March 2019

Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve

50% ABV
$30 – $33
Website

We would like to thank Punch Media and Brown Forman for sending us samples to review.

What the Distiller Says

THE PROCESS: Barrel Reserve 100 Proof is aged in an American White Oak barrel that is specially chiseled and charred on the inside to deepen the whiskey’s wood exposure,creating a bold and complex Kentucky bourbon.

THE NOSE: Fresh hewn oak with hints of smoke and char are spiced with hints of cinnamon and leather atop a layer of orchard and citrus fruit. Sweetened with a sprinkling of vanilla wafer crumbs.
THE TASTE: Caramel and cotton candy coat fresh apple, pear and citrus fruit atop vanilla wafers dusted with sharp cinnamon.
THE FINISH: Assertive cinnamon spice softens to a lingering apple and clean oak note.

MASHBILL: 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Malt

What Gary Says

Nose: Fresh oak with vanilla, leather, some orange zest zip and a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Vanilla with green apples and orange notes as pepper spice unfolds and slowly explodes over cinnamon.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, drying with cinnamon and oaky pepper spice.
Comments:  To start with, I want to remind readers that I wasn’t a fan of Coopers’ Craft when it first came out – which is ok.  The various press releases and marketing materials in 2016 expressed that it was ‘an exceptionally smooth bourbon that is aimed at the entry-level drinker’ – so clearly I wasn’t their target market.  When offered a sample of this new release, I accepted.  The unique barrel treatment and higher proof gave me hope that I’d find something I liked, as I am a fan of other Brown Forman products (like Old Forester, a classic spicy bourbon that I think is often underrated).  It definitely helped, and this has considerably more going on in contrast, as well as a sharp edge.  While a significant step up (at least for me), I just didn’t find anything that stood out to me.  Now if you’re a fan of Coopers’ Craft, this might squarely hit the mark (although if you really like that ‘exceptionally smooth’ profile, keep in mind that this definitely has a sharper edge).

Rating: Average

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Glen Moray Classic Port Cask Finish

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glen Moray Classic Port Cask Finish

40% ABV
$30
Website

What the Distiller Says

This light and fruity expression is finished for eight months in Port pipes from Porto Cruz, the N°1 Porto company in the world. The spirit picks up intense embellishments of summer fruit, dark chocolate and cinnamon and a distinct pink hue.

NOSE: Toasted vanilla and light oak, rich dried fruits.
TASTE: Refreshing spice with a citrus lemon tang. Caramelised sweetness with cinnamon.
FINISH: Lingering, with sweet spice and delicate oak.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet young malt, hints of plum with a sour cereal and port wine note, hints of berries in cream and leather.
Palate:  Sweet, round waxy mouthfeel, smooth with only a scant hint of dark fruit in the back.
Finish:  Short, damp, and fleeting.
Comments:  Following up after a port-finished bourbon, this was far less satisfying. This is the first Glen Moray bottle I’ve bought, and for $30 – I went in with fairly low expectations. The nose was promising, and had me hopeful I had discovered a diamond in the rough, but the palate was a let down. Nothing off putting in this dram – I won’t be dumping the bottle (may experiment with mingling this with something else), but won’t be picking up another either.

Rating: Average

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Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels

