I used to be a stockboy at TWM and boy I can tell you their yellow tag bourbons were not good at all. But I did enjoy a few of their yellow tag Irish and scotch whiskeys. And they had good barrel picks.
Their GrangeStone single malt scotch line are all different barrels and while of course pretty light, still plenty tasty and they are 25-50. The 14 year PX sherry cask is so solid.
Great video, walked by these TW bottles so many times thinking "I don't need another $50 bottle on my shelf with 1-2 pours missing because I don't like it." I asked the employees a few times if they had 375ml bottles in case I didn't like it and was told "these are so cheap they don't make the little bottles."
I work for total wine in Huntington Beach CA and a lot of our stuff is Barton 1792 and the McFarlane reserve is ijw distillery not sure who it is sourced from I stick to there firstcall line the cask strength is rabbit hole and wilderness trail
Somehow TW seems to be banking on people actually buying this stuff, as they are jacking the price of the standard distilleries (especially Scotch) thru the roof to the point I just don't go to TW anymore (here in Greenville SC). It wasn't that long ago TW was the first place I went, oh how the times have changed.
My wife and I live in Virginia, and have been to the Fillibuster Distillery. Neat little distillery, and the Rye I tried there was pretty good. The bourbon is not too bad. Enjoyed the video as always!
i sampled the McFarland at TW, and the whiskey specialist there said it had the nose of Weller 107. it doesn't taste the same (i still need to a side-by-side comparison for fun). i enjoyed it.
I tried a tasting of the Mcfarland Cask and ended up buying it. Was $35 here in KY Total Wine. I enjoy it. From what I read it might be a younger wilderness trail yellow label. Didn't make the cut to hold their BiB so pulled early, but not cut to 100 proof.
Late comment but that didn't make sense. Cutting a whiskey is part of the actual distillation process, typically not something that happens after aging. For something to be BiB it must be held and aged in a govt facility, aged 4 years and be 100 proof for both the aging and bottling so the McFarlane being a "subpar" product from a BiB attempt doesn't make sense given the requirements and context.
Next time you guys hit up a Total Wine, pick up a bottle of FIRST CALL BREAK MAIDEN. It is bourbon finished in Port wine casks. Would love to see what you two think of this. Cheers
Bondstone cask strength is 45 bucks a spirits direct (one of the only good spirit directs) is damn good. It’s like knob creek single barrel if it was dropped on its head when it was a baby
Total wine is the worst, management literally forces it’s employees to sell their highest margin products. Employees are forced to lie to sell TW brands.
Total wine isn't the worst, especially in Michigan, because they sell basically at Michigan's lowest allowed MSRP regardless of rarity. If you know what things sell for you're far better off buying at the handful of total wines in Michigan than your are at most of the smaller retailers (except Mega-Bev in Kalamazoo).
Z biotics works pretty well the only thing that i would recommend is at some point after you wake up the next day like three four five six hours later have a sip of something my hang over got me twice like several hours later lol that sip takes care of it. And by sip I mean like an ounce at least
When I was at total wine a month ago the salesman at the tasting bar was talking to a customer and he said, when referencing McFarland Reserve, "Lots of people think this tastes just as good, if not better than Weller Full Proof, AND it's cheaper."
Funny, I was at TW to get some Makers and the guy that was talking to me about the McFarland told me “this is tastes just like Makers Mark”. I’m sure he would have told me “this tastes just as good if not better” than whatever bottle I was looking for. 😂
It's definitely one of the better cask strengths but not as good as the WFP. I love the WFP and this is similar and for the price my everyday WFP replacement, but I agree, the comparison is there IMHO. A GREAT pour for the price.
What's funny is of everything y'all have on the shelves, and of the 300 bottles I own, Elmer T Lee is still one I haven't been able to find myself, lol
Next step of this series should take the winner of this blind and see how it compares against products from legacy distilleries or other widely known sub $50 bottles.WT101, EC, 4R, Makers, Etc.
I've tried 2 of the bottles that you have. First was the Winchester. To me it tasted like turpentine. I would rate it as one of the worst whiskies that I have ever tried. The sad thing is it was recommended to my by a sales person working the whiskey isle at Total Wine. The other is the McFarlane's Reserve Select. I would agree with you creteak on this one.
