May 2012

New Releases – March thru May 2012

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

It seems like this move to Columbia is taking up a lot more of my time than I thought it would. I’m so far behind on Whisk(e)y Apostle content that it’s kind of sad. Well, I’m three months delinquent on new release updates so this will be covering everything I’ve heard about in March, April, and May.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength
Timeframe: Q4 2012
ABV: 122% to 123%
Price: TBD
This new release from Louisville Distilling will be finished in port pipes just like regular Angel’s Envy but it will be finished for a good bit longer. Typically Angel’s Envy is 3 to 6 months of finishing but the Cask Strength will be soaking up that port goodness for around 22 months. It will be 6 to 8 years old after finishing.

Black Ridge Small Batch
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 45%
Price: TBD
No details on this one. It was found to be a pending Buffalo Trace release from the COLA online database.

Dalmore Castle Leod
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 46%
Price: $135
This limited edition bottling celebrates the ancient and historic seat of Clan Mackenzie and is the second in a series crafted by Master Distiller Richard Paterson in homage to Clan Mackenzie. The Vintage 1995 expression was matured initially in American white oak and Spanish sherry wood, before being transferred for a final 18 months to barriques from a 1st cru classe Bordeaux chateau.

E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof
Timeframe: June
ABV: 67.25%
Price: $69.99
This barrel proof, uncut, unfiltered rye recipe bourbon was aged for seven years on the sixth floor of Buffalo Trace’s Warehouse C, built by Colonel Taylor in 1881. This release is fourth in the line of E. H. Taylor, Jr. collection of whiskeys.

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Cask Strength
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 66%
Price: $75
This will be a distillery only bottling.

Elijah Craig 20 Year Old Single Barrel
Timeframe: Late May/Early June
ABV: 45%
Price: $130
This release will be replacing the standard 18 Year Old for a limited time. Apparently Heaven Hill has just too darn much 20 year old bourbon. More likely they had a good portion of the existing 18 that was actually close to 20 years old and they decided they could make a lot more money if they showed the real age on the bottle. Trolling the COLA online database also uncovered labels for 21, 22, and 23 year old one off bottlings that may be in the pipeline.

Glenmorangie Artein
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 46%
Price: $75
This is the newest in the series of Private Editions from Glenmorangie. This one is finished in Sassicaia wine barrels.

High West Campfire
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: TBD
Price: TBD
This is the new release from Dave Perkins at High West mixing bourbon, rye, and single malt scotch!

Jeffers Creek Bourbon
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 40%
Price:TBD
6 year old release coming out from Buffalo Trace. This one also came out of the COLA online database.

Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve and Platinum
Timeframe: Summer 2012
ABV: TBD
Two in. Two out. Diageo is pulling Green label and Gold label and replacing them with these two priced around the same.

Jura 1976
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 46%
Price: TBD
New release coming stateside but light on the details.

Mitcher’s 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 55.4%
Price: TBD
Another COLA find.

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 55%
Price: TBD
No official word. This is another product of COLA trolling.

Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry
Timeframe: June 2012
ABV: 35%
Price: $16.99
The name kind of says it all. SoCo keeps expanding their stable of flavors to compete in the Red Stag environment.

Two Stars Bourbon
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 45%
Price: TBD
Another pending Buffalo Trace release. This one is coming out under the Clear Springs Distilling Co. label which is a label that they use for wholesale releases like Costco, etc.

Wild Turkey 81 Rye
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 40.5%
Price: $20
Wild Turkey rolled this out earlier this year. It’s in the same vein as the previous 81 bourbon.

That sums it up. As always, if I missed anything please let me know. I’ll also try to get caught up with all the stuff I want to share the whiskey apostles out there.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Old Weller Antique

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Old Weller Antique Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
53.5% ABV/107 Proof
$22 to $25
Website

What the Distillery Says:
[Quoted from Wine Enthusiast Magazine on their website]
A medium amber bourbon, bearing a sweetish note with some unusual floral notes and a string dash of vanilla. The body is big and the palate is very well balanced, flirting between sweet honeyed fruit notes, a strong vanilla undertone and some sharp spicy tones; the finish is long and spicy.

A very well crafted whiskey. Sip it at room temperature with a little spring water or over ice.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Vanilla, honey, maple syrup, and an astringent alcohol note. Yes it can be watered down but then you’d just have Weller Special Reserve!
Palate: Chewy, fruity sweet, lots of vanilla, and it trails out with a spicy smack more from the alcohol than the mashbill.
Finish: Caramel covered oak bars sprinkled with black peppercorns.
Comments: I don’t want to start bitching about the loss of age statements. If you want that then jump over to StraightBourbon.com. However, I do find it a vexing state of affairs where the products we love are becoming more popular, leading to thinner stocks, leading to the removal of more and more age statements. Like Weller Special Reserve (WSR) this used to be a 7 year old. It’s tastes about the same as it did before the age statement dropped off but that’s just me. It’s more important that the bourbon tastes good right? Well this one does. This is the same as WSR just at higher proof. I like this one better. The extra alcohol is good for this particular bourbon. The price has been creeping up a little lately but it’s still a great buy and kicks the shit out of Maker’s for an inexpensive wheated bourbon. After all, with more age on it this stuff ultimately ends up as Pappy Van Winkle after all. 😉
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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Innis & Gunn Irish Cask

