The Most Influential Bottles In Our Collection

[@briansteehler843]

This is the best video you’ve ever done. It’s great for newer drinkers and reflects the reality of what a journey with spirits looks like. And you have no judgement on those who still like these products that you’re not such a fan of anymore.

[@jasonbauer8609]

Agree completely. We ALL started somewhere and we are ALL on our own journey. Great video!

[@slbdrinks]

Love this! Thank you!

[@bpmutt]

Coopers Craft 100. Been a whiskey drinker all of my adult life but I never really consumed mindfully. Just drank and thought some bottles tasted better than others. Reached a point last year when I realized I was drinking WAY too much and as a new dad I needed to rein it in or quit altogether. Decided to try buying a “nicer” bottle and drink more mindfully and pay attention to flavors rather than just putting a buzz on after my kids were asleep. That bottle of Coopers Craft blew my mind and I started reading reviews about it and watching whiskey tube videos and fell down the rabbit hole. So ironically getting into whiskey as a hobby is what helped me moderate what was an unhealthy habit into something I could feel good about enjoying. Cheers!

[@redmach12003]

My first Bourbon was from an old bottle of Weller Special Reserve that my Father had in his bar. It was the only Bourbon he had among the rest of the liquor he had. After he passed away, my Mom asked me to clean out his bar and take whatever I wanted. Aside from the WSR, I got some barware and other assorted liquor, signs, beer mugs, etc. I held onto the WSR for a year. On the day of the 1st Anniversary of his passing 😢 I went, alone, to his gravesite. We shares a pour of the WSR, some for me and some for him. I found out that I liked it. I picked up a new bottle of WSR a few months later, after Dad's bottle was empty and continued to enjoy it. My Son-in-Law started introducing me to various other things from his bar and the hunt was on for more of then really good stuff. Never looked back. Thanks, Dad. RIP

[@SRVandDtrouble]

If you have even the smallest amount left of that original bottle pour it into your new bottle and have an infinity bottle.

[@slbdrinks]

Beautiful story. Bless you buddy, count your blessings to have had that relationship.

[@MusicNerdMIDI]

I appreciate Trenton sharing his story of grabbing his first allocated bottle. I honestly feel like a lot of people are embarrassed to tell the truth sometimes, but for many of us, blantons, eagle rare, and EH taylor small batch were probably the first bottles to hunt down. I was able to grab my first one at a grocery store out of pure luck at about a 15% markup from MSRP. I was really excited about it, like anyone else starting out would be.

[@jeffreyjennings1640]

Picked up my first bottle of Blanton's last year. My girlfriend wanted to go to Homegoods so I went into the ABC store and they just had an allocated release. As soon as I bought one I went into the Homegoods, had her abandon her cart, and she bought a second bottle. So glad that was in VA and it was at MSRP. Went back the next day and the Blanton's was gone so I picked up a Knob Creek 12 year (shuckey darns).

[@MichaelMorrison75]

Same. Wild Turkey products are my favorite!! RR Single Barrel, Rare Breed and Kentucky Spirit are my three favorites. 😋

[@thomassand-cw1oz]

So my wife and I spent the month of April in Kentucky this year at Cummins Ferry Campground. We put on 3600 miles driving around Kentucky seeing the horse farms, Civil War history, and bourbon. We hit all 42 distilleries on the bourbon trail, plus Buffalo Trace (3 times 🤷‍♂️). My favorite bottles we bought were EH Taylor, Old Bardstown from Willett, and maybe my favorite Barker’s Mill from MB Rolland.

[@adromero86]

Loved hearing how you both got into whiskey, great video! My first bottle was a gift from a friend, Woodford Reserve Double Oak, which i really enjoyed. A few months later I bought Buffalo Trace bourbon, then found Wild Turkey Rare Breed shortly after, and I've been obsessed ever since. Now I'm about 90 bottles in 8 months later 😊. Best part about my whiskey journey is being able to share it with friends and family.

[@nathanbalysh7158]

Elijah Craig small batch was my mixer of choice for old fashions. Then someone gave me a Blantons for my first father's day. For my second father's day, I was determined to find another bottle and thus started the hunt for me. A tater was born. I found this channel and used it as a guide to expand into other bottles. I even hosted my own bottled in bond tournament. It all came full circle, though, when I realized that the Heaven Hill profile is my favorite and ECBP bottles are some of my favorites. I tend to shy away from the bright fruity sweetness of BT and I prefer the more nutty rich profile of Heaven Hill, bringing it back to my Elijah Craig small batch mixer. Cheers guys!

[@ItsShatter]

Hey this is the first time I’ve seen anyone bring up the Stranahan’s store picks/ SiB barrel proofs and I agree, totally unique and awesome whiskey at a great value. Whereas their standard offering is 47% ABV and usually around $60 or more. I have gotten multiple bottles of the cask strength single barrels at my Denver Costco for $48 each! The fact that they are cask strength (around 120 proof) is a really nice bonus.

