Whiskey Review: Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon (Barrel 114)

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Way back in May of 2012, I decided to go on a road trip to Iowa. I'd heard of this little winery near Cedar Rapids that had expanded into bourbon. Being the type of guy who is willing to take almost any excuse to jump in the car and taste bourbon, it was only a matter of finding the right time. For whatever reason May 12th was that time. how do I know? Well, I happened to tweet about it. I remember it as a fun trip. Up at five am and there by noon.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 5:22 am: "Up early to drive to Iowa. The plan is to visit @CedarRidge4 Distillery and Winery today. Should be fun."

Saturday, May 12, 2012 7:48 am: "Can't wait to get there... driving through Iowa is sooo boring."

(With as much as I enjoy it's alcoholic progeny, I get a little impatient driving through endless corn fields.)  

Saturday, May 12, 2012 10:58 am: "If everyone in Iowa is this nice, I feel sorry for them. I've never been treated more rudely. I hope this day gets better."

(Remember, when a truck crowds the line, it's best to not park in the middle of your spot, even if you have a tiny car...this guy wanted to fight.)

Saturday, May 12, 2012 11:45 am: "So far @CedarRidge4 has redeemed this Iowa trip for me. Knowledgeable tour guide. Very nice folks at the tasting bar. And good whiskies."

But there was redemption (and whiskey) at the end of the drive so all was well. I took the tour. It wasn't long, but the young guy who gave it was immensely knowlegeable about the product that was being made. We saw the mashing, the fermentation, the stills. Then we turned around and saw the aging product. 

I said it was small.

I listened as he answered questions about the barrels, what each piece of equipment did, the water—reverse osmosis filtered for parts of the process, distilled pure for others—in case you were curious,  etc. Then the tour was over and we headed to the tasting bar.

This is a beautiful place. You know how winery's are almost always beautiful places where you could imagine people getting married? Yeah, this is one of those. The tasting bar was the type of place where the people are amazingly nice and everything tastes just a little bit better. Because of that, and because I had just driven four hours to get there, I picked up a bottle. 

Then I beer tasted my way around Iowa, stopping at a nearby brewery for a sample. Then to Des Moines to have supper and a sampler flight. Then to Ames for my hotel. All in all it was a fun trip. 

On Monday of that same week, I cracked open the bottle of Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon. 

Monday, May 14, 2012 8:25 pm: "Drinking my 1st glass of @CedarRidge4 bourbon. Initial thought: reminds me a lot of Big Red Gum. Looking forward to more exploration."

It was ok, but not as good as I remembered sitting in the tasting room. 

Damn that lovely ambiance. 

And it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. Every once in a while I pour another glass, I see if it's still as I remember it, then I put it back hoping to find a use for it. I used it for making a pork marinade yesterday, it paired really nicely with a lovely chenin blanc (I took a sip before mixing in the other ingredients). And tonight, I decided that I finally needed to review it.

Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon

Specs: Barrel Number 114, Bottle 298

Nose: Grains with a hint of sweetness. A deeply pervading, though well incorporated, ethanol scent in every sniff, even after a while in the glass.

Mouth: Silky texture with a delicate flavor of dried corn.

Finish: Bitter tannins, very drying in the back of the throat, fading to the same aftertaste as the Big Red gum I chewed when I was a kid.

Overall: I'm not a fan of this bourbon. It misses almost all the notes I look for in a bourbon. It has almost no vanilla or caramel and very little spice. It does showcase the corn very well. And maybe being from the middle of corn country, that's the point.

I'd pass on this one, but your milage may vary. It does look to be a single barrel after all. So give it a shot, and if you're in Eastern Iowa, I recommend a visit. It's a lovely place and worth the stop.

Whiskey Review: Wild Turkey Forgiven

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I sometimes wonder what my grandmother would think to know that multiple people at my liquor store know me by name the minute I walk in. Would she approve? Would she be sad? 

Should I be?

Not when they say: "Eric, it's in," the moment I open the door, I shouldn't. 

