Michter's US-1 Kentucky Straight Rye

As I get older, I occasionally find myself getting nostalgic for days gone by. Sometimes it is for when I was a kid in the early 80s, playing my friend’s Atari 2600. (I mean, Pitfall was awesome and I’d go visit him just to play it.) Sometimes it is for when I was newly married in the late 90s and my kid was young. This past weekend though the nostalgia hit a little closer to the current day. I was in the liquor store picking up a couple of bottles of cocktail whiskey when I noticed a bottle of Michter’s Rye sitting there.

Now when I was first getting into whiskey, Michter’s was one of my go-to Ryes. I was fascinated by the burgeoning craft distilling movement and found their story interesting. Of course, it was just a story. It was a complete fabrication. Instead of being the “oldest distillery in America” or whatever they were claiming back then, they didn’t even have a distillery and had instead appropriated the history of an abandoned trademark. And that left a bad taste in my mouth. Not literally, of course, I still liked their product but I just didn’t want to support it anymore. So yeah, I was nostalgic about when I was naive enough to believe the marketing. Whiskey felt romantic back then.

So I was standing in the store, feeling nostalgic, and decided to go ahead and grab that bottle of Michter’s Rye to use in cocktails for old time’s sake. I mean they have a functioning distillery now and have been distilling for themselves for a few years. And it is pretty silly to hold a grudge for a decade when all they did is tell a fanciful story. I mean Heaven Hill somehow gets away with telling people that Evan Williams was Kentucky’s first distiller and that Elijah Craig both somehow invented charring barrels in a fire that only burned the inside of the barrel and I never gave them too much grief about it.

Plus, maybe I’d been missing out on something all these years. I mean it was my go-to for a reason, right?

Michter's US-1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Roseville, MN

Price per Drink (50mL): $2.67

Details: 42.4% ABV. Single Barrel #: 21A227

Nose: Wintergreen, cooked oatmeal, caramel.

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel. Spicy with cinnamon, wintergreen, and caramel.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering mint, cinnamon, caramel.

Thoughts: This is... fine. It's ok neat, but nothing to write home about. It’s a good thing that I originally bought it as a cocktail rye because cocktails are where I will probably use most of it. As a cocktail rye, I like it. As a sipping rye, it gets a meh. It turns out, I wasn’t missing that much all these years. My palate has become more sophisticated along with my ability to sniff out crazy marketing stories, I guess.

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Remus Repeal Reserve Series V

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Lux Row for providing the review sample with no strings attached.

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Thanks to the magic that is Comixology Unlimited, I’ve found myself reading a lot of old comic books lately. For as long as I remember reading, I remember reading comic books. I’ve always read a wide variety of books. From novels to history textbooks, the fantastic to the non-fiction. I just love stories. I love reading them and I love writing them. It’s one of the reasons I start these reviews with as many personal anecdotes as I do. But comic books were always there in the mix of my reading choices. Lately, I’ve been digging deep into DC’s Vertigo lineup from the late 1980s and early 90s. I was too young to read these when they came out, but I was introduced to the Sandman in college and have revisited it periodically over intervening decades. Sometimes it’s nice to revisit something that you just know is going to be good.

I feel that way about tonight’s bourbon too. I’ve reviewed every iteration of Remus Repeal Reserve and I’ve liked every single one. MGP makes fantastic whiskey, even if their choice of namesake leaves a bit to be desired. (Speaking of rereading old content, I wrote about George Remus way back in 2017 during the first release of this product. I think it was pretty good. If you haven’t read it before, give it a look.)

Series V of Remus Repeal Reserve is a medley of two different MGP produced bourbons, their 21% Rye recipe (mash bill: 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley malt) and their 36% Rye recipe (mash bill: 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% barley malt). They use a combination of ages of these recipes in order to make the final product. And as usual, they give you the percentage breakdown right on the front label. Series V is made from 9% 2005 Bourbon (21% Rye), 5% 2005 Bourbon (36% Rye), 19% 2006 Bourbon (21% Rye), 13% 2008 Bourbon (21% Rye) and 54% 2008 Bourbon (36% Rye).

