Any Bourbon drinkers among us?

I normally avoid dairy products (except for blue cheese, I love blue cheese) but I may have to try this drink.

Its called AFTER MIDNIGHT

Ingredients​

Sounds like it might be damned good!

No Creme de Cacao in the house. No Half-and-Half in the house.

So I took an ice cube and put it into a glass with just a little bit of the KINGS COUNTY DISTILLERY bourbon.

What I thought was a bit too hot when sipped neat, but still an interesting bourbon, is not so interesting when dilluted with a partially melted ice cube.

I am going to bury the tiny bottle in the back of the liquor cabinet and bring this out some day well into the future to see if my opinion changes. As of now, this was an interesting experiment in bourbons, but not worth the high price tag. There are better bourbons to be had in this price range. There are better bourbons to be had at a lower price point.

Found a bottle of ELIJAH CRAIG "BARREL PROOF" last night. On my way home from the fencing club I stopped bymy local adult beverage shop, they only got an allocation of 3 bottles

Paid a bit over $40 for the bottle. Which is a fair price.

ELIJAH CRAIG "12" is a well respected modest price bourbon. The limited release "BARREL PROOF" variety is hard to find, some stores get it, most stores don't get any, and a few get a pretty good allocation. Reviews of the "BARREL PROOF" are generally very favorable and positive. I've been looking for the "BARREL PROOF" for a few months, ever since it was announed and released to the wild. All searching was in vein. Until today. In fact it fell off my radar.

I was greeted by the regular night clerk, he said to go back to the office, the owner had a bottle for me. It was the ELIJAH CRAIG "BARREL PROOF"

Not sure when I'll get around to cracking the seal. But I'm looking forward to that evening.


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Still looking for "Col E.H.Taylor CURED OAK" and also "I.W.HARPER 15 Year"

Doubt I'll ever get a bottle of the Taylor, I think it is long sold out.

Melensdad said:

Found a bottle of ELIJAH CRAIG "BARREL PROOF" last night. On my way home from the fencing club I stopped bymy local adult beverage shop, they only got an allocation of 3 bottles

Paid a bit over $40 for the bottle. Which is a fair price.

ELIJAH CRAIG "12" is a well respected modest price bourbon. The limited release "BARREL PROOF" variety is hard to find, some stores get it, most stores don't get any, and a few get a pretty good allocation. Reviews of the "BARREL PROOF" are generally very favorable and positive. I've been looking for the "BARREL PROOF" for a few months, ever since it was announed and released to the wild. All searching was in vein. Until today. In fact it fell off my radar.

I was greeted by the regular night clerk, he said to go back to the office, the owner had a bottle for me. It was the ELIJAH CRAIG "BARREL PROOF"

Not sure when I'll get around to cracking the seal. But I'm looking forward to that evening.


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Still looking for "Col E.H.Taylor CURED OAK" and also "I.W.HARPER 15 Year"

Doubt I'll ever get a bottle of the Taylor, I think it is long sold out.

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The Elijah 12 is what I keep for my house bourbon, and one of the few bourbons I enjoy. I live in Va, land of the standard brand only, so will have to wait to try the cask strength.

On 23rd May, the No 1 bottle of The Last Drop 50 Year Old was auctioned at a sale managed by Sotheby's Hong Kong. The rare whisky achieved great success among passionate bidders and sold for the record amount of HK$85,750 (UK£7,100; US$11,500)
The bottle was donated by Crown Wine Cellars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Crown Worldwide Group and all the proceeds will go to Hong Kong based Charity Sunchine Action.



http://www.lastdropdistillers.com/


Oh if only I could afford this......

jimbo said:

The Elijah 12 is what I keep for my house bourbon, and one of the few bourbons I enjoy. I live in Va, land of the standard brand only, so will have to wait to try the cask strength.

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EC12 is pretty good juice and its a good price too.

This cask strength Elijah Craig varies a bit from barrel to barrel, but its roughly 128 to 130 proof, which is roughly 50+% higher than standard EC12.

Flavors of cask strength tend to be bolder and more pronounced than the lower proof varieties, which are actually nothing more than cask strength that has been mixed with water to bring down the proof to (typically) 80, which is generally the 'standard' proof for bourbon. Depending upon brand, most bourbons are between 80 and 90 proof.

