Tastes

"Tain't bourbon and 'tain't rye but it's whiskey at 86 proof. Bourbon is my primary drink but I usually shy away from those under 90 proof for their lack of flavor and thin mouth feel. Not this one. Selectively, I like rye but not those that get into the weeds. Nice burnt maple sugar on the nose leading into toffee. Texture is good too. There's a lot of rye in this one but I barely detect the rye spiciness on the nose and almost no alcohol. No weeds in this one. Lots of flavor most especially for the proof, caramel, vanilla, maple brown sugar and here comes the nutmeg. Flavors build in your mouth and leave a very satisfying maple-nutmeg finish as you wait for the next sip. It holds up well to ice especially for 86 proof and I prefer it that way. I like this one and it's priced fairly.

See my detailed review under the Master Blend version About 85% corn with the balance evenly divided between rye and barley, about six years old. It was very sweet and thin textured. Little fragrance and depth with no finish.

As a bourbon geek, last night was a thrill. Through a friend of my wife I was able to acquire a bottle of the recent limited release of W B McBrayer bourbon. As it turns out, it came from the great-great grandson of T B Ripy. Based on that he was gracious enough to invite me to the T B Ripy House in Lawrenceburg for one of their continuing bourbon session series. It featured Sherrie Moore, Director of Whiskey Operations at the newly formed Uncle Nearest. The locals refer to South Main Street as “Bourbon Built It”. Seven mansions contained in about three blocks were built by the local whiskey barons in the late 19th century. They are in various state of (dis)repair and Tom Ripy is rich in his knowledge of local history (tbripyhome.com) Tom was able to entice Sherrie to come for an evening of sharing Uncle Nearest and tell his story as the black man that taught Jack Daaniels how to distill. She brought a bottle 1856, 1884 and Master Blend Edition which is only available at the distillery for 129. The bourbon is currently sourced and she confirmed my thoughts as to sourcing but asked me not to share. Sherrie has been in the industry for 35 years, mostly with Jack Daniels where she was involved with the operations. She lamented that the industry today is more focussed on the marketing side and works hard to make sure that the product is ready. It was most interesting to hear her discuss the long term effects of this year's cool damp spring in KY and TN. She has significant concern that the bourbon is not aging as barrel migration and evaporation have been hampered. I loved picking her brain All three samples are about 85% corn with the balance evenly divided between rye and barley. First up was her 1884 product, about six years old. It was very sweet and thin textured. Little fragrance and depth with no finish. Nearest 1856 came through similar to my previous tasting, sweet again and a little more depth (I gave it 2.75) Master Blend was a whole other animal. The three were set up in medicine cups which I hate but the aroma of this one overcame that handicap. It was rich and eticing. Heavy on caramel and molasses with maple in the background. Get your nose real close and smell the rick house. It has a clingy mouth feel, real chewy. Vanilla leads the way evolving to creme custard on the palate with a burnt brown sugar finish that could have been a little longer. The bourbon was good but the event was outstanding.

My nephew left this here a couple weeks ago. Full litre package. I don't care for Brown Foreman products as a rule because of the banana nose. This is a Barton product and the banana slaps you in the face overwhelming all other fragrances. As it opens, there is a touch of vanilla It drinks hotter than its 92 proof and leads with bitter-sweet banana. Don't much like this one and that banana ruins it in a Manhattan.

A friend of mine buys and resells estates. A few of them still have alcohol at the bar and fewer still have some old dusty pearls. This was a quart bottle put up in 1979. The bottle was about one third full. As a bottle in bond product with no age statement, it has to be at least 4 years old. The liquid was quite dark. Much darker than the 6yo juice of a few years ago and the current 7yo stuff. As my son opened the bottle for us to have a taste, I could smell it across the room before I knew he had opened it. They say that bourbon does not age in the bottle but I am certain it changes. Glad this has a plastic screw cap. So what's really in the bottle. Intense rick house on the nose, oak, caramel, vanilla and lingering spiciness. The legs were thick giving it a significant chewiness. Surprisingly, it was quite hot on first taste. While true to the nose the heat was more like a 120-130 proofer. Finish was fleeting. If you can still find a dusty 6yo bib, it is a superior product. The current 6yo 90 proof a notch better still. I am adding a half a point to this review for nostalgia. The $7 price tag was still on the quart bottle and it took me back to when you could just go to your local liquor store and have your pick from about twenty that were always on the shelf and then go home and enjoy. It wasn't my brand back then but there was more similarity across brands and at a bar you typically would just ask for a bourbon. For the record, Ezra Brooks was my brand.

