Tastes

I've been seeing these around but have hesitated at the $65 price tag. A friend in Florida picked one up in Phoenix and has offered a taste. The nose is exquisite. Hot buttered caramel corn on the forefront and limited alcohol burn for 120+ proof. The palate is lacking and somewhat disjointed as the alcohol is far more prevalent with butterscotch in the background and the finish is fairly short. I like this as I do most MGP products but my recent taste of the 7yo Remus single barrel tells me 7 years is where it's at and its $65.

Just had a quick taste and since I totally agree with what @hansmootho said, I will refer you there.

I am currently visiting my son and family in Florida and we regularly taste and critique whiskeys. He brought out a half full bottle (the best part) and we gave it a go. I have to say I was not expecting much from a rye produced in Florida. Citrus and rye prices happily greet me on the nose, it's delightful. As I sniff a while it holds up well but there's not much else below there and that's ok. Taste is true and my mouth is full of flavor. It's a bit thin and I agree with others that the finish is ultra short.

1st class MGP is getting more and more expensive and hard to find. This is a 12 year old version blended from two different high rye mash bills. That information is right on the front label. The proof is 100. I like the transparency. Rich oak fragrances jump from the glass. I love sniffing this one. The taste is true to the nose but it's not particularly complex. Don't get me wrong this is a really good bourbon but it's basic good as opposed to 80 a bottle good. I have tried three Remus products over the last couple months and liked them all. I think the single barrel at barrel proof is slightly better and 15 bucks less. The base version is 94 proof and gives this one a run for the money. There are a lot of 40-50 bourbons that are readily available and equally good or better. I'm looking at you Rare Breed and Four Roses SiB

After reading numerous reviews about Balcones single malts, I decided to take the plunge. Just so happens that my local Total Wine had recently selected barrel 17280, aged 25 months in American oak put up at barrel proof of 125.8. The color is of coffee. Slow beefy legs. When trying something this new, I like to pour a couple drops in my hands and rub them together, then smell once dry. This gives you a feel as to how much barrel flavors and fragrances have been incorporated and what's in store. It passes the test but the youth is revealed. First sniff from the glass finds a LOT going on and boy is it rich and decadent. Early on, I get chocolate covered raisins, dark fruits and faint baking spice. Someone said fig newtons and that's there too. Try as I may, I find no vanilla/oak/caramel fragrances but after 30-45 minutes of open time, (rye-like) new make comes forward and there is a hot edge. The initial taste is sweet, full of molasses and bunt sugar mingled with Bing cherries. Chocolate comes on at the end. The finish is the best part, it's very long of chocolate covered cherries. It also leaves my lips numb and tingly although that quickly fades. After consuming a half ounce pour my taste buds and olfactory are shot. High proof new make on distillery tours treat me that way too and it takes a while to recover. I am getting nothing but new make so I will attack again tomorrow. Day 2 with a touch of water and some air, new make is most prominent as is the numbing effect. It's bad out of balance. What happened to yesterday's whiskey? A week later and the original experience pretty much returns although that rye like new make is more of a rich malt like I got in a malted milkshake when I was a kid. It's still hot but not like day 2. The lip numbing experience is there but only slightly. Neither ECBP nor Stagg Jr have ever treated me that way. The finish has gone hot, dry and long now of malted chocolate cherries. After 45 minutes the wonderful experience is holding. This stuff has been all over the place. Neck pour was 4-4.25 but evolved to 3 after 30-45 minutes. Day 2 was maybe 2. But today all those rich flavors and fragrances are back and the 4-4.25 seems again appropriate I am utterly amazed at the depth of color, fragrances and flavors in a 2 year old whiskey and how it rolls into new make properties like you flipped a switch.

Single Barrel 5 years old 114 proof, barrel 1 Picked this up at the distillery a couple months ago. Had an enjoyable tour with some tastings at the end. Rye and Bourbon white dog did not suit my fancy. Their 4yo rye showed some promise and their 5yo bourbon needs another year or so to come together. Boone County has a tight relationship with MGP and I have had some of their single barrel selections. Their 1833 12yo was OMG. Based on that and liking previous MGP bottlings, I got a 5yo single barrel rye . So, I wrapped up the bottle and took it to my son's in Florida. We always enjoy tasting and critiquing. WOW! Intense nose of green apple, baking spices and a touch of butterscotch. The 114 is deceiving. It's there but way in the background and sneaks up on you. The favor is a velvety version of the nose, a real easy sipper. A nice dry green apple finish that goes and goes. I left the remainder of the bottle in Florida as my son absolutely loved it. So I bought another in mid December and then he let my wife know how he was nursing the remains of the the bottle along. Since my wife was late in Christmas shopping, she decided the my newly acquired bottle would make a great present for our son. Guess I will have to make another trip to the distillery. Gonna try a 7yo single barrel wheated MGP bourbon next.