Good episode. I've steered clear of all those brands at my Total Wine and now I know why. 😂 Although, I'm pretty sure the McFarlane Reserve won gold somewhere recently.
@@BourbonJunkies hahaha I will tell you this. It is better than Winchester. TW employees overhype Bondstone DO saying it's better than WF DO or OF 1910 lol
I've been curious about the Total Wine store brands, but not enough to buy full bottles since store brand booze can be variable in quality. I don't want to buy blind and end up with a 750ml bottle of junk. I bought a few mini-bottles of Total Wine bourbon and single malt Scotch not too long ago. The bourbons were bottom shelf, mostly under $30 and a couple well under $20, so my expectations were not high. For the bourbons, I used Jim Beam white label, Evan Williams black label, and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 as controls since they are in the same bottom shelf category. A couple of them tasted like nothing, a few tasted a bit weird, and a few others were decent, but nothing performed noticeably better than the controls. I was surprised at how much I liked Jim Beam white label. It's low strength and simple, but for its price, it delivers a lot of nice corny flavor. The Scotch situation was a little better, and Glen Fohdry 12-year was pretty good. However, Glenlivet 12-year Illicit Still, which I used as the control, costs about the same and is better. So far, I haven't found any Total Wine store brands that outperform better known products in their price range. Some of the Spirits Direct offerings seem to be from relationships with craft distilleries. These might have more promise. I've only tried one so far - Oregon Spirit bourbon, which I found in a mini-bottle. It was good. They also have bottles from Still Austin marked as Spirits Direct. I haven't tried Still Austin yet, but it has a good reputation. Hopefully, a Total Wine near me will offer a spirits tasting one day. Lately, I've only encountered wine tastings. I would like to try some of theirs that are above the bottom shelf grade, but I'm not inclined to buy without trying first.
Went to a tasting at TW and it was all Spirits Direct bottles. There was a flavor note I got on every single bottle, even the Maker's blended for Total Wine.
Just an edit opinion - You never said the name of the winner, and it was hard to see the name of the whiskey on my phone… had to go back and zoom in on the bottle to read it. So a close up of the winner would be good at the end. Otherwise, loved it! Great content!
So the only one I’ve tried is the Wolcott and it is boring to me. However the Bottled in Bond Wolcott is not bad… not great but way better than the other one!
I've tried a couple of Winchester variants and not liked them at all. Given the bottle shape and label, it makes me wonder if the "Quarter Horse" brand I see so much of at Friar Tuck is the same stuff but labeled for FT. It was not good either.
Personally i think the Wolcott is just 1792 that didn't "make the grade" when they test it. 1792 is 46.85% ABV. Wolcott is 45%. So it's just younger 1792 cut with more water.
Now you need to blind that top one against some of the mainstay bourbons out there at the $50 price point. This is the hard part about trying new whiskeys a lot of them are a miss
Great fuckin video.. the reactions, haha... Would love to see more of these.. Total Wine is my best option for Bourbon, and they constantly release "new brands."
Defiantly a fan of this type of video! Is it because I'm genuinely curious about all the no name bottles on the shelf at total wine, or do I just like to see you guys in pain?
Love watching you guys drink shit whiskey for content 😆. One thing I’ve learned is- you get what you pay for. Life is way too short for bad whiskey. Love you guys 👍
TW if you are watching, doubling the profit margin with these store brands and cutting the volume of sales to a 1/4 of what you used to have will not work well for you.
Filibuster isnt TW exclusive, ive seen it elsewhere. Never seen the gypsy at TW in mass. All the others ive seen there and pretty sure they are TW exclusives. The wolcott BiB is really good. Winchester double oak i was not a fan of. The MF ive seen a bunch of different ones of but never tried any of them. I did see a woodford double oak store pick the other day at TW. $82 so i passed on it since its 20+ more than the regular one and havent been a huge fan of TW store picks
I’m mot making an outright accusation, but I’m sensed bias in these reviews even before you began tasting them. As someone who has also tried most of these same brands, I’ve also learned a little more about the brands themselves. I’m not brand loyal nor am I a label whore. Thus, if it’s good, it’s good whether it’s a $20 or $100 bottle. I still enjoyed your video but I suspect some preconceived bias. 🥃👍🏽cheers
Bluff Springs & Wolcott are decent if $30-$35.. Be careful of these TW off the wall brands being thrown up on the shelves, especially the bourbons. The scotch selection is better, but still be cautious. The employees are pushing these no name brands and they already have established brand names on the shelves. So just do your research.
