Etikettarkiv: bourbon review

Kentucky, Rebel, USA

Rebel Straight Bourbon Finished in Tawny Port Barrels

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ABV: 45 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This straight bourbon is s limited release of 6000 bottles and is the third annual special release. It was aged for more than 4 years and then finished for 6 months in ex-Tawny Port Casks.

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Jack Daniel’s, Tennessee

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Legacy Edition – 1st Edition

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Tennessee, USA
Type: Tennessee whiskey
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and fruity. There’s a handfull of hard fruit candies and it’s surrounded by brown sugar and cinnamon. There’s an overlay of ripe bananas and a hint of nail polish remover. The oakiness is residing in the background together with charcoal and some dust. This is very easy on the nose.

Mouth: At first there’s just a sweetness and the whole thing comes through as a bit watery. The spicyness and the cinnamon breaks the silence and lead way to dusty corn and oak. The ripe banana note is still present. It is quite dry and astringent and the oakiness brings some bitter notes.

Finish: It’s still very dry and astringent. A mild spicyness comes first, then vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar take over. The oakiness still got a bitter side to it and the dusty corn notes move forward with time. The oakiness stays a long time in the end and the banana note returns for a revisit. This is not complex, and not a heavy hitter by any means, but it’s a very drinkable whiskey.

Additional information
This is a bottling of the classic Old No. 7 with the label as it were somewhere before 1904. The ABV is slightly higher than the standard version, but otherwise it’s the same whiskey.

Evan Williams, Kentucky

Evan Williams Extra Aged

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and rich. There’s a heavy dusty corn note in the middle with vanilla, honey and liquor soaked cherries surrounding it. There’s a menthol note laying on top together with a hint of nail polish remover. The oak is kind of binding everything together and almost disquise itself. The honey note moves forward with time in the glass.

Mouth: A sour lemon note and some chili fruit spicyness arrive first. The vanilla and honey sweetness both take a step back. There’s a chalky note on top of the dusty corn. Beneath, it’s fruity with cherries and a hint of ripe bananas. The oak is still residing in the background. It brings a little bitterness to the mix, which makes the whole thing more interesting than if it was more dominant. There’s a tiny amount of the rye coming through (with mainly anis) within the spicyness. The whole thing is very corn dominant though.

Finish: The dusty and chalky notes flare up and together with the fruity and sweet notes it soon dies down. The oak takes a huge step forward. It’s a fresh, new cut rough oakiness. There’s a tiny amount of astringency. The oak just keeps on going long after the dram is finished. The rye note is still detectable almost as a white noise in the space behind the oak.

Additional information
This straight bourbon used to have a 7 YO age statement but now the age varies from 5-7 years. The mashbill consists of 75 % corn, 13 % rye and 12 % barley.

Heaven Hill, Kentucky, Larceny

Larceny Small Batch

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a a protruding note of nail polish remover and hard fruit candy. When it settles a vanilla and dusty corn sweetness takes over and sort of flattens the whole thing into one layer. There are hints of green apples and liqueur-soaked cherries. The high wheat makes it bright and shiny and gives it a slight metallic note. A small whiff of cinnamon comes and goes. This is an okey and quite simple nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet with a fruity kernel. It’s slightly dry and a vanilla oakiness is creating an outer layer surrounding the fruity center part. It’s somewhat chalky and there’s still a shiny metallic note. There’s also a cinnamon note which gives it a nice and warm character. There is a sort of umami savory note somewhere in the middle which is unusual to find in a bourbon.

Finish: It starts out by creating a thin layer of the metallic note on all sides and then a spicy touch with cinnamon and spicy oak builds up over time. There’s still some dusty corn and the fruitiness returns with the same green apples and cherries as before. When the oakiness starts to take over it’s still covered in vanilla. The sweetness is now represented by a honey note. The oak inherits the dusty notes from the corn. When all else start to fade away, the metallic still lingers and covers the palate. This is an okey bourbon and an easy sipper.

Additional information
This is a wheated straight bourbon produced by Heaven Hill. The mash bill is made up from 75 % corn, 20 % wheat and 5 % barley. A batch consists of 100 barrels.

