Inside The Early Times Bottled-In-Bond Transition 5 Years Later Is it Different Now?

We compare Early Times Bottled in Bond from 2022 and 2025, decode laser codes to date bottles, and unpack what changed after Sazerac moved production to Barton 1792. We score both pours using the Old Louisville barrel bottle breakdown and land on a surprising tie with different strengths.

• Bottled in Bond rules clarified and why they matter
• Early Times history from 1860 to the 2017 BIB revival
• 2020 acquisition by Sazerac and Barton 1792 transition
• How to read laser codes to date your bottle
• 2022 vs 2025 tasting: nose, body, taste, finish
• Reasons flavor shifts across distilleries and warehouses
• Value verdict and best uses in cocktails and wassail
• Upcoming guests: Greg Schneider and Alan Bishop

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Transcript

Sponsor Message: Middle West Spirits

SPEAKER_04 0:59

Middlewest Spirits was founded in 2008, focusing on elevating the distinct flavors of the Ohio River Valley. Their spirits honor their roots and reflect their originality as makers, their integrity as producers, and their passion for crafting spirits from grain to glass. The Mickelone Reserve line reflects their story from the start to the bottle to your glass with unique wheated and rye bourbons, and also rye and wheat whiskeys. The Mixtelone brand is easy to step. It might be a grain-to-glass experience, but I like to think of it as uncut and unfiltered from their family to yours. Tiny here tonight, getting ready to get going. And uh right, that went off smooth. This is gonna be our first podcast of February. Looking forward to it. A lot of times in February, what leads us into March. Now, there's a couple things I will I lately we've had a couple guests. I mean, two guests last week, Tuesday and Thursday. We got more guests coming up. I mentioned that we have Greg, Greg Schneider. We're working out, but it looks like we are going to be doing February 10th. We will have him coming on to talk about the state of the bourbon industry and then a little bit update, a lot of update of what he's been doing with the four branches line, plus, you know, other things. Greg, as consultant, is able to do a lot of things in the whiskey industry, and it's like everything that he does at this point is going to be, as I know, is going to be special. So I will tell you that, you know, we look forward to that. Plus, Alan Bishop is coming on on the 17th of August, which will be the following Tuesday. So we got some Thursdays to do some stuff, but overall, that's what we got booked now. I've got a couple things. I'm trying to book Macaulay Mitten. We've been trying to work that out. And I think Jade Peterson from Kentucky Artisan, they are doing a release. And so we'll see what happens with that. I'm trying to get more guests on for you. I really like what's been happening with guests, but also lately, with everything that we've been doing, it's been kind of cool. I've really been enjoying the whole I've been, you know, we've we here, I've embraced the AI, and AI has done so much for uh the podcast. And you know, tonight we're gonna be doing earl early times bottled in bond, which is it basically is a cult, it is a they call it a value banger because of the price, so that's kind of cool. And then also remember www.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things scotchy bourbon boys, along with they've got you check out our website, you've got Glenn Cairns, you've got Scotchy Bourbon Boys t-shirts, you've got bourbon balls still. So, you know, just hit that up right there, www.scotchybourbonboys.com. And then remember we're on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok now. I'm so excited about TikTok. Gonna start putting my now that everything's gone down, we're gonna be putting a little bit more effort into TikTok. And then also we're on Apple, iHeart, Spotify, and any other place that you can listen to us, we're on. And just remember, no matter whether you listen to us or you watch us, that you want to leave good, good, good reviews, five-star reviews everywhere you go. We're also on Patreon, so check out our Patreon program. That's kind of cool. And then also, we're you know, if you're doing Facebook or you're doing