Tastes

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Coming from their wheated offering, to their high rye offering to this I can say there is a clear progression. For a rye it is highly unusual though. What shines through is their butterscotch note, something I don't get on any other rye. The palate carries forward the toffee and butterscotch notes and adds oak, black pepper and now a bit of rye roll. The overt sweetness is probably due to, at least in part, the sweet mash process. I think I honestly prefer sour mash for that slightly acidic bite it tends to yield but to each their own. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy. If you want a truly unique rye and don't want a ton of spice then look no further. If you like more heat and spice or are a fan of 95-100% herbal ryes then this is not your thing. I could pontificate on age and complain about youth but I would not hesitate to plunk down cash for a 6-7 year offering of this if the spice notes build. Of all their current offerings their 24% rye mash bill, 4y BiB bourbon seems to be my personal favorite. You may be different and if you have $50-75 to burn then I encourage you to explore their offerings because I love what they're doing. If value is your thing I would say hold off on anything besides the 4y 24% rye if you're a butterscotch/toffee fan because, well, it's just expensive stuff thanks to paying for new infrastructure. Next up is James E MGPepper...

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Public service announcement - this 6 year offering isn't delineated on Distiller (that I can tell) but both a high rye and wheated BiB bourbon are available. I previously splurged on the wheated BiB and didn't love it at first but it grew on me and is an improvement over their 4 year offering with more char and well structured oak notes. This review is on the 24% rye, 6-year BiB offering. It basically takes their 4-year, 24% rye offering and adds more banana, toffee and rye notes while still carrying through the butterscotch and oak char. If anything I'm a bit disappointed that the oak isn't more developed and that the banana esters shot up. For the money I would stick with their 4 year offering and check back when they release their 8 year BiB version in another year or so. As for their rye...

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Having just come from their yellow label offering and wondering where all of the butterscotch aromas from the mash were - this is it. Something about their rye seems truly unique. I would say that their yeast explains the flavors, but for a group that specializes in yeast science I believe they purchase bulk, commercial yeast for most of their own product (based on observing cases upon cases of yeast in their bottling room). The nose on this is loaded with toffee, bread pudding and butterscotch with a slight char. The palate follows suit and has a medium mouthfeel and nice Kentucky hug to it. This is funky and unique and at a young age very closely resembles their mash itself. Being able to tour their mash room and then sip this is truly eye opening. What will time do for this distillate? That brings us to their 6 year BiB offering...

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. This was the second stop on our distillery outing. Born out of Ferm-Solutions, a trouble shooting duo of scientists and entrepreneurs serving the bourbon, wine, etc industry this is possibly the most transparent distillery out there. And they are growing - rapidly. Rick house #8 is now going up and being filled with around 200 barrels a day. At ~200 bottles per barrel that is 40,000 bottles a day. The fact that they bottle ~10 barrels a day means their stock is piling up and aging. I absolutely believe there are good things to come. Their mash room and their young bourbon smell almost identical. Butterscotch aroma hit you as soon as you walk through their front doors. Local corn and wheat are mashed with imported barley for 2-3 days around 80-90 degrees before heading to the still. Their low wine comes off at 110 proof and the doubler takes it to ~140 proof prior to barreling at 110 proof. All of this should mean plenty of grain components are making their way into the barrel to become a plethora of flavor. The barrels, by the way, come from the ICS barrel company. They are made of 33 staves, aged in open air for 1 1/2 to 2 years before toasting and then hit with a level 4 char. Thanks to their dry wood the whiskey can completely permeate the barrel in 4 years while un-dried staves might only be permitted 60% in 8 years. Aged in wooden rick houses with aluminum siding, 6 stores high. They average 115 degrees on the top floor (where their rye ages) and lose 5-9% of their volume annually (compared to 2-4% per year on the bottom where their bourbons age). Which brings us to their yellow label, bonded in bond offering. Four years, 100 proof and loaded with aromas of vanilla, corn and sawdust. There is a medium mouthfeel with lots of vanilla, slight Lipton tea notes, some dusty oak and a bit of banana. With 24% wheat as the flavoring grain none of this should be that surprising. I would say it's good, but not great... yet. It is probably on par, if not better, than Weller green label at only 4 years old but also runs $50 instead of $18 (which winds up closer to $30 anymore if you can even find it). Next up, their high rye BiB... let's see how they compare.

