Stands Out

George Dickel Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

George Dickel Rye Whisky
45% ABV
$25
Website
1122817x
What the Distillery Says:
George Dickel Rye Whisky is the only rye finished in the style that made George famous. We start with the finest rye whisky available, made from 95% rye and 5% malted barley. Then we finish it the Dickel way – chilled, then charcoal mellowed.

Spicy and smoky with an exceptionally smooth finish.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Young rye spice, bit of dill, bright but a bit soft
Palate: Citrus spiciness with a hint of pickle and a mellow sweetness
Finish: Moderate, and it seems to get wetter (which I rarely find in a whiskey – odd in that way, but not off putting)
Comments: Dickel has been very transparent (and we appreciate that!) that this rye is distilled by a partner in Indiana, who also distills rye distillate for many NDPs. On the nose, that relationship is pretty clear if you are familiar with some of the others (Bulleit Rye and James E Pepper Rye are two examples). Dickel employs charcoal mellowing when chill filtering the whiskey (although at the time of bottling rather than before aging – again, something different). This adds to the smoothness, and I suspect makes the finish more unique. I am glad they are bottling this at 45% ABV, a tad higher than their Tennessee whiskies, and a tad below some of the other ryes created from the same distillate. For those reasons, I would consider having a bottle around – in particular if you are a fan of rye.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says:
Nose: That minty rye nose jumps out with a creamy herbal backing. It reminds me a bit of Ricola drops. Even though this is contract produced with some tweaks of Dickel’s own it still shows it’s Indiana heritage.
Palate: Sweet mint, a mild bitterness, a pepper back beat.
Finish: Black pepper and mint essential oils that remind a bit of Italian menthol shaving creams.
Comments: With this rye Dickel isn’t your typical non-distilling producer (NDP). First, they use the same charcoal mellowing technique that they do on their Tennessee whiskeys. Second, according to the folks at Dickel this rye is produced using Dickel’s strain of yeast rather than just buying whatever they are making up in Indiana. Those two things make this a distinct contract distilling relationship rather than what I would call a sourced whiskey relationship. It’s made for them in a specific way rather than being made and then subsequently bought by them. So don’t look at it and think just another MGP rye like so many others. It has it’s own unique qualities and stands out from the crowd.
Rating: Stands Out

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SMWS Cask No 36.67

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWS Cask No. 36.67
Speyside, Spey
59.9%% ABV
Distilled June 2004
$?
US Allocation: ? Bottles
January 2015 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
A good example of whiskey transformed by water – we didn’t know what to make of the nose – quite fruity (baked apple, fruit salad, watermelon, lemon curd, pear-drops) with an odd assortment of other aromas – Hawaiian pizza (pineapple, ham, pizza dough) pine forests and model kits. With water, suddenly the sweetness was released – caramel wafers, honeycomb crunch ice-cream and vanilla fudge. The unreduced palate seemed sweet and sour – pineapple dusted with chilli and salt, peppery Cream Soda and a slightly metallic finish – but water settled it down to zesty key lime pie and biscuity flavours – intensely tasty. Named after Speyside’s biggest mountain.

Drinking tip: As an aperitif or to awaken the senses.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Aromatic fruit cream with pears and pineapples being the most prevalent. Water opens up a honey sweetness and a back note reminiscent of craft root beer.
Palate: Surprisingly rich for a young malt with a wisp of smokey wood. Water mellows the heat but also the richness. It’s very easy to drink when you add the water but it settles into more of a malty note that has less dimensions to it.
Finish: It finishes much for malty and cereal like than expected. Not unpleasant but it leaves me wanting a drink of water.
Comments: This dram has a bit of a love/hate relationship to water. It mellows the alcohol and makes it more drinkable but also makes it more bland. The nose is better with water but the palate is a bit worse off. Play with the water on this one with care.
Rating: Stands Out

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Blended Scotch Whisky
43% ABV
$45
Website
CompassBox-GKS-Glasgow-bs
What the Blender Says:
Our Great King Street range is dedicated to applying a contemporary approach to the creation of Blended Scotch Whiskies in the full-flavoured style of the late 19th century blending houses. To this, we lend a 21st century sense of exploration and innovation, for which the Compass Box Whisky Company is known, to create Scotch whiskies that surprise and delight people seeking great spirits.

