Stands Out

Old Forester 1870 Original Batch

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Forester 1870 Original Batch
45% ABV
$45
Website

What the Distiller Says
In 1870 George Garvin Brown created Old Forester on Louisville, KY’s famous whiskey row. In honor of that milestone year in bourbon history, we have crafted a tribute – Old Forester 1870 Original Batch – the first craft expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row Series.

Old Forester 1870 Original Batch echoes George Garvin Brown’s original 1870 batching process. Back then, Brown batched barrels obtained from three distilleries to create a consistent flavor profile. To emulate that process today, we also select barrels from three warehouses, each barrel originating from a different day of production, with a different entry proof and a different age profile.

The three expressions of Old Forester are then batched together to craft Old Forester 1870 Original Batch. This 90-proof bourbon will be minimally filtered, to honor the processes available to George Garvin Brown at that time.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Clove notes spice up a medley of citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, blood orange), all softened with a delicate, sweet, floral honeysuckle character.
TASTE: Baking spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg) flow into a citrus-fruit mix and shortbread sweetness.
FINISH: Soft, with lingering fruit and spice character.

What Gary Says
Nose:  Soft, vanilla crème brûlée with pecan pralines, subtle musty oak and cherries.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with pears, honey, and vanilla ice cream, sliced almonds and cinnamon.
Finish:  Short, wet with vanilla and cinnamon notes.
Comments:  Some of these Old Forester expressions left me quite underwhelmed. This doesn’t remind me of those at all, and is simply delicious! Less spicy and edgy than your typical Old Forester. While the finish is on the short side, there isn’t anything off putting here for me. Not tremendously complex, but a really nice summer sipper!
Rating: Stands Out

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Laphroaig 28 Year Old

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 28 Year Old
44.4% ABV
$799
Website

What the Distiller Says
Over a quarter century in the making. Laphroaig 28 Year Old is a limited luxury meant to savor.

Laphroaig 28 Year Old is an exceptional expression that has been matured for 28 years in a suite of artfully selected casks. First matured in different sizes from quarter casks to butts, the liquid is married in sherry casks to age for its final 12 months.

COLOR: Coppery gold.
NOSE: Rich and peaty with aroma of grilled dates, Manuka honey, and a hint of licorice, complemented by notes of Islay heather, dry thyme and rosemary.
BODY: Full bodied.
PALATE: Sweet with baked pears and vanilla notes complemented by salted toffee, burnt wood, marinated grilled meat, and ground black pepper.
FINISH: Sweet and peppery with dried spices, cedar and complex lingering peaty flavor.

What Gary Says
Nose: Thick, peaty sea air w/ notes of honey, sultanas, iodine, leather, and a hint of tangy, smokey barbecue.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, intense sweetness, pears, honey, rice pudding with a hint of balsamic vinegar; subdued peat.
Finish: Long, lingering with sweet notes and savory but subtle spices.
Comments: If you’ve read my other reviews, you know my history with Laphroaig. This is just an exquisite dram; the oldest Laphroaig I’ve had the pleasure of tasting, and it has indeed been a pleasure. The peat and medicinal notes that fans of Laphroaig have grown to love are still present, but they are tamed in this presentation, with more complex sweet notes on the nose and palate. The final 12 months of maturation in sherry is a lovely touch – adding depth and richness to the sweet notes, balancing out the peat and sea air – but not changing the foundation of that classic Laphroaig profile. On my second tasting, I poured some Laphroaig 18 yr for a comparison, and that really highlighted the difference of that sherry finishing (although the other casks used throughout the maturation undoubtedly played a significant role). Much more gentle and refined, with less peppery edge than the 18 yr. Very well crafted, and delicious representation!
Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

We would like to thank Laphroaig and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

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Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey
54.45% ABV
$100-$125
Website

What the Distiller Says
A FULL-BODIED TASTE THAT CANNOT BE IMITATED

Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey is a well balanced Rye, bolstered by sweet tones of maple, brown sugar and light citrus sweetness. Finish with a hint of oak & no burn on the throat. Due to our carefully unique distilling process, Peerless offers a smooth taste that differs from many other ryes. Peerless Rye is a palatable sipping Rye to be savored with friends and family.

Every Drop Honestly Crafted
Non-Chill Filtered
Strictly Sweet Mash
Barrel Proof
No Water Added

What Gary Says
Nose:  Rye spice, dill, burnt toast, oak, citrus zip, milk chocolate, caramel with hints of anise and clove.
Palate:  Sweet molasses with bitter orange chocolate, caramel apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds with some pepper spice at the back.
Finish:  Short to moderately long, wet with a dill spice note.
Comments:  If tasting this blind, I absolutely would have pegged this as older than the 24 months that it is; probably guessing closer to 4 to 6 years old. It actually reminds me a bit of Willett 5 yr Straight Rye single barrels (which were MGP distilled at the time, and bottled at 110 proof) – which isn’t a bad thing as I really loved those. Don’t get me wrong – this is unique from that.  The best thing I can say about it is that it tastes way better than any other 2 yr rye I’ve had (can’t think of a 2 yr whiskey I’ve liked better actually). But the price is crazy absurd. I know whiskey pricing today isn’t what it was 5 years ago (when those Willett 5 yr ryes were $35-$40).  But I’m sorry – I’m never going to pay $100+ for a 2 yr rye (or 2 yr whiskey – period). Never. Is there anything wrong with the whiskey itself? No – it is well balanced, and I’ll agree with the general consensus that it punches well above its weight. But the price point would have to be cut well below half before I’d be a buyer.  Yes, it is tasty – but there is a LOT of tasty whiskey I enjoy as much for a whole lot less cash.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank my dad for bringing me a sample to review.