Let’s dive in and see how it tastes.

Remus Repeal Reserve Series V, 2021

Purchase price: This sample was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89.99. Releases September 2021.

Price per Drink (50mL): $6.00

Nose: Green apple, clove, caramel, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: Nice and spicy. Cinnamon, oak, caramel, and almond.

Finish: Spicy and long. Nutmeg, almond, black tea, oak, and caramel.

Thoughts: This is one to keep an eye out for. I've been a big fan of most editions of Remus Repeal Reserve, and I'm fully aware this might be recency bias, but I think this might be the best yet. This one is getting a heart. I love it and I'm really hoping to get my hands on another bottle when it releases in September.

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Two LAWS Whiskey House Bourbons: Four Grain Straight Bourbon and a Single Barrel Pick From Hazel's Beverage World

When I was in Colorado last month, I made a point to try to find at least one local whiskey to bring home. I searched out and found a place in Boulder that I’d only need a small detour to stop at on my way to Estes Park. Hazel’s Beverage World was a very cool store. I got the impression from my short visit that if I lived close, it’d be a store that I would be visiting quite often. While I was there, I noticed a store pick of a local Craft Bourbon from LAWS Whiskey House.

I’d been aware of LAWS for quite a while, though I’d never tried it. I first saw them on the whiskey menu of the bar at the Stanley Hotel on a previous visit to Estes Park. But since the bar had an extensive whiskey list, I looked for whiskeys that I’d heard of previously and passed on the local Craft product. That was about 5 years ago, I think. Occasionally I’d run across a bottle of their product, during my travels, but never pulled the trigger. So when I saw a barrel pick on the shelf at Hazel’s I decided to give it a try. But since I had never tried the standard release, I figured I should probably grab that as well.

And that is when I saw something that made me very happy. Right next to the barrel pick was a four-pack of 100mL bottles of their core whiskeys. That was great! For the price of one bottle, I could try four. And since I wasn’t sure if I’d even like what they were producing, I was very willing to pay the premium. l wish more producers would do this. I’ve wished for years for Four Roses to put out a 10 pack of all their recipes. They could be 100mL bottles like this or even 50mL. Sell it for a premium and I’d still have fun with the experience. I imagine you would too. It’s a (comparatively) inexpensive way to get your product in front of people. I’ve bought both a Cognac and an Armagnac multi-pack this way and I loved the experience of tasting the similarities and differences of a company’s lineup.

So of course I bought that one too. And since tasting 5 whiskeys for one post is a little ambitious for me these days (I like not having a blown-out palate for a week), I’m going to just focus on the two Bourbons tonight and leave the rest for another day.

LAWS Whiskey House Four Grain Bourbon

Purchase Info: $34.98 for a multi-pack of four 100mL bottles of their core whiskey line at Hazel’s Beverage World, Boulder, CO.

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.37

Details: 47.5% ABV. Two years old (note: it looks as if a full-sized bottle of this product is currently three years old so there will probably be differences in tasting notes between the two products)

Nose: Dried Grain and maple.

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, dried grain, mint, applesauce, and black tea.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Notes of dried grain and wintergreen.

Thoughts: This doesn't really do it for me. I'm getting better with well-constructed grain-forward bourbons, but this takes grain-forward to an extreme. I've eaten dried cereal grains before, and while it isn't an unpleasant experience, it isn't something I am looking to do for fun. This tastes like that did. Nice, clean grain flavors, but not something I am looking to have more of. Now, from what I understand, they are trying to showcase their locally sourced heirloom grains with this product. They did that very well, it just isn’t for me. But it might be something to check out if that idea appeals to you.

