on the next episode of Soap Suds and smokes. Well we are here to do our best of show. So today is the best of for 2021 so we're gonna be doing a couple of whiskeys here so we have uh with Brent is best of the year is William Larue Weller. Oh nice. That was a good choice by the way for Justin it was the old for if he does say so himself.
Yes, I mean his arm patting himself on the back, you went out on a limb for that one Justin his pick of the best of the year is old forester birthday bourbon and harms best pick of the year was the highland park cast strength. You are all Philistines and you must bow down before me and for the first time in about three years minus not a scotch, it is the king of Kentucky. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna be mad at you for that.
We'll be right back after this break brought to you almost live from the dude in the basement studios. Why? Because that's where the good stuff is. It sips Suds and smokes with your smoke and host the good old boys. Now it's time yes, it's time again. Hello and welcome to this steps episode where everything good in life is worth discussing. As always we are the best thing on 205 A. M. Well that's pretty much a fact now all the other shows kind of they kind of left that slot.
So we're back up there. Yeah, I have, I have some of this announced streaming service exists and uh I found Sanford and Son, you can stream that now. It's on, it's on the tv to do this, we haven't seen in a long time. So here's, here's my proposal stream Sanford after you finished listening to us. So we're still the best on everybody wins. I I miss fred Sanford but I miss, I miss uh what was her name? Aunt ester, that's the one I missed, fred santa, you old, fish eyed fool.
Yeah, that woman, she was awesome. She took no gruff off of that man. Well we are here to do our best of show. So our sip segments are all about distilled wine. Distilled distilled wine, well sometimes distilled wine, wine, distilled spirits, tea and coffee and today is the best of for 2021 there actually were some highlights and best things in 2021 2020 2020 was a bad, there was nothing good about that one, but we're gonna be talking about some whiskeys today.
So I this was the Earl Gray show, I thought, yes, that's what you're drinking. We drank your whisky. What do they buy that? Japanese, plum wine for them for the sheer heck of it because it was either that or malarkey. Alright, fine, it's a, it's a whiskey, we're doing the best of wine show to let's do this, let's do it, sorry, I sorry, interrupted. So we're gonna be doing a couple of whiskeys here. So we have uh with Brent his best of the year was William Larue Weller. Oh nice.
That was a good choice by the way for Justin it was the old for if he does say so himself. Yes, I mean his arm patting himself on the back, you went out on a limb for that one. Justin his pick of the best of the year is old Forester birthday bourbon. Yeah and harms best pick of the year was the highland park cast strength.
You are all Philistines and you must bow down before me and for the first time in about three years minus not a scotch, it is the king of Kentucky, you know what, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be mad at you for that. You know what, I've never I've never picked a scotch yet for my best stuff show, I don't I don't anticipate coming to an end anytime. So Brent has never actually purchased a bottle of scotch in his life, he did once.
He he wasn't sure what it was and it came in a box and and when he opened it up and he was very disappointed but it was just, it was just a complete happenstance and you know, you know he needed alcohol so so we're gonna have Justin against my better judgment. No don't do it, don't don't let Justin do it, tell us about our sips ratings. Alright. I think he's only gonna think he's only gonna give one rating right, I think I think today do we even give off five ratings?
Just just do it, just do it for the heck of it. Go ahead, go ahead. One ship darling, give me a glass of water to wash out my mouth. What the heck is that supposed to be? Oh my God. Okay, never mind. It's marvelous irish guy trying to billy crystal. Absolutely marvelous. If he was from Ireland marvelous irish. It's like he just makes this stuff. I've said it to you before sun, I must say it to you one more time. That's why they call it dope. Yeah, that's been cut it out. Good word.
Alright, keep going. Two sips. Nice. What else do you have? Well isn't that noise. Three sips fred Sanford, you big dummy, three sips. Hmm, interesting. What was this again? That, that did not know there was no fred Sanford there. Me and right now we're gonna go out full sips darling. Let's keep the secret to ourselves, pour me another. That's classified five sips. Oh my I was unaware anything could be this Good. That's Burns from this instance. So I I actually liked the symmetry here.
This is the the worst reading of the sips ratings we've ever done and it's the best of whiskey show for the year. So we've you've gotten past the worst of the show now. Let's move on. Thank you guys if you're still here and listening. I appreciate it. if you made it through that you are what is called a true true fan. So that's not Mr Burns his punishment for your decision. It's company policy to give you the plague. That is mr Burns.
