Bourbon

Old Weller Antique

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Old Weller Antique Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
53.5% ABV/107 Proof
$22 to $25
Website

What the Distillery Says:
[Quoted from Wine Enthusiast Magazine on their website]
A medium amber bourbon, bearing a sweetish note with some unusual floral notes and a string dash of vanilla. The body is big and the palate is very well balanced, flirting between sweet honeyed fruit notes, a strong vanilla undertone and some sharp spicy tones; the finish is long and spicy.

A very well crafted whiskey. Sip it at room temperature with a little spring water or over ice.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Vanilla, honey, maple syrup, and an astringent alcohol note. Yes it can be watered down but then you’d just have Weller Special Reserve!
Palate: Chewy, fruity sweet, lots of vanilla, and it trails out with a spicy smack more from the alcohol than the mashbill.
Finish: Caramel covered oak bars sprinkled with black peppercorns.
Comments: I don’t want to start bitching about the loss of age statements. If you want that then jump over to StraightBourbon.com. However, I do find it a vexing state of affairs where the products we love are becoming more popular, leading to thinner stocks, leading to the removal of more and more age statements. Like Weller Special Reserve (WSR) this used to be a 7 year old. It’s tastes about the same as it did before the age statement dropped off but that’s just me. It’s more important that the bourbon tastes good right? Well this one does. This is the same as WSR just at higher proof. I like this one better. The extra alcohol is good for this particular bourbon. The price has been creeping up a little lately but it’s still a great buy and kicks the shit out of Maker’s for an inexpensive wheated bourbon. After all, with more age on it this stuff ultimately ends up as Pappy Van Winkle after all. 😉
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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Weller Special Reserve

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W.L. Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Aged 7 Years
45% ABV/90 Proof
$10 – $20
Website
Weller Special Reserve 7 Yr
What the Distillery Says:
The Original “Wheated” Bourbon Whiskey
Replacing the rye grain in our recipe with wheat provides for an exceptionally smooth taste. And at 7 years of age and “Kentucky proof”– 90 proof, W. L. Weller is a truly outstanding buy.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Weller always comes across with honeysuckle sweetness, crisp apples, and black peppercorns.
Palate: Bourbony? 🙂 It’s not very sweet but it’s nicely balanced with oak, caramel, vanilla, and a peppery spice at the end of the palate that runs into the finish.
Finish: Crisp and a little spicy. The spice hangs around through the end of the finish.
Comments: Confession time, I’ve had a really hard time coming up with review notes for this one. It’s not that Weller Special Reserve isn’t distinctive. Rather, I use this specific bourbon in a lot of the cooking I do. As a result, most of the notes I originally came up with are reminiscent of my bourbon meatballs, pecan pie, or bourbon cream cheese frosted red velvet cake. I use is so much because it’s a mellow and pleasing bourbon that works well with food. Think about this alternative the next time you’re in the store and you’re reaching for a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Plus, if you look hard enough you may find it for almost half the price. 😉
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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New U.S. Releases – February 2012

/ / Bourbon, Other Spirits

Did you hear that? That was the sound of a pin dropping. That’s how quiet it was for new releases in February. We did hear about a couple but they barely sneaked under the wire before month end.

Old Bushmills Honey
Timeframe – TBD
ABV – TBD
Price – TBD
This is a new Bushmills based honey liqueur designed exclusively for the U.S. market. I first heard rumblings from Chuck Cowdery over on Straightbourbon and additional details are scarce at the moment.

Temperance Trader Bourbon
Timeframe – March 2012
ABV – 43%
Price – $29.95
This release is another high rye bourbon sourced and bottled by a craft distiller. Bull Run Distilling Company out of Portland, Oregon is the aforementioned distiller bottling this one. Initial distribution is only Oregon, Illinois, and Tennessee at the moment.

And that’s all folks! Maybe March will hold more whiskey goodness for us.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

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Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45.2% ABV/90.4 Proof
$50
Website

What the Distillery Says:
An innovative approach to twice-barreled bourbon creates the rich and colorful flavor of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Uniquely matured in separate, charred oak barrels – the second barrel deeply toasted before a light charring – extracts additional amounts of soft, sweet oak character.

