Bourbon

Calumet Farm Single Rack Black 15 Year Old Bourbon
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

52.5% ABV
$120-140
Website

What the Producer Says

Calumet Farm Single Rack Black 15 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey is the pinnacle of the Calumet Farm Bourbon family. It represents the premium quality our brand is known for, as well as the hard-earned badge of patience. Allowing our bourbon to age slowly in Kentucky-only rick houses is a testament to doing things the right way – the way bourbon should be done. All barrels used to craft these rare batches are aged in a single, center cut rack. This expression of the Calumet Farm Bourbon family is our most aged and highest proof to date. It is Non-Chill Filtered for added depth of character and color.

Distilled/Aging Location: Bardstown, Kentucky
Batch Size: 19 Barrels (ea.)
Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash Bill: 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley
Bottled By: Three Springs Bottling Company, Bowling Green, KY

TASTING NOTES
Color: Deep amber throughout with shimmering highlights of copper and sun-yellow
Nose Upon Uncorking: Notes of oak and wood char are notable
Nose After Breathing: Complex scents of dark fruit and sweet corn
Taste: Bold flavors of oak, aged spice and toasted grains are present while toffee and a subtle smoky-sweetness roll across the palate
Finish: A lingering finish mellows, leaving sweet tobacco and rye flavors with a slightly dry mouth feel

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel creams, oak, maple candies, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg and cherries.
Palate:  Caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, cherries and clove.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with oak, baking spices and honey.
Comments:  Compared to the 14 year, the addition proof helps give this a bit more oomph with more cherries, and darker chocolate notes. The oak actually is less tannic than the 14 year which is a nice surprise (again, small batches can lead to more variation). This definitely has a thicker mouthfeel as well, and depending where you shop – is very similarly priced to the 14 year.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Yellowstone Toasted
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Toasted Staves

50% ABV
$50
Website

We would like to thank Limestone Branch Distillery and BYRNE PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Distillery Says

ST. LOUIS (Oct. 9, 2023) – Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Toasted Staves – the first release within the brand’s Special Finishes Collection and the latest inspiration from Limestone Branch Distillery Master Distiller Stephen Beam – is set to hit retail shelves in October. Aged four years and bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV), Yellowstone Toasted will be available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $49.99 per 750-ml bottle.

Yellowstone Toasted starts with the brand’s traditional bourbon mash bill, which is then stave finished. Beam, a seventh-generation master distiller, hand-selected a combination of five different staves – high toast, American oak double-toast, vanilla, rick house and spice rack – to get the desired flavor profile.

The resulting bourbon features a nose of toasted caramel and vanilla with hints of fall spices and cinnamon; a medium body with notes of walnut, toffee, black tea and white pepper; and a crisp finish highlighted by cocoa, tobacco and oak.

“The Yellowstone Special Finishes Collection is a great way to honor more than 150 years of bourbon heritage while still keeping things fresh and exciting,” said Beam. “I began experimenting with toasted barrels in 2016, 2017, and 2018 with Yellowstone Limited Edition releases and again more recently with distillery-exclusive Yellowstone Toasted Single Barrel. My experience helped in crafting what stave flavors to use and at what percentage to get the right flavor profile for Yellowstone Toasted. I can’t wait for consumers to try this latest full-time member of the Yellowstone Bourbon family.”

Yellowstone Toasted packaging features the brand’s iconic bottle and Roosevelt Arch artwork, as well as a more prominent version of the Yellowstone brand name and a Special Finishes Collection call-out. The bottle’s brown top-wrap helps to differentiate Yellowstone Toasted Bourbon from other Yellowstone variants.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, toasted oak, baked apple crisp, anise, nutmeg, cinnamon and citrus zest.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, caramel, chocolate, walnuts, brown sugar, oak, pepper and cinnamon.
Finish: Moderately long, syrupy with honey, caramel and spices
Comments:  This is a really nice, spicy bourbon! Lots of spice notes with an edge but not too sharp. Drinks nicely neat, although a few drops of water bring out some nice nutty chocolate notes. The spice on this also lends it to fit in nicely in a variety of cocktails that call for bourbon or rye.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Remus Gatsby Reserve 2023 15 Years Old
Straight Bourbon Whiskey

49.05% ABV
$200
Website

We would like to thank Luxco and BYRNE PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Producer Says

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 19, 2023) – Ross & Squibb Distillery announced the return of the most-limited
member of the Remus Bourbon family: Remus Gatsby Reserve 2023 Edition. Released to celebrate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary novel, “The Great Gatsby”, a century ago – from the events in 1922 that inspired the novel to its publication in 1925 – Remus Gatsby Reserve is bottled at 98.1 proof (49.05% ABV) and offered in ultra-limited quantities at a minimum suggested retail price of $199.99 per 750-ml bottle.

