Review: Eagle Rare Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Thanksgiving
A relative of mine who lives in Texas once said that for Americans, Thanksgiving is bigger than Christmas.  That's saying a lot!  Families travel long distances to be together to give thanks to God for their many blessings.  The food is traditionally turkey with homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, turnip, squash, cranberry sauce and ohh that gravy!  My Mother makes the best gravy!  In Canada, Thanksgiving occurs earlier (2nd Monday in October) than south of the border (4th Thursday of November).  It is an important holiday, but I can't describe it as 'bigger than Christmas' (no disrespect intended to my American readers).

Whiskey Food Pairing - Bourbon & Thanksgiving Dinner
To my mind, bourbon is the ideal type of whiskey to compliment a Thanksgiving dinner.  While I usually enjoy my spirits neat, during this important holiday, I like it with ice or as an integral part of a cocktail.  Bourbon's rye spice, pronounced cinammon toast flavor profile compliments the turkey in cranberry sauce, as well as mashed potatoes covered in gravy made from scratch. 

On such an social occasion, don't drink your bourbon neat.  Focus on your family and the conversation.  The drink is to be a pleasant part of the background.  Bourbon with ice works well in this regard.

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This particular bourbon is aged 10 years which is a great deal of time for type of spirit.  Unlike scotch, bourbon requires less aging to reach its peak flavor profile.  Eagle Rare is produced by the same people who brought you Buffalo Trace.  Accordingly, your expectations are likely to be high.  Your expectations will be rewarded.  The following tasting note is based on a neat serving, but that's only for dessert with pumkin pie.  Not during the meal!  With the meal have it with some ice or in a Stone Fence Cocktail.

Nose (undiluted)
Lightly scented oak and vanilla.

Palate (undiluted)
Fantastically smooth (for a bourbon), yet interesting ride of concentrated sweet rye, vanilla and charred American oak.  Layers of spiced rye delicately unfolds upon the palate. 

Finish (undiluted)
Charred oak, ginger and cleansing, fresh Kentucky spring water.

Nose (with ice)
Mostly mutes all of the aromas deteced when neat.

Palate (with ice)
The trouble with ice is you tend to drink quick because if you take too long the spirit will be diluted too much.  Tasted a minute after the ice has made its presence known, you will enjoy complex oak, layered rye and nutmeg.  Yeah, nutmeg.  Ice just makes it so gentle.  When I first started drinking whisky it was always with ice and then I started drinking it neat and regarded ice as evil.  Now, I am coming full circle and realizing that dogmatic views (ice is always bad) are unhealthy and it's all about enjoyment.  I enjoy Eagle Rare with ice.  Purists will pooh, pooh me, but so what?  A man has to march to the beat of his own drum I say.

Finish (with ice)
Toasted cinammon bread and more RYE!

General Impressions
Eagle Rare Single Barrel Aged 10 yrs is very, very good bourbon.  Some people may consider adding ice to it as sacrilege, but I am not 'some people.'  I am an ordinary guy who likes my bourbon sometimes with ice.  Great bourbon with ice is . . . well . . . great!  I know that is trite, but hey that is how it is and who I am.

Like all bourbons, it is a very powerful spirit in terms of alcohol content and flavor. So, little sips are the rule. Try to sip the equivalent of a 1/4 teaspoon when enjoying it neat.  In a cocktail it will be very flavorful.  The price is more than reasonable for this product.  This is certainly an excellent choice gift for the bourbon fan.  However, if you are planning on presenting it as a gift to someone who does not drink bourbon, I would go with something gentler like Basil Hayden's or Four Roses.  Not a bourbon for beginners.

Eagle Rare has won plenty of awards and while I seriously question the International Wine and Spirits Competition manner of handing out medals, I will admit they hit the nail on the head with respect to this very fine bourbon. 

Try it neat with some pumpkin pie and a swirl of whipped cream.  You'll understand what I mean.

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Painting credit: Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930): The First Thanksgiving.  Please note:  This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.  This occurs to works of art in the United States, Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.



Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.

Review: Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Eureka!
I like great discoveries.  I'm not talking about scientific sleuthing leading to solutions of complex problems (especially mathematical ones).  I am talking about everyday life where I stumble upon greatness in any form.  For me, it usually takes the form of pop culture.  A great book, music or old film. Especially old films.

