September 2020

Booker’s 2020-02 “Boston Batch”

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Booker’s “Boston Batch” Batch 2020-02
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

6 Years, 3 Months, 10 Days
63.25% ABV
$90
Website
Bookers 2020-02 "Boston Batch"
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says:

The second release of the Booker’s Bourbon 2020 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2020-02 “Boston Batch.” This is named after the production site where 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe first started his distilling career.

The distillery, now renamed the Booker Noe Distillery, is located in the small community of Boston, Ky., and was purchased by the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in the early 1950s as a second distilling location to increase production capability at the time. Because Boston was removed from the day-to-day of our flagship Clermont, Ky. distillery, Booker was able to experiment with whiskey a bit more and really master the bourbon-making process. Some may say this is where he found his love of experimentation.

If you ever wanted to find Booker, Boston is where he’d be. That plant was his life for more than 40 years. His wife always said that the Boston plant was Booker’s first baby, and Fred Noe was his second.

TASTING NOTES
Booker’s “Boston Batch” has a rich light brown color. The aroma contains vanilla, toasted nuts and hits of baking spices. The flavor is full and has a finish that can be enjoyed neat.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Toasted caramel, vanilla, cocoa, charred oak, nutty spice; bit of water brings to mind smores with charred marshmallow and graham cracker creeping in.
Palate:  Warm caramel with dark chocolate, cinnamon, pepper, vanilla, honey, bit of peanut butter at the end; some water tamps down the pepper bite and brings out some orange zest.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with oak and spice.
Comments:  While there is variation in batches, I can’t recall a batch I didn’t like – and this one doesn’t break that streak.  A delicious, high proof and intense dram that doesn’t soften too much with water (just enough). If you’re not accustomed to the heat, pouring over a cube and letting it sit for a while helps (and if you find yourself with a bottle and still not caring for it – please reach out; happy to try to provide some disposal options for you!.

Rating: Stands Out

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Little Book Chapter 4: Lessons Honored

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Little Book Chapter 4: Lessons Honored
Blended Straight Whiskey

61.4% ABV
$125
Website
Little Book Chapter 04 Lessons Honored
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Little Book Chapter 4: “Lessons Honored,” is the fourth chapter in 8th Generation Beam Distiller Freddie Noe’s acclaimed Little Book Whiskey annual release series. This year’s release honors the man who taught Freddie some of life’s most important lessons — his dad and Beam’s 7th Generation Master Distiller, Fred Noe.

Little Book Chapter 4: “Lessons Honored,” is an ode to what Fred has taught Freddie through the years, and the lessons that have been passed down through the generations of the Beam family. Integrity, remaining true to himself, patience and knowing when to slow down are just some of the lessons that have made Freddie who he is today, both as a man and as 8th Generation Beam
Distiller.

Each annual release of Little Book features a different blend of uncut and unfiltered liquid streams carefully chosen by Freddie Noe himself and meticulously blended until it meets his vision. Little Book Chapter 4 is composed of three liquids that have a special connection to Fred and the lessons instilled by him.

Blend Components:
4-year-old Kentucky Straight Brown Rice Bourbon delivers more complex notes of oak and fruit. It’s a very approachable liquid that gives the final blend a noteworthy quality.
8-year-old Kentucky Straight “high rye” Rye Whiskey lends complex, sweet flavors from its time in the barrel paired with a rye spiciness that lingers into the blend’s finish.
7-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey anchors the unconventional flavors from the rye and brown rice liquids with a depth of character representative of the Small Batch Bourbon
Collection.

Tasting Notes: Little Book Chapter 4: “Lessons Honored” features flavors of full-bodied vanilla balanced by notes of rich charred wood and dried cherries. The finish is soft and decadent, leaving a warm caramel taste on your tongue, followed by a spicy finish from the rye.

Sipping Suggestions: Little Book Chapter 4: “Lessons Honored” is best enjoyed neat or over ice.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich caramel, nutmeg, vanilla, oak, orange zest, note of peanut butter cookies, touch of dried mint.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, sweet with chocolate covered black cherries, caramel, spicy with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, peanut butter, honey and a bit of mint.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with caramel spices.
Comments:  I really love the nose on this – reminds me a lot of Knob Creek with a twist. The palate is really sweet with spice notes – not syrupy but close (which I like my bourbon on the sweeter side).  Bit of water doesn’t hurt it – in fact I think it shines. I wish I had some Little Book Chapter 3 to compare it to, not that it is a competition. Mint is a different note I’m not accustomed to from Beam, but it goes well.  While each release/chapter is a unique take, they’re all done really well.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Hochstadter’s Family Reserve 16 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Hochstadter’s Family Reserve 16 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

61.9% ABV
$200
Website
Hochstadter’s Family Reserve 16 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

What the Producer Says

Hochstadter’s Family Reserve 16 Year Straight Rye Whiskey is a cask strength limited release created for the most discerning connoisseurs and collectors. The first ultra-premium offering in the Hochstadter’s portfolio, it is unfiltered, undiluted and full-flavored at 123.8 proof, delivering an intense explosion of robust rye flavor.

