I'm not hunting bourbon period in 2024, lol! I will buy plenty, but I absolutely will not hunt or buy any hyped or allocated products unless sitting on the shelf at MSRP.

These guys are a bright beacon in a world full of almost nothing but Allocated Hype. As an average bourbon enjoyer with an average wallet, these guys are the ones I go to first ❤

Im with you guys. MSRP on many of these bourbons has gotten ridiculous. Wild Turkey, are you listening!!

Love the honesty you guys bring to the bourbon world.

Totally agree on price of Willet, you guys are right on about cost to value

I see you two more as a Rook and Knight instead of 2 pawns. Kurt is straight forward, Trent takes that sudden turn that you can’t ever expect. Thanks for looking out for us with these showcases. Head over hype.

The last Birthday Bourbon I got was $65 (2015/16?) and was the last time I sat around like schmuck for hours in the freezing cold for an allocated whiskey. As I stood in line to buy it, I looked down the whiskey aisle and realized there are plenty of better whiskeys for the same or less right on the shelf.

That's a fair point from Trenton. I am never disappointed in a budget whiskey. There are some I don't care for, but disappointed is something different. Now, I drop $75 on a craft whiskey or $100+ on a Barrell or special release and it is no good, oh my goodness, that is soul crushing.

All the bourbon channels need to do this. Enough is enough. Thanks guys. Enjoyed it.

Trenton, you can use Mylanta(or any anti acid) 5ml mixed with liquid benadryl(any flavor or dye free) 5ml and swish and then hold on your canker sore for 10-20 seconds a couple times a day. It will heal that canker sore super quick so you can continue to talk to us about bourbon.

SLB Classics (delayed sorry) 0:23 They’re always fair and honest 0:48 Trenton makes his own rules 1:43 Trenton did some actual prework to prepare?!? 2:02 Kurt looks for the budget bottles and let’s Trenton do the rest 2:28 Starting the a big name 😮 3:58 Who knew the name drops could get bigger 😮😮 4:35 oakie like a you know what… sometimes I don’t know Trenton’s phrases 5:31 the boys are looking for the price:value/tastiness 5:58 The rye lover has to shoot himself in the foot, many names dropping 6:49 Kurt helps Trenton out with speaking 7:27 Maybe Trenton is only going to be dropping the big names 8:21 We all want that transparency 8:56 We need more of the $40-60 good bourbon and well priced 🍳🍞 10:39 Trenton layers on the sarcasm THICC 11:37 Kurt won’t argue with somebody choosing a good value bourbon 12:55 Trenton is cranky because his mouth and back hurt. Hopefully he isn’t hungry too 14:49 SLB only provides their own opinions, they don’t speak for others 15:42 😮😮 Oh the cigar blend of Joseph Magnus 17:02 Prices ⬆️ Quality ⬇️ 18:32 Kurt is trying to speak the excitement into Irish whiskey 19:07 Kurt is setting a solid cap on his bourbon budget 19:49 Kurt speaks with the hip language c-note 20:18 Trenton speaks his love of scotch 20:42 Trenton makes a funny 😂 $400 vodka 21:23 Less planning coming soon! 21:38 Trenton will suffer through despite the pain 22:00 nice sign off and ndo

When I got Blue Run high rye, I didn’t like it. But, it sat for a couple of months on my shelf and finally decided to pour some and it was freaking really good. The flavors just exploded and the bottle turned great!

A store owner offered me a Willett 8 year wheated the other day at $399, which I thanked him for, but passed up. I don't feel at all bad about it, and you guys just validated me. Also, Trenton, dot some alum powder on your canker sore. I used to get them all the time in high school, and this trick always dried them right up.

There are so many great bourbons and ryes for under $100 that I just can't see the point of hunting these expensive bottles. I'm happy with my Rare Breed all day long!

No more whiskey hunting for me moving forward. If I am at the store and I find something I want at MSRP I’ll buy it, but I’m done chasing “the best whiskey”. I realized that almost everything over $80 has low value for me. This past year I passed on KC18, MWND, disco 11 and RR13 at MSRP. All good whiskey I’m sure, but not worth it for me. I would like to add some more rye to my collection though, so keep the rye content coming, Trenton!

