I love your videos, Kurt, and my home bar is definitely getting more interesting because of you! I can't help staring at the beautiful bottle collection behind you. I think it would be very cool if you did a video featuring some of the "neglected" bottles that have maybe made their way toward the back of your shelf for reasons good or bad. I know I'm guilty of doing that, and at times I rediscover gems I forgot about and fall back in love with some old favorites. Keep up the great content!

Love watching your take on all the allocated bourbons!

Great video: brings back SO MUCH memories: i was lucky enough to start sipping bourbon in 2005, then get a small collection of BTAC in 2008-2012 before the madness starts. Now, i take my time to alternate drinking these BTAC with many other bottles more readily available : EZra 7 cask strength, Weller 107, Bulleit Cask Strength, Booker, ...

Great channel! I just got a call from an ABC store in my state, they pulled my name this morning and I'm going to get my E.H. Taylor Small Batch now 🙂

As someone who works as the whiskey conessieur in our liquor store in Illinois, I appreciate your channel. Thank you for everything you are doing to open the world to stuff outside of allocated whiskey.

Thank you for introducing some samples of allocated Bourbons. I have often wondered about the category and what it meant. I also really like your presentations, especially the five (5) bottles. It helps me to know what’s coming, and I can anticipate the next bottle while you’re talking about the current one.

Your videos are so wholesome! Please keep the videos coming they’re awesome

Really enjoyed this video. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled in hopes of finding one of them. Thanks again for putting out this info.

Elmer T. Lee is a great bottle for retail prices, and I agree with a $75 maximum price. Weller 12 has a special place in my heart - it was my granddad's favorite, and he introduced it to me. I would happily pay $80 for it, but not a dime more. I had a bottle of the 2019 Old Fitzgerald BiB and paid $140 (retail then), and would be hard pressed to buy it again. It was a great pour, but do not see it as being 2 to 3x times better than others. I've never found the Stagg Jr. or George T. Stagg locally, so I have nothing to offer there. I did overpay for a William LaRue Weller in 2018 ($300), and would consider buying it again at that price.

Thanks for sharing!

This guy is good. Very good teacher. Nice and bright atmospheric bar! Thank you!

Haha when the wife is gone ,we should do the most expensive lol

Thanks for the weller advice. My local store here in the south of france has a very limited selection American whiskey but they did have a few bottles of this. at 45€ each it turned out to be a steal.

I know this is a year old video. But, I was able to pu two bottles of Elmer T Lee today at our local liquor store for $59 a piece. Never thought I’d see one bottle! Just so darn excited! Merry Christmas!

Once more amazing video i am kind of new to this whole whiskey experience but i would say that I enjoy the experience very much and I do learn a lot with your videos I enjoy them and learn from them Thank you very much🎉

Some much honesty here. Much appreciated.

I do appreciate you not using foul language. Thank you. You’re a joy to watch.

Just stumbled on to your channel! Great stuff; picked up a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel 120 for $49.99! It was the last bottle at Total Wine. Thanks for the tip. Yeah the auto focus is a issue get that sorted and you're set!!!

First go all, recently found your channel and love it very much. Yes, GTS (I believe I sipped 2018 version) and Four Roses Al Young 50th Anniversary so far are the best bourbon I had tried. Stagg junior is very nice for its MSRP and it was so easy to find back in the day. I am still milling Weller 12 1L bottle and the Stagg Jr till I can find new bottles. Cheers

I'm new to the channel, and I'm really enjoying your videos. I have been very tempted to pull the trigger on a bottle of George Stagg for $500, but I think it's extremely important for us consumers to not give in to these secondary prices. I've been guilty of it myself. I paid $300 for an Old Carter that was absolutely not worth it. Anyway, keep the great content coming. Cheers🥃

Great to see a bottle of Old Fitzgerald again. I haven't seen it since I bought a bottle in Edinburgh, Scotland in October 2005. Mind you, my bottle did not reach your bottle's price level, he, he. It was a very pleasant price.

This video is why i subscribed I never subscribed this fast to any channel before you seem cool and down to earth I have 3 of the five

Subscribed. I like this guy!

