Well...OVG is not distributed throughout the US. It is, in my opinion, equivalent to Mellow Corn, i.e. full of buttered corn-on-the-cob flavor, but nothing else. It is something I'd use in a hot toddy for my wife, but it's not something I'd drink myself. Distilled by the Bowman distillery in Virginia (Buffalo Trace-owned), Mellow Corn is better.
George Dickel? Really? Maybe some of the higher-end allocated products are good, but the best thing to come out of Dickel is their rye. Besides, Dickel isn't considered by the State of Tennessee (although legally it meets the requirements) a bourbon. Therefore it doesn't fit the category I was espousing. I have a bottle of Dickel in my larder (only 1) and I like it. I've also had an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels in my stores for over 10 years. I have no interest in Tennessee Whiskey, except for maybe some of the Uncle Nearest offerings. If you want a good Tennessee Whiskey (also a bourbon), get the unfinished Belle Meade (I prefer their high proof Reserve) from Greenbriar Distillery in Nashville.
As for Henry McKenna, the only offering worth drinking is the 10-year Bottled-in-Bond offering, and that's hit or miss. McKenna Bottled-in-Bond is a great offering, but not for the price they sell it for now. It was the perfect 10-year old bourbon at about $30-$32 until Fred Minnick and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition named it World's Best Bourbon 2 years in a row. Now, if you can find it, it'll cost about $45. It's not worth $45, just like Blantons is not worth $65-$70. With McKenna's, Heaven Hill took a page from the Buffalo Trace playbook and made it highly allocated. Now it won't stay on the shelves, even overpriced.
Always happy to help educate a fellow Tech fan.
