Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Rye Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

Rye not review a rye today? (Okay I will stop right away before it gets out of hand) Today I pull out Rabbit Hole Boxergrail rye and see what I find at the bottom of said rabbit hole.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Boxergrail Kentucky Straight Rye

 

PROOF – 95

 

AGE – No age statement but rumored at 3 years

 

COLOR – rose gold (1.2 chestnut, oloroso sherry on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Fresh fruit cocktail with grapes, peaches, blueberries and strawberries, brown sugar, vanilla crème, hint of herbal

 

TASTE – Sweet toasted oak paired with rye spice, brown sugar sweetness, still summer fruits but not as outspoken as in the nose, earthy tones and then some vanilla to round it out.

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium finish. The rye spice lingers the longest but you have the toasted oak and vanilla also stick around a little bit.

 

REVIEW – For a 95% rye you are expecting either a mint field or peppery spicy dram. There is a little but it is mingled nicely with fruity sweetness along with the brown sugar and vanilla. The toasted oak note also give a solid footing to let the other notes do their thing. To be honest I usually like barely legal ryes that are in the low 50% rye in the mash bill. Most 95% get too much of herbal or peppery for me and doesn’t allow other taste profiles a chance to round out the whiskey. This one is surprising and is a really well balanced rye that still have rye notes in it but give room for the other tasting notes.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Boxergrail name comes from the Louisville boxing culture (Muhammed Ali creates that almost by himself). There are gyms all over the city that have taken underdeveloped talent and have turned them into champions. “Turning average joes into prizefighting world champions,” is what they say at Rabbit Hole.

 

One of the processes that Rabbit Hole does is they toast barrels for 20 minutes before doing the charring process. They believe that it coaxes more wood sugars and other flavors from the wood. They get their barrels from the Kelvin Cooperage.

 

Boxergrail name comes from the Louisville boxing culture (Muhammed Ali creates that almost by himself). There are gyms all over the city that have taken underdeveloped talent and have turned them into champions. “Turning average joes into prizefighting world champions,” is what they say at Rabbit Hole.

 

One of the processes that Rabbit Hole does is they toast barrels for 20 minutes before doing the charring process. They believe that it coaxes more wood sugars and other flavors from the wood. They get their barrels from the Kelvin Cooperage.

 

 

Penelope Bourbon Toasted Series Review

/in /by

Isn’t always nice when you meet a new friend. That’s what happened Wednesday night as Penelope Bourbon made their Ohio debut at the Central Ohio Whiskey Society meeting. Penelope has finally made their way into Ohio and you will find their bottles on the shelf now or very soon in Ohio. At the meeting we got to go through their entire lineup but for this review I will do a review of the Barrel Strength Toasted that was the favorite of the group by a small margin.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength Toasted Series

 

PROOF – 114

 

AGE – non-age stated officially but says 4 – 6 years on the back of the bottle (Batch 62)

 

COLOR – browned butter (1.5 auburn, polished mahogany on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Butterscotch pudding, vanilla bean, graham crackers, charred oak, worn leather

 

TASTE – Smoked salted caramel drizzle, almonds, dark chocolate, rye spice, cinnamon and black pepper. The sweetness starts out but then the spice builds.

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. The rye spice builds through the finish. Plenty of leather, oak and dark chocolate also.

 

REVIEW – This pour has a little of something for everyone. It has sweetness to satisfy the bourbon sweet tooth but has rye spice along with plenty of dark notes of oak, leather and dark chocolate. This has proof and you get it throughout the pour but it is pleasant for me but could see that it may be too hot for those that are not fans of high proof. I did think there would be some fruit notes show up but didn’t in this batch.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Penelope Bourbon is known for the four-grain mashbill. How they achieve that is using 3 different mashbills from MGP. 45% wheat bourbon, 21% rye bourbon and then what I think creates their biggest difference is a 99% corn bourbon. For the toasted series they then use Toasted barrels that come from Speyside Cooperage and Kelvin Cooperage (both located in Kentucky).

 

Others in the series that we tried Wednesday was their Four Grain Standard selection that is a 80 proofer that is perfect for an entry bourbon that is full of sweetness and extremely easy to drink. The Barrel Proof is still the Four Grain but at the 114 proof point that is rich and flavorful. Architect is the latest release that comes in at 104 proof but then uses two styles of French oak staves working in collaboration with Tonnellerie Radoux of France. I would strongly suggest going out and finding pours of these and find which expression fits you best.