There is something about films from the 1960’s and early ‘70’s that evoke bitter/sweet nostalgic memories of Dad with big sideburns, Foster Grants and Mom in yellow while Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree plays on the 8-track stereo. The cheesy music, subtitles, wide lapels, bad hair, ya know what I’m talkin’ about. Think also Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone:

• A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
• For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Moving into the early 1970’s, the incomparable Bruce Lee:

• The Big Boss (1971)
• Fists of Fury (1972)
• Enter the Dragon (1973)

Bruce Lee has been such a discovery for me recently.  Here is one rare interview.  Like his films, there is an innocence, yet wisdom beyond his years. His movies, by anyone else are laughable, but by Bruce, well, you are humbled by his tremendous physical feats and thoughts of what a terrible loss, his life cut so short has been for so many of us.  By the way, check out the first punch he throws in this scene from "Enter the Dragon."  It is so fast, the camera catches a mere blur.  For his films, he was usually filmed at a slower tape speed to better catch his movements.



I have, once in a while, eureka moments in whisky too, and the discovery of Buffalo Trace is one of them . . .

Nose (undiluted)
Rich corn husk, vanilla, maple. Oh, I like this! Such unexpected refinement.  I am really surprised.  At this price point, I did not expect much.  American ingenuity at its best!

Palate (undiluted)
Smooth! Layered flavors of corn, vanilla and slight hickory smoke. Damn! This is good!

Finish (undiluted)
Tangy, easy spiced rye and some drying black licorice.  Wow!  Black licorice and charred American oak.  Hmm, hmmm good, like Mom’s apple pie with extra cinnamon coolin’ on the window sill with a tea towel covering it on a sunny day.

General Impressions
If you like bourbon or Tennessee whisky, you will definitely enjoy Buffalo Trace.  It is rich, rewarding and reasonably refined in spite of its ridiculously affordable price.  I paid around $20.  I would have been happy to pay double that for the quality of this drink. Matter of fact, I paid in excess of $40 for Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select, and as you know from my review, it is not worth it.  It pales in comparison with Buffalo Trace.

Some reviewers have complained that the finish lacks length, meaning the flavors do not linger long once swallowed.  I disagree.  Length of flavor is fine.  Other reviewers just got it wrong.  Take it from me (heh, heh).

45% Alcohol/volume
The talent of a great whisky blender shines through in his or her ability to produce a whisky that may be high in alcohol volume, yet no raw rubbing alcohol flavor on the palate.  Buffalo Trace meets this significant benchmark of quality in remarkably elegant fashion.  It is made from corn, barley and rye that is aged in charred American oak barrels.  25 to 30 barrels are typically selected by the blender for the final product.

Have no fear, this is not rot gut for rummies.  There is no burn as it goes down. Just a gentle tickle that can be cured by another sip.  It is a comfortable whisky that can be sipped casually while you watch sports, chat with friends, stare out at a field of hay and watch it sway in the breeze.  It is so smooth and approachable that you can easily sip this neat.  No water or ice is needed.

As I said above, if you are a bourbon or Tennessee whisky fan, Buffalo Trace will prove to be a great treat!

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved. 

Poster owns no copyright to video of "Enter the Dragon" which is posted for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment.

Review: Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Summer vacation.  With the sun high in the blue sky, I, the wife, the kids and luggage loaded into my big black Ford and headed south, crossed the border into the US, continued south on the I-95, took exit 187 and a quick left put me on the Hogan Road.   Another left at a Honda dealership put me on the road to the Hilton Garden Inn, Bangor, Maine. 

After day spent spent entertaining the children in the pool, a science museum and supper, I found myself at about 8pm in the lobby while my wonderful spouse put the children to bed in the hotel room upstairs.  What's a fella to do for a while?

The well-appointed lobby has the burnished, dark wood walls, leather couchs and wing-back chairs, and most importantly a bar.  I pay a visit, scan the bottles along the mirrored wall and thought since I am in America, I should enjoy one of the great fruits of American industry, namely bourbon.  Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon to be precise. 

Once ensconced comfortably in a leather chair facing an LCD TV, I am in fine form.

Nose (undiluted)
Vanilla.  I am not able to discern much else. 

