Don’t look a gift whiskey in the mouth

May 19, 2015 Eric Burke

My wife’s boss doesn’t drink whiskey. I hear he is a nice enough man and though I’ve never met him, I have a feeling we wouldn’t get along. I’ve heard that there are people out there worth talking to that do not drink whiskey, but I don’t know that I’ve found one. I have a hard enough time understanding folks who prefer scotch to bourbon. But no whiskey at all? That’s kind of a stretch.

Anyway, my wife’s boss received a bottle of whiskey from his daughter-in-law who got it at work. He didn’t want it so he gave it to my wife and I since he knew we liked whiskey. When we first found out he would be doing that, we were appreciative, but joked that it would probably be something like Rebel Yell. Rebel Yell being the only bourbon so bad that I couldn’t finish the bottle. (I’m even finishing the Old Crow!)

So it was with a bit of amusement that my wife told me as she got home that, “guess what, it really was Rebel Yell.” It’s an interesting feeling being both amused and disappointed. I was as amused as she was. Because “of course it is.” But here’s the thing. As I pulled it out of the bag, I noticed something. I saw that the label had changed, reminding me of a PR email I received.

I get a lot of people asking if I want samples. I always say no even though sometimes it’s hard, knowing I might not get to taste it otherwise. Other times it is really easy. The Rebel Yell email was an easy one. The gist of my response was: “Sorry, already reviewed that one and I wasn’t nice.” I wish I had read the press release a little closer. It seems that Luxco has released a couple more whiskies under the Rebel Yell name. And the gift whiskey I got was one of those. It’s not Rebel Yell Bourbon. It is Rebel Yell American Whiskey: a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey. So I opened it up. And it wasn’t bad.

Which caused something to crystalize in my brain:

If you’ve never had it, you never know what is going to be in a bottle until you open it.

It’s simple and sounds obvious once you hear it, but it’s worth reminding ourselves sometimes. Too often we tend to judge a whiskey by what we “know” about it, it’s price or who did or didn’t produce it, instead of what it tastes like. In this case I almost let my preconceptions get in the way of something that seems fairly tasty. I have no idea how long that would have remained on the shelf in the closet if I hadn’t taken a closer look at the new label.

So it seems my wife’s boss and I are cool now (even though we’ve still never met). It seems that having someone in your life who doesn’t drink whiskey is an ok thing. I mean how else would I have gotten free whiskey?

(A more formal review will come once I’ve been able to spend some time with the bottle, but I was reminded of this lesson and felt like sharing.)

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Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

May 14, 2015 Eric Burke

So. If you were told that in two days you would no longer have a job, what would be the first thing you’d do? For me it was go buy beer. Even though I had been looking to leave for some time, it was still a shock to actually have it happen. It seemed like a beer sort of night because if it had been a bourbon sort of night, I might have needed to call in the next day…

Come to think of it that might have been funny, in hindsight.

But as I always do, I wandered over to the whiskey aisle. And in this case, my wandering was rewarded. You see, sitting about half-way up Total Wine’s Rye section was Crown Royal’s new rye whiskey. I looked at it, looked at my wife, looked back at the shelf, saw there was no price tag, hesitated and then…watched her grab it.

I love my wife.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

Purchase Info: $24.99. 750 mL. Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 45% ABV, 90% Rye Whiskey, “Fine Blended Canadian Whiskey”

Nose: Initially it was alcohol, mint, and cedar. After spending a bit of time with it, I was able to also tease out lime zest as well.

Mouth: Tingly. Much more tingle than I would expect to come from Canada. It’s sweet, but not overly so, with mint, cloves and some grassiness in the mouth.

Finish: Nice and warm. That tingle lasts awhile along with the mint, cedar and cloves.

Thoughts: I like this one. It’s got an interesting tingle and enough sweetness underneath to make me want to come back again. Toss in those rye notes and you’ve got something well worth the $24-$30 it sells for here in the Twin Cities. Even if you don’t normally like Crown Royal, give this a try.

If this were my last $100 to spend on Bourbon

May 12, 2015 Eric Burke

Occasionally life throws you a curveball. Last week I was laid off from my job. Don’t feel too bad for me though. I’d been thinking of trying my hand at going freelance for a while anyway. Now, I get the chance.

One downside of suddenly finding yourself self-employed is that I will have to watch my bourbon spending for a while until I know for sure how things are going to go. With that in mind, I was reminded of a topic that a lot of folks were writing about the last couple weeks. Some as part of a greater project, some on their own. As in my current work situation, I am going it alone.

Now a regular month sees me spend about $100 on whiskey for the blog. I’d put that budget in place long ago to keep me in line. So deciding what to do with $100 is a common problem. Most months I’d look for something new, interesting or something I hadn’t gotten around to reviewing yet. I pair that with a favorite value pick for “everyday.” Something like Wild Turkey 101 or Four Roses Yellow.

