Bourbon

Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon

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Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon

43% ABV
$20
Website

What the Distillery Says

Created in 1870, Old Forester is the only bourbon continuously distilled and marketed by the founding family before, during and after Prohibition. At 86 proof, Old Forester delivers a genuine bourbon experience, with rich, full flavor and a smooth character that is ideal for sipping neat, on the rock, with a splash of water or in a classic cocktail.

TASTING NOTES
AROMA: Sharp and sweet, with a strong floral character that swirls with hints of mint, rich tobacco leaf and vanilla. A touch of oak and pine provides a strong underpinning.
TASTE: Sharp at first, but softens quickly, with hints of oak, sweet corn and rye grain character. Spicy, with soft vanilla and light orange notes.
FINISH: Long, warm and slightly drying. Nice level of sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Crisp, sharp rickhouse must with vanilla, baking spices, and subtle spearmint with eucalyptus.
Palate:  Caramel toffee with notes of vanilla and cinnamon.
Finish:  On the short side, sweet with notes of light-roasted coffee.
Comments:  Old Forester 86 proof is a fairly basic/standard Kentucky Straight Bourbon. For my money, it is a small step up from Evan Williams (although I do appreciate that both are offered at 86 proof rather than 80!). A little more spice and nuance make this a quite serviceable bourbon.

Rating: Average

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Legent Bourbon Whiskey

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Legent Bourbon Whiskey

47% ABV
$35
Website

What the Distillery Says

A Bourbon Unlike Any Other.
Legent™ is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey partially finished in wine and sherry casks. But it’s more than that. It pushes the boundaries for how bourbons can be created while remaining true to the core of bourbon’s principles. It’s a collaboration between two whiskey legends – Fred Noe & Shinji Fukuyo – and two unique styles of whiskey making.

Three Barrels, One Unique Taste.
Three different types of barrels are used to create the unique flavor profile of Legent. Each one imparts its own unique characteristics to this boundary-pushing bourbon.

Bourbon Barrel Aging.
From these barrels, Legent absorbs char notes and rich, traditional bourbon cues like layers of caramel, oak and vanilla.

Sherry Cask Finishing.
Sherry casks add complex layers of spice, raisin and heavy dried fruit flavor. These casks also help give Legent its deeper, reddish color.

Red-Wine Cask Aging.
French oak wine casks impart different oak notes than traditional white oak bourbon barrels. These red-wine casks also give Legent mild, fruity undertones and a light acidity.

Legent Neat or On The Rocks.
As you drink Legent neat or on the rocks you’ll notice it change quickly as it sits on your tongue. It starts like a bourbon – rich, warm and oaky. Then, like a Japanese whisky, it features both complex layers of dried fruits and spice. Adding an ice cube or two accentuates Legent’s already bright, smooth and unexpectedly long finish.

What Gary Says

Nose: Caramel, chocolate covered cherries, raisins, ripe red grapes, honey, wine cask, charred oak.
Palate: Sweet with caramel, honey,  tart cherries, grapes, balanced with allspice and wine notes, a hint of oak.
Finish:  Moderately long, on the wet side with notes of canned fruit salad syrup lingering.
Comments:  If you like finished bourbons, this is well executed. I’ll admit – I was skeptical at first, as it is easy to over-do it with too many different casks where the result is just a mess. I get the bourbon foundation, the expected fruit notes from the sherry finishing, and the wine cask influence. Well balanced between the three without losing any of them. Having said that, I can’t say I love it. Personal preference, but I’ve yet to find a red-wine cask aging or finishing on bourbon that I’ve really liked. Just not in my wheelhouse. But I’m glad I tried this, and respect the craftsmanship at work.

Rating: Stands Out

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Four Roses Small Batch Select

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Four Roses Small Batch Select

52% ABV
$55-$60
Website
Four Roses Small Batch Select

What the Distillery Says

A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
SMALL BATCH SELECT
NON-CHILL FILTERED
104 PROOF
Small Batch Select launching in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia.  It will launch to additional locations in the future.

