Tastes

My first taste of the new year. I have been anticipating this one and reading about it. Bourbon Obsessed Lexington has the history spot on. As a bourbon guy that likes some ryes, I am most intrigued as it is blended from both with the largest component (90)% being rye. The distillery (if you can call it that) says all whiskey is sourced in Kentucky but won't say any more. The age of the juice and stated mash bill components on the label make the rye Wild Turkey juice. Hard to say on the Bourbon part but I'm gonna guess Heaven Hill as it was bottled in Bardstown. So I sipped and sniffed it neat through the early afternoon. Hard to believe it's 114 proof as there is only a faint whiff of ethanol. The nose is very shy, the color light and the body thin. The nose builds slightly with typical rye spiciness and a touch of caramel coming in. Butterscotch is more prominent on the palate with some green apple and rye spice coming in. I find this one better on ice as the nose is much more alive. It's a nice easy enjoyable sipper. But at 80 it should be. I like it but it will be my only bottle. A friend said he enjoyed but was glad to try mine and will not seek it out

I have been wanting to try New Riff for a while and when I read about Winter Whiskey, I loved the name and thought about enjoying a dram by the fire and Christmas tree. This is anything but a traditional bourbon. The corn component is 65% which is a tad on the low side but allows for an oat component of 5% steel cut and 20% malted. Then there's the 7% pale ale malt and 3% chocolate malt. Pretty wild. It's dark in the glass and really chewy. Chocolate jumped from the bottle upon open but went to the background as more of a mocha and other aromas developed. There's a lot going on and hard to nail down but it's a glorious, rich, complex nose. More pronounced when neat and muted on ice but in both cases it varies in intensity with caramel corn, nutmeg and mocha bouncing around. Each sniff a tad different than the last. The palate is a blend of bourbon and well aged Irish Whisky. I get caramel, bitter chocolate, nutmeg, old oak and a touch of vanilla. The old oak lingers briefly. I like this as a change of pace and a bottle to share and critique but it leaves me wanting a more traditional bourbon after. It excels on the aroma which I love. I prefer it neat more as a desert bourbon even though it's not particularly sweet.

A friend had this for us to taste tonight as an opportunity to venture into something different. The label offers little information beyond rye whiskey produced and bottled in Dallas, Texas. The nose gave me little more than damp grass or a bale of hay which I consider undeveloped rye flavors. Palate was about the same. I can drink it but won't go back for more

Barrel S145, 107 proof Oh My!! One of my favorite activities is to visit local distilleries. There's at least 50 within an hours drive so if I visit one monthly, It's years until there is a next visit and the experience is renewed. The best part is the rick house and to take in the angels share. Many tours no longer include a rick house visit and most of the upstarts have limited angel share for you to experience. At Buffalo Trace, you catch the aroma as you walk onto the grounds. So the Barrell guys have put angels share in a bottle. With the glass sitting two feet away the aroma wafts over and I am transported to the rick house. (and this is a 1/2 oz neck pour sample). We will be sharing this at our Christmas get together so I wanted it to get some air It's 14 years old and the ethanol is way in the background. Well integrated oak greets you on the nose along with caramel corn and toffee. After half an hour I get some peach cobbler. At an hour there is burnt marshmallow. Time to taste this baby. Caramel corn greets you first and it takes but two drops to fill your mouth with flavor that goes and goes like the Energizer Bunny. Amazingly, there is very little heat. Alternating between sniffing and tasting now and I like the sniffing best, love that angels share. I smoke my brisket with white oak and that oaky smoke is in there too and lays on the palate after a sip. After an hour of open time that burnt marshmallow is on the finish. This stuff is pricey but a half oz gives you a two hour experience. Ice ruins it. Nicely done, I dub it perfection in a bottle

Got this a month ago at Total Wine. No age statement but guessing 7 years and it clocks in at 122 proof and been open a few days as the neck pour was too hot to handle. Still prefer it with a couple drops of water over ice. MGP high rye is becoming one of my favorites and they are now getting it right under their own label. I assign highest points to the nose with this being one of the best I have experienced. Surprisingly, you don't have to get past the alcohol as it is fairly tame and a couple drops of water hits the sweet spot. First, you are greeted by rich butterscotch at just the right amount. There are layers and layers of spice and fruit below that and they evolve with each sniff. The taste is true and it evolves as well but I keep going back to the sniffing part. It approaches perfection. Boone County 1833 barrel proof has the same heritage with a slightly lower proof and more age but they are really close. Love 'em both. Other bourbons have a longer finish but even my empty glass still has that wonderful nose. Can't wait to try the Repeal Reserve IV

