Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets: The Championship Rounds

It’s here, Championship Monday. We’ve made it through the opening rounds and tonight we find out who graduates to the Fancy Shelf. 

At the beginning of this tournament, if you had asked me if I would have found a gem in the field, I would have guessed yes. I mean, that was kind of the point of the exercise. But, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that out of the entire field, there was only one bourbon that I wouldn’t want to drink again. Some were certainly mediocre, but only one was downright bad. Heck, many of them I’d be happy with neat, or with an icecube or two. 

In the interest of not being influenced by my memories of the product from the opening rounds, I did the next two rounds using my typical double-blind format where I poured into glasses 1 and 2 and my wife moved them to spots A and B. I knew what bourbon was which number and my wife knew which number coresponded to which letter, but neither of us knew which bourbon coresponded to which letter. These were not formal tasting notes, just impressions to let us decide which one we liked better.

Round 2: Down to Four

Division 1: Old Charter 8 year vs Ezra Brooks

Nose A: Trends more vegetal or medicinal/chemical

Nose B: Caramel covered fruit

Mouth A: spicier and warmer, but still more vegetal

Mouth B: gentle, sweet and floral

Finish A: Nice, but unremarkable

Finish B: Perfumy and slightly offputting

Thoughts: A’s vegetalness made it less enjoyable head to head. Whereas B’s gentleness made it feel more watery in comparison. That said, I enjoyed both of these on their own during the past two weeks. 

Winner: B, but only just. The main thing it was missing was kick so it’s no surprise that B was the lower proof Old Charter 8 year old.

Division 2: Old Crow Reserve vs JW Dant Bottled in Bond

Nose A: A slightly medicinal Juicyfruit gum

Nose B: Fruitier, but with hints of cinnamon. Also more caramel sweetness

Mouth A: lots of caramel here

Mouth B: sharp, medicinal

Finish A: hot, but in a good way

Finish B: warm bitterness

Thoughts: B has a much nicer nose. More complex and it makes me anticipate a tasty dram. The problem is that once it get’s in the mouth it falls apart. It goes sharp and medicinal when compared with A. Classic overpromise, underdeliver. 

Winner: A wins this hands down. Honestly, it wasn’t even close after the nose. I was surprised Old Crow Reserve didn’t put up more of a fight after all the people I talk to that are enjoying it, but the clear winner is JW Dant Bottled in Bond.

Fancy Shelf Championship

Old Charter 8 year vs JW Dant Bottled in Bond

Nose A: Typical bourbonness, caramel sweetness with some spice

Nose B: A bit more burn. Almost chocolate chip cookie.

Mouth A: very sweet with just a hint of sharpness

Mouth B: Warm and not very sweet, kinda sharp

Finish A: gentle and sweet

Finish B: wow! great finish. Nice warmth that lasts.

Thoughts: This was a very close one. My wife and I both enjoyed each of these a lot. In fact, it was so close that we each picked a different winner. I chose B on the strength of it’s finish. My wife chose A. 

Winner: That said, it’s my blog so the Fancy Shelf Champion is: B, JW Dant Bottled in Bond.

It’s crazy to me that three of the top four are bourbons that I would be perfectly happy pouring for myself neat or with a bit of ice. Two weeks ago, my wife drove to New Orleans to visit a friend, I liked the Old Charter 8 year enough to have her grab me a handle of it on her way back since they don’t sell it in Minnesota. I do wish it had a little more proof and so I hope to check out the NAS Charter 101 next time I travel to a state it’s sold in. Ezra Brooks is nice for those days I want a little spicy kick, but don’t feel like having anything special. Card-playing bourbon I like to call that. Dant Bonded isn’t quite as good as it’s higher priced brother Evan Williams Bonded, but it’s almost there and it’s well under $20 per liter here in MN where EW is a little over that at my normal shop. Old Crow got a lucky draw in the first round. I’d put off deciding how I felt about it, but can say now that it’s mediocre at best. I’ll use it for mixing or cooking and be pleased with the purchase.

Five More Four Roses Single Barrels: The OEs

Four Roses. Ten recipes. Three standard releases. Two yearly limited releases.

If you’re like me, that all adds up to a very large amount of happiness. 

I told you last time how, for Christmas, my wife and I bought each other a Private Selection Single Barrel bottle of each of the ten different recipes. and how we spent a nice Saturday tasting our way through my wife’s present: the OB line. 

Well, this past Saturday we finished our project. We tasted our way through the Christmas present my wife gave to me, spending another really nice afternoon tasting the five different OE bourbons. The results are below.