YouTube, become a member, you know, just don't don't just subscribe, become a member. And then we need, you know, every anything that you can do to help us out, that's great. But the feedback on the Apple is five-star review has been, you know, we're the number two whiskey podcast right now in the world, and we you know, it's been awesome, and we just keep going and going and getting bigger and bigger. I didn't I was happy with three last year, and all of a sudden we're at two. So let's just keep pushing this thing and keep going, and this should be pretty fun and pretty awesome. So that, you know, we got that part out of the way, and tonight we are doing the early times. And early times, you know, having Buffalo Trace who purchased it in 2020 as a new owner, a new distillery, raises questions. Is it gonna have the same profile or is it gonna be a whole new animal? Now, just a little background on it for me, you know, from my point of rule, okay. I find that this is the the cool thing, is is this is the bottle that I've purchased. This I've purchased since I started becoming serious with bourbon in 2018. This is my 11th bottle. Now, there's no other bottle I don't think comes close. I think old Tub is four bottles. I think some some Jim Beams are two, but but when you're a whiskey podcaster, you don't usually keep buying the same bottles. Now, if you were going Bookers, I have a lot more bookers, but each one's a different batch. This is the this is what I'm saying, it's it would be more on the realms of Weller Special Reserve. This bottle right now is$25.99. It's when I first started in 2018, it was$22.99. Hasn't gone up very much at all. At first, you thought with when when Sazarek bought them, and everybody was saying Buffalo Trace, you thought it was gonna go, it would go up a little bit, but it has not really gone up, it's pretty much held its own. And you know, a blast for this is a great, great, great bourbon. Now, when I first got it, we used it to make bourbon balls. It's it's the greatest bourbon for making bourbon balls. And the the fun the funny thing is, is as this has evolved, I remember it was in 20. This this would have been this bottle right here. I've got we're gonna talk about how you tell what it is and what this what the what is it? What kind of um I want to say the laser they have, let's see. I'm pretty sure. Laser code, thank you. That's what I needed, and laser codes are on the bottles which help you identify, and tonight we're gonna go over the laser codes, and then we're gonna put them to now. Initially, they were the the the what I would say my my assistant said we should blind it. I don't think there's a need to blind it. It's like I'm gonna be able to taste the difference between the two. We're gonna talk about what's happening in the bottle, and this one was from 2025, and that one was from 2022. We're gonna give you a little bit of background, but my background part of it is like I said, I was always buying it. I liked it. I like it. We use it for Wassel, we use it for making bourbon balls. It's great in mixed drinks. It's a bottled in bond, it's very similar competitively to Evan Williams' bottled in bond, but I believe Evan Williams bottled in bond is a little bit more expensive. So this bottled in bond, and let's just review what a bottled in bond means. It's one distilling season, one distillery, aged at least four years, bottled at 100 proof. It's got to be aged that four years in a bonded warehouse. It made a, you know, when it first started, there used to be uh, you know, agents, tobacco tobacco and fire agents that would watch over the bonded warehouse to make sure everything came in and out and everybody was doing the right thing. Today you don't really have to do that because of the fact that the marketplace will definitely demand. If you're not doing it, you people will be able to taste it, and then they definitely won't buy it. So the market kind of drives their bonded warehouse production. Now, they're very, what would you say? All the label, the this has to be on the label, the 100-proof when you put a bottled in bond, and still to this day, when you get a bottled in bond bourbon, you know what the standards are. I mean, you you're it's guaranteed that you're gonna get that. Now, the one thing