May 2019

Four Roses Small Batch Select

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Four Roses Small Batch Select

52% ABV
$55-$60
Website
Four Roses Small Batch Select

What the Distillery Says

A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
SMALL BATCH SELECT
NON-CHILL FILTERED
104 PROOF
Small Batch Select launching in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia.  It will launch to additional locations in the future.

Crafted from six Unique Bourbon Recipes:
OBSV, OESV, OBSK, OESK, OBSF & OESF

This entirely new Bourbon marks the biggest addition to Four Roses’ storied history since Brent Elliott became Master Distiller, so we sat down with him to get a bit more information about this new product. Here’s what Brent had to say:

“We wanted to add something to our lineup that brings that pure experience you get with a non-chill filtered Bourbon, while also showcasing some of our recipes and flavors that aren’t as forward facing in our other existing bottles. While Small Batch Select can certainly be one of your special occasion Bourbons, we want it to be more accessible so you don’t hesitate to open up that bottle and enjoy it any time.”
-Brent Elliott, Four Roses Master Distiller

On the nose, Four Roses Small Batch Select offers raspberries, clove and nutmeg. As it hits the palate, it opens into flavors of apricot, ripe berries, vanilla and light oak. The finish lingers with notes of spearmint and a touch of cinnamon.

Each of the Bourbons selected for Small Batch Select have been aged for six and seven years.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, caramel apples, baking spices, vanilla bean, blood orange, floral notes with subtle oak and a hint of mint.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel that starts sweet before the spice kicks in; fruit salad with toasted caramel, mandarin oranges, nutmeg, allspice, hint of cinnamon.
Finish: Moderately long, damp with oak and trailing spices.
Comments:  Props to Four Roses for offering what whiskey geeks want: non-chill filtered, high proof whiskey. It takes water well, and is nicely balanced. If this was $40 or $45, it would be a no-brainer “Must Try”. Don’t get me wrong – it is very good whiskey, and I doubt fans of Four Roses would be disappointed. Although if you’re on a tight budget, might want to try this at a bar first.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky

53% ABV
$75
Website

What the Distillery Says

A TIMELESS WHISKY
A timeless style of malt whisky, Balcones “1” Texas Single Malt breathes new life into centuries of distilling tradition with classic techniques and ingredients adapted for New World tastes. Opening aromas bear hints of toffee and overripe fruits. On the palate, layers of toasted malt and honey give way to mellow notes of baked pears and apples. A long finish is accompanied by cinnamon and cloves. Texas made, Texas proud, we hope you enjoy the whisky we owe our success to as much as we enjoy making it.

NOSE: ripe, buttered stone fruit, banana and pears; honey and rose water with delicate citrus accents
TASTE: silky and full on the palate; lightly toasted bread with fresh butter and marmalade
FINISH: long finish with lingering toast and burnt sugar notes morphing into rich malt and wood flavors with counterbalancing acidity

What Gary Says

Nose:  Chocolate, caramel, rice pudding, sherry cask, oak with spent matches.
Palate:  Bitter chocolates with hazelnut, cracked pepper on smashed and baked green plantains.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with a bit of pepper notes.
Comments:  When I first nosed this, it reminded me a bit of a highland single malt. My brain keeps pulling towards a sherry-cask influence without any fruit, which is different. On the palate; completely different. Aged “at least 22 months”, so quite young and immature – which shows. More interesting than the Baby Blue, but not something I’d seek out – especially at this price point. I will give them props for having 50 mL bottles (which is how I came to try it).

Rating: Average

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Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky

46% ABV
$40
Website

What the Distillery Says

A TRUE ORIGINAL
The first Texas whisky on the market since Prohibition, Baby Blue is crafted from roasted heirloom blue corn. This rich and oily maize adds new sophistication to the corn whisky tradition while keeping the freshness and verve of classic American distilling. Intentionally youthful, Baby Blue captures the essence of this prized corn with a round nuttiness, roasted overtones and refined complexity. The mouthfeel is viscous with a soft finish. A true Texas original that we are delighted to share with the world.

