Tastes
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HIGH-TEST RYE SHOWDOWN Willet 4-Year Straight Rye Whiskey, Rare Release Michter’s US*1 Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey Recent notes from @angstrom on Willet 4-Year Straight Rye Whiskey and @jdriip on Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey prompted me to have a showdown between these two high-test ryes, as well as Michter’s US*1 Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. It’s been some time since I’ve had each of them, but I know that I’ve loved all three. I created this showdown not only to see if my previous (unnoted) verdicts were correct, but also to see how well they would stand up beside each other. Expected rye spiciness on the palate presents as light white pepper before finishing with vanilla. Willet The Willet carries a four-year age statement and is bottled at 119 proof. Lightest of the three in color, although the differences are not stark; shows as deep tawny burnt orange. Unmistakable rye nose—by far the most “rye-like” of the three—with freshly crushed green pine needles, orange oil, milk chocolate, cinnamon apple pie, faint banana (not as much as I recalled), basil, and spearmint. Lightest and fruitiest of the three. The ethanol is there, but well integrated at 119 proof. Full mouthfeel, where the heat becomes apparent before finishing with a nice pull of vanilla, spicy pepper, ethanol, and the lingering cool spearmint. The heat is more noticeable on the finish—not completely unexpected given the proof. The back-end spiciness and heat is more than I recall, and puts the entire experience a little out of balance (this speaking from the perspective who loves high-octane whisk(e)y neat). Very good. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Michter’s This bottle doesn’t carry an age statement. It is a limited release, and bottled at 112.6 proof. The deep mahogany color is the darkest of the three. Not as “obviously rye” on the nose as the Willet: more akin to a high-rye bourbon in comparison, with vanilla, pomander, caramel, some grilled peaches, pound cake, and sassafras. The rye is there, but more in the background. Smooth, mouthcoating palate adds cherry pipe tobacco. Long finish, with white pepper similar to, but not as overpowering as, the Willet, with lingering orange creamsicle. This is only my second bottle; I finished the first one a couple of years ago, and have been saving this one, but opened it for this tasting. And I’m glad I did. 4.75 “and a half” on the Distiller scale. The only thing holding it back from a perfect 5.0 for me is the thought that a longer quantified age statement may make it even more otherworldly. The pervasive depth, breadth, complexity, and smoothness is in the same league as the George T. Stagg and William Larue Weller that I had and reviewed just last night (8/16/2002). When this limited release is released, run, don’t walk, to get a bottle. Pikesville Pikesville is a Heaven Hill product, is “at least” six years old, and is bottled at 110 proof. Clear orange mahogany color is the second darkest of the three. Recognizable rye nose, between the Willet and Michter’s in terms of prevalence. Nose of milk chocolate, espresso, green pine needles, mincemeat pie, fruity cobbler crust, and some herbal sage and grassy notes. Most viscous mouthfeel of the three, with more sweet mince pie, with a not-dissimilar-to-the-others white pepper spiciness and vanilla on the finish. Very good; I’ll always have a bottle. But it lacks the complexity of the Michter’s. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. These are all very good high-test rye whiskies. I’d be happy to drink any of them (and I was this evening). The Michter’s is the clear winner for me, followed by the Pikesville and the Willet. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in Glencairn glasses.
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Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited January 9, 2023)Had my good friend @ataylor156 over for some good bourbon. From left to right I. The pic, ranked top to bottom (we both have exactly the same ranking): Rabbit Hole Cavehill (#6) George T. Stagg (2019) (#1) William Larue Weller (2019) (#2) Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel (#4) Larceny Barrel Proof (#5) E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof (#3) Not a bad night. 😎 -
Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A121
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited August 17, 2022)Had my good friend @ataylor156 over for some good bourbon. From left to right I. The pic, ranked top to bottom (we both have exactly the same ranking): Rabbit Hole Cavehill (#6) George T. Stagg (2019) (#1) William Larue Weller (2019) (#2) Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel (#4) Larceny Barrel Proof (#5) E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof (#3) Not a bad night. 😎 -
Blanton's Straight From the Barrel
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited December 9, 2022)Had my good friend @ataylor156 over for some good bourbon. From left to right I. The pic, ranked top to bottom (we both have exactly the same ranking): Rabbit Hole Cavehill (#6) George T. Stagg (2019) (#1) William Larue Weller (2019) (#2) Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel (#4) Larceny Barrel Proof (#5) E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof (#3) Not a bad night. 😎 -
