September 2011

Bulleit Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Bulleit Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

45% ABV
$25
Website

What the Producer Says:
In the 1830s, as a tavern keeper in Louisville, Kentucky, Augustus Bulleit set himself on a mission: to create a bourbon unique in flavor. Just as bourbon lovers today may sample many brands before finding their favorite, Augustus decided to experiment too — by creating bourbons of many different types and tastes. After countless small-batch trials, he came upon a bourbon with the character he had been seeking.

While transporting barrels of his bourbon from Kentucky to New Orleans, Augustus Bulleit vanished. What happened to him is still unknown, and his creation could have passed into history as well. But after more than a century, in 1987, his great-great -grandson Tom Bulleit stepped in. A lawyer by profession, Tom’s lifelong dream had been to revive the family’s bourbon legacy, started more than 150 years ago.

Bulleit Bourbon is still distilled and aged in small batches. Kentucky limestone-filtered water provides the foundation for the bourbon’s character, while charred American oak barrels lend a smoky backbone. Bulleit’s distillers age the bourbon simply until it is ready. The result is placed into a bottle whose design has won awards of its own.

What Richard Says:

Nose: Maple syrup, citrus, and sweet vanilla. The nose is very shy on this one. It doesn’t open up much without water.
Palate: Very rich with honey and vanilla notes. Citrus and banana open up with a little water.
Finish: Woody, smoky, and something that kind of reminds me of saltpeter. A little rough around the edges.
Comments: I love the labeling of U.S. whiskeys. Bulleit’s bottles say “Distilled by The Bulleit Distilling Co. Lawrenceburg, KY.” Well, if by that they mean distilled by Four Roses in Lawrenceburg under contract for Bulleit, a division of Diageo then I guess it’s sort of true. I could be remembering incorrectly but I believe Bulleit was one of the first bottlers (as opposed to distillers) to do a nationwide mass market bourbon push in recent memory. They seemed to kick off a storm of other bottlers trying to do the same thing. Sure, other brands predated them but they weren’t marketed and distributed to the extent Bulleit is. I’m not really knocking or praising Bulleit. I’m just telling it like it is. It’s a well marketed, slightly above average bourbon that can be had for under $25 a bottle.

Rating: Average

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, caramel, charred oak, hints of cast iron baked corn bread, anise seed.
Palate:  Vanilla and caramel, cinnamon, bit of pepper with a hint of cherries and honey.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with pepper and oak.
Comments:  A fairly standard bourbon. Bit of corn on the nose, but not the palate. Nothing off putting, but also doesn’t especially stand out. Now at barrel proof, that’s another story! Does does perfectly well as a straight-forward sipper, or a cocktail bourbon. In fact, tried this Bulleit Bourbon Cranberry Old Fashioned and thought that was fantastic!.

Rating: Stands Out/Average

Bulleit Bourbon Read More »

Buffalo Trace

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% ABV/90 Proof
$20 to $25
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says
Light bronze in color with streaks of gold, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bears a complex aroma of vanilla, mint, and molasses. Its taste is pleasantly sweet and contains notes of brown sugar and spice that give way to oak and leather. The long and dry finish has significant depth. When enjoyed with water, flavors of toffee, dark fruit and anise are revealed.

What Richard Says:
Nose: It takes a little water to open the nose up but when you do you’re rewarded with fruity sweetness, cereal notes of corn, cherry blossoms, honey, vanilla, and a hint of mint.
Palate: Smooth, measured, and flavorful. Creamy, vanilla, and oak. Classic bourbon.
Finish: Dry. It fades away slow and steady.
Comments: Wow, I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to review Buffalo Trace! It’s been a personal favorite of mine since the first time I tried it almost a decade ago. When it was originally released it was touted as being around nine years old. I’m not sure if that’s still the case but this is a fine bourbon. It has great flavor and works equally well in cocktails and by itself both on the rocks and straight up. When you also consider that it can be had for at or around $20 a bottle I really couldn’t recommend this more. They also don’t water it down to 80 proof like some other bourbons. (you know who you are)
Rating: Must Try, Great Value

Buffalo Trace Read More »

