Michter’s Small Batch would be my suggestion. Simone’s in Lakewood almost always has a bottle. If not there, Minotti’s in Fairview.
Elijah Craig is a good one for a lot of reasons…maybe the best being that it’s made by a family company and not some nameless conglomerate.
Quick edit: Michter’s is also one of the better mixing bourbons out there as well if you’re making Old Fashioned’s or whatever.
Feel like you can usually find Russels 10 or Single barrel on the shelves at a lot of places. Some places you can get Weller SR even on non delivery days too. But yeah, otherwise you’re gonna have to go out and get in line tomorrow morning.
TYFYS! For this I may break my boycott of Simone’s that I started upon learning they charge a buck on every card transaction. I used to live a block from there, but I hate that practice so much I’d drive out to the Giant Eagle in River for my booze.
You can get Weller in Cleveland?! Never seen that.
What are your budget or proof limits? Are your friends relatively new to bourbon as well?
As others have said, the chance of getting something truly rare or allocated is not going to be easy on short notice. Of the options that are likely to be findable (check OHLQ’s site for stock info), these are some I’d consider:
Budget for this is like 50-75 tops. To me 75 is a lot for a bottle. A couple real bourbon nerds and a couple neophytes like me. I like lower proofs so far. Haven’t gotten into rye yet, need to give it a whirl.
Good call on the bureau site. I’ll check that out.
Thanks for the additional info! Given that combo, Russell’s 10 year like @Conley76 suggested is probably your best bet. It’ll be about $45 out the door, 90 proof, and at least 10 years old… it’s basically the Wild Turkey’s version of Eagle Rare, but easy to find.
You could spring for a Russell’s Single Barrel, but it might be a little higher proof than you’d like and it costs about $20 more.
If you go off the OHLQ site I’d call the store to confirm availability. That site is always wrong.
Was gonna suggest an out of the box bottle for you, but after having a hell of a time looking it up, realized it was only made in 2020.
So maybe do the new wild Turkey rare breed rye. Decent chance your friends more into bourbon haven’t had it yet.
Angels Envy is about $50 and is very solid. I would recommend
3 spots open for brookledge tomorrow at 12:12. First come first serve let me know who wants in.
Weller green label is a great go to, angels envy is another good one, Blanton’s is good and not expensive as long as you find it in the store about 65 bucks a bottle.
Gonna echo almost all the sentiments here. You’ve said it well. I’ll offer the perspective of someone who grew up playing municipal golf, caddied, and only as an adult become a club member. I’m now a member at a Top100 club in Ohio.
There is no part of me that gets pleasure that I can play at my club and others can’t. However, as you say the restrictions around who can play allow me to play there pretty much whenever I want. That’s what I pay for. The course is always in perfect condition. That’s what I pay for. The service is impeccable and the club works hard to pay a competitive wage to build and retain a professional workforce. That’s what I pay for.
One of the greatest pleasures of belonging to this club is taking people there for the first time. I’ve taken people who have almost never played at top clubs and I’ve taken people who have played more top 100 courses than I have and the genuine reaction to it and appreciation for the place means a lot. I’ve offered rounds to people I’ve never met in person. I can’t do that every time, because if I did I’d never get to play with other members and my best friends, which is also a special part of belonging to a community.
In some ways it’s easier than ever to play at top 100 clubs. You can find PLENTY of opportunities to buy charity rounds for pretty reasonable prices (less than 500 a man) and that gets you a true experience: you play with a member, you usually get to have a meal, a tour of the place, etc. that’s a pretty sweet deal. I’d recommend everyone who wants to play at top courses go that route. And you help a charity!
Some places don’t provide those opportunities. That’s neither here nor there. They are protecting an experience that their members desire. I’ve got a friend who belongs to TGC and had the opportunity to play last year. They could not have been more welcoming to guests. I didn’t have to show proof of income to be accepted. People aren’t being exclusionary as much as they are trying to protect a certain golf experience.
Do I wish everyone could play every golf course they want to see? Yes. There are places I’ll never play that I’d love to. I’m not sure how to reconcile that feeling with understanding that a really enjoyable golf experience at a club couldn’t exist if access were much less restricted.
There’s definitely something to be said for having the ability to reciprocate at another private club and how that allows doors to be opened.
When I was a member at a private club in PA (shoutout to Windber Country Club!) that was a great local and cheap option for private golf, I was BLOWN AWAY with how easy reciprocation was regardless of the fact that many of the other clubs I played were much, much, much, much better than Windber.
My wife said I was too excited all morning. Looking forward to everything that the 2023 golf season has in store. Felt incredible to be outside for longer than just the walk from my car to inside of work today.
Hell yeah man, glad to break the seal on random encounters for the season. My dad says hi from our Sleepy day “Super nice guy and really good golfer”
Weller SP (Green Bottle) is pretty available in Ohio. I just bought one at Dave’s in Richmond Heights this week. They had a bunch.
How was the Fropen? Any shots from Ottawa Park?
Truly a look at how the sausage is made.
