Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve Bourbon - Batch No. 5

VITALS:

- $50

- 113.6 Proof

- NAS

- Indiana

I've had this bottle for a couple years now. I grabbed it as soon as I had seen it on the shelves, having heard really good things about these Belle Meade Reserve bottles. So when I saw it, I grabbed it, and then never got around to opening it. Part of it is that down the road I also grabbed a later batch, Batch No. 23,that ended up getting opened first. 

But, when the shelter-in-place orders began and my office closed, I started doing Zoom happy hours with some work friends, and one of my buddies suggested that I crack this one open for the evening. Seemed like a pretty good suggestion. After all, I really liked the other bottle I had, and it wasn't as though I was saving this one for any special occasion.  So, nearly two years later, I finally got around to opening it up and tasting the whiskey inside.

The nose was full of the more traditional bourbon notes, with a bunch of caramel and a bit of cinnamon spice. It also had a nice layer of vanilla kind of underneath it all. Other notes came through as well, including a bit of a cherry note that at times leaned a bit brighter, like raspberry.  There was also a distinct cola note on the nose as well. All in all, it smelled delicious!

Much like the nose, the flavor was very caramel forward, and it still had that undercurrent of vanilla throughout.  The cinnamon spice that I was getting on the nose seemed to be absent, though, which I found a bit odd. It also had a decent amount of oak to it, making this a more wood-forward bourbon and telling me that it probably had some decent age to it, despite there being no indication of age on the bottle In fact, I got a bit of astringency on each sip, much like I've gotten from older bourbons.

I also got a light anise note, though a bit more than I would prefer. The cherry from the nose was also present, but it wasn't as bright. It was more like dried cherries, and it added a bit of tartness to the flavor. All that being said, though, the traditional bourbon notes carried this, as toffee and caramel seemed to be the most prominent flavors. At times I even got a bit of pecan that gave it a bit of a pecan pie flavor when paired with the caramel and toffee notes.

In the end, I think I liked the later batch better than this one. Don't get me wrong, this one was really good, with a lot of bold, rich flavor and the right amount of heat. It just didn't come across as complex or as interesting, and I was never able to decide if I liked that tart cherry flavor. Nonetheless, should I come across any more of these sitting on liquor store shelves, I won't hesitate to pick them up.

Grade: B+

Old Forester Single Barrel Niche Private Select "Stallion pt 12" Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $40

- 90 Proof

- NAS

- Kentucky

I've previously touted the barrel-picking abilities of Vinny, the owner of Niche Restaurant in Geneva, Illinois. I've had many a private pick at the restaurant, and with only one exception, they've all been exceptional. A couple months ago, towards the start of the pandemic, Niche began selling liquor to go, and I was able to get my hands on a few of their picks, including the Buffalo Trace I reviewed back in March, which was delicious.

Apparently the pandemic didn't slow down the distribution of their barrel picks, as they've since gotten in a couple different new picks, including this Old Forester pick.  I'm not sure what the "Stallion pt 12" is in reference to, though my Google skills tell me it's probably a reference in some way to a song by Ween, a band I only know for their song "Push th' Little Daisies" which was a featured video in Beavis and Butthead. Regardless, whether I understood the reference or not, I made sure to get my hands on one of these bottles as soon as Niche got them in.

The nose on the first pour was really an indicator of what I was going to get throughout this bottle. On that first pour I was immediately hit with a dark cherry note, somewhat sweet but also somewhat tart. That was balanced out by notes of amaretto and black licorice (which I hate in large doses -- it didn't get to that point here). It was also full of spice, like cloves and even allspice. In a way it reminded me a bit of a spiced fruitcake, which I know might sound like a turn off to some people, but this was rich and spicy and delicious smelling.

As to flavor, I got many of those same notes. I got a bit of an anise note right up front that hit the sides of my tongue. I also got a lot of sweet cinnamon spice. It also had that fruit-forward note, however, in this case it was more of a dark plum rather than cherry, and at times even came across like raisin.  It did carry some sweetness, with a bit of a molasses note, but that seemed to be well-balanced by the light oak note that I got as well.

Despite its proof, this had a nice oily texture that still managed to coat the mouth with each sip and allow the finish to linger for quite a while--and the finish was great! This is where the cherry from the nose appeared, accompanied by rich dark chocolate as well as a healthy dose of almond or amaretto. At times I even got a bit of a peanut butter note. It was absolutely rich and delicious.