Kentucky Ace Bourbon Toddy’s Pick Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

With this bourbon craze that we are all a part of (and perpetuating also) there is the good, the bad and the ugly. One of the good things that has come out of this is how many different brands and craft distillers that have sprung up all thinking they can make it better or blend it better. If you believe the variety is the spice of life it has never been spicier in the life of a whiskey drinker than it is right now. Today I review a bottle that was suggested by a member and also found for me. Kentucky Ace Kentucky Straight Bourbon that is a barrel pick of the famous Bardstown liquor store Toddy’s. Let’s get to it.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Kentucky Ace Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Selected by World Famous Toddy’s Liquors)

 

PROOF – 125.79

 

AGE – 6 years

 

COLOR – new copper penny (1.5 auburn, polished mahogany on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Amber honey, honeysuckle, orange creamsicle, newly tanned leather. When I set it down and came back and nosed it all of sudden got chocolate covered cherries. Definite ethanol burn on the nose also.

 

TASTE – Very creamy mouthfeel is noticed right away. Very rich caramel, vanilla cream, dark chocolate that transitions into sweeter mild chocolate as it journeys down the palate, toasted pecan, sweet oak, tobacco and leather.

 

FINISH – I would call this finish long. The pecan, tobacco, leather and barrel spice linger until the end.

 

REVIEW – This is a very good pour and has a great creaminess that really heightens the experience. The only draw back is the ethanol burn on the nose but the rest of the experience is really top notch. Pay a little with the ethanol on the nose to get all the flavor and finish you want is worth the price.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – I haven’t run into many bottles that give you so much information, but all the information is a riddle. Kentucky Ace is owned by Wish Key Whiskey Company which I could find nothing on it online. Says it is bottled by Hartfield & Co DSP KY -20019 Paris, Kentucky. Hartfield is a distillery since 2014 but is says specifically bottled and not distilled so my guess is that they rolled the barrels in and they put it in the glass. Then it says Distilled, Aged and Bottled In Kentucky which opens it up to be a combination of anything in Kentucky. If anyone knows anything about it, would love to know.

 

On the back of the bottle it says:

One hundred years ago, Kentucky was acclaimed as a winning brand of bourbon. We came across its distinctive label in our research into the history of distilling in the Commonwealth in the ears before prohibition decimated a thriving industry. Now the Wish Key Whiskey Company has decided to bring back this classic label by putting it in front of some of our finest reserve stocks of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. We think restoring a piece of history in time for these new Roaring Twenties tastes pretty sweet and we hope you will too.

 

Here’s to the tide of history, may she ever roll on and come round full circle.

Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel Bottled-In-Bond Review

/1 Comment/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

On this 4th of July, I pull out a bottle that is named after a person that represents what this country was built on. This week I review Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bottled-In-Bond to find out if the bourbon in the bottle is worthy for the man it is named after.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bottled-In-Bond

 

PROOF – 100

 

AGE – 10 years

 

COLOR – Weathered Wicker (1.4 Tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Amber honey, honeysuckle, vanilla crème, malted cereal, musty oak, sweet tobacco and roasted peanut

 

TASTE – Musty oak along with oak spice is there in spades. Dark caramel, honey roasted peanuts, orange peel, and cinnamon.

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium finish. The musty oak is throughout the entire journey and the amber honey from the nose appears again. Cinnamon blends in also.

 

REVIEW – This is a pleasant pour but if you don’t like oak this may not be for you. Now again it is a single barrel so they are all a bit different. To give you a reference is that the Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond has corn sweetness that this doesn’t and Heaven Hill 7 year Bottled-In-Bond is similar but pulls back on the oak forwardness. The nose is interesting and rich and the palate is good it just has a big musty oak note that is there and you must like.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Henry McKenna was an Irish immigrant that was born in Ireland in 1819 and arrived in Kentucky in 1839. He worked as a laborer mainly on road crews as many immigrants did at the time. He set out to make a better life for himself and also not labor as hard for his money. Here is an excerpt from the Whiskey University

 

Several years moved to a small town just north of today’s Bardstown. It was there in Fairfield, Kentucky in 1855 that he opened a flour mill. Henry bought a plot of land at the edge of town, built a grain elevator and mill, and set about grinding wheat into flour for their neighbors.  In those days the gristing process yielded a great deal waste.  Because he had so much waste and nothing of consequence to do with Henry bought a farm and fed the waste to farm animals like pigs. But he had too much waste from the mill that he had to find find something to do with the rest, so he decided to turn the rest into wheat whiskey. McKenna set up a wooden still in the back of his flour mill and began turning out about a barrel of whiskey a day. At first he used only wheat to make wheat whiskey but eventually turned to the most prevalent and affordable grain in the Commonwealth in corn to make his whiskey.  With corn and a charred oak barrel McKenna experimented and learned the art of making true bourbon. 