Palate (undiluted)
As lawless and unruly as Woodford Reserve can be, Maker's Mark is not.  Woodford Reserve can be fiery on first sip.  Maker's Mark is balanced, refined and even elegant.  This bourbon starts out sweet, a corn sweetness, followed by powerful oak.  The body of this spirit is rounded.  The flavors are soft.  Black cherry makes an appearance.  Oak re-enters with charcoal and makes for a cleansing of the palate in a very fresh fashion.

Finish (undiluted)
Nice and long.  I am impressed!  Oak and a little brown sugar/charcoal remain and zing for quite while.  There is no ugly burn in the throat.  Just warmth.

General Impressions
How does this rank in comparison with other bourbons?  Well, at it's price point, the small batch premium bourbon competition would include:  Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek.   While Woodford Reserve can at times be more complex, it can also be wilder and more alcohol infused. 

Knob Creek is more complex and more interesting when one seeks a real toure-de-force of flavors.  Nevertheless, Maker's Mark is a bourbon I will pick up from time to time when I am seeking a bourbon that is not offensive, refined, and a flavor profile that's a crowd pleaser.  A certain pick if I am having a party.

This is more interesting than Basil Hayden's, another small batch bourbon.

Value for Money?
Maker's Mark is not cheap.  I think the price is fair, but it is no bargain.  If you want a bargain bourbon, try Jim Beam Black.  Maybe a little simpler flavor profile but a lot easier on the pocket book.

What No Age Statement?
As mentioned above, Maker's Mark is a premium small batch bourbon with a high price to boot.  You would expect an age statement on every bottle.  Not so.  Competition in the same price range make age statements.  Knob Creek is 9 years old.  Eagle Rare is 10 years old.  Baker's Bourbon 7 years, and so on.  Maker's Mark has no fixed age.  Age is dependent on taste.  A panel of tasters determine when the barrels of bourbon are ready to be bottled as Maker's Mark.  No bottling of Maker's Mark that is less than six years, nor more than seven and a half years has taken place.

Age statements are not necessarily indicative of superior quality when it comes to whisky of any kind.  They mostly function as a tool of marketing to reel the likes of you and I in.  To believe that older whisky is better than younger is to be terribly mistaken.

Bottom Line
I like Maker's Mark.  I have been drinking it for years and have always found it to be reliable and pleasant like an old friend.  Highly recommended!

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved except for photographs: (1) Maker's Mark in hand taken by Flickr member: Adie Reed.  Check out her great site for more photos: http://adiereed.wordpress.com/ She has graciously granted a Creative Commons license which permits its reproduction on this blog.  (2) Photograph of line of Maker's Mark bottles taken off web but I could not find any credit for it.  If you are the photographer, please contact me so I can credit you, with your permission.  (3)  Photograph of Maker's Mark whisky glasses taken by Flickr member: thewhiskeyroad, who holds all copyright and no reproduction permitted without his permission.

Review: Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Nose (undiluted)
Inhale her scent of beautiful corn and vanilla when you lean close to the nape of her neck. Some roses too, surely from the corsage pinned to her dress. A real heady experience. Quite simply gorgeous.

Palate (undiluted)
Show some respect when you take her hand. Don’t grab it or squeeze too hard. She is like a steaming cup of tea. Take a small, I mean tiny, tentative sip. At 90.4 proof, she is not to be trifled with like the flotsam jetsam you encounter in those tawdry beer dance halls that you should no better than to patronize. She is not suitable for some carefree summertime fling. She demands you place her upon a pedestal . . . or else her Daddy may show up with a shotgun and angry, overalls clad, sons to teach you a lesson.

A dance with this fair Southern Belle of the ball will begin with her curtsey and a sweet smile reminiscent of corn fields bending in the wind. You bow to her sweet greeting. You and she advance towards each other. Her strapless gown is breathtaking. You’re staring! As you advance you encounter rye spiciness in her demeanor that compliments the sweet thoughts of corn fields in the wind.

Get ready for the do-si-do. You and she advance towards each other. As you pass each other, right shoulder to right shoulder, the contact is like the taste of vanilla and broken candy cane. Without turning you go around each other back-to-back and then step backwards to your starting position.

