Bourbon

Trail’s End Crafted with 8 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Finished with Oregon Oak
Batch 002
45% ABV
$36
Website

What the Bottle Says
Trail’s End® is an ultra-premium, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished with Oregon Oak. Crafted using premium barrels of Kentucky straight bourbon, Trail’s End traveled along the treacherous terrain from Kentucky to Oregon, following the path that Lewis and Clark once blazed. Not too far from the end of the Oregon Trail, our bourbon is finished with Oregon Oak and the result is exceptional!

Smell the aroma of floral honeysuckle, apricot, spearmint and orange blossom with roasted hazelnut and traces of cereal sweetness and chocolate. Next, take a sip and enjoy the smooth sweet malt and chocolate flavor bolstered by toasted hazelnut with notes of tobacco and a touch of rye. Lastly, savor the long and warm finish, oily and buttery with a lovely malt spice kick and slight char note.

To the Explorer in All of Us!

What Gary Says
Nose: Sweet but sharp, oaky cinnamon with vanilla crème brulee dusted with allspice.
Palate: Almost creamy mouthfeel with sweet vanilla honey and some earthy/oaky spice; cinnamon red hots near the end.
Finish: Moderately long and dry with a slight bite at the end.
Comments: A bit more oak than you’d expect for an 8 year old bourbon but not too oaky (although getting close for my taste), although you have to keep in mind that being finished in new oak after aging for 8 years is going to make it more oak forward. The finishing gives it a unique earthiness that I think is interesting; gives it a sharp edge that emphasizes a rye kick.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says
Nose: Caramel, under cooked toffee, vanilla bean ice cream, and a bit of mint.
Palate: Straight up rye bourbon goodness. It presents in a vanilla, honey, and caramel sweetness with nutty undertones. But then you get a kick in the mouth. The rye spice and oak are aggressive to the point of being rough.
Finish: The finish is big doses of aged tobacco, cocoa powder, and mint.
Comments: To be clear, this is 8 year old Kentucky straight bourbon. It spent a little time in some Oregon oak and was cut with local water but it’s Kentucky bourbon. I mention this, not to dispute the bottling classification, but rather to make the point that if you don’t like bourbon, you won’t like this. It is not some super special and unique Oregon whiskey unlike all others. It presents like an 8-ish year old rye forward bourbon. However, the aggressiveness of the palate is something of which you should be aware. For a 90 proofer, it drinks like a 110-120. Not in terms of mouthfeel or fullness but in terms of heat. I do commend the pricing. For sub-$40 it’s worth taking a gamble on a bottle. You find that it is right up your alley.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Hood River Distillers for sending us a bottle to review.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon whiskey Finished in Port Barrels
2017 Release
62.25% ABV
$180
Website

What the Bottler Says
Ranked the “Best Spirit in the World” by Spirit Journal, Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels is unlike any whiskey you’ve ever tried. Angel’s Envy is releasing fewer than 8,000 bottles of our award-winning Cask Strength this year, so don’t miss your chance to pick up a bottle or two of this rare and delicious spirit.

Perfection is a patient man’s game. So we waited until Angel’s Envy reached the perfect level of maturity. We judge only a handful of barrels exceptional enough for our lengthy finishing process. The result? Even at 124.6 proof, every sip is worth savoring.

A remarkably complex and unfiltered spirit, we suggest you enjoy it neat or with just a splash of water to release the flavor nuances, and perhaps with a few friends who appreciate outstanding whiskey. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength was worth waiting for, now it’s worth sharing.

APPEARANCE Rich gold with an amber depth
NOSE Rose petals, dense fruitcake, fresh strawberries, cracked black peppercorns, clove
PALATE Caramel coffee, dried fig, aged tobacco, toasted sourdough bread
FINISH Rich and buttery, add water to soothe the burn and let the finish linger

What Gary Says
Nose: Rich, smokey sweet barbecue sauce, oaky with some sherry and stewed dark fruit, and subtle baking spices.
Palate: Luscious sweet fruit with sharp oak and pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long and wet.
Comments: This has a really nice nose, as the previous year’s releases have – but the palate for me was only “pretty good”. Not as balanced and integrated as past releases – which isn’t to say that this isn’t good (just not “as good”). This is usually a “Must Try” for me, but this year isn’t quite there.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says
Nose: Burnt caramel, fig pudding, and a wisp of campfire smoke. Water opens up more spices like clove, allspice, cinnamon, and a pinch of anise.
Palate: Light roasted coffee beans, Dominican cigars, and dulce de leche. Water opens up a slightly bitter note and some pleasant canned cherry pie filling flavors.
Finish: The finish is heavy on oak and very drying.
Comments: Over the last several years I haven’t seen much movement in the spirit released each year as Angel’s Envy’s cask strength bottles. It was consistently a very good but very expensive bottle of whiskey. This year’s release seems off to me. The wood dominates much more heavily than previous releases and you have to work to pull out the subtle aspects of the whiskey. It is not nearly as well balanced. Also, given the every growing price point I’m finding it difficult to recommend this year’s release. Without any insight into the cask strength composition, this feels like stocks getting released at progressively older ages and then this year it has gone a year too far.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Angel’s Envy for sending us a sample to review.

Traverse City XXX Straight Bourbon Whiskey
43% ABV
$35
Website

What the Distillery Says
MASH: CORN, RYE, MALTED BARLEY

Amber and elegant, our XXX Straight Bourbon Whiskey has been aged at least four years in new American white oak barrels. With warm vanilla and a little heat, this is your go-to whiskey for all occasions. Perfect for sipping, it still holds its own in your much deserved craft cocktail.

What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla pudding with a hint of cinnamon and a layer of corn with musty/soft oak; a slight edge/bite; on the young side.
Palate: Thin mouthfeel with sweet corn, cinnamon, vanilla custard with some caramel; a touch of sour oak with a slight pepper note at the end.
Finish: Short to moderate in length and mellow while drying.
Comments: Growing up in Michigan, I was really excited to try this. While I found nothing off-putting about this straight bourbon (which is at least 4 yrs old), I also didn’t find anything exciting or special. Each time I tried it, I walked away uninspired and reminded of young, craft whiskey. I didn’t pass the “would I prefer this over Evan Williams Black Label” test – even if priced the same (which they’re far from). Don’t get me wrong – this hits all the right notes for a straight bourbon with the vanilla and caramel. I suspect that the impression of being “young” is a function of being aged in northern Michigan compared to Kentucky.
Rating: Average

What Richard Says
Nose: The nose is predominated by malty corn notes. Not dissimilar from younger (4-6 year old) Heaven Hill bourbons.
Palate: Corn pudding and vanilla cream sweetness. The youth of the taste comes from it being more corn forward as a bourbon than any deficiency or harshness in the product. Nice for a young bourbon.
Finish: The finish is mellow and clean.
Comments: [A quick note on the bottle that we reviewed. The current release featured on Traverse City’s website is a four or more year old XXX Bourbon but the bottle we got and reviewed is labeled as a two or more year old XXX Bourbon.] I’m a bit gun shy on new “craft” bourbons because they are always overpriced and typically pretty awful. In opposition to that, Traverse City seems to be doing it right. It’s still pricey at $35 for a young bourbon but that is much more reasonable than like products. The quality of the product is pretty top notch too. It’s young but in a corn forward way. It’s not harsh or rough at all. I hope they are laying down stocks for older versions because I would really like to try this again in a 6 or preferably 8 year old version.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Company for sending us a bottle to review.