Must Try

Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 Year Old

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 Year Old Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
43% ABV
$35-40
Website
297220
What the Distillery Says:
Introducing the Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 Year. Our hand crafted bourbon is made from the finest ingredients available to our master distillers, and carries notes of caramel, deep vanilla and oak. Never compromised, this spirit should be savored neat or on the rocks.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Musty oak with cinnamon and vanilla; a hint of grapefruit; sugar cookies.
Palate: Rich mouthfeel, with hints of barrel char. Caramel and black cherry in vanilla ice cream.
Finish: Medium to long, with a bit of a woody note but nice overall.
Comments: So far this has been my favorite of the Signature Craft Series by Jim Beam. I think 12 yrs old is right about the sweet spot for my palate where the wood isn’t overpowering. I would love to taste this at a higher proof, but that’s just me. Contrast this with other 12 yr old bourbons (like Elijah Craig 12 yr), and the wood influences seems muted by comparison, but I think it is well done.
Rating: Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Cinnamon, stewed cherries, vanilla cream sauce, and tart citrus notes.
Palate: Underflavored? I guess that’s best way to describe it. The nose is very appetizing but in the mouth it’s kind of blah. Caramel and oak predominate.
Finish: Woody but also kind of blah.
Comments: This one is a bit of a downward spiral. The nose has so much promise, the palate less so, and the finish even less. It’s a clear step up from the Jim Beam White and Black labels but still not terribly impressive. At around $40 you might be able to find a bottle of Baker’s (also made by Beam) if you look hard enough. That would be a much better option.
Rating: Average

Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 Year Old Read More »

Thomas H. Handy 2014

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey – 2014 Release
64.6% ABV
$75-80
Website
thomas-h-handy-sazerac-rye-whiskey-2014-release
What the Distillery Says:
Named after the New Orleans bartender who first used rye whiskey in the Sazerac Cocktail, this uncut and unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey is bottled directly from the barrel, just as it was over a century ago. Full of rich flavors, this authentic American rye whiskey is a symbol of the timeless history of New Orleans and the legacy of Thomas H. Handy.

TASTING NOTES: Powerful, lush, and boldly spicy. Flavors of toffee, fig cake, and candied fruit, followed by mint, cinnamon and clove. The finish ultimately reveals subtle notes of allspice, coconut and nutmeg. Long and warm.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Toasted orange zest and mango, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm banana nut cookies with toasted oak.
Palate: Christmas; fruit cake; warm pepper spice, stewed raisins, red hots, orange bitters.
Finish: Warms to near hot, but lingers nicely.
Comments: While not a departure from the Thomas H. Handy flavor profile, this one comes across as a bit harsher with more alcohol burn. I compared it to the 2011 release (the only other one I have on-hand) after making my notes, and it definitely has more edge to it – despite being only 0.3 ABV higher. The good news is most of us are not often sipping this next to a previous vintage. Handy has always been a rough and up-front rye whiskey, and it delivers on that – with perhaps a bit more of a bite. If you have been a fan of Handy in the past, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed – and if you’ve never had the opportunity – I recommend giving this one a try!
Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Mint tea, with a fruitcake scone drizzled with cinnamon icing.
Palate: More fruitcake up front followed by citrus zest, cinnamon, and then a harsh peppery kick in the teeth.
Finish: Whoa hot! It takes more than a few splashes of water to tame this beast. Once the heat dies down it’s much more of a bitter wood flavor.
Comments: Not my favorite rye for sure. The nose is great; the palate isn’t doing it for me but all the components are there to make an outstanding old fashioned. It’s a bit pricey for a cocktail rye and the finish is too off putting for a sipper. I’m not sure what I would do with this bottle if I’d bought it rather than sampled Gary’s bottle.
Rating: Stands Out

Thomas H. Handy 2014 Read More »

Compass Box The Lost Blend

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Compass Box The Lost Blend
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$115 to $125
Website
TheLostBlend-Bottle

What the Blender Says:

In 2001, we created our first single malt blend which we called Eleuthera. It was an elegant and simple blend of approximately 80% unpeated Highland and 20% peaty Islay single malts. Alas, after 3 years, we were suddenly no longer able to obtain one of the key whiskies required for the recipe so, sadly, we retired Eleuthera in 2004. Quietly, I have always been looking for whiskies that we could use to bring it back, even if temporarily, but not with any luck. Until now.

“Yes, sir, the stuff was distilled elixir of battle, money and high life.”
From The Lost Blend by O. Henry, 1907

I’ve had a name that I’ve been waiting to use for a whisky project like this—The Lost Blend, inspired by the O. Henry story of the same name. This sharp and witty portrait of life in a New York bar in the early 1900s was published in 1907 and centres around two business partners who try to recreate a blend of different spirits with close to supernatural properties.