Thank you thank you thank you! I was feeling a bit snobbish because I always see these "no name" Whiskies and pass by them and get the ones I recognize. Have always been put off by the "newness" of the brands and the fact that the employees ALWAYS push the "Total Wine" brands!! They swear up and down there is no commission or favoritism involved, but the consistency with which they recommend them has made me steer clear... and now I feel a little vindicated and a lot less snobbish. 😅
You are correct Sean, humans can detect weather patterns much better than any other animal because we have satellites.
Not often a comment makes me laugh out loud, but you got me lmao
@@sapefley Agreed man, solid comment lol
I just read this and laughed at a restaurant
and doppler radar
Hey boys I’m so appreciative of this video because Total wines is my primary go to, we’ll done and thanks again
I got the info out of a Total Wine employee in Lexington, McFarlane is Wilderness Trail wheaten mash bill
Have a store pick Filibuster TRIPLE Cask. MGP+Their Own Sheeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiit finished in a used Ardbeg barrel. Love it
I was told by one of the managers at total wine McFarlane's was a wheater from Danville, Ky so the only thing it could be is Wilderness Trail
I used to be a stockboy at TWM and boy I can tell you their yellow tag bourbons were not good at all. But I did enjoy a few of their yellow tag Irish and scotch whiskeys. And they had good barrel picks.
Their GrangeStone single malt scotch line are all different barrels and while of course pretty light, still plenty tasty and they are 25-50. The 14 year PX sherry cask is so solid.
Great video, walked by these TW bottles so many times thinking "I don't need another $50 bottle on my shelf with 1-2 pours missing because I don't like it." I asked the employees a few times if they had 375ml bottles in case I didn't like it and was told "these are so cheap they don't make the little bottles."
yea I always glaze past these bottles at TW. thanks for the review! I'll probably stay with my regular favorites
The JD Single Barrel Selects are just under $50 at Total Wine and they are VERY GOOD.
I like how you think Mr Tonic 🙂
I work for total wine in Huntington Beach CA and a lot of our stuff is Barton 1792 and the McFarlane reserve is ijw distillery not sure who it is sourced from I stick to there firstcall line the cask strength is rabbit hole and wilderness trail
Love this video! So many opportunities to make a bad choice at TotalWine - thanks for helping narrowing down the options!
Somehow TW seems to be banking on people actually buying this stuff, as they are jacking the price of the standard distilleries (especially Scotch) thru the roof to the point I just don't go to TW anymore (here in Greenville SC). It wasn't that long ago TW was the first place I went, oh how the times have changed.
Yep it seems that way
They can raise the prices as much as they want, but people won't buy them. People are much smarter. There are many places to buy whiskey.
My wife and I live in Virginia, and have been to the Fillibuster Distillery. Neat little distillery, and the Rye I tried there was pretty good. The bourbon is not too bad. Enjoyed the video as always!
One of the best under $50 whiskeys I've found is George Remus
When I first got my 1792 sb I instantly thought rain and Houston weather. Thanks for the caption and I don't feel like I'm the only one 😬
i sampled the McFarland at TW, and the whiskey specialist there said it had the nose of Weller 107. it doesn't taste the same (i still need to a side-by-side comparison for fun). i enjoyed it.
I tried a tasting of the Mcfarland Cask and ended up buying it. Was $35 here in KY Total Wine. I enjoy it. From what I read it might be a younger wilderness trail yellow label. Didn't make the cut to hold their BiB so pulled early, but not cut to 100 proof.
Late comment but that didn't make sense. Cutting a whiskey is part of the actual distillation process, typically not something that happens after aging. For something to be BiB it must be held and aged in a govt facility, aged 4 years and be 100 proof for both the aging and bottling so the McFarlane being a "subpar" product from a BiB attempt doesn't make sense given the requirements and context.
