Bourbon

Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 4th Release

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Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon
4th Release, 15 Yrs

50.2% ABV
$250
Website
Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 2021
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

  • Matured for 15 years
  • Distilled and aged in IN, KY and TN
  • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
  • 100.4 proof cask strength bottling

    • A bourbon characterized by evolution – where some whiskeys display their complexity all at once, here the flavors remain focused yet ephemeral. A gentle minerality yields to candied scents and then savory earthy ones, fruity aromas, and finally herbs and spices. The palate, meanwhile, is bright and sweet and tastes of cola.

    Appearance: Bronze.
    Nose: Starts with a puff of chalk dust and wood smoke. Underneath are notes of toasted marshmallow, warm honeycomb, and chocolate babka straight from the oven. Soon nubuck leather and sunflower seed jostle to the fore. Fruits emerge next, from Ginger Gold apples through roasted banana to strawberry jam, ending with chamomile and eucalyptus.
    Palate: A syrupy and sweet arrival is kept in check by moderate heat and some light but gritty tannin. A vivid cola note dominates at first, then allspice, fennel seed, and peppermint lead the wave of oak spice. A little fruity spirit peeks through with pops of green grape, strawberry meringue, and jasmine.
    Finish: The sugar washes away quickly, leaving a surprisingly dry, oily, palate with more noticeable tannin. The character correspondingly shifts to drier notes of pipe tobacco, walnut and iced coffee. As they fade a little more fruit emerges, around rhubarb jam and sumac.
    With a splash of spring water: The nose becomes incredibly fruity, showing crabapple, lychee, and blackberry tart. The palate grows fruitier as well, here on watermelon and earl grey tea. But it also develops an earthy spiciness, along gingerbread, radish, and nasturtium.

    What Gary Says

    Nose:  Rich with fudge and salted caramel, cigar paper, graham cracker, mincemeat pie, oak, berries, faint mineral note and hints of black tea.
    Palate:  Toffee, cross between coffee cake and fruitcake, cocoa, cola, nutmeg, allspice, oak, sherry and a hint of anise.
    Finish:  Moderately long and drying with dark chocolate and allspice.
    Comments:  This has a really lovely and complex nose! The palate is a bit dry and tannic (not what I’d call overly oaky, just not squarely in my wheelhouse), but still well balanced. A bit of water brings out fruit notes of green apple and melon. For cask strength to be barely 100 proof is also pretty rare, and provides more intensity than I usually find in a bourbon at this proof. I continue to be impressed with their blending of bourbons (and spirits) from different distilleries. If that aspect is interesting, but this price point is out of reach – I’d recommend finding Stellum Bourbon. I think that was the only bourbon I bought more than 1 bottle of in 2021!

    Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon

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

50.3% ABV
$50
Website
Dexter Three Wood Bourbon
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

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Baker’s Exclusive Selection

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Baker’s Exclusive Selection
Unfiltered Single Barrel
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Privately Selected; 11 years, 8 months

53.5% ABV
$100
Website
Baker's Exclusive Selection Unfiltered Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

This fall, Baker’s® Bourbon proudly introduces Baker’s® Exclusive Selection, a limited time offering of extra aged single barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey collected from some of Baker Beam’s favorite warehouses on the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s campus in Clermont, KY. Aged for 11 years and 8 months, the extra time in the barrel along with the changing seasons allows for even more distinct notes and layers of flavor to emerge from each individual barrel of Baker’s Exclusive Selection.

HISTORY
Baker’s Bourbon was created in 1992 by Sixth Generation Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe as part of the original Small Batch Bourbon Collection. Baker’s Bourbon is named after Baker Beam – grand-nephew of Jim Beam and a tenured distiller who worked at the Jim Beam Distillery for 38 years. Baker’s Bourbon began a new era as an exclusively single barrel bourbon in 2019, becoming as uniquely positioned among the James B. Beam Distilling Co. portfolio as its namesake Baker Beam is in the Beam family.

