August 2022

Bartender’s Handshake Old Fashioned

/ / Cocktails, Other Spirits, Review /

Bartender’s Handshake Old Fashioned

40% ABV
$35
Website*
Bartender's Handshake Old Fashioned
Bartender's Handshake Old Fashioned

What the Bottle Says

Crafted by a Team of Heaven Hill Distillery Experts
Old Fashioned Cocktail Made with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Orange Curacao Barrels
Ready to Drink

We did the work, so you don’t have to. This classic cocktail was crafted using 7 and 8-year-old bourbon finished in Orange Curacao barrels. The bourbon marries with the orange essence of the Curacao for a light, yet elegant orange note. Bitters and sugar are then combined with the aged bourbon to perfectly represent a true old fashioned cocktail

* Linking to the TTB filing only because I could not find any website from Heaven Hill (same with use of TTB images in place of the bottle)

What Gary Says

I picked this up in the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (formerly known as the ‘Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center’) in April 2022.  Honestly, I’m not really into ‘ready to drink/premade cocktails’, but I think highly of Heaven Hill, and with the 7 & 8 year age statements on the back, bottled at 40% – I thought this might be different. I’ve tried some different ‘bottled cocktails’ and thought some were OK, some not so much, and none were as good as I make at home. I was intrigued enough to give this one a shot and bump it up against what I felt was a “standard/typical” Old Fashioned recipe.

It wasn’t really close.

I did this blind, which required closing my eyes because this was so much lighter in the glass than my ‘control/standard’. I didn’t go through and make detailed notes on the nose, palate, etc – because that’s just now how I enjoy a cocktail (and if served one, I’m not going to study it in that manner). I took a quick sniff and sipped. By comparison, I thought this had more bitters both on the palate and in the aroma, and tasted thin. There were orange notes, but at the end of the day – I didn’t really enjoy it, let alone find it to be a close/quick replacement.

What I compared it against as a ‘control/standard’ was this:
2 oz Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
2 tsp (10 gr) simple syrup
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

I mixed this up and poured what would fit into a 2 oz sample bottle, which I put in the fridge (and put in an identical sample bottle some of the Bartender’s Handshake) as I didn’t want ice dilution to be a factor. Granted – this is a higher proof whiskey, but my estimation of adding the 2 tsp of simple syrup is that the end result is around 85-86 proof. I wanted to use a Heaven Hill product to take that out of the equation, and didn’t want to use something that would be considered a more ‘premium’ bourbon (like Elijah Craig at 94 proof would have hit as close to 80 as I was going to get). Honestly, I didn’t work out the math until after the fact, but as it wasn’t even a close race – I’m not going to spend the time diluting the Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond to 94 proof. I don’t think those few proof points made the difference.

I’m curious if the bourbon used in this was ONLY 7 or 8 year old stock, or if they took some 7 & 8 year old bourbon, finished it, and then blended in some younger stock (which technically could be any age since legally this isn’t a ‘whiskey’ but rather filed with the TTB as “WHISKY OLD FASHIONED (48 PROOF UP)”). Or if the whiskey selected was deemed sub-par for bottling in something else, so was used for this? Or if they just threw too much stuff in it? I’m not sure where this went wrong – but even when just sipping by itself (not in a blind side-by-side), I just didn’t enjoy it.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Booker’s 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch”

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Booker’s “The Lumberyard Batch” 2022-02
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

7 Years, 1 Month, 7 Days
62.40% ABV
$90
Website
Booker's Bourbon "2022-02" The Lumberyard Batch
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says:

This batch is named in honor of the lumberyard that Booker Noe worked at during his pre-distillery years. While his journey to becoming a distiller wasn’t exactly a straight path, it led him to his true passion.

After a short stint at the University of Kentucky, Booker hitch-hiked across America in hopes of joining the Air Force. After being accepted, the local police called his mom to verify his information. When Booker’s mom found out where he was, she convinced him to come home and work at the local lumberyard with Jeremiah Beam, also known as Uncle Jere. Booker was strong, over 6 feet tall and never backed away from physical labor of any kind, so he was a natural for the job. Booker gave 110 percent during his time at the lumberyard, which eventually landed him his first role working at the distillery. From then on, the rest was history.

Since that first day, Booker held just about every job at the distillery and worked his way up to Master Distiller. Booker’s esteemed distilling career wasn’t given to him, he earned it. His experience at the lumberyard shaped the solid work ethic and curiosity he is known for.

