The B Team Podcast
Talking all things Business, Bentonville, and Bourbon. Hosted by Josh Saffran, Matt Marrs, and Rob Nelson. New episodes every Thursday!
The B Team Podcast
Ep. 64 - Inside the World of Vintage Decanter Bourbon - Part 2
What if you could taste bourbon exactly as it was made half a century ago? Not a modern recreation, but the actual liquid that was distilled, aged, and bottled during a completely different era of American whiskey production?
Stephen, known online as the Dusty Whiskey Hunter, joined us to open a remarkable window into bourbon's past through his collection of vintage decanters and bottles. These aren't just interesting containers – they're time machines containing whiskey made using methods, grains, and aging environments that simply no longer exist.
The tasting journey begins with Ezra Brooks decanters shaped like phonographs, chess pieces, and antique stock tickers – each containing bourbon distilled in the 1960s and 70s. As we sample a 12-year Ezra Brooks and move to a Jim Beam "Bonded Beams" from 1968-1979, the differences between vintage and modern bourbon become stunningly apparent. The rich, complex flavors with notes of roasted corn, cornbread, and baking spices leave everyone at the table agreeing that these dusty whiskeys deliver something impossible to find on today's shelves.
The highlight arrives when Stephen shares his prized Very Old Fitzgerald from 1956, distilled at the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery and bottled in 1964. This extraordinary wheated bourbon, worth approximately $3,000 on the secondary market, stands as perhaps the finest whiskey any of us have ever tasted – a liquid artifact from bourbon's golden age that no amount of modern expertise can recreate.
Beyond the tasting, Stephen offers invaluable insights for collectors on authenticating vintage bottles through tax stamps and proper seals, along with guidance on reasonable price points for those looking to begin their own dusty whiskey journey. As Russ explains, "We cannot replicate this history... no matter what money we have."
Follow @DustyWhiskeyHunter on Instagram or email DustyWhiskeyHunter@gmail.com to learn more about these fascinating liquid time capsules that preserve bourbon's rich heritage one bottle at a time.
Welcome to the B-Team Podcast. I am your host, josh Saffron, with my co-host Atmaris and our permanent guest Rob Nelson. We're here every week to talk to you about all things Bentonville, bourbon and business. The B-Team Podcast. Be here, so we did Old Crow.
Speaker 2:You know, being a reckless for two months has changed my life. This is good. I'll probably get some of you from this. This is such a rare treat. I would get my sleeping bag out and just stay here all night. I do that, it's so good.
Speaker 2:So that cat is one of the Ezra Brooks slide. Why not Savvy? That's a workout right there. So these are 12 years old, 90 proof. So this is a step up in proof. And this is the Philharmonic cat. I don't know if it can be seen or not. Yeah, that's so cool, we can take it out and show you. You can see all the dust that's still on these. Remember, we went to Luxrow in Bardstown and this is now from Luxrow. So I don't know if it does it. Oh my gosh, but this is how they come from the distillery the old tax stamp on there. Yeah, so that was torn. That's not good, but anyway. So there is a tax strip and then there should be, you know, maybe not on the front. Some of them have state tax stamps as well.
Speaker 1:So now, what's in the little pamphlet thing here?
Speaker 2:So this pamphlet and many of them came with their own pamphlets and, unfortunately, sometimes they also the through the corks. But um well, maybe I can't get it off anyway. This is an invitation from kentucky's finest distillery and it's a invitation to join the ezra brooks bottle club and you can fill out one of those things and send it in. It'll get send you a certificate. You should sendottle Club and you can fill out one of those things and send it in. It'll send you a certificate. You should send it back in and then you would have, and then you would have be on their mailing list and get to know everything that's coming up. So this is drinkable. Yeah, I have one open that we opened recently. There's just a couple of those. Isn't that a work of art? That is amazing. This is an antique phonograph that they did. They basically built or created Watch the head. Yeah, be careful there. But they basically did all sorts of. I like the stock market one that was in there. Yes, the ticker, yeah.