[@TCayFF]

The father/son dynamic you all have makes these videos great. Love the channel guys!

[@bottomtothetop1280]

Cheers to the Amazing strength of a KZbin community to raise such an awesome amount for the children!

[@CB-li9gw]

I was not a whiskey drinker. My older sister was coming to watch our dogs while my wife and I went on vacation. I asked her if there was something I could get for her while we were away that she would like. She asked for a bottle of Tin Cup Rye. I bought it for her and then sampled with her upon my return. I liked it. Which then led me to buy, what I thought, san my glasses, a bottle of Rye which was actually a High Rye Bourbon from Redemption. I then became somewhat enamored with Bourbon and sought out some information. I watched many different video channels until I came across SLB. I then watched regularly and explored older editions pre-Trenton on camera. I have utilized your reviews and recommendations to build a fairly nice little BBB - Brown Bourbon Bar. Many of your reviews and/or statements are so spot on it is freaky. For example. Early Times Bottle in Bond. Found one, loved it, always search for it. Others, I have, as Kurt says, been the consumer, and haven't cared for. I learned how to make Bourbon cocktails watching your videos and love to follow. Work has been very busy the last few months, (which is a good thing :)) so I am trying to catch up. What I like most is that the two of you, speak to all of us, as regular Joe's. There is no pretension here. Information. entertainment, a message to enjoy, share with others and give back to the community. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

[@jspack71]

My 1st bottle I bought was knob creek 9 year, thanks to you guys, I don't think I could have picked a better bottle to start, very good 1st bottle!!

[@matthewlenehan3345]

The first 5 whiskeys that really got me into the hobby were: Elijah Craig Small Batch, Balvenie Caribbean Cask, Buffalo Trace, Rare Breed, and Baker’s 7-year. Yes, I am fairly new to the hobby in just the last couple years and had the wealth of info on KZbin to guide me towards good initial choices.

[@bogatyr4207]

Balvenie Carribbean Cask is beautiful.

[@bhalli95]

I mainly make cocktails, but have been steadily getting into bourbons and ryes over the years. My 5 would be: 1. Maker's Mark - first bourbon I bought to make drinks with, and was the bourbon I had it at my wedding. 2. Rittenhouse Rye - use it all the time for cocktails, probably one of my most re-purchased bottles. 3. Angel's Envy - my first "premium" bourbon. Bought it cause it was on closeout and enjoyed it enough, wouldn't buy it at today's price. 4. Old Grand Dad 114 - the best budget friendly bourbon out there. 114 proof for under $30 that makes a killer old fashioned. 5. Plantation OFTD - not whiskey, but an incredible rum that gets used in a ton of cocktails. Also a great sip! Love hearing about Kurt's cocktail making and Trenton's enjoyment of them! Would love to see some cocktail content, maybe a "3 cocktails we each make at home" kind of thing. As an aside on that Amaretto Sour, if you enjoy those I highly recommend Lazzaroni Amaretto instead of Disaronno. It's a completely different level of flavor AND it's cheaper! Also would recommend Jeffery Morgenthaler's Amaretto Sour recipe, uses cask strength bourbon in it and it's phenomenal.

[@slbdrinks]

Great reading here! Thank you!

[@bhalli95]

@@slbdrinks You’re very welcome! Learned about your channel recently and have been devouring the content, I cannot overstate how wholesome it is to see a father and son (with constant support from other family members) bounding over something they’re clearly passionate about. As a new dad myself it warms my heart, cheers.

[@roymaddocks3184]

Plantation OFTD is wicked good. I use a bit (it's 69% of young, biting Caribbean rum) to spice up my rum infinity bottle

[@RJR2222]

Great memories. My first allocated score was Eagle Rare. Funny story behind it but too long to type out. But I remember the joy it brought. Trenton you brought a smile to my face hearing about Blanton story.

[@jeffnuzz]

1st intro to bourbon was regular old Jim Beam, either on ice or most likely in an old fashioned or Manhattan. Then I moved onto Elijah Craig small batch as my go-to. That horsey caught my eye back in like 2007 (before it got ridiculously chased) without really knowing much about it; was considered my first "top shelf" bourbon at the time, ha. But my real bourbon journey that sent me on a path to having 100s of bottles is my intro to ECBP, Weller and other BT products.

[@spitefulbumm]

Great video. So my craziest story is that in 2008, before the bourbon boom, my wife and I were just out of college and we didn’t have much money, but I was buying cheap bottles of bourbon here and there, just to see what I liked. After I’d gotten a job, my wife spent sixty bucks on a fancy looking bottle for me as a gift, that she found case stacked at our local 7-eleven. It was WLW, which I knew nothing about, and want hyped at all at the time, and though I was a little set back by the big purchase, it remains the best and most special bottle I ever owned.

