Tastes

BACKGROUND: First produced in 1964, George Dickel has always been the Jan Brady to the Marsha known as Jack Daniel’s. In fact, the brand was started after Schenley Distilling Company attempted and failed to purchase Jack Daniel’s and decided, instead, to create a competitor. Unlike the popular Old No. 7, however, Dickel has struggled in the market at times, and, when its supply of whiskey exceeded its demand in the 1990s, production at the distillery was completely shut down until later resuming operations in 2003. George Dickel, the whiskey’s namesake, was a German immigrant who operated a liquor store in Nashville from the mid-to-late 1800s. A rectifier, he bought whiskey from several distilleries, mingled them together, bottled them under another name, and sold them in his store. He tended to like the whiskey from the nearby Cascade Distillery and ended up buying that whiskey exclusively. Eventually acquiring a controlling interest in the distillery, Dickel sold its product as “Cascade Whisky-Mellow As Moonlight.” In the 1960s, when Schenley built a production facility near the site of the original distillery that Dickel had owned in Cascade Hollow, located near Tullahoma, the new brand was named after him. The Barrel Select has always been considered the top shelf offering of the Dickel brand, and, according to the distillery, each distinct batch is made from a blend of just ten barrels that are handpicked by the master distiller after aging between 10 to 12 years. NOSE: The Barrel Select offers a delightful nose that smells exactly like buttered popcorn. Bananas and caramel are present, as well, along with the omnipresent scent of Flintstones chewable vitamins for which Dickel is universally known - and which I actually enjoy. PALATE: A great cornbread flavor jumps first onto the palate and is followed with traditional caramel and oak notes. The Flintstones vitamin that is present on the nose transfers into the same flavor reminiscent from childhood, and, again, I find it oddly pleasurable. FINISH: The Barrel Select finishes much hotter than an 86 proof whiskey and offers just a brief pop of rye spice on the finish. The corn, caramel, and oak flavors stick around and take some time to dissipate. FINAL ASSESSMENT: And old and politically incorrect joke goes - What do mopeds and fat chicks have in common? They’re both fun to ride until your friends catch you on top of one. That joke pretty much sums up my feelings about George Dickel products. I enjoy the Dickel brand and understand that many whiskey “connoisseurs” will subject me to much ridicule and derision for publicly stating as much. That reaction is prompted, in my opinion, by the fact that many judge Dickel products based upon their own preconceived notions of the brand rather than by the merits of the whiskey in the glass. Though only 86 proof - I tend to like my brown juice with a little higher octane - the Barrel Select is a perfectly balanced and pleasing whiskey that would make an excellent daily sipper.

BACKGROUND: Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, Henry McKenna 10-year Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond is named for an Irish immigrant who moved to Kentucky in 1838 and operated a distillery on his farm. Initially a producer of corn and wheat whiskey, McKenna moved to Louisville in 1880 and built a new distillery in 1883, which, at its capacity, never produced more than nine barrels of bourbon a day. He passed away in 1893, and his sons took over the bourbon business. Because McKenna set new standards for sanitation and aging during his time, Heaven Hill named one of its bourbon brands after him. Once easy to find on store shelves, Henry McKenna 10-Year SB BiB became quite scarce and subject to a bit of secondary market pricing after it was named “Best In Show Whiskey” at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It had also won Double Gold in the bourbon category the year prior. Because this McKenna is a single barrel product, some consumers have complained on the Internet about experiencing significant variations from one bottle to the next, but, overall, it remains a highly-sought and admired bourbon. NOSE: The McKenna offers an ethanol-heavy nose with deep, rich notes that remind me of caramel simmering on the stove. There is also a significant layer of oak in the nose as well as a bit of citrus. PALATE: The palate presents loads of mint, which is often present in higher rye bourbons though Henry McKenna uses the same 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley mash bill as other Heaven Hill products. The oak, caramel, and trace of citrus appearing in the nose also linger on the palate. A buttery mouthfeel coats the jawline and sticks to the mouth. FINISH: Loads of oak dominant the finish and dry the mouth. Rye spice and mint also remain. The finish is a long one that lingers like a talkative houseguest who just won’t leave. I notice that the finish is significantly spicier than the palate. FINAL ASSESSMENT: The Henry McKenna 10-Year SB BiB is a complex bourbon that transforms from the front of the palate to the finish. It is heavy with oak, which I enjoy in bourbons despite its drying effect. I can certainly understand why this bourbon is so prized, and I would make it a daily drinker if it weren’t so hard to find. I’ll make it a point to pick up a bottle whenever one is spotted in the wild.