LAWS Whiskey House Four Grain Bourbon, Single Barrel selected by Hazel's Beverage World

Purchase Info: $59.98 for a 750 mL bottle at Hazel’s Beverage World, Boulder, CO.

Price per Drink (50mL): $3.93

Details: 47.5% ABV. Three years old. BBL#: 1402

Nose: Buttered Popcorn, caramel, and mint.

Mouth: Cinnamon Spice, clove, butterscotch, popcorn "butter," and dried grains.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. More caramel, buttered popcorn.

Thoughts: There’s a strange thing going on here. While this single barrel has more of the notes that I like in bourbon than the standard release did, I like it less than the standard release. That buttered popcorn note is just not my thing. I am, however, open to trying more of their products. Especially the older products where the dried grain and buttered popcorn notes have had time to age out. I see that they have a six-year-old Bonded bourbon. I’ll need to keep my eyes peeled the next time I travel through a state where they are distributed.

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George Dickel Single Barrel 15 Year Old, Hazel's Beverage World Selection

Running a little late tonight. I was out trying to buy a new car. Buying a new car is weird right now. You might have heard that there is a shortage of new vehicles at the moment. And after tonight, I believe it. I’ve never seen a new car lot with no cars on it before. Basically, you walk in, take a test drive of a similar car to what you’d like to buy. And if it passes muster with you, you go look at the inventory that the dealer has already ordered, see what hasn’t yet been purchased, and then put a deposit on it.

If you’ve ever ordered a car to be built for you, it’s kind of like that in that you don’t actually see your vehicle in person when you put the deposit down and you get to wait a couple of months to get your car. But, it’s also kind of like picking one off the lot in that you don’t get to pick all the options you want and you are picking from “available” inventory. (Those are sarcastic quotes around available in case you were curious.) In other words, it is the absolute worst of both worlds. That said, we found one that we liked so we put down the deposit, and in late September or early October, we will be the proud owners of a new vehicle.

But all of that has nothing to do with tonight’s whiskey. I couldn’t possibly come up with a segue that could go from a weird car buying experience to a fantastic whiskey-drinking experience. Not one that would do justice to the whiskey we are looking at tonight anyway.

In late 2020, it was announced that a new single barrel would be coming out of Cascade Hollow. It was a 15-year-old George Dickel and it was available to retailers in select markets. Early in 2021, they expanded those markets to include Boulder, Colorado, where I bought this bottle at Hazel’s Beverage World.

George Dickel Single Barrel 15-year-old Tennessee Whisky is, as you may have guessed, a single barrel version of the standard George Dickel mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley that's been aged at least 15 years. My bottle was barreled in January of 2004 so, who knows, it might be over 15.

George Dickel Single Barrel 15-year-old, selected by Hazel's Beverage World

Purchase Info: $59.98 for a 750 mL bottle at Hazel’s Beverage World, Boulder, CO.

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.00

Details: Barrel #: 04A22-148. Barrel Date: January 22, 2004. 52.3% ABV.

Nose: Caramel, oak, cinnamon, gingersnap cookies

Mouth: Spicy with a nice, thick mouthfeel. Caramel, cinnamon, leather, and oak.

Finish: Long and warm. Notes of cinnamon, toffee, oak, and Flintstone's Vitamins.

Thoughts: Oh my goodness! I really, really like this. It is as close to a heart rating as one can get without getting one. The vitamin note knocks it out of the heart range for me. That said, this is in the conversation for the best whiskey I've bought this year. My only regret with this purchase is that I wish I had bought two.

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Orphan Barrel: Copper Tongue Bourbon

I’d like to thank the PR folks working for Diageo for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

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First things first. You all still have all of your fingers, right? I love Independence Day, but I do worry about folks. Pretty sure my neighbors spent their paycheck on illegal fireworks and combined their ignition with copious amounts of alcohol. And having had more than one close call before I liked to consume alcohol…well…I just hope everyone still has all their extremities.