Made from 100 percent farm-grown rye grain and aged 16 years in newly charred American Oak Barrels, this rare and bold offering is sourced from Alberta Distillers Limited and bottled at cask strength in Philadelphia, PA. The end result is unfiltered, undiluted and full-flavored, delivering an intense explosion of robust rye flavor.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Lovely! Oak with tobacco, baking spices – clove, soft cinnamon and a bit of anise, toffee, dried mint, cherries, nutmeg, toasted orange zest, sandalwood, notes of pine, lemongrass, and walnuts.
Palate:  Warm baking spices of clove, cinnamon, citrus zip, vanilla, oak, bit of ginger, mint; some water thickens the mouthfeel and brings out more mint, vanilla, and cherries.
Finish:  Long, drying with fruit, pepper, and herbal spices.
Comments:  This is a phenomenal, well aged rye. I’ve been blessed to have enjoyed some unicorn ryes (Black Maple Hill 18yr old, Doug’s Green Ink 22yr Willet), and I’m not saying that this is exactly like those – but it definitely reminded me that sort of experience. 16 years is a long time in new oak for a whiskey. I tend to not prefer bourbon or rye that old, as it has just too much oak in many cases. This isn’t too oaky, and has a lovely balance of the sweetness with some herbal, almost savory spice notes. The $200 price tag is the only thing that keeps this from a solid ‘Must Buy’ in my book, although after tasting this sample – I absolutely am going to buy a bottle.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Old Scout American Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Old Scout American Whiskey

49.5% ABV
$30-$40
Website
Old Scout American Whiskey

What the Producer Might Say

NOTE: This product has been discontinued; the below information is from multiple other sources
Old Scout American Whiskey includes a blend of 9 year old bourbon (distilled by MGP; their “high rye” mashbill with 36% rye) and a Tennessee whiskey made from a bourbon mash, which was aged for 5 years in re-charred, ex-bourbon barrels. Due to the use of non-virgin oak casks, this is not and can’t be labeled as “bourbon”.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Honey, vanilla cream, caramel corn, soft oak, vitamin notes, a hint of butterscotch.
Palate:  Sweet with honey and cinnamon, a pepper bite with a sharp mineral note before a bit of caramel.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with caramel and vitamins.
Comments:  The Tennessee whiskey (almost certainly Dickel) is more prominent on the palate than the nose, but present everywhere. As this isn’t a bourbon due to the used cooperage, it is more muted. Not sure how much of the blend is 5 yr Dickel, but as prominent as it is – one take away for me is that you REALLY need new oak to tamp that vitamin/mineral note down.  Unless you like that sorta thing, in which case this might be right up your alley.

Rating: Average

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Balcones Texas Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Balcones Texas Rye
Pot Distilled 100% Rye Whiskey

50% ABV
$40 – $50
Website
Balcones Texas Rye Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

We wanted to work with a style we love while bringing some new subtlety and perspective to our approach. Our 100% rye mashbill began with Elbon Rye from northwest Texas accompanied by some Crystal, Chocolate & roasted rye that give us a rich, sweet mid-palate.

NOSE: Soft charred oak, black tea and cracked pepper open up to fruit and chocolate covered cherries
TASTE: Creamy buttery toffee, building to peppery spice notes with hints of coffee and nuts
FINISH: Palate fades into dark chocolate and peanut butter, which builds on the moderately lengthy finish

What Gary Says

Nose:  Malted rye, young, herbal funk, milk chocolate, hints of plums, ginger, and tangerines.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, cocoa, light citrus fruit, cinnamon and pepper with a bit of ginger.
Finish:  Short, drying with oak and cocoa.
Comments:  Rye is one of the few whiskies I find tolerable around 2 yrs, so the 15 month age statement didn’t scare me off. Texas heat is going to definitely change how the spirit ages (12 months in Texas is quite different than 12 months in Kentucky), but . . . there’s just something that time does to the spirit in the cask. This comes across as young, and has this funky note that I often simply associate as ‘craft’. Not sure what size barrel this was aged in, but tastes like a small cask to me. For the price point, there are a lot of rye whiskies I’d prefer over this. I am happy that they offer this in 50 mL bottles (which is how I tried it), and I’d definitely recommend that route if you’re so inclined.

Rating: Probably Pass/Average

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