So. Yeah. Alright well we're gonna move on and we're gonna go to Brent who's going to tell us about his pick for the best of 2021. Thanks bob. So my pick. Kind of an easy one for me this year. Actually not really. I was like four or five I was debating on but I went with William Larue Weller. It's a Kentucky straight bourbon. It's 67.25% A. B. V. Or 134.5 proof.
Nice little proof man doesn't drink like 100 no no no no no this does not even close to that ever pick anything that's under 100 and 20 proof. Sure not exactly. So so last year the William Larue Weller received an extraordinary ultimate recommendation from the ultimate experience challenge this year's released was distilled in the winter of 2000 and nine and aged in warehouses K. I. D. Q. And C. On the first M. I. C. Yeah that's I mean that's right. Under element of QP.
Right the 1st 2nd and 3rd floors 64% lost to evaporation. It's 12 years six months old. So this has got a nice deep copper color brown drink it down 100%. Oh yeah, the uh, we got a little rule back home. If it's brown drink it down if it's black, send it back. So on the nose you get this great creme brulee, a little bit of orange vanilla. It's just, it's just so refreshing. It's uh, it's beautiful on the palate.
I get some dark cherries, I get like a, I get like a little s'mores graham cracker, vanilla taste in there. Um, a little bit of cops said that when he first reviewed this whiskey, I don't get the graham crackers. I still don't get it. It's like, it's like the marshmallow and the graham cracker and it's, but you're missing the, the chocolate is really not there, but the little bit of cocoa is a little bit. I can explain this to you.
You've met his mom, you think he knows what a s'more tastes like. She never liked him. She never liked him. She never gave him s'mores. She's lucky she gave him food so yeah, understandable. You know, a little bit of vanilla, honest as well. And a little bit of oak. I know it's just, it's just, it's just everything you want, everything you want in a bourbon, high proof candy. I could knows this for two hours before I even taste it. That's how good it smells.
It's not everything you want because I don't have a crate full of it for free. The on the finish, on the finish when you're in your, I mean once you put this, once you put this on your tongue and you let it just kind of ease back. Be careful where you go. I know that. Be careful where you're going with it. It's just gonna, it's gonna coat your entire mouth. Well, I guess that makes our naughty parts tingle.
Yes, this is where it really wish brands trying to get used to the new computer, but they're definitely a little quirky, but I mean this covers your entire mouth and the finish. I don't, it just doesn't stop. I mean, and then it just, it just got that Kentucky hug and that just hugs you as it as long as you know, so it's enjoyable. I mean I can't think of anything better this year that I enjoyed more than this. Well let's just say, I think of a couple.
I think as far as bourbon goes, oh Herman, oh, we know how you love and not war. I think this, this, this is the only problem with the show when we do like this show every year, Everything we pick has such a long finish. It's amazing. How do you move on to the next one? Just stop the recording and wait 10 minutes and move on and drinks a lot of water. And the other problem is is when we do the best of the year, a lot of times, most of what we picked tends to be the smaller samples that we get.
So, so there's usually we've already done it during the year and there's usually not a lot left. So um you know, and and thank you to everyone who sent the samples throughout the year. We couldn't do the show without these folks, you know, helping us out with this. But you know, it's not like we've got, you know, a couple of seven fifties, beaching these laying around. Unfortunately should point that out to their marketing departments. We can't take you for the best of the year.
If we can't taste you again, you're assuming they care. They're like I don't care in that case you get in that case you get nothing, nothing nada, you would get nothing. Okay, Colonel Klink. Yeah. I think they sell out every year. Yeah. Yeah. I I don't think they're really all that concerned with. So Weller. This year was definitely the best of the antique collection. Right. This is this is hands down. I think we agreed on that. Yeah, I mean I really did like that handy though.
But this well who doesn't love a good handy? You guys straighten the gutter. Well he's got a point. Well the thing about handy is is always it's always good every year. I can't remember a year. We've had one where I went, this is an off year for handy. That's the one that always is is right where it needs to be. Everybody has everywhere.
All the others have had ones where they're a little less or a little more than the year before but handy is always the one that delivers the funny thing is is years ago when they first came out with it. That was always the one you could still find on the shelf. Everybody grab the others and they believe that one and it was good. Yeah that's true. Well we'll be back hey and we're back and this is the best of 2021 sips episode when we always really look forward to.
So we are still discussing because God of course you're still discussing the William. Woodard weller for this. Really still disgusting. I thought we finished with it. Well the finish is still there. Yeah we're still we're still finishes there's nothing left in my glass. It's been empty for a while. But oh my God it's on my tongue. It's just like it's just it's like candy and a glass. It really is.
