December, 2015 | Whisk(e)y Apostle: Proselytizing the way of the malt

JW Dant Bottled in Bond

December 17, 2015 / Richard / Bourbon, Review / Average

J.W. Dant Genuine Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bottled in Bond
50% ABV
$12-$15

What the Distiller Says:

Really not a damn thing. Dant is historical brand that you can read more about . Heaven Hill owns and produces the brand now and from looking at their website you would never know it existed.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Vanilla, bit of pepper spice, bit of oak; textbook rye bourbon.
Palate: Caramel corn, bit of maple & root beer.
Finish: Short and drying.
Comments: I found myself liking this more with each sip, although never loving it. A very solid/serviceable bourbon, but not memorable. If someone asked me to pick my favorite 3 bottles for under $18, I don’t know that this one makes the cut (I’d go with Heaven Hill 6yr BIB, Ezra Brooks 7yr 101, and Ancient Ancient Age 10-Star). But there’s nothing off-putting about this bourbon – and there are a LOT of options out there that I would select this over.
Rating: Average

What Richard Says:
Nose: Black pepper, toffee crisps, vanilla bean ice cream, and an earthy woodiness.
Palate: Creamy, easy drinking, caramel sweetness with vanilla and black pepper around the edges.
Finish: It finishes younger and hotter like you would expect. Alcohol heat, dry oak, more pepper at the top of the throat. There is also this weird rubber band flavor mid finish.
Comments: What would younger Elijah Craig taste like? Well here you go. It’s essentially the same bourbon more or less but much younger. It’s not going to knock your socks off but hell it’s less than $15 a bottle. I enjoy it much more than white label Jim Beam. It’s a solid campfire or back yard barbecue bourbon. And it dances circles around most of the craft whiskeys I’ve had!
Rating: Average

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Angel’s Envy Cask Strength 2015

December 15, 2015 / Richard / Bourbon, Review / Stands Out

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels
2015 Release
63.45% ABV
$169.99
Website

What the Bottler Says:
Ranked the “Best Spirit in the World” by Spirit Journal, Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels is unlike any whiskey you’ve ever tried. Angel’s Envy is releasing fewer than 8,000 bottles of our award winning Cask Strength this year, so don’t miss your chance to pick up a bottle or two of this rare and delicious spirit.

Perfection is a patient man’s game. So we waited until Angel’s Envy reached the perfect level of maturity. We judge only a handful of barrels exceptional enough for our lengthy finishing process. The result? Even at 127.9 proof—our highest ever—every sip is worth savoring. A remarkably complex and unfiltered spirit, we suggest you enjoy it neat or with just a splash of water to release the flavor nuances, and perhaps with a few friends who appreciate outstanding whiskey. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength was worth waiting for, not it’s worth sharing.

Appearance: Rich gold with an amber depth.
Nose: Heavy caramel with vanilla up front, followed by roasted almonds, orange peel citrus and faint blueberry.
Palate: Pound cake, root beer, candy corn, honey, then tart strawberries, blackberries, figs, slight black pepper on the finish.
Finish: Less port forward than previous years, but while the port finish is distinct, the bourbon itself shines through the finish.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Comfy leather chair (where someone had smoked a pipe with vanilla tobacco the night before), rich fermented fruit (peaches, plums), bit of maple syrup.
Palate: Delicious – warm (maybe a tad hot?), nice port sweetness but with some kick, dark rich cherries, apricot jam on toast, hints of toffee and caramel.
Finish: Moderate to long, lingers nicely before drying out.
Comments: I’m a fan of the cask strength offering for sure. I think if you like Angel’s Envy, this is more than that at cask strength – I get a bit more port influence. It takes water rather well, and is one of those pours I could sip and think about for a long time, or just sit back and savor mindlessly. If it were priced at around half of what it is (which would put it on par with other limited editions, like Four Roses Small Back LEs, or Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection), I’d be a customer. At the current price point – while I really like drinking it – there are other options I’d go for.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says:
Nose: The rich savoriness of fortified wine overlays the burnt sugar and vanilla notes of the bourbon.
Palate: Angel’s Envy kicked up times 10. Dark fruit, sweet and savory candies, with hints of allspice and cloves. Vanilla lays over the whole thing in a lovely well balanced way.
Finish: Even at cask strength this finishes easy. With a little water the port notes play with the peppery spice and make this really enjoyable.
Comments: Elijah Craig 12 Year: $30 to $35. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof: $50 to $55. With Eagle Rare to Stagg Jr. you see about the same thing. I enjoy Angel’s Envy and I think the cask strength releases are great but damn they want to charge too much. Instead of a modest increase for the cask strength version they charge about 3 1/2 to 4 times the price. That’s just silly to me. This is stellar $75 bottle of bourbon. Nearing $200 I can’t recommend buying it. But hey, somebody will buy it.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank Angel’s Envy for sending over a sample for review.