[@realdac7899]

Great discussion and video. First bottle bought was woodsford double oak only bc I thought 60 was highest end I would ever go. My wallet wishes 60 was my high end.

[@nathanjackson8356]

Old granddad 114 started cocktails for me, Eagle Rare, Redbreast, and Woodford started sipping neat, Willet 4yr started me liking ryes, Talisker 10yr started me liking scotch.

[@WadeinWhiskey]

Loved all the honesty and humbleness. You guys never let me down. Cheers

[@at3kidd132]

My girlfriend and I bought my younger brother a bottle of local Virginia made Ragged Branch bourbon for Christmas when he was just getting into bourbon. We all tried that bottle together with some friends on that New Year’s Eve. We all couldn’t believe how good, and unique, that bottle was. So, I tried just about every bourbon my brother gathered over the next year. Blanton’s was admittedly delicious, but Old Forester 1910 was the undisputed standout for me. I went out and bought a bottle of my own right away. I consider OF1910 the bottle that really opened up the doors for me and it’s still one of my favorites. Cheers, guys!

[@KneeAches]

Has Kurt ever been better, gracious, appreciative, humble…nice episode.

[@JHawk213]

Started out on Jameson (mixed with coke), drank a decent amount of bird dog peach but was mostly a beer drinker. Then got a bottle of wild turkey 101 about a year ago and really liked it in cocktails, mainly whiskey sours. Got a few more bottles to start drinking neat, but once i had my first bottle of Rare Breed, i became hooked on bourbon. Your channel has really helped my journey the past year!

[@markcalhoun8219]

First girl I dated in college stole a bottle of Kessler from her parents and whiskey cocktails were my first intro to hard liquor beyond rum and cokes. I switched over to Jameson in college and actually bought a bottle of knob creek too but I wasn't a fan of the basic knob creek. Then I got deep into scotch. Finally coming back around to exploring Bourbon's and Rye's the last 5 years. 1. Kessler (first) 2. Jameson (first staple sipper/mixer) 3. Macallan 18 (first amazing scotch) 4. Laphroaig double cask quarter cask (dad brought it home from the distillery, Omega Peat) 5. Makers 46 (first impressive American whiskey)

[@gornash1234]

Rare breed completly changed my view on bourbons. Not much experience in bourbons but i got buffalo trace and eagle rare and they are like water for me when i have rare breed around

[@Wm_Gemmell]

This was a great video and discussion topic. Really had me reflecting back on all my entry pours and bottles. Here is a bit of my story. Started with Scotch. Not exactly sure of my first ever taste of whisky was (probably a Johnny Walker Black), but my first single malt was The Glenlivet 12 Year. For that reason, it will always have a small place in my heart. I do thoroughly enjoy the limited 12 Year "First Fill" edition, which was a first fill ex-Bourbon cask batch. My next couple were Aberlour 12 year and Highland Park 12 year. The Highland Park, which I fell in love with was really my gateway into peated malts, so it, too, will always have a small place in my heart. That was back around 2008-2010. Around 2010, I met a friend who got me into American whiskey and I got him into Scotch. We each managed a whisky blog back then. He was a good guide on what to try. I fell in love with American whiskies right away. At the time, he suggested Four Roses Small Batch, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was 2011 when I had my first Limited Edition Small Batch. The bottles were certainly easier to get your hands on back then. I remember walking into a store once and they had four of the 125th Anniversaries just sitting on the shelf. I snagged two. I really fell in love with Rye whiskies right away. The character and complexity that most offered was perfect for me. Hit me just right. Outside of Lot 40 & Russel's Reserve 6 Year Rye, Sazerac 18 was one of my first ryes! Again, just easier times. The Glenmorangie wine cask series were a few of my favorite firsts as well. Especially enjoyed the 12 year Quinta Ruban (old black box/label). Outside of those, some other early journey bottles were Evan Williams Single Barrel; Four Roses Single Barrel; and Stranahan's! Cheers, Fellas!

[@slbdrinks]

Loved the Quinta Ruban as well! Great story!

[@lazygoodan]

My first bourbon purchase, probably 10 years ago, was Elmer T. Lee. My brother had recommended it. Found at the first liquor store I tried. I think I paid 30 or 35. Then my son bought me a bottle of WR DO for Christmas. Then I found this channel. Having fun learning and sharing.

[@fwboyd3]

As far back as I can remember, I think the very first whiskies I bought were: Pre-enthusiast: Southern Comfort Wild Turkey Jack Daniel's No7 Jack Daniels Rye Whiskey (the old green bottle) Early Enthusiast: Basil Hayden Evan Williams Single Barrel Elmer T Lee (no joke, $35 a bottle)

[@Robert.Sheard]

Stranahan's was my first ASM, as well. NC finally started carrying the cask strength, so I just grabbed one last week. Can't wait to taste it. Regular Maker's Mark started my whisky journey. I don't have it anymore because I prefer the 46 and the various cask strength ones, but I'll always be a Maker's Mark fan.