Buffalo Trace, Kentucky

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is vanilla and brown sugar. After a few seconds the sweetness is joined by a hint of seashore and some salted caramel. There’s cinnamon and a fruit candy note, but they are sitting behind the sweetness. The oak is sitting even further back creating a nice backdrop. A thin veil of menthol lays on top of all the other flavours. It’s a very subtle and laid back nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild and somewhat salty. A nice fruitiness with apples and cherries comes through and takes over. There’s a pine note sitting somewhere in the middle bringing it down a little. Sweet liquorice and vanilla are slowly moving forward and creates a bridge over to the oak. It’s a nice oakiness but it never really pushes through.

Finish: A small burst of mint is followed by the fruitiness, again with apples and cherries. Vanilla, sweet liquorice and brown sugar fills the palate before the oakiness comes through. It’s a dusty, dry oak with a tiny astringency and a chalky texture. This is a very easy, well-rounded and balanced sipper.

Additional information
This is made from Buffalo Trace’s mash bill #1, which is believed to be a low rye one, but they don’t disclose the proportions. It’s said to be aged between 8-10 years. The proof varies between countries.

Kentucky, Maker’s Mark, USA

Maker’s Mark

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ABV: 45 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. There are cherries and green apples drizzled with cinnamon, honey and vanilla. A layer of peppermint and nail polish remover sits on top of the sweet and fruity center. There’s also an earthy side to it with some dry soil and dust. A nice toffee sweetness starts to come through after some time in the glass as well as a newly cut oak note.

Mouth: It starts out mild for a second or two, then a peppery spicyness comes rusning in. It never really moves all the way to the front though, it just sort of stops and makes way for all the other flavours. The cherries, apples and honey really stand out as well as the earthy dry soil note. A lightly bitter oak note starts to make itself noticed after a while but it stays as an outer layer surrounding the fruity, sweet center.

Finish: A eucalyptus freshness and a peppery note together create the feeling of a breath mint before the sweetness kicks in. It’s very fruity and it still has a layer of dry soil in the back. When the oak takes over it brings a big a nice vanilla note as well. It’s a very fresh oakiness with almost no astringency to it, even after a few sips. This makes it a very easy sipper and it’s easy to go back for another dram.

Additional information
This straight bourbon is double distilled and aged up to 6,5 years in new american oak barrels with a number 3 char. The mash bill is made up from 70 % corn, 16 % wheat and 14 % barley. The barrels are rotated during the aging process.

Benchmark, Buffalo Trace, Kentucky, USA

McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s hard fruit candy with a vanilla coating. There is a rye spicyness sitting close to, but not in the middle of the fruitiness. After a few seconds the oakiness comes through around the edges and with some imagination there’s cinnamon too. It seems very concentrated and a bit one-dimensional and it lacks both spread and depth. It’s a nice enough standard bourbon nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a big fruitiness and a harsh spirit note. It’s quite sharp and prickly. After a second or two the vanilla and oak start to come through together with the rye notes. It’s still very narrow. There is a bitterness in the backgrund which isn’t helping it along.

Finish: The finish starts out with a big sweet corn and vanilla burst and the hard fruit candy has disappeared. It stays very sweet for quite some time before the oakiness takes over. It’s a dry oakiness and it’s somewhat astringent. When it subsides there an unpleasant metallic note is left lingering in the mouth. This is a mediocre but easy to sip, bourbon.

Additional information
This straight bourbon is a budget alternative made by Buffalo Trace Distillery. It’s made from a (low) rye mash bill.

Jack Daniel’s, Tennessee

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Tennessee, USA
Type: Tennessee whiskey
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 5
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a bright green apple fruitiness and a fresh newly cut oak. There’s also vanilla, cinnamon and marzipan. After a while unripe bananas start to appear as a thin outer layer, otherwise it keeps its profile throughout. This is very pleasant and easy on the nose. It’s lacking in power, but it still doesn’t feel thin.

Mouth: It starts out extremely mild with a lot of banana fruitiness. After that it becomes somewhat dusty and the oak is once again very fresh and clear. There’s also a brown sugar sweetness and vanilla. The cinnamon is not present, neither is the marzipan. The banana note is getting stronger the longer it stays in the mouth and it seems to be intertwined with the oakiness.

Finish: A fresh, yet mild, breath of eucalyptus fills the mouth and then the oakiness takes over. The green apple note and the vanilla return for a quick visit before the bananas once again team up with the oak. It becomes a little bit chalky down the road, but the finish is very much focused on the fresh oak. This is not a powerhouse nor a complex whiskey, but it is quite tasty nonetheless.

