The Story

Seldom do you get the opportunity to purchase 13 year MGP.

But on December 17th, 2021, TC Whiskey Co. dropped the aforementioned banger at their Stillhouse and Outpost locations in Michigan. And that’s why Justin and I froze our asses off in line to get one. We weren’t the only ones, either; there were another hundred or so poor bastards shivering in the deep freeze with us. The whiskey faithful. The ‘called off sick this morning’ phonies.

After some time, the doors opened and the line started slowly reducing while we chatted and cupped our hands to blow hot air (and life) into them. Eventually we found ourselves further from the end of the block where we began – and closer to the inviting warmth of the Outpost entrance. We readied our cash as we made our way inside and to the bar where they were cashing people out. $189.99 for this bottle. Which may sound crazy, but again…13 year MGP. You understand, right?

Even if you don’t, the Flippers outside the building certainly did. Justin and I walked outside and just a few steps from the exit, two guys flagged us down.

“Hey! You guys interested in selling? We’ll give you $350 per bottle.”

Justin and I looked at each other, dumbfounded. That’s an immediate $160 profit, which is near double what we paid. Thankfully through some sort of unspoken code of ethics, it didn’t take more than a few seconds to make a decision.

“No thanks, we’re good” Justin said as we breezed past. Tempting of course, but we plan on drinking our bottles, save for a few very special bottles or gifts for others. And we’re not big on contributing to the secondary market via providing inventory.

Of course, we popped it so we could taste it and share what we discovered. It’s 13 year MGP, 109 proof and one of 101 bottles (pretty limited). So without further ado, let’s dive into this one.

Nose

Some really nice candied cherry aroma, followed by leather, dill, caramel, sweet oak and brown sugar.

Palate

The palate brings along those sweet notes but shows some strong black pepper notes, a tinge of smoke and nuttiness.

Finish

The finish is a great balance of spicy and sweet, featuring cherry cola, a blast of baking spice on a foundation of those sweet caramel and brown sugar notes.

Verdict

It makes sense that TC Whiskey called this their ‘Holiday Reserve’ given the notes; this is something you would definitely enjoy drinking on a cold winter night. It’s peppery, features plenty of holiday baking spice and warms the palate with that cherry cola note.

Yeah, we paid a lot for this bottle: $189.99. We waited out in the cold for it. We passed up an offer to resell it for double the price. Was it all worth it?

Hell yes. This is a delicious bottle. If you somehow happen to come across it in someone’s home bar or whiskey room, be sure to get a taste of it. It’s damn good. For us, anything breaking an 8 is quite delicious, and we’re happy to have grabbed this one for the Homebar Studio.

Overall, we’re giving this one an 8.2.

Do you own this bottle? Then surely you’ll want to add it to your inventory using our web app! It’s free to use. Sign up here to get a handle on that unruly home bar.

Cheers friends!