BACKGROUND: This 1792 limited release from the Barton Distillery, which was constructed in 1879 and is owned by Sazerac, was made under the requirements of the Bottiled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which means it is 100 proof, was made by one producer during one distilling season, and has been aged at least four years. First available in 2017, the 1792 BiB was ranked ninth in Whisky Advocate Magazine’s list of “Top 20 Whiskies of 2018.” This version of the 1792 BiB is a store pick by The Bottle Shop in Columbus, Georgia and cost $35.99. The 1792 is also available in other editions that include High Rye, Sweet Wheat, Single Barrel and Full Proof. Barton also produces bourbon for the the Very Old Barton, Kentucky Tavern, Chestnut Farms and Tom Moore brands, and contract distills for at least a handful of non-distilling producers. NOSE: The three predominant scents in the nose of the 1792 Bottled-in-Bond are bananas, bananas, and bananas. It is a nose that you would expect from Old Forester or other Brown-Forman products. When combined with the ethanol presence and some brown sugar lingering in the background, the nose smells exactly like a Bananas Foster flambe’. PALATE: The banana that exists on the nose is also present on the front of the palate along with some nice oak taste that appears on the back. Rich caramel flavor and, perhaps, some nuttiness reminiscent of a Jim Beam product appear, as well. It is a pleasant and balanced palate. FINISH: Muted pepper and rye appear on the finish, but there is no big spice bomb that goes off. It is a long finish that offers just the right amount of warmth, almost like finding the sweet spot when standing near a fireplace. FINAL ASSESSMENT: The 1792 BiB is neither too spicy, nor too boring. Instead, it’s just right. From palate to finish it offers just the right balance in both flavor and sensation. No matter the brand, I have never gone wrong with a bottled-in-bond bourbon, and the 1792 keeps that streak alive.

BACKGROUND: Pure Kentucky is a sourced bourbon bottled by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, LTD, the same company responsible for Willett Family Estate Bourbon and Rye Whiskeys, Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon, Noah’s Mill Bourbon, Rowan’s Creek Bourbon and others. Prior to 2012, the label carried a 12 year age statement, but it was later removed from the bottle. Most sources indicate, however, that the bourbon continues to be aged for roughly the same amount of time today. At 107 proof and costing just $38 a bottle, it is an affordably priced higher-octane bourbon. NOSE: I find the nose to be wonderfully delightful with smells of leather, oak, tobacco and the dusty and woody air inside a distillery rickhouse. It also smells a bit like the pages inside a leather-bound antique book that has not been opened for several years. If a bourbon nose can be termed as masculine, this one would fit the bill. PALATE: The leather and other notes from the nose remain present on the palate, but mint is the most dominant initial flavor. The bourbon is not overly sweet at first sip, but toffee-like sweetness because readily apparent before the glencairn is empty. Strangely, the first sip resulted in a prolonged tingling sensation on my lips and tongue, which might be attributable to the proof, but I often drink high-proof bourbons and never before experienced anything similar. FINISH: The finish is a long one, and a Kentucky hug revisits with each sip. Barrel char and oak stop by for a visit during the finish, as well. Though you can tell this Pure Kentucky spent more than a decade in the barrel, the finish is not drying like many well-aged bourbons. FINAL ASSESSMENT: This is a great full-bodied bourbon that makes me feel I should drink it while wearing a smoking jacket, holding a meerschaum pipe, and reading a book with a monocle. I am not a fan of many of the Willet products that KBD also bottles, but I’m quite happy with this purchase. It is a bottle that I will be pulling off of the shelf often.