Here is the part of the story that most don’t know. In 1892 Congress introduced a bill asking for a 5-year bonding time for bourbon whiskey.  Although it does not pass that year the bill was known as “The McKenna Bill.” Less than a year later McKenna passed away.

 

McKenna represented a lot of what the USA was built on which is hard work, seizing on an opportunity, innovation and the freedom to make a better life for yourself.

 

Everyone have a great 4th of July weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

Whiskey War Double Oaked Batch 4 Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

Locally one of the most popular releases from a local distillery has to be the Whiskey War Double Oaked. Your back in luck as High Bank Distillery is release batch 4 this July 1st. Every single batch has been very unique from any of the others. Let’s see what kind of clothes this whiskey put on this time.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Whiskey War Double Oaked Batch 4

 

PROOF – 100

 

AGE – non-age stated – Distillery advertised that this is the first one using their 4 year batch and after the double oak process pushed it over 5 years.

 

COLOR – weathered leather (1.6 mahogany, henna notes on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Butterscotch, vanilla and toasted oak leap into your nose at the beginning which are the notes you expect in a double oak. As you continue to explore you get the rye spice from the heavy mash bill, stewed cherries, cinnamon and tobacco

 

TASTE – Rich caramel and toasted oak but the tobacco comes out more in the palate than in the nose. Baking spices, ginger, and some floral notes come out after the initial notes. Almost like drinking 2 different whiskies at once.

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. The cinnamon, aged oak and cinnamon last a pretty long time. At the very end reminds me of the taste and feeling of eating Red Hots.

 

REVIEW – I’ll cut to the chase and let you know I think this is the best Whiskey War Double Oaked that has been released. The interesting “2 whiskies in 1” makes it very unique. The opening on the palate gives you all the traditional double oaked flavors that people that like this style will recognize. Then it transitions and lets you know that this was a Whiskey War to start with. Gives all the flavor profile that you recognize from a Whiskey War Barrel Proof. There is no doubt that the extra age has increased the richness, the complexity and the finish.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Thanks to High Bank Distillery for providing this sample to review.

 

All bottles will go on sale Friday, July 1st at 11AM. Online purchases only. Limit 2 bottles per person. Pickup at our Grandview location only (1051 Goodale Blvd). Check out the link below for more details.

 

Now I have an action item for all that read this. Whiskey War Double Oaked needs to be a bottle that you can get at your liquor store instead of just the time it is released. I want you to call, email, DM, send a letter or even smoke signals to High Bank Distillery and demand that they make this a “shelfer.” It is un-American (maybe too far but let’s go with it) for this not to be on every shelf in Ohio. So maybe we need to call our congressman (yes, I have gone to far) to demand that this product be on the shelf for every (liquor) tax paying American. Let it be so.

To find out more you can check it out here – Whiskey War Double Oaked

You can look at all the past Sunday Evenings Reviews and I would still love to hear what your personal reviews are from each of the whiskies reviewed.

Baker’s Bourbon 7 Year Single Barrel Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

Hiding in plain site is a saying that really applies to whiskey drinkers. How many times have you tasted a whiskey that was outstanding, and it wasn’t a unicorn or overly expensive and could be grabbed at any liquor store? Every large distillery that has several brands has a few labels that just seem to fade into the background for the buying public. One of those is Baker’s for Jim Beam. There is obviously all the Jim Beam named products, Knob Creek and then Booker’s that gets a ton of hype, but Baker’s seems to be one that doesn’t get much love. Let’s see if it something you should go get or should it stay faded from view…or purchase.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Baker’s Bourbon 7 Year Single Barrel

 

PROOF – 107

 

AGE – 7 years but that is the youngest it can be. Look on the neck label for the exact age for each bottle

 

COLOR – rose gold (1.4 tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Cinnamon sprinkled on a Granny Smith apple, caramel, vanilla, and toasted pecans

 

TASTE – Cinnamon vanilla whip cream, peanut brittle, rye spice, and aged oak

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. The cinnamon just hangs on and on. There is the aged oak and some cigar tobacco, but the cinnamon is what will be noticed the most.

