Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets 2015, Round 1: Fighting Cock vs. Benchmark

March 19, 2015 Eric Burke

Round 1a of the 2015 Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets features Number 1 seed Fighting Cock versus Number 4 seed Benchmark Old No. 8 Brand.

Fighting Cock is one of those bourbons that I passed over based solely on it’s frat boy name. I’ve read that it was supposed to be a competitor for Wild Turkey (the kickin’ chicken) with its a high proof and 6 year age. I have no doubt that’s the case, but I still can’t say the name without snickering. Which says more about me than the name, I guess. In any case this was a bourbon that was recommended to me numerous times last year when I called for entries, but it was always just outside the price range. Increased competition in this market has made it available in the contest’s price range, so here it is as a number one sed based on both stated age and proof.

Benchmark Old No. 8 Brand Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. If I told you this was a Sazerac product, would it surprise you that it used to be Benchmark 8 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey? Well, it is. And it was. I’m sure some people out there haven’t noticed the 5 year drop in age. People like the store I bought it from that still calls it “Benchmark 8YR” on the sales receipt. This looks to be one of the first bottles to receive Sazerac’s now infamous “Number Treatment.” It seems to have lost it’s age statement and gained it’s 8 in 2004. Strangely, it did gain an age statement of sorts in 2013-2014 by becoming young enough to drop below the 4 year old minimum for being truly NAS. In any case It was recommended last year and met the criteria so here it is as the number 4 seed based on that new age statement.

Fighting Cock

Purchase Info: Total Wine & More, Burnsville, MN $14.99 for a 750 mL

Stated Age: 6 years

ABV: 51.5%

Produced by: Heaven Hill

Nose: Green Apple, cinnamon, caramel, anise, bubble gum and vanilla.

Mouth: Hot and fruity with apple, cinnamon candy and a good hit of oak.

Finish: Hot and long. Mint, oak and cinnamon candy.

Thoughts: This is a much more complex bourbon than I was expecting. It deserves it’s name. This thing wants to fight. It’s hot and spicy, but that is balanced by a nice fruitiness. Adding water destroys it though as it becomes all about the dried corn.

Benchmark Old No. 8 Brand

Purchase Info: MGM Wine & Spirits, Burnsville, MN $13.49 for a 1L

Stated Age: At least 36 months

ABV: 40%

Produced by: Buffalo Trace

Nose: Toffee, dried fruit, a vitamin tablet, corn and faint cinnamon.

Mouth: Velvety. Hot. Mint, corn, oak and brown sugar.

Finish: Residual heat and mint. Nothing to write home about.

Thoughts: This was a surprise. Nice heat. A good complexity. It may only be three years old, but there is nothing to keep this from being a nice card playing bourbon. Adding water amps up the sweetness and turns it into a butterscotch bomb.

Winner: Fighting Cock. But this was a match-up primed for an upset. Benchmark was a real surprise. We were tasting blind and it was the first one we tasted. Based on its heat and a decent complexity, I honestly thought it had to be the Fighting Cock. It wasn’t, obviously. After tasting both whiskeys we agreed that, out of a Glencairn, the Fighting Cock was much better. But for the way my wife drinks whiskey (with a cube or two of ice) she actually thinks that the Benchmark is more her style. It's the better of the two after dilution. Personally I’ll stick with the Fighting Cock, but don’t be too surprised to see either of these in the stash in the future.

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Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets 2015: The Brackets

March 17, 2015 Eric Burke

It's that time of year again. The time when everyone in the US pretends to be of Irish decent so they can spend an evening making bad choices. I'm pretty sure that if I was actually Irish, I'd be some level of offended that folks over here are using some made-up, cartoon version of my country as the excuse to drink horrible beer with dye in it.

But it's not only St. Patrick's Day season (it seems it may be a week long this year). It's also Bracket season. It's a lovely time of year. The snow is melting. The birds are returning. Office gambling meets up with pretend basketball interest to make everyone a lot of money off of amateur athletes. Really a lovely thing for all involved.

Except me.

I feel no need to pretend to like basketball and honestly, I can make poor decisions on my own without an excuse. So what to do? Here's a thought: let's bring back the Bottom-Shelf Bourbon Brackets! Competition is the spirit of the season and I'm not immune from the lure of it.