At $35, I thought the Wolcott was a decent alternative to Buffalo Trace. That is, until BT became suddenly available everywhere here in Michigan.
I wish I had a TW near me. I only have a Binnys and that’s still a bit of a drive.
Next time you guys hit up a Total Wine, pick up a bottle of FIRST CALL BREAK MAIDEN. It is bourbon finished in Port wine casks. Would love to see what you two think of this. Cheers
So what's your opinion on this Break Maiden?
Best part of the video...
The new Virtue Spirits hoodies y'all were wearing. 🥃😎🤙
McFarlane's is Wheated and rumored to be young Wilderness Trail
Multiple confirmation on this from multiple TW in multiple states.
Enjoyed, basically everything is unobtainable regardless of where you go now🤙🏼. Ill stick with Rare Breed, RRSB, 1920 & JDSB
Should’ve mixed in something like Elijah Craig as a control
Before I watch this… I bought a bottle of the Bluff Springs and really liked it. Ok… onto your takes.
😂 the worst rated one 🤷🏼♂️
Bluff Springs is decent, as long as it's no more than $35...
I have a filabuster barrel pick that is FANTASTIC
Bondstone cask strength is 45 bucks a spirits direct (one of the only good spirit directs) is damn good. It’s like knob creek single barrel if it was dropped on its head when it was a baby
Man you guys saved me some money. Thanks!!
Total wine is the worst, management literally forces it’s employees to sell their highest margin products. Employees are forced to lie to sell TW brands.
Total wine isn't the worst, especially in Michigan, because they sell basically at Michigan's lowest allowed MSRP regardless of rarity. If you know what things sell for you're far better off buying at the handful of total wines in Michigan than your are at most of the smaller retailers (except Mega-Bev in Kalamazoo).
Z biotics works pretty well the only thing that i would recommend is at some point after you wake up the next day like three four five six hours later have a sip of something my hang over got me twice like several hours later lol that sip takes care of it. And by sip I mean like an ounce at least
😂🤣 orr rehydrate with an electrolyte drink
On paper the Filibuster double cask should be good. However, I got a rancid grape flavor on it.
Sean, I have that same shirt. I now own the drawer full of Into the AM tees.
I’m glad you took one for the team, Dan, and binned the Wolcott. #teamseanthough18
Your guyses videos are super entertaining and educational!
Like the sweatshirts! Keep up the great videos.
When I was at total wine a month ago the salesman at the tasting bar was talking to a customer and he said, when referencing McFarland Reserve, "Lots of people think this tastes just as good, if not better than Weller Full Proof, AND it's cheaper."
It doesnt taste anything like weller full proof, that said i do actually like it a lot
@@LeatherDaddy97 But it IS cheaper so.....
@@TheMarcopix thats very true.
Funny, I was at TW to get some Makers and the guy that was talking to me about the McFarland told me “this is tastes just like Makers Mark”. I’m sure he would have told me “this tastes just as good if not better” than whatever bottle I was looking for. 😂
It's definitely one of the better cask strengths but not as good as the WFP. I love the WFP and this is similar and for the price my everyday WFP replacement, but I agree, the comparison is there IMHO. A GREAT pour for the price.
winchester is definitely one of TWs spirits direct store brands. they 'accelerate' the aging on them (somehow) and crank em out at 2 years lol
Its terrapure from green river
It doesn't taste very accelerated 😂
@@LeatherDaddy97 I call it Pure Terror
@@duffman9908 trust me i wholeheartedly agree
I've had Buff Springs and it was because it was super cheap. Like 20 bucks at the time thought it was definitely priced right.
What's funny is of everything y'all have on the shelves, and of the 300 bottles I own, Elmer T Lee is still one I haven't been able to find myself, lol
Gentlemen, I believe the name of the rain smell you were hinting towards is called Petrichor.
Next step of this series should take the winner of this blind and see how it compares against products from legacy distilleries or other widely known sub $50 bottles.WT101, EC, 4R, Makers, Etc.
Yes! Let’s how this spirits direct marketing bs compares to legitimate brands.
You should ask Mrs. Dan to pick one of those for a "Pour Guesses" episode and see if you guess the correct bottle.