Having been blending Scotch whiskies as an amateur and a professional for the better part of 20 years, I can say with confidence that I believe there exist “magic” combinations of whiskies. For me, they are like the whisky blending equivalent of spiritual truths. And what better name to lend to our lost blend, but “The Lost Blend”!
John Glaser, Whiskymaker

Availability: A limited edition of 12018 bottles. Bottled in August 2014.

Flavour Descriptors: An elegantly complex union of two fruity Highland single malts and a peaty Islay single malt. An ethereal fruit and herbal character and a sweetness on the palate is buttressed by an underlying smokiness.

Distillery Sourcing: Single malt whisky (of a certain age) from the Clynelish distillery, and a small cache of extraordinary whisky from the Allt-A-Bhainne distillery, aged in American oak barrels and just a few years shy of two decades old, combined with malt whisky from the Caol Ila distillery.

The Labels: We’ve created three different front label designs all around the same theme: lost items. The whisky behind each label is the same ,and the three labels have been randomly bottled and put into cases, which allows you an additional discovery to the whisky itself: which label did I get?

What Richard Says:

Nose: It is an interesting interplay of sweetness with a smokey peat nose. As it airs out a bit it becomes more herbal.
Palate: Much less peaty on the palate than the nose. It’s more like brined honey chews with more lovely herbal notes.
Finish: Salty and smokey before settling to slow, long honey and herb mix.
Comments: Delicious! I was sad to see Eleuthera go years ago and while this isn’t exactly the same thing it is a terrific whiskey in its own right. There are so many layers and so much nuance to this whiskey that you could contemplate it for days. My notes purposely appear to gloss over specifics because it changes every time I go back. Sometimes the sweetness is honey, then candied pineapple, then peach cobbler. This is a really fun dram to play with and explore.
Rating: Must Try

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft peat smoke, earthy mineral notes, herbal with fennel and lemongrass, vanilla, honey, subtle fruit notes of kiwi and peaches.
Palate:  Peaches and pears with earthy peat, cracked pepper, honey and a bit of chocolate.
Finish:  Long and drying with pepper, peat and grilled peaches.
Comments:  Reviewed this in a side-by-side with Eleuthera, and by comparison this is more rich and fruity with the intensity turned up a notch. Really delicious dram with a nice balance between the smoke, peat and fruit notes.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Compass Box The Lost Blend Read More »

Parker’s Heritage Wheat Whiskey

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

Parker’s Heritage Collection, 8th Edition (2014),
Original Batch Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Aged 13 years
63.7% ABV
$90
Website
parkers-heritage-whiskey
What the Distillery Says:
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the country’s largest independent family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer, announces the 2014 limited edition release of Parker’s Heritage Collection. Heaven Hill, who holds the world’s second largest inventory of aging American Whiskey, will be shipping the rarity into selected markets across the country beginning in mid-September and it will hit retail shelves in September and October. The annual release of the Parker’s Heritage Collection bottling, of which this represents the eigth in the series, is always highly anticipated by whiskey lovers worldwide and the bottlings are some of the most lauded and coveted releases of the year.

This year, for the first time, Heaven Hill will be using an American Straight Whiskey style other than Bourbon for the Parker’s Heritage Collection release. The 2014 edition will feature 13-year-old straight wheat whiskey, bottled at cask strength and non-chill filtered. The barrels used for this year’s offering were from the very first run of what later would become Bernheim Original Straight Wheat Whiskey. With a minimum of 51% soft winter wheat in the mashbill or grain recipe, Bernheim is the only straight wheat whiskey produced by a major American distiller and has been available since 2005. For this reason, this year’s Parker’s Heritage Collection release has been dubbed “Original Batch Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey”.

The release will be comprised of two small batch dumps, the first of which will be bottled at a robust 127.4° proof or 63.7% alcohol by volume. The cask strength and lack of chill filtering mean the whiskey is bottled much as it came out of the barrel after 13 years of aging on the top floors of Rickhouse Y on the Heaven Hill property in Bardstown. Heaven Hill announced in June that they were repackaging the Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey to add a 7 year age statement, but the additional 6 years of maturation gives the Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch Wheat Whiskey even greater complexity and depth. The soft, biscuity profile of Bernheim is tempered with additional oak and char notes, and the finish is long and spicy.

