Jim Beam Signature Craft: Brown Rice

May 9, 2017 Eric Burke

Rice. It provides more than one-fifth of the calories consumed by humans worldwide*. It's a bit of an understatement to say that it's a pretty important crop to humanity. And yet, for a long time, Americans drank more rice than they ate**.

That rice was not, however, consumed in the form of bourbon. Instead, Americans consumed their rice in the form of Budweiser beer. Up to four pounds of rice per person per year.

So, as I am of an age where I started drinking beer before the current iteration of the craft beer revolution, it is safe to say that I've consumed plenty of fermented rice in my life. I can honestly say though, that I've never had fermented and distilled rice before the bottle of bourbon I'm reviewing tonight.

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Brown Rice

Purchase info: $16.67 for a 375 mL bottle (on sale) at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN

Details: 11 years old, 45% ABV, Brown Rice used as flavoring grain.

Nose: Strong brown sugar, bubble gum, and oak.

Mouth: Peppery heat with peanut, mint, vanilla, and oak.

Finish: Peppery heat that fades fast and is replaced by a general lingering sweetness.

Thoughts: While this is by no means a bad whiskey, it is my least favorite of the bunch so far. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say I like it, but I don't dislike it either. It's just kind of meh. Kind of how I feel about Bud Light.

*According to the Wikipedia article on Rice. Accessed 5/9/17.
**New York Times Food section, December 17, 1997. Accessed 5/9/17.

This is the third of six reviews in the Jim Beam Signature Craft, Harvest Bourbon Collection Series. I've previously reviewed the Six Row Barley and the Soft Red Wheat.

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Bourbon Supreme, Williamsburg Decanter, bottled in 1969, emptied in 2016

April 20, 2017 Eric Burke

Bourbon Supreme Williamsburg decanter, 1969 Front

Bourbon Supreme Williamsburg decanter, 1969 Back

In the past, I've talked about my antique-bottle project. I spend a lot of time in antique stores looking for the information for my spreadsheet. Of course, I almost never go into a store intending to purchase anything. But, of course, intend is the key word there.

Tonight's review comes from one of my antique store finds. It is a decanter of Bourbon Supreme from 1969. When I bought it, the cork was intact, and the tax seal was intact. So I decided to decant the liquid out and give it a look.

These days, Bourbon Supreme is a blended bourbon produced for select markets by Luxco. But in days of yore, Bourbon Supreme was a product of the American Distilling Company out of Pekin, Illinois. American Distilling Company was an old company, at least as far as US companies are concerned. Pre-ProWhiskeyMen mentions that the company was formed in the mid-1890s and, after taking over a few other companies, by 1908 was mashing 6000 bushels of grain per day. The company continued to grow from there, though. A 1964 article in the Chicago Tribune Magazine states that capacity had grown to 12,000 bushels per day. Of course, in the end, all things must pass and Mike Veach says that by the early 1980s American itself had been acquired by Standard Brands who was acquired by other companies until pieces of what used to be American Distilling Company found itself part of Diageo.

The Bourbon Supreme brand though did not go with the American Distilling Company. In the thread mentioned above, Mike Veach mentions that the brand passed through the hands of either Heaven Hill or Barton to its final resting spot, the David Sherman Company, today's Luxco.

Today's Bourbon Supreme doesn't sound much like anything I'd want to try, but let's see how a version from almost 50 years ago tastes.

Bourbon Supreme, Williamsburg Decanter, 1969

Purchase Info: Some antique mall in St. Paul, MN for I'm guessing under $20. (It's been a while).

Details: 86° proof, 74 months old (my label is partially torn, this info was found by searching eBay for images of the bottle)

Nose: The nose starts with vanilla and coconut that transition to fruit, caramel, and floral notes. After more time, the fruit and floral wander away to be replaced by rich leather...mmmm...caramelly leather.

Mouth: Sweet butterscotch with a little oak spice.

Finish: Light and short with distinct floral notes.

Thoughts: This has a wonderful nose, an ok mouth, and a terrible finish. It's very interesting but this might just stay a curiosity for friends to try when they visit. Serious meh on this one. Maybe it's how the decanter was handled for the last half century or maybe the stuff put into the decanter just wasn't that good to begin with.