Additional information
The Old No. 7 is one of the best selling whiskies in the world. The mash bill consists of 80 % corn, 12 % barley and 8 % rye. It’s aged for at least 4 years and it’s charcoal filtered before bottling.

Jim Beam, Kentucky

Booker’s Small Batch Bourbon – Batch 2018-01E ”Kathleen’s Batch”

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ABV: 63.7 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: A rich and full nose with vanilla, sugar powder coated hard fruit candy, cinnamon and a hint of menthol. There’s a nail polish remover note surrounding the edges.

Mouth: Very spicy and powerful yet fruity, with apples and cherries being easily found. It’s astringent and the oak note comes with a coffee note mixed with some vanilla. A hint of cinnamon shows up in the background.

Finish: Cinnamon, menthol and dry oak. Very astringent. The taste of those hard fruit candies show up in the background and confirms the nose. It really packs a punch and keeps on giving for a long time.

Additional information
This is a straight bourbon aged for 6 years, 3 months and 14 days. It’s a Jim Beam product and the batches is limited and selected by a roundtable panel. It’s named after Kathleen DiBenedetto, who was involved in launching the Beam small batch releases in the 90’s and still works for Beam Suntory as a Senior director.

Evan Williams, Kentucky

Evan Williams Bottle-in-Bond

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This straight bourbon is made by Heaven Hill. There’s no age statement, but bottle-in-bond means that it must be aged at least 4 years. The mashbill consists of 78 % corn, 12 % malted barley and 10 % rye.

Kentucky, Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

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ABV: 58.4 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is rich and spicy. There’s anise and cinnamon and a dry oakiness. A fruitiness with mainly cherries and green apples sit together with a dusty corn note in the middle with a veil of nail polish remover surrounding it. Honey and vanilla creates a base giving the nose depth. It feels very well balanced. It’s very pleasant in the nose.

Mouth: It starts out with honey up front with cinnamon and rye spices peeking through. The fruitiness is still filled with cherries and green apples. The oak is very dry and somewhat astringent. A bitterness slowly builds up and the anise becomes more pronounced. The cherries move forward together with the rye spices.

Finish: A layer of menthol spreads out in the mouth before the oak and a dusty corn note take lead. There’s liquorice root, honey and vanilla. Those flavours stay on the sides of a freshly cut oakiness. It’s still dry and the astringency stays a long time after everything else have subsides. There’s a hint of coffee coming through in the lady part of the finish. This is a very well balanced bourbon.

Additional information
This is a barrel proof bourbon made from whiskey aged between 6-12 years in alligator charred (#4 char, 55 sec.) barrels. The mash bill consists of 75 % corn, 13 % Rye and 12 % barley.

Bulleit, Kentucky

Bulleit Bourbon

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ABV: 45 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: It’s rounded and quite calm. There’s dusty corn, chalk, cherries and a hint of ripe banana and raisins. It’s got vanilla and brown sugar sweetness and the oak is very much present from the start. There’s also a touch of salted peanuts coming through on top of everything else.

Mouth: It’s spicy on the toungue from the start. The dusty corn switches to fruit candies and rye. There’s still a bit of dust in there though. The vanilla and the brown sugar is taking a backseat to the other flavours. The oak is very fresh and slightly bitter and there’s an astringency building up after a few sips.

Finish: It’s still spicy. The fruitiness and sweetness die quickly and leave a fresh oak note all by itself. After a while the ripe banana peeks through. Other than that there’s not much else in the finish except the spicy rye notes. There’s a tiny hint of walnuts in the tail.

Additional information
This bourbon is aged for about 6 years. The mashbill contains 68 % corn, 28 % rye and 4 % barley. It’s made at the Four Roses Distillery. Newer versions will have a distillate from a different source.

Kentucky, Willett

Willett Pot Still Reserve Small Batch Bourbon

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ABV: 47 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
No tasting notes were recorded during the tasting.

Additional information
Even though Willet now produced its on bourbon this small batch release is sourced from other Kentucky distilleries. The mash bill consists of 72 % corn, 13 % rye and 15 % malted barley.

Four Roses, Kentucky

Four Roses Yellow Label

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
No taste notes were recorded during the tasting.

Additional information
Four roses uses 5 different yeast strains to create 10 different mash bills. The yellow label is their stock expression and is usually made up by a mix of 8-10 of the mash bills. The content’s age varies from 4-12 years old. The char level used is between #3 and #4.