Review

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2022

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2022
Canadian Rye Whisky

63.5% ABV
$80
Website
Alberta Premium Cask Strength 2022
We would like to thank Alberta Distillers and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Alberta Distillers Ltd, makers of Alberta Premium, the No. 1 selling 100% rye whisky in the world*, is proud to share the 2022 release of its limited edition Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye.

Originally released in 2020, this year marks the third release of this anticipated limited edition liquid. Crafted and distilled in Calgary, Alberta, this 100% rye whisky is influenced by the surrounding environment in which it is made, and uses pure 100% prairie rye mash bills and glacier-fed spring water from the famed Rocky Mountains. This results in a very sippable whisky, best enjoyed neat with a drop of water or on the rocks.

TASTING NOTES
Packaged in an eye-catching, faceted glass bottle, Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye features the below characteristics:
Proof: 127
Taste: Exceptionally smooth with notes of caramel, vanilla and a hint of chocolate balanced with the spiciness of rye and black currant
Finish: Smooth and lingering with the complexity of spice, warm vanilla and dark fruit
Drink Recommendations: Neat with a drop of water or on the rocks

* According to the 2021 IWSR Drinks Market Analysis

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla buttercream frosting, maple candies, cedar shavings, nutmeg, oak and freshly baked donuts.
Palate:  Warm and chewy, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, baking spices of cinnamon and nutmeg with a bit of orange.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with mint, baking spices and a bit of citrus.
Comments:  This is incredibly similar to the 2020 edition (which was incredibly similar to the 2021 offering!) In fact I did a three way blind tasting (with two glasses containing the 2020 and one containing the 2022), and I couldn’t pick out which was different. In looking back, I had picked up more mint last year but that’s probably just me. This is a fantastic rye, and one of the few 100% rye cask strength options on the market. Maturing in Canada gives it a unique profile from American 100% rye. If I didn’t have one and saw this on the shelf – it would be an automatic buy for me (since I’ve tried it!)

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Spirit Works Distillery 8 Year Rye Limited Edition

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Spirit Works Distillery 8 Year Rye Limited Edition

45% ABV
$90
Website
Spirit Works Distillery 8 Year Rye
We would like to thank Spirit Works Distillery and Verdant PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Whiskey crafting is a true passion for distillery co-founder and head distiller Ashby Marshall, and the distillery is excited to roll out a number of new brown spirit offerings. First in the line-up: a limited edition 8 Year Rye Whiskey, the oldest whiskey bottling in the brand’s portfolio. Selected from some of the distillery’s oldest stocks, the barrels harvested for this very special whiskey are among the first ever produced at Spirit Works Distillery. Carefully chosen to highlight both the grace of an older whiskey and the spicy notes of Rye, these barrels are a glimpse of good things to come ahead in the Spirit Works line up. Expect notes of crème brulee, marzipan, nutmeg, mint on the nose; with poached pears, caramel apple, cinnamon, pumpernickel on the palate. Candied pecans, yellow peaches, coffee and charred cedar create a beautifully complex finish.

Aged in full-size American oak barrels with a 70% rye 30% malted barley mash bill.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rice pudding, oak, orange creamsicle, mint, nutmeg, cinnamon, bit of wood polish and cedar shavings.
Palate:  Sweet and fruity with orchard fruits and blood orange, caramel, cinnamon, pepper and a bit of chili spice.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with pepper spice and lingering fruit notes.
Comments:  This has a lovely color in the glass, a golden/coppery hue. It drinks a bit on the hot side for 45%, but delivers that rye spice you’re looking for in a ‘high-rye’ content rye whiskey (not to be confused with those ‘barely legal’ rye whiskies where just 51% of the mash is rye). The 30% malted barley also gives it a unique character (I hesitate to say ‘funk’ since that might sound negative, but with no corn in the mix – it is different than most other ryes on the market). This does really well in a cocktail, where the spice holds up well and isn’t hurt with other ingredients bringing some sweetness to the party.

Rating: Stands Out

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Knob Creek 18 Year Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Knob Creek 18 Year
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$170
Website
Knob Creek 18 Year Bourbon
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Knob Creek® Bourbon, a leader in the Small Batch Bourbon category, is excited to announce the addition of a new, limited-edition bourbon to its award-winning* portfolio: Knob Creek® 18 Year Old. This latest release marks the oldest expression from Knob Creek to-date, and its introduction comes just in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Knob Creek and the Small Batch Bourbon Collection.

Aged twice as long as its flagship bourbon and bottled at 100 proof, Knob Creek 18 Year Old offers a complex, yet balanced, liquid due to its mature age. Extensive aging in Kentucky rackhouses give this bourbon its rich copper color and unique flavor profile, delivering notes of caramelized oak and sweet vanilla with a warm finish; further demonstrating how great things take time and patience – yielding remarkable results.

