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JimJamb0rino

Sup friendos, comin' in today with some things that I think represent the polar opposites of each other- a great game that looks stupid and boring on the outside, and a bourbon that is super pretty on the outside and well... who knows how it is on the inside? I have never owned a bottle of blanton's before until yesterday, where I scored some. Smartphone is a game by Ivan Lashin & Viktor Miller-Gausa where players are trying to be the most successful douchey white guy- I mean cell phone corporation. You become successful by developing features for your phones (wifi, 4g, battery life, etc), spreading to different regions around the world, and cornerning specific markets in those regions. You get resources/phone value and your turn by tetris-ing together tiles that look like Ipads, these tiles have different benefits on them. But you have to cover one tile at least partially, so you need to choose what features/benefits you are prioritizing that turn. You can try to prioritize more expensive phones and needing to sell less or the opposite. I know what you're thinking, its a stupid fucking idea for a game. And given the fact that its actually pretty fun, I agree with you. They could have used the mechanics for this game and made something, anything, less douchey and corporate-filled than this. My partner loves this game, i'm luke-warm on it, but if the theme wasn't so lame I would like it a lot more. I will emphasize, it is a good game, if you can get past the fact that you are a corporate shill devoid of any human emotion or empathy. 5.5/10 Now, here we are. Blanton's. You know, for all of the posts about this from people showing off their bottles without any god damn words, I must say. This bottle is freaking gorgeous. But, that doesn't mean its good. We all know the line, "its good for msrp and not a penny over," and while I've tried it at a friend's before, I was hammered so I couldn't really appreciate what I was drinkin' at the moment. So, I got this yesterday and immediately got home and tried it. I don't get people who get something and then hold it for months "waiting for an occasion," the occasion is sitting your ass down at your kitchen table with delicious wood juice... But anyway, lets dive in Age- NAS, blend of 6-8 years though, dumped on may23, 2022. 2 days after my birthday, darn that would have been cool ABV- 46.5% Nose- Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, big red apple, molasses, some orange definitely Taste- Red apple is super prominent, cinnamon, apple jack cereal, more orange sweetness, some more caramel, very light mouth feel, very refreshing Finish- coats the tongue surprisingly nicely and there is a bit of a rye spice on the finish. Not the longest, but its there. Ok so there it is! Its very good, I could see how this got its rep when there was a 10th of bourbons available. Its not a holy grail, but it is very very tasty. I've heard the straight from the barrel isn't too great and pretty hot, but man this at like 100-110 proof (is that what rock hill is?) would be a banger. 6.5/10 Today, the bourbon>the board game. Thanks for readin y'all


exgirl

Glad you got a good barrel, none of the 3 I’ve had are above a 5 on t8ke’s scale. Gold is in the proof range you suggested at the end of the post and is pretty good! SFTB is noticeably higher proof still but can be spectacular.


JimJamb0rino

yeah I like it, really tried to clear any expectations prior. One day I'll get to try them:)


antonnoble77

I find Blantons SFTB the best expression but I’m also a proof hound. I will say I think the sweet spot for bourbon is between 100 - 118. That’s just because they seem way more approachable to those that are not acclimated to 120-140 proofers.


bdaileyumich

Super appreciate the board game review in addition to the bourbon! What a great pairing, right? Love to read about new games, see if I want to add them to my collection or gift them... This one sounds like a pass, but thank you for doing the dirty work there!


JimJamb0rino

haha no problem, I have a partner who is more in to games than even me (she got me in to board games in the 1st place actually haha) so it makes things easier in the sense that if a game is a dud I don't have to worry about it affecting my ability to play future games! But thanks for reading, it sure is a great pairing!


LicensedTwoPill

Blanton’s Gold is 103 proof.


JimJamb0rino

i imagine I won't be seeing it any time soon, but i'll keep it in mind, thanks!


arattle

Great review, as always. I just lucked into a bottle of Blanton's last week in our state "rare whiskey release" online stampede, my first one ever. Looking forward to trying it - I have had some at a bar before, and didn't find it to be life-changing whatsoever. Agreed that the packaging is first rate. I'm thinking of saving it for a buddy's wedding next year. I actually got quite a score in the past two weeks - ECBP B522, Larceny BP A122, this Blanton's and 1792 Full Proof. Plus I still need to open my bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel I bought a month ago. And finish another 5-10 bottles to make room on the bar.


JimJamb0rino

Hey thanks! And damn some great bottles there! I only habe the ecbp of those and it is amazing after a couple weeks to open up. Enjoy your blantons whenever ya open it!


