Yellowstone 2019 Limited Edition 9 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $100

- 101 Proof

- 9 years

- Kentucky

Limestone Branch had really been hitting homeruns lately with their Yellowstone bottlings. I've enjoyed every one of their annual limited edition releases, though I haven't tried this year's release. And the single barrel picks that only hit the market recently have all been very good, at least the ones I've tried. 

This bottle, however, is the cream of the crop, as the cool kids would say. There is no finishing to this whiskey. Instead, they just bottled some very delicious 9 year Kentucky straight bourbon.  It's not clear who actually distilled this bourbon, but it is clear that they didn't go with any gimmicks or other variants in the whiskey for this limited release, and what they gave us was an outstanding bourbon.

On the nose I got rich and delicious notes of toffee and dark chocolate. There was also a light cinnamon spice to it. In addition to that, however, I got a sort of a blackberry note that somehow seemed to go perfectly with the chocolate and toffee notes. Perhaps that's some kind of candy combination I need to try, because it was really good.

While the cinnamon was light on the nose, it was much more prominent on the palate. I got some nice, warming cinnamon spice as well as a sharper black pepper spice immediately on the tip of my tongue, and it lasted through the finish. 

As to actual flavor, the cinnamon spice came with a cinnamon flavor (if that makes sense), which was sweetened by vanilla bean and milk chocolate flavors--the kinds of flavors that are sweet but never too sweet. There was also something nutty and roasty, kind of like a hazelnut note.

At times it did go a touch sweeter, kind of like a caramel icing note. There was also a doughnut-like pastry note to it as well. However, again, it was never allowed to get too sweet, and even these notes were balanced out by a macchiato flavor that provided more of that roasty note and even a touch of bitterness to keep things even.

The finish was almost all sweet warm cinnamon and that vanilla bean flavor that seemed to work so well together. And the cinnamon and black pepper spices lingered long enough to keep me wanting that next sip.

When this was first released, I got to try it side by side with the Van Winkle Lot B 12 year old bourbon, and the consensus among the group of us was that this bourbon beat out the Van Winkle, and it didn't seem all that close. So when it suddenly hit the shelves again a year later, I had to have one. And then I had to drink that one. And now I have none, which makes me sad. But, I really enjoyed what was an incredible bourbon, and hopefully they'll go back to doing a simple but great bourbon in future Limited Edition releases. 

Grade: A

Yellowstone Liquor 'n' Wine Private Barrel Select Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $35

- 93 Proof

- 4 Years

- Kentucky

I'm a sucker for store picks.  And I'm even more of a sucker for very affordable store picks. That's why my whiskey closet is always stocked with at least one Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, Eagle Rare and Knob Creek pick at any given moment. They are all solid bourbons on their own, and I love the possibility and hope of getting something phenomenal at a great price. While it doesn't happen every time, it happens often enough to make it well worth the spend.

I don't come across Yellowstone picks nearly as frequently. But, when I was meandering through the aisles of my local Liquor 'n' Wine a couple months back, this one caught my eye, and for $35, it was an easy decision to buy it. Generally speaking, to me regular Yellowstone has been good but not necessarily great. But, I figure the odds were in my favor that whatever was in this bottle was not likely to be any worse, and there was a good chance I'd get something better and at a great price.

On the nose I got a lot of brown sugar and caramel. It was certainly sweet, but that richer sweet. Interestingly, I got a light bitter note, almost a tannic note, which was surprising given the relatively young age of the whiskey. It also had a light black pepper and cinnamon spice to it, as well as a touch of almond.

My initial impressions of the flavor were that the sweetness was there, but it came across as muted. It was almost as though it had the caramel flavor but without the caramel sweetness. It was kind of odd in this respect.

I also got some funky flavors as well. I noted at one point that I got a bit of mustiness, and from time to time that mustiness came across as a leathery flavor. Either way it had an earthiness to it that, if this were a sweeter bourbon, would have been fine. Here, however, I wasn't a big fan.