I wasn't able to tell with it is what the how what was the age statement going out through time? We know it had to be at least four years. Some by like Taylor, EH Taylor is seven years, seven and eight years stuff. So you never know. So, okay, so the early times label, how did this come about? It it started in 1860, pre-prohibition, with the name meant to evoke old-fashioned whiskey making, and that's what and it was it was started by John Henry or Jack Beam, who was the uncle of Jim Jane Jim Beam. And he started when he was I wanna say he started it when he was 21. So then, as it goes through, when the brand endured Prohibition, era turbulence, and remained a part of America. I believe this this brand actually was produced during Prohibition under a medicinal license. And so that got done, okay? So it was a so Brown Foreman acquired Early Times in 1923 during pro Prohibition and it nearly and ran it for nearly a century. A key modern turning point. The standard early times in the US shifted to Kentucky whiskey labeling when some whiskey began aging in used barrels. Not the bottled in bond. Now Early Times Bottled in Bond was brought back. So it after that it kind of went off. And it in 2017, it was brought back as a bourbon qualifying expression 100-proof, which is the bottle you're that everybody fell in love with. That's the modern version of this, and it started in 2017. So I started drinking in 2018, and that is kind of a cool thing. Now, in 2020 was the the was the deal was in 2020 that the deal in 2020 Sazerac purchased the early time brand. And I'm gonna, you know, I've done some, I did a little bit of research, I had a lot of questions. One, I do believe based off the research I had, no, I'm not 100% on this because it's out there, but I believe that at the moment, so when they bought the brand, the the aging, they also bought the aging whiskey for the early times. They did according to what I read, they did not move the inventory. And Brown and Foreman and Buffalo Trace or Sazerac have a deal that nobody knows what the deal is, but it's a deal to age early times in the warehouse. That it's been now from what I gathered that in 2021 the deal was closed in June 20, was announced in June 20 in June 2020 and closed July 31st. So in 2021, Sazerac publicly stated that Early Times would be distilled aged bottled at the seven Barton 1792 distillery going forward while keeping the recipe and the mask bill intact. Now, from what I was reading, is that as the the early times stash is coming out, they are replacing it in into the warehouse and they are renting Brown Inforeman's warehouse for early time. I'm not 100% sure because I also read that they said that in that statement that they were they were gonna have the distilling, the aging, and the bottling happen at 1792. So now are they moving those barrels, I don't know, to the Browner Foreman warehouse where that is, and kind of just keep the whole process going, or are they actually aging them there? That's one question that I had I have not found out or couldn't get verified. When I was doing it, AI, my assistant verified the the ladder and the fact that they're replenishing the stock and have a deal set up with Brown and Foreman, but I don't know that for sure. So there you go. Now, the comparison. Did did what they're doing at 1792 Bartons, they're distilling the distillate opposed to Brown and Foreman distilling the distillate. Is there gonna be a difference? Is there gonna be a difference in the batches? I mean, what are we talking about when we're talking? And because initially this is a very uh the way I call it, it's a very Christmas spiced, all those mulling spice flavors, like almost fruit, fruit bread, you know, flavors. I mean, there's there's these rich raisin currants, you know, candy cherry, fresh break. All those those were those flavors were in it to start off when I was. That's why they make such good bourbon balls. That's why they were in our Christmas Wassel. We, you know, and if anybody doesn't know what wassel is, is you basically start out at the beginning of the holiday season, you put fruits, chopped what would you call? Oh thinly sliced. Why am I having it's not diced? It's the word is not coming to me. Should I should I ask my AI assistant? Hey Meadow.