OESK

Age: 9 years, 1 month

Label details: 58.0% ABV, Warehouse KW, Barrel 89-2P

Purchased at: The Party Source

Nose: Maple Syrup, citrus and a hint of ginger

Mouth: Thick and sweet. Honey and black pepper with a generous dose of oak, but not too much.

Finish: Bitter tannins, honey sweetness and a heat that just lasts.

Thoughts: Thick and sweet this is like drinking a spiced honey. Really tasty.

OESV

Age: 10 years, 1 month

Label details: 51.3% ABV, Warehouse ES, Barrel 78-1F

Purchased at: The Party Source

Nose: Delicate. mint, citrus and honey. 

Mouth: Fresh and floral transitioning to bitter as it moves back in the mouth.

Finish: Warm and long. Fades to a pleasant bitterness.

Thoughts: If ever a bourbon asked for the descriptors of “crisp and refreshing,” this is it. I want a deck, a sunset and a glass of this with a little ice. Delicious.

OESF

Age: 11 years, 2 months

Label details: 57.9% ABV, Warehouse HW, Barrel 47-2H

Purchased at: The Party Source

Nose: Sweet pears with cinnamon and brown sugar.

Mouth: Peppery. Sweet brown sugar with just a hint of fruitiness.

Finish: Very long. Warm and sweet.

Thoughts: The nose on this one is obvious in its complexity, throwing up all of it’s aromas at once. The mouth and finish are mostly sweetness and heat. The finish is so nice, I had a hard time finding flavors—I kept forgetting myself and swallowing to savor it.

OESO

Age: 10 years, 3 months

Label details: 57.5% ABV, Warehouse BN, Barrel 30-3E

Purchased at: The Party Source

Nose: Caramel, warm earth, growing plants. Floral perfume.

Mouth: Dry with a hot peppery heat. Vanilla sugar.

Finish: There is a hint of the nose’s floral perfume that fades quickly to a slightly smokey cherry.

Thoughts: This is like a desert. Dry and hot. But somehow also sweet and comforting. It’s good, but I’d probably add a bit of water to tame it when drinking it. It also had an odd note that reminded me somewhat of a Canadian whisky I once had, though I don’t remember which one.

OESQ

Age: 9 years, 5 months

Label details: 58.5% ABV, Warehouse RN, Barrel 85-3N

Purchased at: The Party Source

Nose: Wild and uncontrollable at first. After it settles down a bit: rose petals and warm honey with a delicate hint of ginger.

Mouth: Sweet and slightly sharp. Brown sugar and a floral waxiness.

Finish: JuicyFruit gum fading to a nice bitterness. A pleasant warmth that lasts nicely.

Thoughts: Though I notice the resemblance to the OB version of this yeast, I’m not sure its as distinctive. I might not bat an eye at it’s “interestingness” but I’d drink it all night long and be happy with the choice.

I like all of these. In fact, I might be in love with the first three. The finish of the F, the refreshingness of the V, the sweet spiced honey of the K. Delicious. I’m very happy with the decision to buy all ten. I’m not sure I could choose between them if forced to buy just one.

Book Review: Whiskey Women—The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick

Men have a tendency to take women for granted. Even those of us who would do anything for our wives sometimes forget just how much they do for us. It’s a sad truth to have to admit. Especially for someone who was raised by a single mother and saw firsthand how much she had to do to just get us basic necessities.

I read a lot of histories. It’s my other passion beside whiskey. Rarely are women mentioned in them. When they are, they are not normally portrayed as good people. It seems that a lot of historical writers seemed to think that if a woman was worth noting it was for how unlike a woman she was. 

And that’s what makes Whiskey Women—The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick so refreshing. Not only does it bring together my love of whiskey with my love of history, but it treats women as the human beings they are. People who work hard, have aspirations and do good things that are profitable and sometimes charitable. It also doesn’t hurt that Fred is possibly one of the best authors I’ve read. Seriously, if you see his name on a piece, just read it. It’ll be worth your time.

Doubly so in the case of this book. Minnick’s book ranges from the dawn of history up through the present day. He presents the stories of woman from such wide ranging locations as Egypt, the British Isles and North America. Whether it is the stories of woman who made and sold whiskey, those who tried to get rid of it or those who succeeded in making sure it never truly went away Minnick presents each story with respect. There is none of the “and can you believe all this was done by a woman?” that you find in other history books I’ve read.

This is a great book. Whether you are into whiskey, history or both this deserves a place on your book shelf. Love it. Go buy it today.