I've tried 2 of the bottles that you have. First was the Winchester. To me it tasted like turpentine. I would rate it as one of the worst whiskies that I have ever tried. The sad thing is it was recommended to my by a sales person working the whiskey isle at Total Wine. The other is the McFarlane's Reserve Select. I would agree with you creteak on this one.
Good episode. I've steered clear of all those brands at my Total Wine and now I know why. 😂
Although, I'm pretty sure the McFarlane Reserve won gold somewhere recently.
Tells you everything you need to know about these "gold medals" that are given out at these "competitions".
You guys should have done bondstone double oak as well. TW employees recommended this one so many times, I tried it.. it's not good at all
Really thought this was going the other way from the first sentence
@@BourbonJunkies hahaha I will tell you this. It is better than Winchester. TW employees overhype Bondstone DO saying it's better than WF DO or OF 1910 lol
The best bourbon at Total Wine for $50 is Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond 7yr
I assume these total wine picks/exclusives are pushed by them because they bring in more profit per bottle?
I've been curious about the Total Wine store brands, but not enough to buy full bottles since store brand booze can be variable in quality. I don't want to buy blind and end up with a 750ml bottle of junk. I bought a few mini-bottles of Total Wine bourbon and single malt Scotch not too long ago. The bourbons were bottom shelf, mostly under $30 and a couple well under $20, so my expectations were not high. For the bourbons, I used Jim Beam white label, Evan Williams black label, and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 as controls since they are in the same bottom shelf category. A couple of them tasted like nothing, a few tasted a bit weird, and a few others were decent, but nothing performed noticeably better than the controls. I was surprised at how much I liked Jim Beam white label. It's low strength and simple, but for its price, it delivers a lot of nice corny flavor. The Scotch situation was a little better, and Glen Fohdry 12-year was pretty good. However, Glenlivet 12-year Illicit Still, which I used as the control, costs about the same and is better. So far, I haven't found any Total Wine store brands that outperform better known products in their price range.
Some of the Spirits Direct offerings seem to be from relationships with craft distilleries. These might have more promise. I've only tried one so far - Oregon Spirit bourbon, which I found in a mini-bottle. It was good. They also have bottles from Still Austin marked as Spirits Direct. I haven't tried Still Austin yet, but it has a good reputation.
Hopefully, a Total Wine near me will offer a spirits tasting one day. Lately, I've only encountered wine tastings. I would like to try some of theirs that are above the bottom shelf grade, but I'm not inclined to buy without trying first.
Went to a tasting at TW and it was all Spirits Direct bottles. There was a flavor note I got on every single bottle, even the Maker's blended for Total Wine.
Just an edit opinion - You never said the name of the winner, and it was hard to see the name of the whiskey on my phone… had to go back and zoom in on the bottle to read it. So a close up of the winner would be good at the end. Otherwise, loved it! Great content!
Now to put the top three up against the top three of the lower end legacy brands, like WT101, 1792 SmB and see if any of these take them out!
Wondering if now that yous guys are in the production end of this sweet nectar if it sways your decision-making when buying first-timers.
Bluff Springs is really good for its price
So the only one I’ve tried is the Wolcott and it is boring to me. However the Bottled in Bond Wolcott is not bad… not great but way better than the other one!
I've tried a couple of Winchester variants and not liked them at all. Given the bottle shape and label, it makes me wonder if the "Quarter Horse" brand I see so much of at Friar Tuck is the same stuff but labeled for FT. It was not good either.
The geosmin fact worth the video!
Personally i think the Wolcott is just 1792 that didn't "make the grade" when they test it. 1792 is 46.85% ABV. Wolcott is 45%. So it's just younger 1792 cut with more water.
Absolutely love the science facts!!!!
Now you need to blind that top one against some of the mainstay bourbons out there at the $50 price point. This is the hard part about trying new whiskeys a lot of them are a miss
No Total wine in dez parts. However, been getting the cask strength Penelope lately for $52.99!
We got still Austin CS at $50 here
Great fuckin video.. the reactions, haha...
Would love to see more of these.. Total Wine is my best option for Bourbon, and they constantly release "new brands."