It's actually no we we we talked about the candy but I really got a lot of unece on the nose and there's tons of spice lingering right here. And it's amazing how it's not. I mean on the nose it's not really hot at all and it's 134 and a half proof. I mean it's just I'm very very deep and it's I have to really inhale to really get and I didn't get a single drop of water in it if you did. I'd stab you. Right. I think the weather could take it.
I did it for the I think we did it for the best of the antique collection show. Oh I definitely think it would take I definitely think it could take it but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna chance it. There are a lot of, yeah no it's not gonna. Yeah I don't think it's better. It might make a difference but it ain't gonna be any better. So why risk it? Yeah it's uh it's absolutely stunning this year. I mean all the B. Tech this year was really good. This one was just stunning. So I disagree with you.
It was all really good. It was all good. It's all great. But it wasn't like over the top like some other years I think we'd better. Well I don't think we've ever had one where we went all five were you know just the greatest thing we've had all year. They're they're all really good. You know I mean I've never had any of them that I went you know I mean you know they're all really good. Um But but this weller this year was just out of the park good and so so was the handy.
I really love that Andy so we're going to be giving the secret lives of George t Stagg. They sent to me was supposed to talk about that one. Oh no no don't don't don't mention that they told me that we're supposed to just shut up and not tell anybody about. Yeah, that truckload they said, yeah, it was awesome. So we're gonna be giving the, we're gonna be scoring the winning lottery.
Well our Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2021, a extremely well deserved five cents and we're giving it five because I don't have six on the, on the soundboard folks. Um Yeah, just absolutely amazing. But we're also going to go over some other things like our best new product and see what else you got for us Brent so my best new product of 2021 I picked the angels envy Madeira cask. I had it narrowed down to that or the old forester barrel proof ride.
Yeah, so I had had a narrow down to those two but I stuck with the Madeira cask, it's just It's such a great product, you know, they've done it, they did a great job with it. I'm still waiting for hopefully a sample of the barrel proof rye, it was supposed to be coming and then it apparently got lost in shipping and then they were looking for another one. So hopefully before the end of the year it'll get here. Yeah, that was another one.
But so from then on my best distillery of 2021 um I went with angels envy. You know, they've come out with a couple of products this year that I really enjoyed and um they just kind of set themselves apart this year.
And then from other years where they've only come out with uh you know their base products and uh they're cast strength and this year they come out with a couple others and so yeah, well they're, I mean they're growing by leaps and bounds, you know, they're building the new distillery, they're building rick houses as fast as they can and you know, I mean really great people, you know, wes and Kyle and whole family, just really great people and Lincoln was the man.
I mean I love that guy to death, he was so kind to me when I first met him. So uh yeah, I gotta agree with you, they did a great job this year. So well let's move on to our next whiskey. So we're going to have Justin, tell us about that one. So we're gonna talk about old Four Strand Justin's done. That was too many words for me. My mind is a raging torrent. Here's Justin flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.
Are you sound levels right, man, that was really low, I turned it down so I can still hear. So we're going to talk about old Forester, 2021 birthday bourbon, it's 52% alcohol by volume, it's 12 years old, I won't hold that against it, 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley, It's released each September two in order of an order in honor and I think I had had some whiskey in honor of George Garvin Brown's birthday.
The 2021 release of the Old Forester birthday Bourbon was made from a batch of 119 barrels filled on April 16, 2009. It's like right near where the market bottomed out and matured in warehouse G This year. Marks old Forester's 151st anniversary making it the only bourbon brand with an uninterrupted history sold by the same family before, during and after prohibition. And what did George Garvin Brown do that many? Famous the first guys to sell bourbon and sealed glass bottles every year.
This this product is different, You're welcome and this year was no exception. Um I think this is the best birthday bourbon that's come out since 2017 And I think it's even longer than that. I just beat the 17, beats 2017. Yeah, this is the best one I can remember in a long time. I think the first one and this one is for me, well when we opened it all I could say. Yeah, like yeah, that's, It was definitely the best one I can remember in a long time.
I didn't pick it because it's only 100 and four proof, that's what I said, I'm not going to hold that against it, you know, I mean, you know It's 12 years old, like the weller, but you know, it's, you know, I mean, friends like where's the barrel strength for Dave urban. Yeah. They're gonna whip up a special batch for you. I don't want to ruin your christmas gift. We should only be so lucky. Yeah. So on the nose it's like a beautiful symphony of berry and dessert.
