Jefferson’s Ocean, Batch 19

Posted on March 9, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

Sku, the source of my sample, reviewed this bourbon on Monday. He’s forgotten more about bourbon than I know but I’m going to follow his review anyway. If nothing else, I will give you more than the four nouns and two adjectives that Sku shared with us (he’s not paid by the word there).

As to whether the makers of Jefferson’s Ocean, one of the most preposterous brands in the recent history of American whiskey (that’s saying something), deserve more than four nouns and two adjectives I don’t know. They probably don’t. They started out with a ridiculous concept and have somehow managed to squeeze another 20 releases out of it. Is each batch aged on a boat on a different ocean? Is one of them the Salton Sea? Or did they play Billy Ocean’s greatest hits to the maturing barrels? We will never know. Or care. Continue reading →

Col. E.H. Taylor, Bourbon and the Problem of Tradition

Posted on February 27, 2016, 15:00 by My Annoying Opinions

Indeed.

Here is my threatened follow-up post on some of the issues that came up when I was idly looking up the history of Colonel E.H. Taylor for my review of his namesake Small Batch bourbon released by Buffalo Trace. Before I get into it, let me first say what this is not and what it is.

It is not scholarship or even journalism: if I were doing either of those things I would spend months or weeks researching the subject. I would read every book on bourbon history to see to what extent and how this material has already been written about; I would investigate the archives of the distilleries and of the relevant locations (Frankfort, KY, for example); I would read historical studies of the Civil War and Reconstruction; I would interview experts like Chuck Cowdery, Mike Veach and Reid Mitenbuler. I have done none of these things because this is not scholarship or even journalism (and should not be confused with or held to the standards of those enterprises).

What this is is a blog post: it’s exploratory, it’s speculative, it’s a clearing of space in my own head which might possibly lead to more detailed exploration down the road or it might not; hopefully it will invite responses from people who can fill in all the things I would know if I’d done the research and point me to other places to look; and, even if it’s all redundant, hopefully it will spur some discussion: there are subjects which even if already known benefit from regular discussion and I think this might be one of them.

Continue reading →

E.H. Taylor Cured Oak, 17 yo

Posted on February 26, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

Here is another bourbon from Buffalo Trace’s E.H. Taylor line. In my review on Wednesday of the Small Batch release in the line, and in the comments posted later, I made some observations about aspects of the history of the man whose name is on this series, Col. E.H. Taylor. I’d thought that I’d expand on and clarify some of those thoughts a little more in the introduction to this review but I think I’m actually going to put that in a separate post later today or this weekend. So if you’re interested in that please come back then.

For now here is a review of the 17 yo E.H. Taylor Cured Oak. It is so called because the staves used for the barrels in which it is matured are cured for much longer than the usual period; this is said by the distillery to result in richer oak flavours. With my sensitivity to overbearing oak, this is not very encouraging, and nor is Sku’s review, which stresses the oak. Well, let’s see what it’s like. Continue reading →

E.H. Taylor Small Batch, “Bottled in Bond”

Posted on February 24, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

E.H. Taylor is one of Buffalo Trace’s many brands. I know that it’s named for one of the important figures in the early bourbon industry, Col. E.H. Taylor, who in the 1860s purchased a distillery that eventually became Buffalo Trace. Taylor, who was born in 1832, was related to both Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis. We’re talking Civil War-era here and Zachary Taylor, though a Whig, was a slaveholder himself; and so I found it “interesting” that both Buffalo Trace’s website and the internets in general are a little skimpy on details on E.H. Taylor’s history prior to the end of the Civil War. Where the rank came from is not clear. Sku tells me, however, that Chuck Cowdery’s book Bourbon Straight, which I should really read one of these years, notes that Taylor was a purchasing agent on the Union side during the Civil War. So no messy skeleton then in the distillery’s cupboard, though it’s also curious that they don’t play up the fact that one of their forerunners was on the right side of history there. Or maybe not (please see the comments for more on this subject that I found well after writing up the above). Continue reading →

Four Roses Single Barrel (1789b for Paws & Claws)

