Clermont Steep American Single Malt Whiskey

VITALS:

- $60

- 94 Proof

- 5 Years

- Kentucky

I'm not going to lie.  I was weirdly excited for this release.  I've done the American Single Malt thing. I've tried some that I've really enjoyed, and I've had some that were clunkers. What excited me about this one was that it was Jim Beam getting into the American Single Malt fray. 

There haven't been too many single malt releases from the Kentucky big boys. And, I'm particularly fond of most Beam products. So, when these finally hit the shelves, I made it a point to grab one right away. I figured, as with most of their other stuff, Jim Beam would at the very least produce a new and interesting and delicious product that would be a mainstay on the shelves.

I was wrong.

The nose was pretty good, and gave me a bit of hope, even if it didn't smell anything like the single malts I've come to know and love. It had notes of pear and cinnamon, almost like baked pear. It had a brown sugar sweetness to it, as well as a sweet tobacco leaf note. It also gave off a sort of brown butter note.

As to flavor, though, the predominant note was Cheerios.  And it wasn't even Honey Nut Cheerios, or Frosted Cheerios. It was just plain old, tasted like cardboard Cheerios.  There was also a fruitiness to it, but it wasn't a light or crisp note, but rather that baked pear note again. From there it seemed to go downhill.

I got a medicinal cherry note that is immediately a turnoff for me whenever I find it in a pour. I love a good cherry note, I hate the cough syrup note I get in some brands. And this was that cough syrup note. It also went beyond the pear note to include other weird stewed fruit notes, perhaps apple and plum. But there was no spice to go with those notes--no cinnamon, no allspice, no anise. It was just a bit weird.

And the finish kind of sealed the deal for me. I never did get that malty backbone that I love in a single malt. I never got any of the bright notes or floral notes or even fruity notes I've experienced in good single malts. Instead, what I was left with on the finish was an artificial sweetness, like corn syrup.  It wasn't even something I'd put on pancakes. It had that fake, syrupy sweetness of hard candy, and that seemed to linger longer than I wanted it to.

I wanted to like this, but I just struggled to find a reason to.  I think I'll just stick to Beam's bourbons from here on out.

Grade: D

Shenk's Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey - 2020

VITALS:

- $90

- 91.2 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No. 20G1520

- Kentucky

It wasn't that long ago that I finished off and ultimately reviewed my 2019 bottle of Shenk's.  In fact, I had a decent amount still in my bottle when I got the opportunity to purchase this 2020 bottle of Shenk's. Of course, I couldn't pass up grabbing this year's as well, and, quite frankly, it's what gave me the motivation to finally finish off the previous year's bottle.

While I regret not doing a side-by-side when I had the chance, I do feel like I opened this one pretty much immediately after finishing the last one off. So the comparisons were at least a little fresh, even if not done side-by-side. Regardless of comparisons, though, this and the Bomberger's from Michter's have certainly become no-brainers as far as grabbing a bottle when the opportunity presents itself.  And this particular bottle only further supported that notion.

The nose was dominated by notes of brown sugar and cinnamon. It also had a bit of a buttery note, along with a cracker note, the combination of which reminded me of Ritz crackers. Interesting, and certainly not unwelcome.  There were also light wood notes that provided a bit of bitterness, and at times that note even leaned a little bit towards orange peel. 

That same cinnamon and brown sugar from the nose, not surprisingly, also seemed to dominate the palate, at least on the front end. The tip of my tongue was immediately hit with that cinnamon spice along with the sweetness that had kind of a pastry quality, but with a little more cinnamon heat. 

It certainly had a lot more going on. Early on in this bottle I was getting distinct amaretto notes that I absolutely loved, particularly with the brown sugar. As I made my way through the bottle, that amaretto turned a bit towards an anise note. Not a heavy anise note, the likes of which would turn me off, but rather a light note that also worked well with the brown sugar. 

Surprisingly, I got a bit of a white bread note, like a sweeter, not so yeasty bread note. That seemed to pair with soft caramel note to create almost like a caramel iced donut, but not so cloyingly sweet. It even had a bit of butterscotch to it.  The combination was a bit hard to put my thumb on, but whatever it was it was delicious!

While the flavors I was getting seemed to bounce around a bit as I made my way through this bottle, the one thing that remained consistent was that it was always delicious. In fact, I found this to be significantly better than the 2019 bottle, which is good considering it came with a significantly greater price tag!  Hopefully the price increases stop there, because I want to continue trying to find one of these as they are released.

Grade: A-

One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 13

VITALS:
- $80

- 106 Proof

- 10 Years

- Batch 1

- Washington D.C.

I'll admit that I knew very little about One Eight Distilling out of Washington D.C. before purchasing this bottle. In fact, I know very little about them now. But I took notice when I saw their Untitled Whiskey Nos. 11 and 13 suddenly appearing on my local liquor store shelves. The bottle and label designs are simple, and the finishes sounded great. But that price for an unknown turned me away.

Then I started not only seeing their whiskeys everywhere on Facebook, including single barrel picks that people were going nuts for. So I reconsidered, and I ultimately broke down and bought a bottle of Untitled No. 13. It was the neck label that sold me on this particular one: 

"For Untitled Whiskey No. 13, we rested 10-year old high rye bourbon in a combination of Cognac, Spanish brandy and Oloroso, Amontillado and Pedro Ximenez sherries."  

It certainly had a lot going on, and the description reminded me a lot of the Jos. Magnus products. But, this one was not only age-stated at a healthy 10 years, but it was a bit cheaper than the Magnus blends. So I gave it a shot.

The nose on this thing was crazy full and rich. I got a healthy amount of dark cherry and chocolate, and even some blackberry. It had a brandy-like richness of baked pear and apple as well. It also had a rich read wine note, like a pinot noir. It did have a bit of a brightness to it, kind of like raspberry, but those dark, rich fruit notes really dominated here. 

