Blanton's Gold Edition

February 20, 2018 Eric Burke

Does anyone know what bourbon goes best with a microwavable frozen chicken sandwich? Asking for a friend.

My wife is away at a work meeting tonight and so I am left on my own for supper. And while I thought, briefly, that this was a good excuse to skip supper and move straight to the tv and a drink, alas, I am too much of a responsible adult for that. So instead I proved just how much of a responsible adult I am by skipping anything healthy that I might have in the house and eating out of a gas station freezer section.

It really is a good thing I don't write for a food site. I value convenience in my meals way more than I should. Yep, luckily for you, I write about bourbon.

When it comes to bourbon, convenience is not an issue. Sure, I will happily pay a few dollars more per bottle at my corner store in order to avoid a trip across town. But, I will also happily place an order from across an ocean if they have one I'd like to try. Maybe one like tonight's subject.

Blanton's Gold Edition is a 103° proof bourbon produced for Age International, Inc. at the Buffalo Trace Distillery for sale in international markets. Why can't we get it here? No idea. I'm sure it makes a lot of sense to someone that makes way more money than me.

Blanton's Gold Edition

Purchase Info: £6.03 for a 3 cl bottle at MasterofMalt.com ($8.44 for a roughly one-ounce bottle at today's conversion rate. A full bottle sells for about $77.)

Details: 51.5% ABV.

Nose: Caramel, brown sugar, mint, baking spice and wet rock.

Mouth: Thick and chewy mouthfeel. Lightly floral with spicy heat. Mint and caramel.

Finish: Medium length with lingering cinnamon and dark chocolate.

Thoughts: This is a beautiful whiskey if you like spice, which I do. Thick, chewy mouthfeel with a lot of spice backed up by floral mint. This stuff is really good. At roughly $75 US, this would be a something to seek out if it were available here. As it is, I'm making plans to get a full bottle the next time I place an order.

BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts Etsy store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visit BourbonGuyGifts.com. Thanks!

Blanton's Special Reserve

February 15, 2018 Eric Burke

Can we all agree that silly as it may be, price and a fancy bottle do have an effect on the perception of a whiskey? Bourbon aficionados know that, no matter how much they might enjoy a glass of Basil Hayden's now and then, it is basically a slightly more refined version of Old Grand Dad. A diluted and probably over-priced version, but one that is suitable for a beginners palate and is priced at a point where a person can feel like they are indulging a little bit when they buy it. It's an introductory bourbon. Soft, refined and delicate.

Speaking of introductory bourbons, Blanton's Special Reserve is the subject of tonight's post. It is not available in the US market. If it were, I think it would compete on the same footing as Basil Hayden's. It is an entry-level bourbon much in the same way that Basil Hayden's Bourbon is. It's light and delicate to appeal to a beginner's palate. It is also giftable to as it comes in a fancy bottle so you can gift it to a beginner and they will feel like you really bought them something nice. At least if you are in the market where it is sold.

When I saw that there was a Blanton's that was 40% ABV, I didn't think it would be an amazing bourbon. I mostly bought it because it seemed silly not to when I was buying the other two non-US expressions. I was correct, this isn't the most amazing Blanton's expression out there, but after tasting it, at least I think I now know why it exists and where it fits in the marketplace.

Blanton's Special Reserve

Purchase Info: £4.72 for a 3 cl bottle at MasterofMalt.com ($6.65 for a roughly one-ounce bottle at today's conversion rate. A full bottle sells for about $50.)

Detail: 40% ABV.

Nose: Caramel, peppermint, and dried corn.

Mouth: Delicate sweet floral flavors with some spice. Cinnamon and mint.

Finish: Floral and quick.

Thoughts: This is fine. It's nothing to write home about. It certainly isn't worth paying international shipping for. My wife rated it meh. I rated it as a low-level like but not a good value so I'm going with her rating on this. For my tastes, I'm pretty ok with this one not being sold in the US.

Bird Dog 10 Year Old Very Small Batch

February 8, 2018 Eric Burke

My first introduction to the Bird Dog brand was a while ago. I liked to stop by the Burnsville location of one of our local chains because the guy they had working in the bourbon department was top-notch. We had fun whiskey conversations all the time.

