Tastes

Longbranch is one of many Distillery-Celebrity creations to boost sales, but this one is actually a quality product. Matthew McConaughey teamed up with Eddie Russel from Wild Turkey to make a new creation featuring his native-Texan mesquite. The bottle lacks an age statement but Wild Turkey stated that Longbranch contains an 8 year bourbon in press releases. Wild Turkey filters Longbranch twice, first with charcoal made from American white oak and then with charcoal made from Texas mesquite wood. It is a mild flavor alteration to their standard bourbon and when it’s combined with older (8-year) stock that is less fiery and spicy and more sweet and oaky with a hint of smoke. Longbranch has a sweet nose of caramel, vanilla, and toffee. The palate is creamy caramel and spices subtle smokiness and the Wild Turkey hint of oak and char with spice layered throughout. The finish is warm and dry as the caramel and spice linger through the fitting end of this well-marketed bourbon.

Booker Noe says he selects ever barrel of Knob Creek himself, but that is probably just great marketing. He introduced Knob Creek in 1992 and named it after a creak which flows near where Abraham Lincoln grew up. This bourbon has a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley and is aged for 9 years in new charred white oak barrels. The nose has a lot of oak, followed by peppermint, caramel and vanilla. The palette remains oaky with caramel and vanilla with a bit of a spicy burn. The finish is very dry but rather short with sweet vanilla.

The Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Tasters’ Selection is a series of limited release (24,000 bottles), experimental whiskeys. Each bottling is sold exclusively at the distillery and also in select Tennessee liquor stores. Reunion Barrel is Jack aged in barrels that were first used to age Jack Daniel’s, then used for a Tennessee-produced wine, and returned to the Jack Daniel Distillery to finish. Selected by Master Distiller and Master Taster Jeff Arnett. The nose smells of wine, vanilla and butterscotch. The palate is a significant departure from Old Number 7 and is sweet and tastes of cookie dough with a hint of barrel char. The red wine returns in the finish along with wood. While the taste is a distinct departure from Jack’s flagship whiskey, Reunion Barrel is a bit overpriced and not as unique of a taste as the price suggests.

The Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Tasters’ Selection is a series of limited release (24,000 bottles), experimental whiskeys. Each bottling is sold exclusively at the distillery and also in select Tennessee liquor stores. Reunion Barrel is Jack aged in barrels that were first used to age Jack Daniel’s, then used for a Tennessee-produced wine, and returned to the Jack Daniel Distillery to finish. Selected by Master Distiller and Master Taster Jeff Arnett. The nose smells of wine, vanilla and butterscotch. The palate is a significant departure from Old Number 7 and is sweet and tastes of cookie dough with a hint of barrel char. The red wine returns in the finish along with wood. While the taste is a distinct departure from Jack’s flagship whiskey, Reunion Barrel is a bit overpriced and not as unique of a taste as the price suggests.

Michter’s likes to keep their recipe secret for either intellectual property or marketing, but their Unblended American Whiskey may or may not have a single grain comprising half or more of the mash and may have a relatively high proportion of flavorings added caramel, coffee, and brown butter notes to finish. It isn’t a bourbon because it is aged an barrels previously used to age bourbon (or as they euphemistically state “aged in bourbon soaked barrels” and it is “unblended” because it doesn’t contain a neutral grain spirit bottled at an easy-drinking 83.4 proof (41.7% abv).   This whiskey is light and sweet. The nose is molasses and caramel. It has a sweet taste with a predominant vanilla taste with caramel and fruits, but is softer than most whiskeys. The spicy taste grows more peppery and a hint of toasted wood keeps the sweetness in check. I’m looking forward to sampling Michter’s bourbon. 

A 70% corn, 20% rye and (10% ?) Tennessee mash bill with small grains aged for (almost) 7 years in American oak barrels. Heaven’s Door is a partnership with Bob Dylan and Angel’s Envy’s CEO, first released in May 2018. They are moving the distillery in a former church (circa 1871) at 5th and Elm in SoBro as they continue to try to gentrify the area near the Nashville bus station. There is a lot of marketing in this bourbon, from Bob Dylan’s name to the artwork from his Black Buffalo Ironworks studio. Heaven’s Door bourbon has a spicy nose with a full butterscotch palate. The higher rye content makes it a bit spicy, but the Lincoln County process adds a smoothness to accompany the warm spices and vanilla.

A softer style Bourbon, this is a gateway Bourbon. It is very affordable and is a straightforward and simple drink that is good, but lacks deep flavor or complexity. Its color is light as it appears that Willett aged it just long enough to turn light a light rust. On the nose, caramel, oak, vanilla, and just a hint of floral notes. There is the flavor of new wood and a butterscotch finish.

A homage to the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery, Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey uses a unique Solera System aging process to preserve some of the distillery’s oldest whiskey stocks, including some of the last bourbon produced there before it closed in 1992. That is the marketing statement, at least, and I suspect that the old whiskey stocks are minuscule in each bottle. Despite that marketing ploy, this bourbon is outstanding. It has a subtle aroma of fresh fruit and a taste that includes hints of dried apricot, ripe pear and a roasted grain. The finish has notes of charred oak and warm winter spices. It is bold with a balance of sweet and a dash of spice. The fruit flavor and vanilla carry through and mingle with light oak. This is an outstanding blend.