Of course the flavor followed suit. The wine barrel finish seemed to dominate immediately up front, as I got a lot of the full-bodied red wine flavors. I got a lot of that blackberry and dark cherry as well. It didn't come across as super sweet or anything, just full of flavor.

Those rich (I'm using that word a lot here, I realize), dark fruit notes were accompanied by dark chocolate and walnut notes. I also got some notes of raisin and plum that worked really well with everything else going on. There was also a bit of brown sugar to add just a bit of sweetness.

On the finish it had just a bit of tanginess to it. I liked it to amaretto liqueur. It's hard to put my finger on, but there was just something  lightly bitter while at the same time sweet that lingered on my tongue. It also left behind those notes of dark chocolate and walnut, giving it a very dessert-like finish.

What I didn't get, however, was the high-rye bourbon notes that I wanted. I didn't find any of that spice from the rye content that I was expecting. I also didn't get many of the more traditional bourbon notes, like caramel and vanilla. Unfortunately, while I bought the bottle in part because it started with a 10-year high rye bourbon, the bourbon ended up being almost completely masked by everything else going on. While it was still delicious, I wanted the bourbon itself to take more of a lead role here.

Grade: B

Shenk's Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey - 2019

VITALS:
- $60
- 91.2 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No. 19G1138

- Kentucky

I have long been a fan of Michter's, particularly their ryes. I still yearn for the days when their barrel strength rye used to collect dust on shelves. But those days are gone. Nonetheless, Michter's is releasing more products than ever these days, including all sorts of special releases from 10 year single barrel ryes and bourbons, to much older whiskeys to toasted barrel finishes. They also continue to release their Bomberger's Declaration and Shenk's Homestead whiskeys.

These are two brands that Michter's has purchased and revitalized so to speak, and what I've had of them has been delicious.  I last had the Bomberger's in 2018, and I couldn't get enough of that one. So, of course, when the Shenk's Homestead was offered to me, I jumped on it (and I've since obtained a 2020 Shenk's as well that I'm still working my way through).  I figured I had very little to lose and much to gain.

My initial impression of the nose was that it was sweet and nutty, kind of like honey roasted peanuts. However, the more I stuck my nose in my glass, the more the sweetness came forward, but it was a richer sweetness, like good, real maple syrup. It had a bit of a pancakes vibe to it which I liked, even with a touch of cinnamon sprinkled in.

The flavor wasn't exactly pancakes, though. Rather, I got a heavy dose of brown sugar and cinnamon, and it was very traditional in flavor in this respect. It certainly came in on the sweeter side, with the spiciness taking a bit of a back seat.

However, the nuttiness from the nose as well as the sweet maple syrup note did come through. Rather than giving a "pancakes vibe," though, it had more of a pecan pie feel to it. It even had a bit of a graham cracker crust note to round it all out. 

The dessert motif didn't stop there, however.  There was also a lighter sweetness mixed in as well, like a honey and wheat note. There was also a buttery note as well, and on later pours from the bottle I was getting a sort of brown sugar crumble flavor, the kind that would go on top of coffee cake or an apple crisp. It even had a slight doughy pastry note.

On the finish I got all brown sugar and vanilla, and again very minimal cinnamon spice. However, the finish was long and those dessert-like flavors seemed to coat my mouth after every sip. 

Overall, this was a great whiskey (I've been careful not to call it a bourbon), particularly if you're one who like your bourbons on the sweeter side (as so many bourbon drinkers do).  I tend to lean more towards spice, so this wasn't necessarily up my alley. That being said, again, this was a great whiskey with lots of richness and depth of flavor, and I had a hard time putting down my glass.

Grade: B+

James Oliver Bourbon Barreled American Whiskey

VITALS:

- $30

- 86 Proof

- NAS

- Oregon

One of the perks of being a "whiskey guy" is that when people come over to your house for cookouts, parties or whatever, frequently they'll bring a bottle of whiskey . . . and frequently that bottle will be left behind. Such is the case with this bottle of James Oliver American Whiskey. A neighbor brought this over last Summer and left it behind for me (intentionally). Which is good, because I don't know that I otherwise would have grabbed this off the shelf.  So, in a way, he's expanded my horizons!

Per the limited information on the label, this is a bourbon distillate aged in used bourbon barrels. Hence the reason it's called an "American Whiskey." Beyond that, however, little information is offered.  I have no idea of the mashbill nor the age of the whiskey. All I know is that it hails from the Northwest, which has really been hit or miss for me as far as whiskey from that region is concerned.

I opened this bottle with absolutely zero expectations. I'd heard nothing about the brand, and I certainly knew nothing about this whiskey. So, I was going in with a blank slate. So I poured my first glass and took a whiff, and I was taken aback by how much I really liked the way it smelled. It had notes of caramel and sawdust. It had a nice, spicy cinnamon tingle to it, as well as a bit of earthiness. The nose wasn't strong by any means, but what it had was a great blend of sweet, spice and earthy flavors that all worked really well together.

Unfortunately, the flavor took me down a different path. At first, I kind of liked this whiskey. It was very brown sugar forward, and was very sweet. But, for being a sweeter whiskey, I initially liked what it was doing.

However, the more I had, the more that feeling changed. The brown sugar seemed to absolutely take over this whiskey, to the point that I was trying to find out if it had additives or flavorings. It was that strong, and I absolutely could not get past that. It was a brown sugar flavored whiskey (even if no actual flavoring was added).

Going back over my notes, I was able to pick up other, interesting notes. At times I got distinct pecan pie flavors, with some nice nutty notes and maple syrup notes where the brown sugar notes usually were. I even got kettle corn at times, but even that was overshadowed by a dark corn syrup flavor. I even noted some peanut brittle notes at times.

