Good reviews and High West American Prairie Bourbon

May 29, 2018 Eric Burke

Image: A bottle of High West American Prairie Bourbon I received as a gift and the card I received with it. The text on the card states: "Deer dog siTTR, Tank u 4 bee sOO gOOd 2 mEE U R bESt GOG siTTR u GOOOD WAkER & gOOD @ beLLEE RUBss. ps. No …

An interesting thing that I've only recently realized is that while my hobby is providing reviews for things that other people have made, my living is made providing services and creating objects that live and die by reviews from other people. I'm a Freelance Graphic Designer, I have an Etsy store, and I watch people's dogs.

It is amazing how bad a poor review or a lost client can feel when you've worked your ass off. It is why I try to couch negative reviews in the nicest way possible. Very few people set out to purposefully create a bad product so just because I think a poor review is justified and is good for consumers, I don't want to discourage someone just because being a dick will get more clicks than being nice about it.

Conversely, a great review will make you feel like you are on top of the world. Like all the hard work you put into a job was noticed and made someone's life better. It's even better when that good review is hand-delivered and is accompanied by whiskey.

Which is what happened to me last week.

There is a dog that I have been watching at least once a week for the last six months or more. He was just a pup when it started and we've had the pleasure of watching him grow up. Last Friday, our client came up the walkway holding a bag that looked suspiciously like a booze bag. In it was a very lovely card letting us know how much she appreciated all we do for him and a bottle of High West American Prairie bourbon. Which was doubly appreciated as we hadn't reviewed it previously.

Long story short: if you appreciate someone, let them know. It'll make their day.

High West American Prairie Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bourbon was a lovely gift of appreciation from a dogsitting client. Suggested retail price is $34.99.

Details: Age stated as 2 years old. The High West website says that is is a blend of 2- to 13-year-old straight bourbon whiskeys with one of them being an MGP bourbon of the 75% corn, 21% rye mashbill.

Nose: Butterscotch, mint, cinnamon and a hint of pickle juice.

Mouth: Sweet with a nice mouthfeel. Caramel, nutmeg, dusty oak and a hint of anise.

Finish: Medium length. Notes of cinnamon, mint, and oak.

Thoughts: The folks at High West have a reputation for sourcing whiskeys from multiple distilleries and blending them to make a tasty end product. This is no exception. Even though the product is legally only 2-years-old, this is a pretty good dram. They recommend using it in a cocktail, but I think it works just fine on it's own.

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Wild Turkey Longbranch

May 24, 2018 Eric Burke

As this is billed as a collaboration between Matthew McConaughey and Eddie Russell, I'm guessing I'm supposed to start this post with some famous movie quote, something along the lines of "alright, alright, alright" or some other such piece of pop culture detritus.

I'm not going to do that.

I like Matthew McConaughey as an actor. I've liked him in most of the roles he's played. I was a bit curious when he came on as "Creative Director" for Wild Turkey, but he seems to have made a couple of good commercials. I paused a bit when Wild Turkey announced a collaboration between said Creative Director and Eddie Russell in the form of a new bourbon. I love Wild Turkey, and I wasn't sure what an actor could bring to a brand that was built under Jimmy Russell.

However, the bottle was only $36, so I decided to find out.

Wild Turkey Longbranch

Purchase Info: $35.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 43% ABV. Filtered...err...Refined with an oak and mesquite charcoal.

Nose: Brown Sugar, Wintergreen, nutmeg and a hint of day-old campfire ashes

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel. A lot of baking spices, wintergreen.

Finish: Full-mouth finish with a nice lingering tingle. Notes of mint and baking spice.

Thoughts: This is a version of Wild Turkey that turns down the "kick" but turns up the spiciness. I don't know that it will appeal to Wild Turkey die-hards, but it would probably appeal to those who are "Wild Turkey Curious." I like it. It certainly isn't my favorite Wild Turkey expression. It's better than the 81 proof. But I like 101 and Rare Breed much better. But then, I've heard of this compared to Old Grand-Dad 114's Basil Hayden. I think that is a good comparison. It's got a lot of the same flavors as it's more assertive brothers, but is accessible to the newcomer. And much like that, if it gets more people in the door, I guess it's done it's job.

Maker's Mark: Seared Bu 1-3

May 22, 2018 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I accept a review sample, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. Please consider it disclosed. I’d like to thank Maker's Mark for providing this sample to me with no strings attached. As always, all thoughts are just my opinion and should be taken as just that.