Defiantly a fan of this type of video! Is it because I'm genuinely curious about all the no name bottles on the shelf at total wine, or do I just like to see you guys in pain?
You’ll have to play that back… “smells like lemon” lol
McFarlands is made by IJW (a contract distillery) for TWM. It’s made as a comp to Makers Mark. It’s a wheater
"In the summer of 1794, these were all the Patrons at the 15 dollar level."
I see the Virtue Spirits merch is in 😄
If u live in the dmv go to lax
Love watching you guys drink shit whiskey for content 😆. One thing I’ve learned is- you get what you pay for. Life is way too short for bad whiskey. Love you guys 👍
TW if you are watching, doubling the profit margin with these store brands and cutting the volume of sales to a 1/4 of what you used to have will not work well for you.
Wish I could wear black hoodies, but I live with like 500 incredibly hairy animals. 495 of those are just me.
😆
This was a cool idea
The smell of "rain" is called Petrichor...
The Wolcott is aged 4 years and the mcfarlanes is wheated
The sad part is TW is actively pushing out other makers to make more room and larger displays of all this crap.
Filibuster isnt TW exclusive, ive seen it elsewhere. Never seen the gypsy at TW in mass. All the others ive seen there and pretty sure they are TW exclusives. The wolcott BiB is really good. Winchester double oak i was not a fan of. The MF ive seen a bunch of different ones of but never tried any of them. I did see a woodford double oak store pick the other day at TW. $82 so i passed on it since its 20+ more than the regular one and havent been a huge fan of TW store picks
You missed the Best one Lone River Bourbon
"That tastes like nuuuuuts" 🤣
I have learned not to ask employees at total wine for any advice. They push Total wine products and none of them are good.
Those sweatshirts are wild lol
Not taking whiskey advise from Tyler and Hunter...sorry. I'd ask if they have a Tony or Jimmy that I could talk to.
Hell yeah Diablo 4 junkies 👍😈😂
Diablo 4 is killer!!!!!!!!
Just making me wish I had a Total Wine :P
No Chestnut farms? lol
It's not $50, but yes we got one and will review it soon
Never buy a total wine label, that is what the employee will recommend anyway so there is no reason to get recommendations from them.
Why would a shark need to smell rain? ;)
Owen Wilson = 12:56
MacFarlane’s CS is ok.
I’m mot making an outright accusation, but I’m sensed bias in these reviews even before you began tasting them. As someone who has also tried most of these same brands, I’ve also learned a little more about the brands themselves. I’m not brand loyal nor am I a label whore. Thus, if it’s good, it’s good whether it’s a $20 or $100 bottle. I still enjoyed your video but I suspect some preconceived bias. 🥃👍🏽cheers
Bluff Springs & Wolcott are decent if $30-$35.. Be careful of these TW off the wall brands being thrown up on the shelves, especially the bourbons. The scotch selection is better, but still be cautious. The employees are pushing these no name brands and they already have established brand names on the shelves. So just do your research.
Wolcott BIB is actually pretty good. Wolcott not so good.
I got the Black Ridge Port finished and it’s awful
It just tastes like 1792 port finish (which is basically what it is) to me. I liked it a lot
@@LeatherDaddy97 our palettes are different. I’ve gone back a few times and it’s just not doing it for me.
@@salleytlnothing wrong with that, i feel the same way on the standard black ridge. The port finish is long too, 18 months i think.
Half of these are Total Wine labels
Pretty sure I said that in the video 😂. The point was kind of to try out all these different labels nobody knows about to see if they're any good.
The label on the winner is horrid
Thank you thank you thank you! I was feeling a bit snobbish because I always see these "no name" Whiskies and pass by them and get the ones I recognize. Have always been put off by the "newness" of the brands and the fact that the employees ALWAYS push the "Total Wine" brands!! They swear up and down there is no commission or favoritism involved, but the consistency with which they recommend them has made me steer clear... and now I feel a little vindicated and a lot less snobbish. 😅
I'm telling you now. MacFarlane's reserve was a bad call.
Woah, it won?
Must be the proof..
Thanks for saving me from all of these.
I'm surprised y'all liked the Winchester at all. Total Wine always hawks that garbage I can't stand it.
None of those are the best bourbons at $50 at total wine in Michigan.