Speaker 1:So these weren't all handmade, were they? I mean, so is a piece of art.
Speaker 2:This was handmade. These here, the old crow chessmen. They actually had molds and they basically put the porcelain in by hand. This one. There's a Facebook page if anybody wants to join. It's called Bourbon Decanter's Ounces to Ounces and what it does is when we open up Bourbon Decanter's Ounces to Ounces and what it does is when we open up Bourbon Decanter those of us that are part of it we will weigh the bottle full and we'll weigh the bottle empty and tell whoever it is on it how many ounces we got out of it, and it's a way to know how full the bottles are. So here's a man O' War. Isn't that cool? That is amazing. Here's the photograph. And you said you saw the energy thing there.
Speaker 1:Matt already had his eyes on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, matt and me on my name Now is man O' War, considered the greatest racing horse in history, or is it secretariat? So that's the phone. So this is the? Oh, that's the telephone, I'm sorry, the food, the fact that Matt's already on top of stuff.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, yeah.
Speaker 2:So here is the antique stock ticker. Oh my gosh, that thing's cool, isn't it? Yeah, that is cool, it's so cool. So you're going to step up a little bit. That's amazing. Ezra Brooks, you want to start on this side? Yes, yes. So Ezra Brooks was, and this is a 12-year, it's a 12-year 90 proof. Tell me you're thinking that, wow, this is here's the 12-year Ezra. Yeah, so they were actual distillers. They still are on the shelf today. You can buy Ezra Brooks. It's a sleeper. It is a sleeper, I think, personally, for me, for me, this is one of my favorite day-to-day sippers.
Speaker 2:When I just want to sit down with somebody A Dusty Ezra Brooks, but you can't go wrong with regular.
Speaker 1:No regular books is good, yes.
Speaker 2:This is again very meatyy a lot of depth on there is a lot of depth, a lot of flavor, because, remember, with the 90 proof you're gonna get more flavor profile because the alcohol is not stun a lot of the flavor. So what, what? Pre and this is nice is 90 proof and 12 years aged, so you can get a lot of wood and 10 wood notes. This is right in my sweet spot. That's why I said it's not daily drink, because I'm not a big high food guy.
Speaker 2:I like 90 to 105. I like 90 to 100 ballpark. Okay, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, where's that bottle? We're eight flavor yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, okay, where's that bottle? Where is it yeah?
Speaker 1:There we go. So when you say daily drinker for those, at home.
Speaker 2:I don't drink every day.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no. But for those at home that don't have, how many bottles of this To be a daily drinker, you'd have to drink it on a regular basis. Yeah, so I would open one of these a month, maybe, okay, but you probably have 20 of these floating around.
Speaker 2:I only have one or two open at any one time. No, no, but you're back stocked. Oh, I have probably 50 open bottles right now, most of which I don't drink, most of which are for friends when they come over, or stuff that I don't prefer but are still good. Oh, but if I'm going to sit down at night and just want to relax and this one's sweet too on the nose it is, it's got some sweetness to it. Is that stone fruit in there? No, I'm getting a lot of roasted corn. It's really smoky. I can see it, but it's not smoky. I can see it, but it's not smoky like a scotch, it's not. It's smoky from the influence of that barrel character.
Speaker 1:Roasted corn's a new one for you. Like you, brought out something.
Speaker 2:I don't think that's in a nosing kit. I have 50 more of those. Let me shut this. I haven't seen Russ this excited ever. I have 50 more of those. Let me shut this. I haven't seen Russ this excited ever, ever. Well, you know what Russ is neat. You let us open the book to the past. Be careful, it's a rabbit hole you go down. But yeah, there's so much variety. This one's really good.
Speaker 2:This one's really really, really good. I really like it. It's history and this is part of history that a lot of people don't. They see it, they walk by it and until you try it, you go wow, what took me so long that we talked about earlier. So let me give you ballparks of what this stuff does sell for on the secondary. If somebody was to buy one, the Lionstones are generally $80 to $100.
