2022

Wild Turkey Distiller’s Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Wild Turkey Distiller’s Reserve 13 Year Old
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

45.5% ABV
$50-$70 (Japanese market)
Website
Wild Turkey Distillers Reserve 13 Year Bourbon

What the Distillery Says

(I think*)
The highest peak of Kentucky Straight Bourbon by a world-famous parent-child distiller.

There are parents and children who devote their lives and passions to making bourbon. Jimmy Russell and Eddie Russell continue to adhere to the traditional recipes of their predecessors and never compromise. After 13 years of aging while being nurtured by its sincere attitude and the rich nature of Kentucky, it is finished in a premium bourbon with a dignified style and a special taste suitable for Wild Turkey.

* The above is what Google Translate showed that Wild Turkey’s Japanese web-site (which I needed to VPN into Japan to get to) says about this product.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, oak and rickhouse must, leather, baking spices with toasted orange zest.
Palate:  Soft caramel, vanilla, oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, faint sour citrus note with a bit of pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with oak, caramel and soft pepper.
Comments:  For Wild Turkey fans, I’m guessing this is a miss more than a hit. It has that mature oak note (with the oak heavier on the nose than on the palate) but this lacks the spice kick I look for (and frankly expect) in Wild Turkey – and for the age, it isn’t as complex as I had hoped. The nose has more complexity for me than the palate. I was really looking forward to trying this, but was disappointed. I have fond memories of some dusty Wild Turkey 12 yr old bourbon, which this bears no resemblance to, but that probably wasn’t a fair expectation.  Maybe if this was a higher proof it would have delivered.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$45-60
Website
Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon

What the Producer Says

Our high rye content bourbon is aged in the heart of a century-old brick warehouse. To ensure a unique and consistent flavor, barrels are hand selected to create a perfect blend that is smooth and at the same time bold and intense.

Released in 2016, our goal was to create a unique great tasting high rye content bourbon. The problem is that rye ages much faster than corn. So while our younger vintages had a big rye spice flavor (which we love) the mouth feel was too thin and it lacked the sweet, delicate complexity of a well aged spirit. Our older vintages had the smoothness and sweet notes that can only be achieved by moving in and out of #4 char and caramelized oak for many, many years, but the nice rye spice had been aged out!

So what to do? Find the perfect blend.

We combined the two. The younger vintages maintain the bold spiciness of the rye, cut down on the tannins and keep it fruit forward. The older vintage brings in a creamy mouth feel with sweet aromas and taste notes that only appear over time from aging in a barrel. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoy making it.

Nose: Balanced oak nose with hints of fruit and dried apricots.
Taste: Initial sweet notes on the front of the tongue. Well balanced mouth feel with spicy notes including white pepper on the middle and back of the tongue from the younger vintage and high rye mash bill. Good balance of sweet and oak flavors including hints of caramel (from the #4 charred barrels, caramelized wood sugar), fruit flavor and rye spice. Finishes smooth with no alcohol burn even at 100 proof.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, oak, salted caramel, musty, cocoa, brown sugar and baked glazed cinnamon buns.
Palate:  Vanilla, caramel cream candies, cinnamon, oak, rye spice, pepper and subtle clove.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with caramel, pepper and oak.
Comments:  Spicy – not objectionable, but for $45 (or more) there are plenty of options for a spicy rye bourbon at nearly half the price that I like as well. Bit of water thickens it up a bit, and tamps the oak edges slightly.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask
Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Flaviar’s Bushmills “Rare Cask Series” Tasting Box
Sample ‘B’

50% ABV
Bushmills Potential Rare Cask Bottle
We would like to thank Flaviar and Bushmills  for the opportunity to try these rare whiskies!
NOTE: The samples were provided as part of a lottery through my personal Flaviar membership, and not provided directly for purposes of a review.

Wait – What is This?

In the summer/fall of 2020, Flaviar offered an opportunity to members to enter a lottery, the winners of which would have the opportunity to sample some rare Bushmills and vote on what would be the next ‘Rare Cask’. I was fortunate enough to be picked to participate, and received a 5 sample kit from Flaviar which included:

  • Bushmills 10 yr Single Malt
  • Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt
  • Sample A (Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask, 1992)
  • Sample B (Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask, 1995)
  • Sample C (Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt, 1997)

Flaviar stated that they would announce the winner with Bushmills. If that happened, I missed it (and as of Feburary 2022, Bushmill’s website only lists the initial Rare Cask release – although I saw some stores that had labels for ‘Rare Case 02’, so not sure if they released it quietly, or if they planned to but then changed course, or what happened). Regardless, I was waiting for such an announcement before posting these reviews – but as that may never happen – here they are!

The details below were compiled from what was provided by Flaviar with the samples, and the NightCap Live streaming event they hosted – which included the Bushmills brand ambassador Jack Ferris who provided additional details about the whiskies.