Buffalo Trace Millennium Auction

/ / Bourbon, Richard's Blog

Would you like the chance to get a little piece of whiskey history and donate to a good cause? Here’s your chance. A silent bid charity auction has started for bottle number 93 of the Buffalo Trace Millennium Barrel. Here are details on the bottling:

On December 31, 1999, the dawn of the century’s turn, one barrel of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was rolled into famous Warehouse “V”, the world’s smallest bonded aging warehouse. This one-of-a-kind Millennium Barrel yielded 174 bottles, each bottled by hand and individually numbered. But in addition to finely aged smoothness, each bottle was also destined to lend its value to benefit charitable organizations, making it a truly generous spirit.

Sure to begin bidding wars among bourbon aficionados, each Millennium Bottle comes in a numbered, lined hardwood showcase box that includes a piece of this historic barrel’s charred oak stave.

The current auction runs through October 8, 2011 at 7:00PM EST. All proceeds benefit the Kentucky Employees Charitable Campaign. If you want to get in on the auction you can submit your bid by calling Elly Hixon at 502-564-7250 from 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday or via email at Elly.Hixon@ky.gov. Alternatively, if you want to place an after hours bid you can call 502-330-7889.

Buffalo Trace Millennium Auction Read More »

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Yr

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 28 Bottle No. 1061
47% ABV/ 94 Proof
$80
Available in select U.S. markets

What the Distillery Says:
Jefferson’s Presidential Select is an ultra-rare, ultra-premium bourbon, bottled from the last year in operation of Louisville’s renowned Stitzel-Weller Distillery. This 94-proof, 18 yr old bourbon is a limited offering with a big robust nose and taste balanced with the trademarked Jefferson’s smooth finish.

Nose: Big vanillas with full character, citrus, apple, subtle caramel and assorted nuts
Taste: Balanced and sultry, English toffee, cinnamon, leather
Finish: Long and rounded

What Richard Says:
Nose: More wood, mellow, a little more coy than the 17 yr, less alcohol heat, caramel
Palate: A little hotter, woodier and slightly sweeter than the 17 yr. A little less cinnamon.
Finish: Pepper, oak, very dry. Vanilla comes through at the end. There’s a not so great char flavor that lingers for a while.
Comments: The flavors of the 18 year are more muted and hidden behind more oak than the 17 year. It’s not worse. It’s just different. They only thing I didn’t like was the lingering char on the finish. That would probably put the 18 year below the 17 year on a comparative scale.
Rating: Must Try

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Yr Read More »

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 Yr

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 3 Bottle No. 818
47% ABV/ 94 Proof
$80
Available in select U.S. markets

What the Distillery Says:

Jefferson’s Presidential Select is an ultra-rare, ultra-premium bourbon, bottled from the last year in operation of Louisville’s renowned Stitzel-Weller Distillery. This 94-proof, 17 yr old bourbon is a limited offering with a big robust nose and taste balanced with the trademarked Jefferson’s smooth finish.

Nose: Big vanillas with full character, citrus, apple, subtle caramel and assorted nuts
Taste: Balanced and sultry, English toffee, cinnamon, leather
Finish: Long and rounded

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich and slightly fruity with a floral sweetness.
Palate: Floral (lavender and rosewater) and slightly astringent. It’s rather woody with a noticeable does of cinnamon on a cherry-type fruit. It kind of reminds me of Big Red chewing gum and Luden’s cough drops.
Finish: Notes of lavender with a big dose of cinnamon and oak. Very dry.
Comments: This is a very nice older wheater. It’s not quite as good as Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year or even the 15 Year from a few years back but it’s close. This is the last of the of old stock from the now closed Stitzel-Weller distillery. It’s really sad to see it go. If you’re a fan wheated bourbon I would put this on your buy list.
Rating: Must Try

Side Note: You’ll notice the bottle reviewed here was from Batch 3. I’ve tried several of the batches from the 17 Year bottlings and personally I don’t get much difference. That’s just me. The 18 Year is also the same stuff but they didn’t start bottling it until a year later. I believe the first 25 or 26 batches were 17 years old and then the 18 Year Old picks up there.

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 Yr Read More »