A word on lead: There is a forum thread on straightbourbon.com that details the story of a man getting the whiskey from one of his decanters tested for lead and finding very high levels of it. I do not have the equipment to test this myself. I did, however, allow the bourbon from this decanter to evaporate and then drip the contents of a lead paint tester into the residue (saving a drop or two for the confirmation strip) and there was no red for lead. I won’t say this bourbon doesn’t contain lead or that any of the bourbons from old decanters you find will or will not contain lead. But this test satisfied my curiosity enough to allow me to do the small tasting I did for this post without fear of too much harm.

For more information on lead poisoning visit: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002473.htm

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

April 18, 2017 Eric Burke

Every so often, Total Wine will have a display of miniature bottles in the bourbon aisle. I have often picked them up. I have also often regretted doing that (see the Parker Hayes Reserve review). But even though I don't often care for what is being pushed, I still keep doing it.

For one thing, it's an inexpensive way to get content. And seriously, I do have a lot of fun unloading the day's frustration on a terrible whiskey. But the other reason I keep buying them is that I am an eternal optimist. I keep hoping that just one of them is going to turn out to be something that is a good everyday drinker. One that isn't expensive, but also doesn't taste awful.

It's ok. You can wish me good luck on that. I'm not offended, the miniatures they push in this way don't have the best track record. If I were anyone but a blogger looking for content I'd probably write that placement off as the kiss of death for a product at this point.

Until tonight's selection, that is. This one looks to be another Total Wine exclusive, (though you can buy it online at Ace Spirits for cheaper should you wish). Unlike many of the Total Wine house brands though, this doesn't look to be a Terra Pure product or to be produced by Sazerac. In fact, a little digging shows that the COLA belongs to Frank-Lin Distiller's Products. They are the company who owns the Medley and Wathen brands of bourbon. Not the greatest bourbons, but also not bad either.

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: $1.99 for a 50 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 45% ABV. No age statement.

Nose: Granulated white sugar, juicy fruit gum, mint and a touch of oak.

Mouth: Peppery spice, sweetness, and a general fruitiness.

Finish: Short to medium length. Peppery spice with a good hit of dry oak.

Thoughts: This is not a bad bourbon. Not at all. It isn't fantastic. But around $25 it is certainly worth giving a shot, especially since you can pick up a 50 mL for just a couple bucks. It straddles the line between meh and liking it for me. Your mileage may vary though.

Calumet Farms Bourbon

March 7, 2017 Eric Burke

Every so often, a bourbon comes along about which I have almost nothing to say. Calumet Farms is one of those bourbons.

Calumet Farms Bourbon is a product of Western Spirits, an NDP that also produces Lexington Bourbon and Bird Dog Whiskey. They've recently signed a production contract with Bardstown Bourbon company to distill future product, but they currently source from who-knows-where.

It has a pretty bottle, though...so maybe that's enough to warrant the $50 asking price.

Calumet Farms Bourbon

Purchase Info: $4.99 for a 50 mL bottle at Westport Whiskey and Wine, Louisville, KY.

Details: 43% ABV. NAS, and not labeled straight.

Nose: A bag of Old-Fashioned Candy mix ("Grandma Candy" as it's called around my house). By that I mean a ton of sweetness, a mixture of fruits such as citrus or berry, and spices like clove, cinnamon, and anise.

Mouth: Peppery and sweet with a faint vegetal/grain note underneath.

Finish: Medium length with lingering sweet and spicy notes.

Thoughts: Solid meh on this one. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't particularly like it either. It has an odd nose and a fairly plain palate. There is heat and sweet, but I didn't find it especially inviting. This one mostly gets knocked for the price. If it were around $15 for a 750 mL bottle, I'd be much more generous with it. But for $38 to $55 (locally), this is hard to recommend.

Jim Beam Choice, an unintentional dusty find.

February 23, 2017 Eric Burke

Jim Beam Choice, Green Label 5 year old bourbon.

It has been quite the day. I had to meet with my tax accountant today. My tax bill is...well...let's just say that it is much more than I had hoped but less than I had feared. Sadly it's closer to the fear than the hope. Anyway, it's a day where I feel like drinking whiskey. And based on the current set of my financial situation, it had better be something fairly inexpensive.

As you might have guessed based on the last month, I've been slowly gathering materials for a series of If You've Had... posts. One of the ones I thought might be fun was Jim Beam. Not the entire line, but the ones that most people can afford. White , Black, Double Oak, Bonded, Devil's Cut, Green, etc.