Picked up some eh Taylor small batch for $100! Was super nervous but glad I did. Great stuff!

Weller antique 107 is better than 12 imo. Glad my wife doesn't care what I spend on whiskey!

I thought you were going to say $2000 on the George T. Stagg also. I enjoyed your demeanor and candor. Subbed for more!

I worked at a bottle shop in college (2010 grad) and back then, we had pappy 12, 15, and 20 on the shelf for $40, $60, and $100. The 23 year was locked up because it was $300. I think that bottle is $7k or so right now... I picked up a bottle of Elmer T Lee commemorative edition for $35 when it came out. I still have it. I tried my buddies bottle, and it was really good! Now you can get one online for $3,500. Nuts! Also, back then, there were bourbons on the shelf that were unreal that nothing today can compare to. Black Maple Hill was my absolute favorite. $40. They stopped making it for a while, but it's back and not the same stuff. I wouldn't buy the current version again. Crazy how the stuff people are raving about today was just "pretty good bourbon" 10 or 12 years ago. Gotta say though, Pappy 12 is still probably my favorite bourbon ever. Cheers!

For the proof point and flavor profile. I personally would pay up to 115ish for stagg Jr. But thats just me. I never had the George t stagg :(. Great content! And great collection you got there!

Whiskey/Bourbon noob. I've gained a bunch of insight through just a few of your videos. Thank you so much. Separate topic, put your camera on manual focus with a decent aperture and it wont go in and out of focus during your videos. Cheers!

I LOVE Elmer T Lee and regret not buying ten bottles when they were plentiful on the shelf for retail at our local liquor store.

First time watching your videos. I love your honesty. I agree with you. I love the wife in the background letting you have it ( all to common, if you know what I mean).

Most of them are never seen where I live in North Florida. The Old Fitz was about $300, The Elmer T. Lee was about $200, never seen the Weller, the Stagg Jr. was about $120, George T. Stagg was $1,200 !! Love the videos , Thanks

I live in Chicago, there is a bar 3 blocks from my house that essentially has any bourbon or whisky you could ever wanna try, from Pappy 23 to Col EH Taylor to Blantons to everything in between. I don’t chase any bourbons when I can just go to Longman and Eagle and get a pour

That is actually a 2018 Georg T Stagg, 2019 was 116 proof. Great video!

I gotten a couple wellers from a buddy at abc liquor for around 30 bucks a bottle. One of my favs

Another great video. I've had Weller. Underwhelming for the price. I have been searching for Elmer T Lee for a while. I have 2 bottles of Blanton's. One was a gift, the other I paid retail. I don't have any of the others so I will have to check them out. I just enjoyed a glass of Rebel Yell Single Barrel 10 year from Lux Row distilleries. I live in Louisville, KY so getting my hands on KY bourbon is usually not a problem, but some of these are hard to come by. If you haven't tried the Rebel Yell 10 year, please do and give it a review. Also, have you tried the Bulleit 10 year? It's really good. Bulleit 10, Russels Reserve Single Barrel Select and Rebel Yell 10 are my 3 go-to bourbons when I want to drink bourbon neat.

I bought a George T Stagg years ago for $100 and it was excellent. The Lee is Pretty good as well. The Weller 12 I would pay $25 years ago, not that special not even close to as good as Vanwinkle Lot B which was $45 at the time my favorite. Old Fitzgerald, I would go $150 for that bottle I love that stuff, Birthday Bourbon is out of hand but was my second favorite bourbon. I still have some pints flasks of the old Fitzgerald prohibition repeal bourbon that was supposed to be the formula after prohibition ended. It came in a set with two tasting glasses . I had about 15 of these and I believe I am down to my last two or three. I still have a Van Winkle Family Rye left in my collection which is pretty damn tasty as well

I'm the same way with Eagle Rare 10 year. If I catch when it drops I'll pick up a bottle to be bunkered, but if I'm low or down to my last one I'll pay up to $80 depending how badly I feel I need it.

