Proselytizing the way of the malt
This year’s swag giveaway has hit a couple of bumps. The first and second registered users contacted either did not qualify or did not respond. So the first person to email me at richard@whiskeyapostle.com with a valid name and mailing address in the continental US will get the swag box.
UPDATE: We have a winner. It took less than five minutes.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 2010 Edition
47.5% ABV/95 Proof
$35 to $40
Available across the U.S.
What the Distillery Says:
George Garvin Brown, founder of Old Forester bourbon and the first person to bottle bourbon, was born in Munfordville, Kentucky, on September 2, 1846. This vintage release of Old Forester has been selected to honor the birthday of this bourbon pioneer, innovator and industry leader.
This year’s vintage release of Old Forester is crafted from a 72 barrel batch of 97J24. These barrels were evenly matured together in the very middle of Warehouse K, on the 5th floor in ricks 42, 43, and 45, surrounded by open space. This environment allowed the barrels to easily breathe during maturation and develop a rich fruit and spice character.
Color-Deep caramel brown.
Aroma-Rich hints of cedar, dark chocolate and tropical fruit underscored by caramel and butterscotch notes.
Taste-Crisp cedar and nutty oak mingle with fig, berry and citrus character.
Finish-A long, crisp wood spice note ends with a touch of fruit.
What Richard Says:
Nose: Very rich on the nose. Sticky toffee and cedar wood with an almost oily resinous smell.
Palate: Raisins, Christmas spices (think mulled wine or pumpkin pie spice) with a little mint right before the finish.
Finish: The finish is long and woody. Pepper and oak seem to stay around forever.
Comments: Are you looking for good bourbon for under $40? Here you go. This annual release has swung widely from year to year. This year’s is some of the best 12 year old coming out Brown Forman. Not a must try but it really stands out.
Rating: Stands Out
Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Single Barrel Vintage 2000, Barrel No. 438
43.3% ABV/86.6 Proof
$25 to $30
Available nationwide
What the Distillery Says:
This Bourbon was personally selected by our Master Distiller, only after meeting his exacting standards for this vintage. Taken from a single barrel, it is the purest achievement of the Bourbon making art. Bottled unblended with other barrels to preserve its individuality. Hand-numbered as a sign of its limited availability.
What Richard Says:
Nose: Fresh grass, wildflowers, and butter on the nose.
Palate: The palate is very clean and subdued. Vanilla notes stand out and it is overall creamy, oaky, and infinitely drinkable.
Finish: A little sweetness clings to the oak on the finish and plays around with a slight bit of spice too. Mild and very enjoyable.
Comments: Evan Williams has released vintages every year beginning in 1986 through 2000 at around the 10 year old mark. The quality has varied over the years as can be expected but this year’s vintage is something really nice. Generally speaking, the vintage bottling tends to be some of the best stuff coming out of Heaven Hill in the 10 year age range for each given vintage. I really enjoyed this dram. It’s not particularly bold or unique but it is sinfully drinkable and at this price why not buy two.
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value
In conjunction with our new year’s resolution we also added an archive page under “About Us” that lists all our posted reviews. In the past you could always do a search if you were looking for something specific but we thought this might be helpful too.
What are we going to do differently in 2011? Review more whiskey. We don’t personally think too much about our opinions of whiskeys beyond our own palates. However, people seem to like us to review whiskeys on the website. So with that in mind we were reviewing the backlog in the Whisk(e)y Apostle whiskey cellars and thought about making this resolution for 2011. We are going to try our hardest to review at least a whiskey a week this year. We’ve been delayed in the past by getting notes from both of us before posting but we’re going to try to work through that. Some reviews may come from Matt first with Richard’s notes following later and some may come the other way. Ultimately, we will always try to have both our perspectives.
We’re also going to try to do themes for each month because that seems like a fun idea. January will be 2010 Annual Bourbon Releases so that you can read our thoughts while you can still find the stuff in the stores. We’ll announce the theme at the beginning of each month and try to have a new review up every Friday. That’s the plan at least. So for January look for these coming reviews…
Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2010
Four Roses 2010 Limited Edition Small Batch
Four Roses 2010 Limited Edition Single Barrel