July 2024

Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond (National Distillers)

/ / Bourbon, Review, The Collector's Cabinet / ,

Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
National Distillers (dusty)

50% ABV
$20
Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond Bourbon

What the Bottle Says

BONDED
Old Grand-Dad 100 Proof
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bottled In Bond Under Supervision of U.S. Govt
Distilled and Bottled by The Old Grand-Dad Distillery Company
Frankfort, KY – DSP KY. 14

(on the faux tax stamp)
AGED 8 YEARS
BOTTLED FALL OF 1990
NOTE: This image isn’t of my bottle but a representative image; mine was a 375 mL I paid $10 for in 2014. The first part of the UPC is 86259, which identifies it as a product of National Distillers.

What Gary Says

Nose: Butterscotch, honey, caramel, vanilla, soft oak with hints of toffee, peanut brittle and leather.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey.
Finish: Moderately long with honey, toasted oak and butterscotch.
Comments:  This is an absolute butterscotch bomb! While the faux tax stamp printing states 8 years old, this may be older being bottled during the glut era. National Distillers is one of my favorite dusty bourbons, and I was fortunate to stumble across two bottles of this at a small liquor store in Miami back in 2014. This is one where if someone could bottle this – exactly like this today – I’d be stockpiling. I wish I knew what it was that gave it that unique profile (and there’s been countless hours debating such topics on Straight Bourbon, whether it was the proof coming off the still, the entry proof, where it was matured, the yeast used, etc). I know a lot of folks who have tasted a fair amount of dusty bourbon would stampede over loved ones for Stitzel Weller, but for my taste buddies I’ve always preferred the ND profile. Now this whiskey isn’t mind-blowingly complicated, but I’d still rate it as a ‘Must Try’ because it’s just freakin’ delicious, and a ‘Must Buy’ if you can find it for reasonable money.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Knob Creek 10 Year Old Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Knob Creek 10 Year Old
Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

50% ABV
$70
Website
Knob Creek 10 Year Old Rye
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says:

Knob Creek® is excited to announce the permanent addition of Knob Creek® 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey to its award-winning* portfolio. Made pre-Prohibition style, Knob Creek® 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey is carefully crafted and patiently aged for a decade in deeply charred barrels, bringing fans a full-bodied rye whiskey with distinct notes of spice, vanilla, and oak.

True to Knob Creek’s® unwavering commitment to producing high quality, full-flavored whiskey, this extra-aged rye invites aficionados and newcomers alike to experience its exceptional taste and craftsmanship. It’s best enjoyed neat or on the rocks so fans can experience the depth at its height and drink what tastes right.

TASTING NOTES
Knob Creek® 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey captures the essence of its classic offering, Knob Creek® 7 Year Old Rye
Whiskey, but has deeper flavors imparted by the extra three years spent aging in the barrel. The result is a bold and complex, full-flavored straight rye whiskey that delivers smooth spice with every sip.
PROOF: 100
COLOR: Tawny with waves of copper
AROMA: Rich caramel and vanilla, deep rye spice, and dried apple
TASTE: Black peppercorn, creamy vanilla and caramel, and hints of deep oak and char
FINISH: Smooth, lingering notes of baking spice

THE HISTORY
Knob Creek has set the standard for super-premium whiskey for three decades by crafting extraordinary full-flavored bourbon with a rich taste. Knob Creek bourbons and ryes are patiently aged to perfection in new, maximum charred American Oak barrels to impart the biggest and fullest flavor on their whiskey. No matter the expression, Knob Creek is crafted without shortcuts and embodies the pre-Prohibition style that founding distiller Booker Noe created in 1992. Since then, Knob Creek has lived up to such standards with the introduction of Knob Creek Straight Rye Whiskey in 2012, and later on, Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye Whiskey. In recent years, Knob Creek announced the permanent addition of Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon to its portfolio, launched two limited releases, Knob Creek 15 Year Old Bourbon and Knob Creek 18 Year Old Bourbon, and announced the addition of an age statement to its flagship rye whiskey, Knob Creek 7 Year Old Rye Whiskey