Speaker 1:That's $200 for Matt, in case he wanted to buy that one. In case, no, he broke the course. No, that's $300.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hi, he made it unsellable. Hi, hi Hi. Oh, hey, he's trying to open it. Man, it's like you took a right there, you just so I see you. That's right, it's okay, lovely, off with her head, we'll fix it. This one, it doesn't matter. This one, actually, I get a lot of tingling on my palate, on my tongue, which is that step up in proof, right? I really like the dryness. That's the finish on me is what I love. The finish is wonderful. You do get a real hug on this. What about the coffee, though? What about the candy? There is candy.
Speaker 1:There's so much coffee here.
Speaker 2:There's so much sweetness in this, it's just great. So $80 to $100 there. Ezra Brooks has come down a lot from a year or two ago. They're probably $150 to $200. This is the most expensive. These used to be over $1,000. Today they're around $500 to $600.
Speaker 1:Now why the difference?
Speaker 2:Rarity Can't find them and it has a lore to it. Many people think that that is one of the top dusty whiskeys to collect and some people try to collect the entire chestnut.
Speaker 1:They want to call in for the mat Do you have a mat. No, I do not.
Speaker 2:I've never had more than 12 at one time, so you try to just count it. I drink and I share it with friends the first time.
Speaker 1:I bought it. I bet you could find one of these old crow chest piece mats somewhere online, right? Yes, you can, but there's still a couple hundred bucks right for just the Matt.
Speaker 2:It is cool. The problem again, as Stephen will tell you too, about shipping at them. The Matt will ship, but these are difficult to ship. You don't want UPS to kick into the pool.
Speaker 2:So do you have any of the knights or the castles? I do, I do. I have some castles. I don't have any knights left, I don't think. Or the bishop I think I have a bishop. I have four left. I bought 12 originally out of this. The queen would be. I bought 12 out of this collection and I shared some with the queen is the killer. Yeah, I shared some with some friends. You have a queen. No, I'm going to get. He's got a king. I think it is the queen King or queen.
Speaker 1:King or queen, now the juice is the same in all of them it is, it is.
Speaker 2:Just different decanter, same thing. Generally with all of these the juice is roughly the same. So Lionstone has the biggest variety from decanter to decanter, because they were non-producer distilled Because they were in a huge need. They were buying barrels and then blending whatever they had Everybody else was too. Like a wine, negotiate this is exactly who these guys were doing with bourbon.
Speaker 2:It was like a wine negotiate, but the bourbon like Ezra Brooks and same thing as long as you're buying stuff from a batch, right? So maybe over a three-month, six-month period, all those barrels that were created or blended, they're going to be roughly close, but over ages they don't necessarily have to be the same, although companies like Ezra Brooks have standards that they try to meet so that everything tastes the same.
Speaker 1:So, steven, let me ask you a question. So for somebody that's new to the dusty thing, what would be a good first bottle for them to try and find on the secondary market? What would be a good starter?
Speaker 2:Okay. So I think Lionstone is a great value. Jim Beam has the biggest selection and most of the Jim Beams are 100 proof or 100 month item 80 or 86 proof. I just wanted to show we're not going to drink this one, but remember this would be good. This is actually a 15 year. Remember I said they were distilling 180 months and they were holding barrels longer than they wanted to. They wanted to sell eight years. So have you tried? Have you tried? Yes, it's wonderful. It's wonderful. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:So Jim Beam has a museum at the distillery with everything they ever produced. Yeah, these are gorgeous, very remarkable. These are amazing. So they did a series. These are called the Executive Series and they run from 145 months up to 200 months aged and they're all in these gorgeous, highly decorated decanters. I would say the regular decanters is where somebody should start. They're a really good burden. They generally aren't. I personally like the 86 better than the 80 proof, but they're very reasonable. They're usually 80 to 100 bucks, maybe 125. Huge variety, because they were the largest manufacturer of decanters and easy to find.
