Jim Beam Signature Craft: High Rye

May 23, 2017 Eric Burke

I've been on a bit of a cocktail kick lately. The thing I like about cocktails is the same thing I like about cooking, the interplay of flavors. Really, it's one of the things I like about whiskey too. But unlike whiskey where someone else has determined what works together, with a cocktail you are the one who decides what to put together. And it may be amazing or it might not.

As I was doing the tasting for tonight's bourbon, I was struck by the distinct anise notes that presented themselves. Now anise is a fairly major flavor component in my favorite cocktail, the Sazerac. I know a traditional Sazerac uses Rye Whiskey. But since the Rye was a replacement for the original Cognac, I didn't feel too bad about substituting a High Rye Bourbon. Especially since the difference between a High Rye Bourbon and the barely legal Rye whiskey that's often called for is a few percentage points of Rye at most.

And it was good! It had a nice thick mouthfeel; the spice was a bit more nutmeg and cinnamon than in the Rye version I normally make. Speaking of that, I made another Sazerac cocktail using Sazerac Rye to compare to it. And by way of comparison, the Rye-based one fell a bit flat. Of course, by a weird turn of events, the Sazerac Rye is one of my least favorite Ryes to use in a Sazerac so who knows what would have happened with a better Rye. But that's the point, keep experimenting. You never really know how things are going to turn out until you do.

Jim Beam Signature Craft: High Rye Bourbon

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

Details: 11 years old, 45% ABV, more Rye than usual used as flavoring grain.

Nose: Floral, Anise, and Oak.

Mouth: Sweet with Anise, Spice, and Oak.

Finish: Warm and long with lingering sweet Anise.

Thoughts: This one is delicious. Top two or three of the six for sure. I'm a big fan. Reaffirms my decision to snag another batch of six at the sale price.

This is the fifth of six posts looking at the Jim Beam Signature Craft, Harvest Bourbon Collection. Previous posts can be found here: Six Row Barley, Soft Red Wheat, Brown Rice, Whole Rolled Oats.

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3 Whiskeys from Florida's Timber Creek Distillery

May 18, 2017 Eric Burke

It has been brought to my attention that a blog post from a certain writer that will not be named (who happens to be an undisclosed former promotional man for a different small distillery...hmmm conflict of interest?) called out this post specifically as an example of how you cannot trust me (and various other reviewers) because, and I'm paraphrasing here, "I obviously do not know the definition of bourbon because I didn't call out a fact of how these are made clearly enough." I'm not going to name that blog because, since he didn't reach out to me for comment or clarification, he is obviously more interested in being a dick, attacking people, and proving he is correct than he is about having a dialog. The sad fact of the matter is, in today's world the burden of proof is on the accused, not the accuser. And as there is no way to prove that I knew something before I was accused of ignorance, I am placing my thought process on why I wrote the post the way I did here.

The unnamed blog is correct. I did make a mistake when I wrote this post. Though I know better, I didn't call BS on the process that the distiller is using explicitly enough. I explained the process used, but did so in a way so as to not be a dick about it. Yes, it is technically correct that you should not call a product bourbon if the grains were not mixed before fermentation. The products reviewed below mixed different types of 100% grain whiskey after the fact to get the same ratios as would have been used if the product would have been distilled in a traditional manner. My thoughts on the matter were that this is a distinction without a difference, but since the law doesn't always follow my idea of common sense, I probably should have made my thought process clearer. I tried that in the comments, but I probably should have edited the post.

I continued to refer to the various whiskeys as "bourbon" because I felt that using a different name than what was on the bottle would be confusing to readers when I was reviewing multiple whiskeys of different taste profiles. I stand by that as I still feel that would be confusing.

To be clear, I still find the process that was used by the distiller very interesting. That and the fact I am nowhere near where it was distributed is why I accepted the samples in the first place. And now on to the review that you probably came here to see. In order to maintain transparency, I haven't changed a word below the line. It's sad that I've had to explain this because one person on the internet decided to make an accusation of untrustworthiness without even asking a question as to why a writer would write a certain way, but welcome to the United States of America in 2018.

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 Timber Creek Distillery for providing this sample to me with no strings attached.