But since multiple neighbors had such a large display of explosive celebration, I ended up spending my 4th inside with the curtains drawn and the music cranked. As you might know, one of my businesses is a dog sitting service. And after a few years of doing this, I’ve found that rock music inside the house helps camouflage the scary noises outside the house. Plus if you really like the songs you are playing, the singing along with the songs and the dancing with the pups allows them to be distracted.

Believe it or not, I had fun though. I may not have been able to see most of the displays, and I might have had a shaking sheepdog on my lap at times, but I had fun anyway. It just goes to show that you never really know what you will think of things until you experience them yourself. I was dreading having a bunch of scared pups, but it turned out to be a really fun night as we had ourselves a rockin’ party.

The same can be said for tonight’s whisky. I haven’t gotten an Orphan Barrel sample for three or four years now, mostly because I really didn’t care for the ones that I had gotten. But when I saw that the newest one was a 16-year-old bourbon coming out of Cascade Hollow Distillery, home of George Dickel, well you can believe that I very quickly shot off a note to see if I could get on the sample list.

Older Dickel is some of my favorite whiskey out there, a fact that I was reminded of in my Sample Roulette tastings while on vacation. Add in the fact that it is Cask Strength and was developed by Nicole Austin? Well, that was just icing on the cake. Ms. Austin is the force behind the delicious yearly George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond releases and the very exciting, just-announced George Dickel 8-year-old bourbon. Yes, bourbon. And she has been doing a great job as far as my taste buds are concerned.

One thing that surprised me about Copper Tongue is that, while it is cask strength, it is only 89.8° proof. I find that fascinating. It isn’t unheard of to find an old bourbon barrel that is of a lower proof, but it is pretty unusual to sell it. I can really only think of one other and that was the first edition of Wild Turkey Master’s Keep. But since I liked that one, I tried not to let the surprise bias my tasting.

Orphan Barrel: Copper Tongue Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously sent by the producers for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $100 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50mL): $6.67

Details: Cask Strength at 44.9% ABV. 16 years old. Bourbon.

Nose: Brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, leather.

Mouth: Follows the nose with brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, leather and adds red fruits and melon.

Finish: Warm and sweet with lingering spice notes.

Thoughts: I really like this. The mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I expected, even at the low (for cask strength) proof, but the flavors make up for that. It is sweet and has just the right amount of spice to it. The press release describes it as “surprisingly delicate [and] sophisticated.” That sounds like an accurate description but it is working for me. For once, I think I'll be keeping my eyes open for an Orphan Barrel release. Though for the price, it’ll be going on the special shelf should I find it.

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Sample Roulette: The I'm Still Tired from Vacation Edition

As I said earlier this week, I didn’t have the time, opportunity, or desire to do much whiskey tasting while on vacation last week. The weather was hot. I really lucked out on the timing of the trip, having it land right in the middle of a very unusual and long-lasting heat wave. The first week had temps over 105 every day. Which meant getting up before dawn to visit Utah’s lovely National Parks before the heat became dangerous.

Let me tell you, I’ve seldom loved a hotel room’s cooling system more than I did during this trip.

Of course, we got to see beautiful sunrises this way. Sunrise at Arches National Park is a sight to behold. So was the one we watched from a hot air balloon 1000 feet over Moab. We didn’t see the sunrise in Lake Powell, but we did get to drive fast in a rented speed boat and go swimming in a couple hundred feet of flooded canyon. That helped beat the heat as well. Plus sleeping in until the sun came up gave us the time in the evening to sip on a few blind surprises while we watched the sun set from our hotel room.

As before, these samples were all laid down between 2011 and 2017. The labels were covered up in September of 2020. And they have lived in a box untouched since, except for the occasional adventuresome sip now and then. They made a fun vacation sip too. I mean you’re out on an adventure, it is only fitting that your nightly tipple be an adventure as well.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Delicate nose. Hints of caramel, vanilla, and mint.

Mouth: Mint, baking spices and fruit notes.

