Stands Out

Wild Turkey Distiller’s Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Wild Turkey Distiller’s Reserve 13 Year Old
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

45.5% ABV
$50-$70 (Japanese market)
Website
Wild Turkey Distillers Reserve 13 Year Bourbon

What the Distillery Says

(I think*)
The highest peak of Kentucky Straight Bourbon by a world-famous parent-child distiller.

There are parents and children who devote their lives and passions to making bourbon. Jimmy Russell and Eddie Russell continue to adhere to the traditional recipes of their predecessors and never compromise. After 13 years of aging while being nurtured by its sincere attitude and the rich nature of Kentucky, it is finished in a premium bourbon with a dignified style and a special taste suitable for Wild Turkey.

* The above is what Google Translate showed that Wild Turkey’s Japanese web-site (which I needed to VPN into Japan to get to) says about this product.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, oak and rickhouse must, leather, baking spices with toasted orange zest.
Palate:  Soft caramel, vanilla, oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, faint sour citrus note with a bit of pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with oak, caramel and soft pepper.
Comments:  For Wild Turkey fans, I’m guessing this is a miss more than a hit. It has that mature oak note (with the oak heavier on the nose than on the palate) but this lacks the spice kick I look for (and frankly expect) in Wild Turkey – and for the age, it isn’t as complex as I had hoped. The nose has more complexity for me than the palate. I was really looking forward to trying this, but was disappointed. I have fond memories of some dusty Wild Turkey 12 yr old bourbon, which this bears no resemblance to, but that probably wasn’t a fair expectation.  Maybe if this was a higher proof it would have delivered.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

Wild Turkey Distiller’s Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon Read More »

Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$45-60
Website
Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon

What the Producer Says

Our high rye content bourbon is aged in the heart of a century-old brick warehouse. To ensure a unique and consistent flavor, barrels are hand selected to create a perfect blend that is smooth and at the same time bold and intense.

Released in 2016, our goal was to create a unique great tasting high rye content bourbon. The problem is that rye ages much faster than corn. So while our younger vintages had a big rye spice flavor (which we love) the mouth feel was too thin and it lacked the sweet, delicate complexity of a well aged spirit. Our older vintages had the smoothness and sweet notes that can only be achieved by moving in and out of #4 char and caramelized oak for many, many years, but the nice rye spice had been aged out!

So what to do? Find the perfect blend.

We combined the two. The younger vintages maintain the bold spiciness of the rye, cut down on the tannins and keep it fruit forward. The older vintage brings in a creamy mouth feel with sweet aromas and taste notes that only appear over time from aging in a barrel. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoy making it.

Nose: Balanced oak nose with hints of fruit and dried apricots.
Taste: Initial sweet notes on the front of the tongue. Well balanced mouth feel with spicy notes including white pepper on the middle and back of the tongue from the younger vintage and high rye mash bill. Good balance of sweet and oak flavors including hints of caramel (from the #4 charred barrels, caramelized wood sugar), fruit flavor and rye spice. Finishes smooth with no alcohol burn even at 100 proof.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, oak, salted caramel, musty, cocoa, brown sugar and baked glazed cinnamon buns.
Palate:  Vanilla, caramel cream candies, cinnamon, oak, rye spice, pepper and subtle clove.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with caramel, pepper and oak.
Comments:  Spicy – not objectionable, but for $45 (or more) there are plenty of options for a spicy rye bourbon at nearly half the price that I like as well. Bit of water thickens it up a bit, and tamps the oak edges slightly.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Read More »

Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt
Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Flaviar’s Bushmills “Rare Cask Series” Tasting Box
Sample ‘C’

50% ABV
Bushmills Potential Rare Cask Bottle
We would like to thank Flaviar and Bushmills  for the opportunity to try these rare whiskies!
NOTE: The samples were provided as part of a lottery through my personal Flaviar membership, and not provided directly for purposes of a review.

Wait – What is This?

In the summer/fall of 2020, Flaviar offered an opportunity to members to enter a lottery, the winners of which would have the opportunity to sample some rare Bushmills and vote on what would be the next ‘Rare Cask’. I was fortunate enough to be picked to participate, and received a 5 sample kit from Flaviar which included:

  • Bushmills 10 yr Single Malt
  • Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt
  • Sample A (Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask, 1992)
  • Sample B (Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask, 1995)
  • Sample C (Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt, 1997)

Flaviar stated that they would announce the winner with Bushmills. If that happened, I missed it (and as of Feburary 2022, Bushmill’s website only lists the initial Rare Cask release – although I saw some stores that had labels for ‘Rare Case 02’, so not sure if they released it quietly, or if they planned to but then changed course, or what happened). Regardless, I was waiting for such an announcement before posting these reviews – but as that may never happen – here they are!

The details below were compiled from what was provided by Flaviar with the samples, and the NightCap Live streaming event they hosted – which included the Bushmills brand ambassador Jack Ferris who provided additional details about the whiskies.