Speaker 1:And then the holy grail, the Pappy 23 of this Jay, like if somebody could find something, go whoa yeah like what is your unicorn that you have or want in this?
Speaker 2:If you'll tell us, I'll tell you. I just acquired one. It's a Kentucky Tavern Captain's Bottle. So if you think of an old captain's ship, bottles generally have wide bases and then the decanter came up and it's got a narrow top with a stopper. My number one favorite dusty whiskey that I've ever had and this was in a bottle was a 1947 Kentucky Tavern bottled in Bond and absolutely blew me away.
Speaker 1:So you found one of those recently.
Speaker 2:No, I bought one off someone else probably five or six years ago. It's been empty for a long time. Okay, so you found it, but I found the regular bottle I bought five or six years ago. But you drank it. You bought it full. The captain's bottle was part of this collection.
Speaker 1:yes, but you bought it full and drank it. Yes, yes, but you bought it full and drank it.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, the regular bottle.
Speaker 2:Your friends over. They had to call you captain. No, they didn't have to call me. Okay, they did. I didn't make them call me anything in particular. We haven't talked about food and whiskey, but this would be perfectly with a fatty ribeye. Yes, I would agree. So do you have one? Is there one cooking out there? I thought we were going to do it with your eye. I don't have one of mine. I'll pick one up and we're going. So I like this a lot. This is incredible. We're walking up that ladder of progression here. I mean, this just keeps getting better.
Speaker 1:You are like this is like your Holy Grail today, like we get you.
Speaker 2:I mean my work, like the platinum level. You don't think I've been thinking about that. No, I know you have, because who would not want it? I mean, it's like we're in a museum drinking a whiskey. That's a perfect analogy. We are, it's a perfect analogy.
Speaker 2:Okay, so this is from Jim Beam and they had a series called Bonded Beams. Bonded Beams were all 100 proof out of a bonded warehouse, and various ages. The lowest age was six years. The highest I've ever seen is 13 or 14 years. This is an eight, I believe, and I'm going to decant it right into here, just in case he's got a lot of these bottle emb bottles at the house. I mean, it's pretty incredible. So why are you double? Uh, why are you having two? Okay, so in here, the funnel is to get it in the bottle. Okay, and this is a filter for really small pieces of work that may have come out. All right, we're not drinking just for for the viewers. Thank you for asking. Just extra protection. All of us have to do that every now and then. This might probably break.
Speaker 1:Many of them do, but we'll see. I'm just waiting for Russ to knock the TV off the wall. It doesn't even have a cork.
Speaker 2:Look at that. This one doesn't even have a cork.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I can do that. So you're discovering new things as you go here. Look at that. I mean Matthew's pretty strong.
Speaker 2:Okay, Matthew, here you go.
Speaker 1:Now you're under a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure here. Can you do?
Speaker 2:this. If you break it, it's okay, I can always cut it off. I brought a blade with me. Oh mini, get a vice grip. I didn't bring a vice grip either. We might not be drinking. Get a little hot water or something on it. There's sugars in it, it is Probably that's what it is. That's a good thing, though. This thing will be legit. I have a pair of vice grips out in my truck.
Speaker 1:Oh there it is there you go.
Speaker 2:You can hear it like a when I open it. We I told you about the race truck. You could hear it like a and I opened it up, so we don't need this. Then, by the way, a trick, okay, just for people that are watching. So these are available. I'm not pushing Amazon, but these are actually hospital issued or available in case you have kidney stones. Kidney stone, yes, okay, but the mesh is really fine With the little whiskey and drink, drink. Yeah, opportunity for kidney stones. Well, we may not even need this, didn't have. We can just pour this right out of here. I don't need to do that. I'll close it back up. Thank you for adding value, matthew. Yeah, thank you, matthew, appreciate Matthew. Yeah, thank you, matthew, appreciate it. All I ask is that you know we get a little nipper of that. Rob missed out on the best podcast we've had today.
