Old Elk Small Batch Sour Mash Reserve Batch 1
Bourbon
Old Elk // USA
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hansmootho
Reviewed September 3, 2021 (edited January 28, 2022)I have tried a few Old Elk offerings in the past and been mildly impressed. This reserve bottle is their self proclaimed best barrels of their high malt mash. This particular bottle is batch 3 so perhaps the third time is the charm for some whiskey magic. Nose definitely gives away the high malt and corn mash. You can really get the maltiness, but there is also a bit more ethanol here than I would prefer. Don't breathe too deeply on this one without letting it sit in the glass for a significant time. First sip is pretty damn hot for a 52٪. I have had much higher proofs sip much better. There is a really nice Golden Graham vibe here. Usually a few sips in the burn mellows, but this one is still really packing on a mix of pepper and alcohol burn. Just as you start to get some cinnamon and honey hints the alcohol comes rushing in to overpower it. The finish brings a little char to the party as the alcohol finally starts to fade. Some reviews placed this as the best sour mash ever and said it beat Michter's and Elmer T Lee. I have to say I would overpay on an ETL bottle anyday vs this fireball. I am going to call this a let down at the price point. I was really expecting this higher proof reserve to be something special given my experience with the lower proof offerings. It's not a drain pour by any means, but you won't be missing anything by letting it sit on the shelf and using me as your $100 guinea pig....80.0 USD per Bottle -
mmabry76
Reviewed July 24, 2021 (edited June 16, 2022)Amazing sour mash!!! This is at the top of my sour mash list. Well worth the price!!! -
Blfralic
Reviewed July 8, 2021Similar to another taster, wouldnt change a thing about Batch 01. Probably the best Sour Mash I’ve tried to date! -
dhsilv2
Reviewed July 7, 2021 (edited September 29, 2021)Well, I'm being lazy as distiller makes adding new whiskies too difficult. This is however the batch 2 version of this. But hey not a lot of reviews here as is. Nose - There's this closed off oaky and yet not really oaky note I'm getting more and more on these younger "craft" bourbons that's coming off here. It's I think the result of using some of these more "fancy" grains or it could be something related to the smaller batches. I am generally not a fan of this note, but on this one it's not over powering. The impact is that I get notes of a young bourbon but with some elements of even a younger single malt. Effectively a bitter oak, vanilla, dusty/musty room, but overall the profile is a rather pleasing and approachable one once the glass as time to open up. Might even be a walnut or some kind of sophisticated nutty element here. Time brings up the sweet notes and pulls back on the musty odd oak and premium grain elements. It also starts to bring out some chocolate elements and even hints of cherry. Similarly, time open brings down the youthful nature of this as well. Taste - This is an explosive and full flavored whisky. Chewy oak with a lot of fruity flavors (think darker fruits with cherry and plum and figs, kinda those sherry notes but very much in a bourbon context), caramel is more noticed than vanilla, there's a bit of oak smoke, and it's just got this over coat of funk and youthful bitter with this huge depth and richness you get with older expressions. Water - so where this whisky shines is with the depth and richness that you really can only get at the full proof. Water cuts through a lot of that and lets you understand the real whisky under it...and that's 6 year old bourbon. Now I'm getting biting notes vs rich depth. That funk and oak that had me thinking of varnish and older whisky notes is gone and now I'm just picking up an interesting unique flavor profile but with younger notes. I'm sorry guys, I'm all over the map here. I really don't have a good comparison for this stuff. Woodville is really about as similar a profile as I can think of and that's another one that's all over the map. So I guess the question really comes down to if this is subjectively enjoyable and the objectively what is and isn't right here? Subjectively - I actually think this is a lot better than my notes might indicate. The youth and roughness around the edges is offset by that dense and deep flavor. There's huge complexity here. I love oak where it doesn't hide the rest of the whisky and here the spice and fruit and funk is every bit as potent as the oak notes. Objectively - 105 proof suits this whisky well, I'm assuming proofed down or batched to that proof. It has rough edges and some off youth notes, but I think they balanced that well and at 6 years this comes off with a lot of elements of older whiskies. The sour and bitter elements here are I think intentional and not the result of poor casks or bad blending. Objectively I think this is a well done but younger bourbon. Final thoughts - a rich, creamy mouth feel complements a really deep and rich bourbon. If all craft bourbon was like this and not so often rushed crap, we'd all be better off. Now this is pushing 100 bucks for a bottle. So I can't give this a strong recommendation at that price, but as a craft bourbon goes, I have nothing but good things to say. 2.75 out of 5. If you get a chance to try this, I'd recommend it. It's not an everyday whisky but it packs in the flavor and has a profile you rarely get.
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