But, those notes were fleeting, and ultimately the sweetness of this bourbon, and the pervasive brown sugar flavors, just became cloying. I found myself unable to have more than one pour of this in a sitting, which resulted in it taking a long time to finish this bottle. I found that, even despite its lower proof, it was better with a couple cubes to help water it down and cut that sweetness where I could. While it was fun to try something new, I don't see myself going back to this whiskey any times soon.

Grade: C-

Michter's Toasted Barrel Finish Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey

VITALS:
- $60
- 86 Proof
- NAS
- Batch NO. 19G1243
- Kentucky

I have really enjoyed the toasted barrel releases from Michter's.  I absolutely loved the toasted barrel rye, and the few times I've dried the toasted barrel finished bourbon, I've thoroughly enjoyed it.  So, when the opportunity came along to grab one of these, the toasted barrel sour mash whiskey, I didn't hesitate.

This is essentially a double barreled whiskey, much like many other brands are doing. With the rye, I felt it created another layer of flavor that softened the rye spice and added some earthy flavors that were really enjoyable. I assume by calling it "toasted," that that is in contrast to being charred. Perhaps that is intended to bring more woody notes and less sugars and vanillans into the whiskey. But really I have no idea what I'm talking about.

The nose on this one was a bit distinctive. I got a sharp, bitter but fresh note of orange peel. That bitterness was also accompanied by a sort of tannic note, kind of a woody bitterness. It also had a healthy amount of caramel, and overall it reminded me of an oaked old fashioned.

The flavor was much more fruity than the nose. This bourbon had a slight syrupy quality, which really carried the flavors from front to back and allowed them to linger for quite a while.  That texture, mixed with the fruity notes, reminded me a lot of maraschino cherries, again bringing me back to that old fashioned.

It really had that nice mixture of sweet, bitter and even a touch of savory. It had a constant undercurrent of brown sugar and a bit of yeast or bready flavor to it. It was a sort of cinnamon bread, but only lightly sweetened.

At times, though, sweeter notes would poke their head in, just long enough to say hello, and then they were gone. At times I got maple syrup, and at other times it was more of a burnt sugar note. It seemed to be changing from one pour to the next, but I think that is what I liked most about it.

Although it wasn't a vanilla or cinnamon "bomb," and while it wasn't my most favorite flavor profile, what I did love and appreciate about this whiskey was its complexity and the fact that with each sip I seemed to notice something different or seemed to get a different combination of flavors. Though it wasn't my favorite whiskey from a flavor standpoint, it certainly was one of the most interesting and one of the most fun whiskeys I've had in a while.

Grade: B

Breckenridge Whiskey PX Sherry Cask Finish

VITALS:
- $65
- 90 Proof
- 3 years
- Batch No. 1
- Colorado

Sometimes my friends at work can be real assholes. Then other times they do things like buy me bottles of whiskey for my birthday, whiskey they know I haven't tried before. Such is the case with this particular bottle. I've had plenty that Breckenridge has to offer, but I never got around to trying this, that is until my buddy showed up in my office one day with the bottle in hand.

When we first cracked it open, both of us had a very hard time getting past the cloyingly sweet aroma that seemed to pour out of the bottle. It was like powdered sugar and artificial raspberry flavors. It was a bit much right from the start.

Hesitantly we went in for the first sip, expecting the sweetness in flavor to match the nose. I guess in this respect it didn't let us down. It is very sweet up front. The sherry cask influence here is anything but subtle. Rather it smacks you across the mouth with a sweet but tart raspberry flavor. To its credit, though, on the palate that raspberry comes across as more of a natural flavor.

The bottle eventually came home with me, and from time to time I would revisit it, hoping that a little bit of time and air would soften the harsh edges. While that did not prove to be the case, it did, nonetheless, improve a bit over time. Although the sharp, sweet and tart raspberry never went away, other flavors did manage to make their way in.

Vanilla and cinnamon started to come through a bit. The cinnamon was particularly noticeable on the back end, after each swallow, a sort of combatant with the sweet fruitiness and a welcome challenger. And the vanilla notes seemed to mellow it a bit. It also seemed to increase in dryness, as though the wood influence was finally coming through.

I wanted to like this. I really tried. Unfortunately it paled in comparison to its older, port-finished brother. I found it relegated to being my second or third pour of the night, rather than my first. It's possible that sherry finishes in bourbons just don't work for me, and perhaps they work for others, but for me, I think I'll stick to having my sherry finishes in my Scotch rather than my bourbon.

Don't let it be lost here, however, that it was nonetheless a very generous gift and I was glad I got to try it, even if my buddy is otherwise a bit of a turd (I say it because I know he'll eventually read this)!

Grade: C+

Quick Hits: Knob Creek Goose Island - Austonian Texas Whiskey - High West Bourye - High West Pinot Finished American Prairie Bourbon

Sometimes I find myself enjoying a bottle so much, that before I even have a chance to pause and pay attention to what I'm drinking, what I'm tasting, or to even take notes, that bottle is gone. It would be easy enough to just not bother reviewing it, and wait until I finish my next bottle to which I've given a bit more attention.

However, when I do go through a bottle so quickly (always with friends, of course -- I try to make it a point not to drink an entire bottle in one sitting when I'm drinking by myself), it's often due in part to the fact that it's really good whiskey. So, why shouldn't you hear about it, even if it doesn't provide all those bullshit tasting notes that nobody really believes I'm tasting anyway?!?!?