The overwhelming response to our master’s collection seasoned oak finish offering inspired us to create a twice-barreled bourbon that is available year-round. Uniquely matured in our handcrafted white oak barrels, the second barrel deeply toasted before a light charring, creates Woodford Reserve Double Oaked – a smooth, full-bodied expression with a long, rich finish that we are proud to share with others who are as passionate about bourbon as we are.

Maturation in a new, charred oak barrel provides Woodford Reserve with all of its natural color and a great deal of its award-winning flavor. This double oaked expression has been uniquely matured in two separate, custom crafted barrels. The second was deeply toasted before its light charring. The double barreling of mature Woodford Reserve in this unique barrel allows the spirit to extract an additional amount of soft, sweet oak character. This unique practice has created bourbon that is rich in honey, chocolate, marzipan and spiced apple character.

Color: Deep amber
Aroma: Rich notes of dark fruit, caramel, sharp honey, chocolate, marzipan and toasted oak.
Taste: A full-bodied mix of vanilla, dark caramel, hazelnut, apple, fruit and spices.
Finish: Long and creamy with lingering hints of honeyed apple.

What Richard Says:
Nose: This reminds me of snickerdoodles with vanilla ice cream: vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. After it opens up a little the sugar turns into a fruity caramel.
Palate: Holy crap that’s good! It’s like Woodford taken to the next level. You’re hit with a blast of fruity oak infused sweetness but it’s not overpowering. Lots of vanilla and caramel. Really tasty.
Finish: Golden delicious and granny smith apples on a long oaky finish that mellow into a rich creaminess.
Comments: Brown Forman says they went for this expression after the response they got to the Seasoned Oak release a few years back. Well, they went out and did one better. This is a worthy line extension and a superior Woodford.
Rating: Must Try

I would like to thank Brittany Gilbert with Brown Forman for sending me a sample for review.

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Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
Batch No 11-159
45.7%/91.4 Proof
$35 to $40
Website

What the Distillery Says:
US*1 Small Batch Bourbon
We are proud to offer you our Small Batch Bourbon. In the Michter’s tradition hailing from America’s first whiskey distilling company, this bourbon is made from a proprietary mashbill that features the highest quality American corn and is then matured to the peak of perfection. It is then mellowed by our signature filtration.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Out of the bottle I get vanilla beans, caramel, and uncooked cornmeal. With a little water it opens up to notes of cherries and a Halls cough drop kind of menthol.
Palate: On the palate this bourbon is pleasantly sweet but not as sweet as the nose. It’s a little like Breyer’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Behind that it reminds me a little more of a corn whiskey than a bourbon.
Finish: Like their American Whiskey the finish is a little too hot. It’s only a 4+ year old so that might be expected. It’s a little like wetting a black peppercorn, rolling it in cayenne, and sucking on it. Obviously, a little water mellow it out but in general the finish is a little bland. Oak and spice are a little too boiler plate in a bourbon finish. Also, with water I’m left with a slightly medicinal flavor going back to the menthol that I’m not a fan of.
Comments: I find this bottle a little too average. It’s nice enough for a bourbon in its age range but better can be had for cheaper. I’d probably give it an “average +” rating if we had a more complex rating system.
Rating: Average

I would like to thank Emily with Chatham Imports for sending over a bottle for review. They were also nice enough to send over some recipes with their fine products.

Patsy’s Bourbon Balls

1 cup chopped pecans
6 tbsp. Michter’s US*1 Bourbon
½ stick butter
3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
16 oz. dark chocolate chips

Soak pecans in Michter’s US*1 Bourbon in an airtight container for four days. Flip after the first two days to fully coat the pecans. The pecans should absorb all of the Michter’s US*1 Bourbon. Mix butter, sugar, and pecans. Roll into 1-inch balls and refrigerate overnight. Pour dark chocolate chips into microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2½ minutes. Remove chocolate every minute and stir. Dip refrigerated balls into the melted dark chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered bourbon balls in an airtight container and place in freezer until set (just a few minutes). Store in a cool place.

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