Posted on February 22, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

Let’s keep the bourbon reviews going a little longer, and let’s stick with the highly useful reviews of bourbons that are no longer available and were not widely available in the first place. This Four Roses single barrel was another bottling by the secret society 1789b—they who are the keepers of the True Cross and guardians of the location of the only known copy of the suppressed Hardy Boys mystery, The Secret of the Warren Commission. No, the “Paws & Claws” bit doesn’t refer to the exciting activities they get up to at group meetings on full moon nights: I’m told proceeds from this bottling (or some fraction thereof) benefited the animal rescue group, Paws & Claws. That’s a good thing.

On the label it says this is 9 years and 8 months old. That’s a longer way of saying it’s 9 years old. Continue reading →

Willett 11, Barrel 2364 (for the Wine and Cheese Place)

Posted on February 19, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

Here is another Willett. This one was bottled in 2013, not for a double secret society but for a liquor store in Missouri. It’s a bit older than Wednesday’s Willett and not at a ludicrous strength, and not, as far as I know, wheated. That’s as much as I (sort of) know. So let’s get right to it.

Willett 11 (58.55%; barrel 2364 for the Wine and Cheese Place; from a sample received in a swap).

Careful observers will note that while I have the abv at 58.55% the sample label says 58.6. 58.55% is the correct strength. The source of the sample, Florin, is a statistician and therefore opposed to mere accuracy: he rounded up. Continue reading →

Willett 8, Barrel 1434, Wheated

Posted on February 17, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

I know nothing about this whiskey except that it was bottled by Willett/KBD but was not distilled by them—as it’s not possible for them to release a 8 yo whiskey distilled by them for a few more years yet. What the source is, I don’t know. Sku, the source of the unusually cleanly labeled sample, probably knows but he’s a surly sort, best not engaged unless you really have to, and a cursory search on Google did not turn anything up. The fact that it’s a wheated bourbon probably narrows the options but not for someone like me who knows very little about the ins and outs of the American whiskey industry. If you know more about this please chime in below.

Also please write in if you know what “1789b” refers to on the sample label. That I have seen listed on some other Willett labels too. Continue reading →

Elijah Craig 18

Posted on February 15, 2016, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

The Elijah Craig 12 is one of the great values in American whiskey—or at least it used to be. Heaven Hill, which used to make it, has dropped the age statement and it is now NAS (please read Sku on the slimy way Heaven Hill went around denying this was going to happen before it happened). This is now a good time to remember Heaven Hill’s recent history with the 18 yo. When it was discontinued in 2012 we were told the usual story about limited aged stocks. Skeptics noted that the discontinuation of the 18 yo was accompanied by the introduction of a limited release 20 yo and then a 21 yo that cost more than twice as much (so much for limited aged stocks). Then in 2015 Heaven Hill brought the 18 yo back but didn’t bring the old price back. Instead the official price of the new 18 yo is about the same as that 20 yo’s (though most stores are currently asking for a LOT more)—presumably helping justify the even higher price of the 23 yo that they’ve also managed to introduce despite all that pressure on their aged stocks… American whisky has well and truly gone crazy, hasn’t it? I guess everybody is trying to keep up with the Van Winkles. Continue reading →

Elmer T. Lee

Posted on December 23, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

I’ve barely reviewed any American whiskey in the last three months or so: just the port cask finished Heaven Hill and the Pikesville Rye 6, 110 Proof. So, this is a good time to take a bourbon break in the midst of all these single malt reviews. I have today the Elmer T. Lee. This sample was acquired from the meticulous Michael K. and so I can tell you that it was bottled this year. It is a single barrel release though so there’s no guarantee that one you might find will be exactly or very much like this one, but I suspect the blenders at Buffalo Trace (where this is made) are pretty good at maintaining the profiles of all their different labels/brands. What they’re not good at, apparently, is putting barrel information on the labels for Elmer T. Lee; the bottle code for this one, for what it’s worth, is B1505421:29K. Michael K. tells me that the mashbill for what goes into Elmer T. Lee is 15% rye and further that this is apparently one of Buffalo Trace’s higher rye mashbills. Continue reading →