Red raspberry preserves joined plump, juicy blackberries and dried strawberries to set the tone nestled in a bed of dried herbs and balanced with vanilla creme brulee, subtle pecan rich maple syrup and cocoa. I think I like it better when you're strong. You just don't read the nose, tell me what you feel in your gut feel, I feel like this is a chocolate mousse dessert when they do like the really high end chocolate and they use heavy cream instead of milk.
It's just sick finish goes on chocolate mousse Belgian chocolate from pampered cows. The one with uh, what's his name? The one who played jim Morrison of the doors movie Top Secret. Remember they were like, they were the partisans in France and this is this is and, and then they had this huge black guy there with the beret and he goes and chocolate mousse. That's right. And he's got his chewing on a big cigar and the finish on this thing is just amazing.
It's like if you, you, you're on that cruise for a week and they have that dessert buffet. It's like that except you don't get really full and feel gross at the end? Like I do. Well that's your own self loathing is your own issue. But yeah, well there's probably a therapist for you. Something, he seems to think there's something wrong with the buffet buffets are truly proof of the greatness of this country and why we all get up every morning.
Yes, especially if it's like an Argentinean, you know? Oh yeah fiesta or the great bourbon buffet, that's the one I prefer that any day ending in a y for Brent. I'm a brunch buffet guy. I'm just jealous a couple years ago for thanksgiving. We went to we went to the Argentinian steakhouse, it's like exactly the same thing you leave, you can hardly move, you're ready for a nap except now you're full of like beef.
So it's like is that better than the Brazilian steakhouse or the same or what what is best in life, crush your enemies? See them driven before you and hear the lamentation of the women and meet on swords. Conan would say meat on Sweden. Those are the great things in life. But yeah it was yeah and I sat there and drank scotch and ate meat. It was it was a great thanksgiving. So what do you think of it Brent I enjoyed it.
I mean I got that you know that burnt that burnt sugar butter, you know if you're making you know making it in a pan, you get that and that's what really sticks out with me. But the the thing that really sticks out is the finish on this one as well.
I mean that's I guess that's how you can tell that you're really enjoying something is that you don't want to go back to it because you're enjoying it so much but you want to go back to it, but you're just still enjoying it and yes, that was a gobbledygook but I'll give it to you whatever. I mean, you could have expressed it better than that. But you know, whatever we're drinking, drinking so bitter happen. Yeah. Arm's gonna go there. I have a new computer. I can get the sounds even faster man.
I'm like fred Norris from the stern show. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Are you kidding? You weren't even born with the sense God gave the common dog, love it, love it. What? I think I understood like I said, don't mess with me. You don't want to interrupt the finish with that beautiful whiskey with the next sip. I got you. I got you. It's gorgeous. I understand that. It took a while but it didn't matter because I had whiskey in my hand. I was just drinking. It's the first time he said that in his hand.
Usually never mind. You're not, my mom bob. She told you you'd go blind and turned to stone and she was right on both counts. Put those glasses back on. Mm hmm. Yeah, it's just, it's me. I, I get what Brent gets. I get sort of that, you know that burnt sugar on the top of the creme brulee and a little bit of pecan. That would be the brutally part. It's like ooey, gooey peanut butter. And then, you know, there's, there's definitely that cocoa and he mentioned the berries.
I didn't get all the blackberry stuff, but it's, it's, it's sort of a nondescript kind of fruitiness, but it's, I get it like really at the very, very tip of the nose when you take that first inhale after that it goes away. It's like a retro nasal thing. Hey, I learned it from you is fighting a holy cow. Holy hold on. Let me get back to this one. My mind is a raging retro nasal man. That's like a multisyllabic word from Justin holy cow, what a year. Okay, all right, so let's move on.
And we're going to be giving no, no. Well he's to us to give his best new product. Right, We're getting there, we're getting there, Give me a minute. We're going to be raiding the old forester 2021 birthday bourbon and extremely well deserved. 56. Yeah. Again, the only bad thing about it is we had a little sample instead of a big sample.
So remember the good old days when you would go into a store and there would be a birthday bourbon on the shelf, like a month after it was released and you would take it off the shelf and you would look behind it and you go, wait a minute, The label is different and it would be last year's still sitting behind it and you could get both of them for like $50. Remember those days they're long gone. I actually used to sell it back in the door like that, just like that. Yeah, it was back then.
It was well, you know, back then you could get a lot of stuff but oh well what are you gonna do? So what what else did you have for us? Did you pick a best new product? So I have a best distillery of 2021. I have to give it to old forester. They just came out with everything this year and it was almost the best it's ever been. Their kingdom Kentucky is crazy. Their birthday bourbon is off the chain and I've even had some of their single barrels this year. Single barrel rye was fantastic.