I'm sure almost everyone here has already had it but I was very happy with the Glenlivet 14. I was able to get it for

I really appreciate how you guys don't discriminate or gatekeep whiskey because everyone's pallet is different. You just encourage us to not dive into the hype, try some different things and find bottles that we enjoy and fit our budget. One of my local stores has several bottles that you guys recommend for $10-50 and I'm slowly building a collection. Luckily i work at a bourbon heavy bar and the owner is cool with me doing half price/half pours for myself to try things. I'll probably never try rip van winkle or eh single barrel but being able to go through all of the $20-50 bottles for $3-4 each is making a huge difference! Also, as far as the irish whiskey deal, i highly recommend jameson black barrel. $35-40, regularly available and is extremely approachable. Its a 1 or 2 noter but has a wonderful nose and is incredibly smooth with almost no burn. It has become one of my favorite non allocated sippers for under $40

Good episode guys. Personally, I think there is another part of the equation and it has to do with my changing tolerance for what I consider "acceptably enjoyable." And what I find acceptably enjoyable keeps creeping upwards and causing me to sigh in disappointment over bottles of whiskey that I've enjoyed in the past but find just a little bit too disappointing now. I think the biggest reason for this is just the breadth of whiskey I've gotten to taste. It's just so much more than it was near the beginning of my journey. We're talking 100's of different bottles bought and reviewed at this point. And value to money gets tied up into the conversation as well. I'm with you KURT, it's really hard to justify spending much more than 2 C-notes on a bottle of scotch. Once you have enough of them, and you can build a picture of what more costly scotch does and DOESN'T DO. And those too end up going into the "not buying those again or ever" list. oh yeah, I'm also with KURT on the budget oriented or at least value oriented bottles on the market. There are really good bottles in bourbon for $30 and really good scotch at $50. And towards the upper end, you don't really have to spend over $80 in either category to get access to great experiences. CHEERS!

Lucky my local store has a decent selection of bourbon, whiskey, and scotch.

Redbreast 12 cask Strength is always one of my top favorite whiskies and so surprised always of the different flavor prolile. Ii think we would all love to see see a video review of you two experienceing Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength together. This is such an amazing whisky at any price point ! Lets make this happen!

I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts. I’m very disappointed in Bookers. I also don’t like that there are so many “limited” bottles now and the high price points.

My wife and I have a (one) pour every evening; we are in our 70's. The most I have spent on a bottle is $75 for a bottle of Knob Creek 12 at the distillery, I bought two bottles shared one bottle with my son, it was good, but so is Knob Creek 9. I like Russell Reserve Single Barrel, and Makers Mark and 46, etc. So, if it cost more than $75, it better come with a man in a tux to pour for me and my wife of 47+ years.

In the audiophile world, there is the idea of diminishing returns. Does a $10,000 record player sound better than a $2,000 record player? Yes. Does it sound 5 times better? No. You keep spending $1000s or $10,000s to get a small percetage of improvement. I reallized that applies to a lot of things, including Bourbon. Once I realized that, i gave up the chase. Their are so many really good bottles that i can get an any time for fair price, that i just don't worry about it anymore.

I'm not surprised to see Bookers on the list, but 3 of their 4 releases in 2023 were fantastic IMO. Apprentice left alot to be desired but Charlies, Mighty Fine, and Storyteller were all worth their price point hands down for me

I’ve gotten lucky getting a stag and a EC barrel proof just at my grocery store and total wine. I don’t find “hunting” worth the time or effort. There’s tons of incredible whiskey that’s easy to find. When you happen to stumble on something uncommon grab it.

Bushmills 16 yr is a pretty solid Irish if you've never tried it! They have Redbreast 15 in my area right now, considering buying one.

I really try to follow Kurt's advice to "Drink Responsibly". I'm retired and on a modest fixed income. My wife and I have been married 52 years and still love one another. But..... if I brought home a $200 bottle of any kind of alcohol, I'd be drinking it by myself in my car (because I'd be living in it). And that just isn't responsible drinking to me.

