well as Stagg, Weller, etc. but they are just players in my overall drinking experience.

@Nock Yeah, I read the press release for the Antique Collection. Nothing sounds steller in their descriptions. Weird. I will still give the Stagg a shot if my old reliable can help me out again this year. As long as the taste is still great, the lower abv is ok by me. Unfortunately, work has placed me outside of my comfort zone for the Fall Release Schedule, so I may have to go without this year. And that's OK.

@Nozinan Yes. You can do without these, but if you have the opportunity, I'd suggest giving one a shot. I am not a big fan of the Pappy releases (except for the rye), But the BTAC Stagg and ER17 are right up there. Also, the 4 Roses 2013 limited small batch is due at about the same time, and they have DOUBLED their allocation for this year.

Also, look for some of the less expensive special bourbon releases and see how you feel about those. For example the Elijah Craig, Elmer T Lee, and Evan Williams single barrels.

@Bourbondork yes, getting Pappy here in VA is a bit impossible. I have had my name on a list for the Antique Collection since before the last years release. We will see if I get a call or e-mail this year. I am hoping to get passed over and be first on the list for next year!

@Nock Try calling a Montgomery County ABC store and ask to be put on the list. I've had better luck with them than VA the last couple of years. Last year I picked up a WLW and THH from MC for $62 each.

Just got a call from a friend in the Nashville area. He had the opportunity to pick up only two bottles of the Antique Collection (his "source" store only got in one bottle of each this year - and would only let him take two when he asked to buy them all). My friend selected the George T. Stagg and the William Larue Weller.

Well, this friend owed me - I turned him on to Stagg a few years back, and helped him buy Thomas H. Handy 2010 - which he loves. He has been jonesin for a bottle of Stagg since I let him try some of my 2010 bottle. So now with two bottles he calls me and offers to let me have one. Which would you pick?

Well, I have a fighting chance of picking up a bottle of Stagg here in Virginia (no chance at the Weller). So I asked him for the Weller.

If you were in that position where all 5 of the Antique collection were offered before you and you could pick only two . . . which would you choose?

@Nock I chose the Sazerac 18 and the George T Stagg when selecting bottles for the bar I manage. Also got a couple Thomas H Handy bottles...

@Nock I would choose W.L. Weller as it may be distillate from the defunct distillery....any of the five would be acceptable.

Just picked up a Handy, Eagle and Stagg. Now I hope that ABC emails me soon for the Weller with the bourbon lottery.

@Nock. I've heard the Sazarac 18 and Eagle are the ones to get, but that's just one source. Personally if I had to choose 1, it would be the Weller because A. I've never tried and B. it's the highest proof. Also, victor says its yummy. Lol.