Oh yeah, the single barrel rye was fantastic. Well luckily we're local florida. Yeah, prohibition 19 twenties. If everything else disappeared and all I had was 1920 to drink for the next five years I'd be totally fine. You proof found. Just give me the 1910.
I'm happy with that 20 is just, it's not even the proof that the twenties just got a little bit more of a flavor profile that, Well, there's, there's geeks out there taking the two of them and mixing them together and they make and they make a label, it looks just like the real label, but it's called 1915. I actually saw one and I went, what the hell is that? And I, and I saw it on a site that it looked fairly legitimate.
So I actually reached out to my contacts at Brown Forman said, did you make another one? She goes, not that I know of. I said, well, I saw this on this site and I sent it to her and she goes, I don't know anything about this. And, and and then she called me back about an hour later and she goes, oh no, this is fake. They've already sent to desist. Yeah, Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. The yeah, the corporate attorneys are already, you know, you know, sharpening up their fangs, you know, preparing, preparing for the drinking of the blood of the innocent. So All right. Did you have, did you have a new product or nothing in particular? Nothing in particular this year. It was, it was a pretty good year for bourbon. So it's hard to pick something whiskey in general.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, thankfully a lot of stuff got, you know, got released after, you know, the sun started coming back out post Covid. So I don't have to drink hand sanitizer anymore. Oh, come on, you like that. Not, I didn't tell them to drink drink. I don't have to drink it anymore.
You listen to that show that we did for the hand sanitizer show right at the beginning of Covid, When people thought, if I go outside, I'll just explode, you know, I won't even die, I'll just disintegrate and turn into primordial ooze. And we did that show. If you, if you listened to it about every five minutes, I had a counter here going off with me going, Just a reminder. We're not actually drinking this.
This is all comedy and then 10 minutes would go by and then the little thing would go and pop up again and just a reminder of disclaimer. We are not drinking the denatured spirits. So, okay, nobody drink hand sanitizer this year. Thank you. Yeah, next year, knock yourself out. I really don't care. Don't inject bleach. Don't put any UV lights inside your body. That's not what you told. Never mind. Unless if it's, if everybody at the club is doing it, it's different.
And those were U. V. Those are glow sticks. So the amazing thing is, is he was able to crack them once. They were no, no, no. Without using his hands, folks. Without using his hands, wow, it's impressive world in south florida. Yeah. You think you think All right, well, we're gonna move on to our next product and we're gonna have harm. Tell us about that one. Thank you, bobby joe.
Our last whisk It says, what does that say last for our next whiskey is the highland Park cast strength release number one. It's like Ron burgundy will read anything I put in front of him. You read it? It says last right here. That's that's that's all all I need to drink today. Released number 1 63.3% A. BV. 126.6 proof. Is that is that over 120 proof? You proof found I've been hanging out with a bad element. Uh peer pressure blaming the peer pressure. When you say a bad element.
You're talking like strontium. Or let me tell you the chlorine attorney, the peer pressure defense, hydrogen. It's pure plutonium here, hydrogen plutonium here. But I'm just wondering, you know, I this is a non show filtered that's cast strength directly from the distillery. I think in maybe 40 years before this, you would have to buy it from a private bottler. Independent independent bottler. This is the first strength cat. That's what that's the next line on the script.
See I anticipate you, I anticipate you, my friend, the first cast strength offering, the Highland Park line. The new highland Park cast strength release number one is matured predominantly in Sherry seasoned american oak casks of different ages. Hand selected by their master whiskey maker. Gordon motion. It is then bottled without chill filtering to ensure that essential D. N. A. And natural color of the whisky stays intact. So we only have a minute before our commercial break.
So let me just tell you a little bit about it. This color is just it's it's it's a beautiful bronze. It's golden and I just approached this from the from the side and it's all about honey. Just a tip. If you approach it from the side you can't drink it. You have to go to the top of the glass, you knucklehead, you put your hand out, you put your arm out all the way to the left or the right and he's bringing in slowly. I don't know what's asked. Mr. Retro nasal.
Over here bring it in slowly and as you get closer to put the glass to your mouth to drink it Payment from the ceiling and hope you catch it in your mouth. We have retro nasal. Is that like an old episode of Miami vice in the 80s when they were doing so it's retro nasal. Right? It's when it's the it's the drip from the coke. Yeah that's it. We'll be back. Hey we're back and this is the best of 2021 sips episode. We have harm telling us about his Favorite pick for 2021.