There is a stretch of country road along side Glenns Creek in central KY that has three distilleries within about five miles. Near the midpoint of the stretch is a tavern/cafe named The Stave. Foods good but for purposes of this review. the bourbon list is incredible, maybe 200 selections. 1oz pours are mostly reasonable in price. King of KY was 22 for an oz. Jim Rutledge is know to have said that he enjoys a nominal pour and then just sniff it for the evening. This is right up his alley! The pour came in a 2oz shot glass and was a dark tobacco color. The legs were thick and beefy hanging on the glass. The aroma was incredible led by brown sugar and morphing to citrus one time, maple the next, then cinnamon. Always a little leather and oak in the background. Each whiff a tad different. I have never enjoyed sniffing a bourbon so much. The palate is heavy on the brown sugar in a creme brulee sort of way. It's chewy and the flavors linger. Incredibly complex, perfectly aged. For me, it's the perfect bourbon and lives up to the hype.

Since I am always taking different bourbons to visit my family in Florida, today, they returned the favor. In the little town of Cumming, Ga is a small storefront offering bourbon tastings. Tiny operation with no apparent distillery. This juice is purported to be 3 year MGP wheated mashbill. They say it's all about their proprietary filtration process, so how does it measure up? Opens quickly with a rich caramel nose. Almost no ethanol and a faint grassyness. I would have guessed a mid rye bourbon of 85-90 proof at this point. It starts open and a couple drops of water make it really pop. I love the nose of this bourbon. The bottle says 115 proof wheated bourbon, straight bourbon whisky. No age statement. But, there are no rim or legs on the glass, zero! Mouth feel is quite thin but flavor intense. The flavor is of caramel apples at the county fair. Not much else but I like it. Falls down on the finish, just a flash. I like this bourbon, it has a great nose and I really like that. I prefer it on ice which is not the way I usually have a high proofer. The finish is sadly lacking and I expect way more from a bourbon at this price point.

Where to start? Neck pour but every sip and sniff evolves. Like others, I find this is more true to Balcones than to rye whiskey and that's not bad. The youth is evident on the nose as rye new make leads the way. Interestingly it's not a burn your nose kind of fragrance and I find this on all Balcones I try. In the background is burnt sugar and bitter chocolate with a touch of green apple. The chocolate comes forward on the tongue but more like cocoa powder and a touch of ground coffee and burnt sugar. I fail to pick out any typical rye flavors here. It excels on the finish and I find that chocolate covered espresso bean that many others have noted. It lasts until I am ready for my next sip. This is my third Balcones tasting and I find more similarities with the Texas single malt than to a rye whiskey. My theory is that the aging process in the Texas heat causes the chocolate/coffee/burnt sugar notes. The heat accelerates the aging which gives those flavors as opposed to the more conventional ones. The youth comes through a bit too much for me but this is a very different whiskey and a nice change of pace.

This is one of those bourbons that has been getting a lot of positive press but I have avoided purchasing. Last night, I spotted the bottom half in a friends stash so had a shot. Takes a while to open and then heavy on maple and molasses. The palate is of corn sweetener, maple syrup and molasses. Did I mention it's sweet. Now I like bourbons that are on the sweet side but ya gotta give me something else. It's not there and the finish is unremarkable. This is not a bad bourbon but only just above average. At the price, I will continue to avoid.

As I was writing another review, I realized that I had not reviewed EW 1783. Being picky I must note it's 90 proof. Three of us get together every Wednesday evening and have a bourbon rotating houses. Some times there is something new but at one house there is always EW 1783. This stuff is available everywhere, is inexpensive and beats the pants off lots of the boutique stuff hitting the market at three times the price. Yeah it's Heaven Hill basic but that's not a bad thing. I liken it to baby Elijah Craig. There's a big dollop of butterscotch in the lead sweet with candy corn a layer down. Not much further down as this is not terribly complex. 90 proof is perfect to give nose and flavor but keep the alcohol in the background. I absolutely love the palate, it's got all the flavors of cracker jacks. Candied caramel corn with peanuts that keeps you coming back. The finish is a bit abrupt but you can't have everything. I admit to being biased toward Heaven Hill and you should temper the review accordingly. This is rarely in my liquor cabinet but two or three or its cousins are.