Tastes

Impulse buy! This has been gathering dust on the bottom shelf at a local store. Non-chill filtered, $50, I’m sold. Granted, I could have a RR single barrel for this price so expectations are high. The proof of 124.2 is the result of a 4-grain, sweet mash process followed by distillation using a copper pot still. The mash bill isn’t advertised but appears to be at the minimum for corn (51%) with equal parts rye and malted barley (20% each) and 9% wheat. The age listed is 4 years. Barrels are air dried between 2-4 years, however, toasting and char level seem to be a mystery. On paper this sounds like a serious bourbon, albeit a young one. The color is a nice amber. With a pop of the cork I expect a wave of grain and ethanol - instead I get gobs of young oak and caramel. Cherry cola evolves from the Glencarin within a minute or two. I also start picking up red-hot cinnamon candy, grahm cracker and maybe even a bit of spearmint. There’s a definite singe to remind me of its age and proof. That said, the ethanol is felt but not smelled per se. So far this is going very well, reminiscent of an EHT Barrel Strength. Moment of truth (10 minutes later because I could nose this all day). Hot and man is this viscous. It coats my mouth with warming cinnamon and melts down the throat with caramel. There’s some bubblegum funk In there and a hint of malt (lucky charms?) from the high barley. I don’t get much oak, leather or any nuttiness but for its age I’m nit surprised. Is this able to topple a Camp Nelson A RR bottle? No way - the complexity just isn’t there. The malt, cinnamon, sweetness and viscosity are a treat. The finish is enjoyable, not big or complex but long. Toasted marshmallow and cinnamon for the most part. With a few more years in the barrel this might yield dark fruit and oak but that, of course, is my BS speculation. At $50 I really want more but understand there are start up costs, etc. It’s definitely got more going on than a 2-4y Peerless bourbon for $20-30 less. Needs to go head to head with New Riff. Give this 4 more years and it could be a monster of a single barrel. These guys deserve some attention for what they’re doing up in southern Hoosier-vile. ————— Update, some editing has been done above and when tasted in a lineup this doesn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped. Could have been the lineup and will go again but score is falling as the honeymoon is over. Still no regrets, just not as starstruck. ————— Now chasing a pour of New Riff single barrel bourbon. The wheat is immediately more apparent on the nose (soft cereal aroma). Cola and dusty cherries are there as well. The palate hits and then fades with cinnamon, anise and light caramel flavors. Certainly am contender for my favorite craft distiller along the KY-IN border!

Captains log, September 4th. Day 4 of this 30 day mission. Thus far I’ve canvased some of the first bourbons that brought me to know and love this spirit. Tonight the crew has been restless and I’m content to grab the 1.75 liter bottle kept away from most of my collection. The mixer. I’m a big fan of what OF us done with the whiskey row series. Unlike that series’ BiB expression this 100 proof bottling is something over 4 years of age (likely 5-6 due to the sheer volume produced). The nose hits first with sour green apples and caramel. This fall festival in a bottle elutes ethanol, rye spice, pepper and has maybe a bit of popcorn but no nuts or oak to speak of - very grain forward. More grain and some bite on entry. The finish is short and caramel forward while warming the chest. There’s a fairly flat rye bread from start to finish without much fruit, although cherry syrup shows up on the finish by the second or third sip. Wait, end of the dram - back if the mouth - that ripe banana funk that screams Brown Forman. The notes are there but just young and muted, but not tame. This is really in no way bad, and neither is $20 for nearly a half gallon. I’ll have to try it against the 86 proof version one day but this is likely the one to grab. For now this goes back under the sink until the masses are allowed to gather again for warm bourbon Apple cider.

This is the only thing on earth that might be worse than souther comfort. A friend who knows nothing about whiskey bought it and left it at my house. One whiff of antiseptic, one acrid singe of the tongue and down the drain. This deserves an non-positive integer.

