Stands Out

Knob Creek 18 Year Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Knob Creek 18 Year
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$170
Website
Knob Creek 18 Year Bourbon
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Knob Creek® Bourbon, a leader in the Small Batch Bourbon category, is excited to announce the addition of a new, limited-edition bourbon to its award-winning* portfolio: Knob Creek® 18 Year Old. This latest release marks the oldest expression from Knob Creek to-date, and its introduction comes just in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Knob Creek and the Small Batch Bourbon Collection.

Aged twice as long as its flagship bourbon and bottled at 100 proof, Knob Creek 18 Year Old offers a complex, yet balanced, liquid due to its mature age. Extensive aging in Kentucky rackhouses give this bourbon its rich copper color and unique flavor profile, delivering notes of caramelized oak and sweet vanilla with a warm finish; further demonstrating how great things take time and patience – yielding remarkable results.

Three decades ago, Booker Noe, grandson of Jim Beam and Sixth Generation Master Distiller, set out to define the standards for pre-prohibition style bourbon by introducing Knob Creek to the world. Today, Knob Creek continues to honor his legacy by pushing the boundaries of the bourbon category, and this new, extra-aged and full-flavored liquid reinforces the brand’s ongoing dedication and commitment to exceptional craftsmanship.

“As we celebrate 30 years of Knob Creek, it’s clear to me that Dad was ahead of his time in creating innovative expressions with big, bold flavors that defined pre-prohibition whiskey,” said Fred Noe, Booker Noe’s son and Seventh Generation Master Distiller. “This new 18 Year Old liquid is a nod to his vision and commitment to quality and craftsmanship, and I know this is a whiskey he’d be proud to serve. I’m honored to further his legacy with Knob Creek’s oldest and boldest expression yet.”

Knob Creek 18 Year Old is bottled with the following characteristics:

Proof: 100
Color: Rich copper tones with auburn hues
Aroma: Brown sugar and aged oak, with notes of char and caramel
Taste: Full-bodied with notes of caramelized oak and hints of sweet vanilla and baking spices
Finish: Warm finished with spice and slight floral and fruit notes

Knob Creek 18 Year Old is now available nationwide in limited quantities with a suggested retail price of $169.99 for a 750mL bottle. For more information about Knob Creek 18 Year Old and Knob Creek’s award-winning bourbon and rye portfolios, please visit www.KnobCreek.com or visit us on Instagram @KnobCreek.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Oak char, cocoa, slightly burnt turtle brownies, peanut brittle, cherry cola, worn leather, smoke and wood polish.
Palate:  Lots of oak, caramel, boiled peanuts, pecans, cinnamon and a bit of cocoa.
Finish:  Long with toffee, peanut brittle and oak.
Comments:  The nose on this is amazing – lot of depth and complexity (and yes – oak – but not so much that I couldn’t coax more from it). The palate was a different experience for me where the oak was much heavier. I wouldn’t call it ‘over-oaked’ – I’ve had bourbon that was like chewing on a stave, and this isn’t like that. It just has a lot of oak which for 18 years is to be expected. If you are not a fan of oaky bourbon, this may be a bit outside of your range (although this is one that I’d be perfect happy nosing all night as the nose is delightful!) If your personal taste leans towards the oaky side, this is probably a no brainer. Friends who don’t mind more oak have spoken highly of it.

Rating: Stands Out

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Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 5th Release

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon
5th Release, 2022

50.29% ABV
$250
Website
Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 2022
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Blender Says

    • A blend of straight bourbon whiskeys matured in select cooperage
    • Distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN
    • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
    • 100.58 proof cask strength bottling

Barrell Craft Spirits has spent five years developing the blend techniques and processes used in the latest release of Gray Label Bourbon. This blending and marrying process is slow, labor-intensive, and costly, but we feel our patience pays off with this truly special offering.

This release of Gray Label Bourbon is constructed from bourbons of varying ages made from five different mash bills. After marrying, the blend goes into casks made using 36-month air-dried staves that previously held Gray Label Bourbon, to rest and further mature.

