old potrero: still the king

2 nights ago i was fortunate to sample some of the 18th century old potrero. at > 125 proof I expected it to be flaming, but it was inconceivably smooth and delicious. i also had some wild turkey rare breed, which was a full frontal attack of sugary mapley banana-y goodness. it was also much smoother than its proof would suggest.

so last night, with those two fresh in my mind, i had a bourbon roundup.

buffalo trace: the best of the bunch. sweet, maple, a suggestion of smoke.
michter's american: more rye character, grainy. subdued, subtle sweetness.
russel's reserve: not as good as i'd remembered. more grainy than the BT but less so than the michter's. hints of the rare breed, but not enough to satisfy.
old potrero: not a bourbon by any stretch, so maybe it's unfair to say that it blew away the other three. it blew away the other three.

rare breed seems to best all my bourbons, though i left out "eagle rare", which is BT's answer to rare breed (or is rare breed the answer to BT's eagle rare? dunno). of course, as with all tastings, set and setting play a huge role, and may have elevated the RB beyond its deservings, or the inverse.

still, old potrero sweeps them all, effortlessly.