You are my go to show. Some of the pours you talk about , I could stock my whole bar for that much money.... But hearing about them is great. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing in my bar. (which did not exist before Covid 19) that is bottom shelf.

Thank you for sharing! I watch every video you put on KZfaq. I really enjoy each video. I loved your four roses one last year and with my neighbor we were able to find in VA the 4 you did a tasting on, and we tasted and ranked them exactly the same. We also aren't in with the wild turkey 😢. I also liked the Knob Creek 12 and a very good description. I personally think Lagavulin 12 is hand over fist better than the 9. Keep on as you do and please continue with your videos. Thank you for sharing.

Love you guys ! My husband I don’t miss an episode. Love your passion and great conversation starters for debates and connection. I am a huge Irish and Scotch fan would love to see Trenton trying to work his way there 😊. Some of my fav Irishes are writes Tears , writer tears double oak, always cask redbreast, knappogue castle, blue spot and green fav of spots . My special one is the Middleton very rare and low budget Jameson seems to be my go to.

Didn't hear you mention Teeling in your discussion of Irish Whisky. Their cheapest offering, Small Batch (currently around $35 to $40 in my area), is fantastic for an affordable Irish. I prefer it to the much more expensive Redbreast 12, even.

For Irish try Teeling if you haven't already, especially a sherry, port or other red wine cask finished special release if you come across one. Nice alternative to the many Midleton offerings-Jameson, Redbreast, the Spots, etc.

Glad to hear you touch on Irish Whiskey again, Kurt. Your video 9 months ago "Is Irish Whiskey BETTER Than Bourbon?" is actually how I found your channel. Give Ha'Penny a try for a good & affordable bottle. I personally have been enjoying the Method & Madness recently as a general Middleton fan and Silkie from Sliabh Liag.

Great video! Totally agree. I feel that some bourbon companies are acting like American Auto manufacturers post WW2, meaning produce anything and the public will buy it regardless of quality or cost. I feel that if people such as yourself take a stand and the average consumer does too, maybe the distilleries will think twice before they put out a sub-par product at a premium price. Thank you!

I love these kinds of videos. Talking down on all these allocated bourbons that really aren't all that great. Maybe more social media whiskey influencers need to do the same to stop the fake hype about a lot of these brands so the distilleries can step up and make a better product.

I made the decision to not hunt any allocated or expensive bottles in 2024. I am going to focus my attention on finding new bottles that are reasonably priced and really good from distilleries other than the big boys.

I remembered Trenton saying he liked the Green River Wheated, and I picked up a bottle of the regular stuff thinking it was all wheated bourbon. I have to say, I think for the price it's actually fantastic. I'll be looking for the wheated too, but I'm really happy I didn't know what I was buying LOL - this one might end up being one that I keep restocking regularly.

"You will never get scorn from us..." What about Hudson, Kurt? What about HUDSON??? 😂

I live in north central Indiana. I’m new to bourbon whisky. I like the smaller distilleries in the area and want to support them.

Happy New Year to both of you. We unfortunately get only one release of Booker’s in Canada. The first one. This year we will get 2024-01 E, E for Export. So if someone wants Booker’s that’s all your getting. I will probably buy one, I have been buying it, since I like it, my own personal taste 😊, and it will probably cost me $140.00 Canadian. On top of that, I will have to pay shipping cost, since it is not available in my area, Montreal, but only out West in Calgary. Another $40.00 to $50.00. That is unfortunately the reality of our market. Cheers to both of you. Really enjoy the videos and live streams. All the best for 2024. Keep up the good work. Hope you get better Trenton

For Irish whiskey, Teeling and Dingle put out some interesting bottles. Tried Teeling's single malt and Black Pitts (Peated single malt) and overall pretty impressed, both have wine finishes aside from sherry and Black Pitts has an interesting BBQ pineapple note. I would suggest either distillery if you are looking for something different than RedBreast, Powers, or Spot. Love the content!

For Irish Whiskey, I suggest The Quiet Man 8 Year Single Malt. 40-45 at Total Wine. One of top 5 bottles in my entire 60 bottle whiskey/whisky collection!!!