So, below are my quick hit reviews from the four bottles of bourbon myself and some friends finished last weekend during our annual guys' ski trip:

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Goose Island Private Select Barrel #5555

VITALS
- $40
- 120 Proof
- 12 years, 9 months
- Barrel #5555
- Kentucky

This was the bottle we enjoyed the first day of our trip. It was the first thing we cracked open when we got to the condo to toast the rest of our upcoming trip. More importantly, it was a really damn good whiskey, and we realized right off the bat that we had something delicious and potent here. I've had Barrel #'s 5556 and 5558 for comparison, as did one of my other friends on the trip, and we both agreed that we liked this Barrel #5555 the best. It was bold and strong, with nice spice overlaying molasses and vanilla. It was complex with a nice, oily mouthfeel that left a long, drawn out vanilla finish that (dangerously) had us going right back for that next sip, and then that next pour. My friend had previously had a Knob Creek private selection that was one of the best whiskeys I've ever tried, and he couldn't help but make a direct comparison. This bourbon was, in many ways, exactly what I look for in a bourbon, from flavor to texture to proof to price. It's a shame it's going to be hard to come by again (though the collectability of these bottles means more than a few are going to hang around for a while).

Grade: A

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Austonian Texas Whiskey

VITALS:
- $26
- 90 Proof
- Texas

This was the surprise of the trip. We opened this bottle not knowing what to expect. However, given the price and the region, we expected it to be not so great. To the man we knew immediately after the first sip we were wrong! Although it's not bourbon, nor does it try to be, it is nonetheless a sweet, delicious whiskey. It's on the sweeter end, but it does a great job of doing what it seems to have set out to do. This was also the whiskey that accompanied me on the slopes in my hip flask, so I enjoyed this one in multiple settings. The most prominent flavor here was oatmeal cookie. I'm not sure what it is, but every time I took a sip, I kept coming back to that same note of oatmeal cookie.  And I really liked it! Something about it worked! It was a sweeter whiskey, but not a too-sweet whiskey. It certainly was not "rough" as I've heard some Texas whiskeys described, and it certainly did not have the harsh qualities that other "rapid-aging" or "alternative aging" whiskeys I've tried have had.


Grade: B+

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High West Bourye Limited Sighting Blended Whiskey - 2018 Release

VITALS:
- $80
- 92 Proof
- Batch 17L21
- Utah, Indiana

We happened to be in town and, even better, at the distillery on the day that this year's Bourye was released. Of course I wasn't going home without a bottle. I did the same thing last year and that bottle went very quickly. This year was no different. Having had last year's as my most recent and direct comparison, that's what I immediately did was compare the two, and this year's, to me (at least from what I remember) was just a little better than last year's, which I thought was great. As with last year's, it had a unique nougat character that I really enjoyed, a sort of sweet, soft and creamy quality that seemed to envelop the more traditional vanilla and caramel flavors, and provided a nice contrast to the lightly cinnamon-spiced, finish. I thought this was a delicious blend of bourbons and ryes that really captured some amazing flavor. Curiosity got the best of me, and I should not have been surprised at my love for this year's release given its make-up:

2018 Batch (New Label - year two):
All sourced from: MGP, Lawrenceburg, Indiana
14yo - 95% rye, 5% barley malt
13yo - 95% rye, 5% barley malt
12yo - 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt
11yo - 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt
11yo - 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% barley malt

That's some well-aged bourbons and ryes which High West did an incredible job of blending to create an absolutely delicious whiskey!

Grade: A

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High West American Prairie Bourbon Pinot Noir Finished Private Selection

VITALS:
- Not Available for Resale
- 106.6 Proof
- Finished 1 year, 9 mos.
- Bottled for Utah Whiskey Drinkers Union
- Utah

This was a special treat from a very good friend of mine at the High West Distillery, who accepted our invitation to our Super Bowl Party on our last full day in Utah. We had a chance to try a sample of this Pinot finished American Prairie while we were at the distillery, and all five of us were floored at just how good it was! Apparently this is a private bottling for a local whiskey club. As such, it's not available for retail whether at the gift shop or otherwise. However, we were nonetheless able to obtain a bottle through the good graces of our guy, and it still didn't disappoint. This was unanimously the best whiskey of the trip, and one of the best whiskeys I've had in quite some time. The flavor is fruity, but it doesn't overpower the bourbon. Rather, the dark raspberry, cherry and plum notes from the Pinot finish blend perfectly with the blended bourbon to create a silky, sweet and delicate whiskey that we could have enjoyed by the pint. Soooooo good!!!!

Grade: A+

House Spirits Westward American Single Malt Whiskey

VITALS:
- $100
- 90 Proof
- NAS
- Oregon

House Spirits hooked me in early on when I first began writing this blog. I had read some positive reviews about their American Whiskey. So, wanting to try something different, I had my parents, who happened to live near Portland, swing by the distillery and grab a bottle, which they happily did as a Christmas gift to me. I tried it, and I have good memories of enjoying it.

Fast forward a couple years to when my sister and her family came to visit, also from the Portland area. On their way through the airport to their gate, my brother-in-law (who is a regular beneficiary of all the different bottles I try) picked up a bottle at House Spirits' store within the airport and personally delivered their new offering, a Single Malt as opposed to just an American Whiskey (and this time a full 750 ml bottle, as opposed to the 375 ml bottle that the American Whiskey came in).

The nose, as expected with a single malt, is soft, malty and lightly sweet. It's similar to a Scotch, and yet not. It's like sweetened cereal, like frosted Cheerios or rice crispy treats. It was, at the least, a very good start!

The flavor is also lightly sweet, but a different type of sweet than what I got on the nose. Rather, this was more of a brown sugar flavor, mixed with the dominant malt flavors that are to be expected. It nonetheless resulted in a combination that reminded me of honey nut Cheerios (I guess the take away is whether it's the nose or the palate, I'm getting some version of Cheerios on this one).

I also got a nice, light smoky flavor on this whiskey, as well as some crisp, light fruit notes that came through, kind of a pear flavor mixed with cinnamon. Also at times I couldn't help but notice a floral flavor to it (yes, I have eaten a flower before). However, those flavors were fleeting and that cinnamon flavor seemed to be more dominant.

As if that weren't enough going on, at the back end I got something different still. The finish had a distinct and lingering pine flavor to it, perhaps appropriate for a Portland whiskey. It wasn't overly strong to the point that it reminded me of air fresheners or cleaning products. Rather, it was just a light, pine note that lingered a while but didn't overpower by any stretch.