TASTING NOTES
Like all batches of Booker’s Bourbon, Booker’s “The Lumberyard Batch” was selected by 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe to ensure it upholds the qualities and standards that his dad set for Booker’s Bourbon more than 30 years ago. Uncut and unfiltered, this batch has the following characteristics:
PROOF: 124.8
AGE: 7 years, 1 months and 7 days
BATCH NOTES: Booker’s “The Lumberyard Batch” has a beautiful amber color and deep aroma with a hint of vanilla and oak that opens its depth. It has a balanced taste with a bit of sweetness that leads to a pleasant finish.
SIPPING SUGGESTIONS: Booker’s “The Lumberyard Batch” is best enjoyed neat, over ice or with a few drops of water.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, peanut brittle, oak, vanilla wafers, pecan praline, nutmeg, brown sugar with a hint of clove.
Palate:  Caramel, chocolate, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, cracked pepper and roasted peanuts.
Finish:  Moderately long with caramel, oak and trailing spice notes.
Comments:  Another classic batch of Booker’s, although I enjoyed this one just a tad more than the 2022-01 ‘Ronnie’s Batch’ release (which was the oldest since 2015, until this one). The nose on this seemed to have just a bit more complexity, with a pecan praline/brown sugar note that I really dig. These are subtle differences, but if I saw both on the shelf – I’d personally take this one (but if you prefer more cherry notes, the ‘Ronnie’s Batch’ might be the better pick). Good news is that I don’t think you’d be disappointed in either!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Stellum Black Fibonacci Blend #1

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Stellum Black Fibonacci Blend #1
Cask Strength Blend of Straight Rye Whiskies

57.56% ABV
$100
Website
Stellum Black Fibonacci Blend 1 Rye Whiskey
We would like to thank Stellum Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

This release of Stellum Black Specialty Rye celebrates the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers, each the sum of the two previous numbers. Six separate rye blends were combined in accordance with this sequence. Just like so many other presentations of Fibonacci, the blend that it produced was both balanced and beautiful.

TASTING NOTES
Color: Deep copper.
Nose: Citrus forward with a delicate spice on the back and lasting earthy notes of tobacco and oak.
Palate: Honey and lemon hit the tongue with a slight earthiness reminiscent of black tea. Brown butter and molasses come forward revealing the softer side of the whiskey followed by clove and brown sugar. A touch of cinnamon-apples and chocolate come through before revealing the charred oak tannins.
Finish: A long finish that touches each part of the palate. Savory and sweet, the lemon and honey are a delicate sweet base layer to the rich clove, ginger, and tobacco spice forefront. The oak shows through on the finish, highlighting that there is some finely aged whiskey in the blend.

WITH 3 DROPS OF WATER: The addition of water brings out more of the charred oak on the nose with a delectable, sweet cinnamon. On the palate, clove and ginger become more present with an addition of burnt orange peel. Rich dessert notes, such as brown butter and caramel are a bit more subtle.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Exotic citrus notes of tangerines, blood orange and nectarines, oak, baking spices of clove and gentle cinnamon.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel with brown sugar, orange, honey, cinnamon, pepper, oak, cloves and cocoa.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with citrus zest, tobacco, ginger and oak.
Comments:  Wow – just a delicious rye whiskey that has plenty of spice and zip without being ‘sharp’; brilliant blending!  Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mind a sharp rye with an edge, but rare that it has this much spice without it. Some water actually thickens it up even more, with the nose reminding me of a baked cinnamon treat found in most malls (complete with gently melted icing) and the palate taking on more cloves.

Rating: Must Try

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Stellum Black Equinox Blend #1

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Stellum Black Equinox Blend #1
Cask Strength Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies

58.63% ABV
$100
Website
Stellum Black Equinox Blend 1 Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Stellum Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

This inaugural release of the Stellum Black Specialty Equinox was created using Stellum Bourbon. We slowly layered in rare sets of bourbon barrels, step by step, until the evening of the Vernal Equinox, when the blend was completed in honor of the changing seasons.

TASTING NOTES
Appearance: Golden amber.
Nose: Beautifully subdued nose gently opens up to ripe cantaloupe and the perfume of fresh cut grass. After it aerates, notes of sugar maple and toffee hit the senses with a distant kiss of wood spice and white pepper.
Palate: Dried apricot and honey immediately find their way into view. This unfolds into Saigon cinnamon and bruleed orange before slowly making its way to subtle notes of grapefruit and jasmine.
Finish: Finish is extremely long and slowly developed. The back-end jasmine blooms and bursts into rich notes of sorghum and wood tannin before finally dissipating into beautiful dark chocolate.

WITH 3 DROPS OF WATER: The water brings about the riper, more fruit forward qualities of the whiskey and really highlights the floral aspects that were merely an undertone before. And moves the heat from the alcohol from the back of the tongue to the cheekbones.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, dark chocolate, musty oak, toffee, subtle vanilla, hint of coffee and spices.
Palate:  Viscous mouthfeel with caramel, toasted orange zest, honey, cinnamon and grapefruit.
Finish:  Long, warm and slowly drying with oak, citrus spice and dark chocolate.
Comments:  A delightful, spicy bourbon with a great mouthfeel and finish that lingers long after.  Grapefruit is one of those notes I don’t get too often in whiskey (and less so in bourbon), which is a nice twist. A bit of water brings out some fruit on the nose with peaches and apricot, and thickens the mouthfeel even more with adding apricot and turning up the orange notes.

Rating: Stands Out

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