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Yellowstone 2018 Limited Edition

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

Yellowstone 2018 Limited Edition
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Finished in No 3 Char Wine Cask

50.5% ABV
$100
Website

What the Producer Says

Limestone Branch Distillery introduces the 2018 variety of Yellowstone® Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon, the third and final barrel finishing experiment by Limestone Branch Distillery, set to hit the market in October. This year’s final limited edition combines hand-selected, Kentucky Straight bourbons, ranging from four to 12 years in aging and finished in No. 3 char wine casks. Same as with the 2017 edition, this year’s special edition also includes Limestone Branch Distillery’s own distillate, carefully made with their signature heirloom white corn.

“The Yellowstone Limited Edition variants have been an incredible outlet for my creativity and flair for experimenting,” says Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery. “We started the process in 2016 and I am proud of the three limited editions we created – and how they are linked to each other.”

Beam tells the story of the evolution of these three variants. “In 2016, we finished our Limited Edition bourbon in specially selected new wine barrels, which lent their special flavor to that year’s celebrated bourbon, but their journey had barely begun. Later that year, after the bourbon was dumped and bottled, the same 28 barrels were lightly charred and we filled them with our 2017 Limited Edition bourbon. This year, we took the very same barrels – now rich with complexity – and deeply charred them before filling them with our 2018 Limited Edition.”

The barrel journey, and the hand-selected bourbon used in these products, created a rich flavor profile. Beam notes that the heavy char over bourbon-wet oak produced a rich palate of burnt sugar, deep caramel and a lingering essence of crème brulée.

Bottled at 101 proof and available in 750ml bottles signed by Steve Beam and nestled in commemorative tubes, the 2018 Yellowstone Limited Edition marks the final piece of this award-winning trilogy.

Approximately 12,000 bottles of this bourbon are being produced this fall at Limestone Branch Distillery, and the suggested retail price is $99.99.

What Gary Says
Nose:  Vanilla, caramel, allspice, sour oak with hints of cigar paper, hazelnuts, milk chocolate with a subtle wine twang.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, honey, salted caramel with hazelnuts that sharpens with spicy wine notes and dried apricots.
Finish:  Moderately long, slightly drying with some pepper spice at the end.
Comments:  A lot of folks are experimenting with different finishes, and bourbon has such an intense flavor – some folks I think wind up going over the top.  This is not one of those cases.  The wine cask finish is done very well, hot heavy handed in the least, but not so light that you don’t recognize it is there.  In my opinion, this is where “finishing” is meant to be.  I imagine that this would be a delicious bourbon even without that extra bit, but I’m delighted that they’ve taken care in the balance.  I hadn’t tried the previous Yellowstone limited editions so unfortunately can’t compare, but on its own this is a very well crafted whiskey.  If you are a fan of finished bourbons in particular, I’d push this up to a ‘Must Try’.
Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

We would like to thank Limestone Branch and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

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Old Ezra Barrel Strength

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Ezra Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Aged 7 Years
58.5% ABV
$40
Website

What the Producer Says

Luxco introduces Old Ezra Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey this fall. Aged a full seven years for a more robust flavor, this bourbon is bottled at barrel strength of 117 proof. This allows the bourbon to develop bold, intense flavors with the perfect balance of oak, caramel, cinnamon and pepper, with a long, warm finish.

TASTING NOTES
Sweet floral notes with undertones of vanilla, cinnamon, and fine wood, ending in a warm, buttery finish.

INGREDIENTS
Corn, rye and barley

What Gary Says
Nose:  Sharp, oaky spice, salted caramel with vanilla, hints of chocolate and toffee; bit of water brings out the spice notes more with allspice and nutmeg.
Palate:  Warm, sweet vanilla toffee with caramel drizzle, dark chocolate, some citrus spice followed by cinnamon with an edge; bit of water amps up the toffee and chocolate while taming the spicy edge.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with some pepper spice notes.
Comments:  I’ve always been a fan of Old Ezra 7yr 101 bourbon, which is (or was) an incredible value at $17.  If you’re familiar with that, picture that bourbon with the volume cranked all the way up. Just a classic bourbon nose and palate, but with more toffee and on the spicier/edgier side (which I particularly like).  Takes a bit of water well, and is nicely balanced – and all things considered quite reasonably priced.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank Luxco and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

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