As a reminder, the point of this is to make me try new things that I can buy in Minnesota without spending an arm and a leg on it. Best case scenario I know things to avoid. Best case, I find something I actually like. It's been a year since we last did this, so let's go over the guidelines for selection:

I'm defining Bottom-Shelf as under $20 per liter or $15 per 750 mL bottle.
It must be Straight Bourbon
It must be available in Minnesota
I was hoping to try new things, so five of the eight of these are new to me. JW Dant Bottled in Bond was last year's champ so it is back to see how it fares against other competition.

After the bottles were purchased here are the guidelines I used to seed them.

Last Year's Winner. JW Dant Bottled in Bond won last year so it get's an automatic #1 seed.
Stated (or assumed age). Straight bourbon has to be at least two years old. But unless it is under four years old you don’t have to put an age on it. So if someone does it’s either a good thing or a bad thing. I like to reward good things.
Proof. Higher proof often equals better flavor. Not always, but it can be a good rule of thumb.
Minimize corporate cousins. I figured I could introduce a little more difference into each pairing if they didn’t come off the same still, or at the very least wasn’t sold by the same company. Since five of these are from Heaven Hill, it's a guideline, not a hard rule, and is overridden by the above guidelines.

Stay tuned.

Don't Know What You Got: Jim Beam Rye

March 12, 2015 Eric Burke

For a while after moving to Minnesota, I worked as a camera salesman at Circuit City, a big box electronic store. I worked there part-time for a little extra money during the fall and into the holidays. It was an ok job as part-time retail jobs go, but once I was offered a full-time position as a designer at a local ad agency, I left that job behind as quickly as I could.

Being a dedicated Amazon shopper, I didn’t really think about Circuit City again until I heard it was closing a few years later. By this point, I had moved on to yet another design job, but still sort of fondly remembered the time I spent there helping people to pick out gifts for their kids or parents. So I decided to stop in one more time before they were gone for good. The store was having a liquidation sale by this point, selling everything off the shelves for deep discounts and then selling the shelves. In a wonderful example of Minnesotan passive-aggressiveness, the store’s music system was playing Cinderella’s Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone) on an endless loop.

I was a little sad to see it go, until I realized that the reason it was leaving was that it really wasn’t very good. Nobody went there anymore because there really was no reason to do so. Even the deeply discounted items were more expensive than Amazon’s regular price. So after spending a few minutes looking around, I left. I go to that building all the time now. It’s a Trader Joe’s and a Total Wine and it’s a block from where I work.

Recently it was announced that Jim Beam Rye (the yellow labeled one) was being discontinued. It was going to be replaced by Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye. According to BeamSuntory PR, this is basically a new label and a higher proof.

Now, I never thought much about Jim Beam Rye. It was always there, in it’s faded looking yellow bottle. But I never really thought much about picking up a bottle. Once in a while I’d order it at a bar, but only if there wasn’t anything better.

It was relatively cheap. I liked other stuff better. And there we stood…until the discontinuation announcement. Suddenly I wanted to buy a bottle “for old times’ sake.” I drank that first pour and then I remembered why I never really wanted to buy it. It wasn’t very good. My guess is there weren’t a lot of people buying it because there was no reason to do so. People who knew better, knew better and those that didn’t wanted something that cost more and and came in a pretty bottle.

So don’t be sad that it's going away. Be happy that the repackaging comes with a proof bump, a name change and even a prettier bottle.

Jim Beam Rye (yellow label)

Purchase Info: $17.99, 750 mL, Total Wine & More, Burnsville, MN

Details: 40% ABV

Nose: pencil shavings, spearmint leaves, chamomile

Mouth: Thin. Grassy. Chamomile and mint with just a hint of a burn.

Finish: Slight lingering tingle in the mouth that fades quickly to be replaced by chamomile and a slight bitterness.

Thoughts: Meh. Just meh. It isn’t bad. In fact, if you love chamomile tea, you may love this. But much like chamomile, it isn’t very interesting and might even help you to sleep.

A nice reward for a job well done: Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye

March 10, 2015 Eric Burke

Some days you just want a good whiskey. Something to relax with after a job well done. For me today is one of those days. My wife recently informed me that the washing machine wasn’t working. It wouldn’t advance through the cycles on its own. Though I know next to nothing about washing machines, we decided that it was worth it to pick up the offending part and give fixing it a shot.

