Review

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2020

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye 2020
Canadian Rye Whisky

63.9-66.0% ABV (sample reviewed @ 66%)
$70
Website
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
We would like to thank Alberta Distillers and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Alberta Distillers, one of the first distilleries to create a true 100% rye whisky, is proud to introduce a limited-edition cask-strength whisky to the U.S. market: Alberta® Premium Cask Strength Rye. Originally released in Canada earlier this year, the limited-edition rye is crafted and distilled in Calgary, Alberta using pure 100% prairie rye mash bills and Rocky Mountain water. The result is a perfectly balanced liquid that reflects the brand’s Canadian heritage and expert whisky craftsmanship.

Making a name for itself in the Canadian market, Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye comes to the U.S. after being sold out for months in Canada. Whisky fans can taste the purity in every bottle, distilled from the finest Canadian prairie grains grown by local farmers and refreshing glacier-fed Rocky Mountain spring water. This limited-edition, 100% rye is a very sippable whisky, best enjoyed neat with a drop of water or on the rocks.

“Alberta Distillers prides ourselves on being the producer of the world’s number one selling 100% rye whisky in Alberta® Premium,” George Teichroeb, General Manager of Alberta Distillery said. “We wanted to release a cask strength rye so our whisky fans can experience a 100% rye whisky in its purest form: straight from the barrel. This whisky truly is a great representative of our commitment to crafting superior rye whisky.”

The original Canadian release of this whisky left a mark on experts and consumers alike this past year, earning accolades such as Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Best Cask Strength at the Canadian Whisky Awards and Gold at the Canadian Whisky Awards. It’s also crafted at the distillery that was awarded the Distillery of the Decade by the Canadian Whisky Awards.

Packaged in an eye-catching, faceted glass bottle, Alberta Premium Cask-Strength Rye features the below characteristics:

  • ABV: 63.9% – 66.0%
  • Color: Amber gold
  • Aroma: Sweet, woody and oaky with a hint of vanilla
  • Taste: Exceptionally smooth with notes of caramel, vanilla, and just a hint of chocolate that balance the spiciness of rye and black currant
  • Finish: Smooth and lingering with the complexity of spice, warm vanilla and dark fruit

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft vanilla with subtle oak, cedar, mint, nutmeg, hints of cherries and maple.
Palate:  Caramel and vanilla, milk chocolate, black currants, figs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cracked pepper with a bit of clove.
Finish:  Moderate in length, syrupy, fruity and lingering baking spices.
Comments:  I really love how rye whisky matures north of the U.S. border, and in particular in Alberta. I often get these cedar and maple notes which just feel very Canadian to me, and with older whisky it doesn’t get overly influenced from the oak. This is non-age stated, although doesn’t strike me as what I’d consider ‘young’ (4 years or less). Sampling this over the course of a week, I really enjoyed it. On the nose it benefits from sitting a bit in the glass (66% ABV is up there!) to let the alcohol vapors dissipate, and it takes water really well – bringing out more cedar and maple on the nose, and thickening the mouthfeel while amping up the fruit notes on the palate. There isn’t a lot of cask strength, 100% rye whisky out there – and this is priced fairly given that, so if you’re a fan of that sorta thing (which I am!) I’d pick one up while you can. OH – almost forgot, a premium bottle with a screwcap (which I consider bonus points; I prefer a pragmatic, tried/true solution for my bottle closures).

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Barrell Bourbon Batch 027

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Barrell Bourbon Batch 027

57.85% ABV
$90
Website
Barrell Bourbon Batch 027
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

Barrell Bourbon Batch 027 started with 6-year-old fruit forward barrels from Tennessee and 5-year-old spice forward barrels from Indiana. After these were blended together, 13 and 15-year-old barrels with more wood tannin and depth were layered in and a select number of 9-year-old barrels with a higher rye content were blended in for spice and assertiveness. Finally, 5 and 8-year-old wheated bourbon barrels were added to soften the batch, brighten the front palate, and solidify a cohesiveness to an otherwise extremely complex flavor profile.