Crafted from six Unique Bourbon Recipes:
OBSV, OESV, OBSK, OESK, OBSF & OESF

This entirely new Bourbon marks the biggest addition to Four Roses’ storied history since Brent Elliott became Master Distiller, so we sat down with him to get a bit more information about this new product. Here’s what Brent had to say:

“We wanted to add something to our lineup that brings that pure experience you get with a non-chill filtered Bourbon, while also showcasing some of our recipes and flavors that aren’t as forward facing in our other existing bottles. While Small Batch Select can certainly be one of your special occasion Bourbons, we want it to be more accessible so you don’t hesitate to open up that bottle and enjoy it any time.”
-Brent Elliott, Four Roses Master Distiller

On the nose, Four Roses Small Batch Select offers raspberries, clove and nutmeg. As it hits the palate, it opens into flavors of apricot, ripe berries, vanilla and light oak. The finish lingers with notes of spearmint and a touch of cinnamon.

Each of the Bourbons selected for Small Batch Select have been aged for six and seven years.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, caramel apples, baking spices, vanilla bean, blood orange, floral notes with subtle oak and a hint of mint.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel that starts sweet before the spice kicks in; fruit salad with toasted caramel, mandarin oranges, nutmeg, allspice, hint of cinnamon.
Finish: Moderately long, damp with oak and trailing spices.
Comments:  Props to Four Roses for offering what whiskey geeks want: non-chill filtered, high proof whiskey. It takes water well, and is nicely balanced. If this was $40 or $45, it would be a no-brainer “Must Try”. Don’t get me wrong – it is very good whiskey, and I doubt fans of Four Roses would be disappointed. Although if you’re on a tight budget, might want to try this at a bar first.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon

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Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon

45% ABV
$30
Website

What the ??? Says

So this is a product of Frank-Lin Distillers Products (although it isn’t acknowledged on their web-site, but they are on the TTB label application). That’s it. That’s all I could find.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, caramel, subtle cinnamon and a hint of oak.
Palate:  Sweet, caramel with vanilla, a hint of milk chocolate.
Finish:  Short to moderately long with a bit of pepper spice at the end.
Comments:  This was the 3rd 50 mL bottle I bought at Total Wine (the Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon and Winchester Straight Bourbon being the other two), and I tasted all three of those at the same time over a period of days. This was by far the best of those three, which doesn’t say much. With no age statement, as a straight bourbon it has to be at least four years old, and that’d be about my guess. Nothing objectionable about this pour – other than the price. This one might give Evan Williams Black Label a run for its money. I sorta wish I had done a blind side by side of those two, but not enough to invest the couple bucks in another 50 mL. And certainly not enough to buy a whole bottle. Even if it were close, to be priced at $30 – unless you really dig the bottle/label, I would highly recommend buying the 50 mL first. Maybe it will blow some folks away and be well worth it, although I can’t imagine why.

Rating: Average

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Winchester Straight Bourbon

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Winchester Straight Bourbon

45% ABV
$25
Website

What the ??? Says

[Other than this is made by Terressentia and is available at Total Wine (presumably exclusively there), nothing. Really. We tried to find more info on their web-site with no success.]

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral perfume notes, sweet with a hint of baking spices.
Palate:  Vanilla, a hint of caramel and oak with a bit of nutmeg.
Finish:  Short and damp, with a hint of spice.
Comments:  Like the Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon, this was another 50 mL gamble where I had very low expectations. Per the label this is ‘at least 2 years old’, and tastes like you’d expect a 2 year old bourbon to taste like. The floral notes on the nose were different, but otherwise this rose to my low expectations (although for the price, there are so many bottles I’d buy before this, I couldn’t list them all). Usually with craft spirits, I compare them to Evan Williams Black Label – a very simple, straight bourbon. And I’d prefer that over this (even at the lower proof).

Rating: Average

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