Barrels made from 36-month air-dried staves are not often used in bourbon production, in part because they are much more expensive than casks made with kiln-dried staves. We view them, however, as a key component for achieving long, complex flavors and a rich mouth feel. The result of mingling in these unique casks is a mellow, sophisticated spirit that concentrates the flavor of a higher-proof bourbon into a lower-proof blend, with a gentle oxidative character and deep dried fruit notes. This is a bourbon with the complexity and density of age, without over-oaked chalkiness.

Appearance: Wildflower honey.
Nose: Opens with some simple, bright fruit notes – dry cider, tart green plum, and banana pudding. These accompany the expected caramelized sugar notes of cinnamon donut and pecan pie. The tropical side slowly unfolds, revealing pineapple, passionfruit, and coconut milk. Peach cobbler and strawberry cheesecake reflect the fruitiness taking on a more cooked character.
Palate: Honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon make for fun and seldom-seen flavors in a bourbon. Mary Jane candies and dark chocolate ganache offer an earthy contrast. There is a gentle undercurrent of minerals such as celery salt, and snuffed beeswax candle.
Finish: Mouthwatering and refined with an initial burst of sweet tea and Meyer lemon. Rose jelly, raspberry pastilles and chardonnay provide a sophisticated floral signature.
With a splash of spring water: The whiskey grows a notch richer and creamier as white chocolate and cappuccino jockey to the fore. Water also liberates some savory notes of spoonbread, alpine breeze, and caramelized onion..

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich with fall leaves, freshly baked banana-nut bread, caramel, canned peaches and pears, oak, mineral/multi-vitamin note, hints of tropical fruit and Earl Grey tea.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel, sour-fruity candy, dark chocolate fudge, minerality, savory herbs like fennel with sweet tea.
Finish: Long and drying with oak, citrus, a syrupy fruit jam and black tea.
Comments: Another really delicious bourbon! I get a fair amount of the Dickel house style in this one, which I don’t mind at all. The mingling of fruit, baked goods and tea notes remind me of what a fine afternoon tea would be like if distilled into bourbon. Takes a bit of water well, maintaining the viscous mouthfeel – but doesn’t need any.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey
Bourbon Whiskey Finished With A Honey Soaked American Oak Spiral

45% ABV
$60
Website
Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey
We would like to thank Oak & Eden and Champlin PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2022 – Today, DFW-based indie whiskey brand Oak & Eden unveils Wheat & Honey, a small batch release blending the brand’s permanent wheated bourbon with a honey-soaked toasted American Oak spire. Honey is the first flavor that most people discern when drinking whiskey, making this infusion an obvious choice to take a good thing and make it great.

Oak & Eden is built on the foundation of innovation, believing whiskey should be constantly fresh and distinct, never the same. This pursuit leads the brand to constantly create new and unique whiskies that could only be achieved by its patented process of In-Bottle Finishing. Oak & Eden follows traditional distillation and aging to the letter, aging their whiskeys for at least two years in American Oak barrels. They then break tradition in the finishing (or double barrel) process, where instead of putting the fully aged whiskey in a second barrel to add more flavor coming naturally from the wood, they place in the bottle a Spire; a 5” long spiral-cut piece of oak fashioned from the same species and treatment as barrel oak.

With Wheat & Honey, the spire is paired with another libation, American honey, to infuse the oak with an additional element that adds an essence of flavor on the finish. Wheat & Honey, bottled at 45% Alc. by Vol., is available now exclusively online at oakandeden.com with a price of $59.99 for 750mL. Wheat & Honey will continue to roll out in select Oak & Eden retailers across 30 states in the coming months.

“Every Oak & Eden release reflects our pursuit in customizing the experience of whiskey in unique ways — not just with the products we create, but also with how they are designed to be used,” comments Co-Founder and CMO Brad Neathery. “We intentionally crafted Wheat & Honey to pair beautifully with a broad range of refreshing cocktails – cocktails that most people would never assume are whiskey based.”

As a naturally sweeter whiskey, Wheat & Honey lends itself as a go-to for cocktails. To complement the launch, Oak & Eden shares four distinct, easy-to-replicate recipes: Cloud Nine, Solar Flare, American Honey and The Gold Coast. Visit Oak & Eden’s Barkeeper’s Diary for full recipes, cocktail tips and more.