Speaker 1:He's busy today.
Speaker 2:No, he's going to say we did this today because he's not here. Oh, he will. 100%. This one does not have as distinctive in those as what I'm used to. And what was this proof? Point 100 proof it's a bonded. This is a bonded, bonded Jim Beam. So now this is our first Jim Beam. Yes, the others are all Ezra right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very red mahogany, which is a color you like to see in bourbon. So it says it's an A year. Yeah, You're not going to get this at a today A year? No, not at all. And it's 100 free. It's 100 free, so what year would you say? This is from ballpark. Most of these have the year printed on this tax strip, but this seems to have got. Oh, it's still there. Okay, this was distilled in 1968 and bottled in 1979. So, Russ, what do you get from just this? One's got a lot of spice.
Speaker 2:I know you're already drinking it, but what do you get from smelling it? Please don't say roasted corn.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not getting roasted corn, you may. He's going to say tomato paste. This is more caramel-y, sweet and caramel-y. It's got more caramel to me than vanilla.
Speaker 2:It's really candy. It's almost taking. This is my favorite. I get a lot of roasted nuts on the nose. I get a lot of dried fruit on the nose. I get a lot of dried fruit on the nose. He likes it the way it is. I liked it how it was. Now you just messed it up. We're making it better for you. It says so much sweetness on the palate, a lot of caramel, yep, forcing you to have to. A lot of spice though. Yes, remember, 50% to 70 percent of what we're drinking today depends on where it's aged and housed. Yeah, variables. 50 to 70 percent of the of the flavor comes from the oak, so so oak makes the whiskey. Yeah, so, as I said before, the ezra books is my daily drinker. This is my when I want something special drinker. I have a number of these that are 12 and 13 year aged. The youngest I ever buy are the eight years Is that the black label no.
Speaker 2:no, I don't have more than one of those.
Speaker 2:Okay. So what's funny is like this none of this bourbon is like anything that you have today. No, it's not. And you have today no, it's not. And you said it, no, it's not. Once you have this, it's. It's like why buy something at the liquor store? I can see that, listen, you're going to have to spend for a decent bottle of liquor store. You spend $100, $200 today. Right, for most. I mean there's a few others. Most of this stuff that I brought, other than the chesment, is same range, if not. Yeah, now I have something special for you to taste. I'm not going to tell you what it was until you tell me what you think, but there are some Dustys that get really expensive.
Speaker 1:But let me ask you a question before you do that. Again, for the novice yes, knockoffs, like if you were to buy a bottle, you want to make sure that it's fully sealed, the stamp is on it, right?
Speaker 2:Like how do you?
Speaker 1:ensure that somebody doesn't get screwed over? How do you know?
Speaker 2:So you can't be 100% sure, but there are things you need to do to protect yourself. First, up until the early 1980s, every bottle had a tax stamp. Okay, for 100 proof. There are always these green tax stamps and they so this one's red.
Speaker 1:That would be not.
Speaker 2:That's not bottled and bond, that's not 100 proof. Okay, that's going to be 101 and up or 99 and down, okay. And then again some of the states, like we saw, the Arkansas tax tax 86 must have been a popular priest, it was, 80 is the lowest, 86 was next, then there is 90 or 92 and a lot of hundreds. There aren't a lot of high proofs back then Because of the tax, yes, but are the high proofs like they're the unicorn, amazing whiskeys or no? Today they are Sometimes Not necessarily Like what was the 47, that was your favorite.
Speaker 2:Back then there weren't. Today we see a lot of distilleries putting out single barrels. Right, there's no such thing as a single barrel. Back then I get a lot of cornbread right out of the oven. On that Cornbread, it's just a cornbread, I mean, it's prevalent on my palate.
Speaker 1:I think I'm going to wonder bread on this Right.
Speaker 2:Just the crust though.
Speaker 1:Just the crust, a little bit of PB&J, it's almost also this almost has a lot of biscuit in it.
