August 2010

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Is Here (almost)

/ / Bourbon, Matt's Blog

I’ve been MIA for a while and I know it.  I promised Richard I would get him a review tonight, but I’m feeling a little under the weather so I am taking the coward’s way out and giving you a press release from the good folks at Brown-Forman.  It seems that the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is finally ready:

Vintage Dated Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Set to Hit Shelves
2010 Release Aged 12 Years and Bottled at 95 Proof

Louisville, Ky. (August 31, 2010)  – Old Forester has released the 2010 expression of its vintage-dated Birthday Bourbon in honor of George Garvin Brown, the founder of Louisville-based Brown-Forman and Old Forester, America’s First Bottled Bourbon™. Launched eight years ago to commemorate Brown’s Birthday on September 2, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is a limited-edition, historically award-winning bourbon which is released annually.

“This year’s vintage release of Old Forester is crafted from a 72 barrel batch that was put into barrels on October 24, 1997,” said Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller. “These barrels were evenly matured together in the very middle of Warehouse K, on the 5th floor in ricks 42, 43 and 45, surrounded by open space. This environment allowed the barrels to easily breathe during maturation and develop a rich fruit and spice character.”

Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a batch of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day of production. The result is a one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throwback to the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced. Old Forester is the only bourbon still in existence today that was produced before, during and after Prohibition by its original distiller.  No other bourbon brand sold in the U.S. today can make that claim.

Since its introduction in 2002, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has received unprecedented acclaim and has collected honors from USA Today, Malt Advocate, Whisky Magazine, Spirit Journal, and Santé.  A favorite among critics, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has taken home gold from numerous tasting competitions including a gold medal in the 2005, 2006 & 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 2007 expression was also named American Whiskey of the Year at Malt Advocate WhiskyFest New York.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, a Brown-Forman product, has a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is sold at most liquor stores with a wide and varied range of bourbons. The 2010 edition of Birthday Bourbon is bottled at 95 proof.

For more information on Old Forester and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, visit the Old Forester website at www.oldforester.com or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oldforester.

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More Information on the New Knob Creek

/ / Bourbon, Richard's Blog

We first talked about the new new single barrel Knob Creek release coming out in our roundup of July’s New Releases. At the time we were pretty short on details. Since then we’ve got a little more information for you. It will be called “Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve” and will be available in the February 2011 time frame. It’s going into the bottle at 60% ABV will be around $40. Here’s a shot of the new bottle:

Oh, and it’s still going to be 9 years old.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Johnnie Walker Gold

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Johnnie Walker Gold Label, The Centenary Blend
40% ABV/80 Proof
$65
Available Worldwide

What the Distillery Says:
Johnnie Walker Gold Label was blended to celebrate the first 100 years of the House of Walker in 1920. A well-kept secret, it’s only been available outside the company since the 1990s. It has a distinctly smooth, sweet and luxurious character, with a stylish elegance and refined quality.

Gold Label is crafted using whiskies such as Clynelish for a honeyed flavor and creamy texture yet still retaining the signature Johnnie Walker smokiness.

With its rich gold color and old-gold glints, it reveals a full, round, deep nose. There are notes of soft raisins and toffee, fresh malt and light cream – Gold Label is as enticing as it is sensuous.

Its palate is rich and broad with full malt flavors and honeyed spices with almonds and marzipan, which leads to a distinctive creaminess.

Cardhu provides strong yet smooth malt and oak flavors. Extra-mature grain whiskies deliver some of the lingering sweetness, while Clynelish from the northern Highlands is responsible for the unusual aromatic creaminess. The finish is multidimensional and satisfyingly long.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Fresh woodchips added to a fire.
Palate: Slightly sweet with hints of shortbread cookies and mild oak. No water with this one.
Finish: Short and crisp. This is a whisky that gets the heck out of Dodge.
Comments: Gold Label is actually recommended by Diageo to be served out of the freezer. I guess given the muted flavor the chill doesn’t have much to hide. I know this is Matt’s favorite of the Johnnie Walker blends but I’ve never really taken to it. It’s very mild and easily approachable but there’s nothing there to make me specifically want a glass of Johnnie Gold. I do think that overall it stands out because it’s not offensive and shows a great balance similar to Dewar’s Signature. On a side note, I find Gold Label to be a great palate cleanser to prep me for tasting other whiskies.
Rating: Stands Out