45% ABV
$40
Website
Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon

What the Distiller Says

A. Smith Bowman Distillery finished its bourbon in a variety of port barrels from across Virginia and from Portugal for between three to six months, depending on flavor, before marrying them together to create Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon. These barrels were made using American Oak and French Limousin Oak, with some barrels originating from Minnesota, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, and others. Master Distiller Brian Prewitt tasted these barrels every month to determine the optimum time to be emptied.
Prewitt describes this bourbon as having a dark amber color with a reddish hue.
“The nose greets you with our characteristic cherry and baked apple but supplemented with jammy fruit notes and balanced with the enticing aroma of vanilla, brown spice, and toasted
pecans,” Prewitt notes.
He describes the flavor as “bold and sweet with the toasty notes of French and American oak rounding out to a long smooth finish that pleasantly lingers on the palate.”
A portion of each batch will be held back for blending with the next batch to ensure consistency in flavor and color going forward.
This port barrel finished bourbon is named after Captain Isaac Bowman, the youngest of the Bowman Brothers, who was a soldier and Virginia militia officer in the American Revolutionary War. Isaac was at one point taken as a prisoner of war, but was able to make a historic escape before embarking on a two-year adventure and then returning home to Virginia. He then settled down at Fort Bowman Estate where he became a prosperous farmer and landowner. The Distillery felt it fitting to name this bourbon after Isaac whose great American spirit was evident throughout his life and many adventures.
While Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon was only released once in limited quantities, Isaac Bowman will be offered as an everyday item as part of the Distillery’s standard line of spirits for the suggested retail price of $39.99. Isaac Bowman will launch initially in Virginia only, but eventually spreading into North Carolina and a few additional markets.

What Gary Says

Nose: Spicy dark fruit, stewed dates, figs, plums, raisins, cocoa, molasses, hints of tart cherries, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate: Sweet yet a tad sharp with vanilla, milk chocolate, dry nutty port note; bit of water tamps down the sharp edge while amping up the chocolate, nuttiness.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, drying with a slight pepper note.
Comments: The port finish is more prominent on the nose than on the palate, but not overdone in the least. I’m a fan of port-finished whiskey in general (see my favorite bottle I bought in Ireland), and am glad to see more of it happening here in the States.  Of course Angel’s Envy was/is the big label in this niche.  How does this compare to that?  To be fair – I can’t really say, as I don’t have a bottle of Angel’s Envy handy.  I know I enjoy both, and this is a few extra proof points higher (and $10 less).  I’d suggest that if you like Angel’s Envy and port finished whiskies, you’d enjoy this as well (and I’d consider it a ‘Must Try’).  And if you hadn’t tried that yet in part because of the price – here’s a slightly less expensive means to see what you think about bourbon finished in port.

Rating: Stands Out

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Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky

62.8% ABV
$100
Website

What the Distiller Says

According to Indian mythology, when the Gods and Rakshasas – the demons – churned the oceans using the mountain Meru, a golden pot sprang out of the oceans containing the “elixir of life”. This was called the “Amrut”.  The great founders of our distillery aptly named it Amrut Distilleries.

Amrut Single Malt Whisky Peated is a product of many years of research and development with an aim to produce world class whiskies. This whisky is made from the finest imported Scottish peated barley.

It is carefully mashed and distilled in small batches to preserve the natural aromas and matured in oak barrels in unique tropical conditions at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level at Bangalore, the “garden city” of India. To retain the natural characteristics of this oak aged Indian Single Malt Whisky we do not chill filter and it is bottled straight from the barrel in its natural color.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Gristy smoked barley, kippers with a salted butter, peppered bite
Taste: The delivery is youthful and barely reaching puberty then suddenly an intensely malty ascendancy followed by a healthy dose of drier oaks
Finish: A sublime finale for its sheer delicacy and elegance; the peat no more than oozes, there are cups galaore of sugarless medium roast Mysore and finally, as a bourbony trail is discovered, soft liquorice and molassed sugar – easily the highlight of the experience: one of the best finishes of the year

What Gary Says

Nose: Plenty of peat, some exotic wood, musty incense, and tahini candy.
Palate: Thick, earthy with some dark fruit sweetness, plums, dates, molasses, and some spice underlying; bit of water turns up the sweetness a bit more without losing the thick mouthfeel.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, on the damp side.
Comments: On the nose, this is the non-cask strength version simply turned up.  On the palate, the extra proof is bringing more to the party; another great example of why I prefer higher proof drams.  For me, the extra proof brings more complexity and depth, even with some water added.  The peat isn’t as overwhelming on the palate here (still heavy handed on the nose though).  At the price point though, while I like it more it still isn’t something that I’d rush out and buy a bottle of (not without trying first!)

Rating: Stands Out

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