In his 1930 book “Whisky”, Aeneas MacDonald teaches us that Glaswegians historically preferred fuller bodied and more flavour-packed whiskies than
people in other parts of the world.

So what better name for a whisky such as this? You’ll find here a rich vein of peaty-smokiness, underpinned by sherry cask-aged whiskies, full of dried fruit and wine character. The palate is full and round, with a sweetness typical of whiskies from our company.

For decades, The Wellington Statue, outside Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, has been cheekily topped by a traffic cone, something the local population has taken to heart as a symbol of their sense of humour. It has become one of Glasgow’s most iconic images, and graces our label for the Glasgow Blend.

Flavour Descriptors
Full, rich and smoky on the palate, with notes of baking spices and sherry wine notes.

Recommendations
Perfect for drinking neat, with a splash of water or with ice. You can also enjoy Glasgow Blend with soda water as a classic Highball, or in all manner of cocktails.

Distillery Sourcing
33% Lowland grain whisky from a Fife distillery.
67% Malt whisky from the regions of Islay, the Highlands and Speyside.
The Islay single malt comes from south shore distillery (approximately 20% of the total recipe), vatted with a fruity malt from the village of Brora and a rich sherrried Speyside malt from the Aberlour region (approx. 33%). A small percentage of Speyside and Highland malts complete the recipe.

Wood
A combination of first-fill Sherry casks, first-fill and refill ex-Bourbon barrels and a small portion of new French oak finishing.

Bottling details
Bottled at 43%
Not chill-filtered
Natural colour

What Richard Says:
Nose: This has a lovely rich earthy sherry nose with a balanced undertone of peat smoke.
Palate: Creamy in the mouth with a mellow brown sugar baked apple sweetness that plays with light campfire smokiness.
Finish: Smoky and spicy on the way out.
Comments: There’s a lot going on here. It’s like the culmination of all the scotch fads of the last 15 years. It weaves together in a surprisingly balanced way which speaks to John Glaser’s talent. This is probably my least favorite of the three releases to hold the Great King Street to date name but it’s still a cracking dram worthy of a spot on your shelf.
Rating: Stands Out

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Booker’s 25th Anniversary

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Booker’s 25th Anniversary Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 2014-01, Aged 10 Yrs 3 Mths
65.4% ABV
$100
Website
bookers
What the Distillery Says:
In honor of 25 years, Booker’s® Bourbon is giving bourbon enthusiasts a reason to celebrate with a limited edition release of an exclusive bottling that is the most unique liquid produced to date. Batch No. 2014-1 pays homage to its namesake, 6th Generation Beam Master Distiller, Booker Noe, who was a lot like his favorite bourbon: uncut, unfiltered and straight up.

To mark this occasion in bourbon history, Booker’s son, Beam Family’s 7th Generation Master Distiller and 2013 Bourbon Hall of Fame Inductee, Fred Noe, and Booker’s grandson, Freddie Noe, selected barrels that were aged longer than any Booker’s® Bourbon batch to-date – ensuring an exceptional, one-of-a-kind flavor to honor Booker and his legacy. The barrels were among the last that Booker laid down in the rack house before he passed away.

“One of Dad’s last requests for me was to take care of his Booker’s®, and we plan to do just that by sharing it with you all, which I know he would have done himself,” said Fred Noe. “This will be a special bottling for our loyal fans of Booker’s® – they have never ever had one that is going to taste like this particular batch.”

With a robust vanilla nose and wide range of flavors – from oak tannin to mocha notes – this exclusive and extremely limited batch has a deep taste with a smooth finish.

Booker’s® Bourbon, inspired by a 200-year-old family tradition, came to life when Booker Noe selected the first bottles of Booker’s® as holiday gifts for his friends and family. With its instant popularity within Noe’s close circle, Booker’s® Bourbon was soon after bottled and made available on shelves for everyone to enjoy. Twenty-five years later, Booker’s® Bourbon Batch No. 2014-1 is taken from the center-cut of Booker’s favorite rack house, bottled at its natural proof, uncut, unfiltered and extra aged to bring out the true flavor profile of this small batch bourbon.

