Review

Stolen X Rock & Rye

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Stolen X Rock & Rye

40% ABV
$25
Website
Stolen X Rock and Rye
We would like to thank Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Stolen X.  Dangerously Good.
We believe that a good drink doesn’t have to be complicated to order or take forever to make.

Stolen X is based on a traditional spirit called Rock and Rye – a designated spirits category.

The history dates back to pre-prohibition days with a combination of new rye whiskey and rock candy. This drink knew how to get the party started.

We’ve since updated this OG classic with simple, premium ingredients: Stolen X is made with American rye whiskey, organic raw honey and orange peel. At 80 proof, Stolen X has a kick, but is smooth going down.

Shoot or sip over ice.

  • American rye whiskey
  • Aged over two years in new American oak
  • Fresh orange peel & organic raw honey
  • Affordable, all natural, gluten free

Stolen X is currently available at both on-and off-premise establishments in 750ml bottles with a suggested retail price of $24.99. This summer the brand plans to launch a One Liter($29.99) and 100ml cans($2.99)

What Gary Says

Nose:  Orange creamsicles, honey, subtle rye spice with mint, evergreen, and a hint of dill under rickhouse oak.
Palate:  Sweet thick honey and orange with a rye bite of cracked pepper near the end.
Finish:  Short to moderately long, with honeyed orange and a hint of pepper spice.
Comments:  ‘Rock & Rye’ isn’t really intended to be nosed like a whiskey; it really is catering to those looking for a pre-made cocktail. It is definitely on the sweet side, and the rye gives it a pop but doesn’t necessarily stand out on its own.

Rating: Average

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Blood Oath Pact No. 5

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Blood Oath Pact No. 5 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks

49.3% ABV
$100
Website

We would like to thank Luxco and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Blender Says

A masterful union of three well-bred bourbons. One, a 13-year mahogany bourbon, un‑apologetically peppery with shavings of dark chocolate. Two, an 11-year silky, wheated bourbon rich with vanilla and honey. And three, an 8-year find, finished in Caribbean rum barrels to impart orange, brown sugar and warm island spice. Every sip, an uncharted, sensory adventure.

This year’s release returns to its original fire-branded wooden display box. Like its predecessors, the bottle is topped with a custom, eco-friendly natural cork, sealed and hand-labeled with certificate-style paper stock, including Rempe’s signature, and bottled at 98.6 proof. Pact No. 5 is available globally in 750ml bottles, with a suggested retail price of $99.99.
Pact No. 5 is a limited release, with only 15,000 cases (3-packs) created; this bourbon will never be made again. The Blood Oath series launched in 2015 with Pact No. 1, and will highlight a different variant, or Pact, each year.
“This series, and the creativity it allows, is something I am passionate about and always looking for new combinations and ideas,” says Rempe.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Deep dark amber with long legs.
AROMA: Sweet, vanilla and brown sugar, hints of dark rum.
PALATE: Sweet dark rum notes, vanilla, carmalized sugar, dark fruit.
FINISH: A long finish with hints of brown sugar and raisins.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla icing with light caramel drizzled over Jamaican rum cake, hints of molasses and banana.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, raisin bread w/ dark rum vanilla icing, notes of cinnamon and clove.
Finish:  Moderate in length, rum raisin ice cream.
Comments:  The rum cask finish is clear on all fronts, and this is definitely on the sweet side of whiskey – but not excessively so. In fact the palate is quite well balanced. Fans of both whiskey and rum (and of rum cask finishing) aren’t likely to be disappointed.