23 yr old Crystal Malt; allegedly this is one of Helen Mulholland’s (Bushmill’s Master Blender) favorites.  They distilled this back in 1997 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Bushmills in 2008 – a one-time production run.  But, they didn’t use all of the whiskey, and left a bit to age longer.  Crystal malt is unusual for whiskey (usually used in beer), and is made by taking barley with a high moisture content and putting it through a deep roast which crystallizes the grain and enhances the natural sugars.  This was aged in a first fill bourbon barrel.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Light, cotton candy, fresh cut apples, pears, hint of lavender and rose petals.
Palate:  Sweet with butterscotch, brown sugar, honey, chocolate, chili spice notes and baked apples.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with honey and spice.
Comments:  If I was given this blind to nose, I might have guessed it was a single grain whisky – it has that gentle, delicateness I associate with that style. On the palate it had a spicy bite that was a (pleasant) surprise! Of the 3 samples in the running for the next Bushmills Rare Cask, I found this much more mild and nuanced – although because of that it was my least favorite. Having said that, nothing at all objectionable and I’d certainly not turn away a pour if offered!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt Read More »

Jameson Bow Street 18 Years

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Jameson Bow Street 18 Years
Cask Strength Irish Whiskey

55.3% ABV
$170-$190
Website
Jameson Bow Street 18 Year Cask Strength

What the Distillery Says

A special place in our hearts required a whiskey to match.
Jameson Bow Street 18 Years is a special blend of rare pot still and grain Irish whiskeys produced at the Midleton distillery. After ageing for almost two decades, these whiskeys are married together and spend their final finishing period in our original home, at the Jameson Distillery Bow Street in Dublin.

Launched in 2018, this whiskey is our rarest release and is bottled once per year, at cask strength.

Nose: Rich wood-driven influence with deep toffee notes and spice.
Taste: Toffee and oak remain consistent with hints of leather and vanilla along with a subtle sherry nuttiness creating depth and complexity.
Finish: Long and full with the sweet toffee notes slowly fading while the toasted oak and spice linger throughout until the very end.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, butterscotch, toffee, angel food cake, soft oak, honey, almonds, floral, bit of leather and milk chocolate.
Palate:  Toffee, honey, oak, sherry notes of raisins, milk chocolate, caramel, spicy with clove and nutmeg.
Finish:  Moderately long, nutty with caramel and spices.
Comments:  The grain component in this blend shines through. Water thickens this nicely, and brings out more malty grain notes (but don’t get me wrong – it doesn’t come across as ‘young’) and tamps some of the spiciness. I liked this one more each time I went back to sample it. Not sure I like it enough to shell out the coin (although I still kinda regret not buying a cask strength Jameson when visiting their visitor center in Dublin; this really does shine at the higher ABV).

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Jameson Bow Street 18 Years Read More »

Broken Barrel Hersey Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Broken Barrel Hersey Rye

Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished with Broken Barrel Staves

52.5% ABV
$35
Website
Broken Barrel Heresy Rye Whiskey
We would like to thank Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Rye | Re-imagined

This Rye whiskey is distilled in Owensboro Kentucky – just like our bourbon. However, it is unlike any rye whiskey you’ve ever tasted. Charred French oak gives a woody body to the spirit, while ex-bourbon (still soaked from the previous tenant) and ex-sherry cask staves all join forces to create a fiery, yet balanced and smooth taste and finish. We use the same proprietary Oak Bill™ to embolden this rye whiskey and give it an uncommon and untraditional taste and character.

Call it sacrilegious, call it untraditional, call it heresy—we won’t be offended. But trust us. Once you taste it, you may begin to question the tradition yourself.

Mash Bill:
95% Rye
5% Malted Barley

Oak Bill™
40% French Oak Staves
40% Ex-Bourbon Cask Staves
20% Sherry Cask Staves

Heresy Rye Whiskey was awarded the Gold Medal in 2019 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for rye whiskies.
Batch 001 | Launched August 2018

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft rye spice with mint eucalyptus, bit of dill and vanilla.
Palate:  Bright with mint, citrus zip, baking spices and black cherries.
Finish:  Short with mint, cocoa, pepper and dried fruit notes.
Comments:  I’ve remarked before that rye whiskey is the one whisk(e)y type that I find which “isn’t as bad” young, and that continues to be the case. Don’t get me wrong – I’d prefer a well aged rye over something young (in this case, it is 2 yrs old)!  But in the context of the previous Broken Barrel whiskies, I did like this one the best.  The stave treatment does lend to some dark fruit notes on the palate and finish, which round out the herbal and more citrus notes of the rye nicely. Bit of water tamps the edges a bit, although I wouldn’t add a lot.

Rating: Stands Out

Broken Barrel Hersey Rye Read More »