BACKGROUND: Small Batch Select is the first new addition to the permanent Four Roses line in more than a dozen years and likely the most significant release yet during the Brent Elliott era as master distiller. Four Roses Small Batch Select is made from blending six of the ten distinct bourbon recipes that the distillery currently utilizes to produce its bourbon, and though no age statement is included on the bottle, each of the blended bourbons are believed to be between six and seven years old. The inclusion of the Select brand in the permanent line is intended to represent the fourth of the Four Roses as it joins the traditional yellow label, single barrel, and small batch offerings already on the shelf. Whisky Advocate magazine gave Four Roses Small Batch Select a tasting score of 93 and ranked it third in its list of “Top 20 Whiskies of 2019.” NOSE: The nose is quite floral - almost like smelling a bouquet of flowers - and perhaps slightly grassy. Oak is the other dominant scent in the nose. Many reviewers of the bourbon claim that a strong chocolate or cocoa note is present in the nose, but it is totally lacking in the bottle I acquired. PALATE: There is a strong cherry sweetness on the front of the palate that is reminiscent of children’s cough syrup. A distinct mintiness and a substantial amount of pepper spice develop as the bourbon moves to the back of the palate. FINISH: During the medium finish, the chocolate taste that many reviewers note finally makes itself known. Combined with the mint note, it reminds one of a York peppermint patty. Both sweetness and pepper continue to take centerstage. FINAL ASSESSMENT: I tried the Small Batch Select once previously and disliked it intensely. The floral note on the nose seemed to dominate both the palate and the finish and gave the sensation of drinking bourbon that had been aged with flowers floating in the barrel. When I tasted it for this review, however, the bourbon was much more enjoyable. Some may claim that my previous unpleasant experience was the result of a bad “neckpour,” but I have always found the theory that a bourbon should not be judged by the first drink from a bottle to be bogus. The advocates of the “neckpour” theory claim a bourbon must be allowed to “open up” before being judged. I counter that it is all the same juice from top to bottom, and an inch or two of air in the bottle between the first and second tastings is not going to dramatically change the flavor. I asked noted spirits writer and bourbon competition judge Fred Minnick for his thoughts on the “neckpour” theory on Facebook, and his reply seemed to agree with my assessment that it is myth, not fact. According to Minnick, the taste of the bourbon likely remains constant, but it is our own sense of taste that changes and adapts from one day to the next. It is the same reason why we enjoy some foods more at certain times than others. While I disagree with Whisky Advocate about Small Batch Select ranking among the top three products of 2019, my second experience was much better than my initial tasting. I no longer regret spending $55 on this bottle.

BACKGROUND: Rare Breed is a barrel proof offering from Wild Turkey, and the batch I sampled carries a proof of 116.8. Though the label carries no age statement, the distillery has often said it is a blend of six, eight, and twelve-year bourbon. Rare Breed was first offered in 1991, and it is interesting to note that all of Wild Turkey’s various products use the exact same mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. Any differences in taste from one offering within the brand to the next are the result of length of aging, placement in rick house, blending, and other varying factors. Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell has said that Rare Breed is one of two products by the company that he drinks most often - the other is Russell’s Reserve 10-year. Because he likes to drink it cold but prefers to avoid the dilution that results from melted ice, Russell famously keeps his bottle of Rare Breed in his home freezer. NOSE: The nose offers loads of popcorn, caramel, and sweet pipe tobacco, but there is little ethanol sting for a barrel proof bourbon. Unlike a lot of bourbons that require you to concentrate and search for the notes in the nose, the popcorn, caramel, and tobacco are quite obvious and jump out at you. PALATE: The palate offers an abundance of cherry and butterscotch - not caramel or vanilla like may bourbons, but rather a full flavor of butterscotch. A good bit of pepper and some oak offer a firm balance to the sweetness. FINISH: The finish is a long one and just keeps going like the embers of a fire that will not go out. The cherry and pepper on the palate become pepper and mint on the finish. FINAL ASSESSMENT: At roughly $45 dollar and with ample availability in any whiskey retailer you enter, Rare Breed has long been considered a treasure among barrel proof aficionados. After sampling the product, I can understand why. In the future, I would be interested to test how a bit of water would change the profile of this bourbon, or, perhaps, I will just throw the bottle in my freezer and trying drinking it just like ol’ Jimmy Russell does.

