October 2019

Lux Row Distillers 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Lux Row Distillers 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon

59.2% ABV
$150
Website
Lux Row Distillers Double Barrel Bourbon
We would like to thank Luxco and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Producer Says

Lux Row Distillers has launched a new bourbon, Lux Row Distillers Double Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, to commemorate the distillery’s grand opening last year. The new limited edition bourbon brings together two carefully selected 12-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels bottled together for the ultimate barrel strength taste and finish.

“We wanted to do something unique to commemorate the opening of Lux Row Distillers so I tasted through many barrels to find the ones that would complement each other perfectly creating a well-balanced, flavorful bourbon,” says Head Distiller John Rempe. “Each two barrel combinations will be slightly different but will have strong caramel and vanilla notes, with a warm and spicy finish.”

These masterfully selected bourbons have a rye mash bill and are bottled at cask strength at 118.4 proof – a nod to the distillery’s grand opening in April of 2018. The packaging includes a custom Lux Row Distillers embossed bottle, real metal labels and is topped with a solid copper cork. In addition, each bottle’s label includes the barrel numbers and age statements of the barrels selected. The back label tells the story of the grand opening, a celebration of the distillery’s first year. This limited edition bourbon, with approximately 6,000 bottles released, is available only in Kentucky and retails for a SRP of $150.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, lovely caramel, vanilla, rice pudding, oak, a hint of peach cobbler and a note of cigar paper.
Palate:  Viscous mouthfeel, warm, rich chocolate fudge with caramel swirls, some baking spices with honey and brown sugar, bits of pepper spice at the end.
Finish:  Long, slightly drying with cocoa.
Comments:  This is just a lovely, sweet, luscious bourbon. I don’t often pay a lot of attention to the legs on whisk(e)y, but this one struck me after the first swirl in my Glencairn (a string of slowly growing pearls that took ages before gravity won out). Takes water well. This is on the sweeter side of the spectrum, which I enjoy in bourbon. The bottle itself is solid, with a topper that is pretty hefty (reminds me a bit of the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep tops for those familiar). Was fortunate enough to get a taste of this at the distillery in mid-September. If you’re in Bardstown, definitely recommend swinging by Lux Row Distillery (might be able to try a sample for yourself; if there’s any left).

Rating: Must Try

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Deanston 12 Year Sherry Oak

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Deanston 12 Year Sherry Oak
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$44
Website
Deanston 12 Year Sherry Oak
We would like to thank Paul (who shares reviews on Distiller.com, as well as reviews and general musings on his YouTube channel Dapper Drams) for the sample to review!

What the Distillery Says

SHERRY OAK
Finished in Sherry Casks

Our tight-knit community is embodied in the traditional methods used to produce this unique single malt whisky.

Crafted by hand, this Deanston malt has been finished in sherry casks to ensure a rich amber colour and deep flavour. This creates a warm, fruity dram which tastes best when shared.

COLOUR: Amber gold
NOSE: The characteristic honey of Deanston, subtle dried fruit with hints of toffee, oak and delicate spice.
PALATE: Sweet honey and fruit, hints dried fruit and toffee with delicate rich oak and sweet maltiness.
FINISH: Sweet and lingering with hints of fruit and delicate spice.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Heavy fruit, raisins, plums, figs, tart berries, fresh prairie grass, brown sugar, honey, oak and a hint of balsamic.
Palate:  Sweet honey malt, fruitcake, raisins, nutmeg, oak with a dash of pepper.
Finish:  Moderate in length, slightly drying with dried dark fruit.
Comments:  This is a Taiwanese market exclusive that a fellow whisk(e)y enthusiast won at auction, so it isn’t mentioned on their web-site. The details above were from images of the box I could find on-line (so if they had multiple varieties of this, may not line up exactly – sorry). I’m unfamiliar with Deanston, so when arranging to trade samples, I picked this to try.
It’s quite a pleasant dram, not particularly complex but fairly ‘flavor intense’ for 40% ABV. I wouldn’t go out of my way to track one down necessarily, but nothing objectionable with this (although at 40% ABV, I did find it didn’t take water well; thinned out rather quickly – which isn’t a surprise for the low proof).

Rating: Stands Out

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Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home

61.3% ABV
$125
Website

We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Freddie Noe, eighth generation Beam distiller and creator of Little Book® Whiskey, is proud to announce the third installment in his annual, limited-release series of blends – “Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home.”

Following high acclaim for the first two blended whiskies within the Little Book series – 2017’s “The Easy” and 2018’s “Noe Simple Task” – the third chapter delivers on Noe’s passion for creating one-of-a-kind blends, while also honoring his storied family roots in Kentucky. Little Book Chapter 3: “The Road Home” features a blend of four super-premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskies, one from each brand of the original Small Batch Bourbon Collection created by his grandfather Booker Noe in the early 1990s. The result is a meticulously blended whiskey with depth of flavor and legacy.