[@tonycronin3080]

Jack Daniels and I have a long standing relationship going back to college. And a serious beer obsession after that. However the first whiskey that got me into drinking neat or on the rocks was drink Knob Creek 9 around a fire with my brother-in-law. Templeton 6 was the first one I picked out flavors in neat. And Cedar Ridge is the distillery I went full fanboy over. Also went headfirst into Ardbeg 10 for scotch alongside a Dalmore 12. Been fairly serious into the whiskey game for about 6 yrs now. Cool to hear you guys story.

[@carrick-on-suir72]

Love Trenton’s Blanton’s story. Very closely mimics my first (and only) Blanton’s find. I’d heard the hype and had been searching for a year or so. I happened to walk into my local liquor store and on their allocated shelf was a Blanton’s for $60ish. I snapped it up and went walking out to the parking lot (wife in the car) with a smile as wide as a Cheshire Cat. Needless to say… the hype for that bottle and juice is just that! Thanks for sharing your stories guys.

[@RicCrouch]

Last night I had a pour of Knob Creek Single Barrel Select. (store pick). A while after I finished, I picked up the glass and the aroma was AMAZING. I’m going to have to force myself to let my pour sit a bit longer before drinking it!

[@johng5710]

Probably one of the best buys out there right now

[@smac2047]

I rarely pass those up.

[@TheMoonDays]

One of my favorite things about bourbon/whiskey are the stories behind the bottles. This video delivered that love in a way I didn’t know I needed. Loved hearing about both of your journeys! My journey started with Evan Williams. My buddy and I would grab a flask and walk the train tracks into town to this dive bar, have too many drinks and hit up the arcade lol. EW will always hold a special place in my heart because of these memories with my friend.

[@baileyfisher7074]

Such a cool video. I just got into whisky in the last couple of months. Relying a ton on video’s like these to help point me. Green River Wheated, Red Wood Empire Pipe Dream, & Russel’s Reserve Single Barrel have been the three I have fell in love with. Lots of great local’s from my community have helped me along my journey. I am excited to see how my pallet grows over this year. I have been blown away with the joy that comes from sitting with a loved one & experiencing a pour together.

[@gbh1913]

1st bottle - russels reserve its what got me into bourbon. 1st allocated- mckenna henry the bottle that got me dipping my toes into allocated bourbons. 1st american blended whiskey Little book Chapter 6 - the first bottle that got me into jim beam specials releases aswell as blended american whiskey 1st rye - rare breed rye bought this on recommendation from several people. Is currently my favorite sipper. My favorite bourbon so far is rock hills bourbon. Dream bottle mitchers 10 year rye. Thank you all for your content and this has been my whiskey journey.

[@martybarrett523]

Started my whiskey journey with scotch’s, mostly Macallen and Oban. I started to dabble in bourbon a little bit with some of the lower end stuff and I wasn’t too crazy about it. It wasn’t until I found a bottle of Stagg Jr. for a little bit above MSRP (before it went crazy) that I started to love bourbon. I opened it on my 50th birthday during Covid and my brother and I sat around a fire amazed at the magical elixir we were drinking.

[@ddurts]

Excellent video. I can relate to many of these bottles - particularly Blantons. I had a similarly disappointing experience and haven’t really hunted a bottle since. There are too many readily available bottles to try instead.

[@JohnK060404]

Absolutely love your content and how you both play off each other! Thanks for sharing your personal journeys!

[@pontiac500bj]

Thank you for the time that you guys do to enlighten all of us. I started out with Jim beam and tried all they had and then moved on to others. There are so many delicious pours that I have tried thanks to your guidance. Keep up the good work!

[@LyleMyers]

I just started my bourbon journey this last month, and right away purchased Buffalo Trace as the beginning bourbon of my collection. A week later I was in the spirits section of my local grocery and happened to meet the woman who runs that department. We struck up a conversation and next thing I knew I was holding my first two allocated bottles, a Blanchard's and an EH Taylor Small Batch. I am still just stoked on that day and have since added a Four Roses Single Batch and a Michter's Single Barrel Rye to my collection. I am having an absolute blast learning about bourbon and very much appreciate this channel and what it is bringing to my education and knowledge base.

[@bencubitt4029]

Great concept for a show and well executed. It ended too early. Jack in college was first Bourbon, then post Army graduated to Woodford and thought that was advanced Bourbon. 4 or 5 years ago started getting into Bourbon again and have done 2 KY bourbon trail trips. Now like Ryes a lot and Bourbons. Love your channel

[@littlejoe4107]

I have not smiled so much in a long time. Thank you guys you made me think of my experiences. So many good friends and bottles.