What Matt Says:
Nose: caramel, smoke, orchard fruit, light zesty citrus
Palate: Heavier sherry influence than younger Johnnies; dark berries, smokey sweetness
Finish: Lingering traces of peat smoke and brine
Comments: Wow!  Richard and I could not disagree more.  Perhaps its because the sample I sent over was the last drops of a bottle that was open for a while.  I think this is the best JW has to offer.  It’s complex and bold, but smooth.
Rating:  Must Try

Overall Rating:  Stands Out

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Woodford’s Pipeline

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Richard's Blog

I don’t make a habit of swiping content from another blog but if the information is just too cool to leave alone I will lower my standards for the greater good of the whiskey community. That said, I will give credit where credit is due. Woodford gave whiskey writer Chuck Cowdery and Whisky Magazine an exclusive list of what they have in the pipeline for their Master Distiller’s collection. The Maple Finish will be this year’s release which I mentioned yesterday. The coming pipeline is quite diverse and there is no specific year for each of the others. They will all be released over the next nine years whenever they are ready. Without further delay, here’s the list:

Maple Finish (2010) Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in toasted sugar maple casks.
Wine Finish Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in used wine casks (wine type to be announced).
Tequila Finish Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in used Herradura Tequila casks.
Rum Finish Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in used rum casks.
Straight Rye Whiskey, Low BEP (Barrel Entry Proof) Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with an 86° BEP (43% alcohol), aged in new charred barrels.
Straight Rye Whiskey, Historic BEP Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with a 99.8° BEP (49.9% alcohol), aged in new charred barrels.
Rye Mash Whiskey, Low BEP Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with an 86° BEP (43% alcohol), aged in used barrels.
Rye Mash Whiskey, Historic BEP Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with a 99.8° BEP (49.9% alcohol), aged in used barrels.
Straight Malt Whiskey Whiskey made from a 100 percent barley malt mash with a 124.8° BEP (62.4% alcohol), aged in new charred barrels.
Malt Mash Whiskey Whiskey made from a 100 percent barley malt mash with an 86.6° BEP (43.3% alcohol), aged in used barrels.

Honestly, I’m most excited to see what Woodford can do with rye and malt whiskey. I guess we’ve got a few years to wait to find out.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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New U.S. Releases – July ’10

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Scottish Whisky

July was pretty heavy on the American whiskey announcements. This is to be expected leading up to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September. Here’s what I heard about in July.

Evan Williams Cherry Reserve Kentucky Liqueur
Timeframe: September 2010
ABV: 35%
Price: $14.99
This is a marriage of extra-aged Evan Williams Bourbon and natural cherry flavor. Apparently the Evan Williams Honey Reserve that came out last fall was pretty popular. So much so that they are coming out with a Cherry version. Look out Red Stagg!

Four Roses 2010 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon
Timeframe: September 2010
ABV: 55.05% or 56.2% (i got conflicting information)
Price: $75
Four Roses is replacing their annual Mariage releases (there were actually only two) with an annual limited release small batch. It gives them a little more flexibility by using more whiskeys and it gives their annual releases marketing consistency with the Limited Edition Single Barrel releases. For you whiskey geeks out there (who isn’t?) this will be comprised of three different recipes: 15 Year Old OBSV, 11 Year Old OBSK, and 10 Year Old OESK.

Parker’s Heritage Collection 4th Edition
Timeframe: Fall 2010
ABV: 63.9%
Price: $80
This year’s release will be a 10 year old barrel proof, unchillfiltered wheated bourbon. 4,800 bottles will be released in total so get it while you can.

Redemption Rye
Timeframe: Now in select markets
ABV: 46%
Price: $26
This is a new two year old rye whiskey made of 95% rye. It’s always exciting to see new ryes coming onto the market!.

Woodford Master Distiller’s Collection Maple Wood Finish
Timeframe: Fall 2010
ABV: ?
Price: ?
We’re still short on details but this sounds pretty yummy to me!

Knob Creek Single Barrel
Beam is short on details with this one. All I know is that they are targeting January 2011 for a roll out.

Cardhu 12 Year Old
Not really a new release but Cardhu had been absent from the U.S. market for some time. It’s coming back and can already be found in certain markets. $42.99 and 40% ABV.

That’s it for July. Let me know if you know of anything that I might have missed.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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