Image: close up of the label of the Maker's Mark: Seared Bu 1-3 bottle

I have spent the last two evenings re-mulching the flower beds in front of my house. If I did it all at once, this would be a much more onerous task, but luckily the pick-up truck can only hold so many cubic yards of mulch. So I get to break it up into three much more manageable (though, to this out of shape drinker, still tiring) jobs. We like to get the ruby red mulch. Not only is it an attractive color, but it nicely accents the green plants that it surrounds.

Does this have anything to do with tonight's whiskey? Not really. I just wanted to whine about my sore back for a bit.

Well, maybe there is one connection. Red. Tonight I'm tasting a lovely limited edition, gift shop only, version of bourbon's favorite redhead, Maker's Mark. It is a sold out release, so I'm basically bragging at this point. But the knowledge of how good, or not, this release is might help you decide whether or not to make the trip to Maker's to stand in line the next time they announce a super limited, distillery only release.

In case you hadn't guessed it already, I'm tasting the Maker's Mark Seared Bu 1-3 bourbon tonight. It is an off-shoot of the Private Select program we discussed back in December. This time they are featuring a new stave that wasn't included in the Private Select program. Not because it didn't taste good, but because it didn't play well with others.

So what is this Stave Bu 1-3? According to the press release, it is a "virgin seared and sous-vide French oak stave." And according to author Carla Carlton, that means precisely what it sounds like: the seared staves were soaked in temperature-controlled water for some length of time. How does this help the stave make the whiskey taste different? No idea. I'm not a wood scientist (though if a wood scientist is reading this, I would love to know, and will happily publish, the answer).

But for now, you probably don't care about that. You just want to know how it tastes.

Maker's Mark Seared Bu 1-3

Purchase info: This sample was kindly provided to me free of charge by Maker's Mark. The suggested price was $39.99 for a 375 mL bottle.

Details: 55.35% ABV. Batch #1. Sample date April 24, 2018. Stave profile 10 Seared Bu 1-3.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, ripe cherries.

Mouth: Very warm when neat. Buttered toffee, honey, baking spices, and a light fruitiness.

Finish: Long and warm. Lingering dark chocolate and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is delicious. Forget making me want to drive down to buy it; this bourbon makes me want to live near the distillery so I could be first in line on the off chance there is something like this put out again. I'd love it if this one was added to the permanent line-up along side Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, and the cask strength ones.

As this is a barrel-strength release, I'll let you know that this holds its own with, and can benefit from, a little water. All the flavors stick around, but the heat gets knocked down some so you can enjoy them. I absolutely love this one. I'll be sticking this in the closet to share when company comes over.

1792 Bottled in Bond

May 17, 2018 Eric Burke

I've been reading a lot of old 1950s and 1960s magazines lately. I'm reading them for the history but, as I create ads for a living, I can't help but be struck by the advertisements as well. And of course, these particular magazines have a lot of booze ads in them.

Knowing that the bourbon crash was only a few years away, I am struck by the differences between the bourbon ads and the ads for clear spirits. The bourbon ads highlight luxury and impressing those you entertain. They are full of photos of men in tuxedos and women in fancy dresses. They look really old-fashioned. By contrast, the ads for clear spirits are fun. Even half a century later, they still have a freshness about them. It isn't hard to see why bourbon lost the war for the 1960s and 70s drinker.

I did find it interesting though that bourbon was advertising itself as a luxury item for the ultra-rich and swanky. When I first started drinking alcohol, you could barely give bourbon away. When I first started drinking bourbon, it was an affordable luxury. You could get something old and really delicious for $30-40. Of course, these days the pendulum has swung back again. I saw an article touting an 11-year old bourbon from a major producer for $110 today. $10 per year of age, from the big guys, seems a bit ludicrous to me, but then there is a reason I'm the guy who runs the "Bottom-Shelf Brackets."

Luckily for those of us who drink on a budget, there is one producer who seems to have found their niche producing affordable limited edition bourbons. Sazerac's Barton distillery has been quietly putting out delicious, affordable bourbon after delicious, affordable bourbon in the 1792 line. Tonight I have a glass of the 1792 Bottled-in-Bond. Let's see how it tastes.

1792 Bottled-in-Bond

Purchase info: $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 50% ABV. Distilled and bottled at DSP-KY-12. Non-age stated though the bottle says "well-aged."

Nose: Almond, Caramel, and cinnamon.

Mouth: Good heat with cinnamon and nutmeg followed by brown sugar and mint.

Finish: Spicy and long with a heat that sort of creeps back up on you right in the middle of the chest.

