Four Gate Batch 23 Barossa Creek Brrye

Rating: 16/23 This sample of bourbon-rye is courtesy of @PBMichiganWolverine. - Nose - There's a clean water aspect mixed with rye herbaceousness and spice. There's a bit of rich grain wort coming out and then there are sweet red fruits. A touch of malty sweetness. - Palate - Sweet, with a surprising rich and full character. There's some herbal nuance as well that adds depth but doesn't become excessively bitter. There's a little bit of a lightly toasted wood layer going on, contrasting with the sweet dried red fruits, which blend in surprisingly well. - Finish - A bit on the bitter side, but quite rich. There's lingering fruit, but it's even less discernible than it was before. - Conclusion - I like this. There's a nice balance going on. The flavors, although more balanced than I'd expected, are also a bit indistinct. I'm finding Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17/23) to be better than this. I think this is a 16.

Full disclosure, I’ve never had an Australian port (activate @cascode but I’m imagining a smoky, richly sweet and slightly mineral swath of notes. This has a nice tawny color to it and a slightly shy nose. Sweet, soft notes of cornbread, honey, caraway, rye and red berries. There are some sharper bits from the oak and alcohol to keep it balanced. The longer it sits the more rye-dominant it becomes and maybe some chocolate and tobacco pop out without much trace of those aforementioned berry notes. Somewhat hot with a strong herbal rye presence and a big, unexpected pop of cinnamon stick. I’m searching for port notes and maybe with a bit of water there are some pomegranate and cranberry notes, but they’re pretty buried. This really needs water to be approachable. The heat dials back quickly and the viscosity improves. That cinnamon stick still hits up front but potpourri notes follow along and a slightly floral element blends with the wood and vanilla extract on the finish. Where the rye was sourced from is a toss up, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised it it is Canadian although @PBMichiganWolverine mentioned MGP. The bourbon is almost certainly Barton but who cares. This is hot as hell and gets more interesting with water but lacks the wow factor I expect from this price range. Regardless, I tip my hat to @PBMichiganWolverinee for going out on a ledge with this one. If the aroma from the empty glass matched the palate I’d buy a bottle myself but the palate was just a bit of an attack on my senses. Demerit for price.

The nose starts a mix of fronds of dill, butterscotch pudding, raspberry coulis and slightly broken in catcher’s mitt then freshly baked pumpernickel bread, pipe tobacco and dark chocolate covered espresso beans followed by freeze dried strawberries, cherry pie filling and sautéed apples that transitions to ginger, cloves, fennel, black pepper and mildly bitter oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting sweet red berries and butterscotch pudding that quickly veers towards a high bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a spicy mocha and burnt caraway seeds then sour cherries, strawberries and lemon peel that transitions to ginger, dill, black pepper and moderately bitter oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with burnt caraway seeds, strawberry pie, butterscotch candy, pipe tobacco, cocoa nibs, dill and mildly bitter oak. After @PBMichiganWolverine reviewed this, I decided to dive in and the nose seemed simply wonderful with those rye notes being prominent but underscored by sweet caramel, cooked red berries and light earthy notes that lures you in for a taste that starts promising with creamy red berries and butterscotch but quickly becomes overwhelmingly bitter and sour that remains until the finish that is mildly bitter with a mix of rye, cooked red berries and light earthy notes. At the cost of $200, this was unfortunately underwhelming and doesn't justify its premium price but I’m really grateful that @PBMichiganWolverine was generous enough to send me a sample to taste.

I had always been curious of Four Gate. They seem to have really good reviews here, and they seem to be master blenders combining with interesting finishes. The price has always held me back—-at $200, seems like a gamble if you haven’t had a sample previously. Well, this one here is a bourbon and rye blend , finished for some time in Australian tawny port wines. Bourbon is from KY, rye from MGP. I'm a big fan of Aussie tawny port, so I figured a finishing in one might be in my sweet spot. One thing for sure…Aussie tawny ports are big and bold fruity, so I can see a big cask influence. Nose on this is great….loving the red plums, berries, and oak. Cherries , mint. Rye dominant. Taste….wasn’t as impressed. The port is clearly in the driver’s seat. Rye is followed after…just not operating like an orchestra, more like individual players. I’m getting disjointed flavors from the rye, bourbon, and port. Instead of a silky cohesive taste, just feels too discombobulated. I expected more from a $200 bottle purchase. @Richard-ModernDrinking @pkingmartin @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington @ctbeck11 would be interesting to get your take on this….this was one of the samples for our last tasting. I wasn’t impressed at all, but might be one of those things that YMMV.