The Collector’s Cabinet

Old Forester (Dusty; DSP-KY-414 circa 1985)

/ / Bourbon, Review, The Collector's Cabinet

Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky (DSP KY 414; 1985)
43% ABV
$40 (1.75 L)

What Gary Says
Nose:  Caramel, rice/tapioca pudding, toffee, pralines, vanilla, musty sandalwood and soft oak
Palate:  Sweet caramel crème brulee with a hint of nutmeg, touch of oak, and a subtle pepper spice (but little bite)
Finish:  Moderately short and wet
Comments:  I really like DSP-414 Old Forester – and the stuff from the mid-late 80s is really nice. While the label says this is 4 years old, I’m fairly sure this includes some older whiskey. As a dusty, acquiring a bottle like this can be crazy expensive at this time – and while I really enjoy it; I’d never pay the secondary market pricing for it. To be fair – this wasn’t bottled as a super-premium bourbon, and it isn’t. But if you are fortunate enough to spot one of these laying around a forgotten corner of some liquor store and pick one up retail, this punches well above its weight. This isn’t a complicated pour – but I love that about it. Just sweet, pretty well balanced with a touch of oak (and a bit less bite/spice than the current Old Forester). And it has that “thing” that a lot of older dusty bourbon has (and I apologize I can’t find the right words that really nail that). Just a more rich texture and a bit of a twang. If you’ve never had it – I would pay a premium for a pour at a bar just for the experience.
Rating: Stands Out

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Old Charter Proprietor’s Reserve

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Old Charter Proprietor’s Reserve 13 Year Old
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (slope shoulder bottling)
45% ABV
$25 originally/highly collectible now
OCPR
What Gary Says:
Nose: Rich, vanilla crème brulee, toffee, soft oak, subtle anise and a hint of sherry; very nice balance.
Palate: Creamy/silky mouthfeel, rich vanilla, raisins, oak, subtle sherry, slight rye spice that builds up with hint of cinnamon.
Finish: Moderately long, nice and lingering.
Comments: This is a dusty bourbon, part of the Bourbon Heritage Collection released in the mid-1990s. I found this bottle in 2014, and paid $30 for it (when initially released, it was a few bucks cheaper – probably part of the reason it sat on the shelf where I picked it up for so long). Likely not to find again (unless you want to spend around $250), but if I saw it on a shelf – it would be a no brainer pick up for me. This is a delicious bourbon. I’m not a fan of Old Charter’s other products necessarily, but this is probably in my Top 10 of favorite pours. More often than not with a 90 proof bourbon, I think “If only this was at a higher proof”, but I think this is perfect the way it is.
Rating: Must Buy (at retail . . . )

What Richard Says:
Nose: This one starts off with a bit of a musty nose that makes me think of bourbons much older than 13 years like some of the Orphan Barrel releases. As it opens up a bit it comes through more as apple danishes, Boston Cream filling, and candied ginger but there is still quite a lot of wood and tobacco driven “oldness” to it.
Palate: Rich and delicate don’t often go together but they really jam here. Creamy, syrupy vanilla that rolls out seriously dry.
Finish: This finishes very dry and heavy on the wood.
Comments: Two of my best drinking buddy’s really love this bourbon. I really value their opinions (yes Gary is one of them) but this isn’t necessarily in my wheelhouse. This comes across too old and dry. It’s also one dimensional too. Intense in that dimension but one dimensional all the same. I find this interesting as a study in bourbon history and at the price that Gary found this one I would recommend picking it up but I wouldn’t pay collector prices for it.
Rating: Stands Out

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Springbank 12 Year Old (Green Thistle)

/ / Campbeltown, Review, Scottish Whisky, The Collector's Cabinet /

Springbank Campletown Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Aged 12 Years
46% ABV
Collectible
SB12
What Richard Says:
Nose: Big, meaty, sulfuric sherry on the nose with bits of raisins and caramel covered nuts.
Palate: Oily, rich, sherry sweetness and layers of tobacco and leather showing the older malt mixed in.
Finish: Long and polished. Wood is barely evident.
Comments: I pulled this out of a back shelf at a Kroger liquor store in Columbia, South Carolina. It’s the only one I’ve ever seen in the wild. These older Springbanks are typically referred to as “Thistle” releases because the labels of various versions of the 12 year old have different colors of thistle under the Springbank insignia. This version is the “green thistle” version. This version came in two variations: a 46% and 50% variation. What makes these unique is the extraordinary components. In the mid to late nineties when these were bottled there were a number of casks in the 30 to 36 year old range that had evaporated to below 40% ABV and thus could not be bottled by themselves. This malt was used to “water down” the existing bottles of standard Springbank. Usually this is done with distilled source water so you can begin to imagine the impact of mixing in 30 to 36 year old scotch instead. The result is a simply amazing “12 Year Old” single malt from Springbank. It tastes nothing like Springbanks on the shelf now. If you see one you almost have to buy it. At least buy it for me. 🙂
Rating: Must Buy

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Balvenie RumCask 17 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside, The Collector's Cabinet /

The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky RumCask Aged 17 Years
43% ABV
Discontinued
Website
Balvenie_17yr_Rum_Cask
What the Distiller Says:
The Balvenie RumCask 17 Year Old was matured in traditional oak casks before spending a second period of maturation in rum casks shipped from Jamaica.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE A vibrant aroma with intense floral and fruity notes. Orange peel, lavender, coconut and a hint of ground nut oil.

TASTE Beautifully sweet with characteristic Balvenie vanilla notes backed up with subtle spiciness of cinnamon and silky oak.

FINISH Exceptionally smooth and long lasting

What Richard Says:
Nose: Heavy rum influence on the nose. The combination leaves it almost brandy-like. At first you would pick the preceding casks as bourbon due to the rum influence but give it time and a nice sherry note comes floating out.
Palate: Rich, creamy, and rather sweet. The sherry with the rum finishing definitely pushes up the sweetness factor. Nice toffee and honeysuckle notes. A good dose of vanilla and mint add to the mix. Honeydews and mangoes round out the taste tour.
Finish: A like hot but quickly mellows to a slow soft wood. This is a little more understated than I would’ve expected.
Comments: A very dessert appropriate Balvenie. The rum and it’s resulting sweetness may seem a little over played for many palates but I love it.
Rating: Must Try

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Balvenie Signature

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside, The Collector's Cabinet /

The Balvenie Signature Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged Twelve Years
40% ABV
Discontinued
Website
Balvenie Signature 12
What the Distiller Says:
The Balvenie Signature Aged 12 Years is a classic marriage of The Balvenie matured in the three most traditional cask types, first fill bourbon, refill bourbon and sherry. Produced in small, numbered batches, each cask used is hand selected by Malt Master David Stewart to ensure he achieves the expression’s unique character of honey, spice and subtle oak. David Stewart crafted The Balvenie Signature to mark his 45th year in the whisky industry.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE Rich and complex with honey, citris fruits and vanilla oak notes

TASTE Rich and honeyed with a hint of sherry fruitiness. A spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg and a subtle oakiness develop with time.

FINISH Warm and lingering.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Sherry and a slightly soured cream.
Palate: Lighter more delicate expression of Balvenie. Light honey sweetness, malty, with heavy cereal notes, and mild play between white pepper and oak.
Finish: Crisp, dry, oaky in a raw, chewed toothpick kind of way.
Comments: This isn’t going to rock your world or anything but it’s a fine introductory malt.
Rating: Average

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