This whiskey really has a lot going on, a true cacophony of flavors. At times they didn't seem to really mesh, and at other times they seemed to complement each other in oddly tasty ways. In the end, however, it was a delicious product, though a bit higher in price than I'd like to see. Nonetheless, I'll continue to encourage my family to bring me more tasty treats from House Spirits any time they make it out my way.

Grade: B

Smooth Ambler Old Scout American Whiskey

VITALS:
- $35
- 99 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 6

Smooth Ambler out of West Virginia has been producing some quality rye and bourbon for quite some time now. Their rye, store picks and single barrel bourbons are pretty well sought after, because, quite frankly, they're good whiskeys! Whenever Smooth Ambler announces a new product, I am therefore intrigued, and their release of an American Whiskey was no different.

The nose is predominantly cereal notes, with hints of vanilla and the soft scents of sweet tobacco leaf. It reminded me of a more grain-forward Irish whiskey in this sense, like Green Spot only with corn flakes added in.

On the palate, the whiskey immediately strikes me as being sweet. This was a bit unexpected. I was immediately hit with brown sugar and orange peel to give it just a bit of bitterness to counterbalance the sweet brown sugar. The cereal notes from the nose are there as well, though more subtle than what I expected. My initial impressions from my first pour were that it's an okay whiskey, but that it feels like after time it could really open up and that the cereal and vanilla notes might eventually take over.

As I made my way through this bottle, other notes came to the front that I hadn't noticed at first. A certain cocoa flavor made its way in, and, mixed with the cereal and brown sugar flavors, reminded me of chocolate covered graham crackers (a seriously underrated dessert/cookie in my book). It also seemed to take on a creamy nougat flavor, making this more like a dessert whiskey. While it didn't have that over-sweet, sugariness that some whiskeys have, it was nonetheless more sweet than I'd prefer, and it seemed to get more sugary as time went on.

Overall, I like that Smooth Ambler is releasing new products such as this as well as their wheat whiskey. They continue to make quality products, and this is no exception. Although I didn't find this whiskey to be great, it is nonetheless very good, and I'd recommend to anyone that they give it a try. At the very least, it seems to be well-priced and you won't be stuck with the buyer's remorse of overpaying for a bottle you don't really enjoy.

Grade: B-

Baltimore Pure Rye Bottled-In-Bond Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey - circa 1951

Every now and then an opportunity comes to me by virtue of this blog and my outward obsession with whiskey. A friend will let me know when he comes across something rare on a trip to Kentucky, or my local liquor store owner will make it a point to hold a special bottle back for me. Recently, though, it led to an opportunity to try a 65 year old rye whiskey from a distillery that closed up shop only shortly after this particular rye was bottled.

A good friend of mine was visiting his family when he sent me a text informing me that his father had found a bottle of Baltimore Pure Rye Bottled-In-Bond Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey from around 1951. Though it wasn't offered at that time, my buddy, without my prompting, made it a point to hassle his father to get a sample for me to try. A few months later he brought me a small jelly jar with a healthy sample.

Prior to tasting, though, I felt I needed to do my fair share of research, to know what it is I was about to taste. Unfortunately, though, there's not a whole lot of information available regarding the Baltimore Pure Rye Distillery.  The most comprehensive information I was able to find on another whiskey blog, EllenJaye.com. Though no sources are cited in the article, it provides a nice history of the distillery, including information regarding how the distillery marketed its rye, claiming it contains "Real RYE-E-RYE" referring to their 98% rye mashbill, and is made "in the old-fashioned Maryland way."

Unfortunately, the distillery closed in 1957, after which point Seagram's purchased the distillery and operated it for the next 30 or so years. Apparently, though, some bottles remain in the wild, and I was lucky enough to enjoy a pour of one.  So, to the juice itself!

The nose is very pleasant, giving off a wonderful sweet, pipe tobacco smell, including strong vanilla and honey notes. I was actually surprised at the sweet scent of the whiskey given that it's almost 100% rye. Certainly the rye spice was noticeable as well.

Despite its nose, though, the whiskey was not as sweet as I expected. It has all the earmarks of a high rye whiskey, the spiciness and cinnamon flavors you'd expect. It also came across as a very dry whiskey, with the wood tones taking front stage. It reminded me of a much older whiskey (though I don't really know its age).

What I noticed most, however, was a very prominent and distinct charcoal flavor, much like you notice in Jack Daniels. It piqued my curiosity as to how this whiskey was made and whether charcoal was used in the filtering process. Given the location of the distillery it wouldn't surprise me that it was, in fact, charcoal filtered, but I was never able to find an answer.

I took my time with this sample, knowing I wouldn't come across it again. Overall, I really enjoyed drinking this, though perhaps more for the nostalgia than the whiskey itself (which was very good--not great, but very good). I'm not treating this as an official review for the site and am not going to give a 60 year old sample a grade.  I'm not certain't there'd be much point in that. Rather, I just wanted to share an opportunity and an experience that happened to find me, one I'm certain never to experience again. Then again, I guess I never know what other surprises may lurk in the attics and basements of friends and their relatives!

Journeyman Distillery Featherbone Bourbon

VITALS:
- $45
- 90 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 61

Featherbone Bourbon hails from Journeyman Distillery, out of Three Oaks, Michigan. I see the Journeyman Distillery lineup pretty regularly on shelves around the Chicago area, but I'm not sure to what extent they have more than a regional reach. In any event, aside from a couple collaboration whiskeys, I had never tried anything from Journeyman, so I decided to finally give their bourbon a shot.

Coming from a relatively young craft distillery, I fully expected this to be a young and undeveloped bourbon. No age is stated on the bottle, and it's not advertised as a "straight" bourbon, which tells me it's likely younger than two years. Interestingly, though, it is advertised as "handmade" and "organic." Not that either of these characteristics were a selling point for me, but interesting to note.