 

REVIEW – For a $60 single barrel with a 107 proof point and age stated at 7 years, this is one that should be on your shelf. This has a great balance between spice and sweetness. The only thing missing is fruit notes as I picked up none. The overall experience is really good and the finish could almost have a birthday. Very long and enjoyable finish.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – One of the reasons for being out of the purview of whiskey drinkers in Ohio is available. Based on OHLQ the only places are in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Marietta and there may be a half dozen that actually have it. Supply would help bring this brand forward more in Ohio.

 

Baker’s is named after Jim Beam’s grand-nephew that acted different than most people working at a distillery in Kentucky. He was a motorcycle driving with a black leather jacket and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. When he retired, Booker Noe created this brand to honor Baker “inspired by his passion for bourbon and maverick nature.”

 

High Bank Distillery June Barrel Select Releases Reviews

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

“Twice as nice” is something we have all heard. This week I get to see if that holds true in a couple different ways as I review 2 different whiskies from High Bank for an upcoming release. High Bank is doing a limited release of Whiskey War Barrel Select Spanish Madeira Wine Barrel Finished and 2nd Aged Sangiovese Wine Barrel Finished. Let get into it and see what this is all about.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Whiskey War Barrel Select Spanish Madeira Wine Barrel Finished

 

PROOF – 113.5

 

AGE – non-age stated but was told 3 years in the original whiskey barrel and 18 months in the wine barrel for a total of 4 ½ years

 

COLOR – Beef Bourguignon (1.8 old oak on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Balsamic reduction, dark cherries, vanilla extract, pipe tobacco, toasted oak, and cinnamon sticks. Very luxurious nose with deep and dark notes. One of those pours you could just nose for hours.

 

TASTE – The same balsamic reduction note to start but as it lingers changes over to a grape jelly. Other than that, the nose doesn’t lie. You still get the dark cherries, vanilla extract, pipe tobacco, toasted oak, and cinnamon sticks. The Madeira barrel has a pretty big influence with both the wine notes but the sweetness that you get is coming from the Madeira barrel.

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. I hadn’t mentioned it but this whiskey coats the mouth and the finish lingers with the grape jelly note as well as aged oak and dried tobacco.

 

NAME – Whiskey War Barrel Select Second Fill Sangiovese Wine Barrel Finish

 

PROOF – 120.5

 

AGE – non-age stated but was told aged 27 months in the wine barrel for a total of 5 years of aging

 

COLOR – Autumn Straw (1.2 chestnut, oloroso sherry on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Ginger, cooked honey, vanilla wafers, apple pie spice, there is a wine note but is so faint I can’t distinguish what style I am smelling.

 

TASTE – This has all the traditional Whiskey War Barrel Proof notes of a gingersnap cookie which not only includes the ginger but the vanilla, Brulé sugars, baking spices but there is this whisper of a wine note that swirls though that adds a slight complexity and holds the 120.5 proof at bay. Not to say there isn’t a Kentucky hug at the end but with a high rye mash bill along with 120+ proof, if not done right, could absolutely torch your palate and this does not.

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium to long finish. Certainly not as long as the Medeira finished but certainly hangs around a good bit. Ginger, cinnamon and rye spice stay until the end.

 

REVIEW – First want to thank High Bank Distillery for providing these samples to review.

 

The Madeira finished is really something special but I would say that if you don’t like sweet red wines along with whiskey then this may not be a fit. If you got the chance to taste or get High Bank’s Midnight Cask Barrel Proof then this is that on steroids both in over all experience and flavor. The flavors are deeper and richer and then the mouth feel along with a nose that should be made into a candle, you have something that you want on your shelf. This would pair extremely well with a steak when everyone heads for the red wine, pull this out instead.

 

The 2nd Fill Sangiovese finished is for those whiskey drinkers that appreciate the subtly of a finished whiskey where the finishing barrel doesn’t have to punch you in the face with the flavor profile that it is trying to be installed into the original whiskey.  If you are a lover of the Whiskey War Barrel Proof and want additional aging and wine nuance added into the juice, then this is for you.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – From High Bank Distillery about the releases:

Our Barrel Select program is one of my creative outlets as a distiller. It’s an awesome opportunity to experiment with unique barrels and various aging techniques to achieve flavor profiles outside of our typical Whiskey War line.

