Bib & Tucker 10-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank R\West for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

I love the holidays. And I don’t mean that in a manner that will cause Fox News talking heads to lose their shit. I mean it literally. I love the Autumn Holidays. I love the time of year from October 1st until January 1st. I love Halloween, I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas and I love New Years Eve. This is my favorite time of year. Between the spooky decorations of October to the food of November to the fun lights of December, I’m in heaven.

Well except for one thing. I hate winter. Even more so, I hate snow. And historically, well, let’s just say that snow is a big part of this time of year. But, among all the bad curveballs 2020 has thrown our way, one that I’ve really liked was the weather. We’ve had one weekend of heavy snow. And that disappeared almost immediately. It has been glorious. For me, that is. I’m sure that people who depend on snow for their winter recreation, or who make their living off of winter recreation, are less happy about it.

But one thing that we can all be happy about is bourbon. At least if you drink, and if you don’t why are you reading this? Anyway, tonight I’m going to take a look at the second sample of Bib & Tucker that I received. This one is 10 years old and bottled at 92° proof. Like the 6 year old version, it was also distilled in Tennessee and bottled by Bib & Tucker.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Bib & Tucker 10-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 46% ABV. Distilled in Tennessee. Batch 2. 10 years old.

Nose: Oak, cherry, and menthol.

Mouth: Spicy with cinnamon candies, cherry, and oak.

Finish: Sweet and oaky with cherry and cocoa

Thoughts: This is delicious. Spicy on the mouth and sweet on the finish. I'm really digging the cocoa notes that come with the finish. It's a bit out of my price range for a frequent purchase, but would make a lovely splurge or gift.

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Bib & Tucker 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank R\West for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

A couple of months ago the folks at R\West reached out to me to let me know that they were taking over the Bib & Tucker account and asked if I wanted some samples to review on the site. Now, I’d walked past Bib & Tucker numerous times. I figured that anything in a bottle that pretty must not be that good. I figured that kinda like the old joke about the guy with the jacked-up pickup (or the sports car for those of you who grew up in more urban settings), they must be overcompensating for something.

That said, I like decorating my house with pretty bottles so I always intended to buy a bottle someday.

So because of that vague future plan to purchase a bottle, I said yes. Not that I expected a full bottle, but I figured the sample would let me know (when I finally got around to buying a bottle) if I was buying expensive prop whiskey or something I’d actually want to drink.

Bib & Tucker 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $45.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.07

Details:46% ABV. Aged in Tennessee. Batch 22. 6 years old.

Nose: Cherry, mint, and wet rock.

Mouth: Cinnamon, cocoa powder, caramel, and mint.

Finish: Medium finish in both length and heat. Lingering notes of cinnamon and wet rock.

Thoughts: This reminds me of a George Dickel whiskey. And since it is distilled and aged in Tennessee, it may very well have some Dickel in it. I like it, but it will depend on the cost as to whether I decide to pick up a bottle. I have a weird psychological hangup right around $45. $45.99 and I’m thinking $45 and have no problem paying for it on a whim. $48.99 (like I see it sell for locally) and I start mentally rounding up to $50 and $50 is where I start to scrutinize the cost a little more.

I said it was weird.

I’m really liking this as a sub $50 whiskey (so $45ish and below in practice) but I’m not 100% sold on if I’d lump it in with other $50+ whiskeys. Especially since I am really liking how it plays in cocktails and I usually don’t spend that much on whiskeys that I end up using as cocktail ingredients.

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2020 Whiskey Holiday Gift Sets

The Jack Daniel's Tasting Calendar listed below was sent to me by Jack Daniels to help with this post with no strings attached. I thank them for their generosity.

It should come as no surprise that I am a frugal fella. After all, I’ve been married to an accountant for over 25 years. I doubt we would have made it this long if I didn’t tend to pinch pennies. It’s in light of this innate penny pinching that I tend to wander through the Holiday Gift Set aisles of my closest Total Wine.

I mean, I like free stuff. Especially free stuff that comes along with things I might have purchased anyway. And, of course, I did pick up one or two of those gift sets.

But it made me think, “my readers are pretty frugal folks too; I bet they also like free stuff.” And so this post was born. I reached out to my PR contacts to ask one question: “What free things are you giving away with your whiskey this year?” Between the responses to those emails and my own “research” in local liquor stores, I’ve compiled a list of Holiday Gift Sets to keep an eye out for. This is by no means a complete list as some of the companies dind’t respond.