Wait? Green? What the heck is Jim Beam Green? Well, these day's it is nothing. It is no longer sold. But back in the days when Jim Beam thought that age statements were a good thing, it was the middle of the road offering between NAS white label and 8-year-old Black label. Named Jim Beam Choice officially, the green labeled version came in at a stated five years old. These days, according to the Beam PR rep I talked to, you might find it on a shelf, but it is no longer a product Beam sells. This is just me guessing, but when the eight-year went NAS, I'm guessing that the taste distinction between the Black and Green got a little hard to decipher with the result being that Choice joined the ranks of discontinued brands.

When I bought the bottle in September, I had no idea it was a dusty. But there you go. I guess you just got to keep your eyes open. You never know what you'll run across. For instance, I saw a Jim Beam Rye Yellow label on a shelf today if anyone is in the market for an 80 proof rye from Beam.

Jim Beam Choice, 5-year-old green label

Purchase Info: $13.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN (September 2016)

Details: 5 year age stated. 40% ABV.

Nose: Mint, apple, allspice, and honey.

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel and delicately flavored. Sweet granulated white sugar, allspice along with a light chamomile and peanut.

Finish: Medium, but gentle with lingering chamomile and allspice notes.

Thoughts: This bottom-shelf dweller ranks a good step above its white-labeled brother. Whether it is better or worse than Jim Beam Black is a matter of how much you like that "Jim Beam" waxy pencil/peanut flavor that both black and white have in abundance. This has a lesser "Beam" presence than I remember from either of them. It feels mostly like a Beam version of Evan Williams Black, just not quite as good. Not a bad whiskey, but not one the world is likely to miss.

A Question for You and a review of Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Brandy Cask Finish

February 9, 2017 Eric Burke

I had to work late tonight. Worked up twelve logos for a heating and air conditioning contractor. Of those 12 I like 10 or 11 so I'm actually doing pretty good on the project. I only have to come up with a few more before I deliver concepts. But my brain is completely fried right now.

Added to that is the fact that tonight I'm reviewing a whiskey from a series that is usually regarded as being more interesting to taste than actually good to drink. And since I've talked about what the purpose of the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection is trying to accomplish, I'm going to take a hard left turn before we jump into the review.

Speaking of limited edition whiskey, I have a question for you. And I'm going to do my best to not lead you by giving any indication as to what my feelings on the matter are.

Would you rather see:

A) A person with more money than sense enjoy a limited, expensive and really tasty whiskey mixed with soda.

or:

B) A person run into a liquor store, snag a limited, expensive and really tasty whiskey, and then post it online from the car to flip it before even leaving the parking lot?

And now on to the review.

Woodford Reserve Master's Collection, Brandy Cask Finish

Purchase Info: $76.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 45.2% ABV

Nose: Ripe fruit and caramel jump out in front to be followed by a nice nuttiness.

Mouth: The mouth shows a lot of influence from the brandy. Very fruity with caramel and baking spices.

Finish: Short but flavorful with lingering caramel.

Thoughts: First let's get this out of the way. I'm ok with this one. It isn't a world-beater, but it isn't bad either. It tastes a lot like they dumped some brandy in some Old Forester. But since I have done exactly that on occasion, I can hardly find fault with the idea. No, in this case, it all comes down to price. I can make something that tastes as good if not better with a bottle of Korbel 12 and a bottle of Old Forester Signature. It'll cost less, I can blend it to my tastes and I have the option of having a brandy, a bourbon or a combination of them. I'm finding it really hard to recommend unless you really like exploring the Master's Collection or really like brandy finished bourbons.

Heaven Hill Black Label, 80 proof

December 29, 2016 Eric Burke

"Best of the Great Kentucky Bourbons"

I just noticed that's what the neck label says about this bourbon. Oh man! Wouldn't it be a nice surprise if a company was selling their best whiskey for a price an average person could afford? This bottle was $7.99. And before you say I shouldn't expect anything good to come in under ten bucks a bottle, I'll have you know I picked up multiple bottles of the 90 proof, six-year-old Heaven Hill for just a dollar-fifty more. And yeah, I probably shouldn't give any more away on that one since I haven't written that post yet.

What this post is about is the Black Label version of Heaven Hill. Unlike some of its brand-mates, this one is NOT six years old. It is NOT 100 or even 90 proof. It is NOT Bottled in Bond. It is NOT even of an age where they give the age in years. Heaven Hill, Black Label version, is listed as thirty-six months old and bottled at only 80 proof. Needless to say, when I was picking up multiple bottles of Heaven Hill with green and white labels, only one bottle of Black Label came home with me.

Heaven Hill Black Label, 80 proof

Purchase Info: $7.99 for a 750 mL bottle at the Party Source, Bellevue, KY

Details: 40% ABV, three years old.

