Tastes

A couple months ago I decided to revisit some of the bottom shelf bourbons under $25. This is where most of us started, many of us graduate and move on to mid and top shelf selections where flavor complexity and nuances open our eyes to the ever developing world of this delightful golden amber spirit. So does that mean the bottom shelf doesn’t have anything of value or interest for those of us that are a bit more seasoned? On the contrary, hence this review. This Four Roses Bourbon (formerly known as Yellow Label) is their entry bourbon, it has a mixed mash bill and registers no age statement, the 80 proof will keep your socks firmly on your feet. I picked up a little vanilla on the nose but one thing I noticed is there wasn’t a heavy ethanol presence which so many bottom shelfers have. The body for me was very smooth, sweet vanilla again and candy corn, and was there a little mint hiding in there? This is not complex at all in fact I found the flavor profile to be subtle, almost subdued. I didn’t (and wouldn’t) add water or ice, I’m afraid it would drown this one. I was a little surprised to find some ginger spice on the back end which was nice while it lasted. This is a very congenial easy drinking bourbon, meant for gatherings and friendly conversations, you’re not going to offend anyone with this. It’s a real good bottom shelf bourbon, I had honestly forgotten how smooth it was, no heat or harshness. I didn’t remember until now how much I enjoyed it, this is a solidly classic middle of the road bourbon.

I know I reviewed Old No. 7 about a month ago, this will be a different kind of review. This is for Al, one of the old guys I meet up with at IHOP who just passed away... this was his whiskey. Most everyone knows what this whiskey tastes like so I’m not going to go into the flavor profile. But when you crack open a bottle JD it’s always the same, the bottle you buy in Amarello will taste just like the bottle you buy in Grand Rapids or Boise. It’s reliable, you know what you’re getting, it doesn’t say one thing and do something different, Al liked that. Al didn’t like surprises, he had plenty of those as a marine in Vietnam. After the war his sense of adventure was limited to having a JD and Pepsi instead of a JD and Coke LOL. I used to kid him that you could drain the water from the bottom of his charcoal grill pour it in a blender with a banana and strain it into the bottle and it would taste the same as his JD. Now we all know it isn’t that bad, this was just friendly banter between a bunch of old guys. Old No. 7 isn’t overly complex, there isn’t a lot of nuance, you get what you get which is a solidly reliable Tennessee whiskey that delivers without a lot of fluff. He said this whiskey never let him down so he stuck with it, that was Al. A little rough around the edges but you always know what you’ve got, this is the working man’s whiskey, honest and straight up, you’re the man Al. Today we raise the glass and retire this bottle until next year, Semper Fi my friend.

Well this one was a little surprising, the reviews were a bit ambivalent so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. This is essentially a “Beam” clone but it’s a pretty darn good clone. I got a nutty and dusty peanut shell nose that follows into the body with sweet corn and an almond vanilla fullness, a little smoke char showed up for me too. This was surprisingly fulfilling considering the body didn’t have the thicker mouth feel I expected. At 45 proof you get a little zip at the end which isn’t harsh but doesn’t apologize for showing up either. You pick up a little vanilla sweetness and then it says who’s fooling who, it lingers nicely. I really enjoyed this one, this was interesting and fairly priced. I would’ve picked it at $30 and that’s right where it’s at here. Not overly sweet and balanced well enough to have another. Based on the reviews here I think this one is a little underrated. If its time to fish or cut bait with this this one, bait up and lets go fishing. ***EDITED*** @BeppeCovfefe correctly noted that the proofing for this whiskey is actually 50 ABV whereas I stated above that it is 45 proof. The Old Dude thanks you for proof reading my proof - 😇

I like a good rye whiskey I’m partial to them, this is a good rye whiskey. This isn’t a “WOW I’M A RYE WHISKEY”, but it’s a really well balanced and very smooth rye. A little on the sweeter side up front in the body with burnt sugars and cinnamon spice, if you search a little you might pick up a little raisin with the char barrel spice, the finish is a little spicy at first but it turns sweetly on the tongue. I guess the description of this for me is it is truly a congenial and not overly complex rye whiskey, it lacks the pizazz I generally expect. So even though this isn’t a standout rye for me it is certainly worth a try, completely enjoyable and not disappointing. This is obviously a rye whiskey, but it didn’t hit the “WOW” factor for me. I would’ve put this as a $30 bottle but in my neck of the woods but it hit me for $40. No regrets here mind you, but I can pick up my favorite “R” rye for $28.

There are a bunch of us old retired guys that get together once a week for breakfast at our local IHOP. I mentioned in one of my earlier reviews that a good friend of mine said I was a bourbon snob, today I asked him what he meant. He said you just don’t drink the bottom shelf like most of us who are on a fixed income. I reminded him I just picked up this bottle of Ezra Brooks and I think it’s a real decent bourbon. Well this became a pretty lively conversation for a bunch of old guys eating pancakes, but we did come to a consensus. To qualify as a bottom shelf bourbon it had to be under $15 a bottle. We felt there was an additional category that we called “great value” bourbon in the $15-$25 price range. These Bourbons are noticeably better than those that typically occupy the bottom shelf, Wild Turkey 101 is a prime example. What does all this rambling have to do with the review of Ezra Brooks? Well your perception is your reality, if you don’t think you can find anything decent on the bottom shelf... you won’t. This Ezra is a real decent bourbon, I can find this all day long for under $15. This is a daily drinker for a lot of my friends, their budget just won’t allow them to venture too far out of this price range. So as a result this “Old Dude” has decided to leave the comfort of his mid shelf and dive back into the bottom shelf from time to time. They say there’s gold in them there hills, this bottle of Ezra is proof of that.

My initial review of this bourbon was not objective, it was tainted and slanted by the poor beer selection which was consumed prior to this tasting - hence I felt obligated to delete that review and provide a completely impartial impression of this whiskey, one that is honestly deserved. Although this is a very good blended bourbon I still believe the Distiller rating is pretty generous. The nose is pretty weak, however the body is really well balanced and pleasant, sweet, smooth and soft. This is a very easy drinking bourbon, a lot of banana, vanilla, and if you try hard enough you might pick up coconut and nutmeg spice in the body. Although the body is pretty thin the finish lingers nicely, some spice and clove but it’s not hot... the finish is really quite nice. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this bourbon and would gladly have another if it was offered, it simply lacks the depth and character found in so many others at this price. While you could serve this confidently to the most discriminating guest, there is nothing here that will “wow” them, they will enjoy it but they won’t say “hey this is really good, what is it?” I really liked this bourbon, I just wanted to like it more than I do.