[@MikeMurphy-on8ki]

Hi Kurt and Trenton. I am from just outside Philly and I recall starting out with the 86 Wild Turkey. I soon moved onto 101 and then went to my favorite "Woodford Reserve". Nothing for me has exceeded the WR taste. I did drift to Old Forester 100 and that is a good tasting bourbon. Jack Daniels single barrel at 128 is a fantastic pour in an Old Fashion. Thanks for the videos - you guys are very helpful!

[@benroberts5756]

My first bottle I ever bought was a jack Daniel’s single barrel back in 2013 that I bought at the distillery. Didn’t know much about whiskey at the time I bought it because it was the coolest bottle they had on the shelf. Went home and tried it and was like how does anyone like this. Needless to say after year I have grow to appreciate the complexity of whiskey now I have collection problem of almost 150 bottles. By the way I still have my first bottle and it still has about 5 oz left in it just haven’t decided to finish it off yet. Enjoyed your story’s on what was influenced your journey!

[@robertschroeder1978]

Thanks for the video and the stories. Always enjoy knowing more on your journeys from beginner to your current places. You both always bring a smile and even some morning laughter.

[@James-xg5rh]

My first allocated bottle was also Blanton’s. I always wanted one but never knew how to get it then, and one of my accounts gifted me one from a barrel him and his buddies bought. I almost fell over in excited. Definitely was underwhelming when i drank it but still super cool to finally have one to put on the shelf and share with friends.

[@mikestewart3670]

The stories made the show awesome! Great one guys!

[@ryanpostma8088]

Love this video. Never realized you were located semi close to where i grew up. I need to go out of my way to check out the stores up in Merrillville, Hobart, and Valpo again. For me, i started out with a flavered as well. Irish Mist a Irish whiskey-based liqueur. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond was my first that i could start discerning positive flavers on the palate vs ones that i didnt like. Still remains a staple and most used for over ice and mixing. Knob Creek 9 was the first that really blew me away and could tell a lot of nuiance in flavor. Remains one of my top 3 favorites to date. Latest milestone for me was finding a specific bourbon i have been hunting periodically and never having much luck locating. Came across it a few days ago in Lowell actually, Dragons Milk Origin Small batch. May be one of my new favorites. need to try it again a few more times over the next several weeks to really tell.

[@tn_onyoutube8436]

For me, a long time Scotch drinker, my bourbon journey started on a Royal Caribbean 7 day cruise to the Canary Islands. They had good stuff in their bars back then (unlike now) and as part of the alcohol package we could have any of the bourbons in the bar. And they had ALL of the Beam products, so I decided to try one per night, before the show - Knob Creek, Baker’s, Basil Hayden, Booker’s, plus Blanton’s, Rare Breed, Wild Turkey 101 among a few others. This got me hooked - I loved the Knob Creek and Booker’s in particular, didn’t like the blandness of the BH, and loved the Wild Turkey products. Being based in the UK we can’t get everything, but I’m about 100 bottles in since then, and still like Rare Breed, Booker’s and Knob Creek among my favourites, alongside Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and Stagg.

[@ScottLindauer-f6t]

I remember when I could have bought Eagle Rare by the pallet. One of my first and still one of the best.

[@FakingANerve]

My first bottle that made me go "wow!" neat was Evan Williams Single Barrel from 2006 (bottled in 2000, IIRC). I still have one from 2006 or 2007 somewhere unopened. Next bottle that made my eyebrows rise was Balvenie 15 year. Then my first Eagle Rare... and then the ECBP that made me stop craving Eagle Rare. 😂

[@jeffreyjennings1640]

Totally agree. I have 5 bottles from 2013 squirreled away in the garage.

[@AustinWiebeGolf]

First bottle for me was a Woodford Double Oak. Couple bottles in and a coworker told me about our lottery in our province.. I signed up. And won a Van Winkle 12 year Lot B! I was so pumped!

[@daves.682]

Your experience with the term ‘neat’ sounds like an opportunity for a future show. For those of us that are unfamiliar with various, often used terms, a show might be in order. I’ve haven’t seen anyone do a show explaining things like bottled in bond, select vs reserve, neat, small batch vs single barrel, etc. Allowing some of us to catch up on terminology would help when watching. Thanks

[@kingkrow420]

I do believe Stuff and Whiskey did a video like this if you want to check it out! Their channel is great and Erin is hilarious

[@MarkCombs-w5k]

Great video, fun to hear the stories! I spent some time with Southern Comfort in my early days before moving up to Wild Turkey 101.

[@brennanduthu9578]

Fantastic topic since the holidays always get me to reflect on important things like family and friends. I was lucky to have some somewhat knowledgeable whiskey folks around me in the early parts of my journey. First "real" whiskey experience was basic Elijah Craig and the first bottle I purchased was Evan Williams BOB. Thanks guys and happy holidays.

[@TheReal_DeanD]

Kurt really looks good with that crew cut. Funny. I had Hibiki Harmony also as one of my early Japanese Whiskys. I have a bottle in the bunker that I'm not opening yet because pricing is nuts now. Other whiskys that are influential to me are Bulleit Bourbon, Evan William Black Label, Ardbeg 10 year.