Four Roses Single Barrel Head-to-Head Review: Gift Shop Edition

I’ve been meaning to write this post for just about a year. I tried when I first got back from Kentucky last year. It was a blind head-to-head. Imagine that, two different four Roses Gift Shop releases. One 13 years old, the other 17. What could be a better set-up? Well that was a question that needed to remain unanswered. You see, I accidentally started with the 125 proof one. I burned out my taste buds before I could even try it with water. 

I was sad.

So I put it off. And off. And off. Until I realized that I had very little left in the bottles. They’d become candidates for “removal.”

Removal is what I call the process of drinking only one bottle until it is gone in order to free up shelf space for the next bottle. It usually occurs when there is about 1/4 left in the bottle. It’s a policy that helps me to get over my urge to hang on to the “special” ones for longer than I should. And it’s a policy I desperately need. I secretly think that I might have a little hoarder in me. 

Actually, there’s a pile of little hoarders in me. They’re over there, behind the spleen. What? I might need them someday!

Anyway, the two gift shop releases of Four Roses had reached the point where they have been tagged for “removal.” I’d had the samples poured in my library for a while now, all I needed was that blog post and I’d be free to concentrate on finishing off those two bottles. 

The reason for the post has changed over the last year. Initially, it was a bit of a brag. Look what I have: it’s a 17 year old Four Roses…blah. It’s a good thing I never wrote that post. I would have been a dick. Now it’s a reminder. A reminder, that if you end up in Kentucky, to stop into the distillery and pick up a bottle of something so good, they decided to keep it for themselves.

So let’s get to the tasting. First the older/lower proof one (see I learned from last time).

Four Roses Single Barrel Gift Shop Release 17 year

Specs: OBSV. 17 years 5 months. 54.8% ABV. Warehouse QS. Barrel no: 73-3W. Selected as one of four barrels to commemorate the opening of their new visitor center.

Nose: Maple syrup, licorice, old wood that’s gone punky

Taste: whoo, that’s sharp. JuicyFruit gum, and baking spices. adding water amplifies the sweetness and the spices.

Finish: There’s just a wisp of a burn here, but it dries the mouth nicely. Adding water devastates the finish making it dangerously quaffable. 

Four Roses Single Barrel Gift Shop Release 13 year

Specs: OBSK. Barreled November 1998 (bought September 2012). 62.6% ABV. Warehouse NS. Barrel No: 16-4A.

Nose: This reminds me of a warm cookie. Sweet vanilla and allspice. Hints of barrel char.

Taste: Caramel/Vanilla sweetness balanced by cinnamon red hot candies. Sweet. Spicy. Wonderful.

Finish: warm, but doesn’t burn. there’s some wood left over. 

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Thoughts: It’s no secret that I love Four Roses. And I think they hit both of these right out of the park. Both of these are fantastic whiskies and I would be happy to have either or both on my shelf. I’ll be sad to see both of these go. If pressed my wife and I each would choose a different favorite. I loved the 13 year. I’ve reached for this over and over during the last year. In previous drams, I’ve found lovely fruitiness that I just couldn’t find this time. I typically drink it with an ice cube though so that would affect it. My wife prefers the 17 year. Which is no surprise, she loves old woody bourbons. And this trends that direction.

In short: if you find yourself within an hour of Lawrenceburg, KY, stop in. Get a gift shop release. It won’t be either of these, but it will almost certainly be fantastic.

#DavinTT Week 3 - A fantastic mystery whisky

I was running late this week. I sat down at my computer with eight minutes to go before the start of week three of the #DavinTT twitter tasting and realized I hadn't taken the photo yet. After spending 7 minutes taking a photo I was happy with, I was ready with one minute to spare. 

Did this phase me? Did it cause me worry? Make me think that maybe I wasn't prepared? No, because I knew that this was a group of people who were smart, accepting and well prepar... 

Shit. 

So I got there with a moment to spare. Some people call that "on-time."  I did. I said my hello. I read a few questions and remembered one that struck me as I finished re-reading the assigned chapters this morning. Yeast. It almost sounded like one of the distilleries didn't appreciate the immense difference yeast brings to the table. I almost begged Davin to "Say it isn't so?!?" (In a truncated and abbreviated manner...I only had 140 characters...)

And he did. He assured me that Canadian distillers hold yeast in the same high regard that US ones do. And the question inspired a discussion that continued until the alloted half hour had past. We were still talking when the others had started nosing. 

Because that's what whisky geeks do.

Yep, these folks would have intelligent questions, they would have noses and tongues that would find things that I could identify after the fact, but never smell or taste on my own. The good news: these folks are good, but they are accepting as well. The simplest, half remembered and off the cuff question can spark a discussion that lasts more than the allotted half hour. They are excited about whisky and it shows. And I'm glad that I am counted as one of them. 

