Woodford Reserve

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45.2% ABV/90.4 Proof
$25 to $30
Widely Available

What the distillery says:
It all comes down to a small team guided by one man – our Master Distiller. Applying years of experience and knowledge, he selects only barrels whose whiskey shows superior maturation qualities. These barrels are set aside, then moved to the 100-year-old stone warehouses at The Woodford Reserve Distillery to finish their maturation.

The heat of summer and the cold of the Kentucky winter are key when you want a fine whiskey to mature properly. That’s why our barrels see every season. When the whiskey in these special barrels reaches its peak, it becomes Woodford Reserve

What Richard Says:
Nose: Buttery with hints of oak. A good bit of citrusy sweetness and the slightest hint of nuttiness. Water mutes the butter and wood and then smacks you in the face with citrus.
Palate: Very sweet initially. As you move it around the mouth the sweetness takes a back seat to ripe fruit and mild oakiness.
Finish: The finish is actually sweet and mildly oaky but very hot. This one leaves the lips and back of the throat tingling. A little waters dowses the fire and give you a finish that plays well between sweetness and wood with flowery under notes.
Comments: I’m always a little conflicted on single whiskey distillers. I don’t mean to insinuate that more expressions means better product but I respect the continuing strive for innovation and self improvement. The recent special releases have been varied in quality but always respected for the willingness to think outside the norm. I fear however, that they are overshadowing the standard expression a little. It is really a stand out bourbon at a reasonable price point. I’m glad I got reaquainted. Keep up the good work guys!
Rating: Stands Out.

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Seagram’s 7 Crown American Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

I’ve been sitting on this review for a while going back to our Gateway Series of reviews. I was waiting to see if Matt would try this one too but he’s on vacation so I’m going to publish it anyway.

In all seriousness, it was a post on about American Blended Whiskey that reminded of this old review so here it goes…

Seagram’s 7 Crown American Whiskey
40% ABV/80 Proof
$10 to $15
Available Everywhere

What the Distillery Says:

I actually couldn’t find anything.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Honey and ripe fruit. Oranges and nuts. Not an altogether unpleasant nose.
Palate: Candied rubber? Very antiseptic and spicy. Not something to drink neat.
Finish: Very hot and rough finish. Not smooth in the least.
Comments: Okay, Seagram’s isn’t exactly suggesting this be drunk straight like a fine bourbon. It’s a cheap mixer and tastes as such. It’s a very odd bastard child of something bourbon-like and something Canadian.
Rating: I’ll Pass (so bad that I’m adding another rating to our system)

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Four Roses Yellow Label

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
40% ABV
Available in Asia, Europe, & USA
$20

What The Distillery Says:
A worldwide favorite, especially when creating mixed drinks with a sophisticated, contemporary flair. Hints of pear and apple compliment floral aromas and mix with a taste of honey and spice. Smooth and mellow with a unique, long and soft finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Vanilla caramel sweetness overlaying rich oak.
Palate: Less sweet on the palate but very mellow. There’s a slight kick at the end of the palate. Hints of orchard fruit and oak dominate the flavor profile.
Finish: Very smooth and short. A little spice is left at the tongue and middle warmth fills the stomach.
Comments: It’s not Buffalo Trace but it’s a solid inexpensive bourbon. Versatile enough to work well in cocktails but I could still drink it neat.
Rating: Average (or slightly above)

What Matt Says:
Nose: Honeysuckle, orange shellac, dry grain and cherry lollipops
Palate: Cherry caramels and toasted oak, round and full bodied without being oily
Finish: Very smooth with just a slight burn that hits the tip of the tongue like a love bite.  Leaves the tongue with a taste of cherry lollipops and an oaky fuzziness.
Comments: The palate of this reminds me of Cheerwine, a cherry flavored cola sold in the Deep South.  I’m glad they started selling Four Roses in the US again.  I have several friends who cut their teeth on this while growing up in Europe.  Yellow Label is a solid entry level bourbon that will give you a much better taste profile than say, Old Crow, Rebel Yell, or Jim Beam.  Richard and I agree that Buffalo Trace is a bit better.  Still, there are places where you can only get one or the other.  Either way, you’ll have any enjoyable and affordable dram.
Rating:  Average

Overall Rating:  Average
In the grand scheme of all bourbon, Yellow Label falls squarely in the “average” range.  If you just put it up against other whiskeys in this price range, it surely stands out.