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by the PR firm that works with Timber Creek Distillery to see if I would like to review some of their products. At first, I was a little leery since, unfortunately, I've sort of soured on trying new craft whiskey lately. At this point, they have to be interesting on some level to even get me to respond anymore. I've just been burned too many times.

But as I was reading through some of the notes that came along with the offer, I thought to myself, "what the heck? I probably won't be back to Florida for a while, and the rye says it's made with a Florida specific strain of Rye grain." So I said yes to the offer of samples. The worst that would happen is that I would have something to make another batch of Cherry Bounce this summer.

Timber Creek is located in the Florida Panhandle near the town of Crestview, about 70 miles north and east of Pensacola). In talking to Camden Ford, the proprietor, I was intrigued by a few of things. First, he is very particular about where he gets his barrels. He sources 15-gallon barrels from McGinnis Wood Products in Cuba, MO and 53-gallon barrels from Canton Cooperage in Lebanon, KY. Both sizes are charred to a #3 char level. (I was glad to hear he shared my opinion of the Minnesota produced barrels you often see small distillers use. I've had very little good whiskey that came out of them.)

I liked the idea that they were doing things a little differently than the big guys. They use a roller mill to crack the grains instead of a hammer mill. Then they lauter them before fermentation (in other words they filter out the grains as you would in making beer) and ferment the wort instead of distilling with the grains still in. They also produce their whiskey in the Canadian manner. They grind, ferment, distill and age each of the grains individually and then blend them after aging. To my knowledge, I've never had an American Whiskey that was created this way.

So yes, they make their own products. These whiskeys are young. The age statements are nine months on each of them. But as they are blending product from small and large barrels, this isn't surprising, particularly in the heat of Florida. Their standard Bourbon is a wheated bourbon made from corn, wheat, and less than 5% barley. The Reserve Bourbon is a four-grain Bourbon made from corn, wheat, less than 5% barley, and a Florida-specific strain of rye called Florida 401 or Black Rye. The Black Rye Whiskey is made from 100% Florida Black Rye.

Timber Creek Florida Bourbon

Purchase info: This bottle was provided to me for review purposes by the distillery. Doing a little digging shows that it is available for purchase online for $40.

Details: 9 months old, 46.5% ABV

Nose: Young with raisin, cinnamon, and cedar.

Mouth: Peppery with dried fruit and a lot of baking spice.

Finish: Short and gentle with lingering dried fruit notes.

Thoughts: If you are generally a fan of craft bourbon, you are probably also a fan of very young whiskey. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking a young, well-crafted whiskey. And while this certainly is a well-crafted whiskey, it is not my preferred style. There's no nice way to say this. For me, this tastes way too young.

Timber Creek Florida Reserve Bourbon

Purchase info: This bottle was provided to me for review purposes by the distillery. Doing a little digging shows that, it is available for purchase online for $50.

Details: 9 months old, 50% ABV

Nose: Young with raisins, brown sugar, and almonds.

Mouth: Sweet with wintergreen, brown sugar, raisin, and ginger.

Finish: Short with lingering wintergreen, ginger, and sweetness.

Thoughts: On the first taste of this, I am finding it much more palatable than the previous bourbon in tonight's review. It's still young tasting, but the sweetness, ginger and wintergreen add a nice counter to the young grain/raisin notes. As far as young bourbons go, this is pretty interesting. I'm going to say that I like this, but if you are turned off by young bourbons, you probably won't.

Timber Creek Florida Black Rye

Purchase info: This bottle was provided to me for review purposes by the distillery. Doing a little digging shows that it is available for purchase online for $51.

Details: 9 months old, 46.5% ABV

Nose: Sweetness with raisin, anise, cedar and a hint of wintergreen.

Mouth: Gentle in the mouth with dried fruit, wintergreen, baking spice and a generic sweetness.

Finish: Short and gentle with lingering wintergreen and granola.

Thoughts: This is definitely the most interesting of the three as it was distilled from a local Florida grain I have never encountered before. I'm actually very happy that this one wasn't aged too long as too much barrel influence might well overwhelm what makes it different from other rye strains.

