Tastes

Let’s face it: The best nights are the ones you and your buddies relive for years and years, as the story of the night evolves from mostly true to mostly made up, yet all the more epic in its retelling. No man ever simply caught a fish. You fought the fish and won, in a struggle of the ages that would have made gods give up and go home, but not you. No, you found inner strength only found in places like the Rocky IV training montage and reeled your way to an impossible victory over nature itself. I like to share bottles with friends that allow me to relive similarly epic tales, either in the story of the bottle itself or in my hunt to procure it. A great story is just another layer to uncover in the complexity of a superb spirit. Rarely do bottles come prepackaged with such parables as High Wire Distillery’s Revival 100% Jimmy Red Corn Straight Bourbon Whiskey. And it truly is a parable of sorts. Read it here: http://highwiredistilling.squarespace.com/jimmy-red-revival-project/# This bourbon’s story is bigger than David and Goliath; whereas David faced death, Jimmy Red corn faced extinction! And what’s the lesson learned from High Wire’s labor of love? Answer: Passion + Persistence = Paydirt. (Which wouldn’t be a bad name for a bourbon either.) This bourbon was recently included on Robb Report’s “15 Best Bourbons of the Past 20 Years” and named Garden and Gun’s 2018 “Made in the South” Drink Category winner and Overall winner. (Note: This is the first time ever that an entry in the Drinks category has won the Overall top spot.) Nose: The color does not deceive; the rustic corn shines through true and sweet from the start. You can almost see the palate of this pour in the legs - long, thick and slow. If it weren’t such a lovely nose of corn, it might almost be too much. As the corn closes up, you get soft butter and nuts, blending in creamy caramel and even fruit notes of apple. The trailing traces are spicy with hints of cinnamon, like a warm apple cider. In a second sniff, I pick up more muted oak odors, which is somewhat surprising given how little time this bottle was in the barrel. One of the byproducts of this particular corn varietal is its ability to craft older bourbon character in a shorter aging process. Taste: More complex than I expected, though much as expected, there’s a lot of corn there. Cobs and cobs of it, but also a lot of oaky and nutty expressions. Very tasty. Given the background reading I had done on this bourbon, and the 3” oil cap High Wire mentioned this corn producing in the fermented mash, I expected a thorough coating of the whole mouth, but I did not find this to be the case. Certainly, the mouthfeel is dense and creamy, but not necessarily a thick coating. Again, it’s a really nice flourish for a young bourbon. The finish here is medium length and mild. The spices from the nose return on the rear, but they just sort of sit upon the corn, like sunlight brightening the clouds without fully breaking through. Overall: This is a really nice experience to sip. Is it worth the money? Maybe. I can assure you that with all the accolades this bottle is attracting, its next release may quickly find itself in the secondary market. All things considered, if you see one, grab it. Won’t change your life, but just might change your idea of the value your corn brings to your bourbon.

The first thing to say about this bottle: I am in love. While I have been turning more and more to rye whiskey lately as my obsession of choice, the Willett 4-Year Barrel Proof Rye is the missing link between a proper bourbon and a perfect rye. Of course, every palate has its own preferences. Immediately apparent in this rye, both in the nose and taste, is the artful balance of sweet and spice, honey and heat... it’s a tug of war on the tongue that swings to sweet, but pulls back to bite in the finish. Nose: The sweetness hits early with dark fruit and vanilla, then quickly turns to spice, clove and cinnamon at the forefront. All these aromatics blend ever more beautifully the longer you let it sit. And while you wait, just gaze into that glowing golden goodness just beckoning you to give in and drink it already. Taste: What the nose hints, the taste hits. There’s that wave of cinnamon and clove, enveloped in vanilla, and filled out with faint traces of wood grain, not nutty or toasted, but more earthy, almost like a fresh mint. What lingers on the finish is that same spice that welcomed you in your initial waft. Overall, I would say I have just found my new favorite dram. Wish I had bought two.

As a 12-year-old Kentucky bourbon blend of 74% corn, 21% rye and 5% malted barley, with 93.8 ABV proof, Lone Whisker pours golden amber and delivers all the bold flavor notes and understated nuance you would expect from a high-end bottle. Each sip uncovers the increasing complexity of a master craftsmanship, helmed by Kent Jarman. The nose: Initial bright citrus notes of orange burn off quickly to reveal underlying toast and chocolate. The taste: Be prepared for smooth spices and oak, along with lingering darker fruits and the promise of dark chocolate from the nose fulfilled in the finish, as balanced as it is bold. There is a noticeable heat from start to finish that brings each phase of flavor into refined focus of depth and distinction, each note tasted as if played as a scale ascending to meet the root note of the major chord shimmering softly behind it all. This is sipping whiskey to be enjoyed at leisure and in good company.

At 121 proof, every pour of Batch #8 brings forth fire from the front and complexity of character across the finish. The burn is but a false front to ward off those whose palettes prefer a less-wise bourbon whiskey. Studious sippers will uncover layer after layer of balance and subtlety perfectly blended to provide notes of leather, caramel, nut, and vanilla. The corn on the nose hints of sweetness that settles smoothly after all else has faded out.

Very unique flavor. The hops from the IPA is very pronounced on the nose as well as the palate. Floral notes from the Chardonnay barrels are equally pronounced, which linger through to the finish. Vanilla and honeysuckle come in and out. Not your everyday whiskey and certainly not for everyone. An cold cube is recommended.