AGED: 22 years DISTILLED ON: October 30 1996 BOTTLED ON: May 29 2019 MATURED IN: Hogshead CASK NO: 8730 BOTTLE NO: 24 of 192 NATURAL COLOUR
What Gary Says
Nose: Caramel, honey, mixed nuts, fruit salad with mandarin orange slices, oak, bit of a mineral earthy note. Palate: Fruity with green apples, not-quite-ripe pears, peaches, grapefruit, sharpens with tonic, cinnamon and pepper. Finish: Moderately long, dry with tonic, honey and citrus. Comments: The nose has a hint like it ‘might be peat’ but not quite (and to be clear, this isn’t a peated whisky). Astringent and bitter despite the fruit notes, reminds me a bit of a hard cider. A bit of water only slightly dampens this edge, and a bit more thins it out, so go easy with the water on this one. Not particularly in my wheelhouse.
As the United States was recovering from the American Civil War in 1865, Col. Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. was ready to embark on a new business venture, having profited from the trading of grains such as corn during the war. Taylor purchased a small distillery on the banks of the Kentucky River with a vision of producing top quality whiskey distinguished from all others of that time. Taylor knew exceptional whiskey could only be crafted by using the finest ingredients, and his time selling grains during the war taught him that grains often varied tremendously from different farmers and harvests. This special edition Four Grain bourbon is crafted just as Taylor would have wanted. Using the highest quality grains and a distinct combination of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley, to create a flavor that is sweet with hints of caramel and vanilla, yet spicy with notes of clove and pepper. After twelve years of aging, this impeccably balanced bourbon embodies the character of the man that would expect no less.
TASTING NOTES Opens with an inviting aroma, with the first sip bringing a lot of character. Caramel notes are touched by sweet vanilla and caramel corn, then underwritten by slightly smoky flavors and oak tannins. It maintains a smooth evenness between the four grains interacting with the charred oak barrel. Overall, a nice balance, and unique.
What Gary Says
Nose: Caramel, subtle baking spices, oak, vanilla, malty note, hint of walnuts and grilled corn. Palate: Thick mouthfeel, caramel, cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, sweet corn, subtle notes of orange. Finish: Moderately long, damp with oak, caramel and nutty spice. Comments: A tasty bourbon, although I would not have pegged this as 12 years old (was surprised by getting corn notes on something with that much age). It also didn’t have a lot of oak either, so guessing this was gently aged. While tasty, it didn’t stand out as all that special to me (honestly, it isn’t an automatic buy for me at retail – let alone what it goes for on the secondary market). Don’t get me wrong – nothing wrong with this, and if offered a pour I would take it – but if you’re thinking about paying over retail, I’d tread lightly (unless you’ve had it and it is right in your wheelhouse).
Remus Repeal Reserve Series VI Straight Bourbon Whiskey
50% ABV $100 Website We would like to thank Luxco and BYRNE PR for sending us samples to review.
What the Producer Says
George Remus Bourbon is proud to introduce the highly-anticipated Remus Repeal Reserve Series VI Bourbon, the latest edition of the award-winning series. Crafted with a medley of five rare bourbon reserves from 2008-2014 at the historic Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Series VI continues our high-quality tradition with aromas of nutmeg and saddle leather, followed by notes of candied fruit, fig jam, oak and barrel char, mint and slight caramel, nutmeg, toffee and honey. The finish features sweet candied fruit, leather and a lingering sweetness and rye spice. It hits shelves in September 2022 for National Bourbon Heritage Month, and judging by the anticipation for Series VI, it won’t last long.
Named after the legendary “King of the Bootleggers,” Remus Repeal Reserve is an annual series from George Remus® Bourbon, crafted by the expert distillers at MGP’s 174-year-old distillery in Lawrenceburg, IN. Made in a signature high-rye style, the medley changes each year, allowing the team to experiment with their various mash bills and aged reserves. Remus Repeal Reserve Series V is comprised of:
2% 2008 Bourbon (21% Rye)
27% 2012 Bourbon (21% Rye)
29% 2014 Bourbon (21% Rye)
17% 2012 Bourbon (36% Rye)
25% 2014 Bourbon (36% Rye)
Created by master distiller Ian Stirsman and his team of master distillers and master blenders, Series VI comprises five bourbons, aged between 8-14 years, from its 175-year-old Lawrenceburg, Indiana, distillery. Made in a signature high-rye style, the medley changes each year, allowing Stirsman and his team to experiment with their various mash bills and aged reserves. Remus Repeal Reserve Series VI is comprised of 2% 2008 Bourbon (21% Rye), 17% 2012 Bourbon (36% Rye), 27% 2012 Bourbon (21% Rye), 29% 2014 Bourbon (21% Rye) and 25% 2014 Bourbon (36% Rye). Series VI leads with aromas of rich candied fruit with a hint of nutmeg and saddle leather. The initial taste includes candied fruit and fig jam, followed by oak and barrel char, mint and slight caramel, nutmeg, toffee and honey. The finish offers a balance of sweet candied fruit and leather, with lingering sweetness and rye spice.
“The Remus Repeal Reserve series provides our team the opportunity to showcase the incredible array of aged reserves available to work with, as well as our expertise at blending these bourbons to create a special medley each year,” said Stirsman. “Series VI is the latest in this award-winning collection that is certain to be yet another excellent example of what our Remus Repeal collection represents: what great bourbon can be.”