Maker’s Mark

Let’s start with the one that inspired the question. I didn’t get a response to my question from Maker’s, but I found this lovely gift set at Total Wine for $21.99. It includes a 750 mL bottle of Maker’s Mark and two glasses with the Maker’s logo and a “Christmas Sweater” pattern etched into the glass.

Maker’s 46

Maker’s 46 is including a 750 mL bottle of Maker’s 46 and a “Limited Edition” bottle stopper featuring the Maker’s “S IV Star” logo. I’m not sure how useful this item will be, but it is pretty. And might be a fun conversation starter on your home bar. Total Wine is currently selling this for $25.99 in my area.

Four Roses Small Batch

Four Roses is packaging two rose-shaped ice molds along with their Small Batch Bourbon this Holiday season. It is only available in select states but should cost you about the same as a bottle of Small Batch without the gifts (roughly $29.99-$34.99). I kinda wish this was in my area. I can see myself playing with these a time or two before trying to adapt them to a directional freezing set-up...because I’m both a Four Roses fanboy and a tinkerer.

Ezra Brooks

Ezra Brooks is giving you the complete “on the rocks” experience by including an ice mold and a rocks glass along with a 750 mL bottle of their 90 proof Ezra Brooks. I haven’t seen this one locally, but they say it should cost you the same amount as Ezra Brooks would ordinarily. I like that glass (can you tell I have a thing for glasses? You can blame my wife for that.)

Crown Royal Whisky Tasting Calendar

While this isn’t a bottle with free goodies, it is a fun experience for those who like Crown and flavored Crown. This would be perfect for someone like my brother who isn’t a spirits drinker, but likes to take a bottle of Crown Apple out to the ice-fishing shack with him. This would give him four whiskeys that he would probably already like and might entice him to try the other two, that he probably wouldn’t buy on his own. This one is available nationally and MSRP is $44.99.

Crown Royal

This one wasn’t confirmed by the PR people, but I did see it on the shelf this year. It is a 750 mL bottle of Crown Royal and two rocks glasses with the Crown Royal logo on them. My Total Wine has this for $21.99.

Jack Daniel’s Holiday Countdown Calendar

Another one that is less about the "goodies” and more about the experience. Jack Daniel’s was generous enough to send this one over so that I could photograph it myself…and yeah, drink it too. According to the press release:

“The limited-edition calendar features 24 windows designed to reveal a special Jack Daniel’s item on each day leading up the December holidays, making it a perfect gift for whiskey lovers or the centerpiece of a new seasonal tradition. “Surprise” products featured in this year’s calendar include four 50ml bottles each of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, three bottles each of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple, and two bottles each of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye, Gentleman Jack and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select. The calendar will also contain premium items, including four shot glasses with various logos from the Jack Daniel’s family of brands.“

This one isn’t available near me but where it is, its suggested retail price will be $79.99.

Jack Daniel’s

Once again, this one was not confirmed by the PR people, but it has a 2020 copyright on it, so I think it is current. If you like yourself a highball made using Jack Daniel’s (whether that is a Jack and Coke or a Jack and something else) then you’ll want to be on the lookout for this one. My Total Wine is selling it for $18.99.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

I really have no idea if this is from this year. I suspect it may be overstock from last holiday season since it was on an endcap in the Rum section of my local Total Wine. (I took all these photos at Total Wine because they are busy enough that they don’t look sideways at a guy taking images of their stock without buying it.) This one comes with a large “Snifter” sized Glencairn glass with which to enjoy your single barrel of Jack Daniel’s. I’m not personally a fan of Glencairn glasses for drinking whiskey as I prefer the feel of a rocks glass or this one would have come home with me too.

Woodford Reserve

I suspect that this one is also overstock. I didn’t get a response from the Woodford Reserve folks about what they were doing this year, but I know this is the same as last year. I know that because last year, I bought two of them. I bought two because this box only comes with a single glass. But it is a very nice glass and I wanted more than one. It’s one I’ve reached for many times for my evening nightcap. It feels fancy.

So there you have it. These are the ones that you might find on your local shelves this year. I love these things. Mostly because I love whiskey memorabilia almost as much I like whiskey. I sometimes even buy the memorabilia without buying the whiskey. But usually only in a gift shop or an antique store.

Oh, and I did get responses from the folks who handle Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, Old Forester, and Barton/Buffalo Trace that they would not be doing any holiday gift sets this year. Just so that you are aware. Anything else that I missed, is either because it isn’t for sale near me or the PR folks never responded or both. But, that’s ok. This was long enough anyway. I hope you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and that you aren’t getting too many Black Friday emails.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Parker's Heritage Collection 2020: Heavy Char Bourbon

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

So I got my COVID test back. Turns out I’m negative for COVID and am just sick with a helluva cold. Very happy about that. Especially since that means that I hopefully won’t be losing my sense of smell or taste. Both of which are super useful for tasting whiskey. Luckily I had a backlog of tasting notes that I’ve been working through posting that should, hopefully, cover me until I can get back to tasting whiskey in a critical manner.