The nose on this bourbon is very good. It's got all sorts of deliciousness going on, with the delicious scent of butterscotch candy blending nicely with sweet pipe tobacco. This is one that could be turned into a candle scent, as I could just sit there sniffing it all day.

Unfortunately, however, the nose was really the best part of this bourbon. As I have noted in many young craft bourbons, there is a distinct sour, rotten apple flavor that makes me pucker and even cringe a little with each sip. It's hard to describe exactly, but it reminds me of the flavor I get when I've bitten into an apple that has been sitting out too long and is well past it's peak ripeness. It's a flavor that is impossible to enjoy and difficult to get past.

While I didn't find that flavor as offensive as I have found it in other young craft bourbons, it nonetheless dominated the taste buds from start to finish. Other flavors were able to sneak their way through onto my palate. It had a nice black pepper spice to it that showed promise, and at times a certain tangy-ness, kind of like orange peel made its way through. It also comes across as a sweeter bourbon, with brown sugar being the primary, traditional flavor that came through.

In the end, I found myself working at getting through this bottle, and I'd much rather enjoy my bourbon. I'm willing to give other Journeyman products a try. In particular, I want to try their Last Feather Rye, as I've found that smaller distilleries such as this can really excel in the rye category. But as to their Featherbone Bourbon, I was disappointed.

Grade: C-

Michter's Small Batch US*1 Bourbon

VITALS:
- $45
- 91.4 Proof
- NAS

How I've gone this long without trying Michter's Small Batch US*1 Bourbon is beyond me. I certainly have never purchased a bottle, and I can't remember ever having it at a bar (though that is certainly not conclusive of anything). I love their barrel strength rye, and I've never heard anything bad about their bourbon, so it was high time I tried it out for myself.

The nose comes across as very traditional. It's nothing complex but provides that vanilla and toffee one would expect from a typical, good-quality bourbon.

The palate is a little bit different from the traditional Kentucky Straight bourbons, however. The most prominent flavor I noticed was a distinct almond flavor, which was backed up by some brown sugar sweetness, almost like candied almonds. It was very enjoyable, and that nutty sweetness was followed up with a light spice on the back end that seemed to hit at just the right time.

As I enjoyed subsequent pours, I noticed hints of other flavors--a light woodiness, mild vanilla tones. However, this bourbon didn't really develop or transform much after being open for a couple weeks. It stayed true to its character, but that's alright considering I enjoyed it from the start.

This is an easy drinker, certainly one that will satisfy the bourbon drinker in your life. It is not very complex, but it is clear that it was made with the purpose of creating a solid, good bourbon, one that can certainly be enjoyed neat.

I would probably give this bourbon a higher grade if the price was a bit lower. There are more robust and complex bourbons available in the same price range, ones which certainly stand out much more in their boldness. That being said, though it may not be complex and rich, it bears all the characteristics of a quality bourbon, certainly making me want to try the rest of their line of products out.

Grade: B

Jim Beam Signature Craft Harvest Collection Brown Rice Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $49.99 (purchased on sale for $19.99)
- 90 Proof
- 11 Years

As with the Soft Red Wheat bourbon that I posted about earlier, this was another bottle that I was more than happy to grab at the nice price of $19.99, significantly discounted from the usual $49.99 price tag that had kept me from buying a bottle up until this point. At $20, even though this is only a 375 ml bottle, I was willing to give it a shot.

The first thing I noticed is that the nose was not noteworthy. It quite frankly reminded me of a mid-shelf mixer, having those hints of vanilla and brown sugar, but you really had to work to notice them. So far nothing special here.

Upon tasting it, I remained unimpressed. The flavor up front was very mild and watered down. There was absolutely no burn, but that usually goes hand in hand with the watered down flavor. So far I was pretty disappointed.

But then, probably a full two seconds after it hit my tongue, flavors started to come through. I'm not sure what they were waiting for, perhaps setting the bar low to make their appearance. But they eventually did show up to the party, and suddenly this watered down, plain bourbon took on a life of its own and was very enjoyable.

That sweetness reminded me of cornbread with honey butter. I know that's kind of specific and for some, perhaps, unrelatable. But, it's just one of those things where you taste a bourbon and you're reminded of something you've had before, and for me this was it. It wasn't a dessert-type of sweet, just a mild, flavorful sweetness that makes a good compliment to spicy Cajun food, for example. Those sweet tones were balanced by a mild wood and toasted grain flavor that really added to the complexity of the flavor, tardy as it may have been.

This one was weird. The nose is really weak, and even with my last pour, it really came across as bland and watered down for the first second or two, and then the flavor hits, like a delayed reaction. I'm glad it finally did show up, though, because I then found myself enjoying it when it was there.

While I think I liked the Soft Red Wheat better, it's not by much, and this one ultimately gets the same grade. For the sale price, it's worth the purchase, but I'm glad I stayed away from paying full price.

Grade: B

Maker's Mark Binny's Private Selection Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $70
- 111.3 Proof
- NAS
- Barrel No. 38, Batch No. 6

I had never had a Maker's Mark private selection prior to going to Louisville this past Summer. While there, we went to (read: "stumbled to") the Haymarket. It happened to be the last bar we went to on our last night in town. Of course, we were a number of drinks in at this point, but, nonetheless, having finally made it to one of the bars we had targeted from day one, we weren't going to let that stop us from trying out something new.

I took a look at the bar, and without hesitation I ordered a Rock Hill Farms (which I honestly couldn't tell you much about that pour other than I liked it, but, then again, I might have enjoyed some ashtray water at that point). My friend, however, ordered a Maker's Mark Haymarket Private Selection. Despite the state that we both were in, the one thing that we did notice and did not forget was that this Maker's Mark tasted unlike any other Maker's Mark I've had before.