A month or so ago, I was talking to the assistant manger at my local store. We were talking bourbon, like we do every time we are both there. He was telling me about all the new products he was getting in. I'd heard of most of them and had varying levels of interest. There was one though that I was really interested in. I'd heard rumors on twitter of a blend of rye and bourbon whiskies that Wild Turkey was going to put out. It turns out that this was one of the ones he was getting in. He just didn't know when.

Now, Minnesota is normally not on the early list for getting new whiskies, I usually get to see blog posts about them to whet my anticipation. This time though, he thought he'd be getting it in within a couple weeks. And joy of joys, he offered to pull one and hold it for me. 

After stopping in a few times over the course of the month to see if it had arrived, today was the day. "Eric. It's in," the lady behind the counter called to me when I opened the bright red door and walked into the store.

"It is?" I countered. "Well, that's why I stopped in!" Of course, while she grabbed the bottle, I asked the store manager who happened to be standing nearby if he could get me a bottle of the Four Roses 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch. 

I'm never satisfied, it seems.

Wild Turkey Forgiven

Stats: This is a blend of bourbon and rye straight whiskies. It is bottled at 45.5% ABV. It has a nice toffee color in the glass. The bottle is the same shape as their Rare Breed bourbon and comes in a nice embossed paper and metal tube shaped box.

Nose: Initially caramel, then after a while I get a floral scent and faint black pepper.

Mouth: My first note from after my first sip just reads: "SPICY!" If you hold it in your mouth while trying to tease out it's flavor, it tingles. After spending a little more time with it, I'm hit with cinnamon and a hint of vanilla. But this isn't an overly sweet whiskey.

Finish: Tannic bitterness which fades into a peppery tingle.

Overall: I like this whiskey a lot. Wild Turkey Forgiven is a tasty whiskey. It is not, however, an easy-drinking, card-playing whiskey. This is kind of an aggressive whiskey and wants you to devote your full attention to it.

Head-to-head review: Elijah Craig 12 Year vs. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

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Ever have one of those days where you know you really should come home from work and drink bourbon, but aren't sure that you want to?

...

No?

Normally I don't either. But today...today I was tired. Tired and hungry. And a little cranky. And did I mention hungry? I mean, analyzing a bit of bourbon means pushing supper off so you can save your taste buds for the finding of all those flavors in the bourbons. 

It's been a while since I did an analytical tasting. You can tell because these thoughts were actually going through my head at first. I was looking at it as if it were something I had to do not something I should want to do.

But that's the beauty of bourbon. Pouring the samples, nosing them. Making notes along the way... yeah I got right back into it. Irritation? Gone. Hunger...still there, but manageable. Bourbon? Oh yeah. It smelled so good.

I've been doing a lot more beer drinking this summer than I have bourbon drinking. But tonight I realized again why I love bourbon. I love the smell. I love the way it hits you like a wave of sweetness that is a mix of caramel, vanilla and tannins. I love how it feels when you breathe in after you swallow, how the air cools your tongue and the burn lingers in your throat. I love that every bourbon is similar, yet different. They are all speaking the same language, but the dialect is different. 

Oh geesh, think of the difference between someone from Minnesooota, like me, don'tcha know...and...someone from Chahlston, South Carallina, where I might, someday, move. 

They both speak English, but you'd know they were different. Bourbon is the same way. Each one is similar, but each one is a variation on the theme. 

I love that!

And as a continuation of the theme of similar, yet different, tonight I decided to taste two that are supposedly the same except for proof. Elijah Craig 12 year and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. These are supposed to be exactly the same, but at they are different proofs. Does it make a difference. Yeah, yoo betcha. I didn't do it blind tonight because, if you've ever seen Elijah Craig Barrel Proof you know it's as dark as a cup of coffee. You'd know them apart just by looking at them.

Elijah Craig 12 Year

Color: Amber in color as are most bourbons.

Nose: At first sniff, this hits with a alcohol burn to the nostrils. After that, it reminds me most of standing in the aging warehouse at Heaven Hill's Bourbon Heritage Center. It smells like oak and dust and bourbon. Digging just a little deeper I get some toffee and a clove/allspice scent.