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1792 Port Finish

December 9, 2015 / Richard / Bourbon, Review / Stands Out

1792 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels
44.45% ABV
$40
Website

What the Distiller Says:
The marriage of expertly crafted bourbon whiskey and port wine barrels join together to create this distinct bourbon. 1792 Port Finish Bourbon delivers an elegant flavor profile like no other. This bourbon was aged for many years in new white oak barrels before spending another two years extracting the subtle, yet sweet flavors from port wine barrels. The rich vanilla characters of American oak mingle with the delicate fruit notes from port to create this magnificent whiskey.

Tasting Notes
A rich aroma of apple and fruit mingling with noticeable vanilla. The taste is soft, yet balanced. Filled with toasted caramel, jam-like fruit, and a touch of licorice. A clean, somewhat lingering finish completes the taste.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Port-prominent; rich and heavy stewed fruit sweetness.
Palate: Dark flavor with port-sweetness dominating the bourbon a bit; the rye spice speaks up near the end.
Finish: Lingers nicely.
Comments: If you like port and port-finished whiskies, I think you will probably enjoy this. On my first tasting, I thought it was a nice balance between the bourbon and port influence – but on later tastings; I found the port influence a bit heavier than I prefer. I’d love to see this with a bit less port with more of the bourbon spice showing up, but I still applaud Barton for trying some new things. Priced just below (at least here in Atlanta) Angel’s Envy – a similar port-finished bourbon – it might be the least expensive way to find out if you like port finished bourbon – but I would recommend finding this on premise to try first.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says:
Nose: Heavy port forward nose with lots of dark jammy fruits.
Palate: The port is really heavy handed on the palate. It kind of beats the Barton bourbon down into submission. It’s really more like a high octane port than a bourbon.
Finish: Slow transition from sweet port to a slightly spicy bourbon.
Comments: Bad? No, if like you port then this is a very tasty drink. I think the two years in port barrels was too much and the port is overly dominant. You don’t have the same nice interplay as Angel’s Envy, Midwinter Night’s Dram, or a nice port finished scotch. Personally, I really like port so I find this enjoyable but if you don’t like port you aren’t going to like this.
Rating: Stands Out

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Old Hickory Straight Bourbon

December 7, 2015 / Richard / Bourbon, Review / Average, Probably Pass

Old Hickory Straight Bourbon Whiskey
43% ABV
$39.99
Website

What the Bottler Says:
Old Hickory White Label is a straight bourbon distilled at 86 proof, which is the traditional “Perfect Proof” preferred historically by American distillers. Created for modern whiskey cocktails and bourbon connoisseurs, Old Hickory White Label is rich and near mahogany in color. With intense spice and oak aromas, this bold whiskey is masculine and displays notes of cedar and gingerbread. The over-proof delivers a lingering finish of pie crust and sweet tobacco.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Young and thin, corn (but not as much corn sweet as I’d expect) and sour wood with a hint of anise.
Palate: Thin mouthfeel, young and more wood influence than I expected. Subtle sweetness with a hint of caramel and vanilla.
Finish: Fairly short and dry.
Comments: I tasted this before I read up on it, and based on taste alone – I figured this was under four years old, and possibly aged in smaller than 53 gallon barrels (as I get more wood for something fairly young). After researching further, I’m disappointed at the lack of transparency. First, the web-site states it was distilled at 86 proof. This could be true, but I doubt it – my guess is that it is bottled at 86 proof (big difference). I had to go to R.S. Lipman’s website to get a fact sheet, which spells out that this was distilled at “the historic Joseph E. Seagram’s facility in Lawrenceburg, IN” – which is another way to say this is MGP like many other NDP bourbons on the market. This isn’t a negative – MGP makes (and has made) some really solid whiskey! But Seagram’s went out of business in 2000, and the distillery has been owned by Pernod Ricard, CL Financial (who renamed it in 2007 to Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana – LDI), and MGP Ingredients since 2011. Later they mention MGP (as they want to use the social responsibility, environmental health, innovations, etc that they list on their site), but I still find it disingenuous to not give them credit from the go. They state that the whiskey is aged a minimum of 4 yrs and “has stocks up to 7 years old”, and as the label has no age statement, it must be a minimum of 4 yrs old – although if there is 7 yr old stock included, I would suspect that is a very small amount.