RYE WHISKEY
In the early 1900s, rye whiskey was the most popular spirit in America. However, Prohibition forced many whiskey fans to turn toward the sweeter, more robust flavor of bourbon. Now, thanks to the growing interest in high-quality craft spirits and a surge in contemporary cocktail culture brought about by the success of Super-Premium brands such as Knob Creek, bartenders and curious drinkers alike are turning to bourbon’s spicier counterpart, rye whiskey.

What Gary Says

Nose: Salted caramel, oak, vanilla, cinnamon with herbal notes, nutty (walnuts rather than peanuts) with a hint of orange zest.
Palate: Pepper spice with vanilla, caramel, oak, nutty with herbal spices, bit of orange and a hint of mint.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with oak, nutty cocoa, vanilla and grapefruit
Comments: This rye offers an interestingly layered experience. I’m accustomed to more of a peanut note from Beam than walnuts, although that note sometimes disappears in the older whiskies. There’s a strong oak presence for 10 years old, and this has a sharp pepper bite – which you expect some bite in a rye whiskey.  For my tastes, this has a bit more oak than I’d prefer but this isn’t what I’d call an ‘oak bomb’ or ‘over-oaked’. However, a splash of water can mellow the peppery edge, making the whiskey more approachable and highlighting its complex flavor profile.

Rating: Stands Out

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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Old Fashioned Cocktail

/ / Bourbon, Cocktails, Review /

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Old Fashioned Cocktail
Cocktail Made w/ 6 Year Old Bourbon, Simple Syrup, Bitters and Citrus Expression

37% ABV
$30 / 375 mL (8 pours)
Website
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Old Fashioned Cocktail
We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

READY-TO-SERVE
PREMIUM OLD FASHIONED
Our premium ready-to-serve Old Fashioned is crafted from our double gold winning bourbon and finishes with a tantalizing twist of Seville Orange. Serve chilled or over ice to make any occasion a memorable moment.

“An Old Fashioned is one of the original classic bourbon cocktails,” said Chris Fredrickson, Co-founder, Traverse City Whiskey Co. “Our delicious and convenient ready-to-serve Old Fashioned cocktails are hand crafted and ready to pour. They’re a welcomed addition to our portfolio of whiskey offerings.”

Known as the “Whiskey of the North,” TCWC draws upon its early family roots in the distilled spirits industry dating back to the late 1800’s, sourcing all its grains (corn, rye, and malted barley) from the Midwest. Led by Chris Fredrickson, the distilling team strives to make quality products, inspired by patented distilling techniques invented by Fredrickson’s great grandfather that were approved by the US PTO during the prohibition era.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Orange zest, bitters, bourbon (like, an Old Fashioned!).
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, syrupy, solid Old Fashioned with a good bourbon base of caramel and vanilla, loads of bitters and orange zest.
Finish:  Moderate in length with bitters lingering.
Comments:  I did my first tasting of this neat and at room temperature, and then chilled. It’s much better chilled, and even over one cube if you’re going to sip on it for a bit. Everyone’s taste vary, but for me it was better over ice as the ratio of bitters is a bit more than I prefer. The orange expression is really well done, maybe the best I’ve seen in a bottled cocktail (comes across like freshly expressed orange zest). A well done Old Fashioned, and like the half-bottle size as easy to make room in the fridge!

Rating: Stands Out

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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail

/ / Cocktails, Other Spirits, Review /

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail
Cocktail Made w/ Bourbon, Bitters, Cherries, Simple Syrup and Citrus Expression

27% ABV
$20 / 375 mL (8 pours)
Website
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail
We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

READY-TO-SERVE
CHERRY OLD FASHIONED
It starts with our best-selling cherry whiskey, which is perfectly balanced by homemade bitters and a twist of Seville Orange. Whether you serve it chilled or over ice, it makes the perfect cherry on top of your next celebration.

