December 2021

Barrell Craft Spirits Bourbon Gold Label 2021

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon
2021 Release, 16 & 17 Yrs

56.77% ABV
$500
Website
Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon 2021
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon is a blend of 16- and 17-year-old straight bourbons. Barrels for this release were selected from four different collections: cherry bomb barrels with a rich mouthfeel, nutty oak-forward barrels, high proof and high complexity barrels, and barrels with pronounced milk chocolate notes. The last group underwent a secondary maturation in toasted virgin American oak casks before being added to this intricate and seductive blend.

  • Aged for 16 years
  • Distilled in IN, KY and TN
  • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
  • 113.54 proof cask strength bottling

A classically fruity bourbon, as sixteen years of maturation have produced an array of stewed and dried fruits of kaleidoscopic complexity. The overlay of toasted oak has rounded off all the sharp edges, leaving a soft and gentle profile that belies its high proof.

Appearance: Burnt marmalade..
Nose: The fresh and gentle notes from toasted oak are most obvious, as they add an unexpected dimension with vivid sugar cane, pipe tobacco, and toasted cinnamon. This freshness is contrasted by the earthiness of slate, tar, and cedar smoke. Fruits soon emerge, presenting rhubarb, Rainier cherry and tamarind, before shifting to dried apricot and papaya.
Palate: Candied ginger, marmalade, and northwestern hoppy beer notes speak to a foundational bittersweet profile. These are tempered by an unctuous creaminess, incorporating pina colada, key lime pie, and banana custard. Peach nectar, and cherry jam all contribute to a juicy quality whiskey at its best.
Finish: A bright pop of hibiscus and za’atar quickly yields to the cavalcade of dried and stewed fruits. As that fades some oak spices appear – sassafras, cocoa powder, smoked cinnamon, and incense.
With a splash of spring water: A bouquet of floral notes erupts from the glass: meadowsweet, elderflower and chamomile in the lead. The palate, on the other hand, develops instead along toasted coconut and curry.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, cocoa with cinnamon, dried apricots, baked apples, rickhouse must, vanilla, caramel cremes, worn leather, subtle smoke, baking spices with a hint of minerality.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with honey, pecan pralines, chocolate, hazelnut, caramel, pepper spice with cinnamon and a citrus twang that gives way to brown sugar.
Finish:  Long and drying with cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, black tea and oak.
Comments:  Another really nice bourbon. This has got a wonderfully complex nose – I really liked the nose on the BCS Gray Bourbon 4th Release, but I like this one better. A bit of water thickens this up nicely and tamps the edges. It also definitely brings out floral notes with coconut. Despite this being older than the BCS Gray Bourbon 4th Release, the oak is less prominent. The price is tough for me here – while I did enjoy this one more than the BCS Gray Bourbon 4th Release – it’s twice the price (and that one was priced up there). The most I’ve spent on a bottle of whisk(e)y as of this review is $300, but the market has definitely moved past where I’m at.  If money isn’t important, this is a really delicious, well crafted bourbon.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 4th Release

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon
4th Release, 15 Yrs

50.2% ABV
$250
Website
Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 2021
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

  • Matured for 15 years
  • Distilled and aged in IN, KY and TN
  • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
  • 100.4 proof cask strength bottling

    • A bourbon characterized by evolution – where some whiskeys display their complexity all at once, here the flavors remain focused yet ephemeral. A gentle minerality yields to candied scents and then savory earthy ones, fruity aromas, and finally herbs and spices. The palate, meanwhile, is bright and sweet and tastes of cola.

    Appearance: Bronze.
    Nose: Starts with a puff of chalk dust and wood smoke. Underneath are notes of toasted marshmallow, warm honeycomb, and chocolate babka straight from the oven. Soon nubuck leather and sunflower seed jostle to the fore. Fruits emerge next, from Ginger Gold apples through roasted banana to strawberry jam, ending with chamomile and eucalyptus.
    Palate: A syrupy and sweet arrival is kept in check by moderate heat and some light but gritty tannin. A vivid cola note dominates at first, then allspice, fennel seed, and peppermint lead the wave of oak spice. A little fruity spirit peeks through with pops of green grape, strawberry meringue, and jasmine.
    Finish: The sugar washes away quickly, leaving a surprisingly dry, oily, palate with more noticeable tannin. The character correspondingly shifts to drier notes of pipe tobacco, walnut and iced coffee. As they fade a little more fruit emerges, around rhubarb jam and sumac.
    With a splash of spring water: The nose becomes incredibly fruity, showing crabapple, lychee, and blackberry tart. The palate grows fruitier as well, here on watermelon and earl grey tea. But it also develops an earthy spiciness, along gingerbread, radish, and nasturtium.

    What Gary Says

    Nose:  Rich with fudge and salted caramel, cigar paper, graham cracker, mincemeat pie, oak, berries, faint mineral note and hints of black tea.
    Palate:  Toffee, cross between coffee cake and fruitcake, cocoa, cola, nutmeg, allspice, oak, sherry and a hint of anise.
    Finish:  Moderately long and drying with dark chocolate and allspice.
    Comments:  This has a really lovely and complex nose! The palate is a bit dry and tannic (not what I’d call overly oaky, just not squarely in my wheelhouse), but still well balanced. A bit of water brings out fruit notes of green apple and melon. For cask strength to be barely 100 proof is also pretty rare, and provides more intensity than I usually find in a bourbon at this proof. I continue to be impressed with their blending of bourbons (and spirits) from different distilleries. If that aspect is interesting, but this price point is out of reach – I’d recommend finding Stellum Bourbon. I think that was the only bourbon I bought more than 1 bottle of in 2021!

    Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Unnamed Orkney 2006 14 Year

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Unnamed Orkney 2006 14 Year
Signatory Vintage The Un-chillfiltered Collection
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$100
Website
Unnamed Orkney 14 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

AGED: 14 years
DISTILLED ON: February 14, 2006
BOTTLE ON: September 25, 2020
MATURED IN: a Refill Butt
VATTING CASK NO: DRU 17/A65 #7
BOTTLE NO: 643
Un-chillfiltered | Natural Colour

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sherried dark fruit, raw honey, toffee, grilled peaches, smoky, spent matchsticks and sea mist.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, savory sherry notes, allspice, honey, raisins, subtle peat and a bit of pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, wet with dark fruits and trailing pepper spice.
Comments:  If I had to guess (which is all I can do), I’d peg this as Highland Park – which seems like a safe bet since there’s only two distilleries on Orkney (the other being Scapa, which I’m not familiar with). But it definitely reminds me of Highland Park, although a refill butt so less sherry intensity. This is also lighter in color than Highland Park 12 yr. I really like how this dram clouds up with some water, which also tamps down the sherry notes on the palate and brings out more island notes.

Rating: Stands Out

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Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon
Finished With 200 Year Oak, Maple Wood & Cherry wood

50.3% ABV
$50
Website
Dexter Three Wood Bourbon
We would like to thank The Dexter Bourbon Company and IT Public Relations for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon, named one of the twelve best bourbons in the world by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2020, is returning bourbon to its 1800s roots – “Of the people, by the people, for the people” – paying homage to Edmund Dexter, one of the leading bourbon pioneers of his time. Edmund Dexter’s blends were so renowned that even Charles Dickens and King Edward VII visited him at his home in Cincinnati.

The Dexter Bourbon Company was founded by Doug Hall and Joe Girgash. Doug Hall is also the Co-founder and CEO of Brain Brew Custom Whiskey and the Founder of Eureka! Ranch, with one of its long-term clients being Edrington, distillers of The Macallan. They also have a collaboration with Edrington to produce Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon, a unnamed 94 point San Francisco Gold Medal winner, that is available nationwide.

As Doug states, “In a marketplace where the really great bourbons are impossible to find – we are excited to have plenty of Dexter Bourbon available for this holiday season.” It has been long understood that 70% of the flavor and 100% of the smoothness of bourbon and all whiskies comes from the interaction of the whiskey and the wood.

The incredible flavor of Dexter Three Wood is a result of WoodCraft Finishing with three artisan woods – vintage 200-Year Oak, Maple Wood and Cherry Wood. Each of these woods provides a different element – a long, luxurious finish, incredible smoothness, and fresh, bright flavor. Dexter Three Wood was awarded the highest score – 95 points – by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge and it was selected as one of the Top 100 Spirits in the World.

The history of bourbon dates back to the pre-prohibition era in the 1800s when most whiskey was purchased from whiskey merchants who were barrel blenders. Merchants would buy whiskey from farmers, and then, they would blend various barrels together to create different tastes depending on their customer’s preferences. In Cincinnati, the Queen city of the West, there were over 100 barrel blenders. But there were more around the world, including the famous Johnnie Walker, in Scotland.

Dexter is crafted from a 36% rye straight bourbon.

TASTING NOTES: Bitter Chocolate, Orange Peel, and Vanilla nose. A Palate of Earthy, Peppery Rye combines with Cherry, Caramel and Cocoa gives way to a long and supple finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, orange zest, buttered popcorn, baking spices with caramel, hint of maple and cherry with oak.
Palate:  Oily mouthfeel with caramel, honey, vanilla, citrus spice followed by cinnamon, pepper and cocoa.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with cocoa and cracked pepper.
Comments:  What stands out to me with this is the sharp crack of pepper – which you get a sharpness from a high-rye mashbill but this is more than that (perhaps owning to the wood treatment). The maple and cherry are quite subtle, showing up only a bit on the nose. I really dig the mouthfeel, and a bit of water thickens it up even more and tamps some of the pepper spice notes, as well as bringing out a bit of the cherry wood on the palate.

Rating: Stands Out

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Glen Grant 1997 13 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Glen Grant 1997 13 Year
Signatory Cask Strength Collection
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

59.3% ABV
$100
Website
Glen Grant 1997 13 Yr Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottler Says

AGED: 13 years
DISTILLED ON: March 1997
BOTTLE ON: February 2010
MATURED IN: Hogshead
CASK NO: 38886
BOTTLE NO: of 291

Glen Grant Distillery, built in 1840 by brothers, John and James Grant, is located in the heart of Speyside. The distillery is now the world’s second-largest single malt whiskey brand.

TASTE NOTES
COLOR: Light amber
NOSE: White grapes, a fresh apple tart and ripe pears
TASTE: Similar to the nose, with hints of vanilla, oak and white pepper.
FINISH: Medium, white pepper spice

What Gary Says

Nose:  Buttered yeast roll, honey, malty, pears, apricots, subtle earthiness with heather.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel but tart and sharp, canned pears with fruit salad and freshly cracked pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with pepper spice and pears.
Comments:  This has a sour/tart note to it that reminds me a bit of sour fruit gummy candies. It clouds up nicely with a bit of water, reflecting the non-chill filtration (although it doesn’t state that on the label from what I can tell). I’m not familiar with Glen Grant, but this doesn’t leave me with seeking out more specifically. Any one cask might be just that (a one off), but I think the folks at Signatory do a pretty good job so can’t help but think that this isn’t a fair representation of Glen Grant (albeit at higher proof).

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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