Tastes

Visited the distillery today. Fairly typical of the very small craft distilleries. They produce about 60,000 gallons a year and have been sourcing their product for the last five years but are now packaging their own distillate. The young lady that was our tour guide even doubles in the labeling operation as one of the "ghosts" of productions. Nice touch!! About three years ago, I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of their 1833 single barrel, 12 year old barrel proof. It was fabulous, one of the best bourbons I've tasted. It was sourced from MGP and the label showed the mashbill and Indiana heritage. There is still a relationship between Boone County Distillery and MGP and some product on their shelf from MGP. The current small batch is very small batch as only 8-10 barrels are used. I suspect there will be fairly significant variation between batches more like single barrel. The nose was strong on oak mostly covering the sweet caramel in the background. Ice might change that a lot. On the palate it is sweet corn forward with limited burn. There is no balance. The nose says over oaked, the palate says more barrel time is needed but the lack of burn says it might settle down in a year. We were told that a six year old release will be available next year. They also have a 95% rye that was quite good, so I bought a single barrel (Number one labeled by our tour guide) release but will wait a year on the small batch.

Let me start by saying that I am a bourbon guy that selectively enjoys other whiskeys. I love Knob Creek bourbon, most especially the barrel select 120s. So I decided to try the KC rye. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was tasting a high rye bourbon. Seems the corn backbone is there with rich citrus notes and rye spices on the nose and taste. Rumor has it, this is barely legal rye at 51% in the mashbill and a lot of corn. The 100 proof gives it a gentle kick but also adds to the aroma and flavor. I like to study my whiskey and as I study this one, the higher rye content comes through as the citrus flavor intensifies and satisfies on the finish. It make a great manhattan. Think of it as a gateway between bourbon and rye. It will be in my bar on a regular basis. The price make it a very easy decision

Early Times has been around a long time. In my younger years, we referred to it as rot gut. After being reintroduced and getting some good reviews, I decided to revisit. It is greatly improved. The initial fragrance is of rich butterscotch, which quickly mutes to light orange peel and barrel char. The early flavor is of light caramel and rye spice. This quickly diminishes to more of a cotton candy flavor. The finish is nice and dry with a touch of orange and lingers more than expected. Price is reasonable but it does not stand out at it's price point

A few weeks ago, four of us drove up to Maysville for dinner. The restaurant was next door to the Amtrak station on Rosemary Clooney Drive. It was a great venue under a tent with views of the river. As we approached town I noticed signs pointing to the Pogue distillery, Kentucky's third registered distillery. Trying to be clever at the bistro, I asked the waitress to try the local bourbon. She asked if I wanted the big name stuff or the local swamp water named after the town made by the the big name. I'm all in for the local stuff. I was quite impressed and knew that further tasting was required. Let's not let the local atmosphere and great dinner influence the whiskey memory. Finding a bottle of Old Maysville Club was not easy but it is as remembered. The citrus and barrel fragrances jump out of the glass. Flavors are more nuanced with spicy citrus and oak but there is a little mint and vanilla lurking in there. Do I detect a bit of green apple on that dry finish? The 100 proof is not evident as there is little heat. It's slightly oily and well balanced. I really like this rye. Don't know that I have ever had a 100% rye mashbill before As a bourbon guy, I really like this. It's refreshingly different and maybe the best rye I have tasted but I'm still a bourbon guy

When you've lived in Kentucky all your life, it's hard to not know someone connected with the bourbon trade. Such is the case here as I was with a very good friend at the liquor store one day and he stated that he had gone to school with the Wathen family. On that alone I bought a bottle. The family and I tasted and critiqued it over the Thanksgiving holiday. We were also tasting Willet Family Reserve Rye (know those folks too), Bell Meade straight bourbon and Evan Williams 1783. Wathens wasn't the favorite but not at the bottom either. It's very good bourbon but compared very closely to the 1783 ($14). Pretty standard Heaven Hill stuff. A fairly significant difference in proof although not evident

Used to be, you could just go get a bottle and enjoy. Alas, no longer, so this review is based on an old bottle an an occasional taste at a tavern. This is my all time favorite whiskey. Complex, rich and balanced; incredibly flavorful with just the right amount of heat; l-o-n-g finish. An interesting combination of mint and citrus evolving to butterscotch. I am a bourbon guy but I love this whiskey. No longer can find it for less than $100, so I am mostly out.

I Live in KY and am fortunate to be able to get Heaven Hill's bottom shelf bottled in bond products. A few years ago white label HH 6 year was readily available and superior to many mid shelf 30-40 bottles. But the secret got out. A brand ambassador once told me that it was HH's gift to KY. Samuels is still available but only in 1.75 handles at big volume stores. It's not HH white 100 but it's really good. There's good oak on the nose with lots of sweet popcorn and vanilla in the initial taste. It evolves in the glass but only slightly toward a touch of caramel. It's got all you want from a mid priced bourbon except for the price. It makes a killer Manhattan or old fashioned. I'm not going to rave as I don't want the secret out.

I remember this brand being bandied around for years and not a particularly revered name. In the last few years, it became associated with Luxco and I am a fan of many of their products and many memories of their currently held brands. Never tried Yellowstone before today but I love the series and their adds. Nice nose of oak and lots of rye spice. Can't find the mash bill but I suspect the rye is over 20%. It's a nice easy sipper but nothing really stands out and the finish is very short. I popped and poured so I will revisit as the bottle airs a couple days. (3.5) The bottle was corked overnight but this bourbon really evolved. The nose is more intense and with a nutty overlay to the oak. Flavors are nuanced but the rye spice is still there. This bourbon is excellent over ice as it continues to open and evolve over the hour. (3.75) While I like it, there are too many other bourbons at 38 (or less) that offer me more.

This one is nostalgic for me. It's no longer from Stitzel Weller but tastes pretty much as I remember it 40-50 years ago if that's possible. It was the bourbon of choice for barely legal (maybe) drinkers. I was reintroduced to it a few years ago as I was excited to see it on the shelf. Put the bottle in my suitcase for a trip to France as it had very thick glass and should make the trip. The first night , I was disappointed. It was hot and disjointed. Two nights later, it had mellowed. There was warm maple on the nose and buttered honey on the palate. Almost no finish but I was looking forward to future tastings. Three nights later we were in Conques and there was a delightful Irish couple at breakfast. He was an Irish whisky fan that had never tasted bourbon so I offered a sample that evening. Decided to seek out bourbon when he got home and told me to look for Bushmills Black Bush. The bourbon was better that night but maybe because of the company. Alas, no more bourbon for the rest of the trip. I have become a fan of Luxco since then and have visited the distillery. Can't wait for their own distillate to make it to the bottle.