Yeah that's a pretty good show. So I had a sip during the commercial break. Oh my god. Oh my God bob bob brought this to the show when we first tasted this whiskey. When was it for four or five months ago? Six months ago. Yeah, it was pretty early in the air. Yeah. So you want to tell him how I reacted? Well I had reached out to two places to get a sample of this and and by pure happenstance, um both of them came through.
So I actually ended up with 22 bottles and harm, who is a, an avowed highland part freak, much like myself. Um I knew he'd love it and I pulled it out and you know, this was before it actually really made it out to market it sure as heck wouldn't anywhere near florida. It took three months before it came to florida. So when he came in he sits down and he looks at the script and he goes, so what do we got?
And I put the bottle in front of him and his eyes rolled back in his head, like when a great white shark bites into something, you know, and he starts foaming at the mouth and and making those those weird noises that he makes and his wife tells us about and and the good thing was is that he only ever saw the one bottle, so when we were done and he's over there like literally quivering with liam, like here, guess what? You could take that one home.
So he was happy boy and it lasted, what about two days? My wife and I probably polish it off that weekend. It was so amazing. I didn't share it with friends. I took it to the store to let people know. I shared it with the salesman who sells Highland park to me and said, where are my cases? It wasn't even in the system, They didn't have it in the system for months, three months later it shows up and I bought pretty much half the allocation for the state I think.
Yeah. Well I I probably probably full case came home whiskey. I I uh well done. I I'm telling you from personal experience, I'm telling you from this is what I drink. The nose is honey and vanilla and leather and wood and sherry and nuts and oh just amazing. Just a hint of smoke. And we talk about retro nasal. So when you when you put the, put the whiskey in your mouth and you swallow and you exhale that's the retro nasal. That that that that uh the tingle on your nose as you exhale.
And the flavors that's retro nasal or or the other way you get retro nasal um. Taste is like you inhale with your mouth open. So just get you come towards the glass, put your nose about a quarter of an inch or an inch away from it. Start inhaling and go in closer and then halfway through the inhale open your mouth. Let the vapors go from your nose to the back of your throat. That's retro nasal. And that is what just you can taste the smoke, you taste the whiskey without tasting it.
But what kind of fool does that unless you have to drive later? I'm not driving later. I'm drinking this. Well they had some good ones and then it just comes out your nose and that's also retro. I mean they've had some really good ones from Highland park over the last several years.
We've been fortunate to do quite a few of them, you know the fire, the four and $500 fire and ice the all the viking, the loki, the free A you know all of that, you know all the, you know the marvel the marvel characters you know and they've all been fantastic. But this one is as good as any of them for retail, 99 bucks. $100 retail. Last year I picked $1000 whiskey from my best of this year. It's 100 bucks and I've put them up against each other. I had no idea it was that reasonable.
Yeah, this is not a hard bag, which I love in a good way. Well there's two things going with it. Okay, when you're thinking Smokey you're thinking more Iowa which usually has got that medicinal pete and this is from the Northern islands. So it's a different pete's, it's all heather so that it's more of a wood smoke. It doesn't give you that the northernmost distillery in Scotland. It doesn't give you that that really heavy pete rig.
And plus this is just not a heavily pitted whiskey anyway, so you know this is when you might actually get through, why you're never gonna buy it, but you would get through it. Well if somebody bought this one for me and actually I would drink it, drink it. That's high praise indeed. Because usually there's there's half a bottle there. Give me some more of that please. Yeah, I mean I I love Highland Park.
I love everything they make and and honestly I think this is the best thing that they have made in years because not not the Best tasting one They've had. Although I think it's up there but the money and the taste, the values, the value is just yeah, there's there's nothing out there that that compares to that. So I'm doing this in front of you Philistines. I want to say bastards, bastards water pouring water in this fred Sanford wouldn't put water in it.
Drunken blush fred Sanford don't mess with me. I'm not, I'm not killing this water with water. Just a few drops, just a few drops brings out more of the orange, the nut, the citrus in here. Um the nuttiness. It's it's it's still oil, you can, it holds up to all this here. Put some more whiskey in there. Well don't try that Brett Brett's gonna put a cap full or something in there. Just add more whiskey first. There you go. You don't have to tell him that twice.
Remember remember what I said happened to him when he saw it. You want to see that happen again? Mm hmm. Sure. What is this how in part cast strength batch to for an upcoming episode? I know for a fact that's not in the states yet. Oh but bob has a tiny little box with a 50 millimeter sample in it. Isn't it a happy box? It's a happy, it's a happy box. It's a beautiful jet black box. We can't wait for that one. Yeah. The sample closet is rich this year. My friends.