Saying I was unimpressed would be an understatement. For 86 proof straight bourbon, I would be much happier with Evan Williams black label personally. And seeing the suggested retail price would make this an easy pass for me.
Rating: Probably Pass

What Richard Says:
Nose: Light and barely there. There’s a bit of corn and licorice in the back but little else.
Palate: Sweet. This is lacking depth of flavor. It’s basically just sweetness.
Finish: Light and forgettable.
Comments: Again, like the Old Hickory Blended Bourbon this isn’t bad per se. It’s really just a bland, uninspiring whiskey that would be fine for mixing if it wasn’t priced so high.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Double Diamond Marketing & Communications for sending us a sample to review.

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Old Hickory Blended Bourbon

December 4, 2015 / Richard / Bourbon, Review / Average, Probably Pass

Old Hickory Blended Bourbon Whiskey
40% ABV
$29.99
Website

What the Bottler Says:
Old Hickory Black Label is a meritage of bourbon and whiskey distilled at 80 proof and blended to deliver classic flavors for traditional bar mixing or sipping straight. Amber in color, this crowd pleasing bourbon is bright and spicy with attractive aromas of cherry custard, pistachio gelato, and almond nougat. With a silky medium-to-full bodied taste, Old Hickory Black Label exhibits a tingling, engaging finish with lingering flavors of white toffee, dried cherry, and honey custard.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Young, malted corn and vanilla.
Palate: Sweet with a hint of malted chocolate and caramel, and a wisp of wood; very tame and “smooth”.
Finish: Medium, but forgettable.
Comments: Compared to the Old Hickory Straight Bourbon, I like this better – the nose has more balance and more sweetness; although the palate has little wood and is primarily sweet. Despite being a lower proof, this is darker as well. According to the back label, this blend is comprised of 89% whiskey aged 4 years; 11% minimum aged 2 years – which I do appreciate them putting right on the label. They list this as a blended bourbon, not a “straight bourbon”, which means it COULD contain flavoring or coloring. This is darker than the higher proof Old Hickory Straight Bourbon (which is 100% 4 yrs or older), so I would suspect this is the case.
Rating: Probably Pass

What Richard Says:
Nose: The nose comes out with a nice mellow creaminess that’s heavy on the corn. Sweet corn pudding with a little back note of vanilla and cinnamon.
Palate: Very smooth, mellow, and easy to swallow (not drink 😉 ).
Finish: It finishes a little hot but still pretty mellow.
Comments: First off, this comes in a very nice, solid bottle. Plus, there is an artificial cork. Regular Whisk(e)y Apostle readers will know that is a bonus for me. But putting a pig in a nice dress doesn’t make you want to take her to the dance. “Pig” is a bit harsh. There’s nothing wrong with this whiskey. There just isn’t much going on. Usually, when you read whiskey notes and you see “smooth” and “mellow” with not much else you can really read that as “bland” and “flavorless”. This isn’t that toned down but there’s really not a lot going on. This is not a slow sipper for the aficionado or the connoisseur. This is clearly more for the mixer and those who want “whiskey” but don’t really like the taste of whiskey. But at $30 it’s a bit too expensive for that. For those interested, this is an MGP made whiskey.
Rating: Average