Includes whiskey first matured in bourbon casks for 10 years and Oloroso sherry casks for 10 years, combined and finished in Marsala casks for 14-15 years. Has notes of dried fruits, bit of anise, and more viscous sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, Marsala wine, honey, figs, dates, roasted walnuts, oak, tapioca, nutmeg, subtle cinnamon.
Palate:  Thick and rich mouthfeel, honey with spices, nutty, slight pepper bite, brown sugar, bit of tobacco, orange, apricots.
Finish:  Long with honeyed ginger and tobacco.
Comments:  An amazing dram (if you like Marsala, which I do – in fact this is only the 2nd whisk(e)y I’ve had with a Marsala cask maturation)! Compared to Sample A (28 yr PX Sherry Cask), this was more spicy, which I like. Love the high ABV and non-chill filtering, which is evident in the mouthfeel. This is the sample I voted for the next Bushmills Rare Cask offering, as I think we need more Marsala maturation offerings, and it is really delicious.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt
Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Flaviar’s Bushmills “Rare Cask Series” Tasting Box
Sample ‘C’

50% ABV
Bushmills Potential Rare Cask Bottle
We would like to thank Flaviar and Bushmills  for the opportunity to try these rare whiskies!
NOTE: The samples were provided as part of a lottery through my personal Flaviar membership, and not provided directly for purposes of a review.

Wait – What is This?

In the summer/fall of 2020, Flaviar offered an opportunity to members to enter a lottery, the winners of which would have the opportunity to sample some rare Bushmills and vote on what would be the next ‘Rare Cask’. I was fortunate enough to be picked to participate, and received a 5 sample kit from Flaviar which included:

  • Bushmills 10 yr Single Malt
  • Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt
  • Sample A (Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask, 1992)
  • Sample B (Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask, 1995)
  • Sample C (Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt, 1997)

Flaviar stated that they would announce the winner with Bushmills. If that happened, I missed it (and as of Feburary 2022, Bushmill’s website only lists the initial Rare Cask release – although I saw some stores that had labels for ‘Rare Case 02’, so not sure if they released it quietly, or if they planned to but then changed course, or what happened). Regardless, I was waiting for such an announcement before posting these reviews – but as that may never happen – here they are!

The details below were compiled from what was provided by Flaviar with the samples, and the NightCap Live streaming event they hosted – which included the Bushmills brand ambassador Jack Ferris who provided additional details about the whiskies.

23 yr old Crystal Malt; allegedly this is one of Helen Mulholland’s (Bushmill’s Master Blender) favorites.  They distilled this back in 1997 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Bushmills in 2008 – a one-time production run.  But, they didn’t use all of the whiskey, and left a bit to age longer.  Crystal malt is unusual for whiskey (usually used in beer), and is made by taking barley with a high moisture content and putting it through a deep roast which crystallizes the grain and enhances the natural sugars.  This was aged in a first fill bourbon barrel.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Light, cotton candy, fresh cut apples, pears, hint of lavender and rose petals.
Palate:  Sweet with butterscotch, brown sugar, honey, chocolate, chili spice notes and baked apples.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with honey and spice.
Comments:  If I was given this blind to nose, I might have guessed it was a single grain whisky – it has that gentle, delicateness I associate with that style. On the palate it had a spicy bite that was a (pleasant) surprise! Of the 3 samples in the running for the next Bushmills Rare Cask, I found this much more mild and nuanced – although because of that it was my least favorite. Having said that, nothing at all objectionable and I’d certainly not turn away a pour if offered!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask
Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Flaviar’s Bushmills “Rare Cask Series” Tasting Box
Sample ‘A’

53% ABV
Bushmills Potential Rare Cask Bottle
We would like to thank Flaviar and Bushmills  for the opportunity to try these rare whiskies!
NOTE: The samples were provided as part of a lottery through my personal Flaviar membership, and not provided directly for purposes of a review.

Wait – What is This?

In the summer/fall of 2020, Flaviar offered an opportunity to members to enter a lottery, the winners of which would have the opportunity to sample some rare Bushmills and vote on what would be the next ‘Rare Cask’. I was fortunate enough to be picked to participate, and received a 5 sample kit from Flaviar which included:

  • Bushmills 10 yr Single Malt
  • Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt
  • Sample A (Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask, 1992)
  • Sample B (Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask, 1995)
  • Sample C (Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt, 1997)

Flaviar stated that they would announce the winner with Bushmills. If that happened, I missed it (and as of Feburary 2022, Bushmill’s website only lists the initial Rare Cask release – although I saw some stores that had labels for ‘Rare Case 02’, so not sure if they released it quietly, or if they planned to but then changed course, or what happened). Regardless, I was waiting for such an announcement before posting these reviews – but as that may never happen – here they are!

The details below were compiled from what was provided by Flaviar with the samples, and the NightCap Live streaming event they hosted – which included the Bushmills brand ambassador Jack Ferris who provided additional details about the whiskies.

PX Cask, 28 years old, filled in 1992.  This isn’t a PX Cask ‘finish’ – it spent all 28 years in a PX Sherry cask and has toffee notes, dried fruit.  Noted that the sherry casks are toasted compared to bourbon casks which are charred.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, dark fruit with cherries and raisins, musky oak, vanilla, hint of barbecue, bitter orange, clove, pipe tobacco, honey, a bit of molasses.
Palate:  Thick and rich mouthfeel, heavy sweetness, fruitcake soaked in fine Irish whiskey, vanilla, toffee, cloves, nutmeg, dark chocolate.
Finish:  Long with lingering clove, cocoa and coffee notes.
Comments:  This is a really delicious dram, and was tough to not select in the voting. Just an exceptional, well aged single malt that is rich, thick and luscious. This takes water well, bringing more honey, fruit and chocolate notes. I love that this sample was at a high ABV, and it was non-chill filtered. While this didn’t get my vote, I would hardly be disappointed if this won as it is a truly delightful pour.

Rating: Must Try

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