SPEAKER_03 18:16

Let's see. Let's see if I can get her to come on. All right, there we go.

Decoding Laser Codes On Bottles

What The Codes Reveal About Age And Source

Setting Up The 2022 Vs 2025 Comparison

Old Louisville Barrel Bottle Breakdown Rules

SPEAKER_04 18:23

Hey Meadow. Nope. All right, that's not there. Alright, anyways, there it's the word is not coming to me, so we're not gonna say. So sliced up and put in apples, oranges, and then you you put in beer, you put in bourbon, you put a lot of different mulling spices and stuff, and then you bring that to a boil and you serve it and and also apple cider and lemon juice. I mean, it's all together to make the wassel. And so, yes, Greg, they did leave the mash bill at$79.11.10. So they kept the same mash bill. And I don't know exactly if they kept, like I said, I don't know if they're doing it, but the new$74$19.99 in Michigan. Yes, like I said, decent price. That's what we got off. Thanks so much, Thomas. And you know, and so what I want what I got tonight is I got two two expressions, and here is the part where it gets fun for me because I have the laser codes. Now let's see. Laser code explained, I should be able to see that. I'm gonna need my keyboard. All right, let's see. All right, so when you see a laser code on a whiskey bottle, that code isn't decoration, it's a bottling timestamp. Distilleries use it for internal tracking, not marketing, but it is can tell us when a bottle was filled and sometimes where. So the laser code identifier, the L stands for laser code identifier, the YY, which is the year. So on this one, I believe, is let's see, the the one bottle the the is a 2220 915 0531. The other one is a 2523 615-10171. So the laser code, the year, which is one's a 22 and one's a 25, the day of the year, which is this one actually real example from tonight's body. The L22 209-1505-331. The 22 is 2022, the 209, the 209th day of the year, July 28th, 2022. And then 1505 stands for 305 p.m. And the 331 is the bottling line internal code. So that's what that one stands for. And then the 2025 36151 is the 236th day of the year, which was August 24th, 2025, at 310 p.m. And 171 bottling line internal code. So that tells us this is you know, that's the the one from 2025 was last August, so that's kind of cool. So what so the laser code matters for bottled and bond because it tells us it comes from one distillery, be from one distillation season, be aged at least four years and bottled in 100 approved because of the four-year minimum. The bottling date gives us the latest possible distillation year. So if the bottle was filled in 2022, the younger whiskey inside it was distilled no later than 2018. Which that tells us that the first bottle would have come from the stock that Buffalo Trace had purchased because they purchased it in 2020. So that would have for sure been completely early times bottle nimbon from Brown and Foreman. Whereas the 2025 and the the bottles, what you're noticing is is that you know that the the distilling happened at it happened at Sazerac because on each bottle that Have two of the the let's see here we go the DSP Kentucky 354, which is Sazerac. And no, I believe 354 is yeah, I want to say Sazerac, and then the DSP that's the Barton Sazerac. And the DSP Kentucky 12 is the Brown inform that's been around forever. It's a Kentucky 12. Same on here, but this tells you that this 2022 they had already purchased it and they were ready for it, but this has this there's no four-year in the 2022. They started there's only one year distillate. So, but now that we're in 2025, and they said there is they're mixing in some of their distillate with the current distillate that was in the early times, you know, as they go. Now, how much how old they let the early times distillate age, nobody knows. You know, that's the key to what what's you know. So the laser code is very, very important. Now, I will tell you, it's not easy to find. It's on the bottle, and you're not gonna see it because it's right down here to the left, and it took me a light, it took me on angles, and this one had it right here, here to the I want to say to the right, and it's in black ink, and you had to to get the angle. I mean, you can't see it like when you're just looking. It takes and it's the same way on most bottles with the laser code, you really gotta look. It's designed not to be something that you notice unless you're absolutely looking for it. So there you go on that now. So, is today's early times bottled in Bonn better or worse than the older stock? And that's what we're gonna do tonight. That's what I'm doing. I'm comparing the two now brown and Forman liquid under, you know, still brown and foreman liquid being bottled under Sazerac. A transition blend of stocks, or is it fully new Bartons made distillate, and