Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

Rebel 100 6 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Rebel 100 6 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$60
Website
Rebel 100 6 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Luxco and BYRNE PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

ST. LOUIS (March 7, 2024) – Lux Row Distillers announced the introduction of Rebel 100 6-Year Bourbon, handcrafted according to the original, time-honored wheated recipe since 1849. The new addition will be available nationwide later this month at a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750 ml bottle.

Rebel 100 6-Year Bourbon champions authenticity while defying uniformity. Bottled at six years and 100 proof (50% ABV), the golden amber bourbon features an aroma containing rich scents of vanilla and honey; a palate of dark fruits followed by citrus and oak; and a velvety smooth finish with just a hint of
spice.

“Rebel 100 6-Year demonstrates that age is never a bad thing,” said Lux Row Distillers Master Distiller John Rempe. “The combination of spotlighting our original recipe and aging it for six years resulted in a rich and rebellious, full flavor bourbon that I think will resonate with consumers. Six years is a long time to wait, but the wait was worth it.”

What Gary Says

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, freshly hewn oak, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate: Vanilla, caramel, sour oak, bit of cinnamon, orange zest and cloves.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with oak, citrus spice and honey.
Comments: I’m not sure if it’s the particular mash bill, but for whatever reason the wheated Rebel bourbons just haven’t hit right in my wheelhouse. This one is ok, although not special – and while prices aren’t what they were 10 years ago, at this price point I’d be disappointed. There’s a bit of a sour oak note which I don’t mind, but some might not be a fan of. I’ll admit that while I appreciate wheated bourbon, I probably lean more towards a rye mash bill more often than not.

Rating: Average

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North British Signatory Cask Strength 1991 30 Year

/ / Review, Single Grain / ,

North British Signatory Cask Strength 1991 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

54.7% ABV
$130
Website
North British Signatory 30 Year Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Distilled on: 09/02/1991
Bottled on: 0/25/2022
Matured in a Refill Sherry Butt
Cask No: 262084
Bottle No X of 494

Tasting Notes by The Chaps at Master of Malt:
Nose: Honeyed granola, apple tart, a whiff of vanilla, and buttered popcorn.
Palate: Floral honey and sweet orchard fruit crumble with toasted cereal topping and dustings of brown sugar. Hints of grassy oak beneath.
Finish: Diced nuts and baking spices, with butterscotch balancing peppery heat.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, vanilla butter-cream frosting, honey, oak, leather, bit of cornbread.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with honey, vanilla, toffee, caramel, raisins, plums with some pepper spice.
Finish: Long and drying with caramel, raisins, spice and light roast coffee.
Comments:  Another really solid single grain that is a lovely sipper neat, although it gets even better with just a few drops of water. Brings out some fruit notes on the nose, and on the palate I get some notes of canned pears. If I was better organized, I’d have done a side by side with this sample and the other North British 30 Year Old (which I know is part of why Rich bought both of these). Unfortunately haven’t been as well organized as of late. Although interestingly enough, these were sampled probably 6 weeks apart, and different tasting notes but the same rating

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Single Grain / ,

North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

48.4% ABV
$100
Website
North British 30 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

One of 180 Bottles Charged from a Refill Barrel
Ref DL12798
No Colouring; No Chill Filtration

This Single Cask Was Distilled July 1988 And
Bottled August 2018

Specially Selected for K&L Wines

Nose: Opens with a golden syrup, slight spice and Californian orange quality
Palate: Expect Scottish marmalade with runny honey and lightly toasted pine nuts
Finish: Medium long with a citrus twist, American cream soda and gentle pepper

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, buttercream frosting, hint of baking spices (hermit cookies), light caramel, porridge cereal notes with a subtle hint of citrus.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with a citrus zip, honey, caramel, oak and hints of herbal tea.
Finish:  Long, damp with honey, pepper and vanilla.
Comments:  This is a really nice well aged single grain, and like others – benefits a lot from time in the glass (the old adage of ‘1 min in the glass for every year in the cask’ is asking a lot; I gave it an honest 20 minutes and it was much improved over freshly poured). Delicate and subtle, with a lovely depth on the nose. A bit of water brings a nuttiness to the nose, while the mouthfeel maintains the viscosity and the palate introduces some notes of toffee.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Bourbon de Luxe (National Distillers)

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

Bourbon de Luxe
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
National Distillers (dusty)

40% ABV
$8.49
Bourbon de Luxe Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

What the Bottle Says

Bottled under United States Government Supervision by The Bourbon de Luxe Distillery Co. Frankfort, KY. Aged 4 Years

NOTE: The bottle has a tax stamp from the State of Georgia, as well as a ‘faux tax seal’ over the enclosure. The stamp on the bottle indicates it was made in 1987. There is no government warning on the label (which was mandated beginning in November 1989). The first part of the UPC is 86259, which identifies it as a product of National Distillers.