Available in select markets now and nationally in early March, Booker’s® Bourbon Batch No.2014-1 comes inside a commemorative wooden case and was selected with the following characteristics:

  • Proof: 121 – 130
  • Age: 9 – 11 years
  • Nose: Vanilla
  • Finish: Long, smooth finish
  • Sipping Suggestions: With ice or cut with water

What Gary Says:
Nose: Very bold, benefits from some water which tones down the heat. Big oak monster, with cinnamon, vanilla and toffee. Some supporting citrusy notes. Even with water, the nose is sharp.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel even with water, and a sharp heat throughout; peppery baking spices, nutmeg, burnt bagels with a hint of anise and allspice.
Finish: Moderately long, with a pepper spice note that is dominant.
Comments: As a Booker’s fan, I was very much looking forward to this one. Short disclaimer – there likely is some variety from batch to batch, and I don’t know for certain which batch my sample came from. I had sampled this a couple of months ago and thought better of it than. I tried it over the course of several days, with similar impressions I’m presenting here. If you like Booker’s, this is what you would expect from 10 yr old Booker’s (more wood, bit sharper). Although for the price point (almost twice the price of a standard Booker’s), it might leave you disappointed.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says:
Nose: This one comes out of the glass to get you. Pour it and walk away and you can smell it coming. Toffee, vanilla, churros, old worn and well oiled leather, and cured tobacco. If I were to make a bourbon cologne this would be it!
Palate: The nose can go with or without water but pass on adding water before drinking at your own risk. It drinks smoother than 130 proof but it’s still a scorcher. Even with water it’s viscous and aggressively spicy. The sweeter notes of the nose are less present here. More leather and tobacco but with heavier pepper, cinnamon, and wood char.
Finish: Not nearly as hot as I expected. There’s plenty of peppery notes and a dry wood but not overly so on either account. It fades nicely.
Comments: Wow, this one is a big bourbon monster! Booker’s fans will love it. Stagg fans will dig it too. If you are more partial to wheated bourbons then this may not be for you. It wears the rye like a flag flying off the back of a pickup truck. This is not for the faint of heart but it’s damn good bourbon. Tread lightly my friends.
Rating: Must Try

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Jim Beam Signature Finished with Rare Spanish Brandy

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Jim Beam Signature Craft Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Rare Spanish Brandy
43% ABV
$30-35
Website
10157
What the Distillery Says:
A rich bourbon that is carefully aged, then finished with a touch of Rare Brandy to bring you lush, slightly sweet notes and hints of fruit.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Brandy is prominent, although you wouldn’t mistake it from bourbon for brandy; oak and cinnamon well represented, with some fruity undercurrents.
Palate: Dried apricots steeped in brandy, with vanilla and ginger. Soft and creamy mouthfeel at first. More wood than typical Jim Beam, but not loads of it. Fairly well balanced, although subtle all around
Finish: Medium to short, with just a bit of spice; slightly dry.
Comments: Important to note that this isn’t finished in a cask which held Spanish Brandy; this is finished WITH Spanish Brandy directly. Why is that important? Ok – I don’t really know, as I don’t have a bourbon finished in a Spanish Brandy cask to compare. The brandy presence is more than subtle, but it also isn’t over-done for me. The combination I find to be balanced nicely. My guess is that the bourbon was more than 4 yrs old, as I get more wood than I do in Jim Beam white label – but not a ton of wood. I would prefer to have tried this at a higher proof, as 86 proof Jim Beam just isn’t right in my wheelhouse, but for fans of Jim Beam who are looking to expand their horizons – this is a nice little jaunt, and is priced appropriately for something unique.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says:
Nose: Beam cream? It’s got all the DNA of Jim Beam but there is a depth of creaminess to it that stands out. I’m curious about the type of fruit used in the brandy. It doesn’t give off the typical notes of grape brandy (cognac, etc.).
Palate: Now I’m getting the brandy. Much more sweet and fruity (dried pineapple pieces) in the mouth. Cinnamon, vanilla, and candied ginger.
Finish: Dry but not too woody with a little pepper on the back end.
Comments: This isn’t half bad. It’s probably my favorite of the first three Signature Craft U.S. releases. It drinks better than standard Beam and the brandy adds interesting complimentary pieces to the puzzle. I probably won’t buy a second bottle but I will enjoy the one I have.
Rating: Stands Out

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