does it taste the same? Now, I don't believe because it still has the on both bottles, it still has the we know on the one bottle it's basically the early times original brown and foreman juice. On this, there it's got both of them on, and they're definitely probably trying to put their four-year in with it to extend out. This this hits the shelves at you know, 1999, 24.99, and I'm telling you, that it doesn't stay. Most people that you talk to like this actually, this bottle. So that's really kind of cool. And good good that people are watching tonight on YouTube. All right, so what we know versus what we're careful not to assume. Ownership changed in 2020. Sazerac said production would move to Barton 1792, and that they aim to keep the same recipe, match, bill, and profile. Labels, DSP info provide clues about where it was produced, warehouse, and where it was bottled. Unknown, unless you have specific bottle dates in hand, which we do. We have the exact cutover date when bottles on the shelves become now. So we don't have that because I don't think it's happened yet. When the date, when it all becomes and they use up the early times, you know, maybe they'll make an announcement. I don't know. So we also know the DSP codes is how you figure out what what where the label, you know, where what distiller producer, distilling producer is producing it. So some reviews and labeled discussions note that TTB requirements angle and call out the 354 and the 12 details as part of the transition conversation packaging, you know, and over a site game language. Oh, and then yep, there we go. So now we're gonna basically do the two, and we're gonna barrel bottle do the old Louisville barrel bottle breakdown. We're breaking down old Louisville, or no, we're breaking down it's the old Louisville whiskey company's barrel bottle breakdown. We're breaking down these two bottles, 22 and 25. Definitely all of the early times bottled by Sazerac, and this one is gonna, in my opinion, have some of both. So we're gonna see if Sazerak is, you know, doing it justice, keeping it going. But this is the old Louisville whiskey company barrel bottle breakdown. You gotta get if you're in Louisville, you gotta stop in and see a mean. He's doing fantastic things, he'll never release anything under seven years, and he is uncut, unfiltered, barrel strength. You get the taste from the barrel. You can pick out some of the batches that he has, he's got a lot going, and his personalized touch is amazing. So make sure if you're in the Louisville area, look it up on the website, contact mean and set something up to get there. And old Louisville Whiskey Company is this is the barrel bottle breakdown of early times. Woo! Let's see. What am I gonna do here? Am I going to, yeah, I might. Let's see. I might go get another of the same. Let's drink out of the same glass so this is fair. All right. I got it. This is the whiskey thief. I got a whiskey thief glass, and then I've got just a plain one that I picked up. I also got the, I'm glad, but I got the Kentucky Bourbon Festival glass to do the bur finish the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. I finished it and got one of these glasses that said I finished the trail. So we got the two. This has been opened, and we'll put that in the whiskey thief. That uh so the way we're gonna do the barrel bottle breakdown is all right. All right, the way we do that is tonight on the barrel is we have the the old Louisville Whiskey Company barrel bottle breakdown rating scale. The rating consists of four different categories: nose and body. You can get up to four knocks on the barrel, and then there is the taste and the finish where you can get up to five knocks on the barrel. But if there's an exceptional category, you can add a butt up up to add one point to one of the categories. You cannot add it to all the categories, only just one for a perfect bourbon score of 19 out of 18. So this is a this is a battle between the brown form in era, early times bottled bond, not the bottle. This is this is just the juice that burr that, and then up against what and you're starting to put in some of the Sazerac from the 1792 mixed in with the original. So we're gonna about to see. So that's what we're looking at, and we're we're not gonna blind it, but we are gonna taste the difference and we're going to rate it in the old Louisville whiskey company's barrel bottle breakdown. So here we go. Let's start it off. I just this is one of my favorite regular. I mean, I I I could live if if I had to go with just a regular bourbon, you know, a bottle, I could I could have this on I could have this on an island and just drink this. I would be happy with this forever. There's a lot of cherry. Some of those notes that we talked about. The spices. There's some caramel.