So we're gonna have some really good stuff to talk about in 2022. So I guess that's what it says. Release number one on the one we're drinking this. And and I mean believe me, I I just reordered more of it. I'm just I'm just sending most of it to my stores and And you know what I'm drinking probably half. So I'm losing money on this bottle when I sell it to you for $99 because I'm drinking my profits.
Yeah, I can absolutely tell you for everyone who sold Him and me and a few other people in that store have consumed one. So it's a one for one. So he has to be making 50% profit just to break even. And he's not. So yeah it's you know it's not working. We literally lose money on island park the next one and share it. I think. I don't think that adding water really improved it at all. You don't think you got more citrus out of it. I didn't I didn't get more citrusy.
I still enjoy it, but I don't think it improved it. I think it's it's just just want that 123 proof. 126 6. Can you blame them? They made it right. But we're gonna we're gonna be, we're gonna be raiding the highland park cast strength release number one again and extremely well deserved five cents. If you don't like that, we can't be friends. Mhm. If anybody has an empty glass, I'm sure you do. I brought some my my uh Best New Product of 2021. I brought some to share for the table here.
And if any of you are listening at home, pause the podcast, go out to your local liquor store spirits purveyor and grab yourself a bottle of glue, Andranik Portwood. This is a true 2021 release literally a third or more of the bottles that came to south florida. Came through my store because I love this so much. I just keep buying it, selling it, sharing with my friends and drinking it at home. The importance I'm hearing out for my buddy Justin here. Uh This is a cast strength.
No, sorry, not a cask strength, this is a whiskey that's a non age statement, non show, filtered Portwood finish whiskey that said only 46% alcohol. So 92 proof for the mathematically challenged. And to me, Rachel berry is doing something that is amazing here. So Rachel berry, you know, she worked with dr bill Lumsden at, at uh, at art bag and at Glenmorangie don't Bogart.
So uh, and then she think, was she the master distiller blender at Talisker bomb or I can't remember which one and I want to say but more, but I can't Brown Forman hired her and she's in charge of Ben Riak and Glenn drona now. Right, right, so the improvements through those three distilleries since she's been there in the last few years has been amazing. She spent three years going through the warehouse has been above and beyond the other to the other two. They've all done great things.
But when, before it was a mediocre distillery, I thought that that was really hard to get good stuff. It was hit or miss, but now it's coming out after she started this new releases, their solid glenn glass. Oh, was one who would never hurt nobody. And, and then Glenn drone took again hit or miss distillery. The quality is exponentially better. They were even shut down for a few years for, for a long time that they've had in the last two or three years. They've had some of the best releases.
I can really remember. Kingsman Kingsman edition was so the Highlands. I'm surprised you like the highland park better. So like now let this breathe, we just poured it right now. So I'm, I'm swearing the hell out of it. Swirl, swirl, swirl, I approach it from further away strawberry jam, strawberry jam, butter croissants. This is what it's all about. Mm hmm. Anyway, that's my pick for best new fish and my my distillery.
Let's it's gonna, you're not going to hate me, but I think Pickles did some great stuff this year. Especially that I agree with you. I think they have, I think they have and I think they're, I think they're unappreciated too bob. Alright, let's do it. The last one we have is the king of Kentucky 2021 release its age 14 years. Uh the one that we got was barrel number 7 65% A BV 230 proof, 79% corn, 11% right, 10% malted barley. And this was aged in warehouse.
I floor three rick seven if you want to get really crazy, The brand was established back in 1881 as a Kentucky straight Bourbon and around Foreman acquired it in 1936 From selected Kentucky Distillers by 1940. They had converted it into a blended Whiskey until it was discontinued shock there In 2018 though, they revived the brand and that first year blew my mind and every year since has just gotten better.
Uh, this year's release is a 14 year old Kentucky straight Bourbon selected from 33 barrels average yield of 30%. So we're talking a huge, huge loss about 2700 bottles available worldwide. Um, This is basically in Kentucky with very limited distribution in Illinois and in Ohio. Um, but you know matt, you know, cases in those two states, it's pretty much just Kentucky only. Um, and every year this is without a doubt the finest thing that comes out of Brown Forum and bar none.
Um, it is like a, getting kicked in the teeth by a horse. I mean it is just, and it's not the proof. It's just the flavor in a good way because you know, some people pay extra for pain. It's usually 20. Yeah. Um in Subic Bay. Yeah. Um, but yeah, it's just, oh, it's just lovely. Like it reminds me, I used to work in a candy shop making chocolates and this reminds me when we would be cooking the caramel. It's just got that, that beautiful, Beautiful.