  • A blend of straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled and aged in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana
  • Selection of 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, and 15-year-old barrels
  • Aged in American white oak barrels
  • Bottled in Kentucky
  • 115.7 proof cask strength bottling
  • Mash bill: corn, rye and malted barley

FLAVOR NOTES
Many bourbons just taste like caramel, some older bourbons taste like oak, but this — this bourbon is a cherry bomb. At times bright and juicy, at others, brooding and oxidized, but while there are many flavors to be found, cherry stands above them all.

​Neat
Appearance: Carrot.
Nose: Supporting notes that span sweet desserts, woodsy herbs, and rich oils, but their presence is an afterthought to the singular and intense focus of this whisky’s nose, and that focus is squarely on old, comforting cherry. The oak is sweet and nutty, displaying amaretto and sweet, raisonated grapes. Deeper bass notes of sweet potato pie, walnut shells, and freshly ground coffee flesh out the aromatic register. The influence of rye is subtle here, potpourri, earl grey tea, and bouquet garni whisper at the periphery.
Palate: The candied texture that falls short of syrupy and a just-gentle tannin suggest minimal oak extraction but significant concentration over long years spent slowly evaporating in a rickhouse. Like the nose, a bright, juicy acidity puts the focus squarely on a note of cherry so monumental that almost nothing else breaks through. A bit more floral than the nose, candied violet and lavender are just able to peek through, along with a steely minerality. Eventually, some oxidized notes evoke an old oloroso sherry, among them hazelnut, molé sauce, and stewed mushroom.
Finish: A gentle, yet complex finish that makes one imagine a flavor wheel in thin air. This mysterious yet fruity bourbon leaves the palate with blood orange, rosehip, hibiscus, and sumac.

With a few drops of spring water
Lychee, pineapple and honeydew melon emerge, and heather, sage, and cigar smoke lend a welcome complexity. This is followed by baklava, Boston cream pie, and a creamy brown ale, which lends a subtle hoppy note to the finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, cherries, roasted walnuts, musty oak, herbal notes of fennel and dried mint with a hint of lavender.
Palate:  Sweet and thick with cherries and honey, vanilla, pepper spice, oak, raisins, cinnamon, and chocolate fudge.
Finish:  Moderately long with caramel and sour cherries.
Comments: Another really well done blend.  Cherries are definitely a prominent note, but to be clear this isn’t one dimensional in any way/shape/form. There is a sherry-like sweetness that I really like, which seems to intensify with a bit of water.  Continue to be impressed with the blending by the folks at Barrell Craft Spirits, and like that they’re not looking for “consistency” across batches.  I liked this almost as much as Batch 026, but if I had to pick a favorite, that one won by a bit – but I can’t see anyone being disappointed in either.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Barrell Bourbon Batch 026

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Barrell Bourbon Batch 026

56.32% ABV
$90
Website
Barrell Bourbon Batch 026
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

Barrell Bourbon Batch 026 was created by combining 9, 10, 11, 13 and 15-year-old barrels in several blending steps. The first was a fusion of 9-year-old high rye barrels peppery and pointed on the palate, 10-year-old oak forward barrels, and sweet, toasty 11-year-old barrels for mouthfeel and classic baking spice notes. The second balanced citrus forward 10, 12 and 15-year-old barrels with spicy, floral 9-year-old high rye barrels. These two blends were gradually co-mingled resulting in an intriguing bourbon that dances between fruit and spice long into its finish.

  • A blend of straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled and aged in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana
  • Selection of 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15-year-old barrels
  • Aged in American white oak barrels
  • Bottled in Kentucky
  • 112.64 proof cask strength bottling

FLAVOR NOTES
Like a well-aged Sauternes, a complex array of fresh, dried, and cooked fruits dominates the aroma, supported by pungent florals and a delicate layer of barrel-spice. The palate is concentrated and extractive, having pulled quite a lot of sugar and peppery spice from the cask. Water tames it, bringing forth a panoply of tropical fruits on the nose and creamy desserts on the palate.