Speaker 2:For a while it's soup. I'm getting more. It's like dessert. It is a dessert, it's not like a I think it's a dessert bourbon too. This is a drink that you would go have after you had a meal and you sit in there and just enjoy it.
Speaker 1:You could sip it in a cognac glass right Inside the fire.
Speaker 2:It's not like what bourbon is today.
Speaker 1:No, it's not At all. So, stephen, I want to come back to this for a second before Matthew interrupts. Yeah, so first thing, is tack strips.
Speaker 2:If the tack strip is torn, you need to ask why. Like, for example, that one is Camelot. I think the sticker just went the glue went yeah. Now out of this collection I do have some where the tack strips are torn that I did buy. Normally I would choose not to, but because the works were all together in one collection and I knew how long they'd been on the shelf and honestly, when I pick a bottle up, there were probably five or six that I broke the tax strip just by getting in the yeah.
Speaker 1:So because it was part of a collection, you felt good about it. I felt good that that was all original and legit.
Speaker 2:The other thing is some of them, there's a period of time where you have a state tax stamp on top of the tax strip. These tax strips are for internal revenue, and then the state tax stamps, which are much smaller and unfortunately none of these have that. Each state had their own and that was so the state could confirm that their taxes were paid. Okay, so you want to look for those two things. And then in decanters it's hard to know how full they are. So I do the typical Schloss test, right, Turn them over and I make sure it doesn't leak. I had some in this collection. I told them I would take all the full ones, but leakers I'm leaving behind, and there were several on the shelf that, even though the cork was still in it, it was loose and when I turned it over it would leak. Now, when it leaks, oxygen gets into the decanter and oxygen degrades bourbon over time. Right, Because that's micro-oxidation. Yes, we know about macro-oxidation for wine, Correct, so it's over time that it's going to affect the spirit. That is yes, Over time wine is instant, Right, and given that these decanters have been sitting there from the 1960s and 70s, that's enough time to make it really mellow and change the depth and complexity, which can be good or bad, it's still going to be dracobite. It's still going to be dracobite. Yeah, Now there are as in every collectible industry, there are people that are not so straightforward and honest.
Speaker 2:So other things I look for when I'm buying a bottle, for example, as opposed to a decanter, I want to look to see if the capsule that's the cover over the cork, matches all the pictures I see elsewhere. So it's very easy to replace a capsule. So try and do it with your due diligence because, again, you know the prostitutes are out there, there are, and I want to make sure it's right. Yep, and look for things that are tax stamps. So one of the interesting things about tax strips there are I don't have any others here. So on these there's four different things. One is internal revenue service, One is distilled spirits. So there's on each side of the tax strip up and down, there are different words you can look up. You can Google how to date cold whiskey. You can Google how to date cold whiskey, and if you're seeing a bottle that has a date on the bottom of the decanter that doesn't match the date range of that tax strip. You should walk away, so do your research.
Speaker 1:Do your research always. If it's too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true Absolutely.
Speaker 2:And also some whiskey does not age as well as others, for example. There are some even that come out that are a little hazy.
Speaker 1:I tend to stay away from those. So you've opened something before tasting and go oh my God, this is horrible. I've actually had one or two that.
Speaker 2:I've actually poured down the sink right. That were just not right. But if, if you do a little due diligence, you talk to people that have knowledge, they're welcome to email me or whatever at DustyWhiskeyHuntercom, I'd be happy to provide some advice and do what we can to make sure they're looking at good stuff. Perfect, so what is the one? The mystery guest? The SEP? Yeah, the mystery guest. So what am I doing, matt?
Speaker 1:already took it. It's in his car, yeah.
Speaker 2:I already took it out of the car. Bring it back, bring it back, bring it back. There's only such a bottle with it.
Speaker 1:You see, if I don't want these bottled up there now, oh, here we go. Maybe just pull it out from between your legs.