Throughout the bottle, at least up until the last couple pours, the flavor remained a bit muted. I did get some more interesting notes, like a bright, citrusy orange note as well as a toasted almond type note. I even got a sort of a coffee note, perhaps that bitterness I was getting on the nose. It reminded me of a macchiato.  I really felt like this drank like an older bourbon, one with 15+ years, given the amount of wood and bitterness I was getting. 

Interestingly, ad I've had this happen before, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise, but the last two pours from the bottom of this bottle were absolutely outstanding. They were sweeter, had a bit more cinnamon spice, and were absolute caramel bombs. A lot of the bitterness completely subsided.  If the entire bottle struck me the way these last two pours did, this would have easily been an A+ bottle. They were that good! I only wish every other pour could have been as good. That said, funky notes aside, I'll still be keeping my eye out for more Yellowstone picks, even if just to relive the experience of those last two pours.

Grade: B

Limestone Branch Gallenstein's Selection Single Barrel Rye Whiskey - Barrel No. 148

VITALS:
- $25 (.375 ml)
- 94 Proof
- 13 mos.
- Barrel No. 148
- Kentucky

A while back a good friend of mine took a trip to Cincinnati, and while there he ventured across the river to see what goodies awaited at the Liquor City in Covington. I remember I was doing yard work when he started sending me pictures of bottles, ones that he and I haven't seen here. He sent some photos of bottles I'd been wanting to get my hands on, and then he sent me a picture of this bottle.

I had no clue what exactly it was. I didn't realize that Limestone Branch even had single barrel rye offerings, or that it was making a 100% malted rye. I was also very skeptical given the age -- very clearly stated that it was aged for only 13 months.  How good could it really be? In the end, though, for only $25, I was more than willing to just find out for myself.

This was one of the most unique, interesting and weird whiskeys I think I've ever had, but I enjoyed every bit of it. On the nose the first thing I noticed was a distinct marshmallow note. Not toasted marshmallows, just marshmallows right out of the bag. That was mixed with a bit of oak as well. At the same time, though, it also had a sweet spearmint note to it, like a chewing gum flavor. This lended to a slight toothpaste quality. Again, odd but good.

The flavor threw me off even more. Given that it was only aged for 13 months, I really expected it to come across as young and bitter, perhaps that rotten apple flavor I tend to get from young whiskeys. I didn't get that at all, but I also didn't get whiskey notes by any stretch. In fact, I took that first sip and the first word out of my mouth was, "Whoa!" I looked across at my buddy who was trying this with me, and he had the same reaction.

This was a very fruit forward whiskey, but not dark fruits or even stone fruits that I tend to get from whiskey. Rather, it was full of very bright fruit notes. I was getting raspberry, but also notes of kiwi and honeydew, flavors I've never gotten in any whiskey before. They weren't bitter at all, nor were they overly sweet. They were very much in line with fresh fruit notes. I couldn't get over how bright and vibrant and delicious these flavors were.

These bright fruit notes seemed to be followed by a burnt sugar note that carried with it some mild cinnamon notes. It didn't really make it spicy, just added that layer of flavor. Similar to the nose, I also noticed a sort of spearmint/peppermint flavor blended with vanilla, like a wintergreen Lifesaver. There was also a light, smokey flavor always in the background, but nothing close enough to put someone off who doesn't like peaty Scotches, for instance.

Overall, I loved this whiskey. I was floored at how much flavor and complexity it had after only 13 months of aging. I was even more shocked at the fact that I got notes of kiwi and honeydew throughout, something I've never noticed in a whiskey before, and the fact that as weird as it sounds it was really delicious.  I won't see this bottle again, I'm sure, but this was the most fun bottle I've had in a long time.