TASTING NOTES
While every bottle of Baker’s Bourbon offers a unique tasting journey, you can expect a few defining characteristics from the Baker’s Exclusive Selection bottles:
Proof: 107
Nose: Fruit, vanilla and caramel
Palate: Medium-bodied with flavors of oak, toasted nuts and vanilla
Finish: Robust flavors sit on the tongue for a while, warm and rounded

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel crème candies, vanilla, oak, chocolate fudge, roasted peanuts, baking spices, nutmeg, clove, leather, hint of mint and cinnamon.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, caramel, dark chocolate, hint of mint, peanut brittle, toffee, cloves and cinnamon.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with oak, leather and trailing spices.
Comments:  I sampled this alongside an older Baker’s (before it changed to a single barrel recently), and found this to have a more nuanced nose. It had a bit less oomph of caramel and vanilla, trading that for more complexity, more spice notes, and a nicer mouthfeel. I liked this better over time. While I’d always rather see cask strength when given the option, if I had to pick a proof point where bourbon really shines for me – it would be 107. A really solid addition to the Baker’s lineup! .

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Booker’s 2021-03 “Bardstown Batch”

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

6 Years, 5 Months, 0 Days
62.75% ABV
$90
Website
Bookers 2021 03 Bardstown Batch
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

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Chattanooga Whiskey Tawny Port Cask Finish

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Chattanooga Whiskey Tawny Port Cask Finish
Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks

47.5% ABV
$45
Website
Chattanooga Whiskey Port Finished

What the Distillery Says

Barrel Finishing Series
Proof: 95 (47.5% ABV)
Mash Bill: B001, B005, SB055, R18025, R18106 & R17113
Cooperage: 53 gal, toasted & charred oak barrels
Filtration: Non-chill
Finish: Tawny Port Barrels
Finishing Time: Greater than 6 months
Age: Greater than 3 years
Batch Size: 6-7 barrels
Tasting Notes: Fig jam, blackberries, chocolate syrup, toasted oak, raisin. Full-bodied, with a layered, sweet wine finish.

Our limited edition finishing series celebrates the union of Tennessee High Malt into a variety of classic finishing casks. Crafted from a combination of unique bourbon mash bills, each containing over 25% specialty malt, each batch is made to complement the flavor characteristics of the finishing barrel.

For our first finish, our distillers sought out one of the most famous fortified wines of Portugal, Tawny Port. Our finishing casks come from the eastern most edge of the famous Douro valley bordering Spain, known as Duoro Superior. This region yields some of the highest quality Tawny Ports of the region, noted for their rich, caramel-sweet, fruit-forward characteristics.

To highlight and enhance the qualities of these finishing barrels, our distillers brought together a custom blend of 6 Tennessee High Malt mash bills, selected together for their fruity wine-line flavors and aromas. Aged for over 3 years, including 6 months in the Tawny Port casks, the result is a celebration of one of the world’s most iconic wine styles alongside our very own Tennessee High Malt.

Featured Mash Bills:
B001 – Dried Fruit, Spice
B005 – Butterscotch, Pastry
SB055 – Chocolate, Brown Sugar
R18025 – Caramel, Honey, Citrus
R18016 – Toasted Oak, Red Fruit
R17113 – Dried Fruit, Jam

What Gary Says

Nose:  Port wine with fruit notes, raisins, caramel, oak.
Palate:  Sweet, port forward with caramel, vanilla, subtle mineral note with pepper spice.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with port, oak and pepper.
Comments:  I do like port finished whiskey, but this felt a bit heavy handed for me. I tried this next to Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels, which I enjoyed. I found that to be better balanced with the port influence being clearly present, but not overdone. That said, if you like a heavier finish influence, this might be right up your alley, although if I had $50 and was looking for a port finished bourbon – I’d go with the Bowman. I did enjoy the Chattanooga Whiskey 1816 Cask Unfiltered Barrel Proof Bourbon, so I’ll try more of their stuff and look forward to future releases.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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