I found that I generally prefer the cask strength bourbons, usually with some ice. Add a cube or two and even when it melts down a bit its still got bolder flavors than the standard version of the same bourbon ... but it is also high proof so a little goes a long way since I do not like getting a 'buzz' when I drink I tend to be pretty skimpy with my portions of barrel proof varieties.

Had some good friends over to the house today, great conversation, excellent food (Texas BBQ brisket and smoked sausages flown up from Austin) and just a nice relaxing day. Now I'm sitting with a short glass of JEFFERSON'S OCEAN 'Aged At Sea' Voyage 4 bourbon.

Flew into Chicago from North Carolina this morning. There is a BINNY'S liquor store near O'Hare Airport (Oakbrook store) so I stopped in there on my way home.

They had plenty of Jefferson's Ocean Voyage 4, a good bit of I.W.Harper 15 year, 1 bottle of limited edition BOOKERS and quite a few oddities. Picked up 3 bottles. 2 of them are under $50.

Balcones Baby Blue from Waco, TX. Its supposed to be a fairly young bourbon, 3 or 4 years old. Its distilled from Blue Corn. Supposed to be just a bit different than others due to the blue corn used. Not sure if it is true. Review are very mixed. Its a Double Gold medal winner but also is regularly criticized. So I think its one of those where its up to the person drinking it to determine if they like it. ($49.95) I have been wanting to try this one out for a very long time but its nowhere to be found in my part of Indiana (and maybe not in the whole state).

KOVAL Single Barrel from Chicago. Its a young bourbon, aged in mini-barrels (5 gallons each) which is supposed to impart more barrel flavor into the bourbon because there is more bourbon in contact with the surface of the barrel. Mini barrels are gaining in popularity among micro-distillers who need to sell bourbon sooner and can't afford to age it for extended periods. Another bourbon that some love, some hate. Biggest criticism seems to be that it is just too young, yielding a slightly harsh bourbon. ($49.95) This is another one that I've wanted to try ever since hearing about it. I like to try 'local' brands and this one is probably the closest distiller to where I call home.

A.D. LAWS Four Grain was $79.95 and is from Denver, CO. The bourbon is made a mashbill of corn, wheat, rye and malted barley, all of which (except the corn) come from the Colorado Malting Company (the corn is from Wisconsin). Its aged 3 years and they claim that the aging of the bourbon at the high altitude with the mountain weather patterns is supposed to lend different flavors to the bourbon. Everyone claims something. But it is generally very well reviewed. Its been one that I figured if I ever found, I would try. Its the flagship whiskey from AD LAWS, supposed to be their best. Looking forward to trying it.







Decided to crack open the BALCONES BABY BLUE this evening.

Its a 92 proof, caramel colored drink with the most bizarre aroma for any whiskey I've ever tested.

I've wanted to try the Balcones Baby Blue since it was introduced but its not to be found in my state. Glad I picked it up when I was driving out of the airport because I just cracked open the bottle and this stuff is actually pretty interesting. Very different. The aroma is unlike any whiskey product that I've ever tried. It hits you in the nose with the aroma of fermented soured corn, vanilla and alcohol.

The flavor is almost savory on the front of the mouth that turns into a spice at the back, a mild lingering burn on the finish. Its a bizarre experience, not in a bad way. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I love it or that it is great. I'm saying it is very different. I do like it for what it is. And its actually easy to drink. I'd rate it as "OK" not great, but certainly it is very unusual and that makes it special. Not something I'd pick up daily, but I think it is a good addition to the cabinet.

Been a tough day. Went to a memorial service that was one of the worst I've ever attended. It was for the mother of my favorite fencing student who died in a car crash with my student driving the car her mom died in (but apparently the crash was not the fault of my student).

So I sat down with a small bit of the KOVAL Single Barrel bourbon.

This is a bourbon that tastes as if it is barely aged, but done in 5 gallon mini-barrels. The theory behind the mini-barrel is that it exposes more bourbon to the surface area of the barrel than in the traditional 53 gallon barrels. This exposure is supposed to age the bourbon faster. That is the theory. After tasting this bourbon I believe that theory can be safely de-bunked and considered nothing more than a failed theory.

Its a medium amber color with a strong aroma. The aroma of alcohol and vanilla leap out of the bottle, its a strong powerful scent. Let it air out in a glass for a while and it tames the aroma down a bit ... or perhaps your scent receptors are just burned out by the strong aroma and you lose your scence of smell? After sitting in a glass for 10 minutes the aroma is mild and pleasant.