Blanton's from a friend

May 16, 2017 Eric Burke

Blanton's Bourbon from Holiday Market in Royal Oak, Michigan

Tonight a tornado hit the town where I grew up. My family is ok, no worries. Property damage, but no injuries reported from them so far. But as I was calling around, checking to make sure everyone was alright and learning about the damage they'd suffered, I thought about how important friends and family are. I don't live near most of my family, and that is by design. I enjoy a different lifestyle than would be possible in a small town in rural Wisconsin. But on nights like this, when their power is out, and they are only available by cell phone, I kinda wish I was closer.

Friends, however, are a different matter entirely. I have a lot of friends, and I value every one of them. It doesn't matter where I visit; I probably have a friend nearby. That's the beauty of the internet. I have good friends that I have never met in real life and good friends that I knew online well before I knew they lived near me. I even have friends from places I've never visited, but that I see almost every year in Kentucky.

One of the latter is Josh from Sipology Blog. I see him nearly every year at BourbonFest. Recently he reviewed a private selection of Blanton's from a retailer near him, and when he offered me a sample of that very interesting sounding bourbon, I jumped at the chance. Blanton's is a bourbon that, I'm surprised to say I've never reviewed on the site before. And come to think of it, that's probably because I've never purchased it. I've had it at bars and always enjoyed it, but every time I'm in the liquor store with $60 in my pocket I always seem to turn to something besides this Single Barrel Buffalo Trace product. I think the next time I see it, that will have to change.

Blanton's Single Barrel - Holiday Market Selection

Purchase info: This sample was graciously shared by Josh at SipologyBlog.com. He lists the Michigan state minimum as $60.

Details: 46.5% ABV. Warehouse H, Rick 15, Barrel 66.

Nose: Very fruity on the nose with mixed berries, oak and honey.

Mouth: Earthy honey, ripe fruit, oak and some spice.

Finish: Gentle, but not timid. Warm, but not overpowering. Lingering green apple, oak and spice.

Thoughts: This is a very tasty bourbon that was provided by a friend in Michigan. I'm enjoying the heck out of it. I'm loving the fruitiness and spice. I gotta agree with Josh, this one is recommended.

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Whole Rolled Oat

May 11, 2017 Eric Burke

WOW! Has it ever been a busy time in the BourbonGuy household. This week, my major client has been on vacation so, since the weather is nice, I am busy trying to get caught up with all the projects I want to build for the Etsy store (BourbonGuyGifts.com should you want to check it out).

I love working with wood and I have some new things coming up that I am really proud of and hope everyone likes them as much as I do. Probably won't show up until next week though.

So why am I talking about that instead of the bourbon I'm reviewing tonight? Well, how much more can I say? I've already reviewed three of the six in the lineup (Brown Rice, Red Wheat, and Barley), and honestly, there isn't much more to say. Beam did a little experimenting. They changed the flavoring grain and/or flavoring grain ratio in their bourbon and then let it age for 11 years. They then released it at an absurdly high price, but I got a screaming good deal on the pack of six, so much so that I went back to get another six-pack.

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Whole Rolled Oat

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

Details: 11 years old, 45% ABV, Whole Rolled Oats used as flavoring grain.

Nose: Tropical fruit, caramel and oak.

Mouth: Peppery heat with spearmint and fruit along with a nice sweetness and nuttiness.

Finish: Long and peppery with oak and a hint of smokiness.

Thoughts: As you can see from the fill level above, I liked this one. I really liked it. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the oat version of this. But man, the fruit and the strong spearmint are fun and fantastic. And though I get nutty notes from this, I wouldn't have ever guessed that it was a Jim Beam product if I had been served it blind. Very, very nice.

Jim Beam Signature Craft Six Row Barley

May 2, 2017 Eric Burke

Jim Beam Signature Craft Harvest Bourbon Collection: Six Row Barley

I'm dog sitting this week. It's a 9-month old Huskey puppy that belongs to the adult daughter of one of my neighbors. Interestingly enough his litter-mate lives at my neighbor's and so they get to play with each other whenever the daughter comes to visit her folks.

