EC 18 Barrel Variability -

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EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby Mynewaddiction » Wed May 22, 2013 9:41 pm

I was fortunate, i hope, to run into two bottles of EC 18 in my travels recently. Having read the reviews, they seem to vary greatly. I was wondering if there seemed to be a general trend with regard to favorable vs. unfavorabalbe barrles, with regard to batch numbers or year barreled . Mine from 3888 barreled in March 1990. Thanks in advance for any info. Cheers
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby EllenJ » Wed May 29, 2013 9:47 am

That's the "beauty" of single barrel bottlings.

If you particularly enjoy the subtle (and sometimes not so) differences in the same product aged in different barrels, single barrel is the way to go. With single barrel, the barrels are hand-picked to represent approximately the flavor profile of the brand. The whiskey to be bottled is dumped one barrel at a time, reduced to bottling proof, and bottled. There are about 250 bottles (750ml) in a barrel (approximately; evaporation affects each barrel differently) and all of those will taste the same. If you select a bottle from a different barrel, chances are it will taste differently. Sometimes VERY differently. I can recall that Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit represents both one of the finest bourbons I've ever tasted, and also one of the nastiest. Other brands seem to have less variation, but that's the fun of enjoying single barrel bourbons.

If you're looking for consistency and repeatability of flavor, you're better off with normally vatted whiskey. In that case, several barrels (in the case of small batch) or even hundreds of barrels are dumped together into a large holding tank, or cistern. Here, the distiller or bottler has much more control over the end product. He can use whiskey from barrels located in different parts of the warehouse, barrels that - by themselves - fall outside the desired flavor profile, but combined with their opposites make for a more complex finished mixture, and (except in the case of Bottled-in-Bond) he can include older whiskey to enrich the flavor, even whiskey purchased from another distillery.

Personally, except for the curiosity value of single barrel bottlings, I find that small-batch vattings are much more expressive of the distiller's art and more enjoyable to drink. And I like being able to depend on what's going to be in that bottle when I open it.
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby Mike » Thu May 30, 2013 2:02 pm

As to EC 18 bourbon, I tried it several times and not found it to be particularly good. However, I tend to like single barrel bottlings because they seem to benefit from a more careful barrel selection. And, to me, a bit of variability in the bottles is, as John noted, not a bad thing. But, I prefer single barrel, barrel proof bourbons most for a couple of reasons. They (usually) retain more of the barrel flavors because they are not watered down and leave it to the customer to find the sweet spot, and they, like the other single barrel bourbons, go through a more careful selective process.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby EllenJ » Thu May 30, 2013 5:02 pm

Mike,

Tell those kids of yours to grow up and come visit you some other weekend.
You've got more important things to do! :D
Better yet, bring them with you! There are enough of us old codgers (and hounds) supporting America's spirit; we need NEW BLOOD!
And THEY need to learn to forsake Miller Lite and flavored vodka and learn from OUR generation
(well, alright, YOUR generation, you youngster, you) :lol:
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby Mike » Sun Jun 02, 2013 1:12 pm

EllenJ wrote:Mike,

Tell those kids of yours to grow up and come visit you some other weekend.
You've got more important things to do! :D
Better yet, bring them with you! There are enough of us old codgers (and hounds) supporting America's spirit; we need NEW BLOOD!
And THEY need to learn to forsake Miller Lite and flavored vodka and learn from OUR generation
(well, alright, YOUR generation, you youngster, you) :lol:


These little beggars are 6 and 3 years old, and since we only see them once or twice a year, when they come, it is a big deal. I really hate like hell to miss this get together cause I know how much fun it would be to visit and sip, and sip and visit, and sip and sip, and lie and lie........... and get to be in the presence of a Saint (Mr Hole, Bung that is).
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby jaycamm » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:16 pm

With all of the barrel variability I wonder if EC18 would have been better as a small batch.
one whiskey for every ghost
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby RandyG » Fri Aug 09, 2013 4:18 pm

I have a bottle of 12 and my neighbor has the 18. We both like the 12 better. I want to try a 50/50 mixture of the pair to see if that burnt heath bar comes a little more under control. Not a bad poor, just had higher hopes for an 18.

Cheers,
RG
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Fri Aug 09, 2013 5:50 pm

jaycamm wrote:With all of the barrel variability I wonder if EC18 would have been better as a small batch.

Perhaps.
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Re: EC 18 Barrel Variability -

Unread postby Arabelle22 » Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:46 am

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