Must Try

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2013

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
Distilled 2001, Bottled 2013
49% ABV
$55
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
Handcrafted by renowned Master Distiller Chris Morris, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected from one specific day of production. The result is a one of a kind character and flavor that will never be replicated.

Each year on September 2nd – in honor of our founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday – Old Forester releases a limited-edition, 12-year old vintage-dated expression. Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has become a must-have for bourbon enthusiasts who want to experience the ultimate in rare handcrafted bourbon. Since its introduction in 2002, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has received unprecedented acclaim, with an impressive collection of national and international whisky honors.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Burnt sugar (like you get on a nicely prepared crème brûlée), bit of a sour oak note.
Palate: Rye spice is dominant with a fair amount of oak, the sweetness that the nose telegraphed went hiding – barely detectable.
Finish: Short and dry.
Comments: I prefer the nose here over the 2014 vintage, but the palate left me wanting. With Old Forester, my expectation isn’t a tremendously sweet bourbon, but the disagreement between the nose and palate left me disappointed. With the progressive pricing scheme in recent years, I’m even more disappointed.
Rating: Average

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich and deep with cinnamon woody notes mixed with vanilla cream and burnt caramel made from slow cooking brown sugar.
Palate: Creamy, spicy, muscular bourbon. Soaked raisins, cocoa powder, and deep cinnamon.
Finish: Heavy on the wood but it’s more of an old furniture oak.
Comments: Fantastic Brown-Forman bourbon. I’ve said for years that this is a standard bearer for their product. Sadly, unlike some others, Brown-Forman seems to know what they have on their hands and the price has creeped up five dollars a year for last few years. It pushed over $50 for the first time in 2013 and that knocked it down from a must buy on my list but it’s still damn fine bourbon.
Rating: Must Try

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Crown Royal Single Barrel

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel Canadian Whisky
Private store selection from Spec’s in Texas
51.5% ABV
$55
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
Oddly enough, there is nothing out there from Crown Royal about this release. Initially there were 519 barrels of this Coffey still made rye that were offered to retailers in Texas. No word on when this will roll out further.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Alcohol initially, but opens up nicely after a bit – some nice floral notes with hints of coconut macaroons, and macadamia nuts
Palate: Sharper entry, with a light mouthfeel; praline sweetness swirling in pepper spice
Finish: Short, but left me wanting another (so not short in a bad way)
Comments: I was really excited about getting a bottle of this from Texas, and look forward to expanded distribution. The first single barrel Canadian whiskey I had ever tried, and I won’t lie – I was skeptical that I might not like it (as I’m not a huge fan of Crown Royal). While you can sense some familiarity, it seems like a distant cousin – and I find it preferable. The nose is very unique – sweet but not like Crown (or anything else that comes to mind). They’re proud of it, but for being a unique item, I don’t think the price is outrageous. Kudos to Crown for stepping out and taking a chance with this; I’d love to see more of the component whiskies of blends like Crown Royal offered individually.
Rating: Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Sweet floral almost perfume like on first nose.
Palate: Incredibly rich and sweet. Praline pecans on top of vanilla creme brulee, kiwi, pineapple, and Werther’s Originals.
Finish: It finished more like a spicy, pepper, cinnamon and mint rye.
Comments: Any long-time reader of Whisk(e)y Apostle will know I’m not a Crown Royal fan. It’s just one of those brands that never did it for me and there are also scars from under-aged drinking involved too. But damn this is good! A note of warning: this is a really sweet whiskey. It almost borders on sugar added sweet. If you have a sweet tooth like me it’s great. If that isn’t your thing then be warned. If this only fell below the $50 I would put it on the must buy list.
Rating: Must Try

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Balblair 1999

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Balblair Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey 1999 Vintage
46% ABV
$80
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
ummer 2014 sees the launch of the second release of the 1999 Vintage from Balblair Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Set to hit shelves at the end of June, Balblair Vintage 1999 will be available globally in Independent and Specialist Retailers.

