New U.S. Releases – October ‘09

/ / Bourbon, Scottish Whisky

I’m a couple of days late this month. Sorry about that. Here’s our monthly round up of new releases.

Ballechin The Discovery Series #4: The Oloroso Sherry Casks
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 46%
Price: TBD
This is the fourth in a series of heavily peated releases from Edradour. Those guys are always doing interesting stuff. I haven’t tried any of the Ballechin releases but I’m intrigued.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection: Seasoned Oak
Timeframe: November
ABV: 50.2%
Price: $89.99
This year’s release from Woodford is finished in barrels that are made of staves left out to season for several years. These releases have been kind of hit or miss recently but I’m anxious to try it.

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 43.3%
Price: $25.99
It’s that time of year again for this annual release. Between this and Old Forrester Birthday Bourbon there’s always a new bourbon or two to try every year.

Old Rip Van Winkle Family Selection 23 year Old
Timeframe: Late November
ABV: 57%
Price: $350
Not a bourbon for the light of wallet. This special release comes in a Glencairn decanter with two special glasses to match.

Wild Turkey Tradition
Timeframe: November
ABV: 50.5%
Price: $100
This is a 14 year old limited edition coming from Wild Turkey. Previous limited editions included Tribute (which I didn’t get to try) in 2004 and American Spirit in 2007.

Sheep Dip Old Hebridean 1990 Vintage
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 40%
Price: $70
I met the guys behind Sheep Dip back in 2007. I was pleasantly surprised by their offerings and I’m looking forward to this one too.

Isle of Jura Prophecy
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 46%
Price: TBD
Not much information on this one yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Glengoyne 12 Year Old
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 43%
Price: $56
Glengoyne already has a cask strength 12 year old on the market but if you’re not a fan of cask strength bottlings then here’s something for you too.

That’s it for October!

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Knob Creek is back!

/ / Bourbon, Richard's Blog

As some of you may or may not know, there was a shortage of Knob Creek bourbon. Recently, Beam Global was so successful at marketing and selling Knob Creek that they ran out this summer! This particular bourbon is a nine years old so they couldn’t just whip up a few more barrels. It’s not an exact science in predicting what demand for a product will be nine years out.

Today I got word that Knob Creek flows again. They are bottling more as we speak and it should be shipping out soon to a retailer near you.

Personally, I like Knob Creek. We haven’t formally reviewed Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection yet but I find this one to be most in the spirit of traditional Jim Beam. If you don’t care for it then the news of it’s return won’t affect you unless everyone’s been buying your favorite bourbond during the drought. If you’ve never heard of Knob Creek then grab a bottle the next time you see it. It’s a solid bourbon in the traditional style.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Where are the Apostles?

/ / Richard's Blog

Wow, I just realized the last post was almost two weeks ago. What have we been doing? Well, Matt and I developed Whisk(e)yApostle as a labor of love and unfortunately we don’t get paid to do it. We have day jobs that are a lot less exciting than the world of whiskey we write about. However, Matt’s day job is more exciting than mine. We also buy most of our whiskey that we review so that takes some outside financing too. It’s been a hectic couple of weeks for both of us and I’m gearing up to fly to NYC to meet Matt for WhiskyFest New York on November 10th. We’ll try to post a few more updates before then and hopefully a couple of reviews too. We should be wrapping up the Gateway Series after a couple more reviews. We will definitely have a lot to talk about after WhiskyFest. Hopefully we will see a bunch of you there too.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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News From Compass Box

/ / Matt's Blog, Scottish Whisky

We’ve recently mentioned the re-release of The Spice Tree from Compass Box Whisky.  This is more than exciting to me, as this was one of my favorites when it was first released.  You can read our review of the first release here.  We will let you know about the new one as soon as possible.

Well, Compass Box is also bringing back Orangerie, an “infusion of fresh, hand-zested organic orange zest, cassia and clove in 10 year-old Scotch whisky.”

Look for these two drams this fall and something extra special closer to winter time.  Compass Box is releasing a very limited, one time release of old vatted malt inspired by the “Lucky Blend.”  The new whisky will be called Lady Luck and I can’t wait to try it.

For more information about these whiskies, hit up the Compass Box website.

Drink well, drink responsibly.
-Matt

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Gateway Series #12: Canadian Round-Up

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review / ,

After Crown Royal, we decided that providing two negative reviews for the remaining Canadian whiskies was a bit overkill.  So Richard took one for the team and reviewed two of the other three on our list.  I think I got off pretty easy (the Canadian Mist was my contribution).

Canadian Club Blended Canadian Whisky
40% ABV/80 Proof
Nose: Citrus, vanilla, and burnt tire.  This smells pretty awful.
Palate: I would say that the only good thing about the palate on this is that it got the taste of Seagram’s 7 and Black Velvet out of my mouth from the same tasting but that’s not an improvement.  This is like industrial drain cleaner.
Finish: The finish is actually the best part.  It is rather smooth but the after taste is too reminiscent of the palate.
Comments: Wow, this was not a pleasant experience at all.  I know we pledged to review the often over looked entry level stuff as part of the Gateway Series but I can only hope that if you’re reading our site then you’re drinking better than Canadian Club.  Please tell me you are.
Rating: Possibly the worst whisk(e)y I’ve ever drank.

Black Velvet Canadian Whisky
40% ABV/80 Proof
Nose: Juvenile oranges and rubbing alcohol with notes of sweet vanilla.  Agitation make the nose almost industrial.
Palate: On the palate this tastes like unaged grain alcohol.  Very little flavor and very rough.
Finish: It actually finishes rather smooth on the throat but it leaves a hornet’s nest in your mouth.
Comments: Every time I see this somewhere I think of that Alana Miles song about Elvis.  Unfortunately this doesn’t resemble the King in any way, shape, or form. Don’t bother.
Rating: I’ll Pass (so bad that I’m adding another rating to our system)

Canadian Mist Blended Canadian Whisky
40% ABV/80 Proof
Nose: Really nice right after the pour, like high-rye bourbon.  Sweet, toffee, and caramel.  When agitated, the nose becomes antiseptic (rubbing alcohol).
Palate: Not much to it.  It tastes more like a honeyed Lowland Scotch than anything from North America.  The flavor is very delicate.  What little flavor is present, is honeyed and cereal with an oily mouth feel.
Comments: This seems like it would be a good mixer.  It stands out among the other gateway Canadians in that it is not retched.  That being said, it is like whisky light.  This could be a true gateway whisky for folks unaccustomed to drinking alcohol with flavor.
Rating:  Average

So, there you have it.  The Canadian round-up.  You may think that we are being unfair to our Northern cousins, but we cannot help our tastes.

We still have a few more gateway reviews on the way, so stay tuned.

Slainte
Matt & Richard

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