“An Old Fashioned is one of the original classic bourbon cocktails,” said Chris Fredrickson, Co-founder, Traverse City Whiskey Co. “Our delicious and convenient ready-to-serve Old Fashioned cocktails are hand crafted and ready to pour. They’re a welcomed addition to our portfolio of whiskey offerings.”

Known as the “Whiskey of the North,” TCWC draws upon its early family roots in the distilled spirits industry dating back to the late 1800’s, sourcing all its grains (corn, rye, and malted barley) from the Midwest. Led by Chris Fredrickson, the distilling team strives to make quality products, inspired by patented distilling techniques invented by Fredrickson’s great grandfather that were approved by the US PTO during the prohibition era.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Cherry cough lozenges, hint of floral notes.
Palate: Cherry forward, with bitters, bit of orange; like an Old Fashioned w/ a splash of cherry juice.
Finish:  Moderate in length with cherries.
Comments: Poured in the glass, this is a bit cloudy and less brown than the TCWC Old Fashioned; looks almost like a Rose wine. This is definitely cherry through and through. Full disclosure – I’m not a fan of TCWC’s American Cherry. They sent us a sample back in 2017, and I mainly got cherry cough syrup. This is made using that base spirit, although I like this better than that. If you’ve had and enjoyed their American Cherry, than this might be right in your wheelhouse. I love the bottle, both size and color (easy to fit in the fridge, and the white just looks kinda cool). Like the other, I tried this first neat and then chilled and over ice – but unlike the Old Fashioned Cocktail, I preferred this just chilled without ice. For my palate, I found that ice on the lower ABV just thinned it out too quickly.

Rating: Average

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Penelope Rosé Cask Finish Batch 8

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Penelope Rosé Cask Finish Bourbon Batch 8
Straight Bourbon Whiskey

47% ABV
$50
Website
Penelope Rosé Cask Finish Bourbon
We would like to thank Luxco and BYRNE PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Blender Says

Penelope Rosé Cask Finish is the first installment in our Cooper Series which takes our straight whiskeys on a world tour, pairing Penelope with wine casks from the finest wine making regions. Sweet and delicate, Rosé Cask Finish marries our signature straight bourbon whiskey with hand-selected French Rosé wine casks from the Southern Rhône region, bringing together a truly unique alliance of flavor.

Mash Bill: 76% Corn | 14% Wheat | 7% Rye | 3% Malted Barley
Blend of 3 bourbon mash bills comprised of four grains (Corn, Wheat, Rye, and Malted Barley) finished in French Grenache Rosé Wine Casks from the Southern Rhône region of France.
Proof: 94
Aged 4 – 5 Years
Barrel Char #4 Staves, #2 Heads
Non Chill-Filtered

TASTING NOTES
AROMA: Candied fruit and cream, floral and herbal notes
FORWARD NOTES: Sweet and refreshing hints of vanilla and viscous cream
BODY: Creamy sweetness transitions from the forward notes and into the body, herbal, floral and strawberry cream
FINISH: Rich creamy vanilla with hints of strawberry. Savory finish with lingering notes

What Gary Says

Nose: Vanilla, berries, light caramel, floral with hints of oak and cedar.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with peaches, strawberries, vanilla and gentle cinnamon spice.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with vanilla and strawberries fading.
Comments: I definitely get the rosé finish for sure, not that it’s heavy handed. Sweeter and more floral with less caramel than an unfinished bourbon of similar mash bill/age. The strawberry notes are new to me in a bourbon (in fact having posted more than 660 whiskey reviews, I’ve only came across that note 3 times – all in Scotch). A bit of water brings out lighter fruit notes, but also thins it out rather quickly; and at 94 proof it doesn’t need more water. A nice summer sipper!

Rating: Stands Out

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