Trying it neat if you like to get assaulted by a harsh, young, corn forward flavored bourbon that is somewhat spicy then this is your bourbon. It just tastes like it needs more time in the warehouse aging in charred oak barrels, as if it is unfinished. The spice hits your tongue and burns on the way down to your belly, its a moderately long finish that is moderately hot but not overwhelmingly hot. The corn flavor fades, the vanilla scent you smell is never tasted or maybe its overwhelmed. I guess I'm saying it could be worse, but it also is not all that good.

I added a bit of water to the remainig KOVAL Single Barrel bourbon that was in the glass and it really tamed down the harshness but the spice remained. This is a 94 proof bourbon so adding the water probably droppd it down to roughly 65 proof? Its much better watered down, the harsh flavor is mellowed and the overwhelming corn is now acceptable. Its still a bit harsh with a spicy burn, the spice in the mouth seems to linger on the finish and the burn continues so that wasn't tamed. But overall its a better bourbon. I could almost like this over ice, if I drank bourbon over ice.

I'm not saying this is the worst bourbon I've had, that distinction goes to Journeyman's. Heck I'd probably choose this over Jim Beam White Label too, but that is because that bourbon (like some other mass market bourbons) lacks body and flavor. But I'm not really saying this is very good bourbon either. Its not. It should probably be relegated to mixed drinks where it is diluted a bit and tamed by other flavors in the mixed cocktail.

My opinons are worth what you paid for them, but if you see KOVAL Single Barrel on the shelf you may want to walk to the opposite side of the aisle so you are not tempted to waste your money on this one. Unless you really like young, corn flavored, harsh bourbons with lots of mouth tingle and moderate burn or you normally water down your bourbon with ice.

I don't think this has been posted.

Neat: The Story of Bourbon - Documentary coming in 2016


Film Trailer:
https://youtu.be/ADkEGmTqsXQ

Drinking 3 nights in a row, that is a rarity for me, but I bought 3 new bottles and wanted to try each one.

So far I've had the Koval Single Barrel, which was more than disappointing. Not too bad over ice, but not worth the cost, and clearly proof that the mini-barrel aging concept doesn't work well. There was also the very differnt Balcones Baby Blue, the odd smelling, odd tasting bourbon that is actually pretty interesting. Its also not great, but its worth trying, if for no other reason than to try it out.

Tonight is the A.D. LAWS Four Grain Bourbon which has a better reputation than the others, and a higher price tag on the bottle too. This is a light amber colored bourbon with an aroma of alcohol and not much else.

Take a sip into your mouth and this is a spicy, sharp flavored bourbon, but not harsh and not bad. In fact its pretty darn good if you enjoy spicy flavors. The finish is long and fairly hot, so when you combine the hot finish with the sharp spicy flavorings it is pretty clear that this is not a bourbon for the meek and timid. That does not mean you should be afraid of this bourbon, it just means that its got some boldness to it and you need to like that type of beverage if you are going to drink this neat.

Adding a bit of water to the small amount that was remaining in the glass I brought it up to my nose and was able to detect a much sweeter aroma, which was completely absent before it was slightly diluted.

The water totally tamed down the sharpness and spice of this bourbon. All of a sudden this became a very mild, very tame drink with no traces of the sharpness that could turn off the timid drinker. There was still a long lingering finish but the burn was more of a mellow warmth, like standing a few feet away from a fireplace on a winter day. Its not hot, but it gently warms. Take a bigger sip and you can get some of those peppery spices and a little of the sharpness to return, but its still a lot tamer than when it was neat. If a bit of pepper and sharp spice is your bag then this is your bourbon.

I have to say I very much like this. Its good neat. Its a little better tamed down with a bit of melted ice. Sharp spicy bourbons are not my first choice but this one is good enough to go back for more. Just under $80 a bottle makes A.D. LAWS Four Grain Bourbon hard to go back to very often, but its not a bad choice to add to your premium shelf if you can find it.

Had a tough week. Tonight I relax.

Limited edition release of Filibuster Bourbon, triple casked, sherry finished and barrel proof.