Rabbit Hole Cavehill Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited October 29, 2022)Had my good friend @ataylor156 over for some good bourbon. From left to right I. The pic, ranked top to bottom (we both have exactly the same ranking): Rabbit Hole Cavehill (#6) George T. Stagg (2019) (#1) William Larue Weller (2019) (#2) Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel (#4) Larceny Barrel Proof (#5) E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof (#3) Not a bad night. 😎 -
George T. Stagg Bourbon (Fall 2019)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited January 15, 2023)Had my good friend @ataylor156 over for some good bourbon. From left to right I. The pic, ranked top to bottom (we both have exactly the same ranking): Rabbit Hole Cavehill (#6) George T. Stagg (2019) (#1) William Larue Weller (2019) (#2) Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel (#4) Larceny Barrel Proof (#5) E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof (#3) Not a bad night. 😎 -
William Larue Weller Bourbon (Fall 2019)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 16, 2022 (edited August 17, 2022)Had my good friend @ataylor156 over for some good bourbon. From left to right I. The pic, ranked top to bottom (we both have exactly the same ranking): Rabbit Hole Cavehill (#6) George T. Stagg (2019) (#1) William Larue Weller (2019) (#2) Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel (#4) Larceny Barrel Proof (#5) E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof (#3) Not a bad night. 😎 -
Hudson Baby Bourbon (DISCONTINUED)
Bourbon — New York, USA
Reviewed August 15, 2022 (edited October 10, 2023)WHISKIES I DON’T CARE FOR: ROUND 2 George Dickel Bottled in Bond vs Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey (These first two paragraphs are largely boilerplate from my Round 1 review). Lately I’ve been doing several side-by-side tastings. I have plenty of whisk(e)y that I love—probably too much—but I’ve also got some that I don’t care for, so I thought I’d mix it up and try to discern just what I don’t like about them. My mental shelving of them into the “not like” category means that they’ve been in the penalty box for some time; thus it’s instructive to ascertain whether or not they belonged there to begin with. The whiskies I selected for this round were picked randomly; they happened to be two that I recalled not liking. Unlike some of my other showdowns (Islay, BTAC, etc.), this side-by-side tasting has nothing to do with a specific region or type; rather, both of these are simply two that I haven’t drunk much (if any) because I didn’t care for them to begin with. George Dickel Bottled in Bond This bourbon won Whisky Advocate’s Whisk(e)y of the Year in 2019. (A digression: Whisky Advocate is part of Marvin Shanken’s portfolio of lifestyle magazines, which also includes Wine Spectator, Cigar Afficionado, and other industry publications. WA is not about finding “the best”; rather, it’s about marketing, business and “spreading the love around” so that retailers can have something new to push. To be fair, their methodology for the annual Top 20 excludes so-called “hard to find” whiskies. And of course, whisky and whiskey is anything but monolithic, so the comparison isn’t apples to apples. Are there repeat winners, or even repeat top-20 selections? I can’t find any since the list began in 2017. I love Lagavulin; but how is Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition--not as good as the Lagavulin 16, or the Lagavulin Distiller's edition--the best of that year on any metric? Of course it doesn’t mean that all of their picks are bad: 2020’s #1, Larceny Barrel Proof, is outstanding. 2018’s #1, Nikka Whisky From the Barrel, is fantastic.2017’s #1, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B517, is great. This isn’t my subjective opinion; it’s empirical statistical analysis. Five years. 100 whiskies. No duplicates. Dickel BiB was #1 in 2019, but hasn’t been able to crack the top 20 since? ECBP B517 was #1 in 2017, but couldn’t again crack the top 20 in the next five years? Off soapbox). As with all whiskies that win WA’s WOTY, this one got scarce for awhile. I found a bottle during the hype and counted myself lucky. Then I tasted it and put it aside. GD BiB has a 13-year-old age statement. Color is a deep, tawny burnt orange. On the nose there is a quite pronounced—and quite odd—note that many have described as “peanut” but I have described as “Flintstone’s chewable vitamins.” I’ve gotten the same note on the only other Dickel I’ve ever had (the regular 8-year-old expression). This time, I am getting more of the peanut aspect, and there is a certain pervasive richness to it. Perhaps this peanut-cum-Flintstone-vitamin thing is just a polarizing thing, like Julia Child and cilantro. Part of me wants to find something positive to say, like concentrated nectar of Snickers, but I just can’t get myself to say it. There’s also a cool spearmint note. The palate is an improvement: it is smooth and rich, with a chocolate-covered-cherries sweetness. The 100 proof shows itself on the back end of the palate, and continues on the finish, with a pleasant (and expected) bit of heat, finishing with lingering vanilla and additional cool spearmint. GD BiB is smooth and rich. So is clam chowder, and I don’t like clams. But if you like peanuts or children’s chewable vitamins in your whisky, you may like it. 2.5 on the Distiller scale. Of course, there are other polarizing whiskies: one that I love is Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Five-Malt Stouted Mash (reviewed 5/19/22). But whereas the Woodford was a special project with a specific goal that was (objectively) accomplished, the GD BiB is just…odd. One more thing. I’m not a Dickel fan based on my experience with two of their offerings (I’m stubborn though, and would surely at least try another if it was given to me). My position became more entrenched when I realized that this distiller offers a spirit aged in Tabasco barrels. I say “spirit” because it doesn’t qualify as a whiskey (it’s only 70 proof). Can any whisk(e)y connoisseur take that seriously? For more info on Dickel’s marketing master stroke with Tabasco, enjoy whisky.com’s Ben Luening’s comments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wN5CWRHLrk). Skip to 5:17 for the fireworks. Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey Apparently this bourbon is now a relic, having been discontinued sometime in the past few years. It appears that Tuthilltown Distillers, which the label describes as the first New York distiller since Prohibition, has been bought by Scotland’s William Grant & Sons, and the offerings have been revamped. This particular bourbon appears to have been replaced by the “Bright Lights, Big Bourbon” brand. This discontinued bottle is only 375ml, 94 proof, “made with 100% New York corn,” and aged “under 4 years” without saying how long. Had I realized the mashbill, I would’ve included it in my “Corn Whiskey Showdown” (6/29/22). The nose is unmistakably corn and oak. The mouthfeel is nice, with a viscous, syrupy quality, along with corn-syrup sweetness. There is some corn sweetness and a little spiciness on the finish. Essentially a one-man band playing the same note. 1.5 on the Distiller scale. -
George Dickel 13 Year Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky (Fall 2005)
Tennessee Whiskey — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed August 15, 2022 (edited June 4, 2023)WHISKIES I DON’T CARE FOR: ROUND 2 George Dickel Bottled in Bond vs Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey (These first two paragraphs are largely boilerplate from my Round 1 review). Lately I’ve been doing several side-by-side tastings. I have plenty of whisk(e)y that I love—probably too much—but I’ve also got some that I don’t care for, so I thought I’d mix it up and try to discern just what I don’t like about them. My mental shelving of them into the “not like” category means that they’ve been in the penalty box for some time; thus it’s instructive to ascertain whether or not they belonged there to begin with. The whiskies I selected for this round were picked randomly; they happened to be two that I recalled not liking. Unlike some of my other showdowns (Islay, BTAC, etc.), this side-by-side tasting has nothing to do with a specific region or type; rather, both of these are simply two that I haven’t drunk much (if any) because I didn’t care for them to begin with. George Dickel Bottled in Bond This bourbon won Whisky Advocate’s Whisk(e)y of the Year in 2019. (A digression: Whisky Advocate is part of Marvin Shanken’s portfolio of lifestyle magazines, which also includes Wine Spectator, Cigar Afficionado, and other industry publications. WA is not about finding “the best”; rather, it’s about marketing, business and “spreading the love around” so that retailers can have something new to push. To be fair, their methodology for the annual Top 20 excludes so-called “hard to find” whiskies. And of course, whisky and whiskey is anything but monolithic, so the comparison isn’t apples to apples. Are there repeat winners, or even repeat top-20 selections? I can’t find any since the list began in 2017. I love Lagavulin; but how is Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition--not as good as the Lagavulin 16, or the Lagavulin Distiller's edition--the best of that year on any metric? Of course it doesn’t mean that all of their picks are bad: 2020’s #1, Larceny Barrel Proof, is outstanding. 2018’s #1, Nikka Whisky From the Barrel, is fantastic.2017’s #1, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B517, is great. This isn’t my subjective opinion; it’s empirical statistical analysis. Five years. 100 whiskies. No duplicates. Dickel BiB was #1 in 2019, but hasn’t been able to crack the top 20 since? ECBP B517 was #1 in 2017, but couldn’t again crack the top 20 in the next five years? Off soapbox). As with all whiskies that win WA’s WOTY, this one got scarce for awhile. I found a bottle during the hype and counted myself lucky. Then I tasted it and put it aside. GD BiB has a 13-year-old age statement. Color is a deep, tawny burnt orange. On the nose there is a quite pronounced—and quite odd—note that many have described as “peanut” but I have described as “Flintstone’s chewable vitamins.” I’ve gotten the same note on the only other Dickel I’ve ever had (the regular 8-year-old expression). This time, I am getting more of the peanut aspect, and there is a certain pervasive richness to it. Perhaps this peanut-cum-Flintstone-vitamin thing is just a polarizing thing, like Julia Child and cilantro. Part of me wants to find something positive to say, like concentrated nectar of Snickers, but I just can’t get myself to say it. There’s also a cool spearmint note. The palate is an improvement: it is smooth and rich, with a chocolate-covered-cherries sweetness. The 100 proof shows itself on the back end of the palate, and continues on the finish, with a pleasant (and expected) bit of heat, finishing with lingering vanilla and additional cool spearmint. GD BiB is