BACKGROUND: Long considered among the bottom rung of the bottom shelf bourbons, Rebel Yell was originally created by the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in the early-1950s and marketed only in the southern United States. A series of sales transferred production of the brand to Diageo and eventually to Luxco, which owns the trademark and distributes it nationally today. The wheated bourbon is actually produced by Heaven Hill Distillery and sourced by Luxco. Though the basic 80 proof Rebel Yell still resides with the bottom shelf bourbons, the 100 proof version has become something of a cult favorite among aficionados and is highly sought. As an interesting side note, Rebel Yell was once the favorite drink of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Rocker Billy Idol came up with the idea for his song “Rebel Yell,” which reached number six on the U.S. record charts in 1985, after watching Richards and fellow band member Ron Wood chugging from a bottle of the bargain bourbon backstage. NOSE: The Rebel Yell 100 smells like the inside of a corn crib with tobacco leaves nestled among the ears. There is some cinnamon present within the abundant corn and tobacco, as well. It is a strong nose for a wheated bourbon and packs quite a punch. PALATE: The palate provides wave after wave of cherry, plum, and plenty of pepper. The Rebel Yell 100 drinks hotter than its proof, but certainly not in an unpleasant way. FINISH: The long finish just keeps going and going. The fruit and pepper on the palate morph into chocolate and leather on the finish. The finish offers altogether pleasing flavors and sensation. FINAL ASSESSMENT: The Rebel Yell 100 punches far above its price class, and it is one of the best sub-$20 bottles that you will find anywhere. Let’s hope positive word-of-mouth doesn’t prompt Luxco to follow the Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond lead and jack up the price while lowering the quality. If you saved your Confederate money from the War Between the States, use all of it to stock up on Rebel Yell 100. Like the 100 proof, the Rebel Yell 10-Year Single Barrel has received positive reviews, but I have not yet been able to locate a bottle. After enjoying the Rebel Yell 100 so much, I will be redoubling my search efforts for a bottle of the 10-year.

BACKGROUND: RC6 is the 2019 release in the series of Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Limited Editions. Virgin oak staves are seasoned for roughly 18 months and then toasted in an oven in order to impart various natural flavors when added to a fully-matured barrel of Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, which is then aged for an additional period. Only 255 barrels were produced in the 2019 RC6 release, and their proofs range from 108.2, like the bottle I own, to 110.5. Originally available for purchase only in the distillery gift shop, RC6 was distributed to stores as an allocated release in fall of 2019 and carried a retail price of $59.99. NOSE: The RC6 nose smells EXACTLY like the sweet syrup in a can of fruit cocktail. Try as I might to discern individual aspects of the nose, only a general note of fruit and sweetness comes through. It is a pleasant olfactory experience, though. PALATE: The same general fruit cocktail sweetness on the nose translates into a fruit bomb explosion on the palate. A note of barrel char is nestled within the sweetness, as well. Perhaps the only specific fruit note I can discern is some banana. The palate is all at once both simple and complex…if that makes sense. FINISH: The finish contains one brief flash grenade of pepper before quickly dissipating back into the overwhelming fruit sweetness that dominates this bourbon. The finish is also very drying, which may be an aftereffect of the wood finishing. FINAL ASSESSMENT: For many years, Maker’s Mark was considered a “beginner’s bourbon” by aficionados because of its sweetness and relatively low proof. Many of those opinions change when, decades after its founding, the distillery began marketing its Cask Strength, Maker’s 46, and Private Select offerings. The RC6 is an impressive addition to the lineup and one that veteran bourbon aficionados will enjoy.

