dhsilv2
Murray Hill Club Blended Bourbon
Bourbon — (blended & bottled in Washington D.C.), USA
Reviewed
April 25, 2020 (edited September 19, 2020)
I've brought you batch 18 so now lets go back 6 batches to batch 12.
Nose - Very light, vanilla, cream, touch of oak, touch of caramel. There's a bit of oak spice at the end.
Taste - A light toasted bourbon with focuses on sweetness, really bringing me back to a lot of the notes I get on say a well full proof or CYPB. It's that highly inviting and welcoming bourbon that I think has become out of hand popular. This one brings in some age and some refinement that makes me start thinking about the van winkles. Now, I'm virtually positive this isn't a wheated anything, and I don't taste wheat but it is that mellow and relaxed yet highly enjoyable balance here that I'm more focused on. I get some bubble gum notes, some kinda of puffed sugar, and just a touch of leather.
Honestly, I'm not sure I'm getting 12+ year old bourbon here, but at the same time, I'm 100% sure I'm getting whisky that with a buffalo trace logo on it, would sell for 500+ secondary.
So batch 18 vs 12?
18 is bolder, spicier, less refined, the finish is longer with sparks and bitter notes coming through. They do share similar flavor profiles as I get the creams and lighter vanilla notes, and perhaps say a hint of a vanilla wafer. The batch 12 is that van winkle refined whisky, the 18 is a store pick of weller 107, less refined, but still good.
If you like a bit of punch get the newer batches. If you are looking for that refined ultra high end bourbon experience without a CS note, I think these older bottles will do it for you.
I don't know when Nancy had to start using higher proof barrels but I do think something changed pretty materially between batch 12 and 18.
As a whisky connoisseur I would be hard pressed side by side to not tell you the batch 12 is a superior product. I however as a whisky drinker think a lot more bourbon geeks might lean towards this 18. I gave the 18 a 3.25 which is a great score and this one has to come in at 3.75. The amount of refinement while bringing in some older whisky notes really to me pushes this one up in terms of overall quality, but for those who aren't looking for a bookers punch but still need a bit of a kick, batch 18 might be more your jam.
Watch Nancy tell me batch 12 and 18 are basically the same and that I'm a fool. Either way, I'm a happy camper with the batch 12 while the batch 18 left me feeling something was off.
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Hey @dhsilv2, actually, your assessment is spot on! There IS a material difference between MHC batch 12 and 18, and that is the higher proof Bourbon that I've been using as of late. Although it seems to work very well in a whiskey like Cigar Blend, it just doesn't do as well when it is reduced to 103 as the barrels I was using previously (those had been aged in a cool, damp warehouse, so the proof had fallen considerably over time and didn't need much water reduction). Although I always use French slow water reduction techniques, I find that these barrels are still a little "rougher" when reduced, if that makes sense. However, although batch #18 might not be as refined, the average age of the components has actually increased. Thus, these days in order to produce a 12 barrel blend of MHC, I use eleven barrels of 12 to 14 year old Bourbon with a touch of 20 yr, with one barrel of 15 year old light whiskey. Over the years, I've significantly decreased the light whiskey component. At any rate, I hope this helps explain the difference between batches. You've got a great nose, glad to see that you were able to spot the nuanced differences! ;-) Cheers, Nancy.