Finish (undiluted)
You and her move towards each other once more. This time you join hands and kiss. Charcoal, American oak and vanilla linger on your lips. There is a burn in your throat and she is gone.

After the Ball
You’re left standing there, the lights are on and she’s gone. Damn, you never should have turned your back on her and gone to the bar to get that drink.

Woodford Reserve is uncompromising like Janis Joplin’s rendition of the George Gershwin classic standard Summertime. Soulful, bluesy, bitter sweet shards of candy cane, vanilla, with a dash of brown sugar and . . . a little harsh. The harshness comes on the finish. What I am referring to is a little alcohol burn on the throat. This is unfortunate if you are seeking perfection in bourbon. It’s most noticeable on the first drink and fades with subsequent sips. For me, Knob Creek or Maker's Mark (competing small batch premium bourbons) are a little more refined on the finish. No burn! I’m not crazy about the burn on the finish. You can feel it in the back of the throat.  For me I would not pick this up again because of the burn and the price.  It is a little over priced to the point that I would opt for Maker's Mark or Knob Creek over it.  Woodford Reserve has legions of fans but I am not one of the die-hard ones.  I enjoy it and can imagine it working in mixed drinks well, but not completely satisfied.  In order to take away the nasty burn on the finish, I add to big ice cubes to a double pouring.  Problem solved!  Nevertheless, it is a very fine bourbon though a little lawless, unbalanced and unpredictable. You’ll just have to try it and decide for yourself if you can handle her.

Cheers!



Jason Debly

P.S.  Janis, we will always love you.  Rest in peace.

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved except for photos of Janis Joplin which are published for the purpose of education and entertainment.   Photo Credits:  Janis Joplin singing: Photograph © Jim Marshall from the book Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall (Omnibus Press)

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 - Tennessee Whiskey Review

I spent the past week in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a work related conference.  Trapped in a meeting room by day and bored by night, my habit when travelling for work is to seek out great restaurants and the best purveyors of fine whiskey.  My trip to Halifax would not deviate from this practice.

I landed in the early evening, hopped in a cab and headed for the hotel down by the harbor.  Check-in involved slapping down a credit card, tossing my luggage on the bed and a quick double-back to the concierge's desk.

"Where's nearest liquor store?" I inquired.

"They are all closed," the blue blazer wearing early sixties gent replied with a Magnum P.I. Higgins character English accent.

"There is of course our mini-bar . . ."  His voice trailed off as precipitously as Thelma and Louise headed off that cliff in the closing scene of that stupid movie that I had to endure with some long forgotten girlfriend in a living room with red shag carpet, wood paneling on the walls, and her ever watchful, military, father down the hall. 

"Mini-bar . . . mini-bar" I fumed as I headed back to my room.  As I unpacked, I debated whether or not to wait until tomorrow, find a nice liquor store, select a great whisky and enjoy it in the evening.  On the other hand, I said to myself, "ya never know, there could be a real gem in the mini-bar just like that time I was in Maine and in a grocery store and all they had for whisky was Jim Beam Black.  That was a gem!"  More than a gem, it was a revelation of the tallest order, up there with Moses coming down Mount Sinai.  Anyway, you get the picture.  I was a tortured soul.

To distract myself, I flicked on the television, started unpacking and thought about going to the gym and doing some running.  One time I was in Vancouver for a meeting and was up every morning at 4am, ran for an hour on a treadmill, did a day of meetings and still had pep for a restaurant at night and touring that delightful city.  This time around, the urge for running didn't seem to come so effortlessly.

To make a long story short, I opened the mini-bar, peered in and saw the usual array of light beer for middle aged men worried about carbs and calories.  I surveyed some spicy Clamato juice, Grey Goose Vodka, yeesh!, and a 375 ml of Jack Daniels Old Number 7.  My first thought was "what the hell is Tennessee whiskey doing in a refrigerator!"  What depraved soul could commit such an inane indignity upon a bottle of this American whisky?  I knew what I had to do.  God himself would have commanded me to do it if I asked him.  Matter of fact Moses probably had it chiseled into the tablet, "Thou shalt rescue all Tennessee whisky from bowels of any refrigerator!"  The commandment or mitvah must have got lost at some point.  I am sure of it.  It is such a self-evident truth.