Neat
Appearance: Pumpkin pie.
Nose: Immediately bright and fruity, smelling of white peach, creamy coconut, and prickly rhubarb, followed by dried or cooked fruits, among them golden raisin, candied grapefruit peel, and roasted red pepper. Pungent florals are intermixed, notably rosehip and meadowsweet. As one’s nose adjusts, richer, sweeter notes of beeswax, toasted almond, and tiramisu arrive. They sit atop a dusting of allspice, spearmint, ginger ale and charcoal.
Palate: A bit brash, but well balanced and with only modest tannin. Initially the flavor is dark and complex, on molasses, black cherry soda, and root beer barrel candy. The palate is rounded out by slate, salt, green apple and a little horseradish.
Finish: Advances the cooked-fruit theme put forth by the nose, cycling through candied grapefruit peel, grape jam, cardamom and allspice. It fades with a mineral tingle of iron and wood smoke.

With a few drops of spring water
Tropical fruit aromas become the focus, particularly starfruit, pineapple, and limoncello. Geranium and vanilla lend to the exotic feeling. The palate grows richer and silkier, with toasted pumpernickel, quince paste, mocha and horchata.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, vanilla, graham cracker, hot cocoa with marshmallows, raisins, oak, hint of cedar, touch of honey with mint, allspice and nutmeg.
Palate:  Thick and spicy with citrus zip, caramel, honey, bit of maple syrup with apples and tropical fruit notes.
Finish:  Moderately long, thickly sweet with chocolate and coconut.
Comments: Quite a complex pour – one that I really enjoy simply nosing and pondering.  Another shining example of the blending skills of the fine folks at Barrell Craft Spirits.  I’ve yet to try a batch I didn’t think was damn fine (with some being more in my wheelhouse than others).  And I remain equally impressed with whomever does their tasting notes (reading them after making my own, I often find notes I didn’t nail but think “Oh yeah – THAT was there!”).  I tasted this along side Bourbon Batches 018 & 027, and of those three – this was my favorite (although I wouldn’t turn away any of the others!)

Rating: Must Try

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Barrell Bourbon Batch 018

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Barrell Bourbon Batch 018

55.78% ABV
$90
Website
Barrell Bourbon Batch 018

What the Blender Says

Barrell Bourbon Batch 018 is a cinnamon bomb of a bourbon. We began with a juicy and tropical 11-year-old blend and layered in more structured and spice-driven 14 and 15-year-old barrels to give this batch a serious amount of character and bite.

  • A blend of straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled and aged in Tennessee and Kentucky
  • Selection of 11, 14 and 15-year-old barrels
  • Aged in American white oak barrels
  • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
  • 111.56 proof cask strength bottling
  • Mash bill: corn, rye and malted barley

FLAVOR NOTES
A blend of straight bourbons with all the comfort of your favorite Old Fashioned — sweet and rich with notes of honey, orange and cherry. Coffee and tropical fruit on the palate lead into an earthy finish that invites thoughtful contemplation as the whiskey continues to evolve.

Neat
Appearance: Wildflower honey with brassy highlights.
Nose: Opens rich and fruity, on orange liqueur and maraschino syrup, with underpinnings of cardamom, juniper, and incense. With air, a note of sweet vermouth arrives then evolves into concord grape jam and mint shisha. Slowly, exotic notes of papaya, finger lime, and gooseberry lift above the milieu.
Palate: The flavor of wildflower honey joins the orange liqueur and sweet vermouth from the nose but these sweet flavors are balanced by tangy pomegranate and strawberry. Subtle notes of dark chocolate and kahlua lend it depth.
Finish: Unexpectedly earthy, with cardamom re-appearing alongside almond, cappuccino, and sumac.

With a few drops of spring water
The fruit grows brighter, introducing notes of tangerine zest, mango, passionfruit and coconut, while mineral notes of limestone and tonic water add even more lift.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, blood orange, vanilla glazed donut, sandalwood, pecans, cherries, oak, bit of dried mint and vitamins.
Palate:  Fruity with cherries, orange, grilled peaches, honey, bit of chocolate, caramel, mineral note with a hint of sweet vermouth.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with pepper spice, oak and an earthy mineral note.
Comments: A pretty solid blend. The presence of Dickel is a bit more prominent in this one compared to some others, so if you don’t care for that vitamin/minerality often found there, this might not be your favorite blend.  With some water the mouthfeel thickens nicely, and I got more floral notes on the nose as well.  I reviewed this side-by-side with two more recent batches (026 and 027), and this was my least favorite, and was still pretty good.