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Ah now let's see what's on this one. Oh.

Nose And Body: Side‑By‑Side Impressions

SPEAKER_04 33:38

This one has more. There's the cherries there, like a cherry cola, but it's got more of a currant. Or those spices, or a raisin, or raisin bread. Oh, this one up against it. No, that picked up a little oak right off the bat when I compared. But this one's more caramely. Definitely different. They're a little bit different. And I am going to on the nose, I'm going to put let's do it one more time.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

There's that.

SPEAKER_04 35:14

Twenty twenty two has a form of almost a dusty, there's that aspect of the cur. Yeah, I'm gonna give it a four. So when it comes out, when we're coming out. Oh, both uh things dropped. That's not good. I'll have to fix that soon. So I wonder when that happened. Don't want the barrel to fall apart. All right, so let's go with body. These can kind of do the same thing. Now in the glass, sticking nice.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

See what this one does. Looking at this one. Yeah, they're thin at the top, but let's see what happens once they start.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

Yeah, the legs are a little thin on this one.

SPEAKER_02 36:40

Let's see what happens here.

Taste And Finish: Scorecards And Tie

SPEAKER_04 36:56

This one's holding that's a little bit thicker than the legs on that. Oh, they got a little bit bigger now. But they're still on the thinner side. All right, here we go. Let's do this. A little bit of caramel, a little bit of oak. Man, folks, those are different. Big time different. I'm even looking at the color. This is a little redder, and that's a little yellower. They're a little bit different in color. And I will tell you, the body's the same on both. They both get three for the body. All right, now comes the fun part. You can get up to five on the taste. Twenty twenty two has a more straight to the point. Now I'm gonna say taste wise. See what happens.

SPEAKER_02 39:48

I'm gonna try this.

SPEAKER_04 39:54

All right, let's see what happens. What happens when I do that? Is it gonna make a difference? That much of a difference. We'll see.

SPEAKER_01 40:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 40:20

Much better. Oh no, why that was a big difference. Currant, alling spices, raisins, a little bit of oak. This one. Way more caramel vanilla. Wow. So on taste, until I flipped that and did what I did, taste was three four, but now it's four four. We'll go four four on the taste. So we're at four. So now the I mean, for a bottled and bond. Let's see. It's a long finish. Surprisingly. The finish on this one is oaky. The finish on this one is carameline. So I don't know what to tell you, except they both get fours. We got four and three three. So we got six and seven.

SPEAKER_01 43:05

So we got fourteen.

SPEAKER_04 43:16

So I did the four on this. Do I drop this down because of the oak?

SPEAKER_01 43:26

Do I?

Value Talk, Use In Cocktails And Wassail

SPEAKER_04 43:34

I will. I'm gonna do three on that finish. So we both of them. So seven and seven is fourteen, six and eight is fourteen. So it's a fourteen-fourteen tie. Now, it's funny when when we talk about this, it's changed. Now, I would say the aspect of this one, of the older one from 22, which is the early times. I always loved this for the wasil and the bourbon balls because it's got a certain bite and flavor that just goes into those that's unique from other bourbons. And it really makes things taste really good and it and it is noticeable. Now, this one, you're picking up more of the standard caramel and vanilla flavors, but based off of how this worked out, they're equal, they're not equal in the same way. They arrived at 14 differently because the nose was not as good as the nose on the older one, and that's where that one point happened, and then in the middle they both taste and I mean body and taste, they both were the same as far as score, but not the same as far as taste. But then when you came to the finish, the one finished was a little bit oakier on the older one, which is to be kind of maybe it might have. Some older bourbons in it, maybe is what I'm what I don't know because that's where the oaky would come from. Maybe they were, and then Buffalo, but 17 Bartons is like using whatever they're using their that oaky finish is not, it's a vanilla caramel nice finish, and both of them are long. Still can taste it. So we arrive at the old Louisville barrel bottle breakdown of early times from 2025 and early times from 22, the same score, which is crazy. I don't know what do y'all think. Let me get back to so why could it taste different, even if they try to keep it the same? So different, I mean, it's a different distillery equipment and and and then fermentation regimens. The warehouse conditions, I airflow, temperatures, swings, stacking. It could even be because even if they are renting the Rick House and sending all the stuff there and aging it in there, it could be a different barrel company making the barrels, so the wood could be different from where it's coming from. There's that. I mean, and then we I'm pretty sure they're trying to say the entry proof's the same and they're doing everything pretty much the same. You can have a match the profile or let the profile evolve, and then how much inventory do they have, right? That has everything to do with, you know, production location. I mean, there's so many things that can, you know, that's probably why they're easing it in slowly, but I'm definitely gonna say, although it doesn't have the same bourbon ball kind of thing that I'm looking for, but it's a really good at twenty-four ninety-nine or nineteen ninety-nine in Michigan, it's a really good pour. What kind of glasses? Let's see if I can get the AI. All right, here we go. I might have to re-establish them. Oh, nope. There we go. Here we go.