Thoughts: This is a tasty bourbon. Spicy and warm, it doesn't have the almost overwhelming heat of the 1792 Full Proof. Instead, it feels like a warm blanket straight from the dryer: pure comfort. It won't knock your socks off, but then you won't need to mortgage the house to afford it either. It sums up what brought me to bourbon in the first place: a tasty, affordable, luxury.

Pure Kentucky

April 26, 2018 Eric Burke

So I'm watching the NFL draft tonight. I'm nominally a Green Bay Packer fan, but honestly, I don't really care that much about NFL football anymore. Growing up, the NFL was all I cared about. But today? I think I watched two games last season and one was the Super Bowl.

These days college football is the only sport I care about. I'm so obsessed that I even read off-season blog posts about recruiting. But that is just the off-season because honestly caring about recruiting is creepy. During the season, even if your team isn't in the running for a championship, there are those players that everyone talks about. Those that you just know are going to be playing on Sundays. And that's why I'm watching the NFL Draft. It is fun to watch the kids that you've been following all year see their dreams come true. After today though, I'll probably only see them play occasionally.

Sometimes a person likes something that it seems like they shouldn't, if you don't know the whole story.

And you could say that statement makes tonight's whiskey fit the theme. This is a bourbon that I've walked past for years. But I finally bought it. I tend not to like bourbons that are overproof. This is 107 proof. Even though I almost always like the single barrels that Willett puts out, I've been much less high on the brands they blend barrels to make. But...

I'm getting ahead of myself.

Pure Kentucky

Purchase info: $35.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Details: Non-age stated. 53.5% ABV.

Nose: Caramel, nougat, cinnamon, clove, mint and a nutty note.

Mouth: Nice heat as you might expect from 107° proof. Thick and chewy mouthfeel. Flavors follow the nose with caramel, cinnamon, clove, pepper, and mint.

Finish: Warm and long with lingering nougat, baking spices, and nuttiness.

Thoughts: To finish the thought from above even though I've been less than high on other brands that Willett blends barrels to create, I like this one. It is thick and chewy. The proof is high, but not too high. There is good caramel. It reminds me a bit of the Willett distilled Old Bardstown, though I don't know if it has any Willett distilled juice in it. I'm going to say that I like this in spite of all the things that say I shouldn't. I liked my first bottle of Willett-distilled Old Bardstown but wasn't a huge fan of the second one from a year later. This reminds me of that, but I still like it. The proof is a little high for me to drink neat, but that is how I like this one. It's a nice change of pace bourbon.

Rebel Yell Single Barrel: 2018 edition

April 12, 2018 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I accept a review sample, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. Please consider it disclosed. I’d like to thank Common Ground PR for providing this sample to me with no strings attached.

Image: Sample bottle of Rebel Yell Single Barrel

I got a new oven today. I'm not terribly happy about it. See I liked my old oven. It was full of bells and whistles that made life easier. Of course, the part that broke was the very part that controlled all those bells and whistles. And it would have been a significant portion of the purchase price to get it fixed.

So I got a new oven. And even though it isn't quite as good as the old one used to be, it is infinitely better than the old one has been for the last two weeks since the new one does such fancy things as heat up and cook food.

I'm pretty sure there is some sort of life lesson there. I put off getting a new oven for two weeks because I couldn't find one that I liked as much as the last one. Finally, I just picked one. It isn't perfect, but as they say, the perfect can be the enemy of the good.

I've never had a perfect bourbon. Mostly because I have no idea how I would define such a thing. I have had very good bourbons, however. And tonight's bourbon is a fine example of that. I'm pretty sure this bourbon will not be as good as my old oven...I loved that thing. But I'm almost positive I will like it more than the new oven.

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 2018

Purchase Info: Common Ground PR provided this sample. Suggested retail price is $59.99.

Details: Barrel#: 5083254. Aged since September 2006. 50% ABV.

Nose: Brown sugar, oak, cherry and under it all are hints of wintergreen.

Mouth: Nice warmth with good spiciness. Red fruits, caramel, worn leather and baking spices.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Dry with lingering baking spice.

Thoughts: Another very good release from the line of Rebel Yell Single Barrels. I'll be looking to grab a bottle when it hits shelves.

Rebel Yell Bourbon: Revisited

April 10, 2018 Eric Burke

It has been fourteen hundred, sixty-eight days since I last published tasting notes of Rebel Yell Bourbon. It has been seven hundred, seventy days since I proclaimed Rebel Yell one of the five worst American Whiskeys I've had. The first time it appeared on the blog I noted:

I have no idea what I will do with this bottle, but I certainly won’t be drinking it. My wife has been bugging me to give her bourbon to use in a homemade bug repellant recipe. This might be fine for that.

