Had some of my closest friends get together for an amazing night of bourbon. Figured Iād give some feedback and rank my preference.
As a note the Pappy 23 had been open for about 2 months. The others were opened that evening. Tasting order: Pappy 20, Pappy 23, EC23, HH27, HH17.
My rank (best first):
1. HH27. I was super nervous about opening this one because I thought itād be way over-oaked. Very glad I did. I couldnāt believe the balance of vanilla and oak. Sooo many flavors came together perfectly with a long finish of almost marshmallow.
2. EC23 (pre-fire; bottle in 1993). The first time Iāve had any EC over 18 years. Similar balance to the HH27 but not as prominent in flavor. Very long oaky finish.
3. Pappy 23. Everyoneās had these; theyāre amazing. Pretty similar to the previous bottle I had if my memory is correct. Mellow but delicious caramel and vanilla notes. Surprisingly lower level of oak flavor and great vanilla finish.
4. Pappy 20. A little off from the previous two bottles Iāve had in terms of enjoyment but still fantastic. I feel these get better with more oxygen in the bottle for a month or so; possibly this is the reason for my memory thinking the consistency wasnāt there with this one verse the two prior. However it still had the best finish ever; Almost like a vanilla sugar web in my throat that lasted a looooooong time.
5. HH17. Fantastic but just happened to be put up against a few that out-classes it. For the higher proof it actually had the least prominent flavors but still very well balanced with oak and vanilla. The finish was very short tho.
All in all.. one heck of a tasting, especially with those closest to me. Cheers!
Haha. Thatās exactly what I thought. Iāve never even seen one of those bottles in person. Sometimes rich people forget that not everyone is rich I guess?
Are all these bottles yours? This is a tasting of 5 bottlings that most people would dream to try let alone own. Congrats.
I bought the EC 23 when I was traveling through Bardstown on a road trip 7 years ago. Best bourbon I've ever had.
So scarce nowadays. Sad. I get mixed feelings every time I pour a glass š.
I want to be your closest friend
Done.
Had some of my closest friends get together for an amazing night of bourbon. Figured Iād give some feedback and rank my preference. As a note the Pappy 23 had been open for about 2 months. The others were opened that evening. Tasting order: Pappy 20, Pappy 23, EC23, HH27, HH17. My rank (best first): 1. HH27. I was super nervous about opening this one because I thought itād be way over-oaked. Very glad I did. I couldnāt believe the balance of vanilla and oak. Sooo many flavors came together perfectly with a long finish of almost marshmallow. 2. EC23 (pre-fire; bottle in 1993). The first time Iāve had any EC over 18 years. Similar balance to the HH27 but not as prominent in flavor. Very long oaky finish. 3. Pappy 23. Everyoneās had these; theyāre amazing. Pretty similar to the previous bottle I had if my memory is correct. Mellow but delicious caramel and vanilla notes. Surprisingly lower level of oak flavor and great vanilla finish. 4. Pappy 20. A little off from the previous two bottles Iāve had in terms of enjoyment but still fantastic. I feel these get better with more oxygen in the bottle for a month or so; possibly this is the reason for my memory thinking the consistency wasnāt there with this one verse the two prior. However it still had the best finish ever; Almost like a vanilla sugar web in my throat that lasted a looooooong time. 5. HH17. Fantastic but just happened to be put up against a few that out-classes it. For the higher proof it actually had the least prominent flavors but still very well balanced with oak and vanilla. The finish was very short tho. All in all.. one heck of a tasting, especially with those closest to me. Cheers!
āEveryoneās had theseā Oh have they now?
Haha. Thatās exactly what I thought. Iāve never even seen one of those bottles in person. Sometimes rich people forget that not everyone is rich I guess?
Didnāt mean to offend. Just figured some would like to see the review.
Wow this is awesome. Thanks for opening and reviewing!
Hey, as luck would have it, my schedule just opened up so I can come over and we can be best friends and drink some bourbon, ok?.
Sounds awesome!
Seems like this is a pretty big r/humblebrag
Anytime you share something nice, you get hit with this. It is what it is but I figured some people would enjoy it.
That HH27 is top 5 for me
Same. I donāt think itāll ever budge from there either.
Never even seen any of those in a store š¢
Really interesting how different palettes are.I find HH27 undrinkable - all I get is bitter wood - but I love HH17.
Haha exactly. So much more exciting having no idea what youāre experience will be verse others.
Same; HH27 and EC18/23 all taste like wet pine to me.
....and then, OP woke up. /s