I like fixing things. If it’s already broken, what’s the harm? The worst that can happen is that I still have something broken. So I pulled it out from the wall and took a look. The control area was accessed by removing three screws and sliding the front to one side until it popped free. After that it was just a matter of removing the old timer and plugging in the new one. Easy enough. I put everything back together and it worked. The machine advanced through the cycles just fine…except…

Why wasn’t the water stopping where it should? I shut the machine off and had myself a think. I seemed to remember that at one point my mother-in-law was house-sitting for us and had the washing machine break down. It wouldn’t agitate. The solution, once the repair guy got there, was to clean a hose leading from the pressure sensor to the bottom of the tub.

Well, I guess there is nothing more to do than take the front off and take a look at it. Coincidently enough, it was plugged with gunk. I guess there were two things wrong with it. After cleaning out the hose and getting all the gunk out, I reattached it and tried it out. Worked perfectly.

Now that deserves a nice whiskey. And boy did I choose a good one. I’ve sung the praises of Smooth Ambler before. I respect the hell out of those guys. They distill their own stuff, but they are also merchant bottlers. And unlike a lot of the more notorious companies out there doing this, they have no problem telling you this. It’s right on the bottle. It’s on the website. They’ll even tell you when you visit without being asked. Good whiskey sold by good people. Can’t think of a better whiskey with which to celebrate a job well done.

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye

Purchase info: Ace Spirits, 750 mL bottle, $36.99

Details: 49.5% ABV, 7 years old, Batch #38, Bottled on 6/6/14

Nose: Mint, dill, sweet cinnamon, vanilla and a hint of oak

Mouth: A nice heat. Black tea, mint, bubblegum, black pepper and cloves

Finish: Nice and long with a good warmth. Lingering black pepper, dill and baking spices

Thoughts: I love this one. It’s spicy, sweet and delicious. It’s a very nice MGPi Rye, and I tend to really like those (especially as they get in the 6+ year range). This batch is highly recommended.

Russell's Reserve Small Batch 10 year old bourbon

March 5, 2015 Eric Burke

Ever been to the Wild Turkey website? If you haven’t, it’s ok. It doesn’t look like they’ve been there for a while either. Videos are missing, the store is practically empty with only three items for sale and Eddie Russell has the wrong title. But it does have a few redeeming qualities. The main one being the featuring of Jimmy Russell.

Jimmy Russell is the Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. He’s been working there for 60 years. At this point, it’s easy to say that Jimmy Russell is Wild Turkey. I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Russell this fall while visiting Kentucky. We talked for about 15 minutes and I have to say that I’ve yet to meet a nicer person. He gave us all of his attention for as long as we wanted.

Russell’s Reserve was introduced in 1998 to celebrate Mr. Russell’s 45 anniversary with the company. It was a limited release at first, but eventually became a permanent part of the Wild Turkey line, spawning two further extensions in the Rye and Single Barrel versions. I’ve overlooked it for a long time, only having purchased it once before. It’s 90 proof, spicy and delicious.

Russell’s Reserve Small Batch

Purchase Info: $32.99 for a 750 mL at Marketplace Liquors, Savage, MN

Details: 10 years old, 45% ABV.

Nose: Mint, dried corn, apple blossoms, dried grass, deep underneath is some caramel

Mouth: Spicy and dry. Predominate oak and mint followed by dried corn, brown sugar clove and black pepper.

Finish: Warm in the chest and mouth with lingering oak and mint.

Thoughts: Jimmy Russell has stated publicly that he doesn't like older bourbons and if he’s drinking Wild Turkey I can see why. Wild Turkey seems to show more oak than other bourbons of a similar age so it would be easy to go too far. Especially for someone like me who tends to not like as strong of a sharp oak flavor. Beyond the oak, this shows fairly typical bourbon flavors: sweet balanced with spiciness and mint. It's a nice bourbon, though I think I like the Wild Turkey Rare Breed and 101 expressions a bit better.

What the Hell? (An exploration of the Craigslist secondary market)

March 3, 2015 Eric Burke

Want a laugh? Go troll Craigslist looking for bourbon. You will find legitimate collectable items of both the liquid and memorabilia types. But mixed in among the legit collectables are those that people only wish were collectable. Folks looking to make a buck (or hundred) by preying on the unsuspecting and uninformed.