But inspired by current circumstances, what if it were my last $100 to spend on bourbon? Now that is an interesting twist. You could go many ways. You could either go out with a bang and blow it all on one bottle. Something big and rare. But you might have that money in your pocket for a while before you found something suitable. Or you could go the other way and just load up on value bourbons. Things like Old Grand-Dad and Evan Williams Bondeds. Things that cost around $20 for a liter. Of course you could go deep down into a hole that resembles the Bottom Shelf Brackets but even I only do that for the clicks.

But I do have some favorites and if it were my last $100 to spend on bourbon, I know that I couldn’t pass those up.

The first is Wild Turkey Rare Breed. This was the first barrel proof bourbon I had and it is still one of my favorites. I love the deep rich bourbon flavors it brings to the table. And though it can be a little hot, a cube of ice tames it nicely. My wife and I love this one so much I didn’t even get in trouble for getting it for her for Valentine’s Day one year. At my favorite whiskey store this is $36.98 as I type this.

My other favorite regular release bourbon I would need to get with my last $100 would have to be Four Roses Single Barrel. I’m on a budget so none of the Barrel Proof private selections this time. But that isn’t a hardship. The normal Single Barrel has been a favorite since my first visit to the Four Roses distillery way back when their gift shop was the size of a large closet. (And one that it seems I’ve never actually reviewed even though I’ve reviewed a lot of Four Roses. Going to need to file that away…) It just tastes the way I want bourbon to taste and it is consistently good. My favorite whiskey store is selling it for $42.98 right now.

So that brings me to $79.96. And since I never include tax in my budget (just ask my accountant wife how much that bugs her) that leaves me with $20.04 left to spend. I’m afraid that I’m going to have to make a value play here. Probably a liter to carry me through as long as possible. And after looking at my favorite whiskey store I see that Elijah Craig 12, Fighting Cock, Old Grand-Dad Bonded and Bulleit are all under $20. And they would all be good choices. But since I want a liter, I also see that Evan Williams Bonded is only $17.98. This one almost won my most recent Bottom Shelf Bracket so I’m going to go with that.

All I can say is thank goodness this isn’t my last $100 to spend on bourbon, but if it was, I think these would make good choices. And no, Ace did not sponsor this post, but they are my favorite whiskey store (and their prices are available online).

Maker's Mark Wins!

May 5, 2015 Eric Burke

Ok, so I'm not nearly as excited as that headline makes it seem. But since I did write about this very topic just last month, I took a little interest in the first news we have out of these cases.

It seems that the first of the many "handmade" cases is over, having been dismissed by the judge "with prejudice." The decision itself, while being a bit heavy on the legalese (I guess that's appropriate in this instance), is an entertaining read since it basically calls bull on many of the claims that common sense tells you it should. You can read it below. (Hat tip to Brian @sippncorn for tweeting a link to the decision.)

Of course Maker's Mark is happy. And they did what any happy company would do: issue a press release.

So...that's that right? Well, not exactly. As both Chuck Cowdery and Mark Gillespie have reported on their respective websites, this is just one of the cases and may have no bearing on the others. Plus, there may be an appeal. Stay tuned!

A nice treat to share: Angel's Envy Rye

April 30, 2015 Eric Burke

Every morning my dog, Whiskey, begs for her morning treats. She will sit nicely, take the treat from you, run into the living room, set it down and come back for the next one. She does this twice as she gets two treats every morning.

If it is the weekend, she will eat them right away while we eat our breakfast. On work days she does something a little odd. She leaves them on the floor until we get home. Once we get the running around outside taken care of, she will grab the treats and bring them to where we are sitting and proceed to eat them. It is almost as if she understands that good things are even better with friends.

Even if she doesn’t understand it, I do. Think about it. A romantic movie is better when watched with someone you love. A good meal is better with good company. And a good whiskey is better when shared with friends. In fact, the better the whiskey, the more apt I am to share it.

When I finally bought a bottle of Angel’s Envy Rye, the first thing I thought about was who I wanted to pour samples for. It is only fair, I first tasted it after receiving a sample from a friend. Angel’s Envy Rye is a fairly new arrival to Minnesota. I started seeing it on the shelf when Total Wine appeared on the scene. It’s expensive for what it is. You don’t expect something that starts with MGP Rye to go for near $90.

Angel’s Envy Rye is finished in rum casks. And it shows. There is little to none of the typical MGP profile here. It has been completely changed by the rum. It is sweeter and has picked up more complexity. It really is a treat worth sharing with friends.