About a week later I was at Untitled in Chicago for a quick happy hour drink, and I made it a point to try their Maker's Mark Private Selection. Again, it was unlike any other Maker's Mark I've had before. It was rich, chocolatey and spicey, and I left wanting more.

Luckily, it was not long after that I found one of these private selection at one of my local Binny's. Despite the price, I jumped at it without hesitation. I even texted my friend to let him know they were there, and he grabbed his own bottle.

Each barrel is finished with ten charred staves inserted into the barrel. With the private barrel selection program, you can actually select the type of staves used, which can produce different flavors than the standard Maker's Mark or Maker's 46. In this case, I must say I was really drawn in by the fact that half of the staves were made up of either the French Mocha or the French Spice.

As soon as I broke the seal and popped the cork, the first thing I noticed was the nose. Even from a few feet away, as I was grabbing my glass from the cupboard, I could smell the toffee notes emanating from the bottle. The sweetness of this bourbon was strong from the start.

On the first sip I was struck immediately by a blend of chocolate and red wine flavor. It was very rich, matching in many respects the dark color of the bourbon. The chocolate notes were dominant, but the pinot noir red wine flavor seemed to not only keep the bourbon from seeming too sweet but to also offer flavors of dark fruit that complemented the chocolate notes.

The toffee flavors that I found on the nose were also present, but not to the extent that the nose had me expecting. Rather, the toffee was there just as an additional little perk, like finding a five dollar bill in your jacket pocket. It won't buy much, but it nonetheless brings momentary pleasure.

This bottle certainly brings the heat, but the soft wine and chocolate flavors seemed to help that heat settle pretty quickly, keeping this from being a real burner, as well as keeping it from being too sweet. As the bottle was open for a while, that burn dissipated, and really, the only flaw I found in this product seemed to go away as I got to the final few pours.

This was an excellent bottle, and while each selection is going to be influenced by the different staves added to the barrel, I won't hesitate to grab any future private selections I may come across, whether at a bar, a liquor store, or otherwise.

Grade: A

Jim Beam Signature Craft Harvest Collection Soft Red Wheat Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $49.99 (purchased on sale for $19.99)
- 90 Proof
- 11 Years

I couldn't tell you how many times I've walked into the liquor store, seen these Harvest Collection Jim Beam bottles, wanted to try them, and ultimately decided the price was just to prohibitive. I simply couldn't justify spending $50 on a .375 ml bottle, particularly on something that is experimental.

However, at $20, I'm certainly more willing to try something different. So when Binny's put these on sale at $19.99, I grabbed this one and the Brown Rice. After all, a Jim Beam experiment with a different grain that has been aged for 11 years can only be so bad, and there's always the possibility that it's really good (though I'm guessing I would have heard about it by now if this were some amazing juice). In any event, at $20, I was happy to pick up a couple bottles to try them for myself.

Being a wheated bourbon, albeit an experimental grain of wheat, I fully expected a sweeter version of regular Beam. That wasn't exactly what I found, though. While it is certainly a sweeter bourbon, I was surprised to find that it took a second for the sweetness to come through. However, that sweetness, once it did hit, stuck around for a while, with a buttery caramel flavor lingering at the back of the throat long after I swallowed.

I actually enjoyed this bourbon more after I swallowed than I did upon the first sip. Up front it almost had a slight bitterness to it that I wasn't a very big fan of, but yet, after I was done, I found myself thinking, "That was pretty good!"  Go figure.

In addition to that buttery caramel note on the back end, there were also distinct hints of vanilla and oak, with a slight brown sugar tone up front. The oakiness of the bourbon is likely was contributed to that dry, bitterness up front.

Because this comes in the 375 ml bottle, I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with it, so I didn't notice a whole lot of change from the first pour to the last. I did, however, notice on later pours a toasted almond flavor that I didn't recall noticing at first.

All in all, if this was an experiment by Beam, I think it was a good one. Certainly for a lower price this is a bourbon I would enjoy again. Unfortunately, though, it appears these small but pricey offerings are all we're going to get, so I'll just continue to look for similar sales on the others.

Grade: B

Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $45
- 90 Proof
- NAS

My wife is wonderful in so many ways, but one of the biggest ways is when she buys me random bottles of whiskey out of the blue. This was one such bottle. Intrigued by the sticker on the bottle advertising Dad's Hat's Rye as having been named Craft Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate, and knowing it was one I've not tried before, she grabbed a bottle for me on a whim. (You should know she also grabbed yet another bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof while she was at the store just because she knew I loved it!)

I feel like I've been lucky enough to get my hands on some of the harder to find or nicer bottles from the major producers lately, but, as a result, I haven't tried many of the hundreds of craft distillery products that are out there, so I eagerly popped the cork on this one right away.

Sometimes when I nose a bourbon it takes me a few tries before I can pin down the different scents I'm noticing. That was not the case with this one. This nose was a blend of tobacco leaf and dark cherry. Certainly these are not everyday scents, so I don't know why, for whatever reason, I was able to ascertain this one quickly, but I was certain of what I smelled. The tobacco reminded leave actually reminded me of some Irish whiskeys I've had in the past.

Upon the first sip, the first thing I noticed was that this Rye has an odd tanginess to it. At first I chalked it up to the fact that it is a young whiskey coming from a craft distillery. According to the label, it was aged for a minimum of 6 months in new oak quarter cask barrels. I've noticed that with young ryes, they have a certain young quality due to less time spent with the wood. This one was a bit different than that, though.

The tanginess was almost like the sweet tanginess you get from vermouth or even rum finished barrels—a sweetness that has a thin line between sweet and too sweet. I thought this rye came pretty close to that line, but did not cross it.