Three decades ago, Booker Noe, grandson of Jim Beam and Sixth Generation Master Distiller, set out to define the standards for pre-prohibition style bourbon by introducing Knob Creek to the world. Today, Knob Creek continues to honor his legacy by pushing the boundaries of the bourbon category, and this new, extra-aged and full-flavored liquid reinforces the brand’s ongoing dedication and commitment to exceptional craftsmanship.

“As we celebrate 30 years of Knob Creek, it’s clear to me that Dad was ahead of his time in creating innovative expressions with big, bold flavors that defined pre-prohibition whiskey,” said Fred Noe, Booker Noe’s son and Seventh Generation Master Distiller. “This new 18 Year Old liquid is a nod to his vision and commitment to quality and craftsmanship, and I know this is a whiskey he’d be proud to serve. I’m honored to further his legacy with Knob Creek’s oldest and boldest expression yet.”

Knob Creek 18 Year Old is bottled with the following characteristics:

Proof: 100
Color: Rich copper tones with auburn hues
Aroma: Brown sugar and aged oak, with notes of char and caramel
Taste: Full-bodied with notes of caramelized oak and hints of sweet vanilla and baking spices
Finish: Warm finished with spice and slight floral and fruit notes

Knob Creek 18 Year Old is now available nationwide in limited quantities with a suggested retail price of $169.99 for a 750mL bottle. For more information about Knob Creek 18 Year Old and Knob Creek’s award-winning bourbon and rye portfolios, please visit www.KnobCreek.com or visit us on Instagram @KnobCreek.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Oak char, cocoa, slightly burnt turtle brownies, peanut brittle, cherry cola, worn leather, smoke and wood polish.
Palate:  Lots of oak, caramel, boiled peanuts, pecans, cinnamon and a bit of cocoa.
Finish:  Long with toffee, peanut brittle and oak.
Comments:  The nose on this is amazing – lot of depth and complexity (and yes – oak – but not so much that I couldn’t coax more from it). The palate was a different experience for me where the oak was much heavier. I wouldn’t call it ‘over-oaked’ – I’ve had bourbon that was like chewing on a stave, and this isn’t like that. It just has a lot of oak which for 18 years is to be expected. If you are not a fan of oaky bourbon, this may be a bit outside of your range (although this is one that I’d be perfect happy nosing all night as the nose is delightful!) If your personal taste leans towards the oaky side, this is probably a no brainer. Friends who don’t mind more oak have spoken highly of it.

Rating: Stands Out

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Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 5th Release

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon
5th Release, 2022

50.29% ABV
$250
Website
Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 2022
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

    • A blend of straight bourbon whiskeys matured in select cooperage
    • Distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN
    • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
    • 100.58 proof cask strength bottling

Barrell Craft Spirits has spent five years developing the blend techniques and processes used in the latest release of Gray Label Bourbon. This blending and marrying process is slow, labor-intensive, and costly, but we feel our patience pays off with this truly special offering.

This release of Gray Label Bourbon is constructed from bourbons of varying ages made from five different mash bills. After marrying, the blend goes into casks made using 36-month air-dried staves that previously held Gray Label Bourbon, to rest and further mature.

Barrels made from 36-month air-dried staves are not often used in bourbon production, in part because they are much more expensive than casks made with kiln-dried staves. We view them, however, as a key component for achieving long, complex flavors and a rich mouth feel. The result of mingling in these unique casks is a mellow, sophisticated spirit that concentrates the flavor of a higher-proof bourbon into a lower-proof blend, with a gentle oxidative character and deep dried fruit notes. This is a bourbon with the complexity and density of age, without over-oaked chalkiness.

Appearance: Wildflower honey.
Nose: Opens with some simple, bright fruit notes – dry cider, tart green plum, and banana pudding. These accompany the expected caramelized sugar notes of cinnamon donut and pecan pie. The tropical side slowly unfolds, revealing pineapple, passionfruit, and coconut milk. Peach cobbler and strawberry cheesecake reflect the fruitiness taking on a more cooked character.
Palate: Honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon make for fun and seldom-seen flavors in a bourbon. Mary Jane candies and dark chocolate ganache offer an earthy contrast. There is a gentle undercurrent of minerals such as celery salt, and snuffed beeswax candle.
Finish: Mouthwatering and refined with an initial burst of sweet tea and Meyer lemon. Rose jelly, raspberry pastilles and chardonnay provide a sophisticated floral signature.
With a splash of spring water: The whiskey grows a notch richer and creamier as white chocolate and cappuccino jockey to the fore. Water also liberates some savory notes of spoonbread, alpine breeze, and caramelized onion..

