Tastes

Liquor Barn #2 pick, barrel #7493246, barreled 19SEP2016, bottled at 109 proof. I had to buy both bottles when I saw this, and I'm glad to find that this is a higher proof, even if it's the exact same age. I'm putting a lot of trust (and money) into Liquor Barn here and hoping that this barrel is significantly different. Compared to the other barrel, the scent is more geared towards tobacco, with the corn and oak behind it. There's also a small note of something floral, almost like what is found in gin. The initial flavor is, again, similar to standard Yellowstone, but this barrel becomes hot very quickly. Tobacco is a leading flavor, followed by the young corn, and the nice, heavily charred oak follows through. The finish is more potent, but surprisingly not as hot as the 102 proof barrel that I tried previously. Yellowstone is a bourbon that is one of the best starter "top shelf" selections you can get. This single barrel, as rare as it is, is also a great bottle to have, but only one really is worth it, especially at a bit of a steep price. Still though, Stephan Beam has a great palate for good whiskey, and his career will be tracked with great following.

Liquor Barn #1 pick, barrel #7493244, barreled 19SEP2016, bottled at 102 proof. Well, I literally just wanted beer, but no, the boys at Limestone Branch allowed single barreling of the fine Yellowstone. As such, I couldn't resist purchasing both single barrels, so as much as love supporting this distillery, I hope that these have something to stand on for the steep price they cost. It was extremely disappointing to find out that this selection was only ~4.5 years old, far less than the standard stuff of much less cost, however, the color is quite dark and potent, so that's a good start. Not surprisingly, raw corn and grain is a prominent note of the scent, but there is also very little water present, if any at all, so the uncut aspect also presents some nuttiness and toffee. The oak is standard, if not slightly more charred and vanilla-forward. The initial flavor is very familiar from the standard Yellowstone, but the sweet corn is much more evident here. The oak is very powerful, and likely showcases that this is indeed uncut or close to it. Nuttiness, tobacco, and just a bit of rye help to close out the finish, with a very impressive inner burn for only 102 proof. I was worried that such a low age from a single barrel would come across far too young, and although the grain flavor is very prominent, the oak is far more present, and very welcome. As far as I'm concerned, good, charred oak and high proof bourbon create a good base recipe for something worth having. Longer age improves this, but Limestone Branch has a certain quality of grain that they use that allows them to get away with younger bourbons and still attract a crowd. Happy to support the brand, and the price is good for the one bottle, but perhaps stacking different barrels may not pay off.

Liquor Barn selection, 109.8 proof, barrel #3703, bottle #122. Alright, I'm truly hoping there's nobody out there that's defending the price of this, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to try it. It was a truly unintentional purchase that I did mostly because I was only limited to one bottle. Angel's Envy is one of the most conceited distilleries out there, believing that their profoundly low inventory of 2 different products deserves no change, no production boost, and certainly no discount. I grew very tired of their standard bourbon quite fast, as it costs far too much with not a whole lot to offer, especially at 80 proof. Now present me with just one barrel's flavors and jack up the proof, and we're probably talking... But you better talk pretty loud if you want to justify almost 3 digits in cost. I remember Angel's Envy bourbon being fairly dark in color (likely from the port barrels, since I'm doubting they ever shared an age statement), but still very clear and watery at that very low proof. This one, however, has much deeper color, and if any comes from the port barrels, it's not obvious enough versus the higher proof. Sweet corn and rye spice (and classic accompanying notes) are easily detected, but as the oak presents itself, I get a sweeter, almost rum-like note, that's certainly different and fitting from the finishing barrels. It's probably a placebo, but there may be just a touch of dusty grape juice near the end. The initial flavor is mouth-coating, but not of either sweet or spicy. Instead, it's damp, dusty, brandy-like, imparting notes of jammed and old fruit. Typical bourbon notes shine through at this point (slightly more rye notes than corn), but a raw cocoa flavor also comes to light. This moves to a more familiar dark chocolate near the finish, as the high proof fights with the rye to spice up the gum line on the way out. Alright, so this is good. Really, though, this is what Angel's Envy bourbon should taste like from the beginning, but that's my biased opinion as someone who abhors drinking under 100 proof. This product should have been available long ago, and by making people wait and fight to get it is a really low blow, almost on par with Buffalo Trace's scumminess. Furthermore, it should cost what the standard bourbon does, and the standard stuff should cost fall less. However, they followed brilliant marketing, and established their following so that they could sell this for over $100 easily, with nobody to ask questions. You could help them count their money and get this yourself, or you could just drink a friend's bottle, and look elsewhere for affordable, high proof, barrel select bourbons.

I do not imagine this high-rye bourbon will be good. That's exactly what this is, given the abysmal 51% rye mashbill. It's very clear that Heaven Hill was looking to add to their infinite product line, while cleverly keeping their over-hyped bourbon flavor, and they likely have the second most die-hard followers (behind the dirty buffalo) that would buy this without any type of questioning anyway. Even though the rye increase is the absolute minimum, I'm hoping Heaven Hill, king of rye whiskeys, brings enough to this to change it up. Like most rye whiskeys, this is probably aged far less than it's bourbon counterpart. However, the color has quite some depth, and since I imagine the same barrels are used as Elijah Craig bourbon, then we may be looking at some quality age. Surprisingly, the rye does come through well in the nose; the mint, cinnamon, and some slight grass are all present. Don't get it twisted, however, because there is also plenty of sweetness. The vanilla and caramel clearly come from the barrel, but the sugary notes behind it are likely from the unnecessary corn additive. The first sip helps me to understand the vision that the distillery may have had. The rye grain flavor is present, but the corn helps to dial down the initial spice bomb, and instead imparts just grain flavor. This flavor is not raw, however, as luckily, this does taste of a nice, longer age. The middle gets a little rough, as the sweet corn and spicy rye battle it out somewhat, resulting in an almost malty note. This is slightly upsetting, but the finish eventually comes along (it's quite slow to build, but also slow to leave), leaving the cinnamon and grass flavors (classic notes to be expected from Heaven Hill rye) to work along with the medium 94 proof. The spice does work it's way into the gums, but there is a pretty decent list of rye whiskeys that do impart heavier spice than this. I don't love the idea of saying it, but this is fairly pleasant, provided you don't have any other actual rye whiskeys on your bar to rival this rye-inspired offering. This is disappointing to say only because it was likely made as a money grab, and the "limited market" attests to that, especially since I found it in Ohio. Even at a pretty good price, I still laughed when I first saw it, because I knew without looking that I would never see it again. Then, after seeing only 3 bottles remaining and a "limit 1 per person" sign, I bought one only so that others could not (great market you're breeding there, Ohio and allocators). So hey, you got your sale, and it will be drunk, but it won't be a recommendation.