Other distilleries that charge too much for their premium offers are Michter’s and Angel’s Envy. I’d be willing to try cask strength Angel’s Envy for $80, maybe $100 at most. But $200+ MSRP? I’ll pass.

When Beam leaked they were going to raise Booker's to $100 (though initially it was like $75), I cleared out a shelf for $45 a pop and already had many stashed already for $40-$45. Great for that price and the stash may last a lifetime. They wanted to turn it into a premium "thing" with the named releases and price hike. Probably succeeded.

Love the channel! Just not sure where you’re getting the info that the Willett purple top 10 year was 449 via OHLQ. It was 324. The 9 year was 275 some of which were hazmat. Some purple tops are imo some of the best pours out there

Trenton.. try Colgate Peroxyl mouth rinse for your canker sore. Works pretty good.

The willett 10yr purple top is 360 through ohlq . The sourced purple tops could be more and usually are

I love that the market is cooling across the board, I see WLW going for 1300 now and purple tops are going for 5-7 unless it’s a hazmat or short barrel. It just means more drinking and enjoying. Plenty of cheaper bottles under $100 that deserve our attention but I think like scotch there will always be a market for the higher MSRP bottles and I’m here for it.

Not sure if you've tried any Old Soul bourbon but it's fantastic. As far as Irish goes I really like the Prohibition Bushmils

In 2005-2010 I could (and did) buy OFBB for $40-45. The amount folks are willing to spend on it today is kind of funny. Just a small correction, Party Source and New Riff are across the river from Cincinnati in Kentucky. Willett 8 Year Wheated is Willett Pot Still aged 8 years. Prove me wrong, lol.

You mentioned wanting to know something if there was something interesting in Irish whiskey…I have really enjoyed some of the offerings from Dead Rabbit. Has a profile similar to Redbreast that I love. And at $36/bottle easy to take a flier on. Cheers

I'm personally not into Irish Whiskey. But my daughter and son in law went to Ireland last year and went to Powerscourt Distillery. He had Fercullen Falls and loved it. My daughter had me pick up a few bottles of their small batch so she could give them to him for Christmas. She couldn't find it anywhere near them. He cracked a bottle when we were down and it was very good.

Thanks for the heads up on purple top. Although I’m a bourbon guy, I have bought 3 family estate green tops from Costco at $87 after tax and I am impressed. I will reserve opening the last 2 because I like them so much. Bookers might fine batch is decent so the $130 price point is not that disappointing yet the $80 local Yellowstone store pick 115 proof is better hahaha

As a new guy on the bourbon block, I haven’t found anything worth over $75-$80. And I just don’t have the budget for more than that anyway. So, I’ll just let those who have the $$ spend the $$.

They’re coming out with Powers Johns Lane Cask Strength. You could also look for Middleton’s Method & Madness Releases where they experiment with different casks.

I'm hoping to get drawn for an allocated bottle in some big raffles this year, other than that, I'm keeping to my Top 10-20 bottles that I enjoy, and want to buy / replace. "Hunting" will only take place when I'm traveling and find a state-only release, or distillery-only bottle, and then only if it's truly amazing. Cheers to my Hoosier brothers!

Stopped hunting a couple years ago. Stores jacking up prices, selling to a buddy to put on 2ndary and the lack of value overall. If I find something close to MSRP, sure, but it's gotten ridiculous.

AMEN about the bookers. Was looking for an allocated single barrel to flex on family for thanksgiving and passed on bookers because half the bottles I have purchased were not worth it with majority not even being GOOD for my taste, not worth the gamble in my opinion even though the good bottles are delicious to me

Agree on this list for the most part. I am only buying Bookers at Costco pricing now, Old Carters are up to 300 bucks now, and I skipped MWND this year because of the price increase. I feel like if MWND wants to be that expensive it needs to come with a higher age statement. I also skipped the Masters Keep this year Wild Turkey pricing is getting a little nuts I also felt for a 10 year bourbon with a splash of rum in it, it was heavily overpriced.