A while back, I solicited people on twitter to send me some of their favorites. What follows are the ones I liked best out those submissions. Thanks to all who participated.

St. Petersburg

Let's start with something that really is hard to find, But seriously? This is over a 300% markup. Glad to have paid gift shop prices for mine.

That's a little better. Only a 200% markup (roughly). It must be on sale though. I mean "Ther prise is Final !" after all.

"It may not have the same demand as (That which will not be named) but that won't stop me from charging the same price as it."

I was starting to worry that this guy wouldn't be able to feed his family after the last two which were listed at only a 200% markup. But here we are, back to 400% or so. whew!

Chicago/Illinois

I like the bourbon...but damn.

In case you were curious, you shouldn't drink this $100 bourbon. It's for display only.

Apparently if you leave the city, the price drops. Those poor suckers in Champaign/Urbana. (shakes head) But if you want tasting notes with your gouging, this is your guy.

Missouri

$125 for a liter of "Poor Man's Pappy." Apparently the definition of poor is different in Missouri. Having traveled through much of it, I wouldn't have guessed that.

Dallas

It's Booker's! with keywords of Buffalo Trace, Angel's Envy and (That which will not be named).

New York

It's impossible to find as shown by all the Weller 12 listings we've found. Though by this point in the list, this asking price feels almost...reasonable.

Damn! Man! At least leave the store parking lot before you sell that collectible bit of HAZMAT!

Minneapolis

Can't leave my home town out, can I?

Feel like trading your Booker's 25th, Four Roses Limiteds, or Buffalo Trace Antique Collections for a bit of Old Weller Antique 107 proof? Yeah, me neither.

"The value is in the collectable (sic) container, its label, not contents inside." Finally one I agree with. The stuff inside is terrible. Though if you want, the container that bad I'll give you mine. I'll even throw in the last quarter bottle or so for good measure

Alaska

Nothing seems shady here. $75-$100 for an ounce and a half of liquid in an unmarked bottle? Or I can get all 12 and save $100!?! Where do I sign up?

Louisville

And before you think it's just folks who don't know bourbon, here's one from the heart of Bourbon Country.

I just want to know how much he's charging for that collectible mason jar filled with a "representation of a 50/50 mixture that has mingled for two weeks" in a mason jar. I mean, I'd also imagine it'd be delicious (if it were intended for consumption).

Rittenhouse Rye v. Rittenhouse Rye (DSP KY 354 v. DSP KY 1)

February 26, 2015 Eric Burke

You don't need to be a bourbon fan for very long before you hear about the Heaven Hill fire. And for good reason, it took one of the biggest producers of Bourbon and almost knocked them out of the space. The fire destroyed warehouses and even the distillery. If you've seen it, you know that the footage is heartbreaking to watch. But the stories, the stories are just the opposite. They tell the uplifting tale of competitors coming together to help. Sure, it's possible that there may have been money involved. But in any other business, how many competitors would be willing to help out even with selling inventory or renting time on machines, etc. Most of them would be happier to help out by picking up the customer base instead.

One of the legacies of the Heaven Hill fire is that for many years Brown-Forman was the contract producer of Heaven Hill's Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye. We know this because of one of the benefits of buying bottled-in-bond whiskey. You need to have the actual distillery on the label. You'll find it listed as D.S.P. (Distilled Spirits Plant) a couple of letters and a number. In the case of Rittenhouse, up until recently it said D.S.P KY 354. Brown-Forman. Within the last year or so, the label changed and it now says D.S.P. KY 1, the Bernheim distillery owned by Heaven Hill.

Since the source of the whiskey has switched, and I had recently finished a bottle of the old and opened a bottle of the new, I figured it was time to do a blind head-to-head comparison.

Rittenhouse (D.S.P. KY 354) vs. Rittenhouse (D.S.P. KY 1)

Purchase info: 354 at Blue Max, Burnsville, MN. 1 at Cellars Wine and Spirits, Eagan, MN

Details: each 50% ABV, 354 produced at Brown-Forman distillery, Louisville, KY, 1 produced at Bernheim distillery, Louisville, KY.

Rye A:

Nose: Big hit of alcohol initially. After that settles down it’s muted. Sweet toffee, cinnamon and ginger predominate. Grassy. Rye Bread.