smooth and rich. So is clam chowder, and I don’t like clams. But if you like peanuts or children’s chewable vitamins in your whisky, you may like it. 2.5 on the Distiller scale. Of course, there are other polarizing whiskies: one that I love is Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Five-Malt Stouted Mash (reviewed 5/19/22). But whereas the Woodford was a special project with a specific goal that was (objectively) accomplished, the GD BiB is just…odd. One more thing. I’m not a Dickel fan based on my experience with two of their offerings (I’m stubborn though, and would surely at least try another if it was given to me). My position became more entrenched when I realized that this distiller offers a spirit aged in Tabasco barrels. I say “spirit” because it doesn’t qualify as a whiskey (it’s only 70 proof). Can any whisk(e)y connoisseur take that seriously? For more info on Dickel’s marketing master stroke with Tabasco, enjoy whisky.com’s Ben Luening’s comments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wN5CWRHLrk). Skip to 5:17 for the fireworks. Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey Apparently this bourbon is now a relic, having been discontinued sometime in the past few years. It appears that Tuthilltown Distillers, which the label describes as the first New York distiller since Prohibition, has been bought by Scotland’s William Grant & Sons, and the offerings have been revamped. This particular bourbon appears to have been replaced by the “Bright Lights, Big Bourbon” brand. This discontinued bottle is only 375ml, 94 proof, “made with 100% New York corn,” and aged “under 4 years” without saying how long. Had I realized the mashbill, I would’ve included it in my “Corn Whiskey Showdown” (6/29/22). The nose is unmistakably corn and oak. The mouthfeel is nice, with a viscous, syrupy quality, along with corn-syrup sweetness. There is some corn sweetness and a little spiciness on the finish. Essentially a one-man band playing the same note. 1.5 on the Distiller scale. -
WHISKIES I DON’T CARE FOR: ROUND 1 Flatboat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey vs Few Bourbon Whiskey Lately I’ve been doing several side-by-side tastings. I have plenty of whisk(e)y that I love—probably too much—but I’ve also got some that I don’t care for, so I thought I’d mix it up and try to discern just what I don’t like about them. My mental shelving of them into the “not like” category means that they’ve been in the penalty box for some time; thus it’s instructive to ascertain whether or not they belonged there to begin with. The whiskies I selected for round one were selected randomly; they happened to be two that I recalled not liking. Unlike some of my other showdowns (Islay, BTAC, etc.), this side-by-side tasting has nothing to do with a specific region or type—these two whiskies do happen to be bourbons, by coincidence—but are simply two that I haven’t drunk much (if any) of because I didn’t care for them to begin with. Flatboat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey- Flatboat is a private-label brand owned by Sazerac, who manufactures not just Buffalo Trace but Canadian Mist, Myers Rum, Mr. Boston Vodka, and Fireball, to name a few. The salesman where I was shopping at the time sold me on the Buffalo Trace connection, and it was only $22 or so. I bought it and tried it once at least three years ago, and it has remained untouched since then. There’s little information on the label other than the fact that it’s “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey” and 90 proof. And since there’s no age statement on the bottle, it has to have been aged at least four years. Classic clear tawny orange color. Nose shows a lot of ethanol for 90 proof, along with oaky vanilla, some cinnamon, roasted marshmallow, and cherry pipe tobacco. But the quintet is not playing well together, with the ethanol at center stage and the other aspects competing rather than complementing. On the palate the harsh and undisciplined 90 proof wreaks havoc like an unruly child punching above its weight. There are persistent woody tannins on the finish, which is overcome somewhat by the vanilla and cherry pipe tobacco. Disjointed, but not undrinkable. May work with lots of ice on a hot summer day, or as part of a punch or other drink where the bourbon is only a secondary ingredient. Not good for drinking neat, nor in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. 2.5 on the Distiller scale. Few Bourbon Whiskey More orangey color than the Flatboat. Nose shows sawdust, old Fruity Pebbles cereal, a petroleum-paraffin quality, and dish soap. The wood is more like pine than oak. The dish soap continues on the palate, like a punishment in search of the bad words that precipitated it. I received this as a gift, and while I greatly appreciate the gesture, it’s just not that good. Not a lot of bourbon typicity. There is a tannic dryness on the finish. The drink does coerce you to pause to try to identify what’s going on with the same kind of curious morbidity surrounding a car wreck. Turns out I was correct in my initial assessment. The bottle says it is aged “at least one year in charred new oak barrels.” Well, yes; to be called bourbon it has to be in new charred oak barrels. Apparently this bottle is no longer available; the website does show a Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which by definition must be aged at least two years. 93 proof. 1.5 on the Distiller scale.
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