Mouth: This has a vague sweetness. Carmel, vanilla, etc. But there is also some oak and a bit of spice. Not a one-note wonder.

Finish: dry, tannic with a bit of a burn.

Overall: I like this, but just barely. It's not bad by any means, but it's trending a bit too hot and dry for my tastes. Not so far outside the realm that it's meh, but it's the closest like to a meh, I've ever given.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Color: this is brown. Like cup of coffee brown.

Nose:  Very sweet and much less burn than the regular release. I'm getting a buttery baked apple loaded with cinnamon and warm brown sugar.

Mouth: Very sweet with some spicy clove. A bit fruity on the tip of the tongue. 

Finish: sweet again with a warmth that sits right over your heart for minutes. After my first swallow, I got a burst of a burn coming back up my throat.

Overall: Hoo momma, this is strong. I recommend water. But don't water it down to the 94 proof of the regular release, that's a bit much. But when not adding any, I burned out my tongue pretty quick. This one is really good. 

I was curious so I added water to bring it down to about 95 proof. On the nose, the alcohol burn came back but it was fruitier with bigger clove/allspice than either of them right out of the bottle. The taste just fell apart. Though, my mouth was plenty burned out by this point so who knows.

These are both good, but for my money I'd go barrel proof if you can find it anywhere.

Head-to-Head-to-Head Review of Bourbon from the Barton 1792 Distillery

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I am a cheap bastard. I listen to my music on Spotify (the free account) instead of buying it. I take a sandwich for lunch everyday. I don't go to the movies every month, or even every six. I drove my last car until I was spending almost as much on repairs as I would on a car payment. I drink bourbon and I like bourbon that is under $20 per liter. 

That doesn't mean I won't spend more on a good bottle. I spent $100 on one just a couple weeks ago. I'll spend money if it is deserved. I go to movies that will benefit from the big screen and big sound. When I bought a car, I bought one with all the electronics you could ask for. I buy those few albums that I know I'll be listening to in a few years. I try to buy my dinner hot and pre-made once every couple of weeks, even if it is just delivery. 

If you wanted, you could probably call me "frugal," but I tend to be a bit more plain spoken than that. And besides, cheap doesn't offend me. Cheap means something is worth more than it costs. I love cheap. Cheap is your rough-around-the-edges uncle. Frugal is that quiet chap in your office who seems just a bit stuck up. Cheap is fun. Frugal you are afraid of offending. You don't worry about cheap. Cheap can take care of itself. 

And that is why I picked two of the bourbons I did for tonight's tasting. If you were being nice, you could call them inexpensive. Or a good value. But let's not start mincing words now. These are two cheap bourbons. Even the most expensive of the two is under $25 for a 1.75 L at the Party Source. But, that said, I made a special point of searching these out the last time I was in Kentucky. Everything I read, said that they are a well kept secret in the Bluegrass State and that they are much better than the price tag suggests.

So last time I was there, I picked up a liter of 86 proof Very Old Barton and a 200 mL of the 100 proof version for comparison. Tonight, because it is made at the same distillery and because I prefer a three way double blind, I threw in a pour of my Liquor Barn Selected1792 Ridgemont Reserve as well (second series #5 according to the label). 

Each of these pours was really hot on the nose initially. Just overpowering with alcohol. So in an unusual move, I let them sit for five minutes before coming back to them.

Whiskey A

Nose: First thing I'm hit with is dried corn sitting in a silo. After a while it shows some floral and sweet scents. After a couple sips I could swear someone is baking sweet cornbread in the glass.

Mouth: This disappoints. It's all harsh alcohol on the tongue tip and stays hot as you swallow. It does sweeten some as it moves back in the mouth though.

Finish: warm and peppery. This one definately leaves a tingle that lasts for a while.

Thoughts: This one is so hot that I'd drink it with a couple ice cubes or some water, but even then it wouldn't be my first choice. It's not bad, but not great. It's just meh.

