Month: March 2021

Semi-Final Wrap Up

The Semi-finals are over and we have our finalists. Two hard fought matches took place but who made it through? Keep reading to find out…

With 3-time champion Four Roses Single Barrel out of the competition and having beaten both last years runner up and last year’s winner in the previous rounds, George T Stagg was the hot favourite to make the final. The only thing standing in their way was a little-known bourbon called Pappy Van Winkle 20…

We joke of course. This was a match of the titans and the stage was set for an epic battle.

It was a cagey affair, with both teams getting plenty of support but neither of them able to pull away from the other. Back and forth the lead changed hands with no one able to stay in front for long. The crowd watched this tense match wondering who would come out on top and make it to the final. Then Stagg started to edge ahead. Here we go, we all thought, Stagg will win from here and set up the possibility of an all BTAC final (as William Larue Weller was due to play in the other Semi-final later). Surely it was just a matter of time before they won…

But wait… Pappy 20 was not ready to throw in the towel yet. They mounted a stunning counterattack and took Stagg by surprise. This wasn’t in the script. Soon the slender lead that Stagg had built up was gone and instead they found themselves behind by 6%. This was the biggest gap between the two the whole match. Pappy kept up the pressure and from then on never allowed Stagg back into the match. They won 53% to 47% and made it to their first ever world cup final.

Now the question on everyone’s lips was - “who will they meet in the final”. Let us find out…

Now it was the turn of the second Semi-Final between Blanton’s Single Barrel and William Larue Weller.

It was always going to be tough to follow the previous semi-final, and so it was no big shock when it didn’t.

Weller was the clear favourite and, even though Blanton’s had been getting huge support throughout the competition, it was still a very one-sided contest in the end. Weller took an early lead and was never really in any danger of losing it. They dominated the proceedings and kept themselves at least 10 or more percent in front the whole match. Those who bought tickets to watch this one must have been kicking themselves they didn’t pick the other semi.

The result was 58% to 42% and William Larue Weller join Pappy 20 in our final.

The Final

For the second year running this years final 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 2021.

Quarter Final Wrap Up

Welcome back to this year’s Bourbon Gents World Cup. The competition is nearing its end and we are down to only 4 bourbons. Who are those four we hear you ask? Well, let us have a look shall we…?

Results

We start our round up with a look at the left-hand side of the draw.

First up we had Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel vs Pappy 20 year old. The Gents are lucky enough to own both fine bourbons, and have enjoyed them on many occasions, so we knew it was going to be a close match. Blanton’s have had huge support during this year’s competition, and it showed during the early voting. They went toe to toe with Pappy 20 and looked like serious contenders until well into the latter stages. With only an hour left in the voting Pappy were only a few percent ahead and it was anyone’s game. In the end though it was just a stretch too far for the Straight From The Barrel offering, and Pappy reached the finish line first, winning 53% to 47%. They march on to the semi-finals where they would meet the winners of the next match… George T Stagg vs Old Rip Van Winkle.

Old Rip Van Winkle is of course the current world cup holder and they were looking to take one more step to retaining their title. In their way stood the mighty Stagg (multiple times winner of the Gents ‘Bourbon of the year’ award). The match started and right away Stagg looked like they wanted the win more. Old Rip were startled and immediately fell behind. We wish we could write some wonderful prose about how Old Rip fought back and levelled the scores just in time to produce a match worthy of these two titans of the bourbon world… but it never happened. Stagg raced into the lead and never let Old Rip gain on them. By the time the voting closed Stagg were so far ahead that they were just a blip on the horizon. Last year’s winners are out! That means (with Four Roses Single Barrel also having been knocked out) that this year will see a new bourbon crowned winner for the first time.

Now over to the right hand side of the draw.

Having just seen their sister bourbon go out of the competition, Blanton’s Single Barrel were extra fired up for their match against underdog Bakers 13. This match was about as one sided as it gets. Baker’s were on the ropes the entire time and the end couldn’t come soon enough for them. Blanton’s took the win 78% to 22% and on this form look unbeatable.

In the final match of the quarter-finals there was yet another Blanton’s offering. This time it was Blanton’s Gold, and they were up against William Larue Weller. Could Blanton’s Gold pull off an upset and produce a giant killing display to set up a semi-final against Blanton’s Single Barrel? Unfortunately (for Blanton’s at least) they couldn’t. It wasn't as one sided as the Baker’s 13 defeat, but it certainly wasn’t a close match. Weller were commanding in their win and took the match (and a ticket to the semi-final) 68% to 32%.

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

what a line up we have for you in the semis.

George T Stagg vs Pappy 20 on one side, and Blanton’s Single Barrel vs William Larue Weller on the other. Wow!

Personally, we would love to see a battle of the BTACs in the final. However, it’s not our vote that counts. So get over to Twitter tomorrow and get behind your bourbon and give that push it needs to make the final of the 2021 Bourbon Gents world cup.

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

8…

Only 8 of the 64 bourbons who started the competition remain.

The Cup is getting closer to finding its winner so lets see who made it through…

Highlights of this round

Where else could we start but with the crushing defeat for Mav’s favourite bourbon - Noah’s Mill. They were up against Blanton’s Single Barrel and, although Noah’s Mill were the underdogs, a tight battle was still expected. It the end though, it didn’t turn out that way. Blanton’s steamed ahead and never looked back. Mav and Noah’s Mill were in shock, and the end result was 76% to 24%. Please take a moments silence for this sad event before we move on.

Now on to the reigning champions - Old Rip Van Winkle. Their match was against Booker’s. Nobody expected anything other than an Old Rip win and… that is exactly what happened. No drama here just an easy victory, 69% to 31% and the cup holder goes through to the quarters and a step closer to retaining the title.

In the other matches…

Former world cup runner up, George T Stagg, beat the competition dark horse Weller 12. It was a tight match and at some points it looked like Weller may be in with a chance. However, ultimately Stagg were too strong, and it is they who march into the nest round.

No shocks in this round result wise, but there were some who expected Elijah Craig 18 to put up a better fight against Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel than they did. The end result was not even close, and Elijah Craig never looked like winning. An easy match for Blanton’s as the won 59% to 41%.

Talking of Blanton’s. They now have 3 entries into the last 8. Blanton’s Gold was also a 3rd round winner, seeing off Henry McKenna 10 convincingly 63% to 37%.

For the full results, and to see who else made it through to the quarterfinals, 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.

As always, it is hard to pick a stand out match from so many good ones, but our pick is going to be Stagg vs Old Rip Van Winkle. Last years winner vs a previous world cup finalist. Too close to call a clear favourite but if we had to bet then we would go for a Stagg win. Only time will tell though!

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