[@RyanHerdt]

I have just started on my Bourbon journey and the both of you have been and amazing guide. Thank you for sharing your first bourbons. I am really enjoying Bib and Tucker 6 year and Garrison Brothers small batch. Thank you for the videos and all the helpful info

[@Josh_Stringer]

Great video. Fun to go down memory lane. I was at bourbon tasting early in my journey and someone snuck in the OF100 Rye. First rye I ever had and was the best thing I tasted that night. Still keep a bottle around and always recommend it.

[@johnjolly9519]

Kurt it’s crazy how similar my journey was to yours. The only thing I didn’t try was the Japanese whiskey. I also did the bottles Trent has except the rye. I went with Pikesville for my rye that I still really like. Thanks for the video! Happy Holidays!

[@jeffreyjennings1640]

Great video guys. I truly started my bourbon journey in 2018 and the guy at the ABC store could tell I had no clue. He told me you'll never go wrong with anything from 1792 and EH Taylor so I bought a bottle of each. The EH Taylor is long gone and I haven't seen one since. The 1792 is a single barrel and remains unopened, and I haven't seen one since. But that guy was right. The most influential bottle for me is Evan Williams single barrel. I just love it. A good friend introduced me to it before he passed away and he was right about it. Fortunately I was able to squirrel away six bottles after EW stopped distributing it.

[@josholiver3440]

started with the shelter larceny, picked up WT 101 next, OF 100, and then Rare breed. the rare breed got me absolutely hooked lol

[@paulbegemann4308]

My first bourbon experience was at Garrison Brothers in Texas about 8 years ago now, knew nothing about it or Bourbon but had some time to kill. And that probably predates most all bourbon you tubers. Then a visit to Litchfield Distillery in CT. Followed that up by enjoying Makers Mark, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, then others. Then over the past coule of years largely with this channel and some other you tubers have really expanded my knowledge and interest. And enjoyment

[@DaveNorton-yi5ix]

Another fun video ... I went to bourbons in the early 2000's when single malt scotch got expensive. Since I'd already been down a road with that, I was a little more instinctive about what might be good with bourbon, but not much more ;-) I remember really enjoying Evan Williams Single Barrel and EW 1783 when it was a 10 year stated bourbon. As you mentioned, Blanton's was on the shelf and I would spend $45 or so for it when I wanted to treat myself. Wish I'd known then what I know now ... I cycled through all the BT products just to try them all out, which was easy because they were all on the shelf and all affordable.

[@Kurt843]

1 -- Pikeville Rye 2 -- Wild Turkey 101 3 -- Wild Turkey Rare Breed 4 -- Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

[@Joc1155]

Just started watching your guys videos and loving the content. My journey started with my boss buying me a Breckenridge bourbon and haven't looked back since. Loved this video idea

[@slbdrinks]

Welcome!

[@billdarrah5030]

My first Blanton's was probably at least 7 or 8 years ago and comped at a casino bar in Reno, NV. I told the bartender that I was just getting into bourbons and she said I would like Blanton's and I did. She kept bringing them and had a great evening. I was able to buy a bottle after returning to Indiana and made it last awhile. A couple of years later, I was at another casino bar that comped drinks and asked for Blanton's. The bartender said, "Buddy, you are not gambling enough for one those".

[@danmaja6275]

The bottle that got me started on my whiskey journey was a Glenmorangie 14 yo Quinta. Fantastic bottle. I have purchased it since and have tried a few dozen others. Currently I think my favourite is the Auchentoshen three wood. Tried Wild Turkey 101 on your recommendation, That was the first bottle (since my Jack Daniels No. 7 teen years) that I bought a replacement for.

[@josesoto9345]

Thanks Matt. Ive never heard anyone give this point of view on an alternative product. You’re a genius. Makes complete sense to me.

[@scottykarate8596]

I have to agree w/Trenton on the Knob Creek.. A local Crown Liquor in Noblesville, IN has had it for $19.99 all day for the past yr!!!!

[@davidcolgan3268]

In college, I think it was Kentucky Tavern because it was only $4-5 per bottle back then. Then, for many years, I was drinking Canadian whiskeys with Seagrams VO being the favorite. Four or five years ago we were returning from Florida and my wife suggested we stop by Jack Daniels. We opted for the Premium tour where we sampled their Single Barrel Select. That started our journey where we have tried around 75 different whiskeys, bourbons, ryes, Irish, and flavored.