Rating: Stands Out

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Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

46.5 ABV
$55
Website
Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

What the Distillery Says

TWO BARRELS. ONE FINE BOURBON.
1910 Old Fine Whisky, Old Forester’s fourth and final expression in the Whiskey Row Series, is a double barreled Bourbon creating a smooth mingling of sweet oatmeal raisin cookie and milk chocolate, caramel corn, and evolving spice that lead into a refined, charred oak finish.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Interlaced layers of buttercream, sticky toffee, cedar, and apricot
TASTE: Smooth, well rounded mingling of sweet oatmeal raisin cookie and milk chocolate leading into caramel corn and evolving spice
FINISH: Charred oak leads with a clean peripheral spice

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla raisin spongecake with shaved toffee, cocoa, and cedar smoke.
Palate:  Creamy sweetness, vanilla cola (without the carbonation obviously) with chocolate, nutmeg, oak and a hint of pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying a tad with oak and hints of spice.
Comments:  I was a bit surprised that I enjoyed this – only because I’m not usually a fan of double-oak bourbons. This has a lovely sweetness to it, balanced with a bit of oak bite – but not too much oak.

Rating: Stands Out

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Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

57.5% ABV
$50-$60
Website

What the Distillery Says

In crafting 1920, we were able to spend time thinking about the legacy of Owsley Brown I and what was an incredibly unique era in our country’s history – Prohibition. 1920 Prohibition Style is our toast to the innovative and enduring spirit of Old Forester.

This 115 proof expression is the third release in our Old Forester Whiskey Row series and celebrates the brand’s continued distillation during Prohibition. For 13 years, the production, transport and sale of alcohol was strictly prohibited. However, Old Forester was granted a permit to continue distilling on Louisville’s Whiskey Row. The 115 proof expression represents a barrel sample that company president Owsley Brown I would have batched at the beginning of Prohibition.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: An intense medley of cherry preserves, drippy caramel, dark chocolate, thickened maple syrup and seasoned oak spiciness.
TASTE: Dark caramel coats layers of malt nuttiness and sweet graham cracker all warmed by green peppercorn and coriander spice brightened with a hint of cedar.
FINISH: Tart apple crispness gives way to a long smoky finish full of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker sweetness.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick, rich brown sugar on a vanilla ice cream sandwich, some chocolate, charred oak, nutmeg, allspice, leather, and a subtle note of furniture polish.
Palate:  Warm, rich spicy sweetness with salted caramel, vanilla sugar cookies, chocolate orange, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with sweet oak, cocoa and pepper spice notes.
Comments:  This confirms my belief when I’ve longed for higher proof offerings. I like Old Forester Signature, but I love what the higher proof brings to the table. It has everything I love in Old Forester just amped up. Takes a bit of water like a champ too. A lovely bourbon that I think fans of Old Forester would absolutely enjoy (and those who aren’t should try this and see if you don’t become a convert).

Rating: Must Try

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Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

50% ABV
$50-$60
Website

What the Distillery Says

Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond, the second in our Old Forester Whiskey Row Series, is crafted to honor a watershed moment in bourbon history – the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.

This 100 proof expression is the second release in our Old Forester Whiskey Row Series and was specially crafted to honor the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. After the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 to be labeled as Bottled in Bond, whisky must be the product of one distillation season, one distiller and from one distillery. The concept behind the Act – the idea of “sealed-in quality” – was something that Old Forester – America’s First Bottled Bourbon – introduced in 1870.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Robust, intense caramel. Rich vanilla with roasted coffee notes, spiced dark fruit and mature oak.
TASTE: Mouth-filling. Sweet and intense. Deep fruit, spice and oak notes layered over dark caramel and vanilla.
FINISH: Big and bold.

What Gary Says

Nose: Vanilla crème brûlée with caramel sauce, sour oak rickhouse aroma over blood orange, nutmeg, anise and subtle dried mint.
Palate:  Sweet caramel with milk chocolate and vanilla that sharpens with anise, allspice, hazelnuts and a toasted orange zest note, followed by pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with oak, orange spice and pepper.
Comments:  For fans of Old Forester, this is very squarely in the family with that lovely sweetness and spice. Quite nice, with a bit more depth and complexity than Old Forester Signature.

Rating: Stands Out

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