Nose: Dried grains, mint, orange peel and a hint of oak.

Mouth: Sweet in the mouth. Cinnamon candies, dried grains, and vanilla.

Finish: Short and kind of bitter with lingering dried grains.

Thoughts: Very grain forward with an unpleasant finish. Even for less than ten dollars, this is hard to recommend. Especially with the other Heaven Hill products in the general price range. Even with that said, this is only a meh bourbon. I've had plenty I dislike more.

Rabbit Hole Distilling, Bourbon and Rye

December 27, 2016 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. Rabbit Hole Distilling provided me with two media kits, each with a logo Glencairn glass and a 1.5-ounce sample (one was rye, one bourbon). I'd like to thank them for providing the sample with no strings attached.

It's the first post after Christmas, and it's only fitting that I review a couple of whiskeys that I received for free. Both of these are from Rabbit Hole Distilling in Louisville, KY. Since their founding in 2012, they have been using a combination of contract distillation and sourcing to get the liquid for their whiskeys. Contract distillation for their rye and bourbon and sourcing for their "Fingerprint Series." In October 2016, they broke ground for a 20,000 barrel-per-year distillery in Louisville.

Tonight I'll be looking at their rye whiskey and their bourbon. Both are two years old and were created by a team of distillers. Cameron Tally, formerly of Brown-Forman and Wild Turkey, Larry Ebersold formerly of Seagram's and Pernod-Ricard, Dave Scheurich, formerly of Brown-Forman and Randy Allender, formerly of Jim Beam. The Rabbit Hole Rye is a 95% rye mash bill, which through me for a loop until I realized that Mr. Ebersold was Master Distiller at the distillery now known as MGPi (which is most well known for the 95% rye whiskey they sell to many producers). The Rabbit Hole Bourbon has a unique mash bill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley and 10% honey malted barley.

Rabbit Hole Bourbon

Purchase info: I received a review sample, but this is retailing for $41.99 at Total Wine in Louisville, KY.

Details: 47.5% ABV. 2 years old. Aged in #3 char barrels from Kelvin Cooperage. Barrel entry proof was 110° proof. Mash bill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley and 10% honey malted barley.

Nose: Very young and heavy on the grain. Mint and floral notes predominate with cinnamon underneath.

Mouth: Floral grains, mint, and cinnamon candies.

Finish: Short to medium with lingering floral grains and cinnamon candies.

Thoughts: Due to the intriguing mash bill, this was the whiskey that I was most interested in trying. And while it isn't ready yet, it shows a lot of promise. Give this a few more years in the barrel, and I'll probably be bringing some home with me when I visit Kentucky. For now, though, I'd have a hard time recommending this except as a novelty or if you are a fan of very young bourbons.

Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey

Purchase info: I received a review sample, but this is retailing for $49.99 at Total Wine in Louisville, KY.

Details: 47.5% ABV. 2 years old. Aged in #3 char barrels from Kelvin Cooperage. Barrel entry proof was 110° proof. Mash bill of 95% rye, 5% malted barley.

Nose: Mint, cedar, hints of pickle and vanilla.

Mouth: floral mint, cedar, vanilla and baking spices.

Finish: Minty and warm. Of short to medium length.

Thoughts: Like many rye whiskeys, this shows better at a young age than the bourbon did. It's similar to a young MGPi rye, not surprising due to its mash bill and pedigree. It's still really young, but worth a look if you are a fan of young ryes and are ok with a $50 price tag.

EDIT: an earlier version of this post claimed that the ABV of both whiskies was 95%, I forgot to do math and didn't convert the proof to ABV. That has been corrected.

For some reason, people never know what to get me for Christmas, and so they give me money. If you are like me and got a little money for Christmas, maybe check out my Etsy store at BourbonGuyGifts.com. From now until January 31st, 2017 we are celebrating the New Year with $20.17 off of any purchase of $100 or more. Just use the code HAPPY2017 at checkout. Or if you'd rather just donate to the site, visit patreon.com/arok to become a monthly patron. Thanks for reading!

Blog

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Brown Rice

Bourbon Supreme, Williamsburg Decanter, 1969

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Calumet Farms Bourbon

Jim Beam Choice, 5-year-old green label

Would you rather see:

Woodford Reserve Master's Collection, Brandy Cask Finish

"Best of the Great Kentucky Bourbons"

Heaven Hill Black Label, 80 proof

Rabbit Hole Bourbon

Rabbit Hole Rye Whiskey