The limited releases are fun for our distillery team and fans of High Bank. We really enjoy hearing feedback on which batches are fan favorites and the unique notes and flavor profiles each bottle offers.

– Co-founder and Master Distiller Adam Hines

All bottles will go on sale Friday, June 10th at 11AM. Online purchases only. Limit 1 bottle of each product per person. Pickup at our Grandview location only (1051 Goodale Blvd.).

 

Obviously this is not a gin review nor do I confess to be an expert but I have come to enjoy High Bank’s Statehouse gin on warm summer days as it taste like Sprite. Add a cube and you are good to go. Along with the whiskey releases they are also releasing a Statehouse gin release that used the Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrel from the Barrel Select Whiskey Batch #2. The gin was aged in that barrel for 27 months and comes in at 82 proof. It has all the citrus (Sprite) notes that you know from Statehouse but not as sharp and then adds this pleasant sweet cooked down grape along with a toasted oak note to it. This may be my summer drink for 2022.

 

 

To find out more you can check it out here – High Bank Distillery June Releases

 

You can look at all the past Sunday Evenings Reviews and I would still love to hear what your personal reviews are from each of the whiskies reviewed.

 

E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

On this special weekend that makes all pause and remember those that paid the ultimate price for the freedom that we enjoy in the United States. For this giving a toast to those that you remember mandates you pull out something special. Today I toast those heros with an E.H. Taylor Single Barrel. Let’s get into it.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – E. H. Taylor Single Barrel Bottled In Bond

 

PROOF – 100

 

AGE – non-age stated but at least 4 years due to the Bottled In Bond laws. Rumored to be 6-8 years

 

COLOR – old copper pipe (1.4 tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Butterscotch, sweet caramel, vanilla sweet cream, orange peel, cinnamon sugar, newly tanned leather

 

TASTE – Sweet oak with caramel and vanilla and the beginning of the sip. Then the whiskey starts taking a journey with orange zest, vanilla pudding, cigar tobacco, leather but with a little more age than what I got on the nose. Also cinnamon, almond butter and dark honey. All of this delivered in one of the creamiest mouth feels you will ever get with a whiskey.

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. That creamy mouth feel coats your mouth and allows flavors to hang around for a long time. The orange note swirls through and then moves into a leather and tobacco ending.

 

REVIEW – Sometimes you wish the hype of a bottle is just that and note worth the effort to get certain bottles. I have had many that were hyped and that was all it was. This is not one of those as all the hype about this bottle is real. You won’t find a creamier whiskey at 100 proof than this one. It also has all the complexity yet a very easy drinking pour. This has something for everyone and that’s all you could ever ask.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – From the Buffalo Trace website:

 

Many of the barrels selected for the E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel are aged in Warehouse C, which was built by Taylor in 1881 and proven to be an excellent aging warehouse. Each barrel is hand-picked and Bottled in Bond at 100 proof to honor its namesake.

 

Other facts about E.H. Taylor that just adds to the lore is that he is a descendant of 2 U.S. Presidents James Madison and Zachary Taylor. Madison is considered the “Father of the Constitution” and Taylor is considered the “Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry.”

 

Taylor spent several years after the Civil War touring Europe and being educated in the latest distilling techniques, including the importance of keeping the liquids in copper kettles. When he returned to the United States in late 1867 he opened his first distillery called “The Hermitage.”

In one of the most important moves by Taylor, just two years later he purchased the Leestown Distillery, just outside Frankfort in 1869 and named it the, “O.F.C. Distillery (Old Fire Copper) Distillery.”

 

Among his inventions or improvements were using copper fermentation tanks, state-of-the-art grain equipment, column stills, modernized buildings, a more efficient sour mash technique and a first-of-its-kind steam heating system (which is still used in the warehouses today).

 

Obviously his most important contribution to bourbon was being the lead to passing the “Bottle-In-Bond Act of 1897.” It probably is the one thing that saved bourbon from being nothing more than a low quality liquor with a horrible reputation to match but because of the Bottled-In-Bond Act it is not only a high quality product with but the reputation of bourbon has people chasing it all over the world to be able to drink it.

 

Thanks again to all those that laid down their life for the freedom we enjoy as well as the families that also paid a price due to those that lost their life. I toast you and give you my never ending thanks.