Glad I stumbled on to your channel. Great content. Just wondering where you live to find these great prices. I did see a liquorama sticker on one of your bottles. SoCal?

yes they are

That GTS was the 2018 release which was 10x's better than the 2019. That being said I have to disagree that it was better than WLW, which is probably one of my all time favorite expression. I love your collection and yes I see that Hibiki 21 hanging out on the top shelf. Now that's an awesome pour!

Had a bottle of Elmer T Lee given to me by a dear friend from Kentucky. Put it away for a special occasion. Went out of town. Son threw a party while I was gone. Drank all my Elmer T Lee. That one part is the straw that broke the camels back. Present day still don’t have anymore Elmer T Lee. But as we now share bourbons together (father & adult son) we can laugh about !!

I found the GTS Antique for $200 last year at my liquor store, I bought it. I've seen it for $800 at other mom and pops. The Stagg Jr. I've see at mom and pops for $400, I've bought it at $79. Old Fitzgerald I've had at a bar, never had Weller 12 or Elmer. I'll tell you this, nothing beats that George T Stagg antique collection.

I got GT Stagg at retail last fathers day ($99). I will never get that lucky again. I got 3 Blantons this fathers day. Have not seen an antique collection this year, and I hunt quite a bit.

I did enjoy the weller 12 guess i used 2 go live on bourbon groups giving my thoughts and opinion. And yep i found 4 bottles ..they each costed 220 but thats cause im in australia so when you find things you feel u gotta pay what ever as that might be the last time i see it ...rather pay 250 for the masterskeep 17yr over grabbing blanton's. Thik on my last blanton's s.r cost 70 but the sftb cost 190 ..but i would love 2 find a stagg jr or any of the antique collection that be good as u never see .guess my go 2 is rarebreed for 89 ...George t stagg .i would love 2 find but that was funny the sounds your wife making when you said 700 lol.cheers

Great video! I have a near 200 bottle collection of whisk(e)y, mostly bourbon with some rye and scotch. There was a time when all of the allocated bourbons were exceptional. The old stand-byes still are (like BTAC, Birthday Bourbon & Pappy), but they are really really difficult to source now. Many, if not MOST, of the newer & very expensive allocated bourbons really are NOT worth it. We are still in a bourbon bubble with hipsters & the asian markets buying anything that has bragging rights (like very expensive bottles with a marketing STORY). This has brought out a lot of brands that just don't put the proper care into making and aging the juice properly. I stick to the known, quality stuff. In fact, I have a bunch of bottles that I hesitate to open. Some could be sold for $700 to $1,500 each (NOT that I would sell them, I'm no profiteer). However, once you open it, it's worthless. And, now, I can't replace it. So, when it's gone, IT'S GONE!!! The good think is, I've never paid much more than MSRP for any of my bottles (including BTAC and Pappy), so maybe I should just enjoy them! You can't take 'em with you. Separately, not too many years ago, you used to be able to buy Weller Antique 107 for $21, Weller Special Reserve for $23, and Weller 12 year for $40. I used to find more bottles of them than I could buy. Those times are gone. The secret is out and now the hipsters are aware. You're lucky to find any of those for $75 (if not a LOT more). Stores gouge even regular customers, now, too. On the other hand, there are GREAT bourbons on the shelf, that are easy to get and fairly priced. Now, I focus on those and enjoy THEM. People would be shocked if they EVER did a blind taste test. I'd bet $100 that most would regularly pick the easily accessible bourbons over the over-priced allocated junk that's out there. Anyway, enough of my rant. :) Thanks very much for the vids that you put out and the thoughts that you share!

Thanks for the videos! You’re awesome!

Like or Dislike: Like. Another thoroughly enjoyable video.

I’m enjoying making comments. I have opinions

I'm just getting into Bourbon as well as other mixed drinks. Maybe someday I might pay more than $50 for a 750 ml bottle but as of now there are so many to try in the $25-$30 range. Right now Makers Mark is the winner for my wife and me (just above Buffalo Trace)

I have a Elmer T, Stagg Batch 15, and Weller 12. I am lucky enough to pay retail on all but the Weller cause it came as a set w a Full Proof, Antique 107, and the 12.