Having had a pair of Huskies for a decade and a half before my current pups, I know some of their quirks. Like their tendency to find a way to get above, around or under any obstacle in between them and where they want to be. Tonight the boys played with each other through the fence. Until the one who lives next door decided that it would be much more fun if he was in our yard and jumped the four-foot fence separating our yards.

To be honest, that's something I have been expecting since he really likes playing with my pups too. And I found it hilarious...my neighbor? Not so much. And truthfully, it is one of the things I love about Huskies. They are smart and they love to learn new things.

Which brings me to tonight's bourbon. I've recently had a lot of Jim Beam products on the shelf. I used to say I didn't care for things with Jim Beam on the label. But somewhere over the last couple years, I realized that I didn't really mind it. In fact some of them I actually liked quite a bit. So when I saw the entire line of the six Jim Beam Signature Craft Harvest Bourbon Collection on sale for a third of the suggested price, I knew I needed to give it a much closer look. See if I could learn something from it.

Jim Beam Signature Craft Six Row Barley

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

Details: 11 years old, 45% ABV, Six Row Barley as flavoring grain.

Nose: Caramel, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy ginger, vanilla, caramel, a toasty/nutty note and oak.

Finish: Spicy with a medium length. Oak and hints of brown sugar.

Thoughts: I went into this one not expecting much. The brief taste of it I had at a whiskey festival a couple years ago didn't leave me wanting more. Especially for the suggested price of $50 for a half bottle. When I saw the entire line of six on sale for $100 though, I figured I better take the plunge and give it another chance. If nothing else, I'd get a few blog posts out of it. But guess what? I really like this. And though I probably still wouldn't pay the suggested price, I'd happily pay $50 for a full bottle, but twice that? Nah. It's too bad Beam priced this out of the range of sane shoppers.

Blood Oath, Pact No. 3

April 6, 2017 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.

If you've been a reader of this site for a while now, you will know that when I am really unhappy with a product, I tend not to pull any punches. Whether it is an objectively bad product or just a "meh" product that is grossly overpriced, I will call it out. Sometimes in a sarcastic and amusing fashion (at least amusing to me).

One of these was the initial release of Blood Oath, Pact No. 1. I think I played off of their marketing speak to say something about being very glad it wasn't going to be made again. In fact, I was so disappointed by that purchase that I didn't even take the opportunity to try Pact 2 at an event I was at where it was being served for free.

Well, skipping that opportunity may have been a mistake. Because these days, I am very impressed with the quality of liquid Luxco is releasing in their premium labels. And so, when I saw the opportunity to request a review sample of Blood Oath Pact Number 3. I made sure not to make the same mistake again.

Blood Oath Pact No. 3

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

Details: 49.3% ABV. Blend of three bourbons ranging from 7 to 12 years of age. Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.

Nose: Leads off with floral notes. Leather, caramel, and almond notes follow.

Mouth: As with the nose, floral notes leap to the forefront. Following that are peppery spice notes, dried orange peel, leather, caramel, and anise.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering cinnamon, clove, mint and anise notes.

Thoughts: Floral and spicy are good ways to go if you want me to like your bourbon. And boy, do I like this bourbon. If, like me, you were turned off by Pact No. 1 of Blood Oath, consider giving this a chance. I don't often say this, but I think I'm going to pay the $100 price if I see it on the shelf.

Oh, and FYI, I revisited the samples of Pact 1 in my library and I still wasn't impressed. Just in case you were thinking I was going soft.

Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey

April 4, 2017 Eric Burke

The Beam brothers of Limestone Branch are acquaintances of the "friends of a friend" variety. They seem like good people, and they tell some good stories. And ever since I spent an "off-the-record" evening discussing the state of the Kentucky bourbon industry with one of them, I've been keeping half an eye on the things they are producing, both with their own distillate and with that available through their partnership with Luxco.

One of their more recent releases is Minor Case Straight Rye whiskey. Named after Steve and Paul Beam's great-grandfather (and distiller in his own right until Prohibition), this two-year-old Indiana Rye is bottled at 45% ABV after having been finished in Sherry Casks.

The first thing you'll notice about this is the very lovely bottle it comes in. This is certainly one that I will probably see in an antique store when I am older. It is very reminiscent of the ones I find now from 100 years ago.