NOSE: melted butter, kettle corn, vanilla, toffee, cinnamon and nutmeg, fresh bread and honey, fresh ground coffee, baking chocolate
TASTE: tropical fruit, slight apricot, brown sugar, cotton candy, sweet tea with lemon, smoked chilis
FINISH: medium long warming, late cinnamon/leather spice, mint and green peppercorns

What Gary Says

Nose:  Warm, fresh corn tortillas, corn bread with loads of butter, buttered popcorn with some oak and smoke throughout; a bit on the sharp side.
Palate:  Thin mouthfeel, creamed corn with sugar and a subtle honey note.
Finish:  Short with notes of buttered popcorn.
Comments: The nose is interesting, not super ‘sweet’ like some other corn whiskies, but a more savory corn nuance. The palate is pretty unremarkable for me; my initial thought is that it is fairly ‘doggy’ (if you’re familiar with white dog). This is aged “at least 6 months”, and while the nose is intriguing, its youth is very apparent on the palate. I get that the heat in Texas might make this way too oaky given the age we typically see in a more northern climate. But then maybe the warehouses need to have some level of climate control to prevent that? Or ‘Texas’ whiskey will have that heavy oak influence as a characteristic? I’ll admit – I’m not a huge corn whiskey fan. But when you can get a bottled-in-bond corn whiskey for $15 or so, I can’t imagine where I’d spend $40 on a 6 month old bottle.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Port Charlotte – Scottish Barley

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Port Charlotte
Scottish Barley

Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$60 – $70
Website

What the Distillery Says

Peated to a heavyweight 40ppm, Port Charlotte Scottish Barley is a cuvee crafted from cask profiles originally selected by master distiller Jim McEwan. It showcases the supreme elegance of this remarkable single malt – a union of the classic floral elegance of Bruichladdich and heavy peat. Trickle distilled from 100% Scottish Barley the spirit gently matures in the lochside village of Port Charlotte before being bottled here at the distillery using Islay spring water.

TASTING NOTES
CHARACTER – The texture is extraordinarily rich with a huge depth of character. The smouldering heat of peat fires pulls you into a whirlpool of islay flavours and aromas but with such finesse that you welcome the storm.
COLOUR – Gilded lily.
NOSE – Opening with assertive waves of peat smoke and Atlantic squall, the olfactory system is on high alert in anticipation of some major sensory excitement. A swell of aromatics flood the senses with notes of iodine, salty canvas, crushed sea shells, charred oak staves, black pepper, paprika and leather tobacco pouches. The second wave brings vanilla, figs and soft plump dates, marinated pear, freshly milled malt, dark sweet toffee and cracked walnuts. It’s smoky. It’s smouldering. It’s sensuous. Just close your eyes and inhale long and deep. This is aromatic awesomeness.
PALATE – Wow! Waves of the sweetest, smoothest, warmest smokiest spirit that you have ever experienced flood onto the palate like the atlantic surf on Saligo Bay. It is potent, focused and the flavours explode brilliantly onto the palate. Full of depth and complexity, the smokey sweetness of the barley contrasts beautifully with the marine freshness of the spirit and the richness of toffee and vanilla. The complexity is enhanced further with a citrus twist and then mellow oak tempers the fire. Once the taste buds adjust to what is happening, they rejoice in the company and pleasure of this young Celt.
FINISH – It’s long and heart-warming, arousing feelings of pride and passion. It brings courage and strength, honesty and faith to your very soul.
MOOD – It cries “freedom”. You are in a good place and you envy no man. You feel alive and ready for whatever lies ahead, knowing that the true spirit of Islay is with you.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft sea air with iodine laden peat smoke, dried hay & grass, subtle hints of barbecue sauce.
Palate:  Earthy sweet with vanilla, caramel and nutmeg on graham crackers; peat fire next door with a savory spice note.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with medicinal smokey notes.
Comments:  Concluding our exploration of Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, we enjoy Port Charlotte Scottish Barley. This is a very interesting dram. I love peat, and this has it balanced in a lovely way (no ‘peat bomb’ here). Easily my favorite of the three.

Rating: Stands Out

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Bruichladdich – Islay Barley

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Bruichladdich Islay Barley

Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$65 – $75
Website

What the Distillery Says

Yellow gold with great structure. Soft with honey, citrus and sea salt, hints of spicy bourbon and young Islay barley. This is a Hebridean journey like no other
NOTE: Bruichladdich provides a lot of details for different vintages of these releases, which is great; I really love that level of transparency! Unfortunately I’ve no idea which vintage was included here; so using the gift pack image as well as  only providing the above notes which were part of the in-box materials.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malt, honey over floral and herbal notes, a hint of dried orange zest with a stronger hit of sea air.
Palate:  Creamier mouthfeel, honey with vanilla and pears, some orange spice that transitions to a pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long, thick and sweet with spice notes trailing.
Comments:  Continuing our exploration of Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, we arrive at Islay Barley. The nose is quite similar to The Classic Laddie, just a touch less sweet, a touch more herbal, and a touch more sea air. On the palate the distance grows, with a richer sweetness and some citrus spice. While fairly similar, I prefer this over the first.

Rating: Stands Out

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