Bourbon

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2013 Release
125th Anniversary Bourbon
51.6% ABV
$85
Website

What the Distillery Says:
With the ongoing celebration of our 125th Anniversary this year, our Master Distiller describes this release as “what could be the best Bourbon we’ve ever put in a bottle.” This year’s Barrel Strength Limited Edition Small Batch, created from 3 of our 10 distinct Bourbon recipes, welcomes you to the party with generous creamy vanilla, light oak and cherry cordial aromas. Bright splashes of raspberry and apricot greet the palate, giving way to subtle tones of nutmeg and cocoa. Then mellow flavors of cherry and vanilla bean define the long, luxurious finish in such a way to make you wish you could toast our 125th every year for the next 125 or more. Cheers.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Creamy vanilla, light oak and cherry cordial aromas.
Palate: Raspberry and apricot with subtle tones of nutmeg and coca
Finish: Cherry and vanilla bean.

Recipe
OBSV -18 years
OBSK – 13 years
OESK – 13 years

What Richard Says:
Nose: Stewed cherries, sharp vanilla, and a stiff woody backbone.
Palate: Cocoa powder, vanilla cream, stone fruits, musty old leather furniture, baking spices, and berries.
Finish: Luden’s cough drops and a dry oak finish of medium length.
Comments: This is another great release from Four Roses but it’s fickle with water. A splash or two opens the taste to more of the fruitier/berry notes and calms the finish but it makes the nose a little astringent. Truly a great and delicious bourbon but the water thing leaves me perplexed.
Rating: Must Buy

Barterhouse Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Aged 20 Years
45.1% ABV
$80
Website

What the Bottler Says:
The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Company was started to share barrels of rare and delicious whiskey, hidden away and nearly forgotten in the back of rickhouses and distilleries.

Stories of these lost whiskeys have become the stuff of legend. Our goal is to bottle these rare, small offerings for the world to try.

Every Orphan Barrel is hand bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee, to ensure that these rare whiskeys are treated with the care they deserve – because some of them will only be available once. And once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

Twenty years in American Oak will make your average spirit a bit mellow. Take all the fight out. Well this here is no ordinary spirit, and twenty years is long enough to pick up a trick or two. For one barrel in particular, it was long enough to develop the gift of a silver tongue. The old rickhouse hands had it written off as a rumor. A character so smooth, it could clean out the card sharps and take the shirt off a travelling salesman’s back.

But the rumors were true. And when the chips are in, a smooth operator can be mighty persuasive indeed. One sip of Barterhouse Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and you just might find yourself forgiving Robert Johnson for trading his soul to the very devil himself.

Tasting notes include warm biscuits and buttercream, with spice and brown sugar in the finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Let it settle in the glass and nose comes across all warm vanilla cream and caramel. Agitate it a bit and the wood and cinnamon pop to the front.
Palate: A nice creaminess to the mouth for a sub 100 proofer. Burnt vanilla beans, cinnamon Red Hots, a little orange zest, and peach pie.
Finish: The finish is heavy on the wood but after 20 years in a new charred oak barrel you would expect that. Even still, Barterhouse wears the wood and age well. The wood on the finish is guiding hand out of the bourbon not a wallop with the oak stick.
Comments: Troll the internet for “Barterhouse” and it won’t take too long before you start reading the bad press. A lot of it is around the story of the “lost” barrels or a general disdain for the British company’s folksy bottling and naming. Regardless the reason, many people are not liking this. I’m not one of them. I find the packaging and story silly. Really silly considering it comes from the international drinks behemoth Diageo. But damn it, the bourbon is good. It’s not the least bit over oaked given it’s age and it’s a damn fine drink. Plus, finding a sub $100 20 year old bourbon now is almost impossible.
Rating: Must Buy