Bourbon

Four Roses 2016 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon Review

Photo courtesy: Four Roses

One of the more anticipated fall bourbon releases is Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batches.  Four Roses produces 10 distinct bourbon recipes using two different mash bills and five different strains of yeast.  If you want to learn more about each recipe, visit the distillery’s website.  Their standard Small Batch is made up of four of the ten recipes.  This year’s Limited Edition is comprised of three: a 12-year-old OESO, 12-year-old OBSV, and 16-year-old OESK.  Also of note is the proof.  Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon is bottled at cask strength of 55.9% abv, or 111.8 proof.  Only 9,258 bottles will be available in the U.S. market.  Let’s get to it.

On the nose, cinnamon apples and spice cake waft out of the glass first.  They are followed by burnt orange peel, toffee and a touch of tobacco.  I love the journey this whiskey takes you on.  First, there’s an initial burst of sweet caramel.  Then, the spices ramp up – cinnamon, clove, and cayenne pepper.  Next a vanilla creaminess quenches the fire, so to speak.  Finally, the long finish is full of sweet orange candy and some rye sharpness.  There’s lots going on here.

Master Distiller Brent Elliott came up with a great combination of ages and recipes for this year’s lucious edition.  It’s different from last year’s solid release, showing these guys can make lots of quality whiskey.  Very well done.  I don’t have to tell you to pick one up if you see it.  You already knew that.  9/10

Thanks to Four Roses for the sample.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

David Nicholson Reserve Bourbon Review

A new expression under the David Nicholson banner, David Nicholson Reserve carries a traditional corn-rye-barley mash bill compared to the standard wheated David Nicholson 1843.  Luxco has owned the brand since 2000.  This new variant hit shelves this past summer for a suggest price of $34.99 – $39.99.  I’m not too familiar with the David Nicholson brand.  Writer Chuck Cowdery has a great article giving a bit of brand history.

There’s a sweet and spicy nose here, dominated by brown sugar, cinnamon, and buttered corn with undertones of toasted rye bread and black cherry.  Taste-wise, sweet brown sugar, sharp rye grain and sugared orange peel are followed by spicy cinnamon bark.  Then, maraschino cherries emerge mid-palate.  Some oak tannins and barrel char finish things off, alongside a medium-length semi-sweet finish.

Why one David Nicholson expression carries a wheated mashbill and the other a rye-based mashbill is beyond me.  It would be like if WL Weller Special Reserve being a wheater and their 12-year being a rye-based bourbon (that’s not the case).  It makes no sense.  And before you ask – yes, Luxco has sourced this whiskey.  It’s a pretty open secret, and at this point doesn’t really matter.  Regardless, I like what’s going on here, especially for the price. It’s a great sipping bourbon with some complexity and just enough flavor and depth to keep you coming back. In other words, I could drink this all day.

8/10

Thanks to Luxco for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Review

Photo courtesy of Buffalo Trace


Autumn used to mean a crispness in the air… leaves turning colors…  Now, it’s associated with the release limited edition whiskies.  One of the big dogs is the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.  Five whiskies are released each year at various ages and proofs.  This year’s releases are priced at $90 (good luck finding at bottle anywhere near that price).  Let’s break down the collection:

Sazerac 18

Barrels for this were laid down in the spring of 1998, when I was graduating high school.  Yikes!  This is the first release in years that doesn’t come from a vatted tank.  Damn close to previous bottlings. Compared to the vatted releases, the new 2016 feels slightly fresher in the nose. It doesn’t have as sharp the rye spice. It’s still as rich as ever: Freshly grated ginger, coffee cake, cinnamon sugar, clove and allspice. On the palate, the aged rye grain provides a bit of zest and slight sharpness to an otherwise rich whiskey. Notes of Christmas cake, cinnamon, dark brown sugar dominate alongside the sharp rye. On the backend, the long maturation starts to show its hand with some tannins and a bit of oak spice. The finish is not as long as I’d like, but nice. Some semi-sweet/spicy nutmeg and candied ginger lead to a dry finish. I agree with Whisky Advocate’s John Hansell in that this new bottling isn’t as dry as previous releases, and comes across as a tad sweeter. To me, the oak really starts to show itself on the back palate. This is one whiskey that’s hard not to like. When it comes to well-aged rye whiskies, Sazerac 18 is still king. 9/10


Eagle Rare 17

Aged 17 years, Eagle Rare 17 is the oldest bourbon in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. I tend to describe Eagle Rare 17 as an elegant sipper, and this year’s release lives up to that description. Old leather jacket, tobacco, and slightly burnt caramel lead the nose, with a touch of oak and spice just underneath. On the palate, dried fruits and dark caramel provide some sweetness, which is tempered by baking spices and slightly drying oak tannins. There’s a little vanilla to be had with some airtime. The finish is long, spicy and dry. This year’s bottling doesn’t come across as oak-heavy as last year’s, but make no mistake: oak is still a major player here.  8.5/10

George Stagg

The 2015 edition of George T. Stagg was my favorite whiskey last year. How does this one compare? For starters, it comes in at a whopping 72.05% abv, or 144.1 proof. The semisweet nose carries concentrated aromas of dark cherries, espresso, vanilla bean and cola. Taste-wise, we’re talking chocolate covered cherries, cigar box, dark brown sugar and a sort of sweet oak. Those oak tannins take hold, and the whiskey becomes a bit dry leading into the long, semi-sweet/dry finish. Oak is a more dominant note here compared to last year’s release, but the whiskey not as disappointing as other reviewers have made it out to be. An oak-heavy George Stagg still carries itself with more high esteem than say, Orphan Barrel’s Forged Oak or Rhetoric.  8/10


William Larue Weller

William Larue Weller is always a hot seller amongst bourbon collectors. It comes in at 12 years and 7 months old, which many consider a “sweet spot” in terms of aging. This year’s release is 135.4 proof. Weller is always a solid release. The fact that it shares the same wheated recipe as the Van Winkle bourbons makes this one almost as impossible to find. The nose is rich and robust, with sweet caramel, dark fruits, toasted oak and vanilla. On the palate, juicy dark fruits mingle with brown sugar, vanilla, and some allspice. A touch of oak shows up on the backend, adding a hint of cinnamon. The finish is sweet and long, urging you to take another sip. This one’s a keeper!  8.5/10


Thomas H. Handy

Thomas H. Handy is the odd man out in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Whereas the other whiskies are 12, 15, 17 and 18 years old, Handy comes in at a mere six years of age. It’s basically the barrel proof version of Buffalo Trace’s Sazerac Rye whiskey. I have a bottle of the 2013 release open at the house, and I enjoy it from time to time. This year’s release comes across as young. Those sharp rye and dill aromas are in charge here. Some light caramel and cloves round out the nose. It smells young-ish. It tastes like it smells, unfortunately. An initial sweet caramel candy note kicks off the palate, followed by dill, toasted rye bread, and cinnamon. The finish is a touch fiery, and leaves a pleasing sweet and spicy flavor. I hate to say this, but I’m not a fan of this year’s Handy. It just feels young and disjointed. Ten times out of ten I’ll reach for Heaven Hill’s Pikesville Rye at almost half the retail price of this. My 2013 bottling of Thomas H. Handy blows this one out of the water.  6.5/10

My favorite of the bunch is still Sazerac 18.  Buffalo Trace did a fantastic job with this release, along with Weller and Eagle Rare.  George Stagg isn’t as good as last year’s phenomenal release, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad.  This year’s slightly oak-heavy release still comes with a recommendation.