Often, the chat would start with me asking what new stuff they'd gotten in recently and what they were expecting. During a lull one time, he pointed to something new they'd gotten in. It was one of the flavored Bird Dog whiskeys: peach, blackberry, something like that.

I was going through a deep philosophical dislike of flavored bourbon at the time. And since in my mind, Bird Dog was a "flavored Bourbon company" I never really gave them another thought. I've since softened immensely on the idea of flavored bourbon, figuring that I needed to shut up and just let people drink what they like. But for some reason, that initial impression of the brand was hard to shake.

Well, that is until I was walking through the store last week looking for something to review. I was walking down the bourbon aisle, waiting for something that I hadn't had before to catch my eye.

Yes, sometimes this really is how things get on the site.

Anyway, I was walking, and I noticed right next to Bookers was a bottle that said "10 Years Old" big and bold right across the label. Glancing down at the price, I saw that it was $35. "Well, shit," I said, "no matter who is putting this out, 10-year-old and under $40 is interesting." So I grabbed the bottle of Bird Dog 10-year-old and went on my merry way.

Now, once I got home, and I did have a few questions for the producer. I knew this was a sourced bourbon and was put out by the same people as the Calumet so I reached out to them. I figured if I had these questions, you would too. Jon Holecz, Vice President of Marketing at Western Spirits (the Bird Dog brand owner) was kind enough to answer my questions.

First, noticing the lack of Straight on the label, I asked: "There is no mention of the word straight on the label. Was this a marketing decision or does this not qualify for that designation? As it is a sourced product, I know that it can't be called straight if it is sourced from multiple states, etc. And speaking of sourcing, are you at liberty to disclose where it is from?"

Jon: "This was a marketing decision, and all of our bourbon is distilled and aged in KY. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to disclose our source for this bourbon. Sorry!"

My wife noticed the "very small batch" near the bottom of the label and wondered "how small is your very small batch?"

Jon: "Each batch uses less than 100 barrels in the Bird Dog 10 Year Old Very Small Batch."

And finally, I was shocked by an age stated bourbon for an affordable price: "A 10-year-old bourbon at an affordable price is something of a rarity these days. I applaud you for being able to pull that off. I guess my final question is how did you accomplish it?"

Jon: "We are very proud of our Bird Dog 10 year old. As Bird Dog is still a new brand to many consumers, we do not want to over price ourselves in the super competitive market."

I want to thank Jon for taking the time to answer my questions.

Bird Dog 10 Year Old Very Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: $34.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN.

Details: 10 Years Old. 45% ABV.

Nose: Bubblegum, mint, vanilla and a little dill.

Mouth: Good spice in the mouth, mint, vanilla, and oak tannins.

Finish: Medium length. Nice spice at the back of the tongue. Lingering dark chocolate notes.

Thoughts: This is a ten-year-old bourbon that I bought for $35. That alone makes this worth a look. The fact that it is pretty tasty helps too. It is a very solid, well-crafted bourbon that has a nice "well-aged" flavor. Good oak which is not overpowering, good vanilla sweetness, and good spice. It works well neat and holds up well in a cocktail. If you are trying to find something to compare it to, it sort of reminds me of a Barton bourbon. Yeah. I like this one.

Ragged Branch Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey

January 25, 2018 Eric Burke

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

Ragged Branch Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Right as the new year was beginning, I received an email from the folks at Ragged Branch Distillery asking if I would review their bourbon. I, having no idea who Ragged Branch Distillery was, said yes. Because, heck, you never know if it will be good until you try it.

So who is Ragged Branch Distillery? I've never met them, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that Ragged Branch is run by very enthusiastic, very detail oriented people. Most samples, if they come with any information, come only with a PR card or flyer. These came with sell sheets, photos, and a six-page history of the company.

I was ecstatic. I love it when producers tell me way more information than I thought I wanted to know. I love the enthusiasm. And I love the transparency. I'm not going to reproduce their entire story for you, but here are the high points.

