Must Try

Faultline Straight Bourbon Whiskey
50% ABV
$39.99
Website

What the Bottler Says:
We’ve been doing gin and single malt for years, and now rum, so why not throw our hat in the Bourbon pool? One of the obstacles that kept us from making a Faultline Bourbon earlier was availability: the current demand has made the extra barrel a thing of the past. One of the only distilleries that would sell us a cask for a private label was the old LDI distillery in Indiana, but with the already overcrowded LDI market (Bulleit Rye, Templeton Rye, High West, etc) we didn’t think our product would be different enough, or of the quality we desired, for the Faultline name. That’s when John Little from Smooth Ambler stepped in and said he’d be happy to help us do something special. If we were going to work with LDI casks, then we needed the capability to blend something special to taste – the specs wouldn’t sell this baby. John had some incredible 10 year old low rye formula that we used in conjunction with some 7 year high rye. We kept tasting and tasting until we found the sweet spot at 100 proof. It’s FAR better than I ever thought it would be. I hoped we could provide something fun and different, but the final whiskey is phenomenal. It’s rich, with sweet fruit right on the entry, a full-bodied mid-palate, and a long, rich, spicy finish. It tastes like it came from Four Roses or somewhere fancy and at 50% it pops in all the right places. I hope we can make another batch like this because this Bourbon is the new king of K&L. Taste it if you don’t believe me. (David Driscoll)

What Richard Says:
Nose: Big Red chewing gum and danish butter cookies at first. As the nose gets time to open it turns into rum cake with vanilla cream sauce.
Palate: Seriously rye forward with a heavy dose of butter toffee, peach cobbler, white pepper, and fresh mint.
Finish: Black pepper, mint, and a nice woodiness.
Comments: Wow this is impressive. I must say I’m less than impressed generally with the LDI stuff hitting the market lately. It’s fine bourbon and rye but the market is over saturated with the stuff and every Tom, Dick, and Harry is pretending like they made it. I wasn’t even too impressed with the first bottle of Smooth Ambler Old Scout that John Little sent me a while back. It was his first release and from what I’ve tried from friends his newer releases keep getting better and better. [put me back on that sample list John!] This may be the best thing I’ve had from LDI and Smooth Ambler to date. Kudos to all involved with its development. The only bad thing about this is that it’s a K&L Wine Merchant only bourbon so you’ve got to get your butt to California if you want some. And if you go then let me know. I could use another bottle. 😉
Rating: Must Try

Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
46.5% ABV
$35
Website

What the Distillery Says:
In 1949, a slight young man fresh out of college with an engineering degree came to work at Buffalo Trace Distillery (then known as the George T. Stagg Distillery). That man was Elmer T. Lee, and little did anyone know, he would become a legend in the bourbon industry – a Master Distiller, creating the world’s first single barrel bourbon in 1984 and revitalizing the bourbon industry.

After 36 years of service to Buffalo Trace Distillery, Elmer retired in 1985, but continued to travel the world as a bourbon ambassador for Buffalo Trace. He regaled bourbon fans with stories from his past, while educating them about the history and heritage of America’s native spirit. Shortly after his retirement Elmer was honored with his own namesake single barrel bourbon. Every week Elmer visited the Distillery in which he had spent so much of his life, went to the laboratory, and personally selected the barrels for his namesake brand.

Sadly, in 2013 Elmer died just a few weeks shy of what would have been his 94th birthday. Now, Buffalo Trace honors Elmer again with the release of a commemorative edition Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon at 93 proof, his age when he passed.

Selected from the same warehouse floors which Elmer liked to find his “honey” barrels for his namesake bourbon, the commemorative edition is packaged in the same square bottle as the standard Elmer T. Lee, but with an upscale black label with gold embossed lettering bearing Elmer’s signature. His distinctive profile adorns the front of the label while the back label details of Elmer’s life and his legacy.

“We’re remarkably fortunate to have known Elmer. His contributions to the bourbon industry, Buffalo Trace Distillery and all our lives are countless. We want to honor our friend and give back to his family and his favorite cause, the Veterans of Foreign Wars,” said Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director. “Profits from the sale of this commemorative edition Elmer T. Lee Bourbon will go to local VFW Post 4075, in which Elmer was active until the end.” Elmer served as a radar bombardier in the United States Army Air Corps (now known as the United States Air Force) in World War II.

“The barrels selected for this bourbon taste much the same as the standard Elmer T. Lee bourbon in which he was so proud. Barrels were tasted and carefully evaluated by the team at Buffalo Trace to ensure each had the smooth and balanced sweetness that Elmer T. Lee Bourbon fans have come to love,” continued Comstock.

What Richard Says:
Nose: A little herbal grassy note followed by green tea, vanilla, butterscotch, and burnt sugar with just a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Creamy with a buttery toffee sweetness backed with a black pepper and mint rye kick.
Finish: A little hot on the finish. As mellow as the nose and palate are this is surprisingly aggressive on the way out. Mint and oak notes pervade after the pepper finishes dancing around the edges of the tongue.
Comments: This is much better than most of the Elmers I’ve had recently. I was in love with the Elmer T Lee bourbons I had the early part of the last decade when I first discovered them. It was like liquid candy in a very non-cloying way. It just hit all the right buttons. Sadly, in the intervening 12-13 years I feel that the bottlings have gone down hill. You can come across a great private selection from time to time but the stuff coming from the distillery picks is a shadow of it’s former self. This commemorative release in the closest I’ve seen to the old Elmers that I miss so much. A great bourbon at a great price.
Rating: Must Try

Stagg Jr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
64.35% ABV
$50 to $55
Website

What the Distillery Says:
George T. Stagg built the most dominant American distillery of the 19th century, during a time known as the Gilded Age of Bourbon. Uncut and unfiltered, this robust bourbon whiskey ages for nearly a decade and boasts the bold character that is reminiscent of the man himself.

Rich, sweet, chocolate and brown sugar flavors mingle in perfect balance with the bold rye spiciness. The boundless finish lingers with hints of cherries, cloves and smokiness.

What Richard Says:
Nose: A bit hot on the nose. Give the alcohol time to settle and it comes through with mint, clove, and a little cinnamon.
Palate: Nice viscous mouthfeel. Vanilla, mint, brown sugar cookies, leathery, with a back dose of pepper.
Finish: Oak, mint, and leather in equal measure.
Comments: Not bad at all. However, this isn’t George T Stagg. Given that the 2013 Stagg Sr. release has a nearly identical proof I can say this one drinks hotter and younger by a good measure. Still, it stands up well on its own. I’ve had a few of these and the batches (distinguishable only by the proof) don’t vary much. It’s made in batches on purpose to give a consistent profile, not unlike Stagg Sr. It’s worth grabbing if you come across one.
Rating: Must Try