Glad to see Bookers make the list. I’ve been really disappointed in their offerings and decided any future purchase is really just paying for the box 👎🏽

Method and Madness(Chestnut,French Oak etc.) JJ Corry, Egan’s, Killowen, Waterford, Walsh Whiskey alll absolutely awesome Irish Whiskey’s you SHOULD be hunting.

Try the buzzards roost cigar rye if you get the opportunity. The liquor barns here in Kentucky have some still in stock and I’d be happy to arrange you all getting one. But that particular bottle is what opened me up to rye and now I drink a lot of different ryes.

I would never buy every Bookers release, but I will always have at least 1 bottle on the shelf, tasty stuff.

This not only needs to be said, but everyone should be on board. No secondary prices for me ever again. EVER. My journey has gotten me to the point of maturity , by that , I recognize I have so many great choices that are available and not marked up. I really don't need it... I wish we all had this mindset of "" WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE, NO, WE AINT GONNA TAKE IT,,,,, ANYMORE""..... Best wishes to all this this year.

Try the standard dingle Irish single malt. It's pretty good and not overly expensive.

Allocated drops aren't over. Today 01/10/24 was a huge drop in Florida today.

Would love for you guys keep a list like this and see if you hold to it. One of these is going to show up on your bar top this year.

Your Wilderness Trail comments sort of struck a chord with me. When I think about some of what is off my list this year is a result of my experiences at a distillery. We visited quite a few this last year, and there stand out as such a bad experience that I won’t buy their product - Wilderness Trail, Four Roses, and 13th Colony. It occurred to me that there is so much good bourbon out there, why spend money on product when their people treat you with contempt. On the flipside, we had amazing experiences at places like Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey, MB Roland and Jack Daniel’s. I find myself much more interested in hunting their products. Good product and people who treat their customers well.

Great show. I will never understand how one bottle can sit next to another had have such extreme price differences for what essentially is the same age stated distillate. I know I'll still tater a few times this coming year, but my desire to chase the next release will take a back seat in favor of the established DSP releases.

I really enjoy the everyman approach. I know that you can most likely get access to some really hard to find juice. Your focus on price to value is refreshing!

Kurt, loved that you touched on Irish, in addition to Scotch. I’m a huge Middleton fan. If you like the 15 yr Redbreast, you have to try the Tawny Port Redbreast. Amazing viscosity with a taste that will be different enough from the 15 yr to qualify having both on your shelf. Tawny Port is a bit hard to find. And on the Scotch front, the Springbank 15 yr is my most prized whisk(e)y bottle. Must have bottle for any big Scotch fan. And I have many 18 yr Scotch and above that doesn’t hold a candle to the Springbank 15 yr. Nothing more to add for Bourbon or Rye, as you both cover that better that I can discuss.

Hi Kurt. If you enjoy Redbreast, as I do, try a Dunvilles Three Crowns Sherry Finnish. It's a blend of malt and grain whiskeys matured separately in first fill Bourbon casks for 5 years, before being married together and re-casked into first fill Oloroso hogsheads for a further 1 to 2 years. Although it's hard to beat Redbreast 12 cask strength for an Irish you always want to have on hand in my opinion. I have the entire Redbreast regular lineup, and while the 27 is a wonderful treat once in a while, that 12 cask strength is a great pour at a much more reasonable price.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate this video. You have introduced me to so many good whiskeys that don't break the bank. I'm sipping on a Hard Truth right now that I wouldn't have found on my own. I'd rather buy and drink this than anything over $200. Cheers to you and to affordable good whiskey 🥃

I’m going to hunt maybe 5 or 6 bottles this year, a JD release, Russell’s 13, Michters 10, a Makers release, Hardins Creek, and Four Roses LE is the top one I’m going to search for this year. Hunted a little too much this year so trying to narrow down my focus on a select few.

Great show! Tell Trenton to use a little aloe Vera on his cold and canker sore. Works for Mr!