So what did we taste?

Mystery Whisky 3

Nose: Floral with the sweetness of caramel. This one starts off smelling like a bourbon. After a while it slowly picks up some cedar notes. I'm sure it would have evolved further, but I was too excited to taste it...

Mouth: Toffee and cloves initially. Evolving into a peppery tingle. Just the right amount of spice for me.

Finish: Lingering pepper tingle in the back of your throat balanced by a cloying sweetness and some bitterness. I like this.

Thoughts: I love this. It tastes great, but the finish is really the star for me. I kept sipping just so I could get more finish.

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So what is it? This is the Danfield Limited Edition 21 Year Old. This whisky is highly recommended for bourbon lovers with access to Canada. Because sadly, once again, I believe this is only available there. In fact I heard someone say it wasn't even available Canada-wide. Good thing I'm heading there later this year. I hope there is still some on the shelves when I get there.

So this is probably my last #DavinTT post. Next week, due to the holiday weekend I will be spending it out of cell service range and so most likely unable to participate in the last tasting. What does that mean? It means that if you've been getting your overviews of the event from this blog, you will need to just pop in and watch it first hand. Sunday at 2 pm Central time. Search for #DavinTT. 

I want to thank Davin de Kergommeaux and Johanne McInnis for inviting me to participate. I've had a blast and can not wait to taste next week's sample and find out what it is.

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Old Pogue, Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar & a Ritz: Powerfully Tasty

Last weekend I had what might have been the most transcendent bourbon experience I've ever had.

I was watching MadMen as the finale to a really good weekend of visiting with family (and playing my first ever game of laser tag). Along with some really tasty bourbon, I had picked up what I hoped was some really tasty cheese. Toss that on a few crackers and I figured I had a yummy, though not necessarily healthy, snack to add to my tv viewing pleasure.

The bourbon: Old Pogue Master Select. The cheese: Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar. The crackers: Ritz. Yes, Ritz. I love the greasy buttery goodness of those things...

On their own each are tasty. Together they form a super-group that would make all those mulleted rock super-groups of the 80s quake in their odd-looking and inappropriate-with-tight-pants cowboy boots. (Looking at you Damn Yankees.) I mean, this combination is just heaven in the mouth... 

...or so I remember. Knowing that memories that come from a relaxing session of drinking bourbon are notoriously suspect, I decided tonight that I was going to try to recreate the experience in a more scientific (read that non-tv watching) manner. 

First I tasted the Old Pogue on it's own. Here are my notes:

Old Pogue Master's Select

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Nose: initially there is a big hit of alcohol. After sitting for a little while I start to pick up caramel apple, baking spices and some vanilla. This is a pleasant nose. Almost comforting. 

Mouth: Repeats a lot of the nose. Tasty, but nothing spectacular. 

Finish: A spicy, sweet burn that lasts a while and is then replaced by a bitter and slightly vegetal after taste. 

Overall: I liked it. I'll certainly buy it again. It's not a go to bourbon, but it'll do when the mood strikes. 

The Combo

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After a fairly thorough tasting to set the baseline, I add the cheese and cracker to the mix. This is where it gets fun. In order to most accurately recreate the initial experience I add a bit of water to the bourbon as well. The cheese and cracker cancel a bit of the burn left after adding the water. The sharp cheddar completely overpowers the bitterness in the finish. It adds a caramel sweetness to the slightly sweet, salty, sharp, nutty taste of the cheddar and buttery crunch of the ritz which is amazing. It's just as good as I remembered. Damn Yankees have been put on notice. 

And I have to say, it made for one hell of a supper.

Double Blind Review: 3 Unrelated Ryes

I recently realized I had about one pour left of two different rye whiskies. I needed the shelf space so I poured them into small bottles and stuck them onto one of my shelves. They sat there for a while. 

A long while.  

I like rye. But unless it is amazing, I normally put it into a cocktail. A sazerac or a manhattan made with a decent rye whiskey is one of the best things that a person can imbibe. I'd had both of those in cocktails and neat. I mostly preferred them in a cocktail. But I like rye. And these two had only one pour left. If I was going to review them, I was going to have to not put them into a cocktail. I was going to have to put them into a glass all by themselves and think about them. 

Cocktails are good. They do not tend to lend themselves to the contemplative tasting. But that's part of their charm. They taste good. And that's their purpose. A bad whiskey can be interesting, a bad cocktail needs to be dumped out. 