What Gary Says

Nose: Butterscotch over vanilla ice cream with a bit of caramel and nutmeg.
Palate: Creamy, caramel, vanilla cream, hint of butterscotch with a bit of toffee and cinnamon.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with caramel and faint spice.
Comments:  As far as dusty, glut-era National Distiller’s bourbon goes, this isn’t close to the top end. Wouldn’t go so far as to call it ‘bottom shelf’ since it is straight bourbon with a four year age statement, but more middle of the road. Given the late 80s, this bottle very likely has some whiskey that is older than four years old. If you’ve never had dusty ND bourbon, this is a treat! It holds a special place for me as being one of the first dusty whiskey finds I made in the wild in April 2013 (along with a tax stamped Old Charter that I had to pour out; was just horrible). This has that butterscotchy note that ND is well known for, and has a nicer mouthfeel than most 4 yr, 80 proof bourbon would. While not very old, it does benefit from some time in the glass, and I find myself appreciating the nose more than the palate. This isn’t a complex pour by any means. The whiskey itself I’d rate as ‘Stands Out’, but throwing a ‘Must Try’ in there if you’ve never had it (and if you can come across it for reasonable money).

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 012

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Batch 012, Bottled Feb 2020

60.1% ABV
$85-$110
Website
Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 012 Islay Single Malt Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Three words can describe Batch 12 with unfettered honesty – full, uncompromising, powerful. We invite you to uncork this particular offering of our Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength to experience the purest taste of the land, sea, and air of Islay. Its distinctive flavor comes from being barrier-filtered (which removes unwanted char particles) and then bottled directly from the barrel after a decade has passed.

This 60.1% vol cask strength full-bodied whisky is a result of this laborious process. There is a smokiness of renown present, as well as particular depths that speak to both an unrestrained sweetness and spiciness. The palate can be overwhelmed by the flavor of fudge, cinnamon, and toffee, as fragrances of leather, vanilla, and pipe tobacco fill the nose. A little watering of the whisky can reveal more features of sea salt and peat smoke.

Colour: Tawny.
Nose: Sweet cereals with biscuit notes, fresh oak, smoked cedar and Manuka honey. Amsterdam pipe tobacco, shoe polish and old leather combined with a touch of waxy church candle, vanilla cream, nutmeg and oak extracts.
Palate: Sweet and spicy, with burnt oak staves, barbecued marshmallows, toffee and sea salt, vanilla and Belgium caramel waffles. Roasted coffee fudge cream on sticky toffee pudding, with a hint of white pepper and crushed cinnamon.
Finish: Floral with spicy oak tannins, iodine and sea salt.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Smokey seaweed, wet bandages, creosote, salty sea air, hint of sulfur, bit of caramel, smoked meat with lemongrass.
Palate:  Warm and oily mouthfeel, peaty and peppery with honeyed biscuits, hint of toffee and lemon.
Finish:  Long with peat, apricots, smoke and iodine.
Comments:  Classic Laphroaig! If you don’t know, it is hard to describe in a way that sounds appealing. In my experience, Laphroaig (and most other Islay peated single malts) can be very polarizing. I don’t know many folks who are on the fence; they either like it a fair amount, or really dislike it pretty strongly. I fall into the ‘like it alot’ camp. In fact Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (batch 003, January 2011, 55.3% ABV) was my first ever single malt scotch whisky purchase. I shared that story here so I won’t repeat it. In fact, I was down to the last 2 ounces of that bottle (which had been decanted more than once, so please hold off on the comments about air time, etc) so I decided to do a side-by-side. This batch 012 definitely had a sharper edge to it, was a bit less sweet and not quite as well balanced. I mistakenly thought I had reviewed that already and didn’t take detailed notes – sorry about that (the only other batch to date we have reviewed is batch 005 which Richard was a fan of). To be clear, while I preferred batch 003, there wasn’t anything off-putting about this one. I find that this makes an excellent smoky old fashioned, with no smoking of glass required!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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