Heaven Hill Master Distiller Emeritus Parker Beam, for whom the acclaimed series is named, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) several years ago. Last year’s edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection, called the “Promise of Hope” release, raised over $300,000 for the ALS Association’s Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund through a $20 per bottle contribution made by Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill will continue with this cause-related campaign, and will contribute $5 from the average national retail cost of $89.99 for every 750ml bottle sold of this year’s “Original Batch” release to ALS research and treatment. With every past edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection selling out of Heaven Hill’s warehouses, the company expects to generate an additional $65,000 to battle ALS through this year’s edition, which is not as broad a release as last year’s “Promise of Hope” bottling.
This year’s release of Parker’s Heritage Collection promises to be a worthy successor to the previous seven releases, which, having won multiple awards from Whisky Advocate magazine, Whisky Magazine and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, stand as some of the most critically lauded American Whiskeys in recent memory. Past bottlings have won awards ranging from “Best North American Whiskey” to “American Whiskey of the Year” to “Best of Show, Brown Spirits.” As a result, the Parker’s Heritage Collection releases have become some of the most anticipated and sought after bottlings of every new year.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Clearly high-proof; allspice, bit of clove, honey, pound cake and sandalwood. A bit of water helps knock the alcohol down, and brings out more cereal (malted milk?)
Palate: Heat at first, followed by hints of vanilla, cream of wheat (or oatmeal – I get those confused). A bit of water dissipates the heat and leaves a lovely honey-suckle sweetness with cinnamon and baking spices.
Finish: Nice, moderate to long, although a bit dry. Water helps this out as well.
Comments: Like the Bernheim 7 yr Wheat Whiskey, important to have expectations that this is not a bourbon, although there are some similarities. Almost twice as old as the Bernheim 7 yr Wheat Whiskey, I think this whiskey showcases how well the wheat grain takes age without taking on a lot heavy oak characteristics. I diluted some of this to 90 proof (same as Bernheim 7 yr), and there is a marked difference with the added 6 yrs of age (richer, sweeter, wood more evident). To me, this isn’t as woody as a rye bourbon of similar age (say Elijah Craig 12yr). I have had whiskey at 127 proof that is more drinkable and not as hot as this one, but it opens up beautifully with some water.
Rating: Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Whoa, that alcohol punches you in the nose. There are some nice hints of baking spices but the alcohol dominates until you add some water.
Palate: Even at bottle strength this is a delicious palate of vanilla creme brulee and brown sugar & cinnamon oatmeal. A few splashes of water open up a nice honeyed creaminess.
Finish: This is surprisingly smooth at bottling strength with a dry, chalky, woody finish that I’m not too fond of.
Comments: This is definitely a lighter whiskey (not to be confused with “light whiskey”) and I feel that with the age a proof it suffers because of that. It tastes very good, especially if you can get that water ratio just right. However, the nose is too delicate on this wheat whiskey to stand up to the higher proof. It’s a sub 100 proof nose for me. Second, it doesn’t finish well. It doesn’t really matter how I play with the water, the finish just isn’t doing it for me. I’m sure if you are a big Bernheim Wheat Whiskey fan that you will love this but it’s more of niche curiosity than something I think you would have to try or buy.
Rating: Stands Out

Parker’s Heritage Wheat Whiskey Read More »

Ballantine’s 30 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Ballantine’s Very Old Blended Scotch Whisky Aged 30 Years

43% ABV
$350
Website
wBallantines30-LARGE

What the Blender Says

Rich, Oak-Influenced & Lingering. Ballantine’s 30 Year Old ranks as one of the world’s most exquisite blends.

With a deep gold colour, subtle sweet flavour on the nose and a complex palate of honey and vanilla, Ballantine’s 30 Year Old is an exceptional, rare and exclusive whisky.

Nose: Deep, soft fruity aromas and an elegant subtle sweetness with a luscious vanilla oakiness.
Taste: A full, rich complex balance of honey, floral and fruity flavours, with mellow notes of vanilla.
Body: Soft yet strong, confident and luscious.
Character: Full, balanced, rich and fruity.
Colour: Deep old gold.
Finish: Long-lasting and elegant.

What Richard Says:

Nose: Hello old scotch. There’s just a nose to old scotch that makes it stands out. Deep, a little sherry sweetness, a nice pipe tobacco/oiled leather interplay, and some old polish wood.
Palate: Smooth, balanced, creamy but not overly viscous, and rich. A little cigar smoke, nice oak notes, and deep sweetness.
Finish: Long and surprisingly fruity. There’s a little dry oak around the edges but the fruit prevails.
Comments: This is a very complex and well layered blend. When it comes to high end blends if you’re in the market for a bottle then you probably don’t need my opinion. Even still, if you see a bottle at a bar then give a go. It’s a pleasure to experience.

On a side note, I give HUGE props to Ballantine’s for the bottle closure. No f-cking cork! It’s a solid, well made, water tight screw cap. Other whisky maker please take note!

Rating: Must Try

Ballantine’s 30 Year Read More »