More on Wheat & Honey:
Whiskey: Wheated Bourbon – Wheat & Honey begins with a remarkably smooth combination of 51% corn, 45% wheat and 4% malted barley. Once distilled, the bourbon is aged in new American Oak barrels producing a rich, deep yet sweet spirit.
Wood: American Oak – Containing hundreds of naturally occurring botanicals, Oak & Eden uses a 5” American Oak spire in Wheat & Honey, which produces a rich, velvety whiskey full of caramel, butterscotch, and allspice notes.
Fire: Medium Toast – Before placing the spire into the wheated bourbon, it is exposed to fire, technically a Medium Toast, toasting the wood to the perfect degree that will produce a finish that is deep and rich with subtle notes of candied fruit, vanilla, toffee, and caramel.
Infusion: American Honey – Each spire is infused with American Honey before being
placed in the bottle for that naturally sweet finish.
Tasting notes: Honey, Marshmallow & Candied Fruit

Oak & Eden will debut additional expressions to its Infused Series over the next year as well as build upon its unique Bottle Builder program where customers can craft their own whiskey bottle using one of the maker’s four finished whiskey bases and over thirty infusion options. The Bottle Builder program is currently offered ($90/ 750ml bottle) at the brand’s Flagship retail location and nano-distillery in Bridgeport, TX.

Check out oakandeden.com for more information on Wheat & Honey as well as the brand’s full lineup of whiskies.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sponge cake, vanilla, oak, raw honey, hint of roasted marshmallow.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with honey, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and subtle pear notes.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with honey, vanilla and a touch of oak.
Comments:  An interesting dram and enjoyable sipper. I do like honey in bourbon (especially when recovering from a sore throat), and this hits that note. Having done some experimenting with charred oak sticks in bottles, I wonder how time alters this.  Will the honey or oak notes continue to grow heavier? Will it improve? Will it get off-balanced?  I’ll post an update in a few months (didn’t want to delay this until then). This doesn’t need any water, which is good because it thins out rather quickly with a bit of it.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Dewar’s 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Dewar’s 12-Year-Old
Blended Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$30
Website
Dewars 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky
We would like to thank Dewar’s and Nike Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch Whisky, the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky, has unveiled the new DEWAR’S 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky. With a new look and feel, DEWAR’S 12-year-old has been taken to the next level with a whisky that balances complexity, flavor and smoothness.

Double-aging the whisky in hand-selected, first-fill American Oak Bourbon casks for the first time has created a distinctly different experience for drinkers, with a greater breadth and depth of flavor, and a radically richer mouthfeel. The new whisky builds upon the renowned DEWAR’S house style of floral, honeyed Highland whisky, with a hint of smoke.

Showcasing up to 40 of Scotland’s finest single malt and grain whiskies, the new liquid was created by DEWAR’S Master Blender, Stephanie Macleod, who was recently awarded Master Blender of the Year for the fourth time by the International Whisky Competition. Stephanie Macleod comments: “Curiosity has been at the cornerstone of the DEWAR’s brand since John Dewar created the first whisky in 1846. And that sense of curiosity has carried through to how my teams and I develop our whiskies today. It was only natural to experiment and craft a new element to the maturation process, which has resulted in a distinctly different tasting experience.”

“Having been experimenting with the influence of cask types on flavor and texture for the last ten years, we knew the time was right to bring some of what we have learnt to our core range of whiskies. We wanted to take DEWAR’S 12-Year-Old to the next level and bring the joys of quality Scotch whisky to a new generation of drinkers. DEWAR’S whiskies have a characteristic floral and honeyed-style and we knew we could add a richer and more complex dimension through the use of first-fill American Oak Bourbon casks.”

Macleod has created a more complex whisky: an aroma of apple, ripe peaches and hints of lemon zest; followed by floral, spice and rich fruit notes; with a robust finish of vanilla, butterscotch and a wisp of a smoke. Complementing the flavor notes is the richer, smoother and more balanced mouthfeel, creating an experience that will delight new and existing whisky drinkers alike.

