Bourbon

Blanton’s Gold

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Blanton’s Gold

51.5% ABV
$70-$90
Website
Blanton's Gold

What the Distillery Says

Blanton’s Gold Edition was created for discerning bourbon aficionados who appreciate exceptional smoothness and complexity in their bourbon whiskey. The nose is first marked by spicy rye and tobacco notes. Caramel and honey follow soon after, mingled with dark fruit and citrus notes. The palate emulates the same complex nose with rye, tobacco, and honey at the forefront. Round and bold notes of charred oak and vanilla carry you through to an extremely long and harmonious finish. This bourbon consistently delivers on balance and character, on par with the world’s finest whiskey. Best served neat or with a splash of water. Bottled at 51.5% alcohol by volume.

*Not available in the United States. Only available in select international markets.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich sweetness, brown sugar, oak, toffee, vanilla, cinnamon, dark chocolate, hints of dark cherries.
Palate:  Sweet and thick, salted caramel, vanilla, notes of chocolate with cinnamon and a hint of . . . root beer?
Finish:  Moderately long with trailing notes of chocolate, root beer, and pepper.
Comments:  Delicious bourbon, wish this was available here in the United States. Takes water well, bringing out a little blood orange. The ‘root beer’ notes were a pleasant surprise (don’t get that often!) As a single barrel, maybe this one was really unique – I don’t know. While it is delicious, it isn’t always easy to get in those international markets where it is offered (so I might buy it on-sight just because you might not get another chance). A cut above Blantons, although not sure it is the cut that the price (and scarcity) would have you believe.

Rating: Must Try

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Heaven Hill Select Stock Bourbon SB.com Pick 2

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Heaven Hill Select Stock Bourbon
StraightBourbon.com Second Barrel Pick

62.3% ABV
$75
Website
Heaven Hill Select Stock

What the Bottle Says

(Why the bottle? Well, this isn’t mentioned on Heaven Hill’s web-site. The “Select Stock” label is something they’ve used for some one-off barrels (like these) or for limited gift shop releases. This is the 2nd private pick by Straightbourbon.com under this label)
Barrel Serial No: 00004828
Lot ID: 03I24A
Rickhouse/Floor: J-6 | Rack/Tier: 0-0
Special Characteristics: 8 year old Wheated Bourbon Finished in Cognac barrels for 27 months
Bottle 176 of 426
Distillation Date: 9/24/2003
Bottled Date: 5/2/2014

Hand Selected for StraightBourbon.com to raise funds for the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund and fight against ALS.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Damn near the same as the first barrel pick, heavy vanilla, caramel, nice oak with a bit more of the dark cherries, a slight floral note along with some chocolate orange in the back.
Palate:  Very similar, warm, thick and sweet, a bit more velvety mouthfeel, caramel fudge with loads of vanilla, black cherry with a little more cinnamon and nutmeg (maybe a hint of clove), freshly cracked pepper.
Finish:  Long, slightly drying with cinnamon more prominent.
Comments:  Tasting this side by side with the first barrel pick, they are incredibly similar.  I had already opened my bottle from the first barrel when the opportunity for this one came around, and I signed up for basically as many as I could get.  Spending an extra 8 months in the cognac barrel – I thought there was a chance that it might be more heavy handed.  Not the case, at least for my palate.  The differences are very subtle and nuanced.  Again – not likely you’ll ever see this, but if you do – highly recommend trying it!

Rating: Must Buy

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Heaven Hill Select Stock Bourbon SB.com Pick 1

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Heaven Hill Select Stock Bourbon
StraightBourbon.com First Barrel Pick

63.8% ABV
$75
Website
Heaven Hill Select Stock

What the Bottle Says

(Why the bottle? Well, this isn’t mentioned on Heaven Hill’s web-site. The “Select Stock” label is something they’ve used for some one-off barrels (like these) or for limited gift shop releases. In fact this may have been the first release under the label, but I’m not positive. It is definitely one of the first!)
Barrel Serial No: 00004826
Lot ID: 03I24A
Rickhouse/Floor: J-6 | Rack/Tier: 0-0
Special Characteristics: 8 year old Wheated Bourbon Finished in Cognac barrels for 19 months
Bottle 249 of 366
Distillation Date: 9/24/2003
Bottled Date: 9/19/2013

Hand Selected for StraightBourbon.com to raise funds for the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund and fight against ALS.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich vanilla bean, salted caramel, summer rickhouse oak with nutmeg, cinnamon, dark cherries, chocolate, a hint of clove and a faint hint of black tea.
Palate:  Warm, thick sweet caramel/vanilla fudge, black cherry ice cream with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, a bit of freshly cracked pepper.
Finish:  Long, slightly drying with floral vanilla and cinnamon notes.
Comments:  On the nose this is a tad sharp, but at 63.8% that’s understandable. When this was offered to a select number of active community members on Straightbourbon.com, I was honored to be included – but also a bit nervous. At that time, $75 was a LOT of money for me to spend on a bottle of whiskey. I had tried the Parker’s Heritage Collection 5th edition, which was a rye-mashbill bourbon finished in cognac barrels, and I wasn’t overwhelmed. But, the proceeds were going to a good cause, so I definitely wanted to participate, and I only asked to purchase two of these. DOH! I wish I had gotten more. The cognac finish is subtle, giving it a little bit of black cherry notes, but not overpowering the bourbon. Unfortunately with only 366 bottles (and all going to members of that community, who each pledged NOT to sell them – although a couple have been), your odds of ever seeing this are close to nill. But if you ever happen upon an open bottle at some gathering, I’d make sure I got a taste!  As I prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, giving thanks for having had the opportunity to be part of the amazing Straightbourbon.com community.

