Average

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon

45% ABV
$30
Website

What the ??? Says

So this is a product of Frank-Lin Distillers Products (although it isn’t acknowledged on their web-site, but they are on the TTB label application). That’s it. That’s all I could find.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, caramel, subtle cinnamon and a hint of oak.
Palate:  Sweet, caramel with vanilla, a hint of milk chocolate.
Finish:  Short to moderately long with a bit of pepper spice at the end.
Comments:  This was the 3rd 50 mL bottle I bought at Total Wine (the Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon and Winchester Straight Bourbon being the other two), and I tasted all three of those at the same time over a period of days. This was by far the best of those three, which doesn’t say much. With no age statement, as a straight bourbon it has to be at least four years old, and that’d be about my guess. Nothing objectionable about this pour – other than the price. This one might give Evan Williams Black Label a run for its money. I sorta wish I had done a blind side by side of those two, but not enough to invest the couple bucks in another 50 mL. And certainly not enough to buy a whole bottle. Even if it were close, to be priced at $30 – unless you really dig the bottle/label, I would highly recommend buying the 50 mL first. Maybe it will blow some folks away and be well worth it, although I can’t imagine why.

Rating: Average

Winchester Straight Bourbon

45% ABV
$25
Website

What the ??? Says

[Other than this is made by Terressentia and is available at Total Wine (presumably exclusively there), nothing. Really. We tried to find more info on their web-site with no success.]

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral perfume notes, sweet with a hint of baking spices.
Palate:  Vanilla, a hint of caramel and oak with a bit of nutmeg.
Finish:  Short and damp, with a hint of spice.
Comments:  Like the Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon, this was another 50 mL gamble where I had very low expectations. Per the label this is ‘at least 2 years old’, and tastes like you’d expect a 2 year old bourbon to taste like. The floral notes on the nose were different, but otherwise this rose to my low expectations (although for the price, there are so many bottles I’d buy before this, I couldn’t list them all). Usually with craft spirits, I compare them to Evan Williams Black Label – a very simple, straight bourbon. And I’d prefer that over this (even at the lower proof).

Rating: Average

Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve

50% ABV
$30 – $33
Website

We would like to thank Punch Media and Brown Forman for sending us samples to review.

What the Distiller Says

THE PROCESS: Barrel Reserve 100 Proof is aged in an American White Oak barrel that is specially chiseled and charred on the inside to deepen the whiskey’s wood exposure,creating a bold and complex Kentucky bourbon.

THE NOSE: Fresh hewn oak with hints of smoke and char are spiced with hints of cinnamon and leather atop a layer of orchard and citrus fruit. Sweetened with a sprinkling of vanilla wafer crumbs.
THE TASTE: Caramel and cotton candy coat fresh apple, pear and citrus fruit atop vanilla wafers dusted with sharp cinnamon.
THE FINISH: Assertive cinnamon spice softens to a lingering apple and clean oak note.

MASHBILL: 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Malt

What Gary Says

Nose: Fresh oak with vanilla, leather, some orange zest zip and a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Vanilla with green apples and orange notes as pepper spice unfolds and slowly explodes over cinnamon.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, drying with cinnamon and oaky pepper spice.
Comments:  To start with, I want to remind readers that I wasn’t a fan of Coopers’ Craft when it first came out – which is ok.  The various press releases and marketing materials in 2016 expressed that it was ‘an exceptionally smooth bourbon that is aimed at the entry-level drinker’ – so clearly I wasn’t their target market.  When offered a sample of this new release, I accepted.  The unique barrel treatment and higher proof gave me hope that I’d find something I liked, as I am a fan of other Brown Forman products (like Old Forester, a classic spicy bourbon that I think is often underrated).  It definitely helped, and this has considerably more going on in contrast, as well as a sharp edge.  While a significant step up (at least for me), I just didn’t find anything that stood out to me.  Now if you’re a fan of Coopers’ Craft, this might squarely hit the mark (although if you really like that ‘exceptionally smooth’ profile, keep in mind that this definitely has a sharper edge).

Rating: Average