Angel’s Envy Rye

Purchase Info: $84.99, 750 mL. Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: Batch#: 3F, Bottle#: 1696, 50% ABV, rye whiskey finished in rum casks

Nose: This smells like a good candy store. Fresh chocolate, nuts and a bit of fruitiness. Also pumpkin pie.

Mouth: Warm with ginger spiciness. Very sweet with nutty cocoa, cloves and molasses.

Finish: Surprisingly little burn for 100 proof but a lingering spicy sweetness.

Thoughts: This is a ginger molasses cookie in a glass. It’s very sweet and so not something I’d want all the time but tasty enough to have with (or for) dessert occasionally.

A new arrival in an old style: Jim Beam Bonded

April 28, 2015 Eric Burke

Bottled in Bond whiskey is an old thing. There are very few brands that weren’t available to your grandfathers that maintain that status. Companies just don’t come out with Bottled in Bond whiskeys very often. And why would they? You have to follow all the rules for a straight whiskey plus you need to have it be at least four years old, exactly 100 proof and the product of one distillery during one distilling season. That limits your flexibility. Most of the time these are no age statement whiskeys and unlike a non-bonded bourbon you can’t make up any shortfall with something a little younger or a little older. They really are a snapshot of what was going on at the distillery at the time they were distilled. Because of this, bonded bourbons are the darlings of the bourbon enthusiast croud. You know what you are getting since the info is right there on the label, they are a decent proof and they are ususally inexpensive.

All of this makes it especially notable that Jim Beam just released a Bottled in Bond bourbon this year. Why go through the extra steps needed just to put those three words on the label for a rather inexpensive release? Especially since unlike many bourbon producers, Beam has two distilleries. I have no answer to that, but I am certainly happy that they did it. It’s like a little present to the whiskey geeks. It’s not quite as inexpensive as other bonded bourbons, but is in the ballpark. If it does well, maybe we’ll see more of them. Of course, if it does too well the next guy might decide to raise the price too.

Jim Beam Bonded

Purchase Info: $21.99, 1 Liter. Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 50% ABV

Nose: Cinnamon candy, mint, dusty oak and hints of cocoa.

Mouth: This shows its proof with a nice tingle. Initial impression is bready. It’s sweet with mint cocoa and dried corn.

Finish: A warm, medium length finish with hints of dusty oak, cocoa and mint.

Thoughts: While this isn’t a knock-your-socks-off bourbon, it is a nice step up from Jim Beam White Label. I personally like it better than the Black Label as it doesn’t show as much oak. It won’t be my first choice for bonded bourbons, but it is a nice change up.

One little mystery is why Beam left the DSP number off the label. Luckily this mystery seems to have been solved: http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-good-and-not-so-good-of-old-grand.html

Review: Jim Beam Black 8 year old

April 23, 2015 Eric Burke

Today was one of those days where I noticed every step I took. It’s not that I hurt or anything like that. I was just aware of every step. It’s a strange sensation. Noticing things that should be so natural that they are below notice. It happens to me every so often. And of course as soon as I’m aware of it, I inevitably seem to forget how to do it. I trip over nothing and I stumble.

For most of my life, my mother has told me that I’m weird. Growing up in the Upper Midwest where “that’s different” is used as an expression of intense disapproval, being told you are weird is on a whole other level. But I don’t think she ever meant it as a statement of disapproval to me, even though she often used it as an excuse as to why she didn’t like others. To me, it always sounded like there was a bit of wonder in there. Like she couldn’t quite understand where all my odd statements could possibly come from.

I’ve always seemed to look at the world a little differently. It’s either because I’m a designer or it’s the reason why I’m good at it. Sort of a chicken and egg thing there. I notice things and wonder about them. I’m intensely curious. Growing up I wanted to know how things worked and that contnues to this day. I’m constantly taking something apart. I’ve studied history in my spare time for almost a decade because I really want to know why things are the way they are today.

It’s one of the things I like best about whiskey. From the history to the chemistry, there is so much to learn and discover. Even a simple glass of Jim Beam can give you just a little insight into the way a company works and what is going on there. Take the Jim Beam Black that I’m drinking. It’s stated age is 8 years. It was one of the last few on the shelf that still said that. The new ones you buy just say “Extra Aged.” This gives you a little hint that either the 8 year old wasn’t tasting quite up to the profile they wanted, they were running low and needed to be flexible, or they decided to squeeze a little more profit out of the label. It may even be a bit of all three.

In any case it’s interesting to ponder. And at least when I notice things like this I tend to not fall down.

Jim Beam Black

Purchase Info: Total Wine. Burnsville, MN. $16.99 for a 750 mL.

Details: Age Stated 8 years. 43% ABV

Nose: Caramel, cedar, allspice and a faint melon sweetness.

Mouth: Spicy and tingly on entry. Black tea, black pepper, brown sugar, oak, cayenne and toffee.

Finish: Some tingle. Decent length. Black pepper and black tea.