It had an interesting combination of flavors going on. Though it took me a few drinks to pinpoint it, it has a nutmeg flavor that seemed to mix with the plum (perhaps that's the tanginess I noticed, like biting into a not-quite-ripe plum). However, it had that sugar cane flavor to it as well. I can't recall ever having plum pudding, but I imagine that if I had, that would be my flavor comparison here. I could be way off base here, so for now I'll just leave it as is and make it a point to try plum pudding some time.

All in all, this is a good rye that I feel, with some additional aging, can become a really good rye. That being said, this one was already bottled, so I drank it and enjoyed it. While it may not be on the list of my priorities as far as future purchases, it certainly has me interested in some of the other products that Dad's Hat offers, including the port finished rye I've seen on the shelves recently, and I may give one of those a go.

Grade: B

Willett Family Estate 3-Year Straight Rye

VITALS:
- $45
- 110.4 Proof
- 3 Years

Last year I had the opportunity to try the Willett Family Estate 2 Year Rye, their own product which they distilled and aged, and I absolutely loved it. So, when the 3-year was released, I did not hesitate to grab a bottle to try immediately (and I'm sure I'll be grabbing each future release as well).

It's nice when a product you already know you love gets released as a slightly older version. It really takes the risk out of the purchase, not that I've found a whole lot of risk with Willett products to begin with. This one certainly did not disappoint. On the nose I immediately noticed cinnamon bread. It was a nice blend of sweet spice and grain that made my mouth salivate immediately.

What followed was a taste of traditional rye, but also, and not necessarily unexpectedly, a mild cinnamon flavor paired with an earthy maltiness, giving this rye multiple enjoyable layers, and certainly showing where the cinnamon bread nose came from. At points I even likened it to Cinnamon Toast Crunch (for some reason, I frequently find myself comparing flavors in whiskey to different cereal brands). It just had that familiarity to it. 

This rye really seemed to linger for ever. It's a more viscous rye, one that really coated the mouth and back of the throat, making that cinnamon flavor stick around for quite a while. A light minty-ness seemed to come through at the end, really only noticeable after I swallowed. This presented a nice complement to the sweet heat that maintained throughout each sip, even long after I finished each sip.

This remained a very rich rye from the beginning of the bottle to the end. Towards the end, it seemed to be almost all cinnamon and caramel (a combination of flavors that I really seem to enjoy!), really finishing strong.

I took my time getting through this bottle, and now that it's done, I feel like it won't be too long before their next release. I can't wait, as I enjoyed this more than the 2-year (which, looking back at my old post, I clearly loved!), and this stuff appears to be on an upward trajectory right now.

Grade: A

Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

Price: $50

Proof: 110 Proof

Age: 6 Years (NAS on bottle)

Distiller: Heaven Hill

I held onto this bottle for quite some time before opening it. I'm not really sure why, just seemed to have something else I wanted to open first, and so my Pikesville Rye just sat bunkered, waiting to be loved. But, finally, I decided to crack the seal and give it a try, and before I knew it I was to the bottom of the bottle. I don't know what I was waiting for, because once opened I couldn't stay away from this stuff.

On the nose there's a distinct citrus note to it, very orange-y. Traditional rye flavors are also present, with a strong cinnamon spice, but the orange scent immediately set this apart from other ryes.

On the first sip, the citrus note remained, but it had more bitterness to it, more like orange peel. That bitter orange peel flavor mixed quite well, however, with prominent brown sugar and vanilla notes, making this rye neither too bitter nor too sweet. It found a nice cushion in the middle, like a slot receiver finding a soft spot in a zone defense.

This is certainly a different tasting rye, unlike your traditional ryes, but it still had some of the familiar characteristics I enjoy in a good rye, particularly that cinnamon spice. While it wasn't strong and didn't tickle the back of my throat or make my mouth water like some do, it again was enough to balance very well with all the other flavors going on.

This rye clocks in at 110 proof. Although it's not labeled as barrel proof, there certainly hasn't been much watering down of the product, and that complexity and richness that comes with higher proofs certainly exists in this rye. It's an incredibly easy sipper despite the high proof, and I didn't really notice any burn either in the nose or on the palate. 

Ultimately, this is one of the most well-balanced ryes I've had, giving almost equal doses of citrus, sweet, spicy and bitter. Since its release, Pikesville has been pretty readily available, and, although somewhat in the higher range of ryes, is certainly worth the price, as this is an excellent, albeit kind of different, rye whiskey. It's no wonder that I found my way through this bottle as fast as I did.

Grade: A-

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $40
- 99 Proof
- 7 years
- Batch No. 52

The Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Rye had eluded me for quite some time. While it was supposed to be generally available, I simply hadn't seen it in the wild anywhere. Having heard good things about it, I always kept an eye out.

I ended up finding it at a local higher-end grocery store called Mariano's. Among their whiskey selections were a number of craft options the likes you don't find in most grocery stores, and there, at a cool $40, were a number of bottles of the Old Scout Rye. It only took me half a second to grab one and head for the checkout line.

The nose is a traditional rye spice, with some vanilla and pepper and a bit of cherry to it. On the first sip I couldn't help but notice how smooth it is. It's 99 proof, but had very minimal burn.

The flavor was all dark fruits and spice. It was like a mix of cherry and plum with cinnamon. It also had a nutty, pecan flavor behind it. I found it to be incredibly tasty from the first pour.

Perhaps it was the bottle, perhaps it was me, or perhaps it's just a complex rye, but while the cherry flavor stuck around, as I made my way through this bottle, the cinnamon and nut flavors were muted and a distinct coffee flavor came to the forefront to mix with the cherry, along with a chocolate undertone.  This cherry and coffee mix was really interesting, and the differing flavors continued to hit my tongue in waves, even if they were different than on the first pour.

This is a very warming rye, certainly spicy, and would be very good on a cold winter night. I happened to enjoy this bottle over the summer, and, don't get me wrong, I absolutely enjoyed it on warm summer nights, sitting on my couch in the air conditioning.

Grade: B+