Posts

Watershed Bourbon Wine Barrel Pinot Noir Cask Finished Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

This week’s review is for a limited release from Watershed Distillery that will be available at their upcoming 1st Annual Booty Hunt on October 29th. This Watershed Bourbon finished in Pinot Noir barrels. So without further ado I will stick out my pinkie and get to sipping.

 

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

 

NAME – Watershed Bourbon Pinot Noir Wine Barrel Finished Whiskey

 

PROOF – 94

 

AGE – No age statement did get from the distillery that it is at least 6 years old, 3 years in its home barrel and at least 3 years in the Pinot Noir cask

 

COLOR – rose gold (1.7 burnt amber on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Canned plums syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla ice cream, sweet oak, aged leather

 

TASTE – Raisins, aged oak, leather, tobacco leaf, and baking spices

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium finish. This is where you taste the Pinot Noir influence with a dry dark red wine note. The length of this finish at 94 proof is pretty impressive.

 

REVIEW – To be honest thought that due to the 3 years in a Pinot Noir Cask it would taste like a high proofed wine. It does not at all and shocked by just the slight wine notes that come in for me in the finish. This is a very enjoyable pour but to distinguish individual tasting notes was very difficult. It seems to have several notes melding together to create its own experience.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – This bottle was given to me to review by Watershed Distillery. Also as mentioned before, Watershed is having an event on October 29th from 8am to 2pm called the Booty Hunt. There will be a raffle for empty bourbon barrels, rare bourbon bottles and also some local vendors. Here is what they said about the event:

 

Join the hunt for unique products, limited releases, and other one-of-a-kind Watershed rarities available one day only while supplies last. See you tharr!

 

Here is the link for more information – Watershed Booty Hunt | Watershed (watersheddistillery.com)

Whiskey War Double Oaked COWS Pick “D.O. or Die” Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

There is only one time you can be first and the COWS got that chance and took it. The COWS are the first public barrel pick with the High Bank Distillery. The group got to pick a Whiskey War Double Oak barrel and now it is time to let you know what we picked taste like. Stay tuned until the end with information of when and where you will be able to get yours.

 

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

 

NAME – Whiskey War Double Oak Single Barrel – “D.O. or Die”

 

PROOF – 100

 

AGE – 5+ years (oldest juice to come out of High Bank so far)

 

COLOR – Dark Amber (1.6 mahogany, henna notes on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – The signature Whiskey War ginger note along with vanilla crème, saddle leather, aged oak, butterscotch, raisins and toasted almonds.

 

TASTE – Right away you notice that this whiskey coats your tongue like a thick syrup. The ginger is still there but it climbs into the backseat to let sweet caramel, vanilla bean, raisin and leather drive. The aged oak is still there along with a hint of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and cinnamon.

 

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. Sit back for awhile as this finish lingers for a good bit of time. The dark chocolate, caramel and rye spice linger and linger.

 

REVIEW – This is a very good double oaked whiskey that doesn’t get overly sweet like some do from other distilleries. There is enough spice and earthy notes that ride along with the sweet notes to make it very interesting and highly enjoyable. The finish is something to behold on a 100 proof whiskey that isn’t even 6 years old yet. It is long and very enjoyable. In my opinion the best double oaked Whiskey War to come out of High Bank Distillery.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – If this review isn’t enough for you, here is the tasting notes from Adam Hines the Master Distiller of High Bank Distillery:

 

Sweet vanilla caramel nose with notes of leathery oak. Accompanied by a sugary white pepper caramel that ends with a raisin and mint tea finish.

The COWS have been honored and lucky to get some pretty exciting experiences. This is one of the biggest honors when the distillery comes to you and ask you to be the first to do a barrel pick with one of, if not the, hottest distillery in America after winning best blended whiskey at the San Francisco World Spirits competition 2 years in a row. This will absolutely be a bottle that you will want to have in your collection for numerous reasons. The price for the bottle is $69.99 plus tax and the link to purchase this will hit the COWS Facebook group page at 11am on Friday, October 21st. There will be a limit of 1 bottle on the first day to give everyone a chance to get this special bottle. The nice part is you can go to High Bank Distillery right after purchasing online and pick up the bottle. All bottles will need to be picked up at High Bank Distillery and there will not be any special arrangements for pick up or delivery that can be made by High Bank Distillery or the Central Ohio Whiskey Society.

Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

This week SER reviews a newer release from Fred B. Noe Distillery, Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well 184 months aged (15 years for those mathematically challenged) edition. This came in with a fair bit of fanfare. Let’s find out if it holds up to the hype.

 

This review was a request from a member so make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

 

NAME – Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well

 

PROOF – 108

 

AGE – 15 years but this is a blend of 15 year and 16 year bourbon

 

COLOR – Aged Hickory bark (1.8 old oak on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Classic scents are here in spades. Caramel, cinnamon stick, vanilla, aged oak but I think the classic cherry note leans more to a strawberry taffy. There is the smell of a tobacco barn, some maple syrup and roasted coffee beans.

 

TASTE – The age of this whiskey shows on the palate. Old oak, leather, tobacco, along with cinnamon, maple syrup and raisins.

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium finish. Slight disappointment is this whiskey is thinner than expected for a 15 year bourbon and I think it hurts the length of the finish. That said it is very pleasant. Aged oak, roasted peanut, and leather linger until the end.

 

REVIEW – Don’t know if this is influenced by something but this is what I think Baker’s would taste like if it was 15 years old. That’s a very good thing. Makes since as the proof if very close and both from Beam. I appreciate the tamed down Beam peanut in this whiskey and all the darker notes that I really enjoy.  Really the only think that makes this a very good bourbon versus a spectacular bourbon is the mouth feel and longer finish.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Here is from the press release for Hardin’s Creek:

 

Hardin’s Creek is an ongoing series of annual releases, featuring some of James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s rarest and most unique liquids and grounded in the rich experience and distilling expertise of James B. Beam Distilling Co. Each set of releases will showcase the breadth and depth of the James B. Beam Distilling Co’s whiskey-making credentials inclusive of age, blending, mash bill, distillation, barrels, rackhouse locations, and more. This year’s inaugural Hardin’s Creek series will launch with two expressions: Jacob’s Well™ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a thoughtful blend of two ultra-aged bourbons, and Colonel James B. Beam™ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a carefully crafted young whiskey.

 

The Fred B. Noe Distillery was thoughtfully named after seventh-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe, with the intent of producing new-to-world innovative products as part of the next generation of whiskey such as Little Book® and Booker’s®. On May 12, 2022, Freddie Noe was officially named the Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery, announced by his father Master Distiller Fred Noe. This is significant as it is the first time in Beam history that there are two family members, working alongside one another, sharing the Master Distiller title at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. homestead in Clermont, KY.

 

Today the Beam name is synonymous with bourbon, and that all started with Johannes Jacob Beam, the forefather of America’s first family of bourbon. In 1795, Jacob Beam set down roots in the foothills of Western Kentucky. He started with a sturdy but humble well to draw water from a nearby creek. That water powered a mill – the mill to grind fields of corn – which formed Jacob Beam’s earliest mashes. That creek – Hardin’s Creek – became the first source of his family’s enduring legacy.

Castle & Key Bourbon Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

This week as I made my way down to do an Ezra Brooks Cask Strength barrel pick at Lux Row I was forced to storm the castle (walk into the gift shop) of the Old Taylor Distillery that is home of Castle & Key. I went to pick up the fairly recently released bourbon that is now on batch 3. Not many liked the first batch as I heard. Let’s see if they figured anything out and batch 3 is the charm.

 

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

 

NAME – Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon

 

PROOF – 96

 

AGE – 4 years

 

COLOR – autumn hay (1.3 russet muscat on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Lemon tart, powder sugar, toasted corn bread, caramel ice cream topping

 

TASTE – Cooked caramel, toasted oak, vanilla ice cream, lemon zest, croissant, rye spice, slight floral notes

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium finish. The caramel, oak and a pepper note continue through the end. Gets a bit drying at the end. Just enough you want another sip.

 

REVIEW – This is summer in a glass. A lot of lemon citrus throughout the nose and the palate. For 96 proof and only 4 years old thought it was pretty oily and really clung to the sides of the glass. For $50 this juice along with a very thick and beautiful bottle presentation is more than worth it on this batch. We are nearing the end of summer and this is the perfect bourbon to take you into fall.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – The mash bill is 73% White Corn, 10% Rye, and 17% Malted Barley. This would have been put in the barrel back when Marianne Eaves was still the master distiller.

 

This is the first proprietary bourbon to be distilled and released by Castle & Key from the historic Old Taylor Distillery in nearly five decades. Castle & Key has been more widely known as a contract distiller, working with brands like Pinhook and more recently Blue Run.

