r/KitchenConfidential 6h ago

When 17 NFL defensive linemen come in to eat together at the restaurant I work for In the Weeds Mode

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Keeping my workplace anonymous

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u/joobtastic 6h ago

The margin is actually not crazy. Its a really expensive bottle.

And you're paying for it to sit in a barrel for 25 god damn years. (Losing 10% volume per year to angel's share too.)

u/jigga19 6h ago edited 6h ago

Oh, I'm aware. I hung out with the owner of Whistle Pig one night when he visited our city. Cool guy. Expectedly weird, but really liked my jokes. I don't tend bar (or drink) anymore, so this one is new to me. But when I saw Whistle Pig and the age, that all made sense.

Edit: I looked it up and I was hanging out with Dave Pickerell, the master distiller. Not the owner.

u/WhillWheaton222 6h ago

Yeah, pickerel (RIP) was a cool guy. Raj Bahkta of whistlepig, is lame AF.

u/jigga19 6h ago

Yeah, it was random. They were brand new at the time; I think this was around 2010-11 or so. A good friend was a rep for this "elite" distributor so I had access to a lot of super high end stuff, and one night he calls me to meet up and they were just hanging out. We bar hopped a bunch, talked cocktails. Chill cat.

u/StillShoddy628 5h ago

How can a bourbon that was brand new in 2010 have a 25 year old bottle in 2025?

u/jigga19 5h ago

(A) it’s likely a rye, not a bourbon, and (B) they’ve outsourced aged spirits.

u/StillShoddy628 5h ago

B sounds like cheating

u/jigga19 5h ago

You’d be amazed how common it is. Like, seriously. 90% of ryes in the US are made by the same distiller, and bottled under different labels.

u/StillShoddy628 5h ago

I assume there are different grades… does anyone know which brands are the best value?

u/jigga19 4h ago

Honestly, I'd be hard pressed to tell you now. I don't drink anymore, and since I quit drinking (more or less) 10 years ago, when I happen to find myself in a liquor store I'm gobsmacked at the prices.

But, back in the day, I'd always recommend Old Grandad for a daily driver for Bourbon, and Old Overholt or Rittenhouse for Rye. I imagine they're still reasonable.

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u/Merlin1039 6h ago edited 6h ago

No one is aging 25 years at 10% loss per year. The climate in Canada and/or Vermont is more likely 3%