Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Reader Poll Results: A Landslide for Buffalo Trace
The results of our Election Day Reader Poll about which company makes the best American whiskey are in, and the crowds at the Buffalo Trace victory party are jubilant.
Sazerac/Buffalo Trace cleaned up with 18 votes, Four Roses was second with five, followed by Heaven Hill with four, Beam with two and Brown Forman with one. Interestingly, seven of the votes for Buffalo Trace mentioned their sadness at losing Four Roses.
I suppose conventional wisdom (and maybe Nate Silver) would have favored Buffalo Trace, but I was surprised by the lopsidedness of the result. BT makes some excellent whiskey and a wide variety of it, but of late, they've had some criticism for brands that some consider not up to par. Even with those criticisms, though, it's clear that BT is still close to the hearts of whiskey lovers.
I was also surprised that Heaven Hill didn't perform better. They make a wide range of products at a reasonable price, though for the most part, they have shied away from some of the more limited releases and high end offerings of some of the other companies (the exception being Parker's Heritage Collection). Are we whiskey geeks obsessed with bling and undervaluing a solid producer?
And woe is to Wild Turkey, a once beloved brand that didn't get a single vote. My guess is concern over their recent output, including the proofing down of their rye, has turned people away from them.
Of course, people will analyze these results for years to come, considering the impact of Hurricane Sandy and the October Surprise of Dickel Rye, but Buffalo Trace clearly has a mandate. Now let's see what they do with it.
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9 comments:
Buffalo Trace, Elmer T Lee, Eagle Rare, Sazerac, Weller 12, and OWA are such a solid core. If you add 1792 Ridgemont under the Sazerac umbrella, then you're really cooking. Forget all the extra stuff - both the good and the bad. They would still win for me, even though I drink more Four Roses personally.
I'm sorry I missed the poll. I'd like to say that I would have picked Wild Turkey - they are definitely my 4th pick. Personally I give Buffalo Trace #1 for the Antique Collection, and Rock Hill Farms, Four Roses #2 for the amazing Single Barrel and Small Batch offerings, Heaven Hill #3 for Elijah Craig 12 & 18 & Parker Heritage. I'm concerned about what the shift in distilleries from old Heaven Hill to the current Bernheim facility will do to the quality of Elijah Craig Bourbons - but until proven otherwise they remain among my favorites. #4 is Wild Turkey because the single barrel Kentucky Spirit, which I love - and WT101 - an amazing value, and Russel's Reserve Rye. Beam is #5 - and has some very tasty Bourbons too. Knob Creek, in particular. But there are plenty of other Bourbons that are worth trying out there. Bourbon is a big happy family for America. It transcends politics, culture and time. Indeed, I think it's highly significant that Red State Bourbon and Blue State Bourbon are exactly the same juice - just in bottles with slightly different labels.
did anybody vote for BF aka woodford reserve? I didn't think so.
Lazer, Brown Forman got one vote.
I'm in Louisville right now doing some research and I'd have to agree that BT is without a doubt the premier distiller in terms of quality and range. However, if you're not after mature bourbon above 12 years, then there is an excellent argument for Four Roses.
Recent Four Roses releases have been performing miracles in their traveling tent revival crusade through whiskey geekdom's inner circle--but FR has infinitesimal long-aged offerings and zero wheated products, so goodbye Four Roses. Heaven Hill deserves kudos for Elijah Craig, Rittenhouse, and PHC, but I can easily live without EC and Rittenhouse. And HH's inaugural PHC release was epic as hell (the 4th was nice too) but they've been at bit overpriced and boring otherwise. I don't like or dislike a single Beam product--they're just "meh". Flatly dislike Old Forester products across the board. Wild Turkey is a critically endangered species with its conservators showing no signs of restoring its legacy... just the opposite in fact. Buffalo Trace is far from flawless (Single Oak?!?), but--from the standpoint of consumer choice--they are the least flawed.
Sku, did you just go Candy Crowley on me?
..well I get plenty irritated with BT for the PVW/BTAC nonsense and the Single Oak project..not to mention the ludicrous pricing of the E.H. Taylor line..but I could not live without Weller 12. So BT it is.
Sku! I was at the rosemead trader joe's today when I saw that they have two new trader joe's brand single malts... one a 18 year speyside for $25, and another a 10 year highland for $20. I picked up a bottle of each, but I'm awaiting your opinions of both with bated breath...
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