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Yellow Rose Outlaw Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Yellow Rose Outlaw Bourbon Whiskey
46% ABV
$60
Website
yellowrose-outlaw-bourbon
What the Distillery Says:
Yellow Rose Outlaw Bourbon breaks all traditional bourbon laws just like the Outlaws of the old west. Made from 100% corn our recipe produces a sweet flavor we know you will enjoy. Aged in small American oak barrels, Outlaw Bourbon is a full flavored drink with warm caramel and vanilla overtones. Not many distillers still use a traditional pot still, but we believe this helps us produce a true small batch whiskey.

COLOR: Old gold, copper.
NOSE: Intense aroma, rich caramel and vanilla with a hint of floral.
PALATE: Slightly sweet and extremely rich.
FINISH: Long, maintaining caramel and vanilla. Like a good dessert!
COMMENTS: Unique bourbon providing a great experience for both enthusiast and first timers.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Freshly baked cornbread or corn muffins.
Palate: Corny sweet, young with oak.
Finish: Short, with a bit of pepper as it fades.
Comments: If asked to identify this in a blind taste test, I’d have picked this out as corn whiskey rather than bourbon – which isn’t too surprising as the mashbill is 100% corn. The first comparable whiskey that came to mind was mellow corn (although that is a bottled-in-bond, so higher proof and at least 4 years old). I would suspect that this is probably younger than 4 yrs old by the taste, but that is pure speculation. The smaller barrels add more wood influence, for my taste – prematurely, as it isn’t as integrated as a whiskey aged in a 53 gallon cask. I don’t think they were shooting for an integrated/thinking type of whiskey, so a bit of oak brashness from a small cask is probably delivering what they’re looking for here. I’m a fan of corn whiskey – and if you are too, this might be worth trying. If you’re looking for bourbon and are not a fan of corn whiskey, this might leave you disappointed. And the price point makes it tough to take out for a test drive.
Rating: Average

What Richard Says:
Nose: Corn liquor coming off the still mixed with smoked meats. It’s very unbourbon like but kind of sexy.
Palate: A bit of a fiery red head this one is. Corn whiskey sweet with a kick of oak and more of that oddly delightful BBQ smoked flavor.
Finish: A little hot but less than you would expect for the age.
Comments: Interesting is the word that comes to mind. When I drink this I don’t think bourbon at all. I almost worry that they do themselves a disservice calling it bourbon instead of corn whiskey. I think bourbon drinkers would not necessarily find what they are looking for in a bottle of this. However, that smokey note that sits through the nose and palate I find very compelling. Not something I would run out and buy for $60 a bottle but if you have broader whiskey interests it might be something to try at a bar. If it wasn’t so damn expensive (and yes I understand the harsh economics of starting a new distillery) this would be great for giving your BBQ sauce recipe a kick in the ass!
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Yellow Rose Distilling for sending over a bottle for review.

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Yellow Rose Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Yellow Rose Straight Rye Whiskey
45% ABV
$35
Website
yellowrose-straight-rye-whiskey
What the Bottler Says:
Yellow Rose Straight Rye Whiskey is hand selected, blended and bottled in Texas. Enjoy whiskey as it was before prohibition with this small batch limited production spirit. Made from 95% rye, this whiskey is a true American classic perfect for fine cocktails.

COLOR: Copper, amber.
NOSE: Mild vanilla and pine with hint of brown sugar.
PALATE: Slightly sweet, spearmint with mild pepper and maple.
FINISH: Medium finish with less pepper than other rye whiskey’s.
COMMENTS: One of the best rye whiskey’s ever! Makes for the perfect Old Fashion or Manhattan!

What Gary Says:
Nose: Young and brash, bright rye spice, orange zest, and subtle fresh pickles.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, softer on the palate than the nose, mellow, light fruit, orange zest, bit of spice kicking into the finish.
Finish: Fairly short.
Comments: Interesting rye whiskey – on the nose it screams MGP high rye (which I suspect is its origin), but on the palate it was out of sync for me – feeling a bit more like a “barely legal rye”. While the nose is brash and sharp (as you expect in a rye), the palate is much more mellow and soft; lacking that rye kick, although it picks up in the end. It reminds me a bit of Dickel Rye with how mellow it is on the palate, and I like that – although that is 2/3 the price of this, so not sure I’ll rush out to grab a bottle.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says:
Nose: Minty, floral sweet, grassy, and fresh. Classic (relatively) young MGP rye. We smell it so often that if we aren’t careful we all begin to believe that MGP’s rye is what all rye is supposed to smell like just from the numbers of bottles of their rye on the shelves.
Palate: Herbaceous and minty sweet.
Finish: Slightly bitter and rather short.
Comments: Ah…another in a long, long, LONG string of bottlers giving us their particular slice of MGP’s stock of rye whiskey. There is nothing wrong with this particular expression of MGP rye. Rather, it’s that this rye is becoming so ubiquitous that it’s hard for newer bottlers to stand out. My advice…if you are going down the MGP rye route you need to do something to the damn whiskey to give it your own stamp. “Blending” various barrels of it just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Yellow Rose Distilling for sending us a sample for review.

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Yellow Rose Blended Whiskey

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

Yellow Rose Blended Whiskey
40% ABV
$35
Website
yellowrose-blended-whiskey
What the Bottler Says:
Yellow Rose Blended Whiskey is a fusion of character just like Texas culture. A perfect blend of southern charm and rustic cowboy ensures a smooth drinking whiskey with plenty of heart. Our blended whiskey is fuller flavor than typical Canadian blends due to a higher bourbon content.