Went out to dinner with my wife, the restaurant had LIVER & ONIONS on the menu. So I feasted on that, then came home to a little bit of the 2014 limited edition Old Forester Birthday Bourbon:

Last evening's pour in an etched Glencairn glass that reads: "Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough" -- Mark Twain

Friday evenings are made for bourbons like this...

My wife threatened to give away some of my bourbon. She says I have too many bottles.

Clearly this evening's pour of an autographed bottle proves that I have too FEW

New Holland Brewery's Beer Barrel Bourbon, its not serious, its not expensive, and certainly not exclusive. But its a tasty little drink that I have as one of my go-to bourbons for when I don't know what I want, or when I don't have a specific taste for something.

Its good, its distilled in southern Indiana, shipped in trucks up to New Holland, Michigan where it is finished in "Dragon's Milk" beer barrels and its just an easy to drink, easy to enjoy bourbon.

Temperance Traders ... on 'close out' for $19

1792 Sweet Wheat ... on allocation in NWI, next to impossible to find, paid $32

Hibiki 17 ... very hard to find unless you are on a wait list, the 2 younger varieties are fairly common and in the $65 to $90 range, the 17 year old variety is a lot more special

Wild Turkey Master's Keep ... Lot 1, 17 year ... heavily allocated wait list item, same price range as the Hibiki 17

Looking forward to breaking the seal on one of these tonight!

Trying a little bit of the 17 year old Hibiki from Japan. It is their flagship bourbon, they have 2 other, younger offerings as well.

The color is lighter and more golden in color than any of the American offerings I have in my cabinet. For such an old drink to be so light in color it must have a very light char on the oak barrels. On the nose I immediately pick up vanilla and a little honey, followed by an alcohol scent.

Taking the first sip I am overwhelmed by how sweet this is in the mouth. It continues to taste sweet on the tip of the tongue and even as it transitions to the back of the mouth. Its not sweet in a bad way but rather in a very good way. When you swallow it it has a very long very mild heat that just lasts. You then get some tingle on your lips, but its not harsh. The lip tingle fades away after a while but the lingerly belly heat (I will not refer to it as a burn) continues.

The second sip is a repeat of the first, but I detect a slight tannic flavor on the back of the mouth.

This is probably the smoothest whiskey I've ever tried.

And given the pricetag of this bottle I am not going to bother to dilute it with an ice cube. There is no need. Its certainly in a rare class, not just because of the high price tag, but also because of how smooth and how unusual it is. If you run across it and the price tag doesn't scare you away then buy it. But you won't find it too many places. For the most part this is a 'back room' stash that the owner reserves for special customers, regular patrons, etc. Some big retailers may have it on the shelf, or more likely in a glass case.




EDIT:

Just a follow up on this Hibiki. It is not a strong or robustly flavored drink. Its very different, smooth, subtle in flavors. If Bookers has a bold flavor then Hibiki 17 has soft flavors in comparison. It is good. It is different. I'm not convinced it is a great drink, but it might be.

A new release so its hard to find, but I suspect it will become more common with time. Its the wheat bourbon version of Ridgemont Reserve's 1972 called "SWEET WHEAT" and runs just a bit north of $30 a bottle.

To my nose it has a strong alcohol scent, very strong! In fact it overwhelms the mild scent of vanilla. The color is a golden color.

On the tongue it goes in sweet, just like the name, but once it passes the tip of the tongue is gets a bit aserbic toward the back of the mouth. Once it goes down it burns. Its not super hot, but there is a noticable burn. I was really looking forward to another "wheated" bourbon at a modest price, something to compete with Makers Mark, Larceny and the offerings from Weller.

Let's just say I'm underwhelmed and disappointed. I'll try it again another day.

A lady friend stopped by last night with a gift of Jim Beam. I know it is not the best, but was a nice gift anyway.

MrLiberty said:

A lady friend stopped by last night with a gift of Jim Beam. I know it is not the best, but was a nice gift anyway.

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Jim Beam is far more popular than any of the brands I have been reviewing so there is obviously something good inside that bottle.

Congrats on the gift

Got a touch of the flu so I've stayed away from the liquor cabinet.

