Bourbon

Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish

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Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

49.5% ABV
$35
Website
Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Luxco and BYRNE PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distiller Says

ST. LOUIS (April 9, 2024) – Lux Row Distillers announced the latest addition to the Ezra Brooks brand family: Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish. Finished in port casks from Portugal for six months, Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish delivers the great spicy ryed bourbon taste and smooth finish Ezra Brooks is known for in its already bold 99 proof bourbon, with additional flavor notes. The new variant will start shipping to retailers later this month at a suggested retail price of $34.99 per 750 ml bottle.

With a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malt, Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish is distilled using the highest quality ingredients, aged the old-fashioned way and bottled at 99 proof (49.5% ABV). Distinctive packaging features prominent callouts and a special label color highlighting the port cask finish.

“We created Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish for bourbon fans looking for an elevated taste profile and unique flavor option,” said Eric Winter, Ezra Brooks brand manager. “Lux Row Master Distiller John Rempe was intrigued by the juxtaposition of ryed bourbon’s spicy flavor profile and the sweeter, dark fruit notes often found in port wines.”

“This special finish brings notes of vanilla, tobacco and leather together on the nose, and sweet fruitiness and dark chocolate on the palate,” said Rempe. “We’re excited to share this special new variety with consumers as the first in a planned series of annual finishes for the Ezra Brooks 99 family.”

What Gary Says

Nose: Charred oak, port wine notes of berries, raisins, caramel, vanilla, pipe tobacco and leather.
Palate: Round mouthfeel with caramel, dark chocolate, raspberry jam, honey, apricots and cinnamon.
Finish: Moderate in length, syrupy with spicy fruit notes and chocolate.
Comments: Nice edition to the Ezra Brooks family! The bourbon isn’t lost and overpowered by the finish, which I appreciate (frequent readers know a heavy-handed finish is one of my pet peeves). This is nicely balanced, highlighting the lovely fruit notes from the port cask finish while retaining the spicy sweetness of the bourbon. Drinks really well neat, as well as in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Penelope Rio 2024 Release

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Penelope Rio 2024 Release
Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Honey and Amburana Barrels Double Cask Finish

49% ABV
$90
Website
Penelope Rio Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Honey and Amburana Barrels Double Cask Finish
We would like to thank Penelope Bourbon and BYRNE PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Rio is our latest installment in our Cooper Series which takes our straight whiskeys on a world tour, pairing Penelope with unique casks from around the world. Inspired by the joy of Brazil, Rio delights the senses with a double cask finish of American honey and Brazilian oak. The two make perfect dance partners, rich and sweet, with surprising depth. It’s a carnival in a bottle.

TASTING NOTES
Aroma: Sweet honey with a fun Cinnamon roll note
Forward Notes: Sweet spice
Body Notes: Gingerbread, honey nectar & sweet baking spice
Finish: Long and savory finish with subtle hints of sweet honey & spice

BOURBON FACTS
Type & Proof: Four Grain | Straight Bourbon Whiskey | 98 Proof | Non Chill-Filtered
Process: Blend of 3 bourbon mash bills comprised of four grains finished first in honey barrels and then new Amburana barrels from Brazil. Finishing period was ~2 years in total.
Age: 4-6 years
Mash Bill: 74% Corn | 14% Wheat | 9% Rye | 3% Malted Barley

What Gary Says

Nose:  Cinnamon rolls with honey, vanilla frosting, graham cracker crumbles with a bit of caramel and nutmeg.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with honey, cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, nutmeg and a bit of pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, syrupy with cinnamon rolls and honey.
Comments:  On the nose this doesn’t strike me as a “finished bourbon”. One of my pet peeves is when a finish overpowers the core whiskey, and that is the case here but . . . I really love it! As much as I want to critique the heavy handed finish, this is a delicious guilty pleasure. Sure, there’s some bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla tucked in there if you work at finding them, but the honey and cinnamon are center stage – and rocking it. If you want your bourbon to taste like bourbon, this could be disappointing. If you’re open to drinking what reminds me of honey slathered on freshly made cinnamon french toast (or a certain cinnamon roll drizzled in honey, you get the picture) – this is a really tasty treat!

Rating: Stands Out

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Whiskey JYPSI Explorer 1st Release

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Whiskey JYPSI Explorer 1st Release
6 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with French and Appalachian Oak Staves

51.5% ABV
$70
Website
Whiskey JYPSI Explorer
We would like to thank Outsiders Spirits and CHQ Media for sending us samples to review.

What the Producer Says

Our all-new Explorer Series is based on the harmony of unparalleled six-year aged whiskeys and unique finishing woods from around the globe. Perfectly paired to showcase the impact of the woods on the whiskey — from premium versions of common woods to the exotic — and beautifully marries our passion for whiskey with our spirit of exploration.

The inaugural Explorer release starts with a blend of two six-year-old bourbons — a low rye distilled in Kentucky and selected for its sweetness and an Indiana high rye chosen for its spice. The combined mash bill of 66% corn, 30% rye and 4% malted barley is then slowly reduced to 103 proof and finished using two oak varietals — French Oak from France’s famed Forest of Tronçais and American Oak from the Appalachian Mountains. Each of these woods was chosen for its ability to accentuate the sweetness and spice of the blend.

FINISHED IN FRENCH OAK from the Forest of Tronçais
The French Oak staves used in the inaugural Explorer release come from the Forest of Tronçais and were selected because of their accentuated notes of spice and leather. The oak trees from this forest have been used to make barrels for centuries and have housed some of the finest Bordeaux wines ever made. The Forest of Tronçais was originally overseen by the Duke of Bourbon and was later planted with oak trees by Louis XIV to supply timber for the French navy. The Tronçais region was also home to early European troubadours whose musical traditions of merging melodies and poetry ultimately migrated to the Appalachian Mountains – which became the heart of America’s singer-songwriter tradition.

FINISHED IN AMERICAN OAK from the Appalachian Mountains
The American Oak staves used in the first Explorer release come from the same Appalachian Mountains that were home to the roots of country music, where cooler conditions lead to slower growth and a tighter grain. This results in a specific mix of sweetness, richness, depth, and viscosity that pair perfectly with the spice of the French Oak as a key finishing component. Explorer’s Appalachian Oak was also harvested near where Whiskey JYPSI’s co-founder Eric Church grew up in North Carolina.

What Gary Says

Nose: Interesting wood spices, sandalwood, vanilla, honey and leather.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel with vanilla, caramel, chocolate covered raisins, bit of cola and white pepper.
Finish: Long with pepper spice, vanilla cola and honey.
Comments: This is an entirely different whiskey than their first Whiskey JYPSI Legacy, but it similarly has just a really thick and chewy mouthfeel that I am all about. And on top of this, this is a really interesting whiskey! Same bottle as their other offering (which if I had my preference, would have a synthetic cork instead of the real one), filled with spicy but sweet bourbon. Really nicely balanced with the different oak casks contributing some spicy nuance.

Rating: Stands Out

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Rebel 100 6 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

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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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Bourbon de Luxe (National Distillers)

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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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