Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

Four Roses OESK

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection
Recipe OESK, 9 years and 7 months old

58.2% ABV
$55 – $80
Website

What the Distiller Says

The Recipe:
OESK is currently only available as a private selection bottling at the distillery gift shop or possibly at a local liquor store near you. This particular bottle was a Liquor Barn selection, bottled 8/12/2013.

Unlocking the recipe codes goes like this…

“O” starts all of Four Roses’ recipes and only means that it is made by Four Roses in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

“E” mean that this is the lower rye content of the two mashbills that Four Roses uses, specifically 75% Corn, 20% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley

“S” means that it is Straight Whiskey by U.S. Regulatory definition, again all their products carry this designation

“K” distinguishes the yeast strain used. This specific one impacts more of a slightly spicy character onto the distillate

What Gary Says:

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, cinnamon dusted creme brluee, oak, cigar paper and sublte hints of fruit salad; a tad hot/harsh neat.
Palate: Warm sweetness that sharpens quickly, tart cherries  on vanilla wafers with cinnamon and honey, a spicy pepper bite at the end.
Finish: Moderately long with trailing pepper spice.
Comments: This bourbon definitely improves with water. The nose still has oak, but the cinnamon is tamped down and I get an interesting malted milkball note. This bottle is a solid representative of the K yeast. Personally I prefer the OB mashbill over the OE mashbill (more rye, less corn), but there isn’t anything objectionable about this pour. I bought this bottle as part of my quest to own one bottle of all 10 possible recipes, and I’m glad I did that. With any single barrel, there will be a some variation – although this is the only OESK I’ve ever owned. I’ve had several OBSO and OBSV picks over the years, and while the recipe does stands out – some are better than others.

Rating: Stands Out

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Cadenhead’s 1842 Live Cask: Islay

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Cadenhead’s 1842 Live Cask: Islay
Bottled 5/24/2016
55% ABV
$25 (200 mL)
Website

What the Bottler Says
The Cadenhead’s 1842 Live Casks contain two or more single malts from the region they represent. Visitors to the store can buy bottles of various sizes. The casks and contents are changes periodically, so if you like a particular pour, best to buy when you can!

What Gary Says
Nose:  Sea air, brine, peat, iodine with pepper spice.
Palate:  Earthy peat with hints of honey, pepper spice bite at the end.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying and peppery.
Comments:  I bought this while visiting their London store in May 2016. It is a solid representation of Islay with big peat and sea air. Some water definitely helps bring it into a better balance, allowing more of the honeyed sweetness to cut through. I was really intrigued by this concept of “live casks” where they bottle right there in front of you (and, I couldn’t find anything else in stock and refused to leave empty handed!) Glad I did – very enjoyable pour.
Rating: Stands Out

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Early Times Bottled-In-Bond

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Early Times Bottled-In-Bond

50% ABV
$23
Website
Early Times Bottled-In-Bond

What the Distiller Says

Early Times, a brand of Brown-Forman, introduced limited-edition Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky. The spirit is a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the original Early Times bonded bourbon recipe, the company says. Early Times Bottled in Bond Bourbon follows the guidelines of bonded bourbons and is crafted with pure water, a high corn mash bill and a proprietary yeast strain. The distillate rests in new, charred American oak barrels for a minimum of four years, resulting in a smooth and complex bourbon rich in taste a character, it says. The 50 percent alcohol-by-volume spirit offers flavors of caramel corn that melds with shortbread cookie coated with a hint of chocolate and oak with a trace of cinnamon spice, it adds. Available in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Oregon, Bottled In Bond has a suggested retail price of $22.99 for a 1-liter bottle.

[NOTE: I couldn’t find a direct reference on Brown-Forman’s web-site, so the above information is from Beverage Industry Magazine’s post. The same or very similar content was found on multiple other sources.]

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick and rich, brown sugar, freshly baked brownies, vanilla, caramel, toasted oak.
Palate:  Rich sweetness (but not overly so), vanilla, salted caramel sundae with notes of chocolate and some oak.
Finish:  Moderately long and wet, a bit peppery at the end.
Comments:  I really like this bourbon – hands down my favorite new whiskey I tried in 2017 (excluding any unicorns/limited editions). Is it a complex, thinking dram? No, but damned if this isn’t one of the more satisfying new bourbons I’ve tried in a while. Rich and intense flavor – and I don’t know that you could beat it for the money. My only regret is only buying just the one bottle when I saw it (thinking “Hey – a liter bottle will last longer, right?”) If you’re like I was, recalling the disappointment that was Early Times 354 bourbon, I think you’ll be rewarded by giving Brown Forman another chance (I mean – not like they don’t know how to make delicious bourbon!) For the money (did I mention this is a 1 liter bottle?), this is an absolute “Must Buy”. I can’t imagine anyone buying this blind and feeling like it was a mistake.

Rating: Must Buy; Great Value

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Winchester Rye whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Winchester Rye Whiskey

45% ABV
$25

What the Bottle Says

Rye whiskey traces its American roots as far back as the 18th century. Winchester Rye Whiskey builds upon this American tradition. It is a premium rye whiskey, traditionally distilled, barrel aged and uniquely ultrasonic filtered to deliver an exceptionally smooth finish and truly great taste.
Aged a minimum of 6 months in new oak.

What Gary Says

Nose: Bright, young rye, mint, lime soda with a hint of dill.
Palate: Smoother, cereal sweet with a bit of malty orange candy.
Finish: Short and wet (not peppery).
Comments: This is a Total Wine private label produced by TerrePURE spirits in South Carolina. I’ll not get into their whole process, other than to state in my experience, the “unwanted, harsh-tasting congeners” their process reduces . . . might otherwise be known as “character”. If I wasn’t a fan of rye whiskey, there isn’t anything objectionable about this – nothing off-putting. But it doesn’t deliver on my expectations of rye whiskey, which is harsh and brash. On the nose it is very much a young rye, but on the palate it is too smooth and tame. For the same price, if I want a rye whiskey, I’d go for several other options.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Elijah Craig Barrel Select

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Elijah Craig Barrel Select

62.5% ABV
$25 (200 mL)

NOTE: This is a bottle sold in Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center gift shop. I couldn’t find any information about it on any Heaven Hill web-site. The bottle, intended to be a small barrel but I’ve heard it referred to as a “grenade”, indicates the name, the proof, and that it is Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet caramel with notes of leather under a rough edge with a hint of eucalyptus.
Palate:  Warm, creamy sweet, banana nut bread (but light on bananas), cocoa with a dusting of cinnamon.
Finish:  Moderate in length with a lingering sweetness.
Comments:  On the nose this screams Heaven Hill’s house style, which for me is caramel with a bit of eucalyptus (many get mint, but for me it is a bit different). As a non-age stated member of the Elijah Craig family, comparing it to its siblings might not be fair – but what else could we compare it? There is a familial resemblance for sure, and while NAS I would guess this is maybe 6-9 yrs old (I don’t get “young whiskey” notes, but it isn’t nearly as oaky or complex as the former 12 yr age stated version). I picked this up in their gift shop, and thought it was a “gift shop exclusive” – but Google seems to think different stores offer this for sale – so perhaps not. The bottle is cute, and it was an inexpensive pick-up – although considering it only has 200 mL of bourbon – it isn’t a bargain. I think if you’re there and want to pick up a nifty souvenir – this might be well received. If you’re a fan of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and hoping to get that bourbon in a smaller vessel – I expect you would be disappointed.

Rating: Average

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