Bourbon

Four Roses 2012 Small Batch Limited Edition

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2012 Release Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bottle 4015 0f 4062
55.7% ABV
$90
Website
Four Roses 2012 Small Batch Limited Edition
What the Distillery Says:
Our Master Distiller has hand selected four remarkable Bourbons from our 10 distinct Bourbon recipes to become our Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch for 2012. The four Bourbons, perfectly aged between 11 and 17 years have been artfully mingled at barrel strength to create mellow flavors of orange peel and ripe red raspberries that melt into balanced tones of dark chocolate and caramel custard. These four Bourbons are married into one of the most alluring spirits we’ve ever made. Available September 2012.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Creamy vanilla and citrus with hints of all spice, nutmeg and rich pipe tobacco.
Palate: Orange peel and ripe red raspberries, dark chocolate and caramel custard.
Finish: Mellow finish with wisps of soft cedar and vanilla.

Recipe
OBSV -17 years
OBSV – 11 years
OBSK – 12 years
OESK – 12 years

What Richard Says:
Nose: Big hits of vanilla and cinnamon with a citrus back. I’m thinking of snickerdoodles wrapped in Big Red chewing gum.
Palate: More citrus in the mouth followed by dark chocolate, caramel, and holiday spices. Rich and dangerously enjoyable. This was and is a great Christmas bourbon.
Finish: Long on oak and aged tobacco with early traces of more cinnamon and vanilla that quickly fades away.
Comments: Marvelous. This is an absolutely wonderful bourbon. It’s aggressive and patient. Complex and it comes straight at you. If someone didn’t love you enough to get you a bottle of this for Christmas then do yourself a favor and grab one straight away.
Rating: Must Buy

I’d like to thank Laura with The Baddish Group for providing me with a review bottle.

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Evan Williams Single Barrel 2002

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Evan Williams Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Put in oak 2002
Barrelled on 4-2-02
Barrel No. 541
Bottled on 6-11-12
43.3% ABV
$20 to $25
Website

What the Distillery Says:
This Bourbon was personally selected by our Master Distiller, only after meeting his exacting standards for this vintage. Taken from a single barrel, it is the art of Bourbon making at its finest. Bottled unblended with other barrels to preserve its individuality. Hand-numbered as a sign of its limited availability.

Color Delicate amber gold
Nose Dark caramel, sweet oak, and charred wood
Taste Lush and spicy; oak with honey, apple, and orange notes
Finish Long, graceful and relaxed

What Richard Says:
Nose: A grab bag of vanilla and dulce de leche cream candies. Apple wood and a little licorice.
Palate: Mild and terribly drinkable. Subtle sweetness and spiciness dance behind the wood.
Finish: Medium length and a bit dry. Nothing harsh about it.
Comments: This year’s vintage is a lovely and highly drinkable bourbon. It’s not going to knock anyone’s socks off off but no one is going to complain about it if it’s offered. It’s still easily found sub $25 which makes it a great value pick too!
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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Parker’s Heritage Collection Second Edition

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Parker’s Heritage Collection Aged 27 Years
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
48% ABV
$200
Parkers Heritage Collection 27 Yr Old Bourbon

What the Distillery Says:
Parker’s Heritage Collection is a tribute to sixth generation master Distiller, Parker Beam, for his 45+ years of service to the distilling industry. Hand selected by Parker himself, the barrels for this second edition have been aging since 1981 on the lower floors of one of Parker’s favorite rickhouses. There, the more constant temperature tamed the aging process, yielding a rich, 27-year-old Bourbon that defies its age.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Ripe plums, toasted oak, caramel, toffee, vanilla, and Alton Brown’s oatmeal raisin cookies (the ones with no flour and golden raisins).
Palate: More vanilla, oak, with old leather and cinnamon. There is also this weird initial note that reminds me of SweetTarts (yeah, I know). An exceptionally balanced drink.
Finish: Rich, leathery, fiery, meaty, tobacco tinged, oak laden, and supremely masculine.
Comments: I pulled this one out of the back of the whiskey cabinet to help close out this year’s National Bourbon Heritage Month. It’s extremely rare to see a 27 year old bourbon. The angels are wicked greedy with their share after 27 years. It’s even rarer still for said bourbon to be any good. Usually you would get a wet oak stave in a bottle. This is something different and truly spectacular. My hat is off to Mr. Beam for his exceptional talents.
Rating: Must Buy

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Colonel E.H. Taylor Tornado

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Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bottled in Bond
50% ABV
$70-$80
Website
Colonel E. H. Taylor Tornado Surviving Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
What the Distillery Says:
On Sunday evening, April 2, 2006, a severe storm tore through Central Kentucky, damaging two Buffalo Trace Distillery aging warehouses. Fortunately, no one was injured and Warehouse “B” was empty at the time. However, Warehouse “C” sustained significant damage to its roof and north brick wall. Warehouse “C” is one of the most treasured warehouses on property, built by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. in 1881. While the strong storm raged across the Distillery, the bourbon barrels stood strong, never budging from their resting spots. That summer, the barrels patiently waited while the roof and wall repairs took place. The barrels sat exposed to the Central Kentucky climate for months as the sun and wind took their toll. During the summer of 2006 weather inevitably contributed to increased evaporation, wood interaction and rich flavors in this bourbon whiskey. The angel’s share amounted to an astonishingly high 63.9% loss.

On nose, the aroma of dried fig and cloves jump from the glass initially along with plenty of baking spice and an oaky dryness provides balance that quickly builds anticipation for a taste. A small sip fills the mouth with jam-like cooked fruit, vanilla and a touch of smoke. The finish quickly builds in dark spices until the end as hints of tobacco leave you with the final impressions of this bourbon.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Dark berries drizzled with vanilla and tree sap.
Palate: Initially it’s something that reminds me of IHOP. There is a lot of vanilla and mint but also something that makes me think of the mixing all the various IHOP syrups (maple, boysenberry, strawberry, etc.) A pancake suicide?
Finish: This finished very clean and dry with just a little spicy oak. Very easy going down…dangerously so.
Comments: This was actually the first of the new Taylor series that I tried even though it is the third release. This one is still my favorite. It reminds me the old Eagle Rare 101 from back in the day.
Rating: Stands Out

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Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel

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Colonel E. H. Taylor Single Barrel, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bottled In Bond
50% ABV
$60-$70
Website
Colonel E. H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
What the Distillery Says:
Colonel Taylor is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased the now Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today, such as climate controlled aging warehouses. In addition to his bourbon interests, Taylor had political ties. He was the great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor and elected the mayor of Frankfort, state representative to the Kentucky General Assembly and a member of the State Senate.

E.H. Taylor Single Barrel is aged exclusively in Warehouse C, which was built by Taylor in 1881 and proven to be an excellent aging warehouse. This bourbon whiskey is very delicate. The aroma carries lightly toasted oak, with dried figs and butterscotch. The sweetness on the tongue remains balanced with tobacco and dark spices that finish just long enough to prepare the palette for another sip. The bottle itself replicates Colonel Taylor’s original design used over a century ago.

What Richard Says:
Nose: This nose is a little shy. Give it time and a light honeysuckle sweetness comes out followed by oak and leather notes.
Palate: The palate is as muted as the nose. It’s leathery and has something burnt in it too.
Finish: Dry like a day old cigar stub.
Comments: The second release in the Taylor series is a fine bourbon but it loses points on the price. It would be a stand out $40 to $50 bourbon but in the $60+ range it is average at best. I think Buffalo Trace might be getting greedy with the price on this one.
Rating: Average

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