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich with fall leaves, freshly baked banana-nut bread, caramel, canned peaches and pears, oak, mineral/multi-vitamin note, hints of tropical fruit and Earl Grey tea.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel, sour-fruity candy, dark chocolate fudge, minerality, savory herbs like fennel with sweet tea.
Finish: Long and drying with oak, citrus, a syrupy fruit jam and black tea.
Comments: Another really delicious bourbon! I get a fair amount of the Dickel house style in this one, which I don’t mind at all. The mingling of fruit, baked goods and tea notes remind me of what a fine afternoon tea would be like if distilled into bourbon. Takes a bit of water well, maintaining the viscous mouthfeel – but doesn’t need any.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey
Bourbon Whiskey Finished With A Honey Soaked American Oak Spiral

45% ABV
$60
Website
Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey
We would like to thank Oak & Eden and Champlin PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2022 – Today, DFW-based indie whiskey brand Oak & Eden unveils Wheat & Honey, a small batch release blending the brand’s permanent wheated bourbon with a honey-soaked toasted American Oak spire. Honey is the first flavor that most people discern when drinking whiskey, making this infusion an obvious choice to take a good thing and make it great.

Oak & Eden is built on the foundation of innovation, believing whiskey should be constantly fresh and distinct, never the same. This pursuit leads the brand to constantly create new and unique whiskies that could only be achieved by its patented process of In-Bottle Finishing. Oak & Eden follows traditional distillation and aging to the letter, aging their whiskeys for at least two years in American Oak barrels. They then break tradition in the finishing (or double barrel) process, where instead of putting the fully aged whiskey in a second barrel to add more flavor coming naturally from the wood, they place in the bottle a Spire; a 5” long spiral-cut piece of oak fashioned from the same species and treatment as barrel oak.

With Wheat & Honey, the spire is paired with another libation, American honey, to infuse the oak with an additional element that adds an essence of flavor on the finish. Wheat & Honey, bottled at 45% Alc. by Vol., is available now exclusively online at oakandeden.com with a price of $59.99 for 750mL. Wheat & Honey will continue to roll out in select Oak & Eden retailers across 30 states in the coming months.

“Every Oak & Eden release reflects our pursuit in customizing the experience of whiskey in unique ways — not just with the products we create, but also with how they are designed to be used,” comments Co-Founder and CMO Brad Neathery. “We intentionally crafted Wheat & Honey to pair beautifully with a broad range of refreshing cocktails – cocktails that most people would never assume are whiskey based.”

As a naturally sweeter whiskey, Wheat & Honey lends itself as a go-to for cocktails. To complement the launch, Oak & Eden shares four distinct, easy-to-replicate recipes: Cloud Nine, Solar Flare, American Honey and The Gold Coast. Visit Oak & Eden’s Barkeeper’s Diary for full recipes, cocktail tips and more.

More on Wheat & Honey:
Whiskey: Wheated Bourbon – Wheat & Honey begins with a remarkably smooth combination of 51% corn, 45% wheat and 4% malted barley. Once distilled, the bourbon is aged in new American Oak barrels producing a rich, deep yet sweet spirit.
Wood: American Oak – Containing hundreds of naturally occurring botanicals, Oak & Eden uses a 5” American Oak spire in Wheat & Honey, which produces a rich, velvety whiskey full of caramel, butterscotch, and allspice notes.
Fire: Medium Toast – Before placing the spire into the wheated bourbon, it is exposed to fire, technically a Medium Toast, toasting the wood to the perfect degree that will produce a finish that is deep and rich with subtle notes of candied fruit, vanilla, toffee, and caramel.
Infusion: American Honey – Each spire is infused with American Honey before being
placed in the bottle for that naturally sweet finish.
Tasting notes: Honey, Marshmallow & Candied Fruit

Oak & Eden will debut additional expressions to its Infused Series over the next year as well as build upon its unique Bottle Builder program where customers can craft their own whiskey bottle using one of the maker’s four finished whiskey bases and over thirty infusion options. The Bottle Builder program is currently offered ($90/ 750ml bottle) at the brand’s Flagship retail location and nano-distillery in Bridgeport, TX.

Check out oakandeden.com for more information on Wheat & Honey as well as the brand’s full lineup of whiskies.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sponge cake, vanilla, oak, raw honey, hint of roasted marshmallow.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with honey, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and subtle pear notes.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with honey, vanilla and a touch of oak.
Comments:  An interesting dram and enjoyable sipper. I do like honey in bourbon (especially when recovering from a sore throat), and this hits that note. Having done some experimenting with charred oak sticks in bottles, I wonder how time alters this.  Will the honey or oak notes continue to grow heavier? Will it improve? Will it get off-balanced?  I’ll post an update in a few months (didn’t want to delay this until then). This doesn’t need any water, which is good because it thins out rather quickly with a bit of it.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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