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. This will get contentious (in my head, probably no one else will care much). Accepting that Bulleit is all sourced Four Roses what you are getting here is a higher proof (but not quite barrel strength) Four Roses single recipe barrel pick. Considering that 4R bottles each of their individual recipes at around 115-120 proof that retail for $85 this could be a steal at $60-65, right?? The bottle we sampled was unashamedly named B3 (ie. OBSO 65/30/5 high rye mash bill, yeast strain "O"). There was no age statement but just like the 4R barrel strength offerings these run anywhere from 8-14 years in the barrel. The nose is loaded with allspice, dried flowers, leather sho polish and a bit of mint. The mouthfeel at 104 proof was a bit thin for me but better than their orange label or 10 year. Palate was a nice mix of cedar, light caramel, allspice, leather and barrel char with a medium finish. I actually wonder if this was OBSF or OBSQ with a different numbering system being used to disguise the recipe. This is not bad. This is also not great. It is good. Somewhere in the 3-4 good range. It isn't too hot to sip neat and has enough flavor to impress some of your friends but certainly not all of them. I wish they kept the proof in the 115-120 range because I think you're really losing something by dropping it to 104. Regardless, if you are a Four Roses fan and in search of their barrel strength offerings this is a no brainer. Save $20 and possibly find it on sale, let alone on the shelf whenever you fancy it instead of hunting or paying secondary. That alone bumps me to a 4. Thus we conclude the majority of the Bulleit lineup. My preference would be their 10 year or single barrel offerings for value. Cheers! Next we will visit the Wilderness Trail distillery...

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Following Bulleit 10 year... Back on the soapbox - there was zero mention of the fact that this is 100% NAS, sourced MGP 95% rye. Aggravating, but only to hear them say "we use a 95% rye, 5% barley mash bill to stand apart" when they're really not standing apart from anything since MGP 95/5 makes up a huge market share of affordable high rye whiskey (both malted and non-malted rye; spoiler see James E Pepper review). And frankly, there seem to be better, re-purposed offerings. What Tom Bulleit wanted was a desirable product for bartenders. They sent staff into the field, surveyed front line service industry workers regarding their need for a good mixer and arrived at... MGP 95/5. Bulleit then re-branded and sold it as a bar mixer that establishments can use to up-charge over their well drinks. Money is made, the crowd goes wild, etc, etc. Get on with it. The nose has an odd bit of soap to it. There is earthy rye grain (more husk than grain), very little sweet notes but a decent portion of fresh mint and hint of leather. The sip is unabashedly mint, cedar, camomile and... dish soap. Short finish. Where this hits is not the chest so much as the sinuses. Our tasting guide lauded this point for it's presence in a mixed drink which I can understand. Sort of a "Kentucky mouthwash," which is a direct quote. What this is - an affordable mixer. For sipping neat, fans of MGP 95/5 will likely want to turn to MGPs own label and go Rossville or consider MGP's malted 95/5 and head over to James E. Pepper. Next up Bulleit single barrel select...

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Follows Bulleit orange label... So this is a softer, more cohesive version of their sourced Four Roses, um, orange label blend. With a stated age, this is still full of corn and vanilla sweetness but has more dark sugar notes. More toffee on the nose and maybe a bit of dried pineapple. More wood notes, particularly wood char. On the palate it is a bit heavier and the flavors less sharp - more toned down, rounder and softer. It has a bit more caramel or even molasses than vanilla. Still some rye bread and pepper notes but dialed back. Oak takes over on the short finish. The fruit character of it's younger brother is lost. This was the winner of their 4 offerings for a friend of mine and I can see why. This is a crowd pleaser and easy to sip neat. I believe at $35 you're paying a fair price and will clock in at the same value as 4R OBSV single barrel. It's up to you which you choose but if you like one you will probably like the other. To be continued with Bulleitt (MGP) Rye...