The second time I proclaimed it one of the five worst whiskeys I'd tasted and said:

Eventually I did find a use for it. It became “Prop Bourbon.” When I need to take a photo for a review, but already finished the bottle, I pour my prop bourbon into the empty bottle for the photo. Afterward I dump it back into the Rebel Yell bottle and stick it back in the closet.

Crazy thing happened to that prop whiskey, I tried it in a cocktail. It wasn't bad. I tried it in a couple more. Still not bad. Of course, by this time, it was no longer straight Rebel Yell. Other bad whiskeys having joined it in some sort of unholy infinity bottle. But, it got me to thinking that, since I drink a lot more cocktails now than I did when I posted the original review, it might be time to go back and take another look at this one. Especially since I have liked most of the other expressions that use the name. Heck, they redid the branding, maybe they've gotten their hands on better whiskey to put into the blend as well.

Rebel Yell Bourbon

Purchase Info: $15.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 40% ABV. Non-age stated.

Nose: Bran muffin, almond, wintergreen and fleeting hints of melon.

Mouth: Sweet. Almond, pepper, and baking spice.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium. Pretty dry with dried grain notes.

Thoughts: This is not as bad as I remember. I know, damning with faint praise. But seriously. The bottle I reviewed in 2014 might still be one of the worst I've tasted, but this one does not taste like that. In fact, if it wasn't for the dry, dried grain note finish, this would be an enjoyable sip. As it is, it works well as a mixer when you want to use a sweeter bourbon and don't want to break the bank. I'm upgrading this from dislike to meh and wouldn't fault fans of wheated bourbon (I tend not to be) for liking it more than I do.

Blood Oath Pact No. 4

April 5, 2018 Eric Burke

Today I had 5 dogs in my house.

So, ok, this isn't terribly unusual for me. In addition to being a freelance designer, occasional paid writer and guy with an Etsy store, I am also a dog sitter. I never really intended to be a dog sitter. What I actually wanted was a third dog. A proposal which my wife opposed. Instead, she suggested that I sign up on Rover.com to watch other people's dogs. Not only would this give me extra dogs in my life, but it could also bring in money.

My accountant wife is a big fan of paying the bills while also having enough left over to support the whiskey habit.

So, I never intended to be a dog sitter, but I've found that I really enjoy it. Sometimes the dogs are easy and I barely notice they are there. Other times, they are like today. 120 pounds of playful baby Great Dane and two other guest dogs that oscillate between playful and in my lap. Neither of these is conducive to me getting the real job of freelance designer done.

But here's the thing, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love dogs. All dogs. It doesn't matter if they are playful babies that are just under half my weight or little three-pound old lady dogs that are super sassy. Dogs are my jam.

So what does this have to do with whiskey? Other than making me want one? Nothing. I just wanted to share that I have a house full of dogs and you don't. Well, let's see, there is a small connection that could be made, though it may be stretching a bit. I also never intended to be a fan of Blood Oath. The first time I bought it, I regretted it. I thought that Pact 1 was very meh and not worth the $100 asking price. So much so that I skipped trying Pact 2 when I saw it at an event for FREE. But then I relented and got a sample of Pact 3 last year. I really enjoyed it. So much so that I went out and bought a bottle when I saw it on the shelf. And so when I saw that a sample of Pact 4 was available, I jumped on it. Let's see if the taste they gave me makes me want to drop another Benjy on this year's version.

Blood Oath Pact No. 4

Purchase Info: Common Ground PR provided this sample. Suggested retail price is $99.99.

Details: 49.3% ABV (98.6° proof, just like blood in Fahrenheit, get it?) finished in toasted oak barrels.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak and cinnamon.

Mouth: Cinnamon and nutmeg bring some heat to the party followed by sweetness and oak.

Finish: Spicy and warm with sweet caramel and citrus.

Thoughts: This was a sample, but once again, I'll be on the lookout for a bottle at retail. I'm really digging this. I think I may like this just a little less than last year, but that could just be a glitch in my memory as well since this is pretty tasty.

Blog

High West American Prairie Bourbon

Wild Turkey Longbranch

Maker's Mark Seared Bu 1-3

1792 Bottled-in-Bond

Pure Kentucky

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 2018

Rebel Yell Bourbon

Blood Oath Pact No. 4