Crafted by Master Distiller Ian Stirsman and the team at Ross & Squibb Distillery, Remus Gatsby Reserve contains some of the 175-year-old Lawrenceburg, Indiana, distillery’s finest 15-year-old reserves of straight bourbon whiskey. This year, Remus Gatsby Reserve features two bourbon mash bills (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt; and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% barley malt) and is offered at cask strength. Hitting shelves this October, Remus Gatsby Reserve leads with aromas of caramel, candied dark fruit and saddle leather, with slight brown sugar and very sweet candied notes. The taste profile is characterized by flavors of caramel, oak, dark fruit syrup, candied raisins, char and brown sugar, while the finish lingers with notes of saddle leather, cherry and oak.

“We have produced great bourbon whiskey over the years at Ross & Squibb, and the Remus Bourbon brand has provided our team an opportunity to showcase some of our best,” said Stirsman. “Remus Gatsby reserve provides a special opportunity to showcase the best of the best – including two different mash bills of some of the finest 15-year-old bourbons in our reserves. Remus Gatsby Reserve made quite an impact when it was launched last year, and the 2023 Edition is likely to follow suit as a highly sought-after member of the Remus Bourbon family.”

The inaugural 2022 expression of Remus Gatsby Reserve achieved some of the highest recognition in the bourbon category, earning Gold in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits competition, the 2023 Bartenders Spirits Awards competition and the 2023 SIP Awards. Additionally, the 2022 Edition of Remus Gatsby Reserve earned Platinum status at the 2023 ASCOT Awards and was named “Bourbon of the Year” by Robb Report, as well as one of “The Best Rare Bourbons That are Actually Worth the Cost” by Inside Hook magazine.

What Gary Says

Nose: Caramel, toffee, oak, vanilla sponge cake, honey, worn leather, brown sugar, cherry, baking spices and a hint of blackberry.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel with caramel, oak, dark fruit notes (raising and blackberries), cinnamon, raw honey, chocolate and a bit of molasses.
Finish: Long and drying with oak, leather and black cherry.
Comments: The nose on this is lovely with depth and complexity. The palate is almost too oaky for my taste, but some lovely notes as well. The inaugural release of Remus Gatsby Reserve 15 Years Old last year was really nice, and also low proof for a cask strength bourbon, and while I don’t have any left to compare side by side, this is a bit different. Like last years, it doesn’t want for water, but a bit changes things up, bringing the fruit notes on the nose forward including a tropical slant towards pineapple and coconut. Another really solid limited edition offering!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Pure Kentucky XO
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

53.5% ABV
$45
Website

What the Distillery Says

tasting notes
Aptly named, because when you think of Kentucky, you think Bourbon. The nose is toffee, fruit, eucalyptus and oak. The palate is cinnamon, toffee, caramel, pepper, oak, and spices.
tasting notes courtesy of:
Bill Thomas, Jack Rose Dining Saloon

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, fudge, vanilla wafers, charred oak, grilled corn, brown sugar and mixed nuts.
Palate:  Chewy mouthfeel, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate brownie with a hint of peanut brittle.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with oak, chocolate, and pepper.
Comments:  Just a rock solid bourbon right here. This makes an excellent Old Fashioned too. I loved the earlier version of this label, which I’m certain included older stocks than it does now (while not age stated, Willett has only been actively distilling the last 10 or so years, and I think the older renditions of this included stocks of 12+ years old). Either way, this has a very similar profile to what I remember and is quite nice. I do get some corn notes which show its youth, and the peanut brittle note is nice (although subtle; this isn’t as strong as on some Beam products). This proof point is my sweet spot for bourbon which helps, but the blending of barrels from different ages and I’m sure different warehouse locations all go into hitting that profile.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try