But I'd like to raise a glass to this 109 year old lady from England

From the Thrillist website I submit: https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nat...ys-whiskey-is-the-secret-to-long-life?share=c

I hear this one goes down easy, its a little dirty, kinda cheap and it is rumored to be pumpkin spice flavored and come with some UGGs

The "Glencairn" glass is the traditional whiskey glass for sipping scotch/whiskey/bourbon neat. The "Old Fashioned" glass is the traditional choice for drinking your scotch/whiskey/bourbon with a splash of water or a bit of ice. Tulip shaped glasses with a bowl and an outward flute to the rim have been designed by Riedel for sipping whiskey. Glasses have been designed to focus the aromas with various bowl shapes.

Waterford has come out with premium versions of their takes on these types of glasses. All are small, roughly 6 to 7 ounces if filled to the rim, but they are not designed to be filled.

I've been partial to the "Glencairn" style glass and have several. In the photo, the first glass is Waterford's take on a footed Glencairn glass. I was tempted to buy that one, but I've opted to try out the #3 glass in the photo, with the upright shape and outward flute on the rim as several of the new designs seem to indicate that the fluted rim allows the aroma to be focused to the nose, so that is the one I have on order. The other two designs are made for drinking whiskies 'on the rocks' or with a splash of water.

Specifically Waterford claims this about the glass I have on order:

Ran across this article this morning and I knew exactly where I was going to put it.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddri...bons-for-under-dollar100/ss-AAeCuu1?ocid=iehp

MrLiberty said:

Ran across this article this morning and I knew exactly where I was going to put it.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddri...bons-for-under-dollar100/ss-AAeCuu1?ocid=iehp

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Great list. I wish it went into a bit more detail about how they rated them, but still a nice list. Heck it could be a Christmas list for a lucky guy.

Lots of bourbons in that list that I have never seen, nor even heard of. Some on the list were a surprise, some missing from the list were surprising too.

My new sipping glasses arrived today when the big brown truck pulled into the driveway.

Just for comparison, I snapped a photo of one of them, next to my favorite Glencairn glass. These glasses each hold roughly the same capacity, at roughly 6 oz each. I will be curious to see if the aroma is focused like the traditional Glencairn glass. Several of the new whiskey glass designs have a flared rim like this one and SOME people seem to think this design may be an improvement. Time will tell.

Testing out the new sipping tumbler with some of Col EH Taylor's best single barrel 100 proof bourbon.

Its very interesting with the flared lip, you get the sensation of intaking air along with the bourbon because of the lip shape. The Canadian Whiskey glasses also have a flared lip, as do the Riedel whiskey tasting glasses. I think I like this glass shape very much. But I do not get quite the aroma out of this glass that I get from the Glencairn shape, so there is a trade off.

People argue over which is the best shape glass for drinking various whiskey types (whisky, whiskey, bourbon, rye, scotch) so I figured I'd do a non-scientific taste test. I typically sip bourbon whiskey and do so straight/neat.

My favorite glass has traditionally been the Glencairn, which is the classic glass shape, narrow at the top, its supposed to focus the aroma. Recently several companies have come out with flaired rim glasses and Canadian whiskey companies have chosen a flaired rim as the official glass for their version. Scotch and bourbon companies seem to stick with the narrow Glencairn. But premium wine glass maker Riedel recommends a flaired lip for all whiskey types.

Hmmm, what to do what to do? So I bought a flaired lip glass to test against the Glencairn shape. Poured a bit of bourbon into each and cozied into my favorite leather chair

As for aroma, I pick up a stronger aroma from the Glencairn but also pick up the scent of alcohol ... while in the flaired lip glass the aroma is milder and also the alcohol scent is almost non-existent. No matter how far I stick my nose into the flaired lip glass I have only the mildest scent of alcohol while it is ever present over the Glencairn.

Taking sips from each glass yield slighly different taste experiences too! The flaired lip glass tends to put your sip onto your tongue and wash it down the sides while the Glencairn glass tends to have the sip come in contact with the very tip of your tongue. High school biology class taught me that different parts of the tongue sense sweet, spice, etc. And these glasses prove that true.

Honestly, I'd have called all this bupkus before this experiment, but this cheap bottle of bourbon both smelled better and tasted good from the flaired lip glass and not quite so good from the Glencairn ... I can only suggest that that is because of the particular flavors of this bourbon and the way each glass has it hit your tongue.

Other bourbons, ryes, scotches will have to be tested and I suspect that each flavor profile will favor one glass over the other. I also suspect that everyone will have totally different opinions on this because each of us favor different flavors.