Average

Knob Creek Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Knob Creek Small Batch Rye Whiskey
50% ABV
$40
Website
Knob Creek Rye
What the Distillery Says:
Made with a blend of the finest quality rye to create an extraordinarily smooth yet spicy finish.

Color: Shades of gold to light amber.
Taste: Bold rye spiciness with undertones of vanilla and oak.
Aroma: Expansive notes of herbs and rye with nuances of oak.
Finish: Warm and smooth with spice throughout.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rye spice, lightly minty, herbal notes reminding me of herb liqueurs like herbsaint, and a little cinnamon.
Palate: Creamy and bitter…an odd combination. This isn’t a minty lightly sweet right. This is spicy.
Finish: Black pepper, bitter wood, and very dry.
Comments: Beam Global really wants you to pay $40+ for one of their ryes. They first tried it with Ri(1) a few years back and no one wanted to pay that much for Jim Beam Rye in a sexy bottle (same recipe as Beam only makes one rye whiskey recipe). Now they want to leverage their successful Knob Creek brand and get you to pay that much for a NAS (no age statement) rye at 100 proof just because it has the Knob Creek name on it. Well, it’s $10 more than 9 year old Knob Creek bourbon so I’ll say no thanks. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad rye. It’s just nothing special and in my mind you can do a lot better for a lot less coin.
Rating: Average

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Wild Turkey 101

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
50.5% ABV
$20-$25
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Wild Turkey 101 is a 101 proof (50.5% alcohol) bourbon that is a marriage of primarily 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old bourbons. Jimmy Russell notes that unlike some of its competitors, “Wild Turkey 101 has an exceptionally gentle and rich aroma for a high-proof bourbon, thanks to quality at all stages of its production.”

At first taste, 101 is rich with vanilla and caramel, with notes of honey, brown sugar, and a hint of tobacco. Its high proof contributes to its bolder flavor.
Wild Turkey 101 is the benchmark in bourbon, best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. It’s also excellent in more sophisticated cocktails.

What Richard Says:
Nose: From the bottle to the glass this is surprisingly coy. Leave it in the glass a few minutes and sweet caramel, vanilla extract, and honeysuckles begin to come out. Water makes it more orange-like and overpowers the other elements.
Palate: Nothing coy here. Straight forward bourbon goodness. Vanilla, oak, and pepper dominate. Water makes this on a little sweeter but doesn’t really change the profile.
Finish: Heavy on the wood and an interesting blend of pepper spices.
Comments: Wild Turkey 101 is one of those everyday standard bearer bourbons. Some surprise you (Buffalo Trace), some disappoint you (Jim Beam White Label), and some give you exactly what you’re expecting. Wild Turkey 101 falls into the last category. It’s not the hottest girl at the party but you don’t ever regret taking her home.
Rating: Average

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Black Maple Hill Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Black Maple Hill Kentucky Straight Bourbon
47.5% ABV
$35-$40



What the distillery Says:
(No website but here’s a to Chuck Cowdery’s research into BMH)

What Richard Says:
Nose: Cherries, lavender, oranges, vanilla, fresh cut wood, and strong notes of acetone.
Palate: This is very chewy with an interesting interplay of tart and sweet. The late palate turns savory after rolling it around a bit.
Finish: A little hot and very woody. Seriously woody…like chewing a box of toothpicks plus morning after cigar mouth.
Comments: “The next Pappy Van Winkle” has been said recently. Not even close. Anything you get on the nose is tapered off on the palate and killed on the finish. This bottle of bourbon perplexed me a bit. I remember this being much better than the bottle I bought in 2012.
Rating: Average

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Famous Grouse 12 Year Old Blended Malt

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Famouse Grouse Malt Whisky Aged 12 Years
40% ABV/80 Proof
$35 to $40
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Try something a little different, with this rare balance of soft oak and citrus. The Famous Grouse 12 year old malt whisky is created from the finest single malt scotch whiskies including the world renowned The Macallan and Highland Park. These whiskies are left undisturbed to mature for a minimum of 12 years. The result is an invigorating spirit with a long, rewarding finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Floral integrates with treacle and brined meat. Malt-o-meal, there is a little orange citrus not too. Interesting characteristics, I just don’t care for how they mesh together.
Palate: Rich, nutty, and surprisingly sweet. Not bad. Much improved over the nose.
Finish: More of that citrus and oak. It’s clean and clears out quickly. Very short finish.
Comments: I wanted to like this. I really did. I love Highland Park and Macallan and they are both in here. However, this one just doesn’t do it for me. Some folks love it. It’s a “Wine Enthusiast 95/100 Best Buy” if that means anything to you. I find it very unappealing. There are many better dreams for the same price. Admittedly, I bought this because it was on sale for $20 but even at that price I wouldn’t buy it again.
Rating: Average

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SMWS Cask 125.51

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWS Cask No. 125.51
Highland, Northern
57.4%% ABV
Distilled August 2001
$90
US Allocation: 150 bottles
December 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWS Says:
The nose took time to develop – eventually producing sharp zesty fruits, grated orange peel, vanilla, caramel, hint of mint and polished or waxed furniture. The palate was more immediately defined – the sweetness of Danish pastries (with vanilla cream and apricot jam) and the perfumed astringency of lime sorbet, starfruit and grapefruit; pepper and chilli arriving in the finish. In reduction, the nose expanded to include papaya, strawberry split ice-lollies, toffee, magic tree vanilla and yankee candles. The reduced palate delivered rich, perfumed sweetness (‘biting a woman’s neck’ someone suggested); oak sharpened the after-taste. The distillery was a brewery until 1843.

Drinking tip: The character comes through more in the palate than the nose

What Richard Says:
Nose: Out of the bottle this one doesn’t want to play ball. If you really put your nose to it a little vanilla custard comes through but it’s very faint. Water opens a little orange zest but not much else.
Palate: Much sweeter than the nose would foretell. Cream cheese danishes come to mind (Henri’s for those in Atlanta) and very peppery. Water lightens the sweetness but brings on a dry chemical flavor.
Finish: Hot peppered wood out of the bottle. Water leaves a sweeter and fruity finish in contrast to bottle strength.
Comments: Add water but do so sparingly. Balance it right and it’s a soft drinkable dram but add too much and it goes downhill fast.
Rating: Average

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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