 

To me the only other distillery the rivals Castle & Key for the beauty of the grounds is Maker’s Mark. This place is a must visit even if who are with is not into spirits at all. By the way you can rent the grounds for a wedding or other event for $40k if you’re interested.

 

 

Buckner’s Single Barrel 13 Year Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

This week’s bottle came on the market like a storm but has since seemed to no longer be the must have bottle. Is it the juice or is it just the $200 price tag. We will find out his week on the Sunday Evening Review as I go through Augusta Distiller’s Buckner’s Single Barrel.

 

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

 

NAME – Buckner’s Single Barrel

 

PROOF – 118.2

 

AGE – 13 years

 

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

 

NOSE – Honeycrisp apple, butterscotch, amber honey, vanilla wafers, toasted pecan, and aged oak.

 

TASTE – Cinnamon rolls, cooked caramel, stewed apples, vanilla, toasted oak

 

FINISH – I would call this a medium finish. The caramel, along with some raisins and oak finish this up.

 

REVIEW – Will start this by saying this is a very good pour and very enjoyable to drink but its not $200 good. As soon as I put my nose on this I knew that smell immediately. Though its not official there is a high probability of being a Barton sourced juice and it smelled exactly like 1792 Full Proof. The 13-year age statement along with a single barrel and barrel proof entices buyers that they are going to get something that is more than a standard 1792 Full Proof. To me it is not and dare I say it may not be as good. It should have a better mouth feel and a longer finish for the age and the price. In the $60 to $80 price range this is a buy but no way at $200 which is MSRP.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Like I said in the review that this is a highly likely sourced juice from Barton and the mash bill all but confirms it as it is a 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% barley which is the exact mash bill of 1792.

 

There always has to be a story and Buckner’s is no different. Here it is from the website:

 

Buckner’s Single-Barrel Bourbon is a tribute to the lasting legacy of Revolutionary War Hero Captain Philip Buckner.  Following his years of service in the Virginia Militia, Buckner was awarded 7,000 acres along the Ohio River that would ultimately give rise the city of Augusta, Kentucky.  The civic minded Buckner would go on to establish the first school, courthouse and jail, setting the roots of prosperity still visible in the community today.

 

I want to say again that his was a very good pour and if your friends of family offer it to you don’t hesitate but when the cashier ask you for $200 plus tax our of your wallet, you may want to look down the bourbon aisle again.

 

Rebel Cask Strength Single Barrel Review

/in /by

Sunday Evening Review

 

So OHLQ is putting out their latest barrel picks of Rebel Cask Strength from Lux Row. I haven’t got one but thought I would do a review of one I do have from Papa Joe’s if you haven’t had the chance to taste this wheated cask strength selection.

 

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

 

NAME – Rebel Cask Strength Single Barrel

 

PROOF – 120

 

AGE – Just lists when it was filled but not when it was bottled. From the multiple ones I have usually around 5 years.

 

COLOR – toasted pecan (1.4 tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

 

NOSE – Raw honey, cooked peaches, vanilla ice cream with caramel drizzle, roasted almonds and cinnamon sugar

 

TASTE – Peanut brittle, fresh berries, tobacco, leather, cinnamon and some coffee with sweet cream.

 

FINISH – I would call this a fairly long finish. The cooked caramel, tobacco, leather and cinnamon linger until the end.

 

REVIEW – Really good pour with more complexity and finish than you normally find in a wheated mash bill bourbon. The 120 proof obviously helps this with all of it but have had other wheated mash bill bourbons with far more simplicity and shorter finishes. Especially for a 5 year-ish aging, it really blossomed into something pretty great. Obviously being a barrel pick, this was the best of the already best barrels that Lux Row has to offer. So you would hope that it is something special. If you think this is going to be just another form of Maker’s Mark, it is not and gives you something very different but does hang onto the prototypical sweetness normally found in a wheater.

 

FINAL COMMENTS – Mash bill for the Rebel Cask Strength is 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malt. Now the other part of this that should be of interest is this, not officially confirmed but sources inside Lux Row have said, that Rebel is sourced juice from Heaven Hill. If the mash bill sounds familiar it’s because it’s the same mash bill as Larceny and Old Fitzgerald. Obviously, the Heaven Hill products come with more age but for a price of $55 for a cask strength barrel pick is a great value.

 

 

 

 

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!