Probably Pass

Old Hickory Straight Bourbon Whiskey
43% ABV
$39.99
Website

What the Bottler Says:
Old Hickory White Label is a straight bourbon distilled at 86 proof, which is the traditional “Perfect Proof” preferred historically by American distillers. Created for modern whiskey cocktails and bourbon connoisseurs, Old Hickory White Label is rich and near mahogany in color. With intense spice and oak aromas, this bold whiskey is masculine and displays notes of cedar and gingerbread. The over-proof delivers a lingering finish of pie crust and sweet tobacco.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Young and thin, corn (but not as much corn sweet as I’d expect) and sour wood with a hint of anise.
Palate: Thin mouthfeel, young and more wood influence than I expected. Subtle sweetness with a hint of caramel and vanilla.
Finish: Fairly short and dry.
Comments: I tasted this before I read up on it, and based on taste alone – I figured this was under four years old, and possibly aged in smaller than 53 gallon barrels (as I get more wood for something fairly young). After researching further, I’m disappointed at the lack of transparency. First, the web-site states it was distilled at 86 proof. This could be true, but I doubt it – my guess is that it is bottled at 86 proof (big difference). I had to go to R.S. Lipman’s website to get a fact sheet, which spells out that this was distilled at “the historic Joseph E. Seagram’s facility in Lawrenceburg, IN” – which is another way to say this is MGP like many other NDP bourbons on the market. This isn’t a negative – MGP makes (and has made) some really solid whiskey! But Seagram’s went out of business in 2000, and the distillery has been owned by Pernod Ricard, CL Financial (who renamed it in 2007 to Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana – LDI), and MGP Ingredients since 2011. Later they mention MGP (as they want to use the social responsibility, environmental health, innovations, etc that they list on their site), but I still find it disingenuous to not give them credit from the go. They state that the whiskey is aged a minimum of 4 yrs and “has stocks up to 7 years old”, and as the label has no age statement, it must be a minimum of 4 yrs old – although if there is 7 yr old stock included, I would suspect that is a very small amount.

Saying I was unimpressed would be an understatement. For 86 proof straight bourbon, I would be much happier with Evan Williams black label personally. And seeing the suggested retail price would make this an easy pass for me.
Rating: Probably Pass

What Richard Says:
Nose: Light and barely there. There’s a bit of corn and licorice in the back but little else.
Palate: Sweet. This is lacking depth of flavor. It’s basically just sweetness.
Finish: Light and forgettable.
Comments: Again, like the Old Hickory Blended Bourbon this isn’t bad per se. It’s really just a bland, uninspiring whiskey that would be fine for mixing if it wasn’t priced so high.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Double Diamond Marketing & Communications for sending us a sample to review.

Old Hickory Blended Bourbon Whiskey
40% ABV
$29.99
Website

What the Bottler Says:
Old Hickory Black Label is a meritage of bourbon and whiskey distilled at 80 proof and blended to deliver classic flavors for traditional bar mixing or sipping straight. Amber in color, this crowd pleasing bourbon is bright and spicy with attractive aromas of cherry custard, pistachio gelato, and almond nougat. With a silky medium-to-full bodied taste, Old Hickory Black Label exhibits a tingling, engaging finish with lingering flavors of white toffee, dried cherry, and honey custard.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Young, malted corn and vanilla.
Palate: Sweet with a hint of malted chocolate and caramel, and a wisp of wood; very tame and “smooth”.
Finish: Medium, but forgettable.
Comments: Compared to the Old Hickory Straight Bourbon, I like this better – the nose has more balance and more sweetness; although the palate has little wood and is primarily sweet. Despite being a lower proof, this is darker as well. According to the back label, this blend is comprised of 89% whiskey aged 4 years; 11% minimum aged 2 years – which I do appreciate them putting right on the label. They list this as a blended bourbon, not a “straight bourbon”, which means it COULD contain flavoring or coloring. This is darker than the higher proof Old Hickory Straight Bourbon (which is 100% 4 yrs or older), so I would suspect this is the case.
Rating: Probably Pass

What Richard Says:
Nose: The nose comes out with a nice mellow creaminess that’s heavy on the corn. Sweet corn pudding with a little back note of vanilla and cinnamon.
Palate: Very smooth, mellow, and easy to swallow (not drink 😉 ).
Finish: It finishes a little hot but still pretty mellow.
Comments: First off, this comes in a very nice, solid bottle. Plus, there is an artificial cork. Regular Whisk(e)y Apostle readers will know that is a bonus for me. But putting a pig in a nice dress doesn’t make you want to take her to the dance. “Pig” is a bit harsh. There’s nothing wrong with this whiskey. There just isn’t much going on. Usually, when you read whiskey notes and you see “smooth” and “mellow” with not much else you can really read that as “bland” and “flavorless”. This isn’t that toned down but there’s really not a lot going on. This is not a slow sipper for the aficionado or the connoisseur. This is clearly more for the mixer and those who want “whiskey” but don’t really like the taste of whiskey. But at $30 it’s a bit too expensive for that. For those interested, this is an MGP made whiskey.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Double Diamond Marketing & Communications for sending us a sample to review.

Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon
45.7% ABV
$45 to $50
Website

What the Bottler Says:
Introduced to great acclaim in the Fall of 2014, Michter’s Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon is a groundbreaking whiskey expression. It is made by taking Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon and then aging it for an additional period in a second custom made barrel. This second barrel is assembled from 18-month air dried wood and then toasted but not charred. The truly unique and delicious taste of Michter’s US 1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon represents a remarkable achievement given that it is Kentucky Straight Bourbon with nothing extra added or done except placement in a second toasted barrel.

Production: Small Batch. Limited quantities
State of Distillation: Kentucky
Bottling Strength: 91.4 proof (45.7% Alcohol by Volume)
Cooperage: First Barrel: Fire-charred, new American white oak barrels
Second Barrel: Toasted but not charred barrel made from 18-month air dried wood
Tasting Notes: Campfire and cinnamon, with pecan and candied fruit. Lingering finish of baked pears, vanilla, and marshmallow

What Gary Says:
Nose: Soft mustiness, leather, cigar paper, fall leaves with a subtle sweetness – hints of vanilla, tapioca and caramel.
Palate: Nice, creamy mouthfeel, woody but also young; fairly subdued spice that is slow to present itself.
Finish: On the short side, and a little forgettable.
Comments: This whiskey has no age statement, and not being a “straight bourbon” we can only guess how long it spent in either the first or second cask. Michter’s states that this is using their US1 Straight Bourbon Whiskey (which also has no age statement, which would imply a minimum of four years old in the original barrel) before introducing it to a second barrel that is toasted rather than charred. For all of that work, it left me wanting. To my palate, it came across as young, with the nose having more of the toasted oak influence and not as much sweetness. It is interesting, but is priced where it needs to be more than interesting for me to recommend it.
Rating: Average

What Richard Says:
Nose: Burnt sugar, curdled corn pudding, and cinnamon with an odd “meaty” base note.
Palate: It’s more floral in the mouth but the flavors are very muted. I would dare to almost call this bland.
Finish: Hot and dry. Not pleasant at all.
Comments: Wow was I not impressed with this at all. I probably wouldn’t reach for this a second time on flavor alone (unfortunately I bought a bottle) but the nearly $50 price tag makes this down right painful. It’s a no age stated bourbon that Michter’s refers to on their website as a “straight” bourbon. I’m guessing from the hot finish and the lack of much in the flavor department that this is more on the young side and pretty close to four years old at the far end.
Rating: Probably Pass