Friday, February 1, 2013

OWA - As the Mash Tun Churns!

In this episode of "As the Mash Tun Churns", the dramatic saga of Old Weller Antique continues......

Old Weller Antique get's a curious makeover......

Harlan shares a secret that causes a volatile reaction.......

The BT Brand Representative frantically tries to quash Harlan's contemptible comments......

Rumors abound Old Weller Antique may not live to see seven!

.....tune in next week for the continuing tale of "As the Mash Tun Churns"

Old Weller Antique is a much loved bourbon brand produced by Buffalo Trace.  I have a fondness for this brand....so much so that I and a group of like minded bourbon dorks buy the stuff by the barrelThe first round of barrel picks we were fortunate to acquire were two 8 year old barrels.  The next run of three barrels 7.5 year and the last 2 barrel picks were also 7.5 years old. 

Our bourbon group is gearing up for another run in April with the expectation we would be picking 7 year plus barrels.  Well, that is not the case.  We've been offered 6 year old barrels and all for the same price.  I've blogged twice about OWA here and here. In summary, 2009 the age statement dropped from OWA.  I made some assumptions about the potential demise of this brand.  Fast forward to March of 2012 and Harlan Wheatley, the BT Master Distiller makes comments about the termination of OWA.  Now, this statement has been poo pooed by BT and others so you can make your own judgement.  But now, BT is saying no more 7 year old wheat bourbon in the Barrel Program.  Zilch.  There has also been comments about saving some of the 7 year stock for Weller 12 "...and other brands".  So, I guess one could come to the conclusion that the currently aging stock is for older expressions like Weller 12 or even Lot B.....and not OWA.  Hey, I'm just speculating....that's all.  But if that turns out to be the case, does that then mean OWA or maybe even Weller Special Reserve (WSR) go by the wayside to maintain stock of older expressions?  

Now, before someone reading this goes all freaky deaky and tells me that his buddy Cletis in Texarkana  just purchase an OWA barrel that was 9 years old let me clue the reader in on how the barrel program works.  BT allocates a certain number of barrels for their Barrel Program and when Group A wants to buy a barrel, they roll out a number of barrels for the tasting.  Group A picks the one they like and BT rolls those rejected barrels right back to the Program racks.  Group B comes in and very possibly, those barrels rejected by Group A end up on the tasting room floor......rinse and repeat for subsequent groups.  See how it works?  So Texarkana Cletis that just purchase that 9 year old barrel of OWA got a barrel that potentially was rejected numerous times by prior purchasers. 

Our process?  We specifically request first pick barrels.....no rejects.  We do the same thing with Four Roses.  Four Roses has a semi trailer behind the bottling house loaded with barrels for their Barrel Program.  We asked them not to pick from the trailer but only pick from the rickhouses to which they graciously submitted.  We have other criteria we submit for consideration to ensure we get great barrels and so far, it's worked great.

While the news was somewhat disappointing, it's an opportunity to try some younger OWA wheat mashbill and see how it stacks up against our previous picks....which will be used as reference during the tasting.  The only downside to the younger whiskey is the price stays the same.  So, in effect, we just got hit with a price increase.  Not surprising since BT has raised their prices on some of their product line (around 10% or so).  In the end, it's all about taste; not age or mashbill or label.  When we pick from Four Roses, we ask Jim Rutledge to roll out the barrels blind....we didn't want to know the mashbill recipe or age.  I think that approach is the most honest you can be when tasting bourbon.

So, just let me now make the point that this deviation in age affects the BT Barrel Program and may or may not have anything to do with the current OWA shelf offering.  I'll post my thoughts after the tasting in April but my hope is we find another stellar OWA barrel even at 6 years old.


13 comments:

  1. Supply & demand. I will cry if the OWA profile changes too much, as it's a staple in my cabinet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice update Greg!!

    At the end of the day the taste and quality of the whiskey is all that matters. Getting hung up on age has lots of folks walking past great whiskey and settling for older average whiskey. BT does an excellent job with their younger product... just look at Handy rye at 6YO. I personally hope all the experts keep walking past the young whiskey..... I will be happy to find the honey barrels and stock up the bunker.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well said, Reid! And Greg, thanks for the information. Interested in the developments as OWA is one of my favorites as well.

      Delete
  3. Nice write up, Greg. I'll be interested in your update after the April tasting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nick. I'm pretty confident we'll find something that meets our criteria. BT has done a great job to date with us and I have no fear that's going to change. Last year they rolled out 12 barrels for us and we ended up picking three so the odds are looking good.

      Delete
  4. Greg:

    Any chance you're looking for additional participants in your group?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry Will, not at this time. Our group is quite large and we'll be doubling up as it is, particularly at Four Roses.

      Delete
  5. "But if that turns out to be the case, does that then mean OWA or maybe even Weller Special Reserve (WSR) go by the wayside to maintain stock of older expressions?"

    Man, I sure do hope it doesn't. OWA is one of my favorite pours, especially for the price.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve, I'm not saying that is the case, it's just idle speculation. But, these things have been known to add up to definitive action. Remember Weller Centennial? How about Old Charter Classic 90 or Eagle Rare 101? The only way to enjoy those expressions nowadays is to know someone who has some squirreled away in their bunker.

      Delete
  6. Nice write up Gregory...I can't wait to share a glass with you at the sampler! :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think is pretty cool that you and your friends are dedicated enough fans (& have enough $$$) to buy your own barrels! local liquor store just did that (I forget what brand), and had special labels made up, and those bottles sit atop the very barrel they purchased.
    I also liked your comment about Four Roses, that you don't ask for the age or recipe, and just taste. I'm too new a bourbon enthusiast to know the difference, personally, but I have gotten into the habit of each time I buy a new bottle I go back to the same store and talk to the same guys there to help me pick my next one. They're getting to know my tastes, I'm becoming a loyal customer, and I get to understand their terminology better. A win-win!! Tomorrow I get to try Angels Envy ... maybe pick up a new bottle. :-)

    TriMarkC

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't know why BT keeps OWA107 around as it is. I've read posts that WSR outsells OWA107 anywhere from 3:1 to 7:1, though admittedly without sources. If it's truly a drop in the bucket, wouldn't it be better to do a single barrel release at a premium price? I had 3 1789b bottlings a couple of months ago, and a CnB bottle, and they're vastly superior to the standard bottling. BT could get a guy to pick some great single barrels and start a new line, jacking up the price even without an age statement, and I'd bet it would do better than the current OWA is performing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I were to guess, it's about keeping as broad a customer base as possible. When you offer a premium label, the percentage of people willing to pay that I think is pretty small and more than likely won't be the guy or gal that's ok paying $22 for an OWA. The shelf OWA is of course a vatting of multiple barrels and by doing this you end up with a profile that's an average of the overall barrels I think losing anything unique. The CnB and 1789b barrel picks are all single barrel that zeros in on a specific style and quality. There's a general feeling that OWA is on a short lifeline but I have no solid data to back that up.

      Delete