Just silky, that silky caramel knows it's got a little bit of chocolate. A little bit of milk chocolate on the nose. It's got women. It's got orange and on the palate. Mm hmm. Boom. It's just huge. It's got, it's got a huge amount of tannin, but it's not drying tannin. I mean you're getting that old wood, but it's not drying out your mouth. It's a grip without making you thirsty.
Yeah, and it's, and like you said, I definitely get figs on this, I get baking spice, I get a little bit of toasted coconut, I still get a lot of that citrusy on it, but it's just that, that beautiful earthy er thing. It's like going into the bottom floor of a really, really old old rick house. If you hadn't picked this whiskey for your favorite, I would have picked this for my favorite. But you know, I really, I can't always pick a scotch, but this year it was it was tough.
This was tough this year. Well the last couple of years I picked a scotch and this year I, you know, honestly there were several, I could pick um two of them are on this table. It's hard to beat this one. It really is hard. But the thing is, this is the freaking unicorn and a half, right? I mean, 2700 bottles available for the world. The finish on this one is probably the best longest finish that we have of any product on the table and they're all long finishes.
But this one goes on for days, which is why I made sure I was last, it's just, it's huge. And again, it's a unicorn beyond unicorns. Um you know, there's so few bottles of this um chances of you scoring one unless you really got a lot of extra money, you have nothing to do with it. Pretty slim.
But if you are in Kentucky, if you're in Lexington or Louisville and you know, on a trip, you know, look out for some of the, some of the better whiskey bars because they generally will have this on the list and it's not going to be cheap treat yourself and and by yourself, Buy yourself a taste of, of whatever year 18, 2021. I've had three. This is the best one, dude, this is the best 1. 2020. If you, if you have a choice, 2021 if you don't have a choice, you don't, doesn't matter.
They're all gonna be good. Yeah. Yeah, It's just, it's, it's, there's, there's only so much you can actually say about something that's huge And if you can do a flight of all of them. Yeah. So you sell yourself short, we're just doing one. So we're going to be giving the king of Kentucky. Obviously without any hesitation, five steps because it doesn't go to, it doesn't go till 11. Um, my best new product of 2021 is one that we reviewed this year. Um, and it's from the folks at lucky seven.
Uh, their 12 year old proprietor, I thought was a fantastic Berman. Uh, we all really, really enjoyed it. I believe. There is nice and, and we've got some new ones to do in 2022. Um, so I think they did a fantastic job and for best distiller producer of the year. I had, I had a couple last drop were very kind to us and sent us several the 59 or dodge cognac the 80 buffalo trace old carter props to them.
Great stuff and Gwen drone attack I thought knocked it out of the park this year as they did last year. So those would be my best distillers and producers of the year. So well that's all the time we have for today. I hope you enjoyed this episode. You can catch. Yeah, I'm sure you did. You can catch all of our episodes where you found this one as well as on terrestrial and satellite radio and online at itunes, google play i heart radio cbs radio radio dot com.
Spotify, Soundcloud, twitter, twitter stitcher, probably twitter and anywhere else you can listen to a podcast on twitch. The easiest way to find this show on your phone is to ask syria Alexa or whoever it is that talks to you on your phone to play podcast, sips suds and smokes. We'll have your feedback. You can reach us online at info at Simpson's and smokes our daily tasting notes, flood on twitter every day at sip some smoke and our facebook page is always buzzing with lots of news.
You can also check us out on instagram at Simpson's and smokes or it made man bob do us a favor and take the time to rate this episode if you're listening online, it's a big help to us. We get to see your feedback. I want to thank my co host for joining the heck with it. You should be thanking me why you didn't bring us a spit bucket. Yeah, today it's a spit bucket bob. If you spit it out, I will cut you. Thank you Brent. So today's exceptional pleasure to be here. Yeah, tell me about it.
Thank you harm you know bob I realized sometimes when I say thank you, it comes off as thank off the Romeo and labor camp. I don't have to answer your questions this time. I really mean it bob. Thank you. Thank you very much and thank you jess. I'm just thankful to be here, not only just drinking this wonderful whiskey but drinking it with all of you guys. Thank you. Ah and my heart just melted.
It's like that Frosty the Snowman episode and the one where Herbie wanted to be a dentist that want frosty, It was a good year. Guys looking forward to 2022 years old. This has been a one tan hand production of sips suds and smokes a program devoted to the appreciation of some of the finer slices of life from the dude in the basement studios, your host,