Rating: Stands Out

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O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye

49% ABV
$80
Website
O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye
We would like to thank Brown Water Spirits LLC for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

The release of O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye follows the highly successful launch in October of the first in the River Aged Series, O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey. After a strong launch in Middle Tennessee, O.H. Ingram quickly moved into East Tennessee, including, but not limited to, the Chattanooga, Knoxville and the Tri-Cities markets.

“The response to O.H. Ingram River Aged so far has been beyond what I could’ve possibly imagined,“ said proprietor Hank Ingram. “Since our Straight Whiskey hit shelves in October, whiskey lovers have been able to experience the taste created by our unique aging process, and our Straight Rye will only deepen their connection to the Ingram River Aged Series.”

“Bourbon first became popular in America because it came down the river to New Orleans where it gained popularity and distribution. The goal of our process was to put the river back into American whiskey and see what effect it would have on the whiskey,” Ingram continued. “Even in the midst of the pandemic, we’ve found that people are always ready for a good story and a good drink. With O.H. Ingram River Aged, we offer both.”

The O.H. Ingram River Aged Series is the only whiskey aged inside a first-of-its-kind floating rickhouse moored on the riverbank in Ballard County, KY. Here, it’s exposed to the climate of the Mighty Mississippi River and its rise and fall. These factors combine to provoke a unique interaction between wood and spirit that isn’t possible inside a traditional rickhouse. The constant motion of the river ensures that the whiskey never stops working, creating an extraordinary spirit with a taste mature beyond its years.

O.H. Ingram River Aged is the result of blending entrepreneurship and innovation with traditional aging processes. While all whiskies are products of the environment, only O.H. Ingram River Aged is ‘Mellowed on the Mississippi.’

Hank is the latest in his family to take a great idea to the water. More than 150 years ago, his family began its American success story with two things — oak trees and a rushing river. Now, Hank is adding his chapter to this story by bringing together whiskey and the magic of the river to create O.H. Ingram River Aged Whiskey.

Ingram River Aged is currently available in Middle and East Tennessee with additional markets coming as inventories are available.

Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep burnished copper
On the Nose: Floral, subtle notes of caramel
Mouthfeel: Soft, butter, presence of rye spice
Palate: Vanilla, graham cracker, cinnamon, hints of hay and nutmeg
Finish: Butterscotch, bubblegum, raspberry preserves, hints of tobacco

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral and soft with herbal spices, notes of dried mint, cinnamon, lemongrass, touch of vanilla, oak and a faint hint of clove.
Palate:  Vanilla with a spicy bite of cracked pepper and cinnamon, sour oak, nutmeg and caramel sauce.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with a citrus (tangerines?) spice.
Comments:  The history of American whiskey maturing on the river isn’t a marketing ploy.  In fact, the time and interaction with the charred barrels during the trip from Kentucky to New Orleans certainly contributed to the rise in popularity of what came to be known as ‘bourbon whiskey’.  Michael Veach has written on this topic and others (if you’re a fan of history and bourbon and aren’t reading him already, I’d highly recommend it as a trusted source). Now back then, the whiskey wasn’t spending years on the water, so this isn’t an attempt to recreate that – but to create something unique with a nod towards history.  The whiskey itself is nice.  Three year minimum age stated on the bottle, distilled by the fine folks at MGP with a mash bill of 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% malted barley.  I can’t say that I’d have pegged this for a three year old if tasting blind.  The nose is fairly subtle for a rye, but the palate has that sharper bite rye whiskies are known for.  I get more oak on the palate than you’d expect for the age, although this isn’t surprising given the increased interaction of river aging.  While an interesting whiskey, the price point is disappointing

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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