Breckenridge Bourbon

Posted on September 28, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

I know almost nothing about the Breckenridge distillery from the town of the same name in Colorado. I got this sample from Michael K. at Diving for Pearls and so the following information is from his review. There is some confusion over the source of the whiskey in the bottle (it may just be easier with newer American distilleries to note when this is not the case). The distillery originally bottled bourbon distilled in Kentucky while waiting for their own distillate to come on line; around the time they bottled this one (in 2012, I think) they were apparently in the process of transitioning over from a mix of sourced bourbon and their own distillate to bottling only their own distillate. As to whether what they’re selling now is uncontroversially their own distillate I have no idea. Still, it’s notable that a) they are in fact making their own whiskey now and b) their sourced bourbon wasn’t from Indiana. These facts, alone or in combination, distinguish them from most American “craft” distillers. But is what’s in the bottle distinguished in anyway? Let’s see. Continue reading →

Russell’s Reserve 10

Posted on July 27, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

For the benefit of those who know even less about bourbon than I do: Russell’s Reserve is a Wild Turkey product, named for their master distiller, Jimmy Russell. The series was first launched in 1999, I believe. I call it a series because there have been and are a number of different releases from Wild Turkey with the Russell’s Reserve name on them. In addition to this 10 yo bourbon, there’s a 6 yo rye available now, for instance; and there has also been a single barrel release of the bourbon (plus store exclusive versions). And, I believe there have been other bottle and label designs as well (and possibly other strengths as well). Those who know more about the ins and outs of the series/name should kindly write in below.

Anyway, as always, please take this bourbon review with an extra pinch of salt. Bourbon is a side-interest for me; while I do enjoy it, I very much approach it with the biases and filters of a single malt drinker.

Continue reading →

Maker’s Mark, Cask Strength

Posted on July 13, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

I reviewed the regular Maker’s Mark a while ago and didn’t particularly care for it. In the wake of that review, a number of people noted that the new’ish cask strength Maker’s Mark was far superior; and Eric Burke, of the excellent Bourbon Guy blog, offered me a sample from his bottle. I’m always willing to drink free whisky and a bonus, of course, is that if I liked it the batch it came from would be locally available—Eric is a fellow resident of the satellite regions of the Twin Cities (though his address is not quite as rural as mine). I offered him a single malt as a token of appreciation—he agreed gingerly (he’s apparently really not a Scotch guy) and eventually we met up drug dealer/customer-style in a Costco parking lot to exchange what anyone who saw us closely probably thought were urine samples. That was almost three weeks ago and here I am now with a review. I did not look at Eric’s own notes till I’d gotten mine down but here is the link to his own (far less verbose) review (at the bottom after an account of a distillery visit). Continue reading →

Parker’s Heritage 2012, Master Distiller’s Blend of Mashbills

Posted on February 13, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

parkersheritage2012
Rounding out a week of special release bourbons from some of the most famous American distilleries here is my review of the 2012 release in Heaven Hill’s Parker’s Heritage series (so named for their now-retired master distiller, Parker Beam). The real story here, of course, is the unusually presentable sample label from Sku.

This is only my second outing with Parker’s Heritage. I loved the 2013 release (the “Promise of Hope“) and after tasting the sample I reviewed I went out and purchased a bottle—it was still on shelves in Minnesota in early 2014. But by the end of the year the annual release hype included the not very cult-friendly Heaven Hill as well and it goes without saying that I didn’t even catch a glimpse of the 2014 edition.

This I’m told is a blend of 11 yo barrels of bourbon with rye in the mashbill that usually goes into Elijah Craig and Evan Williams and 11 yo barrels of bourbon made with wheat in place of rye in the mashbill that usually goes into Old Fitzgerald. I’ve never actually had any Old Fitzgerald but that’s neither here nor there. (Here is Sku’s review, by the way—this is from his more voluble period.)
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George T. Stagg, 2013 Release

Posted on February 11, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

Here in a very timely manner is my review of the George T. Stagg from Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection release for 2013. Along with the Eagle Rare 17 it is the straight ahead bourbon in that collection—I believe they’re made from the same mashbill; someone who understands these things better will surely be along shortly to explain what the differences between the two whiskies are (other than the Stagg’s always massive abv—though this 2013 release didn’t get as close to 70%, or above, as some others have).