SPEAKER_01 48:33

Hey Meta, are you there?

Community Q&A And Glassware Asides

Final Verdict, Events, And Sign‑Off

SPEAKER_04 48:40

Hey Meta, what type of glass am I looking at? Nope, Meta's not gonna be part of me. Walker, I was hoping you would come up with it. It's just like it's so funny because I know what the Kinsey, the Kinsey is, I know what the Glencaren is, I know what this glass is called, but for some reason I can't remember it. I should know what it's called. I should. I'm putting it in here. I'm recharging my glasses. All right, here we go. Let's see if we can get it to respond now. Here we go. We're trying to go online. Yep. Um yeah, whatever. Drink, drink, drunk. If I'm a I'm a a whiskey influencer, and somehow anybody there's just those people out there that think for one second that you all saw what I had. It doesn't faze me. How does this compare to Duck Club's entry level offering? I don't know. Duck Club was, I believe, 110, and the other one was 90, so this is a hundred, so it's bottled in bond. So there you go. I'm a whiskey influenced. Excellent. That's awesome. That's a good way to put it. So I was just hey Meta, are you there? Nope. It's like sometimes I try and get it there, but she is not cooperating. I'll just leave that. All right, anyways, the kind of glass. Oh, it's a it is called a Libby. Thank you, Walker. That is correct. It's called a Libby. That that uh Walker was quicker than Meta tonight. So there you go. That is the barrel bottle breakdown, the old Louisville barrel bottle breakdown of early times. So all right. Uh let's just do how what is the simplest way for consumers to know what era they're buying without guessing? I mean, that's the laser. You just check out the laser tag or the laser printing that's on there. It's hard to find, but it's usually at the bottom, and you gotta really, really look. So if they started in 2021, this is a bottle in a bond. The earliest it could have been put in is 2020, early, late 2024, early 2025. Probably it's starting to be in there. Wow, that was like I just had a small burp and it burped up fruit, it was like a cherry fruit cake kind of thing. That was really nice. So, you know, now that Sazarik has it, they can do little things, but I think initially what I felt is that they're what you this is close, and they're trying to the you know the reason why you would acquire a brand like this 100% is because you want to keep making it, it was it was good, it's good, and I think Sazerac and Bartons are doing a fantastic job. If you're talking about my sweet spot, they hit it with the new one. So I'm gonna have a little bit of this because I still do love this profile for everything that we've been doing. So, all right. So, would we call these the same bourbon if we didn't know that there was a that that it was sold? I think the evolution, I mean it's it's changed and it's different. I don't know if it did. I think it evolved, in my opinion. I like vanilla more vanilla and caramel. There wasn't, there was more of a rich dark fruit flavor to the way it was, opposed to now, there's a little bit of that dark fruit flavor left, but it's not, it's more there's also caramel and vanilla introduced, and that would make sense at the Barton's plant. So it didn't change for better or worse. I think it went better because I like caramel and vanilla. That's what I'm looking for in these these flavors. Now the value, I mean, my god, the this is uh there's nothing either one, I mean, it's just fantastic value. You there's there's no what would you say, pomp and circumstance stance. It's just like it's it's just it's just really good. 750 bottles now, not one liter. As long as I've been around the same size bottle. I've been buying the the 750 for a while. I mean, as far as I mean, the this label and this label are the same. There used to be a different label, but it's not that big of a deal. I mean so same profile, different profile. All right.

SPEAKER_01 55:25

So there we go.