Speaker 2:This is a very old Fitzgerald. It is distilled by Stitzel Weller, which is known as one of the top distilleries of all times. It's bottled and bond eight year from 1950, distilled in 1956. Oh boy, and bottled in 1964. Right, I just bought this two weeks ago, okay, and that's all that's left. So what type? Was it? In a decanter or a bottle? This was in a bottle. This was in a. They didn't, yeah, they didn't have so old fits didn't do decanter. So this is not just old fits, it's the they're very old fits, which is a higher quality that they put out.
Speaker 2:I can probably bring you a picture. This is weeded bourbon. This is weeded. So this is the first weeded bourbon that we've had. Correct, and this. They typically Look at that, look at the color. They typically sell on the secondary market for around $3,000. $3,000? Yeah, I did not pay that much, but I paid a lot. Wow, what a treat. Yeah, so you're all welcome. You might think this is a better value, right? Yeah, I'm thinking about a picture, if you want to see what. Yeah, I want to see what the bottle looked like.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to pour for Matt, because if he sees a $3,000 bottle, it'll go about three quarters of the way up okay, you guys ready, I'll just do it.
Speaker 2:a lot of dark fruit on the nose. What is dark fruit? What does that mean? Like dark cherries? Like dark cherries or dark cherries? Yeah, oh, it smells. It's super fruity on the nose. Josh would really like that. What were you doing in 1956? I was four. My parents were barely alive.
Speaker 1:Now Russ. Have you ever tried anything like this?
Speaker 2:I've had an Old Fish that was distilled in 1958. We compared it against a new Old Fish, 11-year-old. That's the old package. That is the very old package. Yes, you know, it's almost more enjoyable to see Russ looking at this stuff. Look at that.
Speaker 1:So that's the bottle it was in.
Speaker 2:That was the bottle it was in. And you found this just no, a friend of mine in the industry that also collects old Dustys. We were just chatting online. He said hey, I bought like 10 bottles Anything you like. I said yeah, I like that bottles anything. I said yeah, I like that old and 56. I said I'd love that. He said what would be a good price for you and I told him he said that's less than I paid.
Speaker 1:I said okay well, that wouldn't be right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would be a good price you got that old fist in your house if you tried this against the other old fist that you have up on the on the bar with all those whiskeys. No, I haven't tried it again. I haven't done a side-by-side. No, side-by-side I have not. But I get a lot of cinnamon and again, like a fresh cracked cinnamon stick that you just crack, I agree, I get it right here. Do you not smell cinnamon in that? No, I do. I laugh at Russ. Well, you know what he's got the nose that knows up front. Some of us just say I don't know what that is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's how I like it, it takes years to get to the level that Russ is at. He's amazing, and I think I've I've talked to some people that have bought nosing kits that help them to just discern over time. Um, where you can? They have different spices and whatever and you can smell the spice, smell the bourbon and see if you got something similar. I don't know if you, I guess I don't really do that, but what I'm working on is a deconstruction seminar Deconstruct barrels. So have a sherry, do sherry, try some sherry. And then, right next to that, we're going to do a bourbon that's been finished in sherry, or bourbon that's been finished in port oh, interesting. And do that deconstruction. This could be one of the top five whiskeys I have ever tried in my life. It's so good. So this is 100 proof. So this is strong for you, right? But I can't believe you're sharing this. Why Bourbon is for sharing.
Speaker 1:The whole bourbon can be in my view, the best I've ever had. Well, good, because it's one of my top two. It's one of my top two. It's one of my top two.
Speaker 2:And this is remarkable. It is remarkable.
Speaker 2:Because again, it's really complex, and this is a weeded bourbon right. It uses wheat as the secondary grain, so you get a totally different flavor than you do from—it is softer, it is softer, but remember, this is the old wood in front. Absolutely, absolutely, it is softer, it is softer, but remember, this is the old wood in France. Absolutely, absolutely, and it was distilled at one of the preeminent distilleries in the country at the time. This is where Pappy Van Winkle had shut up his business. All this Stisselweller, yeah, so great whiskey, thank you for sharing my pleasure you can buy there in September Because it was raining.