Brian Cox, Vice President, DEWAR’S Scotch Whisky, North America commented: “The beauty of our Scotch whisky is the ability to bring the breadth of flavor – as well as the depth of flavor – from the variety of single malts and grains that we use to make it. This new expression of DEWAR’S 12-Year-Old is the epitome of what a high quality, pleasurable and indulgent Scotch whisky can be. Reimagining and relaunching this whisky has always been about one thing: delighting whisk(e)y drinkers. Whether you are a connoisseur looking to discover something new or are just seeking to share and enjoy with friends and family, we are certain that everyone will find something to savor and relish.”

All DEWAR’S whiskies share one thing in common – they are double aged for extra smoothness, a maturation process specific to DEWAR’s that was perfected by the first Master Blender, AJ Cameron. 2022 marks the 125th anniversary since AJ Cameron became the first Master Blender in 1897.

The new DEWAR’S 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky is presented in a new, premium clear glass bottle with a modified base, label and enclosure.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Honey, dried fruit notes of mango, pineapple and peaches; hint of orange and baked apple, vanilla, nutmeg and a bit of butterscotch with a faint note of smoke.
Palate:  Round and slightly oily mouthfeel, fruity with pears, peaches and apples, bit of nutmeg and pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long and thick, with applesauce, sherried dark fruit and honey.
Comments:  I can’t recall the last time I tried Dewar’s 12 Year Old, so I can’t compare this new release to that. But I know I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I do this or I’d have had a bottle around the house! This has a lot going on, and is very well balanced with a lovely mouthfeel – things I don’t often get with a 40% ABV pour. I can’t think of another Scotch (blended or otherwise) at this price point that I enjoy as much. Kudos to the blender and team on a really nice whisky!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey

59.8% ABV
$150
Website
Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey
We would like to thank Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and The Brand Guild for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

As we announced in February of 2022, our award-winning line of whiskeys, with nearly 550 awards since our inception in 2017, is growing. Today, we continue celebrating the legacy of Nearest Green, the Godfather of Tennessee Whiskey, with the newest addition to our Master Blend Edition Portfolio: Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey, our first Rye expression. As with our inaugural Master Blend Edition, this Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey represents the favorite barrels of Victoria Eady Butler, our Master Blender, fifth generation Nearest Green descendant and four-time Master Blender of the Year recipient.

Born in the North – in Canada according to the exact American specifications required to be a Straight Rye Whiskey — and raised in New York for a minimum of four years before moving down to Tennessee, this Rye is crafted and blended by Victoria. As she puts it, “My great-great-grandfather was known for his whiskey filtration method. But this 100% rye is so spectacular, we dared not cut or filter it.” The result is a classic rye spice and character, paired with the incredible Uncle Nearest smoothness that has made our whiskey the Most Awarded of 2019, 2020, 2021 (and soon to be 2022).

We are proud to bring Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey to our fans who will be in for a treat when they experience what critics have already been falling in love over. Just last week, it was announced that our Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye whiskey has already received its first Gold medal and received the highest honor at one of the most prestigious spirits competitions in the world.

Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey launched on September 17th, as a Nearest Green Distillery exclusive, to rave reviews from our visitors. For those unable to make it to Shelbyville, there will be more Rye to come from Uncle Nearest in the coming months, including Straight Rye and Single Barrel Rye.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Buttered rye toast with orange marmalade, oak, maple toffee, nutmeg, toasted orange zest and a wisp of cedar.
Palate:  Warm and syrupy with caramel, buttered popcorn, fruity with oranges and black cherry, rye bread, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish:  Moderately long and damp with pepper, orange honey and caramel.
Comments:  A really nice rye whiskey, intense with a great mouthfeel. I tend to get the popcorn notes with younger whiskey, so guessing this isn’t a lot older than four years old – although it has a fair amount of complexity going on for a younger whiskey. It comes across a bit hot, but takes water really well – bringing out some ginger on the nose and keeping a nice mouthfeel that shifts from syrupy to creamy. There isn’t a ton of cask strength, NCF rye on the shelves, but even so – the price point is high to me. At half the SRPP, I’d be all over it. If you’re a fan of rye and the brand, I’d look for an opportunity to try it first.

Rating: Stands Out

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