Of course, I did what any God fearing man would do, I plucked the chilled bottle from the fridge and set it down on a table next to a rather comfortable wing-back chair.  It needed to warm up.  Coincidentally, so did I.  I retrieved two glasses, one filled with ice water, the other empty, waiting for Ol' No. 7.

The last time I had Jack Daniels was in a trendy wine bar a couple of years back that was so trendy they didn't have any scotch.  I reluctantly asked the waitress repetitively "what else do you have?" until she finally remarked there was Jack Daniels.  I said sure and tried it on ice.  It was not what I expected.  First of all, I was ready for a snake bite taste coupled with a burning sensation that would leave me writhing on the Italian tile floor winded like Dustin Hoffman in the Marathon Man.  That was not the case.  I recall it was corn sweet with no burn.  The ice softened it nicely and there was some vanilla and charcoal.  In a flash it was gone.  Tasty drink.

Once the bottle warmed up, I tasted it neat.  The ice water was for drinking in between sips of Jack Daniels.  Over the course of the week, (except for one night when I went to a sushi restaurant and enjoyed some Yamazaki 12 and 18), I sampled this Tennessee whiskey and finalized the following tasting note:

Nose
Damp leaves; big American oak; a whiff of turned over earth with a spade in the early morning in search of worms to take brook fishing; big time vanilla.

Palate
Starts on sweet, that's the corn.  Moves to oak, charcoal and vanilla.

Finish
It's short.  The sweetness leaves and it dries across the palate.  Flavors of oak and vanilla dissipate almost instantly.  Nothing lingers very long.

General Impressions
I was again surprised at how mild this whiskey turned out in the glass.  No burn, rough or out of balance flavors.  It's very easy drinking.  Kinda reminds me of Basil Hayden's bourbon, but without the complexity.  If you drink Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 with ice, it is about as easy drinking as one can get.  Trouble of course is easy drinking runs the risk of not being overly interesting.  That would be the weakness of this whiskey.  It is not complex.  The flavors roll out in a straight forward manner.  Mind you, this is the entry-level, standard bottling of Jack Daniels, and so this observation has to be tempered by that fact.  Just as we do not expect wondrous complexity from Jim Beam White Label, or moving across the pond, from Famous Grouse, Johnnie Walker Red label and others, it would be unfair to place such demands on this standard, entry level offering from Jack Daniels.

For my tastes, I enjoyed it for what it was, a simple, mild American whisky.  Would I buy it?  No.  I require some complexity, even when I want an easy-going whisky.  Accordingly, I would buy Jim Beam Black Label but that is an 8 year old bourbon.  I am sure that Jack Daniel's premium lines like Gentleman Jack and Single Barrel would offer the complexity I seek. 

Do I dislike it?  No.  Would I recommend it?  Sure, for someone who has never tried American whiskey.  This is a good place to start.

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2010. All rights reserved.

Basil Hayden's 8 yr old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Great discoveries are often made by accident. Jeff Dufour wrote, in a 2006 article entitled, The History of Bourbon, a happy accident, (click here) that in the late 1780’s, Elijah Craig, a distiller of Bourbon County, Kentucky, took old fish barrels and used them for whisky that was to be shipped to New Orleans. In order to clean out the inside of the fish barrel, he observed the cheapest and most efficient way to do so involved burning the inside with an open flame. The charred interior of the barrel cured any smell or remnants of fish. Thereafter, Mr. Craig would send the barrels of Kentucky whisky by boat to New Orleans, a trip in those days that could take a couple of months. The whisky that arrived in New Orleans tasted better than when it left Kentucky. Suddenly, charring the insides of barrels became a must for Kentucky whisky distillers. The charred wood imparted flavors of vanilla, oak and smoothed out the roughness of the whisky.

What the above story has to do with Basil Hayden’s 8 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, I do not know, but just felt compelled to impart that interesting anecdote to you. “Eric,” a reader of this blog, kindly provided me with a link to Mr. Dufour’s article that enabled me to learn this interesting tidbit in the history of American whisky. Thanks Eric!