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Do you have the stones for drinking whiskey?

/ / Richard's Blog

In case you may not know it…whiskey is popular. People like it. A lot of people like it. It’s even kind of hip and cool again…for the time being. As a very popular item it is subject to the inundation of gimmicks. I like gimmicks. I don’t personally buy into most of them but I find them amusing. I tend to have a cheeky sense of humor about things like that. Usually, I have my chuckle and then put them out of mind.

However, one thing that just keeps coming up like a bad penny are rocks. Whiskey on the rocks? Yes…literally. If you Google “whisky stones” you’ll get about 782,000 results. Throw in an “e” and it jumps to 989,000 (apparently us Yanks and the Irish think this is a somewhat better idea). What are they you ask? Little soapstone cubes that you can freeze and then throw in your whiskey. Not to sink the whiskey to the bottom of a lake but rather to keep it cold without watering it down. And it makes your drink look so appealing.

Mmmm…doesn’t that look good? I first saw these babies about a year or two ago. A friend of mine asked me about them. Just so you know, I’m kind of a whiskey guy. As such, most of my friends know me to be a whiskey guy and I’ve kind of become their go-to whiskey guy. (Except Matt, the SOB dares to have his own opinions about whiskey separate from mine. The nerve!) As their go-to, my friends send me all sorts of things whiskey related to opine on. When whiskey stones were first brought to my attention I found them kind of funny. I didn’t really take them too seriously but they keep coming up. Another friend of mine asked me about them last week because they were in a magazine that he reads.

I find the whiskey stone thing to be a little silly but some people think it’s a pretty good idea. I get what they are driving at. It’s the same kind of thing The Macallan has been talking about with their ice ball serve. But even that I find a little silly. Basically they are all saying that people want their whiskey cold instead of watered down. Why? The general answer I get when I ask people is that it’s a flavor thing. Really? You actually lose a lot more flavor characteristics chilling whiskey than you do adding a little water. Don’t believe me? Try it at home. Take your favor dram and pour three glasses. Drink one straight, drink one with no ice but chilled in the freezer, and drink the last with a splash or two of water.

If you like the cold because it mellows out flavor that you don’t like then you might want to get a different bottle of whiskey. If however, you just like your whiskey over ice then I’m all for it. I believe that you should drink it how you like. The question isn’t about that. It’s about paying $20 so you can throw rocks in your glass. I think that’s just silly but I guess that’s an easier sell than $20 bottles of special “whiskey water”.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Eagle Rare 10 Year Old

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% ABV
Widely available
$25 to $30

What The Distillery Says:
Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has a sweet, oaky nose and full, complex body. Reminiscent of a fine port wine, this rare whiskey is best served neat, or over ice. Of Course, feel free to drink Eagle Rare in such classic cocktails as the Manhattan or Whiskey Sour.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Straight from the bottle the nose seems a little more dominated by alcohol than I would expect at this strength. Water opens up a lot of ripe citrus and hints of chocolate.
Palate: The palate dances between pepper and mild oak. With water the palate mellows showing oranges and honeysuckle sweetness.
Finish: Very spicy on the finish. It doesn’t burn but it leaves you with heat and oak. With water it goes down like silk.
Comments: I wanted to like this bourbon more than I do. I think it’s very muscular bourbon and it stands out in the category as a whole, especially at a sub-$30 price point. That said, up against other single barrel bourbons in the 10 year range it seem s a little lacking.
Rating: Stands out

What Matt Says:
Nose: Orange shellac, bubblegum, juicy fruit fluoride treatment, corn syrup and oak resin.
Palate: A little hot (alcoholic) with notes of cinnamon, mint, toasted oak and burnt sugar.
Finish: Cinnamon and oak
Comments: This one is hotter than I remember.  Maybe I’m thinking of the older expression.  I like each elemental aspect but I want a little more roundness.  This is an angular dram that unfolds more like a steel trap than a flower in bloom.  Overall, I tend to agree with Richard’s assessment except I’m going to give it an average rating.
Rating:  Average

Overall Rating:  Average

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