FREDDIE’S NOTE
“The Road Home” batch pays tribute to my grandfather as the name Little Book is actually the childhood nickname that he gave me. And so I thought after having a couple of chapters under my belt that it would be a great time to pay honor to him and blend some of the liquids that he gave the bourbon industry. The four liquids that I chose to go into this batch of Little Book® are from the original small batch collection that my grandfather, Booker, created. The Road Home is a blend of nine year old Basil Hayden®, nine year old Knob Creek®, 11 year old Booker’s® and 12 year old Baker’s®, and as always with Little Book®, these liquids are at barrel strength and will be bottled at barrel strength as well. The name “The Road Home” references the road that I travel to and from on a regular basis, the same road my grandfather, Booker, traveled back when he used to work here at the distillery. I tinkered with a lot of different recipes, 57 to be exact, before finding what I was looking for – layers of vanilla, char and dried apricots with lingering oak. The final recipe I selected was 51 of the 57 I tried – a lot more trial and error than the others, but I thought if someone is going to play with the liquids that my grandfather developed, they had better produce a damned good blend. – Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Beam Family Distiller

Blend Overview:
9-year-old Knob Creek® Bourbon
9-year-old Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
11-year-old Booker’s® Bourbon
12-year-old Baker’s® Bourbon

TASTING NOTES
COLOR: Deep golden brown with auburn hues
AROMA: Caramel, smoky barrel char, sweet baking spices and vanilla
TASTE: Vanilla, char and dried apricot with a lingering oak
FINISH: Lingering, warm and sweet, layered with tones of oak

What Gary Says

Nose:  Lovely rickhouse mustiness rich with vanilla custard, salted caramel, dark chocolate, peanut brittle, charred oak, bits of blood orange, allspice and cinnamon.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, warm with caramel drizzled atop brownies, vanilla flan with cinnamon, rich chocolate notes, cinnamon and pepper spice.
Finish:  Long, drying with oak, chocolate and lingering spices.
Comments:  I get a lot of similarities to Booker’s, what I imagine barrel-proof Baker’s might be like, and Knob Creek in this (but less of the Basil Hayden . . . bottled at 40% ABV, a little more challenging to pin how that would be at cask strength). This is a delightfully well balanced blend of some fine bourbon! Rich and thick, this nails all of the ‘bourbon’ notes I look for while including some oak (but not overdoing it). Fans of the Small Batch collection I think will find this to be lovely.

Rating: Must Try

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The Glenlivet ‘Capsule Collection’

/ / Gary's Blog, Speyside

Think ‘Scotch Pods’ ala Tide Pods (but to be clear, these are ‘Scotch Cocktails’ – not only whisky).
The Glenlivet Capsule Collection

Or don’t.  Really.  Don’t think about it.

When I saw this posted on Twitter, I thought for certain it had to be a gag.  Not until seeing the actual posting on Pernod-Ricard.com did I accept that “this is not a joke” (although I believe that is still debatable).

Don’t get me wrong – I love innovation in whisk(e)y.  Whether it’s Maker’s Mark inserting staves, or Compass Box doing . . .well, what they do – I applaud folks for looking for new and interesting ways to unlock flavors and develop new products.

But this . . . no.

For starters, pretty much every whisk(e)y drink I know doesn’t take a 23 ml “sip” all at once (which is roughly 3/4 of an ounce, or half a shot).  And it isn’t just the size – this eliminates anyone being able to add water, or ice, or do . . . anything beyond simply swallowing it.

I’m curious what market research suggested that folks would be interested in this sorta thing.  I could see this delivery mechanism for things like soda (or as my Yankee family would call it – ‘pop’), or for parties having Vodka jello-shots in this type of package (although I do not condone ‘rapid alcohol consumption’ vehicles).  But the whole premise seems to lack understanding about what whisk(e)y drinkers (at least the ones I’ve spoken to) are looking for in their whisk(e)y enjoyment experience.

Sometimes innovation means something that is . . . well . . .  this.

Cheers!
Gary

UPDATE:  Readers pointed out that the capsules themselves are a cocktail (not just whisk(e)y), which is better . . . although I’m still not a fan.  

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Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

40% ABV
$30
Website
Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

What the Distillery Says

Irish Whiskey, craft beer barrels.
Like all the best conversations, the one between Jameson’s Head of Whiskey Science and the Head Brewer of a local craft beer brewery, started at the bar. A swapping of whiskey and beer barrels soon after, resulted in Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition – triple-distilled, blended Irish Whiskey that has been patiently finished in Irish craft beer-seasoned barrels.

Nose: An initial aroma of freshly cut hay is complemented by a crisp orchard fruit character – green apples and pears, with a twist of lime zest. Mild pot still spices appear, deepening from green tea to hazelnut and milk chocolate.
Taste: The initial sweet mouth coating typical of the Irish pot still inclusion is quickly complemented by the subtle touch of hops and cocoa beans from the beer cask finish.
Finish: Long and sweet with milk chocolate and butterscotch.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral and yeasty notes of cut hay, dry cocoa powder, subtle pears with hints of dried tea.
Palate:  Sweet with a creamy mouthfeel, caramel and honey with bits of cocoa, a touch of stout.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, on the damp side, sweet with notes of stout.
Comments:  Per their original press release, this is a collaboration with local Irish micro-brewery Franciscan Well. Of the three Caskmates I reviewed, this was the lightest in color and the most like Jameson Irish Whiskey.
A much more gentle, nuanced finish compared with the Bale Breaker Topcutter IPA or Revolution Brewing editions. Nosing reminds me a bit of an empty pint of Guinness. Nothing objectionable, but this was the least interesting of the three for me – which is strange as Guinness is one of the only beers I do enjoy.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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