Those chocolate-cherry-almond notes seemed to get stronger as I made my way to the bottom of the bottle to the point that they really took over the flavor, which was quite alright by me. This whiskey had a lot going on, but all of the flavors seemed to be borderline sweet flavors, making this more of a rich, more decadent dessert-like whiskey, rather than a sugary sweet whiskey. Everything going on in this bottle worked really well, and quite frankly I appreciated the dryness to it. It seemed to focus the flavors a bit more. 

Once again, Niche has provided an outstanding private pick, and I'm just going to be keeping my eye out for every new pick that hits their restaurant.

Grade: A

Fistful of Bourbon Blended Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $35

- 90 Proof

- Min. 2 years

- Kentucky

This is a bottle that I grabbed out of pure curiosity. I've seen it posted here and there in social media, but it's not as though it carried any sort of demand, nor were people hyping it or anything like that. But when you see a bottle like this with a label like this, you remember it. I never went actively looking for the bottle, and I had never seen it on the shelves at my usual haunts. I figured perhaps it just got limited to no distribution in Illinois.

But, when making a trip to Warehouse Liquors in Chicago, something I don't get to do nearly as often as I used to since I've been primarily working from home, I looked down on the bottom shelf and saw the fun, whimsical label, checked the very reasonable price, and figured what the hell, I'll give it a go.

This is a blended bourbon from William Grant & Sons, a company I've only known for their Scotch and Irish whisky brands. That being said, they're certainly a known entity.  Right on the front of the bottle they state that this is a blend of five straight bourbons (each with a unique characteristic according to the back label), with a minimum age of two years. Interestingly, it does not tell us where the whiskey was distilled, only that it was "produced" by William Grant & Sons in New York. 

On the nose I got a soft candy corn aroma, certainly sweet but not in that traditional caramel/toffee manner. It also came across as somewhat grainy, but softer and not so offensive, more like oats than corn. It also gave off notes of pie crust and even had a light cinnamon spice to it. But in the end, it was a soft and sweet nose, which certainly invited me to take a sip.

As to flavor, where I didn't get the corn on the nose, I certainly got it on the palate. The first note that I wrote down was canned corn. I got a distinct corn flavor, and specifically canned corn, as weird as that may seem. It's a familiar flavor, and once I noticed it I couldn't not notice it.

I did get other flavors as well, though. I got an apple sauce note, along with just a touch of cinnamon, just enough to provide the lightest bit of sweet spice. As I made my way into later pours, however, this spice seemed to transform a bit, and it became more of a vegetal spice. I was getting kind of a chili pepper spice from it, but more like fresh chili peppers. There was also a sort of chocolate flavor that accompanied it, which reminded me a bit (just a bit) of Mexican chocolate.

On the final few pours, it came across a bit nutty, like walnut, and the spiciness seemed to have died off a bit. At least the chili pepper spice, while not necessarily great, was interesting. For that reason I wished it had stuck around. Nonetheless, while in the end this struck me as just an okay bourbon, it was fun to try and the price was right. It had some interesting notes that may appeal to others where it did not appeal to me, so for the price it's probably worth at least a try.

Grade: C+

Buffalo Trace Binny's Small Batch Select Batch #27 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $27

- 90 Proof

- NAS

- Batch #27

- Kentucky

As I've said in the past, I have a really hard time passing up on Buffalo Trace Single Barrel or Small Batch Selects. Whether I'm in Jewel, Binny's or any other liquor store, I just can't pass up the value that these bottles always bring. I've never had a dud, and I've been very pleasantly surprised by some of the bottles I've tasted.

I was just on a wine run with my wife when I grabbed this one. In fact, I still have a bottle of their Batch #25 sitting unopened in my desk at work (neglected due to the pandemic). Despite that, as she was loading her purchases onto the counter, upon noticing this bottle sitting there, I grabbed it and plopped it down next to her bottles of wine. Of course I got the "really?" look from her, but even she was willing to look past my yet-another-whiskey-purchase given the price.

The nose was very pleasant. I got a good, sweet cinnamon note, as well as a lot of vanilla. It reminded me a bit of cinnamon rolls, with an emphasis on the vanilla notes.  I also got some root beer notes, which gave it a sort of a root beer float smell. I also got some fresh baked bread notes from time to time. This really was a good smelling whiskey, and I found myself just sniffing my glass constantly with each pour.

The flavor seemed to follow suit, and the first note that I got out of it was a sweet, soft vanilla note that was a bit like soft serve ice cream. Along with that I got some of the more traditional notes, with a decent amount of toffee and a bit of light cinnamon. I even got a little bit of chocolate. On first pours it came across as a sweet milk chocolate, but on later pours I likened it to more of a rich, dark chocolate.