In any event, moving right along, lately, I have been sampling Basil Hayden’s bourbon. I first tasted it at a whisky festival in November 2009. I was impressed and decided I needed a bottle for further study and eventual posting of a tasting note. Unlike a lot of reviewers on the web, I try to only post tasting notes based on my sampling of a bottle. I do not think an adequate opinion of a whisky can be formulated from a tiny 200ml bottle or at a whisky tasting. I need a bottle that I can return to several times over different evenings before coming to a conclusion as to a whisky’s merits and defects.

Nose (undiluted)
Floral, vanilla, corn husk.

Palate (undiluted)
Light bodied, gentle corn and rye tang, distinctive of bourbon, graces your taste buds like a tiny dancer. Summer easy sweet charcoal, like a wheeping willow tree graced by a light breeze. Caramel flavors hang in the background throughout the tasting.

Finish (undiluted)
Sweet corn, a little rye warmth, and the flotsam jetsam charcoal/vanilla flavors culminating in some of the mildest spice I have ever experienced in bourbon.

General Impressions
My immediate impression of this bourbon is that it is very light bodied and consequently easy drinking. Very easy! This is not spicy. Yes, there is some spice, but it is so mild that the word “spice” hardly seems appropriate. It would be the perfect ingredient in mixed drinks calling for bourbon, except it is too expensive to be used as mix. It is a mere 80 proof and tastes like less. This bourbon is so mild that if you have never had bourbon or always added ice or water, well if there was ever a time to try it straight, it would be now.

As a general statement, it is fair to say that when bourbon is sweet, it is due to the corn grain used. Rye provides spice. Without checking Basil Hayden’s website (click here) I was sure there was less rye (meaning more corn) in this bourbon recipe than typically found in other bourbons. Well, guess what? I was dead wrong. There are exceptions to every rule and Basil Hayden is one.

A visit to the website indicates that Basil Hayden’s 8 yr old bourbon is based on a recipe of twice as much rye as corn when compared to the recipes of the remainder of the Small Batch collection marketed by Beam Global Spirits and Wine Inc., namely: Knob Creek, Booker’s and Baker’s. Trouble is: Knob Creek and the others are a helluva lot more spicy, robust and challenging than Basil Hayden’s, but I guess it is not due to the rye content.

Anyway, back to my impressions of this bourbon. I am a bit underwhelmed (is that a word?) given the premium price for a whisky marketed as an ultra-premium bourbon. Why? This bourbon just lacks pizzazz. It’s too smooth, no burn going down, so gentle that you can never mind all that advice about taking little sips I make in other reviews. It lacks any challenge or intrigue. It's belongs in the featherweight bourbon division (there is no such division, I just made that up!).

Something can be simple yet interesting or memorable. We see this all the time in music. Take the catchy guitar riff in Daytripper by the Beatles or Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. The music is simple but its gotta 'hook' that brings you back for more. Whisky may be understood the same way. Jim Beam Black, Johnnie Walker Black are not overly complex, but have that “hook” that brings you back again and again for another sip. Basil Hayden’s lacks that hook in terms of flavor. For that reason, I would not buy it again, not because it is bad but rather because it is not "great."

So, who should buy this? If you are trying bourbon for the first time, this would be worth getting to know before you try much more robust and superior bourbons of the heavyweight division like Wild Turkey 101 and Knob Creek. Trust me, the latter whiskies will knock you out with a punch you won't see coming!

Cheers!

Jason

© Jason Debly, 2010. All rights reserved.

A Winter's Night!

Well, winter has arrived in Atlantic Canada. Above is a picture of my snowbound abode. I just got in this evening from snowblowing the driveway. Temperature is colder than a witch's tit and a wind that causes snow to pelt my face at a most unpleasant angle. Ah! winter. You lush, you white bearded tormentor. I am ready to do battle, armed with my L.L.Bean parka, fleece lined jeans and trusty snowblower. I happily take up arms against the hostile elements of howling wind, driving snow and cold temperatures. Happily? Yup, because my reward, once the driveway is cleared of snow by my weary snowblower, is waiting inside the house. In the basement . . .

Well, the driveway has been snowblown, my walk is shoveled, the wife and children are asleep, it's 10pm and time to come in. The blizzard continues outside. I hear the gentle ping of freezing rain pellets against the window panes adjacent to the front door. I shake off my parka, hat and boots, leaving a massive puddle of snow on the tiled entry way. I head to the basement, kickback in the recliner, pull a blanket over me and reach for some Lagavulin 16yrs.

