Tastes

Another small (micro) batch bourbon distilled in Lexington on the site of a major player during prohibition (James Pepper). I have yet to take the tour so shame on me especially since one of the owners lives in my neighborhood. Ultra small batch operators usually have an interesting story to tell but there's nothing on their web site. They have a beautiful copper pot still and talk about their water. Seems odd they haul water from 70 miles away when they sit on a spring fed stream that Pepper used to use. Guess that is something of a story. So what about the bourbon. Label says "Kentucky bourbon whiskey" the rich color would lead you to believe that it's four years old and the faint ethanol on the nose says the same thing. Only three barrels are used in a batch so this will be widely variable. The nose is faint in all respects even after ten minutes to air. You can coax out the standard array of high rye aromas but it's work. Nutmeg, caramel, sweet corn and some wet hay are there. This is a neck pour so it may open after a month or two. The first taste proudly says 'I am bourbon' It leads with caramel and corn sweetness in the background. It's not particularly complex but it satisfies. There is a medium length dry oak finish. This was tried at a friends house so I had to look up the price $41. This is an example of why I have mostly given up on micro craft products. It's not bad but it's no where near worth $41. I followed it with Evan Williams 1783 ($15) and it was heads better. I do want small local guys to make it but I'm not so sure about the micro players.

On a trip to Europe a couple years ago, all we could find in the bar was JB white, JD black and Bulleit. After a few night in the same bar we drained the bottle. The barkeep said he had very little demand so he appreciated our clearing him out on inventory. After three days, we decided that Bulleit was pretty good. So when I saw a bottle of the 10 year stuff at my local Total Wine for $36 I decided to give it a try. The nose is a bit muted with citrus and caramel leading the way. This is 90 proof but I would have said 80 based on the nose. Lurking in there is some nutmeg pine. Color is on the light side for a 10 year 90 proof but the legs are nice and thick giving a nice mouth feel. The palate only slightly follows the nose with maple syrup and pine up front. It's quite sweet and slightly numbs the lip letting you know that 90 proof is there. That pine comes in strong on the finish but now there's caramel and some bitter oak. I don't remember the stuff in England being anything like this but then I've slept a few nights since and I was on vacation sipping with friends. As a side note. The Oliver Conquest is across the street and offers some 300 labels of gin. I have but 294 more to go. Cheers!!

My brother in law just came back from Texas with a bottle. Having tried Balcones Texas Single Malt Sib and both having similar proof (128), I was anxious to try. Initially, it is hard to get past the stinging alcohol on the nose it's much like phenol and burns the nostrils. It calms down after 15 minutes but ever present. Once I can get past the alcohol, this one is sweet heavy on cotton candy and caramel. Can't quite get down another layer because of the alcohol. Taste is sweet with loads of caramel and corn sweetener. It's thick and chewy, fills the mouth with flavor and leads to a very long finish and after taste of corn sweetener. It it amazing what Balcones accomplishes in two years but I wish they could tame the alcohol but that would take 4-6 years. I think I will revisit them when they put out some product with more age.

So I have had a couple of these in a bar here and there. I was hesitant to acquire in that years ago I tried the standard issue and was non plussed. These recent tastes inspired me to acquire a couple of bottles. I like that it's a bourbon that you can sink your teeth in. MGP high rye bourbons have really come of age. This is produced from two different high rye mashbills of 7-11 years of age. Sounds a lot like Remus that I love and no doubt similar to Smoke Wagon. The 108 proof is perfect. High enough to pack a lot of flavor but not so high that I can only have one. The nose is predominately of butterscotch but the next layer is incredibly complex. It's nutty and fruity; There's burnt sugar and a touch of smokey oak. The palate is likewise complex, brown maple sugar and nuts; dark fruit in butter and nutmeg. Alcohol is there but barely, it's rich and oily and builds to a long dry finish that lasts to the next sip. This is really a gem and you can go to the liquor sore and pick up a bottle or two right now. It's priced right to boot. This is a real winner

After visiting the distillery a few months ago, I have tried their rum, rye and wheated bourbon. This bottle of high rye bourbon has been open for a little over a month and each time I revisit, it gets a little better. If there is such a thing a buttered caramel corn, that is the initial fragrance. A layer down, I get pears in heavy syrup. Further down is just a touch of unresolved rye that I will liken to fresh mowed grass. Smokey oak and alcohol are way in the background. The initial flavors follow suit. Creme custard with caramel sauce lead the way and those sweet pears are there too. The rye is more resolved here and a touch of nutmeg comes through. The dry finish is a tad short but satisfying. It's nice and viscous, holds up to ice and fills the mouth with flavor. I like this better than the wheated version but at 47 per bottle I was hoping for more. Aroma matters more to me than does the flavor and this one scores better on the flavor side and lacks a tad on the aroma side. I expect that when the 6 year stuff comes out that might reverse. Well done Wilderness Trail and I will continue to follow

In my younger years, Wild Turkey 101 and Rebel Yell were the preferred brands. WT was too pricy for me and I found it too harsh. RY was soft and mellow leaving me wanting more. Enter Ezra Brooks. It was produced pretty much next door to WT but it bridged the gap for me. I like the current Ezra 90 but it's pretty basic bottom shelf stuff. Old Ezra is very good but hard to find at a reasonable price. Maybe this will bridge the gap again. The nose is great with tons of caramel custard and light citrus. Corn sweetness is in the background of course as is the 99 proof. This is suspiciously similar to Elijah Craig. The palate satisfies with nutty crémé brûlée topped with orange zest, nice. there's a nice silky coating in the mouth and precious little burn. The finish is not particularly long but it's nicely dry with a citrus note. Now for the value. It's definitely better than the 90 proof but it's priced almost identically to Elijah Craig in this market and offers little differentiation. EC has a better finish so I'll stay there

After a couple months of tasting lots of new stuff, I decided to open a bottle of a known favorite. It's kinda like visiting an old friend and just enjoying a sip of quality bourbon. I used to really enjoy the old EC 12 year single barrel and found it to be an incredible value. They claim they could not supply enough 12 year product to fit demand so a small batch product (something like 10,000 barrels of 8-12 yo barrels) was created and I liked it but missed the old 12 year stuff. Enter the 11 year store picks. I really like these and I have seen some 13 year picks. At $33, they are hard to beat. This one is from Total Wine and reminds me of the old 12 year if you can remember back that well. Immediately, I am greeted with buttered popcorn and vanilla on the nose. There is a distinct nuttiness. As it opens there is a touch of grassiness and rye spice. While I am typically more influenced by the nose, this bottle excels on the palate. It's got all the great bourbon flavors: vanilla, maple syrup, toffee and that nuttiness, with a bitter oak background and underlying baking spices in a most enjoyable meld. Alcohol is mostly in the background but there is a nominal lip numbing effect. It screams: I am bourbon. Can you taste satisfaction? That's what I get and a nice dry finish that lasts till the next sip.

Don't think I can add much to a bourbon that has been reviewed nearly 6000 times. I first tried this probably ten years ago when it first came out and revisited a year ago. This taste is consistent with my memories. Here goes Deep color in the glass generating strong legs, amazing for the proof. Nose is strong on this one and milk chocolate leads the way. Just under that is a layer of dark fruit and caramel. The typical banana of Brown Forman products is just barely recognized. The palate is sweet with toasted marshmallow on the front. There's caramel, Bing cherries and a weedy rye spice. As it evolves, graham cracker and citrus comes in. It has been an immense pleasure at this point but I feel the finish is out of balance. I am left with a weedy oak 2x4 in my mouth. Overall, I enjoy this but prefer the standard offering. This one is over oaked for me.