These flavors all together really reminded me of a Heath Bar, one of my favorite candies to steal from my kids' Halloween haul each year (they just don't appreciate the Heath Bar).  It also had that sort of creamy quality, not necessarily in texture but more in the way the flavors came across my palate. Much like the nose, at times I got a mix of all these flavors here that together reminded me of a root beer float.

On the final few pours, a certain richness came through. I got darker fruit notes, like raisin and plum. I also got a bit of an anise note, but not enough to offend me (I'm not a huge fan of anise). Just enough to add a bit more character and make it just that much more interesting. 

As I said, I haven't opened Batch #25 yet, so I can't compare it to that. However, this is one of the better Buffalo Trace picks that I've had in a while, and I feel like I've had a run of some good ones lately. If this is still sitting in stores, and you happen to like Buffalo Trace, I'd say definitely pick one up. I know some people would rather see Binny's doing Single Barrel Selects than Small Batch Selects, but if the Small Batch Selects are going to taste like this, then it really makes no difference to me.

Grade: A-

Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

- $30

- 94 Proof

- NAS

- Kentucky

You know what I hate?  I hate getting a press release about a new whiskey coming out, particularly one that's a new entry to the core lineup for a major distillery and happens to be a rye, only to find out that the initial distribution is limited to four states.  Four!!  What kind of madness is that?  When Heaven Hill announced an Elijah Craig Rye, a lot of people were crazy excited for it -- Elijah Craig fans and rye whiskey fans alike. So much promise, broad availability and very reasonable price--what more could you ask for?

And then I read the part about the limited distribution to start. This product was only going to be available in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Oregon.  What an odd market release!!  Not a single major market in there, and even people living in Kentucky were left out.  Certainly there are plans to broaden the distribution, but my initial excitement waned quite a bit upon reading that part of the release. Luckily for me, though, I have family in Oregon, and one day, unannounced, a box arrived on my porch from my sister. Inside that box were a bunch of old towels, and wrapped inside those old towels was a bottle of Elijah Craig Rye!!  I felt like I was getting in on the ground floor of things!

I opened the bottle up right away (it was weird being this excited to try something that's not rare or limited), and I struggled to get a whiff of much of anything. It had a really soft nose, and even after pouring it into a Glencairn I really had to bury my nose in the glass. I did get some light caramel notes with just a bit of vanilla. I got almost no spice on the nose whatsoever, and I did get a touch of pine, letting me know that this was very much a rye whiskey.

Much like the nose, the palate was soft and light as well. It was what many would describe as an "approachable" whiskey. To me, this means that it had limited alcohol burn and a bit of a thin, watery texture. It was by no means bold in either flavor or spice, and had really no offensive characteristics to it at all.  

I did get some cinnamon spice that I wasn't getting on the nose. It was more on the sweeter side, however, and it mixed with a soft, creamy vanilla flavor. I also got bright notes of spearmint that really complemented that vanilla flavor.

On later pours I got some richer, sweeter flavors, like a fairly distinct molasses note. I also got a buttery and nutty note, and it really reminded me of cashews.  The vanilla-spearmint note, however, was consistent from the first pour to the last. But, even as I noticed other flavors, it always seemed to work well with them all.

Despite the thin, watery texture, this whiskey actually had a decently long and delicious finish. After each sip I found myself still getting a lot of flavor, including the vanilla and spearmint, but also some sweeter notes like oatmeal cookie.  The finish was actually my favorite part of this whiskey, and I was thrown by how much of a finish there actually was.

Overall, I can't wait for this to make its way to Illinois. It's a great price for a really good whiskey. While it won't hold up against some of the limited release, high-proofed and well-aged ryes that are out there, for $30, you get a lot of value with this one.

Grade: B+

Parker's Heritage Collection Heavy Char Barrels 8 Year Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

- $160

- 105 Proof

- 8 Years

- Kentucky

Last year was a great year for premium rye whiskey releases. Right around the same time that Wild Turkey released its Cornerstone Rye as part of its Master's Keep Collection, Heaven Hill released a rye whiskey as part of the Parker's Heritage collection.  Both bottles carried steep price tags, and as a result, they didn't necessarily fly off the shelves. That being said, they're not around much more, and for the most part, I've seen very little buyer's remorse from people that did get their hands on a bottle of either one.

This one was a bit more unique in that Heaven Hill aged this rye in "heavy char barrels." That means the the barrels that were used were a Level 5 char, significantly more char than the level 3 char that Heaven Hill typically uses. Not that I expected any sort of peat flavor, but I do like a good, smokey whiskey, and I was curious enough to grab a bottle, even at that price and even after seeing some negative initial reviews.