The juice inside the bottle might be more interesting, though. At least to me. Finishing a whiskey is nothing new. Scotland has been doing it practically forever. In bourbon, it has been going on for years as well. I bought my first finished bourbon well before I started this site. I've seen a lot fewer barrel finished ryes, though. And when I saw the announcement come past, my curiosity got the better of me and I knew I needed to request a sample.

Minor Case Straight Rye

Purchase info: This sample was provided by Common Ground PR. Suggested retail price is $49.99.

Details: 45% ABV. Sherry cask finished. Distilled in Indiana. Two years old.

Nose: This is a nose that takes some time to develop fully. I'd say this took about 20 minutes or more to open up. Mint, cedar, brown sugar, ripe fruit, and baking spices.

Mouth: Peppery but not overly hot. Ripe fruit, hints of citrus, mint and baking spices.

Finish: Spicy and warm with lingering cedar, rye spices, mint and hints of citrus.

Thoughts: I've been really impressed with the products coming out of Limestone Branch and Luxco lately. This is no exception. If I had to describe it in one word, that word would be "elegant." It is young but interesting. It has the same "ginger beer" quality that Ezra Brooks rye has, and the sherry finish plays with that very nicely. I'm not completely convinced that I'm ready to pay $50 for a two-year-old whiskey, but if I were going to, this would be the one that would convince me to.

Ezra Brooks Rye

February 28, 2017 Eric Burke

About a month ago, an email landed in my inbox announcing the new Ezra Brooks Rye. I was curious, but then I saw the Distilled in Indiana prominently on the front label. I needed content, and I love MGP's 95% Rye whiskey, but I wasn't sure that reviewing yet another would be all that interesting. Ultimately, I decided to pull the trigger and see about getting a sample sent, mostly because I'm liking the moves that Luxco is making lately.

When I opened the box and saw that the product was only two years old, my expectations for this whiskey sank a bit. I know that rye performs better at a young age than bourbon does, but in the past, I have not been a fan of the ones I've had.

I decided to spend a couple of weeks with this before writing my review. As they were kind enough to send a full bottle, the least I could do was run it through its paces in a variety of situations and glasses.

From my first taste, I noticed something about this. It didn't really taste like your typical 95% MGP rye. There were certain family resemblances, to be sure. But it wasn't quite right, which got me to thinking.

A few of years ago, April-ish of 2013 to dial that in a bit, MGP Ingredients announced they were expanding the number of whiskey recipes that they would be producing and offering to their customers. Included in that announcement were the following:*

A Rye whiskey made from 51% rye and 49% barley malt
A Rye whiskey made from 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% barley malt

As production was scheduled to start later that April, the very first product off the still would be a few months shy of four years old now. Plenty old enough to blend a few different barrels together and end up with a product that had to be called two years old (remember you have to go by the youngest whiskey in the bottle).

Is Ezra Brooks Rye one of the new MGP rye recipes? I reached out to Luxco's PR Agency for comment, and they were unwilling to give exact mash bill info. They did say that there was a little corn in the recipe, though. And that leads me to believe that at least some of the juice is the second recipe above. Is it all that recipe? Is there a mingling of two or three rye mash bills? No idea. What I do know is that it's from Indiana and has rye and corn in it.

Oh, and that it tastes pretty good in spite of its age.

Ezra Brooks Rye

Purchase info: This sample was provided by Common Ground PR, but I've seen it listed online for less than $20 for a 750 mL.

Details: Two years old. 45% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon red hots, soap, brown sugar, and a faint citrus note.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Honey, cinnamon red hots, clove, ginger, and lemon zest.

Finish: Medium length with lingering ginger and lemon zest.

Thoughts: This is young, but tastes pretty good in spite of that. I'm really enjoying the almost "ginger beer" quality of the ginger and lemon zest notes. I tried this in a couple of cocktails, and it got a bit lost. But on the other hand, I've enjoyed almost half the bottle neat to this point, so that says something I guess. If you see this somewhere, I'd recommend giving it a try.

UPDATE: This post contains an update to clarify who's PR Agency confirmed the use of corn in the mashbill.

*Sources:
MGPingredients.com News Release. (Accessed 2/28/17)