Ragged Branch began like many craft distilleries do, with a conversation amongst friends over drinks. It was 2009 and the friends, all of whom worked in the home building industry, were suffering from the effects of the downturn in the housing market. But, as it sometimes does, a stretch of bad luck and a few drinks turned into inspiration. From there, the friends enlisted the services of David Pickerell to help teach them just what it would take to get up and running, and how to, you know, actually make bourbon.

But it wasn't smooth sailing. There were a few hiccups along the way. One, involving a snowstorm, stranded Mr. Pickerell at their house for four days. Another involved a mixup with a license application and quite a few agents of the Virginia ABC. Luckily that last one was worked out right away.

Ragged Branch is truly a farm-to-table operation. The grain used to create the bourbon is grown on land owned or leased by the distillery. They grow, grind, mash, distill, age and bottle right there on the farm. The bourbon is aged in new 53-gallon barrels with a #3 char. Spent mash is fed to the beef cattle they raise.

Fast forward eight years and the bourbon, and the beef, is finally on sale. No, it's not an eight-year-old bourbon. But it isn't sourced, and it is straight. And both of those are to be commended.

But how does it taste?

Ragged Branch Distillery Wheated Bourbon

Purchase Info: The producer kindly provided this 100mL sample for review purposes. It retails for $48.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Virginia ABC stores.

Details: 45% ABV. Made from a mash of 66% corn, 17% wheat and 17% malted barley.

Nose: Earthy with cinnamon candies, fresh cut lumber, dried fruit and creamed corn.

Mouth: Nice thick mouthfeel. Spicy and sweet with honey, allspice, cornbread and dried fruit.

Finish: On the longer side of medium. It starts sweet and spicy but that fades into a warm drying sensation.

Thoughts: When I nosed this, I thought that it was going to taste very young. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the youth was tempered in the mouth. It's youth wasn't expressed as "new-makey" but instead as cornbread and a spicy brashness. Yes, it tasted young, but it is a very well put together bourbon and would be a great pickup for those whose palates run toward young bourbon. I like it, but for me, it still tastes a bit young to be a regular drinker. It would make a nice change of pace though.

Ragged Branch Distillery Rye Bourbon

Purchase Info: The producer kindly provided this 100mL sample for review purposes. It retails for $48.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Virginia ABC stores.

Details: 45% ABV. Made from a mash of 66% corn, 17% rye and 17% malted barley.

Nose: Green apple, mint and rye spice. After a bit of time dried grain and buttered popcorn notes appear.

Mouth: Follows the nose with green apple, mint and rye spice. There is also some warm cinnamon candy as well.

Finish: Warm, spicy and of medium length. I'm getting cinnamon candies and waves of spicy heat.

Thoughts: I am legitimately impressed by this bourbon. Most of the time when reviewing a craft bourbon you need to use words that show that it still tastes like a young bourbon. Recommending it to people that like that. This one doesn't need any of that. This is good. Period. I've got a trip this summer that will take me through Virginia. A bottle of this one is coming home with me. And I have a feeling it will not last long in the house.

Wiser's 18 Year Old

January 16, 2018 Eric Burke

I've been on a bit of a Canadian Whisky kick the last week or so. Luckily, I try to always keep some of my favorite Canadian Whiskies on hand for just such an occasion.

The one in my glass tonight is another product that spent almost two decades in the barrel. Wiser's 18 Year Old is an 18-year-old whisky, distilled at the Hiram Walker and Sons Distillery in Windsor Canada. I last purchased the Wiser's 18 back when I was first becoming interested in Canadian Whisky. I was trying to decide which I preferred, 18 or Wiser's Legacy. Luckily for me at that point, I liked both the taste and the price of the Wiser's Legacy more.

But that said, I remember enjoying the bottle I picked up. So I thought that now that Wiser's Legacy is no longer available, I would go back and give 18 another shot. And I thought I should probably do it while I still could, as I am seeing less and less of it on the shelves these days.

Wiser's 18 Year Old

Purchase Info: $62.99 for a 750 mL bottle MGM Wine & Spirits, Prior Lake, MN.

Details: 40% ABV. Aged 18 years.

Nose: Cotton candy, mint, cherry, and almond.

Mouth: Oak, mint, almond, and baking spice play with a nice heat in the mouth.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Lingering oak and spice which fade to cherry candy.