So here is a double blind tasting of those two ryes that I normally used in cocktails and another that I felt belonged since I like three way tastings way better than two... 

So there. 

I started in the usual double blind fashion of pouring and then letting my wife mix them up. I knew which whiskey equaled which number, she knew which number equaled which letter and neither of us knew what was in any of the glasses.

Rye A:

Nose: Honey, slightly soapy. Hints of grass follow.

Mouth: Sweet up front, mint and grass follows

Finish: This is a hot one. There's a tingle through the entire mouth. It fades into a bitter citrus pith in the throat.

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Overall: I like this, but I'm not sure this is something I would drink alone. It hits all the notes I want a rye to hit, but it isn't one that I'd go to neat on a regular basis. 

Rye B: 

Nose: Sweet. Butterscotch with a hint of baking spice

Mouth: Soft is the best word I can use. This is a sweet one. 

Finish: Minty cool plus heat. This is the Icy-Hot of finishes. But it fades pretty quick. 

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Overall: I loved the mouthfeel of this one. There was an elegant softness that I wasn't expecting. I know that two of these are 100 proof or over and one is 80. So I'm guessing this  is one of those. I don't care. I think I'm in love.

Rye C:

Nose: Fresh mown hay, then a hint of banana and mint.

Mouth: Thin. There isn't a lot of flavor here. Sweet and spice with a hint of bitter, but you gotta search for it.  

Finish: Finish is where this brings its game. It fades from the sweet into a bitter spice. There isn't a lot of heat, but this leaves a tingle.  

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Overall: Standing on it's own, this is a meh. I wouldn't put it into a glass, but if I was at a bar I wouldn't turn it down depending on what else was back there. It's really just ok.  

So what was what? You can see which three were being reviewed in the image above. So I'm just going to spill it. A was Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond. B was Wild Turkey 101 proof. C was Old Overholt. I was a little surprised at how much I liked the Wild Turkey, because none of these are very expensive. If you can find Wild Turkey Rye 101, it's pretty reasonable. Rittenhouse is under $25 and Old Overholt was bought for like $11 or so. Not really surprised that they ended up where they did. 

My wife checked my work tonight. She thought I was mostly right, but when she tasted the Rittenhouse she proclaimed: "ooh. I don't like this." Since she doesn't actually like rye neat, I wouldn't take that too hard if I were them.

Well, now I'm off to pour what's left together and make the world's most strangely concocted manhattan.  Well, as far as the whiskey is concerned. The manhattan will follow my standard recipe. 

 

Book Review: Bourbon Whiskey: Our Native Spirit by Bernie Lubbers

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Bourbon is my favorite topic. I write about it. I think about it. I speak about it. I drink it. Heck, someday I'd even like to make it.

As you might have guessed, I also read a lot of books about bourbon. Not only does the topic fascinate me, but I'm always looking for new little bits of information to squirrel away and be pulled out when I do my (very infrequent) bourbon talks/tastings. 

A couple of years ago, I recieved an Amazon gift card for my birthday. It was given to me with the idea that I would use it to buy a kitchen gadget that my mother really wanted to buy for me. But I'm easily distracted. I ended up buying a bunch of books, spending almost the entire thing in one sitting. 

The last title I added to my cart was the Kindle version of Bourbon Whiskey: Our Native Spirit by Bernie Lubbers. At the time, I had no idea who Bernie Lubbers was. I didn't know that he'd been employed as a Whiskey Professor at Jim Beam (and later Heaven Hill). I didn't know that the used to be a stand-up comedian. I had no idea he'd been on a syndicated radio show.

But I bought the ebook. Mostly because it was right around $10 and that's about what I had left. (If I'd had more, I'd have probably gotten the paperback, I love the feel of a "real book") I bought it and had no idea what to expect. Am I ever glad I did. 

I learned a bunch about Bernie. The book starts by establishing his credentials to tell you about bourbon and tells a good bit about his life along the way. I love that. Nothing like getting right in there and introducing yourself. By the time you get to the bourbon talk, you feel like you are just being told a story by an old friend. An old friend that, just happens to have an in with the folks who make the stuff by way of his day job. So when he tells you a little about bourbon history or how it's made or even how to read a label, you can be pretty sure that the information is at least fairly accurate.

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Bernie Lubbers' book has given me more little tidbits of bourbon knowledge than any other single book I've read. I love it. I refer back to it constantly. If you haven't already, go buy it now. I see that since I bought it, a second and revised edition has come out. I assume that version is even better.

The book reviewed was the first edition of this book released in 2011. It was read in digital form on an iPad.