BACKGROUND: Released in 2015, Jim Beam Bonded is a re-issue of the bottled-in-bond product that was originally available decades ago when the company’s namesake was still living. In order to be marketed as “bottled-in-bond,” a bourbon must meet stringent guidelines outlined in federal law. The guidelines stipulate it must be the product of one distilling season from one distillery, it must be aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years, and it must be bottled at 100 proof. It is said that David M. Beam, Jim Beam’s father, did not want to give the federal government unchecked access to his warehouses when the original BiB bourbon was being aged, so he put his own lock on the door next to the government’s. He claimed it was his way of “keeping everybody honest.” As a result, Jim Beam Bonded prominently includes a graphic of two keys on its label - one for David Beam and one for the government. I enjoy many of Jim Beam’s more limited offerings - such as the Repeal Batch, Double Oak, and Distiller’s Cut - and have yet to find a BiB bourbon I did not like, so I was eager to give Bonded a taste. NOSE: Bonded smells exactly like the sweet cordial liquid inside a chocolate covered cherry…and I mean EXACTLY. There’s some oak, as well, but not prominent. There is no trademark Beam peanutty funk (and I mean funk in a good sense, not a bad one). Just loads of sweetness and some oak. PALATE: There is loads of sweet fruit, vanilla, and a bit of spice, but, again, no nuttiness that usually denotes a Beam product. The bourbon is surprising thick, syrupy, and viscous in texture. FINISH: The finish contains no burn and no bite, but it also does not linger. The sweetness quickly dissipates. The delightful oily texture, through, remains in the jaw. FINAL ASSESSMENT: Jim Beam is one of those brands that some people like to unjustly belittle because doing so makes them somehow feel superior, Bonded is yet another Beam product that deserves praise, not derision. At less than $20 a bottle, it is quite a bargain. Unfortunately, it is also impossible to find in my area, so I had to purchase this bottle in another state. The next time I run across it on a shelf, I will purchase several bottles as it will make an excellent daily sipper.

BACKGROUND: This bottle was gifted to me by a good friend for Christmas in 2017, and it is opened only on anniversaries, birthdays, and other special occasions. I took it off the shelf today especially for this review. The bourbon’s namesake, George T. Stagg, was a business partner of Col. E.H. Taylor, and together they built the most successful distillery of the 19th Century. Using a mashbill recipe of Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye, and North Dakota malted barley, the bourbon was distilled to 135 proof and entered the barrel at 125 proof in the spring of 2002. Though 2019 is the rare exception, George T. Stagg is usually the highest octane offering in the famed and highly-sought Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The 2017 offering was bottled at 129.2 proof. It spent more than 15 years and 3 months in barrels from Warehouses C, K, M, and Q. This batch consisted of only 309 barrels, and, as always, it is uncut and unfiltered. NOSE: A wonderful combination of leather and maple syrup. Perhaps a bit of cherry lingers in the background. There is a surprising lack of ethanol given the proof. I would wear this as cologne if I could. PALATE: The maple syrup on the nose converts completely into maple syrup on the palate. I sense some chocolate covered cherries on the tongue, as well. The bourbon is sinfully viscous in texture. It begs the question, “Can a bourbon be called ‘sexy’?” FINISH: The sweetness continues, but there is also some mint on the back of the tongue. Oak flavors develops, as well. Though the finish is a long one, there is no pepper and no bite. FINAL ASSESSMENT: You would think that a bourbon at this proof drinks hotter than a hooker’s door knob on nickel night, but the 2017 George T. Stagg sips easier than Sunday morning. This might not be the absolute best bourbon I have ever sampled, but it is certainly in the top damn three. Since there is no way to replace this bottle, I will be rationing it like I am stranded in the desert with a thimbleful of water. A simply fantastic bourbon experience. It gets the rare five cork pops out of five.