Captains log, Whiskeydate Sept 3, 2020. Having docked at a friends house I get to enjoy a time honored whiskey tradition - drinking someone else’s bourbon. This bottle was a store pick purchased by my friends wife alongside a bathtub’s worth of Flatboat (distilled, aged somewhere... bottled in Louisville, KY). The Flatboat, despite its abundance, was a pass. This bottle we drank from was filled with the goodness of OBSV - OS signifying the Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY, B signifying the high (35%) rye mash bill and V signifying the yeast strain. The yeast used for the initial beer is said to impart a “delicate fruit” aroma and taste to the final product. It was distilled circa 2012 and was bottled June 2020. Light golden color and oh so sweet. On the nose I get vanilla, butterscotch, cherries, Milky Way bar and rye bread (not toasted but just warm enough to be aromatic). It’s surprisingly soft and “woody” on the palate - something the nose didn’t elude to but a welcome surprise. Again, soft with no bite and only a very mild warmth there unfolds more rich vanilla brown sugar and floral notes. The latter I suspect is due to the V strain of yeast used for fermentation. The finish is short with sweet caramel, a puff of smoke, caraway and spearmint. A distant single-barrel cousin of this bottle was yet another reason I came to love bourbon. That I didn’t pay for this bottle makes tonight maybe just a bit better. Widely available, downright delicious and affordable - let this calm your soul when you can’t find [that par bottle of Buffalo Trace allocated product]. ———— Subnote: I hate on Flatboat without ever having tried it. Keep in mind that non-distilled producers bring some fantastic stuff to market. For example, just across the river from Four Roses in Lawrenceburg, IN is a Willy-Wonka like entity known currently as MGP (Midwestern Grain Products). The two distilleries were essentially once one. They still share the same coveted yeast strains and several of the same mash bills. If you like Barrell Craft, Joseph Magnus, Smooth Ambler or Whistlepig’s Boss Hog series them you like MGPI (aka the Four Roses on the other side of the river?).

Captains log, September 2nd 2020. Day two of our voyage through Bourbon Heritage Month. Today's pour comes from Louisville, KY and Brown-Forman. Fun fact, Old Forester was the first bourbon to be sold exclusively by the bottle. With a mash bill of 72C/18R/10B it goes into the barrel at the max 125 proof. Barrels are allegedly a #4 char for at least 4 years (likely 6-7) for the initial maturation and then a secondary barrel that is heavily charred finishes the bourbon off. The effect of the secondary maturation is immediately noticeable. The color is a rich, dark amber - like a blaze at sunset. The aromas are warming. Theres a slug of sweet brown sugar, baked cinnamon rolls, roasted macadamia nuts, a puff of campfire and some of the ripe-banana funk that is characteristic of Brown-Forman. Holy campfire, cola, black walnuts, anise, brown sugar and, yes, ripe banana funk. Sweetness prevails on the tip of the tongue with smoke and spice in the back. The body is thin and the palate fades quickly into a sweet, smokey finish. I miss the earthy/tobacco notes I got last night with Eagle Rare, but the body and predominant sweetness and wood notes aren't totally dissimilar. Compared to WR Double naked, this is fuller, smokier, and slightly sweeter on the palate but shares the Brown Forman funk. I would say this is the equivalent of port-wine next to a wood burning fireplace. If Ron Swanson had a Kentucky cousin, this might be his dram.

Captains log, September 1st 2020. Happy Bourbon Heritage Month everyone. I just keep going back to this. My first experience with Eagle Rare was a graduation ceremony. This bottle was on the bar and I must have gone back 2 or 3 times for another pour. I had no idea that within another year or so this bottle would disappear. It was the beginning of a love/hate relationship with Buffalo Trace products. This largely empty bottle has been neglected but still smells and tastes great 2-3 years later and 4/5ths gone. The aroma is that of oak and tobacco leaf. It's mellow. The aroma is accentuated with cherry cola and prominent caramel sweetness as well. The palate is just so soft. It can rest on the tongue with near zero burn. It's not oily or viscous, not velvety, just soft. The oak and tobacco still predominate from entry to mid palate with some caramel apples and cola spice on the end. The finish is fairly short and sweet with a slight acidity but without any drying tannins. This remains a solid sipper and a great value. That said, maybe it's time to stack it up against Evan Williams BiB, Early Times BiB and others that don't fly off the shelf in the same irritating way this does. I'll always be a fan, if for nothing other than the mellow caramel and tobacco with just the right balance of oak and cola spice. Game on Buffalo Trace, game on Bourbon Heritage Month.

