Must Buy

Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition 2014 Release
Bottle 2437 of 7122
54.6% ABV
$100
Website

What the Distillery Says:
For the 2014 Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition release, we have once again hand-selected an uncut and non-chill filtered Barrel Strength masterpiece.
One quick nose of this vibrant, yet mellow Bourbon and you will quickly discover that it is unlike any limited edition we’ve ever released. Our Master Distiller hand selected it from our 10 distinct Bourbon recipes because of the unique clove and fruit aromas that mingle delicately with hints of sweet toffee and brown sugar. Creamy mint and bright flavors of ripe cherries, vanilla and pear entertain your palate, then give way to a long, smooth finish of candied fruit and sweetened oak. This is one of the most uncommon and extraordinary Bourbons yet in a Four Roses’ bottle. In your favorite glass, it will be even better.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Candied fruit and clove.
Palate: Creamy and fresh with vibrant flavors of ripe cherries, red currants, pear, vanilla and caramel.
Finish: Mellow-sweetened oak and sweet, candied fruit.

Recipe
OESF – 11 years

What Richard Says:
Nose: Interesting spicy nose. Not peppery but more baking spices like Thanksgiving or Christmas pies.
Palate: It pops with notes of a cherry crisp with cinnamon vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
Finish: Oak, bananas, and lots of cocoa powder.
Comments: Excellent, really excellent. This is a stellar example of the OESF Four Roses recipe. It came out a few months ago but a few can still be had if you look hard enough. By all means buy this one.
Rating: Must Buy

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2013 Release
125th Anniversary Bourbon
51.6% ABV
$85
Website

What the Distillery Says:
With the ongoing celebration of our 125th Anniversary this year, our Master Distiller describes this release as “what could be the best Bourbon we’ve ever put in a bottle.” This year’s Barrel Strength Limited Edition Small Batch, created from 3 of our 10 distinct Bourbon recipes, welcomes you to the party with generous creamy vanilla, light oak and cherry cordial aromas. Bright splashes of raspberry and apricot greet the palate, giving way to subtle tones of nutmeg and cocoa. Then mellow flavors of cherry and vanilla bean define the long, luxurious finish in such a way to make you wish you could toast our 125th every year for the next 125 or more. Cheers.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Creamy vanilla, light oak and cherry cordial aromas.
Palate: Raspberry and apricot with subtle tones of nutmeg and coca
Finish: Cherry and vanilla bean.

Recipe
OBSV -18 years
OBSK – 13 years
OESK – 13 years

What Richard Says:
Nose: Stewed cherries, sharp vanilla, and a stiff woody backbone.
Palate: Cocoa powder, vanilla cream, stone fruits, musty old leather furniture, baking spices, and berries.
Finish: Luden’s cough drops and a dry oak finish of medium length.
Comments: This is another great release from Four Roses but it’s fickle with water. A splash or two opens the taste to more of the fruitier/berry notes and calms the finish but it makes the nose a little astringent. Truly a great and delicious bourbon but the water thing leaves me perplexed.
Rating: Must Buy

Barterhouse Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Aged 20 Years
45.1% ABV
$80
Website

What the Bottler Says:
The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Company was started to share barrels of rare and delicious whiskey, hidden away and nearly forgotten in the back of rickhouses and distilleries.

Stories of these lost whiskeys have become the stuff of legend. Our goal is to bottle these rare, small offerings for the world to try.

Every Orphan Barrel is hand bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee, to ensure that these rare whiskeys are treated with the care they deserve – because some of them will only be available once. And once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

Twenty years in American Oak will make your average spirit a bit mellow. Take all the fight out. Well this here is no ordinary spirit, and twenty years is long enough to pick up a trick or two. For one barrel in particular, it was long enough to develop the gift of a silver tongue. The old rickhouse hands had it written off as a rumor. A character so smooth, it could clean out the card sharps and take the shirt off a travelling salesman’s back.

But the rumors were true. And when the chips are in, a smooth operator can be mighty persuasive indeed. One sip of Barterhouse Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and you just might find yourself forgiving Robert Johnson for trading his soul to the very devil himself.

Tasting notes include warm biscuits and buttercream, with spice and brown sugar in the finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Let it settle in the glass and nose comes across all warm vanilla cream and caramel. Agitate it a bit and the wood and cinnamon pop to the front.
Palate: A nice creaminess to the mouth for a sub 100 proofer. Burnt vanilla beans, cinnamon Red Hots, a little orange zest, and peach pie.
Finish: The finish is heavy on the wood but after 20 years in a new charred oak barrel you would expect that. Even still, Barterhouse wears the wood and age well. The wood on the finish is guiding hand out of the bourbon not a wallop with the oak stick.
Comments: Troll the internet for “Barterhouse” and it won’t take too long before you start reading the bad press. A lot of it is around the story of the “lost” barrels or a general disdain for the British company’s folksy bottling and naming. Regardless the reason, many people are not liking this. I’m not one of them. I find the packaging and story silly. Really silly considering it comes from the international drinks behemoth Diageo. But damn it, the bourbon is good. It’s not the least bit over oaked given it’s age and it’s a damn fine drink. Plus, finding a sub $100 20 year old bourbon now is almost impossible.
Rating: Must Buy