Still easy to drink and slightly sweet, Yellow Rose Blended whiskey is great on the rocks or as a mixer

COLOR: Deep gold
NOSE: Light aroma, fruity banana with caramel
PALATE: Sweet with banana
FINISH: Medium finish
COMMENTS: Full flavored blend that is still easy to drink

What Gary Says:
Nose: Very light, faint sweetness and a bit of wood & alcohol.
Palate: Sweet but thin, with just a hint of oak & fruit.
Finish: Fairly quick.
Comments: I set my bar lower for blended whiskey than bourbon, and this managed to limbo in just under my expectations. I definitely didn’t get the fuller flavor they mentioned. On the nose, my mind drifted more towards cleaning chemicals than whiskey. To be fair, I like to sample something multiple times over a period of time, and I threw my notes out from my first go (as I think the pollen-apolypse we experience here in Georgia every spring was throwing me off). Maybe it would grow on me, but for the price point I don’t think I’d give it a chance.
Rating: Average

What Richard Says:
Nose: Banana Mama cocktails on the beach in Cancun.
Palate: Smoked honey drizzled over a fruit cocktail with bananas foster on the side.
Finish: Sweet and mellow with a hint pepper.
Comments: This was a surprise. I really expected it to be awful. When I see “blended whiskey” I tend to think of Seagram 7 or something equally awful. This is a bit too sweet for my taste but it is very easily drinkable and not offputting in the least. $35 is a bit steep but I wouldn’t turn down a glass.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank Yellow Rose Distilling for sending over a sample for review.

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Colonel E.H. Taylor Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Kentucky Rye Whiskey
50% ABV
$70
Website
EHT-straightrye
What the Distillery Says:
Straight Rye Whiskey has experienced a strong resurgence in the American whiskey landscape, yet Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. was making this style more than 100 years ago. This small batch, Bottled-in-Bond 100 proof straight rye whiskey pays tribute to the former Distillery owner with a unique rye whiskey reminiscent of days long past.

TASTING NOTES:
An altogether different recipe and profile than Sazerac Rye, this recipe contains just rye and malted barley, no corn. The result is an aroma full of dried fruit, black pepper, and touch of fresh dill. A small sip brings an array of flavors both sweet and savory with a terrific balance of dark spices and subtle caramel overtones. The finish is especially pleasing with an oaky dryness that lingers just long enough.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Oaky, citrus rye spice, bit of crushed mint & burnt toast; not particularly sweet.
Palate: Bright & sharp – more of a herbal/savory spice than sweetness, hints of caramel crèmes; mouthfeel is a bit thin.
Finish: Dries as it lingers, but not unpleasant.
Comments: Unlike some “barely legal” ryes (like Pikesville or Rittenhouse BIB) which are just over 50% rye in the mash, this has no corn in the mashbill. That isn’t necessarily uncommon (many MGP distilled rye are a mashbill of only rye & barley), but it does explain the sharp/spiciness that comes through without as much of the sweet (which corn is well known to deliver). I like it well enough, and while not age-stated (BIB means at least four years old), I would guess this to be 6-10 yrs old. It just doesn’t have anything unique/special about it for me that would justify the price. In fact, had I laid out my own dough for a bottle – I would be disappointed. Thankfully, I’ve got very generous friends. And, the whiskey itself is nice (just that there are a LOT of nice ryes out there for way less money).
Rating: Average

What Richard Says:
Nose: This one is like an Old Fashioned all by itself. Minty, peppery rye spice with muddled oranges and candied fruit sweetness.
Palate: A big fat miss on the mouthfeel. I would expect an older bottled in bond whiskey to have a creamier mouthfeel. It seems like they chill filtered the shit out of this one. It is kind of soft and caramel sweet with a bitter and peppery bite.
Finish: Dry and woody.
Comments: I want to like this. I really do. Especially since it is my $70 that went out for this bottle. But as much as I want to really like it I find it a little blah. In fact, for $70 I find it really blah. I’ve heard rumors that this new rye recipe may be a blending component in Buffalo Trace’s distilled replacement for Van Winkle Rye. I hope that if that is true then it is either much better around 13 years or the blend components are more than the sum of their parts.
Rating: Average

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Teeling Single Grain

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey
46%
$45
Website
Singlegrain_big
What the Distillery Says:
Single Grain – Recently Awarded World’s Best Grain at the World Whiskies Awards, 2014. This award-winning addition is one of only a handful of Single Grain Bottlings in the world.

It is fully matured in Californian red wine barrels resulting in an intensely fruity and beautifully amber liquid, with lush berry notes.

Hand selected casks, bottled at 46% with no chill filtration to ensure all the unique flavour is captured.

Nose: Spice and fruit notes mingle with an underlying sweet nose.
Taste: Strong spice at the start developing into lush red berries and grapes, with drying tannin effect at the end.
Finish: Dry finish dominated by wood and spice.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The first whiff is a harsh snip of nail polish remover. If you give it a couple of drops of water and a few minutes to open then slight notes of Brach’s butterscotch candies and vanilla buttercream frosting.
Palate: There is a nice plum fruitiness mixed with notes of under ripe apples. It has a creamy round body finishing with salted butter and honey.
Finish: Short with just a hint of wood and tannic notes.
Comments: There is a lot here to like but it doesn’t really seem to come together the right way. I seems like this needs some more work.
Rating: Average

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