Whiskey B

Nose: Strange as it sounds, the first thing I'm struck with is chocolate milk. But then moving into the smell of silage. Finally landing on sweet brown sugar. 

Mouth: Sweet at the tip of the tongue, but becomes a bit peppery as it moves back in the mouth. Adding a bit of water mutes the pepper and allows some of the wood to show itself.

Finish: This leaves you with all the stereotypical bourbon flavors. Caramel vanilla and oak. It's nice.

Thoughts: This is certainly more interesting to me than A was. Whiskey A was all about the heat. This is a bit more nuanced. That said, it's still just sort of...there. It'll do in a pinch, but also wouldn't be my first choice.

Whiskey C

Nose: This starts just a bit sour. But that fades. You are left with wood and brown sugar.

Mouth: This is very gentle on entry. Sweet with a mild pepper. It's almost cooling after the other two.

Finish: Very quick finish. There is a lot of vanilla along with a hint of dryness.

Thoughts: This is easy drinking to the point of being boring. And that's why I like it. I'd reach for this while playing cards or having an animated conversation with a close friend. Something where I don't want to think about my whiskey, I just want to drink it and enjoy what's going on around me.

So which is which? Well, I was sort of surprised to find out that I had ranked them in inverse order to their price. I liked the 86 proof Very Old Barton the most (C),  the 1792 the least (A) and the 100 proof Very Old Barton landed in the middle (B).

Keep in mind that this is not the regular release of 1792 so your milage may vary. This one may very well have been chosen for it's heat. I have tasted it side by side with the regular release and I didn't notice much of a difference, but you never know.

#DavinTT Week 3 - A fantastic mystery whisky

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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.

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.

#DavinTT Week 2

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So. Sunday was week two of the #DavinTT on twitter. Did you make it? Did you go buy the book, read up and ask a question? Did you at least follow along? I hope you did, I had a blast.

As with last week we spent the first half hour or so asking questions of Davin de Kergommeaux. He did his best to answer them all. And even though I read the book (parts of it twice) I still learned something. The beauty of this type of group discussion is that the information that is in the book inspires different thoughts in each of us. And so some people ask questions that I hadn't even thought to ask and I might ask questions that others hadn't thought of. It's kind of like tasting whisky in that manner since we are all informed as much by our own experiences as by the info that was presented to us.

After about a half hour or so our hostess, Johanne McInnis of the blog: The Perfect Whisky Match called those of us lucky enough to have been included in the samples down to the business of discovering what the little bottle I've shown above held. 

Mystery Whisky 2

Color: I don't often comment on color, but this one was really pretty. A bit more red in it than the various Amber tones I'm used to.

Nose: At first all I got was sweetness and rubber. Almost like a Sharpie marker, but not quite. After a little longer I discovered a bit of a sulfur smell in there. And then after those settled down a bit there was a bit of maple. We had a discussion online as to if it were a vanilla or a maple, but to me it went more maple-ish. 

If you're a bourbon person like me, these scents are going to sound really odd. But as strange as they sound, they do not come across as unpleasant, just different. It was a very interesting nose. 

Mouth: This one starts very sweet. But then it takes a left turn into a definite sourness followed by molasses. It was odd. Had an off flavor that I didn't find pleasant. 

Finish: Bitter tannins and spice fading into lingering molasses. 

Overall: This is not a bad whiskey. I don't  think something went wrong or it was not well done. It isn't terrible. But it isn't to my tastes. For me, it's just meh. 

So what is it? This week we tasted Alberta Premium Dark Horse. This is a very different whisky than last week. I'm noticing that there are many facets to Canadian whisky. I find that very exciting and can't wait for next week.

If you missed Sunday's tasting, search for the the twitter hashtag #DavinTT to get caught up. And please make sure you follow along each Sunday at 2 pm Central time between now and May 26th using that same hashtag to live vicariously though us as we expand our knowledge and palates.

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

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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

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

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.