Grade: A

Minor Case Sherry Cask Finished Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $50
- 90 Proof
- 2 Years

I think I heard about Minor Case prior to its release, though I can't be sure. It certainly did not have a bunch of hype surrounding it, but I recall being intrigued by a rye offering from the same people that make Yellowstone Bourbon. To be completely honest, the real reason I grabbed this, aside from the simple fact that I was looking for a new rye to try, was the incredibly handsome bottle they decided to put the whiskey in. Three different people commented on the bottle just on my way out of the store.

Great looking bottle aside, what matters is the juice contained within. To Limestone Branch's credit, they do provide an age statement on the back of the bottle, letting us know that the rye was aged for 24 months, though we don't know how long it spent finishing in the sherry casks. They are also up front that the rye was distilled and aged in Indiana (so it's MGP rye), and was bottled by Limestone Branch in Kentucky.

The nose, as expected with a sherry finish, was soft and fruity. It came across as a light, crisp raspberry scent. I hunted for some of the traditional rye spice on the nose, but just couldn't find it.

On first sip, it hit me as being simple, on the sweeter end, and it carried that fruit from the nose over to the palate. Again, as with the nose, raspberry notes seemed to stick out. Interestingly, despite this being a two year old rye, it had a relatively long finish, though it was that raspberry note that stuck around for so long.

It's probably because it's a young rye, but I really wanted some traditional spiciness, a little bit of cinnamon to push its way through the berry notes.  Although the spiciness wasn't there, what was left was a very, almost refreshing pour, something that would be very enjoyable over ice during the Summer. Though the flavors were good, it did come across as a bit watered down. It was, however, very easy to drink with almost no burn whatsoever.

About half way through the bottle, it seemed to sweeten up even more, coming across more like a dessert or after-dinner drink, with a certain creaminess added to the fruity notes. Enjoyable flavors of vanilla and nougat seemed to compliment those notes. Though it's not what I'd traditionally enjoy in a rye, and it ultimately did not satisfy my rye craving that led me to the store that day, I did find myself happily going back to the bottle for seconds. I didn't like it for what I hoped it would be, but I did enjoy it for what it was, even if only for the novelty of it.

In the end, I might buy a bottle again, but I think the mood would have to hit me just right. If it's a solid rye whiskey that I'm after, though, this isn't the bottle I'm reaching for.

Grade: B-

Yellowstone Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $50
- 93 Proof
- NAS

Yellowstone was one of those brands that I just did not see around my parts for quite a while, despite hearing good things about it. Then one day, I look at the bottom shelf of one of my regular liquor stores, and there was one lonely bottle sitting there. So, I made the decision to give it a good home. Since that time, Yellowstone has been making regular appearances on my liquor store shelves, but I wasn't taking the chance that that wouldn't be the case.

Upon popping the cork I couldn't help but notice just how damn good the nose is on this one. As far as the way a whiskey smells, this one ranks probably in my top three of all time, it's that good! The nose is smooth and full of caramel, reminding me of Werther's Originals, perfectly mixed with vanilla bean and sweet tobacco leaf. Seriously, if Yellowstone packaged this as a candle, I'd buy a case.

Unfortunately I found the taste to be relatively simple, though, which after enjoying the nose as much as I did, was a bit of a let down. It's very one dimensional, having the traditional vanilla and caramel bourbon notes, but in a watered-down format. It really lacked any boldness or complexity.

A few pours in I began to notice hints of other flavors, including cherry and cinnamon, mixing with the caramel tone on the back end. The most noteworthy flavor, though, and the only thing that really sets this bourbon apart from Jim Beam White Label, for example, is it also had a distinct malted barley flavor, almost as though it were finished in Scotch whiskey barrels. It had that light, earthy flavor I traditionally associate with Scotch, the flavor that really sets Scotch apart from bourbon. It was at least interesting in this respect.

In the end, though, regardless of the nose, I found this bourbon to be pretty one-dimensional. It compares to many base-line bourbons of the big brands, such as the aforementioned White Label, perhaps slightly better.  Yet, it commands a much higher price that, in the end, is likely going to make me stay away in the future.

Grade: C+