Thoughts: This is a delicious whisky that has many of the same notes you would find in a Bourbon. The fun thing is that it tastes almost nothing like bourbon. Each note is expressed differently. The oak is more refined and is very well integrated. The cherry and almond almost merge into the same note. Wiser's 18 Year Old is a masterpiece of the Whisky Blender's art.

I really like this and if you see it on the shelf at your local, pick it up and enjoy exploring both the differences and similarities between this and the bourbons you are used to.

Orphan Barrel: Entrapment

January 11, 2018 Eric Burke

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

Yes, I know that the name of the site is BourbonGuy but from the beginning, I've had a focus on North American whiskey, which includes bourbon, rye and yes, Canadian. Longtime readers know this, but I've been seeing a lot of new names popping up in the comments so I thought I'd reiterate it. I count myself to be a Canadian Whisky fan. I've enjoyed releases from little known (in the US) names such as Danfield's and Highwood Ninety and from the staples such as Canadian Club and Crown Royal.

And it was that last one that got me excited when I saw that I'd be getting a review sample. The newest release in the Orphan Barrel line is a 25-year-old Canadian whiskey that was initially intended for Crown Royal. It was left over and set aside. In this case for quite a while. I like Crown Royal, though I find it to be a bit overpriced and overrated.

Let's see how the leftover bits fair.

Orphan Barrel: Entrapment

Purchase info: This sample was kindly provided by Taylor Strategy. The suggested retail price is $149.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Details: 25 years old. 41% ABV. Mashbill of 97% corn and 3% malted barley. Distilled in Gimli, Manitoba. Bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Nose: Cinnamon candies, caramel, dried lumber.

Mouth: Very polite. And by that, I mean so gentle that you could honestly hold it in your mouth for minutes before you start to notice it. At that point, sweet and fruity notes combine with a nice nuttiness.

Finish: Gentle and short with cinnamon and nutty notes.

Thoughts: On the surface, there isn't a lot to this. The nose is very good, but you almost have to swallow your sip before the flavor starts to show up. When the flavors arrive, they are also very good. Though, I don't think I would say they are $150 good. Especially when they only show up for the second act. Yeah, this is pretty meh for me.

And that disappoints and irritates me. There are a ton of delicious, full-flavored, Canadian whiskies on the market. Even the oldest ones are less than half the price of this. I'm terrified that someone will buy this and think that because it was so expensive, that this must be the best. That all Canadian Whiskies are this mild. I worry that in that mythical person's mind all Canadian whiskey will be dismissed. And they shouldn't be.

BourbonGuy 2017 Bourbon of the Year: Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

December 21, 2017 Eric Burke

I can see the question in your eyes as you read this. Why, after five years of publishing this site, did you finally decide to do something as gimmicky as a "Bourbon of the Year" award?

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary from Ace Spirits

And I admit, I've scoffed at them on other sites for as long as I've been reading other sites. But, I do have an answer and it's honestly really simple. I've finally found one that I'd be willing to put my own reputation behind. I stumbled across a bourbon that was so good that it needed more than just a heart icon.

And I do mean stumbled. Back in late summer, I got an email from Ace Spirits (I'm on their email marketing list, it wasn't some special heads-up or anything) mentioning that the barrel of Knob Creek 25th Anniversary was going to be arriving soon. On a whim, I decided to preorder it, even though it was well beyond my personal price ceiling. I immediately regretted it. $165 for a single bottle of bourbon will do that to you. Especially when that meant that my whiskey budget for my upcoming trip to Kentucky was going to be $165 shorter than normal.

But by the time the bottle came in, I was over that and had moved on to anticipation. I took it home, tried it, thought to myself "Ooh, I can't wait to review this." Then I went to Kentucky and promptly forgot about it. Over the intervening months, I would occasionally pour myself a glass. This was one I didn't want to rush through. And then last week, I realized that I had forgotten to review it.

And so the BourbonGuy.com 2017 Bourbon of the Year award was born. This is the best bottle I bought this year. It was better than the Rebel Yell Single Barrel. It was better than the Four Roses Limited. It was better than the 2016 Yellowstone I purchased and the 2017 one I got a sample of. This is in the conversation for the best bourbon I've ever had (of course, memories are notoriously biased).