Balblair 1999 replaces the award winning second release of the 1997 Vintage; the introduction of the 1997 Vintage took the core collection from three to four expressions. The 1999 Vintage will be presented in a premium opening box, joining the complete Balblair collection available in this luxury format.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Balblair 1999 2nd release is copper in appearance with flecks of sparkling bronze.
Aroma: The American oak, ex-bourbon barrels and Spanish oak, ex-sherry butts used for maturation impart the signature Balblair aromas of honey and green apples, as well as notes of rich, fruity Christmas cake with a hint of spice, citrus fruits and vanilla.
Palate: On the palate it is full bodied, sweet and spicy in character, with hints of honey, vanilla and leather.
Finish: The finish is warm, smooth and long-lasting.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Fruit cake drizzled with a sherry reduction. It’s smells much better than fruit cake tastes. Under ripe apples, leather and lemon zest.
Palate: Rich, spicy, sherry, and honey sweet with layers of leather and tobacco. This is delicious and drinks much older than it’s years.
Finish: Woody, dry, and tannic on the finish. It lingers damn near forever.
Comments: This is a very nice whisky. Unlike so many others the palate delivers what the nose promises. The years spent finishing in a sherry cask have done wonders for the underlying Balblair malt. The finish is a bit tart, chalky, and tannic which I’m not crazy about but just keep drinking it and this isn’t a problem.
Rating: Must Try

We would like to thank Lukasz with Alembic Communications for sending over the review sample.

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Bushmills 21 Year

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Bushmills Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 21 Years
40% ABV
$120
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
“This rare whiskey is in scarce supply with only a limited number of casks in our warehouses. It’s matured in bourbon and sherry barrels for 21 years‚ before being married together for two years in a madeira-infused cask. The result is dark chocolate and caramelised toffee aromas and a sip that clings to the palate before releasing a magical burst like mint. It’s a rare taste in every serve.”

NOSE: Caramelised toffee and dark chocolate.
TASTE: Wow! rich raisins and fruity notes that cling to the palate.
FINISH: A burst of mint that ends in an intense liquorice finale.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Nutty and spiciness with a toffee back note. As it opens it reminds me of walking through a pine forest after a rain storm.
Palate: Rich with a lovely depth. The dried stone fruit notes play well with the influence of the fortified wine wood.
Finish: Herbal with a large presence of wet wood. Fresh split wet pine and wet toothpicks. It’s tart with something reminiscent of plain Milkbone dog treats.
Comments: To me this is a huge step up from the 16 year old. Also, I think for being in the range of $120 I think it is still a solid value in aged Irish whiskey. Definitely give this one a try if you come across. If you’re like me you many not be able to go back down range from Bushmills after having this.
Rating: Must Try

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Redbreast 21 Year

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Aged 21 Years
46% ABV
$250 to $320
Website
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What the Distillery Says:
Redbreast 21 Year Old is the finest representation of the signature Redbreast sherry style. It is the oldest and richest expression of the Redbreast style ever produced; and the 21 year ageing process introduces new levels of depth, flavour and taste to create an inherently complex and ultimately, rewarding whiskey.

Nose: Remarkable aroma spanning fresh tropical fruits, nuts and rich dried fruit.
Taste: Soft vanilla, toasted oak, sherry nuttiness with a dusting of Pot Still spices. Luscious fleshy fruit notes complete the creamy mouthfeel.
Finish: Lingers, seemingly forever, to oak and Pot Still spices and then, the final bow from barley – where it all began.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Weird first niff of spearmint and rubberbands. What was that? Let it open a bit and it’s a great waft of dried fruit and roasted nuts.
Palate: Spicy with a rich stewed cherry flavor that then dives back into more nuts, raw this time. Backing it all is a present but well balanced oak flavor interlaced with subtle sherry influence.
Finish: It finishes very cereal like with raw wet wood and a very present tartness.
Comments: Great Irish, really great Irish. This one is a benchmark for aged pot still whiskey. My only fault with it is the price. When it came out a little over a year ago it was published at $180 by trade publications but I’ve never seen it retail for less than $250. I once heard a rumor of a $215 bottle. I respect the whiskey and Irish Distillers for growing the pot still category but it’s coming out of the gate at inflated Macallan-esque pricing. If it was sub $200 it would be an easy must buy. However, I had to get “my guy” to procure me one to get it for under $300 recently. As good as this is, there is a lot of great whiskey out there for less than $300.
Rating: Must Try

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