To find out more you can check it out here – E.H. Taylor

You can look at all the past Sunday Evenings Reviews and I would still love to hear what your personal reviews are from each of the whiskies reviewed.

Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye Barrel Proof Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

If part of the reason you are into American whiskies is the history and stories that come with it, it will be hard to beat the history of the Old Pepper Distillery. The only problem with history and stories I have never figured out a way to taste it. So let’s get to the juice of this Old Pepper Distillery’s Single Barrel Rye at Barrel Proof. Let’s find out if we should just stick to the stories or ask for another pour.

 

NAME – Old Pepper Distillery Single Barrel Straight Rye Barrel Proof (DSP IN-15023)

 

PROOF – 121.8

 

AGE – 5 years

 

COLOR – amber honeycomb (1.3 russet muscat on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Orange citrus, butterscotch, clove, vanilla cream, and some vague herbal notes

 

TASTE – Palate falls in line with the nose. Orange citrus, butterscotch, clove, vanilla cream and the herbal note comes into focus as a whisper of mint.

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. The citrus and vanilla cream just keeps hanging on and on.

 

REVIEW – This is a spectacular rye. Has just enough of that mint/herbal note to let you know it is a rye without being obnoxious about it. Then the orange creamsicle note that runs the entire length of the experience is very pleasant. Does not drink like a 120 proofed rye and more like a 105 proof rye with a ton of flavor and finish.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – From the back of the bottle:

 

The Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky was initially built in 1880 by Colonel James E. Pepper. At the time, it was said to be the largest and most technologically advanced distillery in the nation,. It was there that Col. Pepper produced his famous high-grade whiskey, of which he was a flamboyant promoter. Indeed, legend has it that the Old Fashioned cocktail was invented in his honor, which he subsequently introduced to the world during his frequent stays in New York City. The distilleryoperated until 1967, when both it and the brand were abandoned for over 50 years. After a decade of historical research and renovation, the brand was relaunched and the distillery was rebuilt – filling its first barrel in 2017.

 

There is a ton more to the Pepper story and I encourage you to go here to learn more.

You can look at all the past Sunday Evenings Reviews and I would still love to hear what your personal reviews are from each of the whiskies reviewed.

 

 

 

Town Branch True Cask Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

Back at the Central Ohio Whiskey Society meeting we had Town Branch as our guest distillery who brought a tasting that was not yet in Ohio but said it was on the way. Well, it has arrived so I wanted to explore this again and also make you aware of the new offering to Ohio. The bottle is Towne Branch True Cask. Let’s find out if my opinion has changed since the March meeting on this bottle.

 

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Towne Branch True Cask – Batch #002

 

PROOF – 109.3

 

AGE – non age stated but is labeled as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon with no age statement means it is at least 4 years

 

COLOR – dried peat moss (1.4 tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Vanilla, rolled oats, stewed peaches sprinkled with cinnamon, chocolate malt, and some earthy tones

 

TASTE – Sweet amber honey at the start then transitions to chocolate malt, cinnamon and vanilla.

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium. In the finish the stewed peaches reappear from the nose along with a new note of cigar tobacco along side cinnamon.

 

REVIEW – I know this surprised many at the meeting and it continues to do so. This is a very good pour that isn’t overly complex but doesn’t mean it is not very enjoyable. This is another good summer bourbon with a bit of a proof punch. Would go great drinking it at a BBQ or around a firepit with friends.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – This bottle from Town Branch is rumored to have blended mash bill of a 50/50 blend: Higher-malt bourbon mash (72% corn, 15% malted barley, 13% rye) and an undisclosed proprietary bourbon mash. There is no doubt that high malt shows itself in the bourbon.

 

Another tidbit is that these barrels are being aged at the famous Castle & Key Distillery formerly the Old Taylor Distillery. The risk house very humid that actually drops the proof of the whiskey in the barrel instead the most common situation of raising the alcohol content. The barrel entry proof is 125 so it means it drops over 15 proof points in the barrel.

 

The links that they go to make sure no water is added is impressive. They even dry the blending tanks and other equipment before blending to ensure the whiskey is completely uncut.

 

Their blending team keeps blending until “they love it.” What this means is each batch will have some very different characteristics. The Batch #002 is the one that is hitting the shelves right now in Ohio.

 

To find out more check it out here – Town Branch True Cask

You can look at all the past Sunday Evenings Reviews and I would still love to hear what your personal reviews are from each of the whiskies reviewed.