The Lagavulin just doesn't warm me up enough. I need something more intense, warmer. I reach for the Knob Creek. Now we're talking. 9 yr old Kentucky bourbon warms me up big time as I kick back in the lazy boy. Big rounded flavors of sweet corn, rye, brown sugar and candy cane make for the perfect whisky on this cold night.

This is just a quick post. Tomorrow or the next day I hope to finish my tasting note for Royal Salute, a 21 year old blended scotch whisky. Royal Salute is one of those ultra premium blends and what I have been pondering is whether or not it is worth the price.

Until then cheers!

Woodford Reserve - A Great American Bourbon!

Bourbon - A less than stellar reputation

A lot of people shudder at the thought of having a drink of bourbon. This is understandable because a lot of what is available on the market tastes like rubbing alcohol distilled by some unclean mountain boys out of The Deliverance for the sole purpose of intoxication. Sipping some bourbons involves submitting to a burn down the throat, headed to the stomach and immediately you have to fight the urge for it to bounce back up from whence it came.In general, Woodford Reserve departs from such negative experiences. I say "in general" because it is a distillery which has been plagued with chronic quality control problems. Specifically, one hand crafted batch (each batch is numbered) can be divine, while the next belongs with its bretheren in the previous paragraph. Please understand that not every other bottle is flawed. I am just highlighting past issues with quality of production. I believe the distillery is keenly aware of this issue and is addressing it. So, bearing that in mind, if you sample this bourbon and you find it flawed, then consider taking it back to the store and exchanging it for another.This bourbon we can drink today has a long history (don't they all) that starts back in Versailles, Kentucky in 1812. Bourbon is an uniquely American invention and Kentucky is the state that put it on the map. In fact, the Woodford Reserve distillery is one of nine of the oldest in Kentucky and the US for that matter. It hasn't always operated under the name of Woodford Reserve, that is a recent development of 2003.Anyway, lets move to the most important topic, the taste!

Nose

Vanilla and charcoal

Palate

Lots of vanilla! More charcoal, spice and ginger accompanies, sweetness (but not too sweet) that flows towards a floral finish. There is a "burn", slight, not too bad, but rather characteristic of bourbon. If this is an aspect that bothers you, the solution is ice, couple of cubes takes the burn away. A complex arrangement of flavors that can appropriately be described as sophisticated and rich. I initially tried this bourbon at a whisky tasting and days later, I was still thinking about. So, I bought a bottle and enjoyed a very refined drink of complexity I never imagined was possible from bourbon.

Finish

Oak and rye linger on the palate in a highly refined manner.  Please note that when you first open the bottle, there may be a unpleasant burn lingering in the throat but this should become less of an issue after a couple of weeks open.

Impressions

I have had Woodford Reserve on several occasions. What I have noticed is that the quality can vary depending on the "batch." Each bottle is numbered. Some batchs are very good while a flawed bottle can be a little off or even dreadful. I have tasted perfection in one bottle and poison in another. It is not just me making this observation, reviewers on other sites like Whiskey Magazine's website have threads that note quality variation issues. Of several bottles purchased, only one was flawed. I would not allow this quality assurance issue dissuade you from purchasing it.When its good, it is great. When its bad, it can range from tolerably flawed to an impossibly metallic, copper burn of a dram.My suggestion is that if you buy this bourbon, make sure that you can return it if it turns out to be flawed. You are probably wondering why I would recommend this bourbon in light of the above comments about quality consistency issues. Well, the simple reason is I believe the distiller is tackling the problem and the risk/reward ration makes it worth it if you can return a flawed bottle. How will you know if it is flawed? It will taste metallic like it sat in a copper vat too long with an awful burn across the palate and down the throat upon swallowing. When its a good bottle, it is something to behold.  Another drawback is the price. It is a little high compared to others. I think there is a value for money problem.  Competitors like Knob Creek and Maker's Mark are the same price but better over all.  So, in conclusion, if you like bourbon or know somebody who does, this might be an interesting alternative to the traditional mainstream bottles you or your friend usually go to. It also happens to be the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby!

Cheers!

© Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.

P.S.  I have an updated review available at this link.