I think this year I am going to be selective on my purchases. I am really the only one in my house that really partakes in drinking whiskey. I tend to sample out more than I drink of any particular bottle. I sampled out half a bottle of an Old Rip 10 this past week (which I do not mind at all) but space is becoming an issue and when I come home and my dog is slurring his bark and chasing his tail 🤣😂 I may have to keep my whiskey on a higher shelf. 😎🥃 cheers guys

Thanks for the video, and resonate with the not hunting thoughts. An Irish we have in OH that I am into right now is Knappogue Castle 12, there is a 15 but OH is not carrying it.

One Irish to try is Whistler PX I Love you. Should be under $50 and its nice

Kurt - Bushmill 16, Redbreast CS and Red Spot are all wonderful Irish pours

I too am not buying a bottle that’s not transparent. I appreciate knowing a mash bill and an age statement. Most of the time I prefer an estate whiskey. Not necessarily expensive but quality over quantity.

Irish Whiskey: Drumshanbo Pinot Noir Cask [$90ish] & The Whistler Double Oaked [$25]. A higher-end and a utility option. Both solid.

I agree with you guys on pretty much everything. I did pick up MWND Act 11 @ $166 (after tax) just because I havnt had it yet and ive heard great thing. I havnt cracked it open yet but I think it wont be something ill be picking up again any time soon.

Recommendation for Irish whiskey: Anything from Waterford. They're all around the $100 mark and it's the best Irish whiskey I've tried.

For Irish whiskey a brand to keep an eye out for is Two Stacks. They are relatively new and have been doing a lot of interesting things. And have cask strength options which is fairly rare for Irish stuff. Love the video, appreciate the views about the good and the bad.

Thw store i frequent has several Sag Sherry, bought me a second bottle recently. For some reason they sit on the shelf there. No other store has it or of they did it went quick. There are two other stores that have 7 year store picks.

I feel like the allure of allocations has finally left me. Maybe in the past, allocations and special releases would have stood above the budget, but now that distilleries have increased production, I think the gap between a $50 bottle and a special release has decreased considerably. I’m so thrilled that I no longer care to hunt. Time to enjoy what I have in 2024.

For Irish - there are a lot of smaller distillers that have come around in the last 5 years or so which have whiskey coming out. I would love to get a hold of Skellig Six18 in Co. Kerry. Was there last summer in the North and picked up some bottles from Copeland up in Donaghadee, Co. Down. The finished whiskey is so nice. Beautiful dram. The regular is fine, nothing special to me. For eas(ier) to find stuff: Dingle has some excellent offerings that one can reasonably find.

We probably can all just hunt in our own basements this year and not feel left out. I bet there are bottles down there we don't even know we have.

Agree with Kurt on the Cigar Blend front. It’s good for a certain occasion, and it’s nice to have a bottle, but there’s no need for a different batch. They seem to release one every week

Powers 12, maybe try some of the Jameson barrel finish variants. Old Middleton.

Irish! I recently had a pour of Writer's Tears aged in Ice Wine casks. Wow, totally unique taste, highly recommend, but likely hard to find.

Agree on all points, except I'll buy a Willett Small Batch Rye (4yr) any day.

I’m new to bourbon, always a scotch drinker, and will not pay $200 for any bottle of liquor. I don’t have 200 bottles and don’t drink daily. So may fawn over unicorns that average drinkers will never experience let alone own. Help me find something I can enjoy and afford.

TY Trent and Kurt, keep 'em comin'

Kurt…when you come to az next go to santan distillery in chandler. Wonderful bourbon, rye and asm. Not sure if the distribution but it is great juice and I’d love to hear what you think of it.

I cracked my Gold Spot this past Xmas and it was OUTSTANDING! I’m glad I have a 2nd bottle!

7:04 What does he want to do to his tongue!? LOL

Good topic and feedback … appreciate the straight talk

for Irish whiskey, I saw a few Total Wine store picks of Teeling yesterday that were cask strength. Single pot still, 13yr PX Sherry, and red wine cask. Not sure if they're any good but caught my attention

Being relatively new to bourbon I have been enjoying a lot of different stuff but sucks that stuff that should be under 60 is going for up to 200 as an allocated bottle at the smaller liquor stores because they cant sell a billion bottles of the flavored alcohols to get more than just one or two of the uncommon things...