On the nose I got a pretty decent amount of wood. It had that dry, oaky, tannic quality to it. However, underneath those wood notes I got some more traditional aromas, including a healthy amount of caramel as well as some sweet but spicy cinnamon to tickle my nose. There was also a sweetness to it that was a bit more sugary, almost like a burnt sugar or even a bit of a rum note to it.

On my first sip, my initial reaction was that this is sweet and spicy and delicious. It had a lot of soft but sweet caramel notes, so much so that if it weren't for the other notes I was getting I'd have called this a "caramel-bomb." Coupled with that rich, creamy caramel note was a very welcome chocolate flavor. It was like drinking a really good chocolate covered caramel candy, like the kind you get from a really nice chocolate store.  It just had that quality of flavor to it.  On later pours I was even getting a creamy nougat flavor, like the inside of a 3 Musketeers bar. Of course, that only made me enjoy these flavors that much more!

It also had that spice that I got on the nose. I got a decent amount of cinnamon, which leaned towards the more sweet cinnamon flavor, like cinnamon candy, rather than cinnamon sticks. There was also a light pepper spice that I really noticed at the back of my throat after every sip. Quite frankly, this just made me ready to go in for my next sip.

The wood notes that I got on the nose weren't really present in the flavor. However, while I expected a certain smokey or char quality to this, while I didn't get any of that on the nose, it made its appearance in the flavor. It didn't come across as a smoked or peated whiskey by any stretch. It just added a touch of char flavor to the whiskey, and it actually seemed to complement all the other flavors going on.

That said, though, this was very much a dessert whiskey. the sweet caramel and chocolate notes seemed to take lead, with just enough spice at the back end to keep me diving back in for more. On its initial release, this was getting some negative reviews, perhaps somewhat a result of the backlash over the price. However, having tasted it for myself, this was a fantastic rye! The "Heavy Char," was in no way gimmicky, as I was worried it would be, and in the end it was just a great rye, sweet up front and spicy at the back. It hit a lot of the right notes for me.

Grade: A

Smoke Wagon Small Batch Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $55

- 100 Proof

- NAS

- Indiana/Nevada

I've finally made my way through all four offerings of Smoke Wagon that hit the shelves in our area.  A few posts ago I commented on the fact that Smoke Wagon, sourced bourbons from H&C Distilling Co. out of Las Vegas, was getting a lot of internet love in social media, but it just wasn't in Illinois. Until one day, four different versions managed to hit the shelves all at once, from the lower end Straight Bourbon to the full proof Uncut and Unfiltered to the well-aged Desert Jewel Reserve.

I went through them in no particular order, but I've absolutely loved each one that I've had for what each one brings to the table. Finally, I got around to opening the small batch. I look at this as kind of their regular, mid-shelf offering. It's a bit on the high end in price for a mid-level offering, but among the other Smoke Wagon releases, that seems to be where this falls. It does, however, come with the same cool bottle design that the Uncut and Unfiltered and the desert Jewel Reserve came in. 

The nose was full of sweet and rich caramel. I also got some nice toffee notes as well, along with a bit of milk chocolate. This all had a vanilla undertone that even had a slight spearmint and root beer quality to it. It had a little bit of spice, but with all the sweetness going on, it came across as more of a cinnamon sugar note than anything. Oddly, I also got a biscuit note that threw me off a bit.

The flavor very much followed suit with the nose. Toffee and vanilla were right up front, and those notes hung around well through the finish.  The chocolate flavor, though, came through a lot more than it did on the nose. It also had a light pepper spice that I noticed on the tip of my tongue with each sip.

About half-way through the bottle, the profile seemed to change quite a bit. I got a kind of a buttery and bready note, kind of like coffee cake. It even had that ribbon of cinnamon to go with that only seemed to appear every other sip or so. It also developed more rich and even tangy notes. I started getting some amaretto notes, and at times even an anise note.

On the final few pours those tangy notes turned into what I eventually identified as a distinct sweet peach tea note. Even on the final pours, though, the vanilla and toffee notes were still there, and even a bit of that spearmint seemed to linger. Quite frankly, it was the final two pours that I liked the most!

All in all, Smoke Wagon is putting out some great whiskey, and I don't think you could go wrong with anything in their lineup.  That being said, if I were to pick up another off the shelf, I'd probably reach for the Uncut and Unfiltered at $5-10 more, or even the Straight Bourbon which is a much better value. I probably liked that one equally as much as this one, if not more, and it was $15 less.

Grade: B