So what do we know about this barrel of bourbon? It is part of the Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel brand. It is barrel strength at 61.6% ABV. It is 13 years old. And it is delicious.

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

Purchase Info: $165 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN (after tax, I can't find the original receipt since I thought I had already reviewed it).

Details: Barrel Date: 5/13/2004, 61.6% ABV, Barrel #: 5166, Warehouse L, Floor 3, Rick 32, Tier 3.

Nose: Dusty oak, caramel, vanilla, cocoa. Essentially a perfect bourbon nose.

Mouth: Shows its proof by being very hot on the first sip. I'm getting caramel, cocoa, oak, and vanilla. Very similar to the nose.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering notes of rich dark chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, and caramel.

Thoughts: The nose and mouth are very good, but the finish is what makes this the best bourbon I've had this year. The finish is simply phenomenal.

Notice: Starting tomorrow, I'm finally taking a real vacation where I won't be working at all. I'll be back after the first of the new year. In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and thank you for being a loyal reader.

Old Pogue Master's Select - Revisited

December 19, 2017 Eric Burke

A little over four and a half years ago, I last reviewed Old Pogue. It was a bottle that my wife liked to get whenever we would go to Kentucky. At the time, my take was:

"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."

In the intervening years, as bourbon stocks for sourcing have run low, the product has become much harder to find. being released only intermittently. But while at BourbonFest this past September, I started seeing it on the shelves again. This time the price had gone up considerably, having reached over $100 per bottle.

I was reluctant to pay that much for it, and my wife was conflicted about it. Well, until she got a bidding number at the Master Distiller's Auction at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Then all of a sudden she could justify it as a charitable gift to the museum that happened to come with a bottle of bourbon. The distillery couldn't be reached for comment, so I'm not sure if it is a current bottle or an older batch, but in any case, a bottle came home with us in September.

Knowing that the source of the bourbon was probably quite different than it was previously, I was curious to see how the juice compared to what I had reviewed last time. Luckily back then, I used to keep a sample library of every purchase. And so I pulled out an Old Pogue sample and tasted them head-to-head. Here is what I found:

Old Pogue Master's Select: Batch 6822

Purchase info: You don't really expect that I'll remember where I bought this back in 2012/13 do you? I didn't think so. But I want to say it was in the $40-50 range.

Details: 45.5% ABV. Batch 6822

Nose: Caramel, green apple, vanilla and baking spice.

Mouth: Lightly flavored with caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

Finish: Gentle burn with lingering green apple and baking spice.

Thoughts: This is good. It isn't a "knock-your-socks-off" powerhouse of a bourbon, but it is a very tasty one. It almost reminds me of one of the good batches of Angel's Envy, just without the port flavors.

Old Pogue Master's Select: Batch 6899

Purchase info: Roughly $100 at the 2017 Master Distiller's Auction to benefit the Oscar Getz Museum in Bardstown, KY. (Suggested retail price is $110 for a 750 mL)

Details: 45.5% ABV. Batch 6899

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, red fruit, cotton candy, wintergreen and floral notes.

Mouth: Cinnamon, mint, floral notes, along with wintergreen candy.

Finish: Warm with lingering wintergreen, mint, and spice notes.

Thoughts: While I used to enjoy Old Pogue, I never liked it quite as much as my wife did. I tend to like powerful bourbons (flavor not proof) that fill the mouth with flavor. So, I would normally leave the bottle for her to enjoy so that she could have more of it.

Not this time. This bottle has the kind of mouth-filling flavor that my wife will need to share. I like this very much. Not so sure I want to pay this much for it though.

In summary, these are very different. I really like the newer bottle better while my wife prefers the old one. Both of us prefer the old price, as you might expect.

Blog

Blanton's Gold Edition

Blanton's Special Reserve

Bird Dog 10 Year Old Very Small Batch Bourbon

Ragged Branch Distillery Wheated Bourbon

Ragged Branch Distillery Rye Bourbon

Wiser's 18 Year Old

Orphan Barrel: Entrapment

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

Old Pogue Master's Select: Batch 6822

Old Pogue Master's Select: Batch 6899