Mouth: Cinnamon, brown sugar, oak tannins, cayenne, citrus and rye bread

Finish: long and warm. As the warmth fades it is replaced by a lingering sweetness.

Thoughts: Meh. This is hot, as is to be expected from a 100 proof whiskey, but the flavor and nose seem sort of muted. Especially when compared to Rye B. Hopefully A is the old one…

Rye B:

Nose: Savory. Cilantro, wet rock, caramel and bubblegum.

Mouth: Sweet caramel/toffee, savory grassiness, slight smokiness.

Finish: Medium finish. Sweet. Cinnamon and other baking spices linger.

Thoughts: This is a rye that mimics a bourbon. As it is assumed to be a barely legal rye, that is to be expected. It’s full flavored and round in the mouth. Sweet. Not too hot even with water. I like it. It's certainly the nicer of the two.

Comparison thoughts:

So it turns out that rye A was the new Heaven Hill produced Rittenhouse and that Rye B was the Brown-Forman version. As such, I plan to see if I can find an old bottle of the BF version still hanging around somewhere. It’s a whiskey that has a nice enough mouthfeel that it is suitable for drinking neat. Though in past reviews of it, I’ve recommended saving it for cocktails so there is that.

The Heaven Hill version tastes more of the rye than the Brown-Forman version, but it is hot. Very hot. It’s a rye that I’ve been happy enough with in cocktails, but wouldn’t want in a glencairn again.

One thing that I did realize after this head to head is that Brown-Forman can make a decent rye. It kinda makes me excited to see what the upcoming Woodford Rye will be like even though it will probably be an entirely different mashbill.

Looking at Old Forester (86 proof)

February 24, 2015 Eric Burke

Old Forester is getting quite the love from producer Brown-Forman these days. It started a few years ago when the labels got a branding refresh. This past fall, when visiting the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, I noticed that the "Woodford Reserve Booth" at the Sampler was now double-branded, sharing equal billing with Old Forester. Then there is the planned Whiskey Row distillery/visitor space in Louisville. And of course, how could we forget the Whiskey Row series of bourbons? The Original Batch 1870 is already out and the Bottled in Bond 1897 has had a label approval. I even saw an Old Forester branded ready-to-drink cocktail while trolling the COLA site. This one for a Mint Julep.

So with all this love for the brand and all the new products on the horizon, it is only fitting that we would want to take a look back at what's already out. Make sure we are up to date on where we're at before we move into the brave new future.

Brown-Forman has been making Old Forester for about 140 years now. It's gone though numerous expressions before settling in at an entry-level expression of 86 proof, a 100 proof "Signature" expression, a single barrel program, and the yearly Birthday Bourbon release (some would toss the Woodford Reserve expression in there as well since they share a mash bill and at least a partial distillation site) before adding the brand extensions listed above.

The 100 proof is described by the company website as "spicier and more robust." I described it as "hot and bitter." The single barrels I've had have all been good, but wildly different. Some being fruity and others spicy. This year's Birthday Bourbon was something special being fruity, spicy, and creamy all at the same time. But what about the 86 proof? Let's find out.

Old Forester (86 proof)

Purchase info: $19.99 for 750 mL at Ace Spirits, Hopkins MN

Details: 43% ABV

Nose: A delicate collection of the typical bourbon notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak. Plus some floral green apple, and allspice.

Mouth: Delicate and floral. Brown sugar, honey, nutmeg, and hints of oak.

Finish: Baking spices and floral notes linger with a gentle heat.

Thoughts: This is a well put-together bourbon. It is delicate, but tasty, with just enough heat. A good value as an everyday sipper. My wife claims this is one of her favorite bourbons to nose because it has all the notes she looks for but it doesn’t overpower with alcohol.

So far, the evidence I've tasted has led me to the conclusion that in general, I like Old Forester/Woodford Reserve at less than 100 proof. I like the 86 quite a bit as a everyday bourbon that you don't need to feel bad about using up too quickly. I liked the Single Barrels at their 90 proof. I seem to remember liking Woodford at just over 90 and I really liked the 97 proof Birthday Bourbon this year. The 100 proof Signature is the outlier.

So even though Old Forester is an old brand, the future looks bright. I'm excited to try the 90 proof 1870 when I can get my hands on it and the Bottled-in-Bond 1897 when it appears.

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