Month: March 2020

Semi-Final Wrap Up

Stop. The. Press.

History has just been made in the Bourbon Gents World Cup.

The previously undefeated champion is …out!

In a repeat of the 2018 semi-final, we saw Old Rip Van Winkle vs Four Roses Single Barrel. Old Rip Van Winkle took an early lead and just didn’t let go. Now, at first, this was nothing unusual. We had seen Four Roses Single Barrel fall behind in the voting early on before, only to recover and either steam to victory or pip the rival bourbon to the post at the end. This time, however, it just didn’t happen. Old Rip never let up its lead, and even a small swing towards Four Roses near the end wasn’t nearly enough to help it come close to winning. In the end, the Winkle won out by 10% (55% to 45%). wow.

Before we move on to the other semi-final match, we should take a moment to recognise just what an amazing run Four Roses Single Barrel had. It won all 3 previous World Cups and reached the Semi this time. That’s 20 matches in a row without losing a single one. 20! in a row!

Take a bow Four Roses, you have set a record that is unlikely to ever be broken. There is always next year to regain the crown.

Now it was the turn of the second Semi-Final between George T Stagg and Weller 12. After the excitement of the first match surely this one couldn’t produce another upset…?

Weller 12: “Hold my beer”

Now this one was a much closer affair from the start. Weller 12 raced into a lead early on, only to be pegged back by Stagg to draw the match at the half waypoint. Stagg then slowly started to creep ahead until it had a margin of 4% with only an hour left to go.

At this point, it looked like it would be all over for Weller and another final for Stagg. This though is the year the world cup decided not to play ball. Out of nowhere, Weller begins to make a comeback. 30 minutes left and they are all square. 10 minutes left and Weller takes the lead. 5 minutes left and the lead is now so big that it’s clear nothing is going to save Stagg from being eliminated.

What a match!

The Final

This years final then will see two completely new faces, and the World Cup will crown a first-time winner whatever the result.

So head over to our twitter account now and vote for your favourite to win the Bourbon Gents World Cup 2020.

Will it be Weller 12 or Old Rip Van Winkle? You decide!

Quarter Final Wrap Up

It’s quarter-final time and the 8 remaining bourbons took to the field again, aiming to be one step closer to being crowned Bourbon Gents World Cup winners.

Highlights of this round

Last year’s World Cup was the first to feature any tied matches. There had been none in the previous 2 World Cups and then all of a sudden 3 in one tournament.

The Gents had hoped that this year would return to normal and we wouldn’t have to deal with any 50/50 results, but that wasn’t to be. In fact, yet again the tied match involved Eagle Rare 17. Last year we had the tough choice to make between Blanton’s Gold and Eagle Rare 17, with the debate lasting for well over an hour and became quite heated, but in the end, it was Blanton’s that ultimately got the nod.

This time Eagle Rare was against Weller 12 and, yet again, the Gents entered into a closed room at Bourbon Gents HQ to try and decide a winner. We feel bad that it’s now happened to the Eagle 2 years in a row, but ultimately we settled on Weller 12 and it proceeds into the Semi.

The 2nd match on the right-hand side of the draw was the much anticipated ‘Battle of the Staggs’. Would Stagg Jr, the younger brother, manage to beat the legend that is George T Stagg? Could it pull off the biggest upset in the World Cup to date? would it rise and… no, no it wouldn’t. It got beat really easily and by one of the biggest ever margins in quarter-final history. Better luck next time Jr.

On the other side of the draw, we had Maker’s Mark Cask Strength facing Old Rip Van Winkle. This one was tough to call as they are both excellent bourbons in their own right and great examples of wheaters. The Gents were secretly hoping Maker’s would win this one, but it was Old Rip that eventually pulled ahead in the voting and won the tie by a comfortable margin 58% to 42%.

In the final match of the quarter-finals, we saw 3-time champion Four Roses Single Barrel up against Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and boy was this one close. Neck and neck through-out the match, with sometimes only a percentage point between them. It was close right until the last minutes when Four Roses pulled ahead and pipped Elijah Craig to the post winning 52% to 48%. Another very close tie for the Single Barrel, who has probably had the toughest route to the semi-final of all the bourbons.

As always the World Cup chart has been updated so you can click below to look at the semi final line up.

Semi-Final look ahead

Old Rip Van Winkle must have been ecstatic to reach the semi-final of the World Cup, probably right up until the point it realised it would be up against the undefeated 3-time champion, and king of the competition, Four Roses Single Barrel. Surely it’s just a matter of time before we start engraving their name on the trophy for the 4th time… or is it?

The other semi sees Weller 12 against George T Stagg. Stagg being no stranger to this stage of the competition and has in fact been a finalist before. Can it get another shot at the final or will Weller 12 make it for the first time? We can’t wait to find out.

As always you need to be on our Twitter account to vote. We wish all the bourbons good luck and we await to see who will contest this year final.

3rd Round Wrap Up

64 bourbons started the competition. 56 have been eliminated. 8 remain.

The Cup is hotting up and the 3rd round was a corker.

Highlights of this round

Where else could we start but with the ‘Battle of the Roses’.

Anyone thinking that Four Roses Single Barrel had this one in the bag would have been in for a shock. Its younger sibling, the Small Batch, gave it a run for its money from the start. One of the closest matches in the cup so far and they were hardly separable throughout. In the end, the plucky youngster was only narrowly beaten by just 4 points. We imagine that those supporting the Small Batch will now throw their votes behind the seemingly unstoppable Single Barrel.

In the other matches…

Former world cup runner up, George T Stagg, comfortably beat Henry McKenna 10 by a huge margin of 74% to 26%. A bit harsh on the McKenna as that score does not reflect just how outstanding of a bourbon it is. The Gents will be looking forward to seeing it fair better next year.

George’s younger brother Stagg Jr also made it through the quarter-finals with its victory over Weller Full Proof. This one was easily the shock of the round, as most predicted an easy win for the Weller. However, it wasn’t to be and Stagg took it 57% to 43%. This is as far as Jr has ever been before. How much further can it go?

Finally, the underdog run of the world cup came to an end, as Old Forester 1920 finally met its match and was beaten by Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. No arguing with this one, the superior bourbon won through and deservedly takes its place in the next round.

For the full results, and to see who else made it through to the quarter-finals, see our handy wall chart below.

Quarter-final look ahead

What a line up we have in store for you in the quarter-final. Some of the best bourbons ever to exist are going to be battling it out for that place in the Semi and a shot at reaching the world cup final.

It’s harder than ever this year to pick a match of the round with so many good matchups. However, our pick is going to be Stagg vs Stagg as George takes on the Jr. Can the younger brother cause an upset and beat the established elder statesman? Or will George move one match closer to getting another shot at the final?

Tickets to this one have already sold out so grab a seat on the couch and enjoy the contest on Twitter.