This was very popular in our part of the world 50 years ago and it was considered premium stock. Other favorite brands of the times have disappeared, been re-invented and new marketing dollars behind them. Hard to say how similar those re-invented brands are to their heritage but Wild Turkey 101 has stayed the course albeit now on the bottom shelf. Recently, I tried Rare Breed 116.8 and liked it but couldn't help thinking that it wasn't all that much better than 101, so I am revisiting 101. I like 101 but Rare Breed does showcase where the bourbon industry has advanced. 101 has a rich high rye nose featuring caramel and vanilla with the rye spiciness in the background. I like that. The palate is true but none of the bitter edges that I complain about with the RB. Finish is fairly short and clean with no significant lasting flavors. This is a great daily drinker. It gives you all of what you are looking for in a bourbon at a reasonable price.

Probably a high rye bourbon aged for six months or less. Immature rye is very evident but more akin to paint thinner. Tasted a bottle that a friend pick up while in Texas.

There is always a bottle open here during the Christmas season along with a few other premium choices. Blanton's is always the first bottle empty. While it is one of my favorites, I find it more variable from bottle to bottle than I think it should be. Several years ago the taste at a local restaurant was incredible and would have rated a 5, or maybe it was the company? At a Christmas gathering in Florida a few years ago, we did the BT#2 blind with Rock Hill, Blanton's, Hancocks, Elmer T Lee, Bowman Brothers and Ancient Age. Blanton's was number three in the rankings. Guess which was the first bottle to be emptied after the tastings were done? For me, the Blanton's nose is beyond compare. The rich butter toffee is my favorite but I could not pick that out from the other entries where the same fragrance was exhibited by most entries. Most also had a little citrusy apple in the background. Blind tasting is humbling and especially so when the heritage of the products is identical. We have tried it with similar HH products and getting ready to do an MGP. Back to the current Blanton's. That classic nose is there like an old friend. The 93 proof keeps all the fragrances in the foreground and the alcohol in the background. I like to nose my first glass for a good half hour before I sip it. On the sip, alcohol is more obvious but not overpowering. Vanilla, butterscotch explode in my mouth. As they fade a bit, there's oak and a touch of citrus. Long finish of dry oak. So next year there will be another Blanton's opened and a slightly different incredible experience. That's what Elmer was shooting for.

This is an old friend and I enjoy sharing it with old friends such as now. I don't partake of it as often as the product gets continually younger and less complex. It's classic Heaven Hill on the nose lead by vanilla and maple with a touch of cinnamon apple in the background. Flavor is true and it satisfies. Time to enjoy conversation with friends. After a second glass and further discussion, we all still like it but believe the old 10 year stuff as better. Still have a bottle of it and will have another visit with old friends.

We made the trip to Indiana for an early Thanksgiving. They provide the food and I am known to bring some fine bourbon. A few years ago. I introduced them to Elmer T Lee so the bar was very high. I am not willing to pay the current price for ETL especially since the 5 year ago bottle was $31 and they know how difficult it has become to find. Hancocks is quite good and that BT#2 is evident but ETL it's not. Still got incensed with my nephew that mixed it with Mountain Dew. It has become fairly hard to find and seemingly has only a fall release. It is the lowest proof of the mid to upper shelf BT#2 and list price is in the middle. Based on the bottles I've had, it is highly variable from barrel to barrel. Five years ago, we had a (blind) Christmas tasting of 5 BT#2s. This finished next to the bottom. Time to try again. Everything you expect from BT#2 is there and this bottle is a good one. Rich caramel on the nose followed by rye spices some cherry and honey (or is that from the sweet potatoes across the room? I digress) Taste is true with more flavor than you would expect from 89 proof although the alcohol was very subdued. Nice balance and finish too. It was a hit although everyone thought ETL was superior. I wish it was more consistent because when it's good, it's really good.