I’ve previously reviewed the 2010 and 2011 releases, both of which I liked very much indeed. I don’t believe I even bothered trying to locate any of the series in 2013. Anyway, complaining about how annoying the mania around the various American whiskey unicorns has gotten is now annoying as that mania itself. And I suppose if I really wanted to take a genuine stand against participating in this hype and all the folly attendant on it I would stop reviewing these bottles altogether. And so I will stop here and get straight to the review.

I got this sample from Michael K. His review is here.

Continue reading →

George Dickel 14 (for Park Avenue Liquor)

Posted on February 6, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

On Wednesday I had a review of the Ace Spirits exclusive George Dickel 9; here now is my review of the Park Avenue Liquors George Dickel 14. This was released in 2013 (at the front-end, seemingly, of the Dickel private barrel program. It is five years older than the Ace Spirits barrel and has a slightly higher abv. I drank this right after its younger “sibling”. Let’s get straight to it.

George Dickel 14 (53%; bottled in 2014 for Park Avenue Liquor; from a sample received in a swap)

Nose: Not a million miles from the Ace Spirits 9 yo at first with corn sweetness and some caramel. It’s softer though with a little more vanilla, a bit of maple and some toasted wood. After few minutes I get some fruit as well—plum?—and a bit of graphite (pencil lead). With a lot more time the maple notes really expand (more maple smoke than syrup) and there’s a hint of nutmeg and a bit of ginger. With water the pencil lead/graphite really jumps out at first and then the fruit expands too.

Continue reading →

George Dickel 9 (for Ace Spirits)

Posted on February 4, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

George Dickel is a Diageo brand, like Bulleit, and it is a Tennessee whiskey. Which is to say it is bourbon run through the “Lincoln County process”, i.e it is filtered through charcoal after distillation. There is also a George Dickel rye, but that’s actually made by MGP in Indiana, though also filtered through charcoal. The bourbon is, as far as I know, made entirely in Tennessee.

Private barrels of George Dickel began to be made available to various stores around the country last year. Some released 9 yo barrels and some released 14 yo barrels. I believe all the 9 yo barrels were at one strength and all the 14 yo’s at another. I”ll be reviewing a 14 yo from the venerable Park Avenue Liquor in Manhattan soon, but first up is this 9 yo from the upstart Twin Cities store, Ace Spirits (owned by the same people behind Merwin’s). It’s never entirely clear how extensive the process for barrel selection by stores is—I don’t know if they picked this from a broad or narrow range of samples; I’m assuming, of course, that no one actually went down to the distillery’s warehouses and selected from the barrels aging there. (The distillery, by the way, is Cascade Hollow—George Dickel is a brand name.) But if the bourbon’s good, who the hell cares what the selection process was?

Continue reading →

Faultline Bourbon (Smooth Ambler)

Posted on February 2, 2015, 7:00 by My Annoying Opinions

I don’t really know much about the ins and outs of the American whiskey world (“makes perfect sense that you’d do a whole month of American whiskey reviews then,” ed.) and I’m not even sure who or what Smooth Ambler is. Smooth Operator’s more leisurely sibling? Eric Ambler’s porn name? Anyway, I got this sample from Sku on my recent trip to LA and from his typically verbose review I gather that some entity named Smooth Ambler put together this bourbon for K&L’s Faultline label from two MGP bourbons—one from a low rye mashbill and one from a high rye mashbill; and it was doubtless the greatest bourbon ever in at least one excited email from David Driscoll.

Anyway, this been has an entirely pointless and almost entirely content-free introduction—though hopefully I’ve caused at least one of you to look up Eric Ambler.

Continue reading →