[@stacyellens2874]

Copper Craft old fashioned was my first bourbon cocktail. Went out and bought the bottle the next day. Still one of my favorites and a bottle I like to have on hand. The single barrel is excellent! All time favorite has to be Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Occasional pour favorite is Rare Breed or Sagamore Double Oaked. Special pour is EH Taylor Small Batch or New Holland Origin Toasted Barrel. I don’t have much allocated so my celebration pour doesn’t really exist 😁but if I did it would probably be something BTAC. Never had Stagg, WLW, Pappy and only had a sip of Blantons Gold label once. -Mark

[@WhiskyForBeginners]

I'm not sure whether anything I've had has been *influential* , but some do stick out in my mind. I don't have a ton of experience - I've only been drinking whiskey for two years and three months - so maybe I've just not gotten to some things. 🙂 1. Maker's Mark was the first whisky I had that made me sit up and take notice. The first sniff was great and the first sip was delicious. I've moved away from it since, but at the time it was my favorite whiskey. 2. Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon became my favorite with the first glass two years ago this month, and it's remained there. The last couple of bottles have been disappointing, but what I call the "Balcones touch" has made Balcones Distilling my favorite whisky maker. 3. Balcones Texas Single Malt was my first 100% barley whisky. It gorgeously fruity, and convinced me that I wanted to try Scotch. 4. Knob Creek single barrel was the first whisky I ever tasted - a sample at Kelly Liquors - which was so delicious that I scraped together money I didn't have to get a bottle. It was a store pick, which is the reason for the urgency - I was afraid it would sell out before I could afford it in the normal course of events. 5. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof is what convinced me that JD can turn out more than mediocre juice. 6. Balcones True Blue corn whisky was my first store pick (though I didn't realize it until I got it back to the house), and my first single barrel (ditto). That particular bottle was 109.6 proof, and was what showed me that I like higher proof whisky.

[@ChristopherNeeme]

As Kurt mentioned starting out with Crown Royal, that's a lot of people's entry point brand because it's smooth, sweet, unoffensive and easygoing, it plants the seed. It was the same for me with cheap light Canadian whisky (Royal Canadian) just mixed with coke because even Jim Beam white or Jack 7 would be too harsh. There was no Woodford Double Oaked back in the 1990s for me!

[@brandonmiller8909]

Eagle rare is what started it all for me about a year ago. I started seeing bourbon videos on tiktok that got me interested. Walking through a Target of all places and they had one bottle on the shelf. I bought it barely knowing what it was and loved it. Great video as always guys!

[@Skwurm2297]

I started on the Irish path, Jameson was my first love, but I think it was the smoothness. Red Breast 12 was my first REALLY good bottle, then I stumbled on your channel looking for suggestions. After having a bushmills red(bourbon barrel aged), I started looking at bourbons. I tried old forester 100, and that was it. I was a boyrbon guy. The flavors were just better. Four roses single barrel was my first sensational bourbon, six bottles later……. I’m still trying different things. Now I loved wheaters, and rye, and and you guys were kind of the catalyst for that expansion. Thank you for what you do, we all appreciate it. I still never found a “band aid” note, but I’ll keep trying.

[@fredfebbriello023]

Another great video. Great stories behind your journeys. Mine is my best friend had always tried to get me into ryes and bourbons but it just never clicked for me. Then in September of 2020, my neighbor invited me to participate in an online tasting. 1792 BIB and Full Proof were two of the samples and the BIB was so sweet. Then the last sample was of Stagg Jr. And it was like fireworks went off. I was hooked and the rest (over 400 bottles later) is history.

[@TheTspivey16]

My difference moment was on a business trip- a bar had Bookers and I never got my hands on one so I had a pour at the bar. I had no idea that Bourbon flavor could be that different and vast (previous sips were more or less the same for me). It was eye opening.

[@skeliton1011]

My favorite video involving whiskey and a father/son relationship. Beautiful! I hope I can share my love for whiskey with my son like the two of you.

[@DustinTrainer]

Old Forester 86 was my re-intro into bourbon after a hiatus from a bad decision at a wedding in my teens, sipping from a handle of bottom shelf. We used to drink "big bourbons" in college with coke. I don't miss the headaches from drinking so much sugar.

[@kevinw4051]

Knobb Creek 9 year single barrel is my favorite! Makers Mark got me started.

[@JaimeMartinez-j8n]

What a great story and it went straight over Trenton’s head. Bless his heart.

[@mattlindberg2843]

Agree. This is an awesome topic and episode 1. Jim Beam white label 2. WhistlePig 6 year Rye 3. Wild card for essentially all of the Costco whiskey offerings (bourbon, Irish, Canadian and Scotch) 4. Weller SR 5. Laphroaig 10 year 6. OGD114 or Doc Swinson’s Single Barrel

[@travisryan0522]

Great video! My most influential bottles: 1. Wild Turkey (first whiskey ever tasted w/ my dad) 2. Chivas Regal (first whiskey I legally ordered at a restaurant) 3. Jim Beam (first legal bottle purchase) 4. Four Roses LESB (first bottle my wife bought for me) 5. _________

[@AdepPowell]