/ / Review /

Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask Oak Aged Beer
Scottish Stout Matured in Irish Whiskey Barrels
7.4% ABV
$12.99/4 pack

Website

I was contacted before St. Patrick’s Day about reviewing a new beer from Innis & Gunn. We don’t really do beer reviews here but when I hear it was a Scottish stout aged in Irish whiskey barrels my interest was piqued. For those of you not familiar with Innis & Gunn they make oak barrel aged beers. The founder, Master Brewer Dougal Sharp started quite by accident with a contract to season oak barrels with beer for a whisky producer. Somewhere along the way they tasted the “seasoning beer” and found it to be uniquely exceptional. Since then they’ve played around with a number of different casks and this is their latest.

Admittedly, I have nowhere near the experience with beer that I do with whisky. So in all fairness to the brewer I’m bringing in a pinch hitter on this one. My friend Sam is a mathematics and statistics guru, photographer, foodie, and more importantly a beer enthusiast with decades of experience. I’ve been dragging him down the slippery slope of whisky for a few years now but he still loves a tasty brew. He kindly agreed to help me out with this review.

What the Brewer Says:
Introduction
This special bottling of Innis & Gunn has been matured in rare oak barrels from a famous distillery in Ireland. These barrels had previously been used to mature one of the great triple distilled Irish whiskeys. The result of this unique maturation is a big, full flavoured, complex beer with a delightful warming finish.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Vanilla, Oak, Chocolate, Treacle
Colour: Black
Palate: Rich and intense dark chocolate
Finish: Complex and satisfying, with a lingering oaky sweetness.

Food Matches: Haggis, smoked venison and chocolate cake.

What Sam Says:
This has the consistency of a Lager (I’m thinking of the Guinness “Black” Lager because of its dark/black color) … it’s called a “Stout” but it’s not what I think of when I think Stout relative to the “thick” consistency… maybe the Scots do it differently?

My first impression is chocolate and it had me wondering if it would go well with some dark chocolate. I didn’t have any but I did have some lamb chops with a rather sweet olive tapenade. This beer complimented the food very well. Irish Whiskey Cask? The first thing I was looking for was the strong hints of whiskey, but I didn’t find it (and through my continuing education about whiskey, I did suspect that it might not be as evident as say a beer aged in a bourbon cask). Oddly enough, I was about half-way through the glass, and it was like “there it is!” So I drank some more. The effect of the Irish Whiskey Casks is faint, but I think that’s a good thing. There are some beers aged in whiskey casks that might as well have been a shot poured into the glass. This one complimented the beer and seemed to stay behind the curtain until it was ready to be introduced.

I would recommend this beer to my beer-loving brethren with confidence while knowing that Innis & Gunn is one of those polarizing brews (some love it … some hate it). My favorite Innis & Gunn is still the Rum Cask, but the Irish Cask is a solid #2 in their lineup.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich, malty, a little nutty
Palate: Chocolate sweetness like a dark chocolate of moderate cacao. Nutty with a little bite too it I don’t find in a lot of stouts. Over ripe apples that have gone a little mealy. Golden delicious or granny smith maybe.
Finish: Fresh warm rye bread, the aftertaste of fine aged English cheddar, and a berry fruitiness.
Comments: I don’t have the experience with Innis & Gunn that Sam does but I’ve also heard their beer can be a little polarizing. This is great stuff. Their cask aging gives the stout a sharpness and a layer of flavors that I haven’t seen much in other stouts. This one is a real winner.
Rating: Must Try
I would like to thank the folks at Handcrafted PR for sending over bottles for review.

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Weller Special Reserve

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

W.L. Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Aged 7 Years
45% ABV/90 Proof
$10 – $20
Website
Weller Special Reserve 7 Yr
What the Distillery Says:
The Original “Wheated” Bourbon Whiskey
Replacing the rye grain in our recipe with wheat provides for an exceptionally smooth taste. And at 7 years of age and “Kentucky proof”– 90 proof, W. L. Weller is a truly outstanding buy.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Weller always comes across with honeysuckle sweetness, crisp apples, and black peppercorns.
Palate: Bourbony? 🙂 It’s not very sweet but it’s nicely balanced with oak, caramel, vanilla, and a peppery spice at the end of the palate that runs into the finish.
Finish: Crisp and a little spicy. The spice hangs around through the end of the finish.
Comments: Confession time, I’ve had a really hard time coming up with review notes for this one. It’s not that Weller Special Reserve isn’t distinctive. Rather, I use this specific bourbon in a lot of the cooking I do. As a result, most of the notes I originally came up with are reminiscent of my bourbon meatballs, pecan pie, or bourbon cream cheese frosted red velvet cake. I use is so much because it’s a mellow and pleasing bourbon that works well with food. Think about this alternative the next time you’re in the store and you’re reaching for a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Plus, if you look hard enough you may find it for almost half the price. 😉
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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