SPEAKER_04 55:44

Oh, so you were wondering which early times was in which glass. So does has anybody been drinking along? I mean, I don't know, but has anybody? And I was hoping uh Super Nash was in there, but have not seen him join in. And we're looking at all right, everybody, tonight. Just remember, uh, we've got next Tuesday, we've got Greg Schneider, four branches bourbon, and he also is going to be talking the state of the bourbon industry and the whiskey industry. We've been having a lot of chats like that, but at the same time, this one this one makes sense to have what what his point of view is considering his what would you say, positioning in the marketplace and what you got to do. I mean, we'll be listening to what he thinks, and that should be pretty cool. And then the 17th of February, we've got Alan Bishop. I am going to with Matt Leisen, we are going to New Orleans. We are going to be booking our airfare and our hotel sometime this week, and that should be the New Orleans Bourbon Festival. I look forward to doing that. That it's going to be a little bit different this year. Last time we went, I believe we had Nash Walker came down, myself, and then also Whiskey was down there. And we had and also Roxy. So this time it's going to be myself and Matt Lisen of Cleveland on the Rocks. And we are going to dual podcast the crap out of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival along with Look Forward to Our Lives. It's just been pretty good. So from 2324, but then went to Kentucky Senator 107 proof. What did you think, Walker, of your 2324? It's like right in the middle. No, I don't think it yet started having. I think you would be a lot closer to the 222. The 22. Oh, just so you know, your 23 had an ET from 23, but then the other one was 204 or 202, and that stands for the day of the year. The 202nd day of the year, so that was kind of cool. And then you went to Kentucky Senator 107 Proof. All right. Yeah, I'm really enjoying this. All right, everybody. Thanks so much for joining us. It's been kind of a cool night. Lots of comments. What's the best? What's the best beer? Beer. Um, I like if you're asking about beer, not that we are too, but as far as myself goes, I like barrel aged beer. Uh beer that's put into used barrels of usually bourbon barrels, but I even taste the wine cask finish this weekend. And I just love beers, you know, a porter finished in a wine barrel or a bourbon barrel. So that's what I like for beer. So there we go. Um let's see what uh sipping on early times since the 70s, yellow label, not bottle and bond. Yes, because the yellow label, as you know, Thomas, was then when they used they combined whiskey, light whiskey with bourbon that was aged in used barrels because there was a barrel shortage and they put it in there, and that's what it made it. So I prefer 17 dime. Yes, but I will tell you, Walker, you need to get a newer bottle because honestly, this 100-proof right here evolves probably the if those dark cherry kind of stone fruit, you know, kind of that kind of fruit flavor that's in in the one that you're drinking. It's not everybody's jam, but it really works for what I like I said, that this here is my 11th bottle purchase. There's nothing else of one brand that I've got 11 bottles, so that's kind of cool. So that's what I'm looking at, and that's where we're at. All right, so we'll finish up now. Everybody on if you're on YouTube, go find us on Facebook because I'm about to put up a link on Facebook to join us after I finish up the podcast tonight, and we're gonna finish it up right now. So remember, everybody, good bourbon. Oh, I forgot to record. How do I forget to record the meeting? Good bourbon equals good times and good friends. Remember, what am I doing? I did do the www.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things Scotchy Bourbon Boys, Glenn Karen's bourbon balls, t-shirts. You know, otherwise hit me up. We're on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X, along with TikTok. Remember, we're also on Apple, iHeart, and Spotify. Whether you listen to us or you watch us, make sure that you like, listen, subscribe, leave good feedback, become a member, join Patreon, support us any way you can. We appreciate it. We put it all back into the bourbon that we review, all the places we go for and show you where to go, how to do it. Shout out to the Trail Hotel. Um, and right there, because that is a fantastic hotel in Bardstown. I would strongly suggest that you go there. But remember, good bourbon equals good times and good friends. Drink responsibly. Don't drink and drive. Make sure that you live your life uncut and unfiltered. And let's see if I can actually get to where I want to go. It's here somewhere, buried. Oh, not there, not there. Okay, we got that. Oh, that is crazy that I'm not finding this. Is it here? Nope. Oh, wow. It was over there until it wasn't. All right, I'm gonna find it.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:05

Facebook.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:07

Did it really go? It did. All right. All right, here we go, folks. Our theme song's gonna take us out.