Finish: Medium in heat and length. Lingering notes of dried grain and cinnamon.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is ok. Not great, not terrible, just kinda meh. I'll probably finish the pour, but probably won't be sad to see it go.

Reveal: Ezra Brooks

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Wow! Super shocked on this one. This has gotten so much better since I put this sample away!

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Caramel, cherry, pipe tobacco.

Mouth: Cinnamon, caramel, smoke, and floral fruit.

Finish: Smoky and spicy. Lingering warm notes.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is yummy. Going to have to fight my wife for the rest of this one. Lol.

Reveal: George Dickel 9-Year-old Private Selection from Ace Spirits (2014)

Post-Reveal Thoughts: It just goes to show how much our palates change over time. When I reviewed this back in 2014, I thought it was a bit too hot for my tastes. Now, though it had some heat on it, it was certainly within acceptable levels. I didn’t even think to add water as I finished it in the hotel. Of course, there are a lot more options for Barrel Strength whiskey out there these days to help build your tolerance.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Floral vanilla, caramel, and fruit.

Mouth: Spicy. Cinnamon, vanilla, black tea, and hints of fruit.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering mint, black tea, and floral fruit.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is quite good. I'm really enjoying it. Nice floral fruitiness and vanilla.

Reveal: Ancient Ancient Age 10 year old.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Oh, do I miss the days when you could get a handle of 10-year-old whiskey for a decent price. Scratch that. I miss when you could get a 10-year-old whiskey from Buffalo Trace for a decent price, whether it came in a handle or not. This is a bourbon that was better than I remembered. Sadly, when this was put away we were spoiled with an abundance of aged bourbon. It was less good than other 10-year-old bourbons when it was discontinued, but is still a damn sight better than much of the bourbon on the shelf today. For that, I savored this pour after the reveal. Made me a bit nostalgic, as you can see.

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Sample Roulette: Vacation Edition

Well, I’m back.

We had an amazing trip. One that was far too full of fun to spend time doing whiskey tastings. Well, almost. I did happen to toss a few blind samples in my bag to try. I was on a fun adventure and these little bottles had the possibility of being very adventurous.

I mean, these were samples that I had poured from 2011 until 2017 during my “hoarding phase” of whiskey fandom. During that time, I kept samples of everything I bought. It didn’t matter if it was a limited edition or a $10 handle. All of them had a sample poured and stashed in a little box. Last year I realized I no longer wanted to keep them and started to drink them. I’d covered the original labels with painters tape in order to make them blind, just because it was more fun that way.

So while we sat in my room that overlooked the shores of Lake Powell, planning the next day’s adventure, we took a little time to have a little whiskey adventure as well. Let’s see what I brought with and if any of it was as good (or as bad) as I remember.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Corn, toffee, and a mineral note.

Mouth: Spicy, Cinnamon, Cardamom, and a delicate fruit note.

Finish: Hot and Spicy. Notes of cinnamon and cardamom.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: I really like the spice of this one. My wife doesn't like cardamom so she isn't as big of a fan. That means I will get the rest of this pour. Yay!

Reveal: George Dickel 14-year-old private Select

Post-Reveal Thoughts: The bottle that this sample came from was purchased at a grocery store near New Orleans back in 2014. I remember it being very good and I still found it so. This makes me very excited to crack into the bottle of the 15-year-old Dickel that I found in Colorado on this trip.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Floral mint, brown sugar, and cherry.

Mouth: Cherry, brown sugar, cocoa, and nutmeg

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cherry, nutmeg, and mint.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is really good. I'm feeling like this might be a really good Canadian Whisky. It has a mouthfeel that, while not thin, is on the thinner side. Good sweetness.