In canada stuff like little book, 291 barrel proof, Penelope barrel proof and michters 10 are all 150-250 at retail. Ill pay over retail for stagg jr or weller 12 any day.

I like your show.

Loved when your wife cleared her throat when you mentioned $700 dollars!!! Promises, promises!!! That was priceless!

I thought I was stroking out with those focus changes😂

I'm really enjoying the videos. ATM I mix mine with Pepsi but want to learn how to drink eat and on the ice.

I have a bottle of Weller Special Reserve that was a gift from a friend and it is great. Its my special occasion bourbon. I also had samples of Stagg Jr and it is the best IMO. If I do see Stagg Jr I would pay around $100 for it because its that good.

Great video! I learned a lot. I'm curious about what you think of Pappy Van Winkle - if you've tried it. I tried one shot of the 15 year at a local bar here in Lexington ky - had to wait in line for a couple hours plus wait a couple more hours once inside but only paid the basic retail price...a few bucks. Finally when I got it I thought it was a bit bitter actually, thus overrated, but I'm no expert.

I would likely pay double retail for most of these but no more. I recently got a Stag jr 16 at retail, and I would totally pay $100 for another bottle.

You have to try Dog Master bourbon out of Missouri! Magnificent mash bill, really nice pour.

Good video

Nice video ... I like the opinions.... I never really know what to pay ???

Hey Kurt thanks for the videos! I’m looking to get an oak barrel so my kid can age his own spirits. What’s your thoughts on it? Can you really taste the difference?

had the weller special reserve the other night … DELICIOUS. i’m writing this post after literally finishing 3 glasses of buffalo trace…. also DELICIOUS

I am ready to adopt this Trenton guy. Lol

ETL is the only one I haven’t acquired at retail price but I should have one soon.

I have a bottle of Stagg JR batch 13 and it’s outstanding. Paid $60 but would be fine paying $100

Have you tried Jack Daniels single barrel - barrel proof? It's available in PA and it's around $65.

Weller 12 is awesome. I'd put up to 140 for it.

The Batch 15 of Stagg jr is magical

Just saw the tattersalls behind you. Thats a brand local to my area

Of these the only one of had is Weller 12, it’s good but definitely not secondary price good. I’m curious if you’ve tried Knob Creek 12, what you think of it?

I have only seen those bottles once in my area at a total rip off liquor store. $800 for GTS.

the camera refocusing at the beginning of the video drove me crazy but the content is great! keep up the awesome work! cheers!

I like your videos. Just so you k ow the auto-focus is having a hard time when you step back. Might need to adjust the distance.

Is that a Malfy gin on the shelf? Would love to hear how you use that one!

What’s up you MB’s! (whiskey Tribe Gang 😂); new sub - dig the content! One constructive criticism: which might not be your fault as I’ve never seen a camera with such aggressive auto focus - you put your hand half an arms length towards it - focus on hand - back to you; it’s so temperamental. Maybe its the lights on the bar (lightbox behind cam may fox that?? I don’t know much about video so fix the rapid focus & unfocusing and bellissimo! I’m an audio/digital audio workstation & home studio owner with - video I’m lost with though audio is 8/10 - are you using a lapel, a boom mic, lav or just the cameras on board mic (er or DSLR? 😂 confess I dunno how a DSLR even works lol) Just curious audio is rather good other than sounding distant. Keep up the good work! Cheers you MB’s! *drinks Balcones Texas Rye 100 proof*

What Ky Owl is she referring to? I have the Confiscated and Rye…both are excellent! Sounds like you didn’t care for it? I love Weller SP easy go to pour…

Stagg Jr. is my absolute favorite of all the bourbon that I have tasted. I have a bottle of George T. Stagg that I paid $107 for and I just can't open it, but I want to soo bad.

Hey im new to your channel and i love it so far. But one thing is still bothering me for what does the "SLB" stand in your name :D. Hopefully i m not a fool for not finding it somewhere plain in sight

I think it would be really cool to do a blind comparison for these bottles. Maybe save it for a special show or something but that video would be a hit.