New bottle with the 9y age statement. This particular was a barrel select that went in 2011 and came out 2020. Nice auburn color with a nose of dusty oak, cherries, slight banana and tobacco leaf. A tingle of pepper that fades to a slight burned butter, allspice and peanut brittle finish. Body is thin-medium. Subsequent passes reveal some dried dark fruits and more oak, ripe bananas and a bit of sea spray. The nose and palate just don't quite line up. The finish is medium to long and overall it drinks below it's proof. Walking away I feel like this bottle branded itself a pepper and oak bomb without as much sweetness as I'd like. It almost drinks more like a higher malt dram with a decent rye bite and what almost comes together like a bit of smoke and salty peanuts. The palate numbing 120 proof makes me feel like this could almost be medicinal.

This bottle is around 4-5 years old now and in my bourbon infancy got me around to drinking my whiskey neat - and enjoying it! Now it’s 4/5ths empty and largely neglected. I compare quite a lot to it so I figured it was time to open it back up and make sure my memory isn’t totally off the rails. The color is a nice red amber. The nose hits more than a foot away from the glass. Toasted marshmallow, slight furniture polish, lots of buttery caramel. As I walk outside with it there’s a swift change to ripe red raspberries, dry oats and earthy notes. The plate... smooth and fades quickly. If only the flavors could be as robust as the nose. Earthy Lipton tea, burned marshmallow, some vanilla, butterscotch and a tiny bit of anise. I could nose this all night. A cask strength expression could be absurd. As is this was a great entry bottle. ——— Bottle kill update - much if the above holds true but the palate seemed to come up several notches in feel and in finish. Maybe there was separation of unappreciated sediment? Still a mahogany color and Wurthers butterscotch bomb in the nose but heavier mouthfeel, a hearty dash of cinnamon and still plenty of toasted marshmallow, Lipton tea or tobacco and just a pinch of anise and slight rasin. By the end this bottle reminded me of my favorite bottle of Noah’s Mill (and better than my second bottle of the same) but with more spice and less leather. Score goes back up to at least a 3.5-3.75 and I’m left wondering about a single barrel selection when I have space in my cabinet to replace this one - something I’m looking forward to for those nights when sweet and mellow is in order.

Golden color, surprising for the proof (127.2). This particular bottle belongs to a friend and is about 1/3 the way down after 4-5 years. Nose is Cola, cola, cola... dried apricot? Slight barrel char. A bit of sharp ethanol. I’m looking for nuts or earthy notes but not getting much. Palate is Dexter Poindexter Hot hot, red hot candy, mint? But only for a second. Then vanilla and peach syrup.... some char/smoke. It finishes with a green apple vinaigrette sweetness. Second sip, third sip I get more of the forest floor stank (mushroom and creek cigar?) that I get from other BT mash bulls. I suspect the latter is some ester or aldehyde from their yeast strain(s). It’s delicious and certainly turned up a bit. It differs from the BiB in ways I would not have expected and makes me wonder what in the whiskey is chemically changing through hydrolysis, maybe subtle pH change... I have no idea. I really don’t know that I would tie the two together but, to be fair, should have tried them side by side. It lacked some of the buttery, tannic notes that I’ve grown to love. Might not be a desert island bourbon and if found in the wild would come home with me without blinking an eye.

Following Cream of KY 13 year. In a sort of “night of the 13 year-olds” this game second. Barrel 1412, #82 of 123 and 126.6 proof. Very nice caramel color, slow tear drop legs. At first oak and leather hit the nose then it evolves - rock candy, floral notes, slight dusty funk, caramel, bubblegum. Very slight ethanol, especially for the proof. Spice and vanilla, a tingle and flavor slowly fades into heat in the chest. Lingering sweetness. Second approach I get more oak and leather back again. I would say this drinks well below its proof. Later on more earthy notes, spearmint and fennel and something like wet, brown pipe tobacco. This is a relic, and if I had to guess something that is largely Heaven Hill. The dusty oak funk, bubblegum and tad of spearmint remind me of Elijah Craig. To prove a point I brought out an EC 13y store pick at 90 proof that’s been open ~2y and half way down. It has a distinct dust floor and leather cowboy boot flavor but with the same dusty bubblegum and spearmint notes. Hail to what this bottle is, whatever it may be. It is truly fantastic and is among the best I’ve had. May there be others like it one day.