#DavinTT Week One + a book and a whisky review

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Until recently, I knew nothing about Canadian Whisky. Sure, I'd bought Windsor Canadian when I was in college to swish my mouth with when I had a toothache and couldn't afford a dentist. I didn't like it, but then I didn't like any whiskies. I'd never had anything else produced by our Neighbor to the North. And, honestly, based on that experience I wasn't in a hurry to remedy the situation.

As part of my whiskey education, I'd learned that Canadian Whisky was the product of blending whiskies. I had a vague thought that it was "blended whisky" like American blended whiskey. (You know, where they mix straight whiskey with neutral sprits (vodka) in order to make a lighter product.) This misconception did not make me in any more of a hurry to expand my whisky knowledge to Products of Canada.

So, yes, I knew nothing about Canadian Whisky but a dimly remembered dislike of a downmarket product and a series of vague misconceptions. But, recently, all that changed. You see, I'd been offered a wonderful opportunity to broaden my horizons with respect to whisky produced by our Northern Neighbor. Johanne McInnis of the blog: The Perfect Whisky Match arranged a Twitter book review/author Q&A of Canadian Whisky: the portable expert by Davin de Kergommeaux. 

In fact she scheduled four of them. One each Sunday from May 5th through May 26th. Each Sunday at 2pm Central Time we spent/will spend about a half hour asking questions inspired by our assigned reading from the book. After that we crack open a "Mystery Whisky" sample that had been sent to us and we do an online tasting. 

Book Review:

Canadian Whisky: the portable expert by Davin de Kergommeaux has been on my Amazon wishlist for the last bit of forever. The minute I heard about it, I knew I wanted to read it. This is a book that busts the many myths and misconceptions that most citizens of these United States have regarding Canadian Whisky. That "blended whisky" one from above? Yep. Untrue. A blend of whiskies is not a blended-whiskey. Hiram Walker? Turns out there is more than just those florescent liqueurs you see on the bottom shelf of the cordial section of most liquor stores associated with that name. This is a book fully worth buying. I'll admit, I was sent a review copy of the book for this project. I'm thinking really hard about buying the Kindle version though just so I can have it with me on the iPad at all times. Go buy the book. Today if possible, but as soon as you can if it isn't. 

And if you buy today (or any day) as an added bonus: since those pesky Canadians keep most of the really good stuff in country and there are more tasty whiskies made in Canada than those of us in Middle North America have probably ever realized, Davin was nice enough to provide tasting notes in the book so that we are fully aware of just what we are missing out on. 

And are we ever missing out. If Mystery Whisky number one is any indication, I need to visit Canada a lot more often.

Mystery Whisky 1

Nose: I'm first hit with a sour/acidic smell balanced by a hint of sweetness. After some discussion online and with my wife, I'll settle on pickles. Not strong and overpowering, but there. I also get some pine, vanilla and after a while cloves. 

Mouth: Velvety and thick, spicy with a good strong rye flavor. Later sips reveal an underlying vanilla/caramel sweetness. After adding water, the spice is muted to reveal some citrus. 

Finish: pickle juice is back along with pine and cinnamon spice. This is a good finish. 

Thoughts: I love this whisky. It is elegantly balanced with a thick, velvety mouthfeel. I prefer it with no water as I love the spiciness it presents. Others, including my wife, prefer muting that with water and allowing other flavors to come to the front. To each their own, I guess. 

So what is it? After about an hour, the reveal happens: this is called Lot No. 40, is produced at the Hiram Walker distillery, bottled at 43% ABV...and (as near as I can tell) is not available in the US. So that makes the opportunity to taste it even more special. I want to thank Johanne and Davin for the opportunity to participate in these twitter tastings and greatly look forward to next weekend!

If you missed today's tasting, search for the the twitter hashtag #DavinTT to get caught up. And please make sure you follow along each Sunday at 2 pm Central time between now and May 26th using that same hashtag to live vicariously though us as we expand our knowledge and palates.

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2019 UPDATE: I took another look at Lot 40 in August of 2019. It has completely changed. Read about it here.

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