I found one of these a couple of months ago, barrel 7927 bottled 1-20-20 for $36. Used to buy it all the time for less than $175 a case and all bottles were from different barrels. Now, it's usually $45-50 and only one or two on the shelf with a single bottle limit. Elmer T Lee used to be my go to bourbon at $25 and the he died. Price went to $75 seemingly overnight. So I had to find a new one. McKenna was where I went again for $25. Then they got the bourbon of the year award so availability went to squat. Both are solid bourbons an offer everything a pure bourbon drinker wanted but $25 was part of the attraction. At current mostly secondary market pricing, there are better offerings. So how is it? Nice sweet corn background with loads of caramel on the nose. It's hotter on the nose than I would expect for 10 year old 100 proof but not off-putting. I like it on ice so it can mellow and evolve. The palate moves to the vanilla and maple with a touch of baking spices in the background. The finish is nicely dry with a touch of caramel. What's not to like?

Barrel 17D07-1, 104 proof Fred Minnick Pick 3 years 7 month in #4 char barrel. Picked this up at the distillery a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed the tour. The primary owners have been players in the bourbon world as trouble shooters for the major players. They have capitalized and now have their own brand boasting beautiful well groomed grounds scattered with black rick houses. They are very transparent in operation and labeling. Their mash bills are pretty straight forward but they fill the barrel at 100 proof and let the Kentucky climate do it's magic. They may be on to something with the 100 proof barrel entry. We tried 5 products ranging from 3.5 to 6 years of age and not one had even a hint of bitter young alcohol on the edge of the tongue. They also use a sweet mash as opposed to sour and claim it allows for a cleaner facility and better control of the juice. The place was pristine. They even have a distillery cat that followed us throughout the tour. So, is all of this window dressing or do the goods measure up? Of the five quick tastes, I selected the Fred pick as it was decidedly better than their other single barrel rye offering. The nose is at a very enjoyable level and quite complex. I get predominantly green apple and lemon pepper but there is some dill in the background. That all works, I like it. The palate is much more difficult to discern. Rye pepper is at the front and it's creamy in texture. Doesn't seem that hot but there is a quick tongue numbness and some flavors fade, was that a flash of burnt marshmallows? As the finish develops that lemon pepper dill re-appears and lasts. Put it on ice and the flavors evolve. This is a classic rye I like this one but it carries a $65 price tag. Would I buy again? Probably but it will be a different experience and likely better as more aged product becomes available. Wilderness Road is another up and coming player in Kentucky that is doing things right, I will follow them closely and look forward to the next couple years as more mature product hits the market and of course I got some of their bourbon for future reviews.

So, I am at a whiskey tasting class at Total Wine and we are to have Irish, rye, Japanese, and two each of Scotch and bourbon. Second up was Kindred rye. As I am sniffing and sipping, I have a look at the label and notice it's distilled and bottled in St. Petersburg, FL. I was to be in St Pete the following week so I looked them up. The Kozuba family is quite interesting with a distilling heritage from Poland. They brought their still with them, it's a work of art. This is a young rye but flavors have developed well. The nose is peppery marshmallow and a touch of green apple which is true to the taste and a soft short finish. It's unidimensionnel but enjoyable. Now this is young stuff that drinks much older and I like it. Maybe it's their unconventional aging process? They age in climate controlled warehouses. They produce a bourbon aged this way and I found it undrinkable but it seems to work for the rye

The old Colonel Taylor distillery lay abandoned for many years before the new owners purchased it in 2014 and started breathing new life into it and renamed it Castle and Key. The distillery is adjacent to Glenn's Creek with three active spring springs that are used as a water source. Less than a mile to the west is Old Crow distillery and about 2 miles to the south is Woodford Reserve. All are on Glenn's Creek. About five miles to the north is Buffalo Trace Distillery. This is serious bourbon country. CK first started distilling about three years ago with Restoration Rye being their first whiskey release. They have released vodka and Restoration Gin and those have been marketed for a while. I don't consume vodka but friends who do have given it good reviews. I have tried their gin and prefer other brands. Their bourbon is to be a bib product so we have at least another year to wait. So how is the rye? Label says three years and the shy nose backs that up. It's thin in the glass but oddly the alcohol is muted. I love ryes for their nose but this one is disappointing. A drop of water opens it a bit but there still is only muted barrel and rye fragrances that are not well developed. The palate is of young rye, spicy and grassy. I went to run an errand and the glass set for an hour. The nose is much improved of custard, nutmeg and apple. The palate has evolved as well the grass is gone and the texture has moved toward oily. The custard is there with faint baking spices. Grassiness remains faint on the finish but it's nicely dry Not much on the finish but I have yet to be overwhelmed by a rye under 4-5 years. Future releases will likely be better with more age.