Value is what you put on it. I would rather see people assess their financial situations first before buying to compete with others. And not directed at you. Just a general observation.

Stagg Jr. --- I paid $15 for a pour (1.5 shots) at a local (Baton Rouge) bourbon tasting and fell in love with this! Searched and only found it for $300/bottle online; nothing is available locally. Needless to say, I ordered it. Upon delivery, I gave it a taste and absolutely loved this! Yes, I bought another right away! The bottom line is this... everything and anything is available for a price... if it is valued by the buyer.

I'd buy stagg all day at your price, but we never see it at those prices. Stagg is one of the few I'm willing to overpay for. For a batch I like I'll pay 130ish, as it's destroyed almost everything else I've compared to it.

Thoughtful and relevant video as usual. But, the pricing info and values need some more context. Are you making a value assessment purely on taste (i.e. in order of your absolute favorites which you'd pay the most for to your least favorites)? (I guess that is where blind tasting is useful.) Or are you also factoring in scarcity? I guess this type of analysis is very similar to your prior video about the accessible bourbons you like more than Blanton's. In any event, that would mean if you liked Four Roses Single Barrel better than George T. Stagg, then you should also be content to pay "$250 or less" for the Four Roses. Or, in reality, does scarcity and msrp act as an "anchor" to what you'd be willing to pay, even if you like it better (e.g. "I can Four Roses Single Barrel every day of the week for $50, so why pay more...even if I like it more than a $250 bottle of another brand.")? Sorry to be longwinded, but let's take your "biggest regret" the $1,000 Kentucky Owl. Do you like that taste better than Russell's Reserve Single Barrel? If not, does that mean you shouldn't have paid over $60 for the Kentucky Owl? (Oh, the things we do for our hobbies! Ha!)

Very humble lol

One of my local stores used to carry Old Fitzgerald bottled-in-bond 100 proof at a very cheap price. Now no Old Fitz at all. I was told the 100 proof b in b was dropped. WTF? It was excellent for the price.

I’ve gotten three bottles of ETL in Virginia for $40/piece. It 100% drinks like a $40 bottle in my opinion. I wouldn’t spend more than retail for it.

Little tip - choose a fixed focal length, the auto-focusing is wildly distracting. Since you are at a fixed spot, dial in focusing on that length.

I'll say no. I managed to get a bottle of Elmer T Lee before it became "allocated" and I wasn't too impressed. It wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was worth the money I spent on it. Ironically, I've seen more bottles of it since it became allocated!!

Thanks for sharing! KANSAS

I don't know what's going on in the bourbon world but two of my old standbys, Elmer T. Lee and Old Fitzgerald, have gotten insanely popular, scare, and/or expensive. Old Fitz BiB used to come in a regular plain bottle and cost about the same as Old Grandad. Now it's gotten swanky and I agree, it's not worth the money. I have an unopened bottle of Elmer T. Lee (too bad I didn't know you were in the market for one) that I paid $35 for years ago. I'm afraid to open it because I think the price will keep going up and maybe I'll sell it if it gets to $400 or something.

Please try Elmer T. Lee & 7up !

ah, the cost of the these white wales... I know it all to well, I'm into bourbon, craft beer, and vintage ports.... I have def spent too much on certain things...

Just bought 2 of the 2018 They were more than 500 Was it worth it, I don’t know I won’t resell them I may drink them I may not And Kurt I still owe you that 4🌹’s

there are plenty of very good bottles on the shelves. so unless you want to pay exorbitant prices enjoy what's there.

ETL is good for the collection, but I would drink Makers 101 any day of the week over this. Cheers

Wondered if you had a opinion on Garrison Brothers "Cowboy Bourbon" or have you mentioned it before?

I really enjoy your channel and the content, one little thing, maybe you want to set your camera focus to a fixed/manual setting as it is struggling a lot on most of your videos.

I never bother with allocated bourbons. In a blind testing you would never pick it out. The most I paid for a scotch was £75 for a 13 year old edradour at cask strength.