Rating: Must Buy

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New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

Distilled Fall 2015, Bottled Fall 2019
Barrel 15-4134
55.8% ABV
$50
Website
New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

What the Distillery Says

BARREL PROOF WITHOUT CHILL FILTRATION
AGED AT LEAST 4 YEARS
HIGH RYE MASH BILL – 30 % RYE

New Riff Distilling’s core Bourbon expression is a genuinely high-rye, full bodied whiskey offering savory, spicy character, bottled at Barrel Proof without Chill Filtration. Featuring a mash bill of non-GMO grains at 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley, it represents a new riff on Kentucky’s most hallowed whiskey traditions. Aged four years in 53-gallon toasted and charred new oak barrels, there are no shortcuts taken in our production. All New Riff whiskeys are made with the full sour mash Kentucky Regimen; all carry an age statement, and are always bottled without chill filtration.

At New Riff, single barrel expressions are a way of life. As former Kentucky liquor retailers, we are intimately familiar with some of Kentucky’s most famed private barrel Bourbon selections ever, and we bring that experience to New Riff. A New Riff Private Barrel selection, whether for trade or private clients, offers an unparalleled experience, replete with tasting notes and an immersive process in our warehouse. Each New Riff single barrel has been tasted and approved by our production panel. Our retail and on-premise partners then select each of their private barrels themselves. In the end, you can taste a New Riff Single Barrel knowing it was fully vetted and thoroughly tasted and approved.

TASTING NOTES
While each Single Barrel owns its specific flavor profile, New Riff Bourbon generally shows big and spicy flavors. This is not a light, delicate, simple whiskey—we have crafted for robust and fulsome flavor from start to finish. Our unfiltered bottling regimen allows all the character of the barrel to shine through in the glass.

Appearance: Extra rich, unfiltered deep amber color.
Nose: Butterscotch rounding into fresh oak, with hints of vanilla and rye spice.
Taste: Broad, fulsome mouthfeel, leading to a sweeter vanilla accent, before a gathering of rye spices (clove, cinnamon, mint, dark berry) into the finish.
Finish: Long, rye-led finish, with brambly red-black fruits amid white pepper and clove.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Corn flakes, vanilla, light caramel cremes, cinnamon, oak with a bit of anise and clove.
Palate:  A tad sharp and on the spicy side with caramel and vanilla, brown sugar, oak, hints of dark chocolate and toffee.
Finish:  Short, drying with toffee, brown sugar and spice.
Comments:  For a four year old bourbon, this is solid. I like that New Riff isn’t cutting corners, and using full sized barrels (and appreciate the non-chill filtration!)  Also really liked what I heard in an interview with Ken Lewis by Bourbon Pursuit (which was after I wrote this review).  At this price point, you’re paying a premium like you would with a craft distillery – but getting a solid whiskey, and supporting folks who are in the whiskey business to make great whiskey. I’m hoping that as products get some age (and they recoup some of their fixed costs) the prices will come down.  One thing I’m not a big fan of is their bottle.  I like to see the color of my whisk(e)y in the bottle, and the matte black treatment done to the top half (which I find is well executed as it fades, and artistically is attractive) tends to make it more difficult to see the true color of the whisk(e)y.  I’m not throwing that out as an accusation (the bourbon in the glass has a nice color, even at just four years old), but just an observation.

Rating: Stands Out

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Maker’s Mark Private Select – Dekalb Bottle House 2018

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Maker’s Mark Private Select
Exclusive Oak Stave Selection – Dekalb Bottle House (TANSTAAFL)

55.7% ABV
$70
Website

What the Distillery Says

At Maker’s Mark, our wood-finishing series was created to explore new, unique expressions of our signature whisky. Beginning as fully matured Maker’s Mark® at cask strength, Private Select is created by adding 10 custom wood finishing staves to each barrel. It’s then aged in our limestone cellar to extract a unique, flavorful taste profile. Participants in this special barrel program get their say in the selection of these wooden staves. The finishing staves can be any combination of five flavor profiles chosen especially for this program. With 1,001 possible stave combinations, each expression of Private Select has a customized finish and taste profile that is unique, yet undeniably Maker’s®. Maker’s Mark Private Select® is available in select markets and also at our distillery.

Below are the notes on the different staves
The Maker’s 46® stave: The one that started this whole experiment. It delivers notes of dried fruit, vanilla and spice that you may be familiar with if you’ve tried Maker’s 46.
The Baked American Pure stave: Baked American Pure is American oak that’s slowly toasted. It adds notes of brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice.
The Seared French Cuvée stave: Seared French Cuvée is a French oak stave that’s cooked with infrared heat. It imparts toasty notes of oak and caramel.
The Roasted French Mocha stave: Roasted French Mocha is French oak cooked on high in a convection oven. It adds pleasant traces of char, maple and cacao.
The Toasted French Spice stave: Toasted French Spice is a French oak stave, cooked at both high and low temperatures in a convection oven. This stave has a flavor profile of smoke, coumarin and spice.

The finishing with the additional staves is typically 9 weeks.

This specific barrel’s stave selections were:

Seared French Cuvée: 1
Maker’s 46: 4
Roasted French Mocha: 4
Toasted French Spice: 1

What Gary Says
Nose:  Caramel, toffee, butterscotch, bits of dark chocolate, hints of anise, cinnamon, french oak.
Palate:  Sweet but spicy, caramel corn, toffee, nutmeg, dusting of pepper and cinnamon, hints of clove and vanilla.
Finish:  Moderately long with lingering baking spices.
Comments:  Like other Maker’s Mark Private Selections, this is more spicy than your typical Maker’s Mark (even the cask strength version).  I like this a lot, and this makes an outstanding Old Fashioned.  Takes a bit of water well, keeping the spice while tamping down the edges a bit.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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