Reveal: Jefferson's Presidential Select, 18-year-old

Post-Reveal Thoughts: When I first reviewed this, I wasn’t a fan. I found it too woody and stated I wasn’t a fan of bourbon with an emphasis on wood notes. I guess I have mellowed with age when it comes to that particular flavor note because it didn’t even show up in my notes seven years later when I did this tasting. Interesting.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Dried grain and spearmint

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel, dried grain, spearmint, lots of cinnamon, and sugar sweetness.

Finish: Warm, but not too warm. More dried grain and cinnamon.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is pretty meh. Probably won't be finishing this one. Vacation is too short to spend time on meh whiskey.

Reveal: Old Fitzgerald Prime.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: I don’t have much to add to that statement. I put this one away back in 2014 and gave it a meh then. I still think it’s pretty meh.

I always find this to be a fun exercise. You never know when you are going to put something truly terrible in your mouth and it makes every pour a little more exciting when the product is good. And this round we got two likes and a meh. Not bad for three shots in the dark.

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Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky: Distiller's Edition 92 Proof

I am so excited. Tomorrow I get to pick up my 10-year-old niece so that Wednesday we can head off on her “Yay! You are 10!” trip. My wife and I did this for my brother’s oldest child when he turned 10 and have plans to do it for his youngest too. But this time around we are taking his middle child, and only girl. Our goal with this is to take the kids someplace where their parents can’t or won’t take them. To broaden their experiences and get them out of the small town they live in (because the small town I grew up in, and that my family still lives in, has quite a “small town attitude” if you know what I mean). And aside from giving them valuable life experiences as they are finally old enough to begin to comprehend it, the trip makes them feel special and grown-up. Plus we spoil them, of course, because that is what Aunts and Uncles are for.

A couple years ago, we asked her to pick where she wanted to go. At first she wanted to go to the ocean. Then the mountains. Finally she settled on the desert. Growing up in Northern Wisconsin, she has no idea why a trip to the desert in summer isn’t the greatest plan. But if the point is to go somewhere to broaden your experiences, going from an overabundance of water to a scarcity of it will be a good experience. So we are taking a trip to Utah to experience the National Parks, National Monuments, and National Recreation Areas.

It will be our first vacation since 2019 and we are super excited about it. But what does that have to do with the Catoctin Creek Whiskey up in the photo above? Absolutely nothing. I’m too excited about vacation to process much else. But that said, here is what the distillery has to say about the product:

Only one in every ten barrels gets selected to be in the Roundstone Rye "92 Proof" whisky. This whisky is the culmination of several years of planning. "For a few years now, we've been putting whisky away for storage," remarked Becky Harris, Chief Distiller and President of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company. "We pulled some of the more interesting barrels from the back of the barn and decided to release these at a higher proof: a whisky specially curated for flavor, while still being remarkably smooth, as is our existing 80 proof Roundstone."

A few notes on it. This is a 100% Rye Mash whiskey. Usually, that means I won’t care for it as I’m not really a fan of the flavor that malted rye brings to a drink. This is non-chill filtered which seems to be a trend lately. One I am enjoying seeing. Also, this is a single barrel product so my notes and yours may differ.

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky: Distiller's Edition 92 Proof

Purchase Info: $50.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.40

Details: 46% ABV. Non-chill filtered. 100% Rye Mash. Single Barrel # 1894

Nose: Cinnamon, mint, nutmeg, and red fruit.

Mouth: Spicy with strong notes of nutmeg and cinnamon. Herbal mint and red fruit.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Strong notes of spearmint and nutmeg.

Thoughts: If you are a fan of nutmeg, you will really like this one. I happen to be a nutmeg fan and was very pleasantly surprised to find nutmeg as the dominant note throughout the tasting experience. This worked well in a rye cocktail. I tried it in a Sazerac and it performed very nicely. I'm a fan and will probably be giving some of their other products a try in the near future.

Did you notice that this came out a day early? That is because BourbonGuy.com will be on vacation until June 28th. Regular posts will resume at that time. I’ll be traveling with a 10-year-old girl, who I adore. But she is still a 10-year-old girl so wish me luck.

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