Thoughts: All in all this is a decently put together bourbon. If you are a fan of Jim Beam branded whiskeys you will probably like this a lot. If you aren’t, then you probably won’t. It’s lands right inside the Jim Beam wheelhouse just with more oak. Typically, I’m neither a fan of Jim Beam branded bourbons or ones that show a lot of oak so I fall into the second camp on this one. There’s nothing wrong with it, it just isn’t for me.

Finding out just what "Old Malvern Export Whiskey" is

April 21, 2015 Eric Burke

It really is quite amazing what internet rabbit holes a bit of antiquing can lead you down. But first, a little background.

A browned and dirty label. And apparently a batch number? Bottle Number?

A little over a year ago, I was in Owatonna, Minnesota visiting an antique store. My wife and I were on a trek across southeast Minnesota to visit a few of these stores that she had found online. She normally has one or two items that she is looking for. Me? I wander around and try to see if there is anything whiskey related. I’ve found some cool things this way. Full, sealed bottles and decanters are always appreciated. On this trip though I found a mystery.

This label was thick as leather, dried out, cracked and peeling, with visible wood pulp.

I was standing in line waiting for my wife to pay for a wooden box she had decided that she couldn’t live without. I was looking at the shelves nearest to the line when something caught my eye. I wandered over and saw a a bottle that was so dirty that it looked like it had been in an old basement for quite a while. The label was browned with age. There was a lead foil and twisted wire seal, though the actual closure had been lost to time. Something about it spoke to me though and I also ended up with something I couldn’t live without.

When I got it home, I started looking closer at it. What I initially took to be a hand-written label was actually printed. Which from a design standpoint is a horrible decision since it took me three tries with google to even figure out what all the letters in the brand name were. In fact it is the very difficulty of figuring out what this was that lead me down the rabbit holes mentioned above. The first thing I wanted to do was find out what this was. I could make out the words “Old” Something “Export Whiskey.” I tried a few different possibilities before I hit on the site Those Pre-Pro Whiskey Men. There I learned the “something” was actually “Malvern” (which Wikipedia tells me may be Welsh for “bare-topped hill”). I also learned a bit about Sigmund Freiberg of Cincinnati, Ohio who’s signature is on both the front and back label. This site is still in my RSS feed and I read every article that comes out.

So now that I knew what it was and where it came from, I felt I needed to know when it came from. For that I started with what I saw. There was just the tiniest bit of a tax stamp which placed it after 1868 (based on this site on tax stamps). The glass was clear with just the slightest lavender tint in the thickest areas and there was an interesting scar on the bottom. This site on bottle dating tells me that clear bottles started after 1905 and that the chemical used to decolorize the glass used from 1905 to the early 1920s caused the lavender tint. Mine is only very faintly colored lavender leading me to believe that this bottle spent a lot of time in a cellar since sunlight will cause the glass to “purple.” The interesting scar on the bottom was a suction scar from the bottle making machine. Since this machine was not in widespread use until 1910 it probably came from after that time. And as there was no marking on the bottom other than the scar the bottle was probably from before 1919 when the company who made the bottle making machine decided to add it’s mark to the bottles it produced. The embossed volume measurement was mandated after 1913 with all bottles needing it after 1914.

Suction scar from bottle making machine.

So based on the previous two sites, I determined that the bottle was from somewhere between 1910 and 1919 with a distinct possibility of it being after 1913. So back to the Pre-pro site. There I learned that the business registered the Old Malvern was trademarked in 1911 and that the company who made it went out of business in 1918. This jives with what I learned from the bottle. So I am fairly confident that my bottle was sold somewhere between 1913 and 1918 and then stored in a cellar for a very long time. And based on this ad in the Toledo Medical and Surgical Reporter. I know that the whiskey inside it was “guaranteed 15 years old” and sold from $2 to $2.50.

Of course, I still don’t know how this bottle got to Southern Minnesota. So if you have any more info about this brand, how widely it was distributed, etc. please let me know in the comments below. I’m very curious.

In case you were curious here is the full text from the label:

Old Malvern
Export Whiskey

This whiskey was aged in wood in the US Government bonded warehouses for many years and after being fully matured was shipped direct to us and bottled by us under strictly sanitary conditions. The Old Malvern Export Whiskey is of the highest quality and if the neck strip and wire seal on the neck of the bottle are intact we guarantee the quality under our own signature. None go (unreadable) without it.

Cincinati, Ohio Sigmund W. Freiberg
full quart

NOTICE

Dealers are cautioned not to refill this bottle. The sale of other whiskey under our label is a violation of the rights which we propose to protect by legal proceedings.

Sigmund W. Freiberg

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Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

Angel’s Envy Rye

Jim Beam Bonded

Jim Beam Black