What Gary Says
Nose: Caramel crème candies, dark fruit notes, oak, nutmeg, toffee and worn leather. Palate: Fruity, almost mincemeat pie (without the cloves) with raisins, baked pears, caramel throughout, oak, baking spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and pepper. Finish: Moderately long with savory fruit (tart cherries), oak, mint and a bit of dark chocolate. Comments: Another really lovely offering – quite complex and well balanced. Last year’s Remus Repeal Reserve Series V contained bourbons from 2005-2008, where this year the range is 2008 to 2014. While the majority of this mix is 8 years old (compared to 13-16 years old), this is still really tasty. This highlights that with blending the right barrels, you don’t have to have barrels that are 13+ years old to get a nice, complex bourbon. I still had some of the Series V, and in a blind tasting I did prefer that, but it was close.
Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Mizunara, French, and Toasted American Oak
57.22% ABV $90 Website We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.
What the Blender Says
Vantage is a blend of straight bourbons finished in three distinct expressions of virgin oak: Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak casks. The result is a warm, elegant bourbon that highlights the many dimensions of oak.
The BCS team has drawn on years of experience with three-part barrel finishing, used previously in Armida, Dovetail, and Seagrass. With Vantage, those same techniques were applied to the oak itself, using different char levels, toast levels, and oak origins to create a multidimensional blend.
Each component whiskey in Vantage is finished separately, then systematically combined according to a blending process fueled in equal parts by a scientific approach, experience, creativity, and experimentation. This process focuses on the wood characteristics and the specific flavor contributions that each cask contributes to the blend. The result is a masterfully blended, perfectly balanced representation of the harmonious synergy between bourbon and barrel.
FLAVOR NOTES Selected Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak casks create multifaceted dimensions to this unique blend. The unique aspects of each wood and treatment are layered atop one another, precluding the singular taste of oak. The nose is creamy, spicy, and resinous, and the palate is richly textured and oily, soaked with barrel influence.
Neat Appearance: Burnt sienna. Nose: Creme brûlée, coconut oil, and chocolate pudding invoke the creamy richness of toasted American oak. Tarragon, nutmeg, and warm cola are among the dry, extractive spices highlighting the French oak. Mizunara’s incense and grilled pineapple notes, meanwhile, take the profile in a totally different direction. Palate: Sweet and oily with a pronounced espresso note. It’s pleasantly rich on the tongue, which obscures much of the tannin – surprising given how much wood is present. The French oak’s robust spice notes inflect a maple syrup sweetness. Finish: Green grapes and red plums burst above the barrel notes for the first time. It’s spicy, too, with za’atar, crystallized ginger and Szechuan peppercorns. With a few drops of spring water The nose grows earthier, exhibiting graham cracker and dark chocolate. The spirit’s rye grain emerges, not just with pumpernickel but also celery and chive blossom. The palate grows sweeter, tasting of maraschino liqueur and pavlova. It finishes on grapefruit zest and kola nut.
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla flan with light caramel sauce, cocoa, tarragon, oak, nutmeg and hints of tropical fruit. Palate: Viscous mouthfeel, caramel packed with spices; cloves, nutmeg, ginger, anise (almost pumpkin spice); sharpens slightly with pepper and oak before a creamy coffee cake note. Finish: Long and syrupy with maple syrup and apricot jam. Comments: Really nice showcase of how different types of oak can influence a solid blend of bourbons, and with a deft enough hand that the beauty of the bourbon isn’t lost. This is one where I do prefer the palate over the nose (although the nose is really interesting). A bit of water brings more chocolate and marshmallow on the nose, and some cherry cola to the palate, while softening the pepper and still thickening the mouthfeel even more. Just a fantastic, spice packed bourbon!
Daviess County Lightly Toasted Bourbon Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Lightly Toasted American Oak Barrels
48% ABV $50 Website We would like to thank Lux Row Distillers and BYRNE PR for sending us a sample to review.
What the Producer Says
This limited edition Daviess County variant is finished in lightly toasted American oak barrels, providing a smooth mouthfeel with notes of caramel, vanilla, and hints of oak. Like all Daviess County variants, it features a signature combination of ryed and wheated mashbills, aged for over four years and is 96 proof.
“I’m proud to honor the rich history and tradition started in 1874 by the Daviess County Distilling Co. with this latest expression of our Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon,” said Lux Row Distillers master distiller John Rempe. “Finishing our traditional Daviess County bourbon in lightly toasted American oak barrels imparts aromas of caramel, vanilla and hints of oak on the nose, while delivering flavors of sweet caramel with notes of vanilla and coconut on the palate. This unique flavor profile is certain to become a fast favorite among fans of the brand”
Daviess County Lightly Toasted is the first in a series of annually offered toasted-barrel finishes for the Daviess County brand family, which also includes perennial variants Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Daviess County Cabernet Sauvignon Finish and Daviess County French Oak Finish.
TASTING NOTES AROMA: Caramel, vanilla, and hints of oak PALATE: Sweet caramel with notes of vanilla and coconut FINISH: Warm, sweet finish with a touch of oak
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla, caramel, green oak, allspice, toffee and nutmeg. Palate: Round mouthfeel, sweet with caramel, honey, bit of coconut, nutmeg and cinnamon. Finish: Short to moderate in length with caramel, honey and oak. Comments: A nice bourbon, with the toasted oak finish having a subtle influence. I preferred the Daviess County Double Barrel Bourbon Limited Edition over this, but like that they’re trying new things each year (and while a ‘limited edition’, not pricing it out of reach for many consumers). A bit of water changes the oak on the news from new/green to an older, rickhouse aroma.
