New Riff Single Barrel Pick – A Caramel Embrace
Pick team member Michael Simmons shared these tasting notes to go along with these bottles —
Ever stepped into your grandmother’s kitchen on a brisk cool day, where everything smells of love and a caramel candy shop. Her warm hug wraps around you like a soft quilt, melting away every worry in an instant. In that embrace, the world fades, and you’re carried straight to your happy place.
Introducing COW’s New Riff Single Barrel Pick, “The Aquifer”. Aged 5 years and 3 months, this 112.5 proof whiskey releases a caramel-forward nose that feels like opening the door to a warm country kitchen. Notes of butterscotch and vanilla drift upward like memories of freshly baked pies, while honey, brown sugar, and dark fruits—think ripe plums and black cherries—add a deeper, almost decadent dimension. Each inhale invites you closer, promising something both comforting and bold.
On the palate, that promise unfolds beautifully. Sweet vanilla and rich caramel greet you first, but just as the sweetness settles in, a rye-driven spice cuts through, bringing lively complexity and a hint of mischief. The sip lingers with a long, persistent finish where the spice gradually builds into a gentle Kentucky hug—a slow, warming embrace that spreads from the chest outward. It’s the kind of pour that doesn’t just warm you; it grounds you in a happy place, like the last crackling embers of a late-night fire.
Without this single barrel, your collection is basically wearing mismatched socks—technically fine, but you’ll know the truth.
If those tasting notes don’t have you racing for a bottle … beautifully reviewed, thanks Michael.
Knob Creek Single Barrel Select – COWS Pick
As luck would have it, our first pick of the year (back in April) came in right at the end of the year. But it is well worth the wait. The pick team had to fight to get the barrel to give its nectar up – striking the bung ~50 times before it would yield its contents – hence the name.
NAME – Knob Creek – COWS Tough Bung
PROOF – 120 proof
AGE – Barreled January 8, 2014; bottled April 20, 2023 – 9 years and 3 months (and no, I don’t have any idea what happened between April and its arrival in December other than the Black Hole that is OHLQ).
COLOR – Tawny (1.4 on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart).
NOSE – A sweet adventure of chocolate, peanuts, nougat, caramel, and kettle corn – almost like a Payday candy bar lightly coated with chocolate. While you get a little ethanol from the proof – it is light.
TASTE – This is one of those pours where the nose somewhat betrays what you taste. The sweetness from the nose hits right up front with a soft caramel and peanut, but quickly dissipates into a wild cherry and soft vanilla that hangs in the middle of the palate. A slight mineral note appears mid-palate as well that provides a cherry soda note.
FINISH – This is a medium finish. It is interesting that the mid-palate flavors hang around and to a certain degree out shadow the peppery oak finish. Although 120 proof, this is a very approachable pour.
REVIEW – It wouldn’t be a Beam product without a nutty note, but kudos to the pick team taking a known quantity and capturing a unique expression of it – which is in part what barrel picks are all about.
FINAL COMMENTS – There is a reason that the barrel was one Tough Bung and didn’t want to give its contents up – it is very solid pour. You’ll want this one on your shelf to share during these cold winter months.
-Todd Sarver
COWS Maker’s Mark Private Selection by Todd Sarver
When the pick team trekked down to Loretto for the most recent Maker’s pick – the objective was to take COWS’ prior pick (“COWS Did It On The Lakeside”) and […]
Five Brothers Bourbon by Todd Sarver
When I am in Bardstown, I will wander into Heaven Hill reminded of the halcyon days when I could walk up to the desk, ask for a Parker’s Heritage or Old Fitzgerald, and the clerk would ask what year (true story). Most recently, I wandered in and did not find Parker’s Heritage or Old Fitzgerald, but Five Brothers bourbon.
The bottle pays homage to the Shapiro brothers who started Heaven Hill. The bottle is a blend of 5 different aged bourbons, ranging from 5 to 9 years.
Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.
NAME – Five Brothers Bourbon
PROOF – 90
AGE – None on the label, but it says “Straight” and media information indicates a blend of 5-9 years.
COLOR – Tawny (1.4 on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)
NOSE – A very enjoyable blend of burnt caramel; dark chocolate; brown sugar; oak; and a subtle hint of pear.
TASTE – A relatively thin mouthfeel (but it is 90 proof). Kraft caramel squares provide a very sweet start up front, then into a charred oak with a light cinnamon in the middle. A solid tasting bourbon.
FINISH – This is a shorter finish. The caramel reappears along with the charred oak continuing through.
REVIEW – This is a good 90 proof Heaven Hill bourbon. The problem, again, is the price point. This is a $60 bottle. In Ohio, I can get Evan Williams BIB for $19; Elijah Craig (94 proof) for $34; Elijah Craig Toasted (94 proof) for $55. Even Evan Williams Master Blend (90 proof) is available at the Evan Williams Experience for $60; and it has a whiff of their 23-year product in it. All of these, to me, are the same or better than Five Brothers.
FINAL COMMENTS – This, to me, is more evidence that the market is oversaturated and if the bubble hasn’t already burst, it’s coming soon. The price and proof point vis-à-vis their own products is a head scratcher. But I presume it is the process of putting another product out there and hoping that folks like me will chase them.
Latest Page Update – 5/18/2026
Preservation Distillery