Speaker 2:Stisselweller, it's not the same. No, it's not the same, but it's got the. Lord, it's got the history. It's a museum. It is a museum. I have one that was bottled in 2002, so it's still Stitzelweller's. That's great. A 20, a happy 20. Yeah, that's fabulous, fabulous.
Speaker 1:But but that was done before buffalo trace was going yeah, the difference is matt would never bring it in and share with us like you do. No, I would. I would with.
Speaker 2:I would with steven you know what you give and you get right. So I love that um, but I believe, I believe this whole business. Bourbon community is all about sharing and making friends and yeah, you know if I have something unique, I don't know, is this an experience that most people like. This is an auction item at your deal, if they would be willing to do it. Well, I don't have an auction item with this, no, but I mean, like some of these things, just the history of all this.
Speaker 1:Sure, we did a couple of your rock house farms. You can't buy this usually.
Speaker 2:No matter what money you have, a lot of times you can't buy being able to do what we're doing Correct. We cannot replicate this history.
Speaker 1:No, no, we cannot.
Speaker 2:You can't from any standpoint, no matter what money we can't blend anything to create anything that we've had this afternoon. Yeah, all unique. It's all unique. They're all one-offs and they're not cookie cutters.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They all have their own depth of flavor and character, but what's interesting to me is everything we've tasted, everybody liked, better than what's out on the shelves today, and that's why, for me, I drink dusty whiskey, I believe, on an everyday basis. If I'm going to drink at home, this is what I share with my friends and this is what I drink myself. I still buy stuff off the shelf, but generally it's got to be, you know, one of the top things that are coming out or whatever. I don't buy everyday bourbon general releases. I'll buy unique stuff that is different or has a good reputation and has been reviewed by other people as being really good, but I have more than enough bottles to drink for the rest of my life. Yeah, and has been reviewed by other people as being really good, but I have more than enough bottles to drink for the rest of my life at this point.
Speaker 1:So, Stephen, I haven't tried this with water yet. So, as we're wrapping up, because we could probably go for five hours with you, You've got more than enough product. I guess. If folks wanted to reach out, they wanted information, they had questions. Give the email address and the. Instagram one more time.
Speaker 2:Sure. So on Instagram it's DustyWhiskeyHunter and the email is DustyWhiskeyHunter at gmailcom. And.
Speaker 1:I've gotten to know you over the last few years. Yes and Matt, we and I were joking, but it all serves us, the generosity, the way that you share stuff. I don't know too many people in this community, northwest Arkansas, that are more giving and sharing and teaching with stuff than you, and so it's great to have you in. Thank you for coming in and sharing. I think the dusty conversation is fantastic.
Speaker 2:Oh, this is my favorite podcast we've done. Wow, that's pretty impressive. And, bobby, thank you, thank you, even though I'm there. No, well, you're 110% of what you've been. Guess what I'm getting on. So I put two drops.
Speaker 1:I want to hear what you get.
Speaker 2:I'm getting dark baking spices, but I'm also getting vanilla pudding. It does have a vanilla smell.
Speaker 1:Yes, it does.
Speaker 2:But I get the clove, the cinnamon, the star anise, also some dried fruit that you normally don't pick up a lot, but again, that's that. So, benita, all right. So I have a question what is your favorite note that is rarely found? Can you figure out for me to share In a bourbon, in a bourbon Clove? Okay, cool, mine is marzipan, marzipan, yeah, marzipan, yes, but I get more of a.
Speaker 2:I get more of a just that clove, you know you get clove more in European oats, yes, big time it's prevalent. But marzipan is that. It's pretty raffy, that I'm saving for another day, but it's there but. But I'm really getting those. I don't get marzipan very often, but I do get the vanilla pudding.
Speaker 1:Thank you for coming in. Thank you for inviting me, it's been a lot of fun. Appreciate it, thank you for the job. Have a great week.