Bourbon

Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon
Finished With 200 Year Oak, Maple Wood & Cherry wood

50.3% ABV
$50
Website

We would like to thank The Dexter Bourbon Company and IT Public Relations for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon, named one of the twelve best bourbons in the world by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2020, is returning bourbon to its 1800s roots – “Of the people, by the people, for the people” – paying homage to Edmund Dexter, one of the leading bourbon pioneers of his time. Edmund Dexter’s blends were so renowned that even Charles Dickens and King Edward VII visited him at his home in Cincinnati.

The Dexter Bourbon Company was founded by Doug Hall and Joe Girgash. Doug Hall is also the Co-founder and CEO of Brain Brew Custom Whiskey and the Founder of Eureka! Ranch, with one of its long-term clients being Edrington, distillers of The Macallan. They also have a collaboration with Edrington to produce Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon, a unnamed 94 point San Francisco Gold Medal winner, that is available nationwide.

As Doug states, “In a marketplace where the really great bourbons are impossible to find – we are excited to have plenty of Dexter Bourbon available for this holiday season.” It has been long understood that 70% of the flavor and 100% of the smoothness of bourbon and all whiskies comes from the interaction of the whiskey and the wood.

The incredible flavor of Dexter Three Wood is a result of WoodCraft Finishing with three artisan woods – vintage 200-Year Oak, Maple Wood and Cherry Wood. Each of these woods provides a different element – a long, luxurious finish, incredible smoothness, and fresh, bright flavor. Dexter Three Wood was awarded the highest score – 95 points – by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge and it was selected as one of the Top 100 Spirits in the World.

The history of bourbon dates back to the pre-prohibition era in the 1800s when most whiskey was purchased from whiskey merchants who were barrel blenders. Merchants would buy whiskey from farmers, and then, they would blend various barrels together to create different tastes depending on their customer’s preferences. In Cincinnati, the Queen city of the West, there were over 100 barrel blenders. But there were more around the world, including the famous Johnnie Walker, in Scotland.

Dexter is crafted from a 36% rye straight bourbon.

TASTING NOTES: Bitter Chocolate, Orange Peel, and Vanilla nose. A Palate of Earthy, Peppery Rye combines with Cherry, Caramel and Cocoa gives way to a long and supple finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, orange zest, buttered popcorn, baking spices with caramel, hint of maple and cherry with oak.
Palate:  Oily mouthfeel with caramel, honey, vanilla, citrus spice followed by cinnamon, pepper and cocoa.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with cocoa and cracked pepper.
Comments:  What stands out to me with this is the sharp crack of pepper – which you get a sharpness from a high-rye mashbill but this is more than that (perhaps owning to the wood treatment). The maple and cherry are quite subtle, showing up only a bit on the nose. I really dig the mouthfeel, and a bit of water thickens it up even more and tamps some of the pepper spice notes, as well as bringing out a bit of the cherry wood on the palate.

Rating: Stands Out

Booker’s “Tagalong Batch” Batch 2021-03
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

6 Years, 5 Months, 0 Days
62.75% ABV
$90
Website

We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says:

The third release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2021-03 “Bardstown Batch.” This batch honors the homeplace of 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe along with several other generations of Beam family members.

Booker was born in Springfield, Kentucky, but spent a good amount of time in Bardstown visiting friends along with his grandfather, Jim Beam. After going to college, he moved to Bardstown full-time to join the family business. Booker lived in Bardstown for more than 50 years and was well known in the community for his infectious personality. He was the ultimate host, always inviting people over to the house for drinks and dinner parties. These events became well known across town, especially when Booker was serving his country ham that he would smoke right in the backyard – a practice he learned from his grandfather and one that 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe continues to this day.

Today, Fred Noe lives in the same house in Bardstown that his great-grandfather Jim Beam lived in, and 8th Generation Master Distiller Freddie Noe is right next door with his own family. Though Bardstown may be called the Bourbon Capital of the World, to the Beam family this special place is simply home.

Booker’s “Bardstown Batch” has a matured amber color. The aroma contains brown sugar and caramel, balanced with bakery spice and wood sugar notes from the charred white oak barrels. The full-bodied taste will make it an ideal pour as the weather starts to turn crisp.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, vanilla, charred oak, cocoa, leather and a bit of clove.
Palate:  Warm caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, peanut brittle, dark chocolate, nutmeg and a hint of orange bitters.
Finish:  Moderately long with oak, cocoa and a bit of pepper.
Comments:  The unbroken streak continues – another really solid Booker’s batch. This one struck me as maybe a bit more oaky than the last few, but not having them on hand to subject to a blind side-by-side – I can’t say for sure. This takes water well, and thickens up nicely – tamping the oak notes a bit.

Rating: Stands Out

Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002
Finished in Apple Brandy Casks

60.4% ABV
$90
Website

We would like to thank Watershed Distillery for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Watershed Distillery announces its most mature spirit to date—a highly limited barrel strength bourbon—will be released on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at the distillery with limited allocation in Ohio retail agencies and select markets across the U.S. to follow. The highly anticipated 2021 Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 follows the release of Batch 001 in September 2020 for the distillery’s 10-year anniversary, which sold out in under three hours.

Created from some of the last remaining barrels of Watershed Distillery’s original five grain mash bill of corn, wheat, rye, barley, and spelt—an ancient grain grown primarily in Ohio and
nod to the distillery’s craft roots—Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 was created from copper pot-distilled bourbon aged four years in virgin char #4 White Oak barrels and finished for 34-45
months in Watershed’s own Ohio apple brandy casks. Bottled without chill filtration at 120.8 proof, this rare and complex spirit was created from barrels 100% distilled, aged, and bottled
on-site, and represents the oldest bourbon ever released by Watershed Distillery.

“When selecting the barrels for this batch of our Barrel Strength Bourbon, our Barrel Master Anne Dimmick and I set out to highlight the true depth and complexity of the bourbon we make
at Watershed Distillery,” shares Head Distiller Aaron Harris. “We are always looking for that ‘magic’ in a barrel—a rich and bold bourbon with balanced sweetness that truly stands apart from the rest, and we think Batch 002 captures that perfectly.”

Watershed is releasing just 3,060 bottles of this highly anticipated limited offering to seven markets—Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Michigan. Suggested retail
price is $89.99. Tasting notes for Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 are as follows:

Appearance: Deep Amber
Aroma: Dark brown sugar caramel, roasted oak and rich vanilla
Flavor: The palate brings with it a full-bodied rich viscosity, with complex notes of fig, peripheral spice, and a touch of black cherry and toasted nuttiness
Finish: Robust and balanced with lingering complexity
Age: 6-8 years

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel covered apples, vanilla, oak, bit of molasses, note of cedar and fall leaves.
Palate:  Spicy with vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, pepper, black cherries, oak and pecan.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with pepper spice and cherry notes.
Comments:  This is the first whiskey from Watershed Distillery that I’ve had the pleasure to try. I love that they’re releasing this at barrel strength and non-chill filtered (AND with some age on it!) This was a bit hot and sharp (120 proof isn’t anything to sneeze at), but took water well which softened the edges and brought out some notes of apple pie. The apple brandy cask finish is fairly subtle, which given the finishing time I was surprised by (although appreciated, since I don’t care for heavy-handed finishes).  It does really shine with some water, without distracting from the core 5 grain bourbon.

Rating: Stands Out