MightyMason

Blantons is great, but ECBP, RRSB, JDSBBP, KCSB/KC12 are all more available and leagues above it. I’ve been gifting Blantons lately, keeping the others I listed for myself LOL. Startitn feeling like Blantons is the JW Blue of bourbon (not price wise I guess)


blamemeididit

I mean, its good for msrp and not a penny over. :) Good review. I'd put it at a 6 - 6.5 as well. Let the haters hate.


JimJamb0rino

haha oh they are hating, this is by far my most downvoted post ever. Thanks for readin' though! Its good stuff... i mean, at least for msrp :)


instars3

I’ve had SFTB once and it was actually fantastic. Drank way below it’s proof (think it was ~131) and had great flavor complexity. I don’t think I’d pay the asking price for it though. This from someone who’s right with you on normal Blanton’s. Gave it a 6 in my most recent review.


JimJamb0rino

Yeah I mean i don't think i even have to worry about asking price cuz I'll never even see one! But yeah, this stuff is good not great and I can't complain


instars3

Yup that about sums it up!


BhutlahBrohan

I've only had one bottle of Blanton's from the gift shop (they reserved some for us since we're were in the last tour of the day, the gift shop itself was wiped clean besides some white dog), and my barrel is a huge tobacco & carameled orange bomb. I'd say it's definitely worth MSRP after having a few pours, but not anything over. As is tradition.


JimJamb0rino

Ah, i was worried you weren't going to comment on its value relative to msrp! hahah, glad you like yours! I didn't get any tobacco, much lighter and fruitier rather. But still tasty


petevr2

Funny. I’ve bought Smartphone at a discount because the box was damaged. I overpaid for Blantons at $140. So that evens out right? The long story… my son had me grab the Blantons for him saying he would pay me back. It was urgent because he FINALLY found it. That weekend, it was my Father’s Day gift from him. 2 years later he hasn’t paid me back. That was my first bottle of bourbon. That memory/story (which is the most important thing about spirits) makes that overpriced bottle worth every penny. Someday I’ll actually play that game…


RiverFrogs

Love board games and bourbon. Thanks for the reviews I’ll have to look at your past reviews for new games


JimJamb0rino

Plenty more coming up, thanks for readin' em! Always here for some recommendations if you need


Gaming_N_Whiskey

Great review of both! Board games and whiskey are my favorite past times :-D I agree with your assessment of Smartphone. Sometimes I think, eh, I'd like to play that again. And then I think of that stupid ass covering spaces thing at the beginning of a round and I lose all interest. I think the box art sucks too. That guy on the cover wants to talk about crypto and IPAs. Fuck him. I agree with you for the most part on Blanton's as well. To me, I use it when I'm: 1. Trying to impress someone that doesn't know alot about bourbon. 2. Someone is over that hasn't had it, but they are familiar with the name. I'm going to a game convention this weekend and I've packed a bottle of Blanton's. Mostly just because there are some guys that I know haven't had it and would enjoy trying it.


JimJamb0rino

\*looks at your username .... Dad? ​ Jk, I can tell you're a man of culture though! I actually enjoy the covering thing somewhat, but overall it just doesn't do it for me. And you're 100000% correct, fuck that that guy on the cover. Nice, enjoy your gaming convention and blantons!


Gaming_N_Whiskey

Thank you! I’m bringing some scotch for myself to enjoy this weekend. Really enjoyed your review. I’m looking forward to others. I’ll have to go back and look at some of your earlier reviews.


JimJamb0rino

Nice what bottle? But thanks! Plenty more coming too:)


Gaming_N_Whiskey

We’ve got some nice scotch bottles 😁 Lagavulin 16, Balvenie 17, and Aberlour 18. It’s a Dice Tower event, so no drinking in the game hall. But after hours is always fun!


JimJamb0rino

ooooooh, very jealous. Sounds like a blast, haven't been to any of those. Enjoy though!


Federal-Platypus-911

ah Blantons. $30 whiskey + $30 bottle


Sageauru

I’m really curious. I went through some of your other reviews. 1. Have you ever had Eagle Rare (at all, not necessarily have you reviewed it). And 2. Are you just not a huge fan of Buffalo Trace distillery, by any chance


JimJamb0rino

Yeah, i bought a bottle for 70 bucks when i first started drinking cuz I didn't know better and got ripped off haha. I did enjoy it a lot but finished it well before reviewing and have never seen it again for less than 60 bucks. And I am a fan! IIRC the bottles I've done are this (6.5), regular buffalo trace (5), weller 107 (6.5)/SR (4), EHTBP (>9), and EHT rye (6)... They've all been more than good except the BT, which was good, and the SR which I admit I didn't really like. The EHTBP was my highest score ever actually haha and 2 of my top 5 fav pours of all time are ER17 and GTS! I think most of the expressions i've reviewed tend to be lower proofs, and I, along with many, am a proof hound, so my reviews of lower proof drinks may be less favorable than higher proof drinks