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Bulleit.101 - I suspect that all of what goes into their bottles is Four Roses. Their own stills have only been churning out spirits since ~2016 which means most of their products are too young (or just in short supply) to fill their now widely-distributed orange label bottles. Is that bad? No. It irritates me that during their distillery tasting they never bring this up but instead refer to their "ten recipes and five yeast strains." Also explains why their as-of-yet small distillery operation is in Lawrenceburg, KY rather than the Setzel-Weller grounds that Tom Bulleit purchased to help hype his product. With that rant behind me, this is not as bad as I remember. I previously gave it a 1.5 which is just harsh (where a 1-1.75 would be a failed but non-toxic product). This is definitely closer to a 2.75 or even a 3 (not great vs acceptable for drinking neat). Nosing it in a densely packed, dimly lit tasting room I pick up corn heavy, vanilla sweetness with a good amount of rye bread, dash of anise, white pepper and floral notes. It's just a bit watered down. Same for the palate - thin mouthfeel, candy corn sweetness with oak chips up front and light cigar wrapper and sour cherry on the finish. Not bad. Also not nearly as pronounced, albeit at $25, and well balanced as a true 4R OBSV single barrel on the shelf for $35. So there you have it. Not sure if this is a blended 4R recipe but it's just a bit watered down for me. The better comparison might be 4R yellow label but sadly Bulleit wasn't pouring that. For now I'm going with a a 2.75 accounting for a quarter-point deduction for lack of transparency. I'll give it to Tom though, he's a marketing genus. To be continued with Bulleitt 10 year...

Unsure what all the fuss is about I felt compelled to grab this at $77. While higher than the all-time low if $65 it still tips the scales at damn expensive for a 6yo full proof bourbon. The profile has changed, they say. Bookers is the bees knees, they say. I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore. It’s just more expensive - and with stiff competition. Nose starts out with classic Beam aromas - dried oak, brown sugar, cherries, red-hot candies and a nutty note. So far it reminds me of Bakers 13 and a few good Knob Creek store picks. Disclaimer: I like Beam. Initial palate impression - this is Bookers. It’s hot, loaded with flavors in line with the nose and has more white pepper and wood than Knob Creek. There are some nice elements of toasted nuts and black tea in there. If I have any complaint at this point it is a slight black walnut note on the finish. I’m averse to anything bitter and others might not be turned off by this. Warm Kentucky hug - check. More wood than expected for a young bourbon - check. Slightly drying finish… a bit tannic even. Made up of barrels from three production dates, aged in six different rickhouse locations. Nearly 70% comes from the 6th and 7th floor of a 9 story rickhouse. The other 30% comes from the middle of 4 other rickhouses. I wouldn’t be surprised if per of this blend is closer to the 13-14y mark with the tannic wood notes but the younger 6 year barrels likely give the pop of brown sugar and cherry esters. It’s Bookers. Probably worth a premium over Knob Creek 9y given the additional complexity - but you also have to want that pepper, tannic wood and heat. Is it in the realm of JD barrel strength or ECBP at $55-70 when available? No. Is it as approachable and well rounded as 1792 FP, that somehow clocks in around $40-50 when it can be found? No. If you like bold and classic, and (once) widely available then this still has a niche. Not huntable level goodness, just solid. If it keeps turning up under $80 the I will continue to keep one around. Any more of this $95+ business and I will be sticking to OGD 114 and KC 9 store picks Mr. Beam. That said, thank you for what you turn out.

I was eyeing the two bottles of “Japanese whisky” (I’m admittedly not up to speed in the new guidelines) of which this was one. The other was Suntori Toki, which is fine for what it is. The bartender seemed curious at my puzzled expression and poured me a “sample” that was likely around 1oz. I couldn’t finish it ☹️ The nose reminded me of isopropyl alcohol - not ethanol but more rubbing alcohol quality. There was a bit of cereal grain and a flash of fruit toward the finish but this was basically thin, grain alcohol with little wood influence. Avoid at all costs.