For now, I guess I’ll just have to drink it in a medicinal manner. Did anyone get a prescription for me?

Tonight’s set of tasting notes is for the sample of Parker’s Heritage that Heaven Hill was nice enough to send me. It’s the 14th release in the series which is named for former Master Distiller Parker Beam, who sadly passed back in 2017. Like every release going back to 2013, some of the proceeds from this year’s bottling will be going toward ALS research.

This year’s release features Heaven Hill’s traditional bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% Rye. It was aged for 10 years in “heavy char” barrels (Level 5 char) on the sixth floor of Warehouse Y. There were 102 barrels in the batch. The suggested retail price is $120.

Parker's Heritage Collection 2020: Heavy Char Bourbon

Purchase info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $120.00.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $8.00

Details: 60% ABV. Mash bill: 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% Rye. 10 years old. Level 5 char. Aged on the sixth floor of Warehouse Y. 102 barrel batch.

Nose: Vanilla, oak, caramel, and cocoa powder.

Mouth: Nice and spicy with cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and just a hint of mint.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. Lingering sweet notes of cinnamon, caramel, leather, and mint.

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Thoughts: This is just straight-up good bourbon. There are no gimmicks, just the flavors that made us all fall in love with bourbon. The flavors I would list if you asked me to describe bourbon to a novice: caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, spice, a nice burn, and some dark chocolate and leather for depth. I really like it.

With water: This is 120° proof so I should probably add some water to see how it reacts. Water really brings out the caramel on the nose. It reduces some of the richer notes in the mouth allowing the drier and spicier notes to shine. Personally, I'm thinking I prefer this neat.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

New Baker's Bourbon Website Allows You to Learn More About Your Bourbon

So yeah, I know I don’t normally post news and really don’t go out of my way to highlight brand promotions, but when I got a press release about the new website for Baker’s bourbon, I was intrigued.

You know I am big on transparency. I’m a bourbon geek who loves to know everything there is to know about the juice in my bottle. It’s one reason I wish companies that source their whiskey would disclose the source of that whiskey. It’s more fun, and interesting, to know that the bourbon you are drinking is a mixture of Heaven Hill and Jim Beam than it is to wonder just where the juice in that bottle came from.

And that’s why I was intrigued by the new Baker’s bourbon website. They are giving you the chance to learn just a little more about the barrel your whiskey came from. Which since Baker’s is now a single barrel product is welcome. At least to me.

Sure, it’s a marketing gimmick to get you to buy more bottles. But if it helps you understand the differences between bourbon aged in different warehouses and on different floors, I’d say we all win.

Here’s how it works:

Grab your bottle of Baker’s and go to www.bakersbourbon.com/single-barrel-journey.

After you get through the age gate, enter the serial number on the neck tag of your bottle of Baker’s. Mine was 000426906.

From there you’ll learn what campus, what floor and rack the whiskey was aged in.

Some of this is already available on the label. But between the website and the label, you’ll know the campus, the warehouse, the floor, and the rack where the whiskey in your bottle was aged. Mine says warehouse CL-P on the label which seems to be a non-Baker’s warehouse by the map they give of the Clermont Campus.

From there you can discover the timeline of your bourbon.

You’ll get the barrel date, the dump date, exactly how old it is, and you’ll also get some fun facts about what happened in the meantime. Including what happened in history the month your whiskey was barreled and the weather it was subjected to while it aged.

At the end, you’ll get a summary image of the info you learned. And for a limited time, they are offering a little more. I’ll let the PR email talk now:

To Go Even Further “Behind The Barrel” (For A Limited Time!)

  • At the end of the journey, you will be prompted to enter the limited-time program with your name, email and date of birth

  • Check your email to see if you were one of the first people to make the cut for our one-of-a-kind special offer - a unique photo with Baker Beam himself in front of your bottle’s rackhouse and/or an exclusive tasting with Freddie Noe!

So there you have it. I know this reeks of a paid ad, but it isn’t. I just thought it was neat and agreed to share in case you also think it is neat. I even turned down a free bottle of Baker’s and bought my own down at my corner liquor store. (I really enjoy Baker’s so that wasn’t a hardship.)

Regular posts back tonight.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.