Hi Kurt, I really enjoyed the show and I feel you with the Glenmorangie 10…this was the very first whisky I ever tried - I was never a whisky drinker but the landlord of my local pub gave me a free one to try and I liked it, we all had a drink of this after he passed away a few years later. This was my introduction into scotch and I’ve not looked back, I’m into heavier peated whisky these days🥃🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@brianamiot8476]

My friend in college graduated 1 semester before the rest of the roommates and took the first job offerd to him (because it was around the time of the mortgage crisis/recession and he was terrified of being "one of the unemployed"). It was a manager in training program for Menards (finance major, lol). He came back to town after his first few paychecks and we all went out on the town like the old days (old for him, still happening for us...). He had 1,2,3,5 too many and offered to buy us all a round of shots. We thought "oh wow, big spender...". He comes back from the bar with a tray full of thimbles filled with Windsor and propses a toast and proceeds with this gem: "must be nice to know a working man!" and slugs it back. The rest of us break out laughing and now its a tradition between us all for whoever gets a new job to buy a round of Windsor for the guys and repeat that same stupid cheers. 😂

[@caseyfloyd7750]

Love this video idea. Most influential bottles in my early days are definitely EW BiB (White Label), AD Laws 4 Grain Bourbon (they are out of Denver and they were my first distillery tour), and Russel's Reserve 10

[@jneihart2]

Got-em both.... Screwball & Bird Dog!!! Great show!!

[@kevinmathis1278]

Thanks guys. Merry Christmas

[@CSAN]

Awesome video fellas 👊 Templeton Rye for Manhattans was my first intentional purchase of whiskey. I did stumble upon Blanton’s before I was even interested in bourbon (1993) when a wine shop offered it to me. I bought two. One to give as a gift and one to keep. It was good, but I was a wine person at the time and finished the bottle without knowing how hard they were to come by. Fast forward 18 years where I befriended the liquor store owner of the shop near my childhood home. I get all the good bottles now. However, this being Southern California, prices are ridiculous. Weller Full Proof is $199 when you can find it.

[@firstname8945]

First whiskey I ever bought Southern Comfort loved the sweet. Hate it now. Recently been into Jack Daniels. Never really liked bourbon but after watching your videos started down the Wild Turkey path. Wild Turkey 101 is always on my shelf!

[@unclesnake3766]

that was a fun video, up until earlier this year I just 'liked' whiskey wasn't too into spending too much. We'd struck out on a draw for all of the Pappy that was allocated so i just decided to stop on my way home and see what the LCBO had, in Canada all the liquor runs through that one store. As I was browsing, the manager comes over and asks if i needed any help, told him how I'd missed out on the allocated stuff and was just having a peek at what they had. He said to come over to the service counter he might have something I'd want, it was a Weller Antique 107 and from that moment I was hooked on the hunt as i've collected things my whole life! Thanks for all the input, stories and love you guys give off in these videos. You make this all a lot of fun!

[@lazygoodan]

This summer we bought 6 bottles of Blantons at various LCBO stores. Just got lucky that they had it. The best part was that the price was 10 less than state minimum where we live (assuming I could find it at all).

[@snake55555]

​@@lazygoodanI know right? Seeing the cost of Weller doubled just across the river in Detroit is wild AND in American funds

[@royce3582]

5:19 Trent wasn’t interested in that Bird Dog story 😂😂

[@slbdrinks]

Yawning! Ridiculous 😂

[@davidteller7681]

I know I'm setting myself up for a lot of side eye, but I really enjoy Bird Dog Blackberry, the only flavored whiskey I like.

[@tbsteph]

First bottle purchased (1968) - Seagrams VO. I wanted Crown Royal but it was way over my budget at the time. Yes, I have moved on though still enjoy a Royal now now then.

[@justinmassa6287]

My First bottle that really kicked off my hunting journey was a Blantons. I found 2 of them 2 days before my 30th bday and both different horses and the owner let me have both and I was hooked from then on. I did pay a little more than I should have but I don’t do that anymore now that I have found it

[@brienburke4382]

Great subject. And I have read all the comments at this time. The comments are great. I loved reading everyone’s bourbon journey. Thank you all.

[@whatsthepoint170]

I live in Colorado and never got into Stranahan’s. Tried a store pick cask strength last week and now I get it! I’m with ya Kurt

[@chrisgwhisky]

Great video. Love the nostalgia and memories. Whisky is an emotional spirit

[@d.scotthayes9958]

Excellent video. This is one that I want to read ALL the comments. I’m just beginning my bourbon journey, and to see how others started theirs is super interesting. My introductory bourbon was Makers. Like many others, it was my dad’s bourbon. I will still toast to him when drinking an Old Fashion.

[@fortyoneshades]

My first bottle was Wild Turkey 101 after reading all the positive reviews online about what great bourbon it is for the price. It was so hot at that time I hated it! Fast forward a year and it's my everyday drinker! Just purchased my first bottle of Rare Breed last week again based on all the positive reviews. Now that's hot!