Gifted Horse Whiskey Review

Gifted Horse is the seventh Orphan Barrel release.  Wow, has it been seven already?  To this point, the youngest Orphan Barrel was Forged Oak, a 15-year-old bourbon.  This is the first in the series that  carries no age statement on the label.  If it did have one, it would read “4 years old”.  Also of note is the high 115 proof, making it the highest proof of all the Orphan Barrel whiskies.

Photo courtesy of Diageo.

Photo courtesy of Diageo.

The story here is that 17-year-old bourbon was accidentally mixed with young whiskey (4-year-old corn whiskey and 4-year-old bourbon).  It’s the same thing we heard with Wild Turkey’s Forgiven, which is a blend of rye whiskey and bourbon.  You can choose to believe the story or not.

Something we do know is the source of the whiskies in the blend and how much of each the final blend is comprised of.  38.5% of Gifted Horse is 17-year-old bourbon distilled at the Bernheim Distillery, while 51% is 4-year-old bourbon from Indiana.  A 4-year-old corn whiskey, also distilled in Indiana, makes up the rest of this whiskey.

Let’s take a look at the juice inside the bottle.

The high proof of this whiskey is evident in its initial fiery nose.  Young corn grain and cinnamon candy are the first aromas out of the glass.  Things mellow out a bit after a moment, allowing some caramel and an herbal note to come through.  The entry is a little on the hot side.  Once the alcohol punch dissipates, classic bourbon flavors begin showing up – sweet young corn, caramel richness and some cinnamon spice.  It tastes perfectly fine to this point.  Then the older whiskey shows up, adding some astringent oak which was a slight surprise given the youngish character of the entry.  A long, warm and slightly dry finish leaves behind a sweet corn grain note.

Don’t get me wrong – I know Orphan Barrel whiskies are oak-forward, but I expected a better integration between the young and old whiskies this blend is comprised of.  Instead, Gifted Horse feels a bit scattered.  All the flavors and aromas we love in bourbon are here, but this is a case of the parts being greater than the sum.  I do applaud the high bottling proof here.  It’s something I wish other Orphan Barrel whiskies had.  All in all, Gifted Horse is a mostly solid whiskey.  The suggested retail price of $50 might be a tad on the high side for what’s in the bottle.

7.5/10
(Note: A small review sample was provided by Diageo.)

Col. E.H. Taylor Seasoned Wood Bourbon Review
Photo courtesy of Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Photo courtesy of Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Buffalo Trace Distillery just announced the eighth addition to the Col. E.H. Taylor line – Seasoned Wood.  Just like its brethren, Seasoned Wood is bottled-in-bond, which means it’s bottled at 100 proof and is at least four years old (among other things).  According to press materials, this release is “aged well over a decade”.  This the first wheated bourbon in the Taylor lineup.  Seasoned Wood is a one-time, limited release.

What is seasoned wood exactly?  According to Buffalo Trace:

The barrels in this release underwent a variety of special seasoning processes,   including barrels made from staves that were immersed in an enzyme rich bath with water heated to 100 degrees.  After spending time in this proprietary solution, these staves were then placed into kilns and dried until they reached an ideal humidity level for crafting into barrels.  Other staves were seasoned outdoors for six months, and still others were left outdoors for a full 12 months before being made into barrels and sent to Buffalo Trace Distillery to be filled and aged.  All barrel staves were seasoned, dried, and crafted at Independent Stave Company, who consulted on this project with the premiere expert on oak maturation, Dr. James Swan.

Onto my tasting notes:

The aromatic nose leads with a strong honey note.  Dried cherries, fresh orange peel, and a floral note follow.  In an odd way, it sort of smells like an Old Fashioned cocktail.  There is little to no alcohol vapor to speak of, considering this is a 100 proof bourbon.  The entry is soft, with spiced honey starting things off.  That citrus note and dried fruit from the nose also finds its way to the palate, cutting right through the creamy mouthfeel.  Some oak is present providing a touch of astringency in the back-palate.  The finish is long and warm, leaving citrus, baking spice and honey behind to slowly fade away.  It leaves your mouth watering for more.

You can guess I’m a fan of this one.  Seasoned Wood is a very welcome addition to the good-to-excellent range of Col. E.H. Taylor whiskies.  It’s overall softer but richer profile stands out among others in the lineup.  This is a very well executed bourbon from Buffalo Trace that receives a high recommendation.  Seasoned Wood will be available starting late March for a suggested retail priced of $69.99.  The fact that it is limited won’t help your chances of finding a bottle.  In the rare instance you do see one, pick it up.

9/10
(Note: A small review sample was provided by Buffalo Trace.)

Woodford Reserve Distillery Series – Frosty Four Wood Bourbon Review

Photo courtesy of Woodford Reserve.

Photo courtesy of Woodford Reserve.

The third entry in Woodford Reserve’s Distillery Series is Frosty Four Wood, following Double Double Oaked and Sweet Mash Redux.  The trend seems to find the distillery revisiting previous editions of their Master’s Collection.  This is great for folks that didn’t get to taste a previous releases of earlier Master’s Collection expressions.  Case in point: I never had a chance to taste the original Woodford Reserve Four Wood.  At least with this release I get to taste a variation of it.

Frosty Four Wood gets its name from its flavor influences, namely barrel finishing.  Fully matured Woodford Reserve is put into three different cask types: maple, sherry and port.  This secondary maturation lasts a few months.  The barrels are then blended together and bottled.  The frosty part of the name comes from the Polar Vortex of 2013.  The original Master’s Collection Four Wood was exposed to the low temperatures, causing flocking, or mineral precipitation.  The distillers used a filtration technique that resulted in a fruit-forward flavor profile.

The nose is rich and fruity.  Dried fruit, sweet oak, and slightly burned toffee are the key players here.  I’ve never smelled so much fruit in a bourbon.  That fruit-forward profile also carries over onto the palate.  In addition to being the dominating flavors, dried berries and citrus provide richness here.  Cloves, corn, vanilla and toffee develop mid-palate.  A spicy yet slightly drying oak shows up for the medium finish.

I like this one.  It’s an interesting take on the Woodford Reserve profile.  The port, sherry and maple cask finish really give this bourbon a fruit-forward, rich profile, which is not how I would describe the standard Woodford Reserve expression.

(
8/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Woodford Reserve.)