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Any Bourbon drinkers among us?
- Thread starter Melensdad
- Start date
SIL brought some Knob Creek to a weekend get away to Cinci. We played Uker and I sipped some over ice, and with a little water. Really liked it. So much that I bought a bottle a few weeks ago and it's been my go to for the past few weeks. I normally will hit the Makers Mark but it sits while I'm hitting on the Knob Creek. 
https://www.yahoo.com/food/workers-busted-for-allegedly-stealing-barrels-of-117006802221.html
Melensdad, did you happen to get in on this deal? Great prices while it lasted.
Melensdad, did you happen to get in on this deal? Great prices while it lasted.
I couldn't drink a barrel of bourbon if I tried.
Honeslty I buy a lot but drink very little. I have a lot of bottles with only a couple ounces missing from each.
I'm the same way with scotch. I have several bottles both open and sealed.
Several years back I bought a case of Lagavulin in Denver, split it with a friend, and still have a couple of unopened bottles.
I liked the comment from the officer that this multi barrel find was more than a person could drink in a lifetime.
Local shop now carries MAKERS MARK CASK STRENGTH bourbon.
It is a limited run from Makers Mark. As I understand it, it will be released a couple times a year, but in limited runs so it will be periodically available at some stores but not always available.
Cracked open the bottle tonight. Its about $35 a bottle, but its a 1/2 size bottle with only 375ml instead of the normal 750ml size bottle.
Damn good stuff. If you like regular Makers Mark then if you can find this stuff I'd suggest you buy it. Its stronger, by a good margin, roughly 120 proof, but that varies from barrel to barrel. Regular Makers Mark is 80 proof. You may want to tame this down with a single ice cube. Even tamed a bit it offers a much more flavorful drink than regular M.M. Still not harsh, still smooth, but it may be a bit much for some if you drink it neat.
Its good. Really good.
It is a limited run from Makers Mark. As I understand it, it will be released a couple times a year, but in limited runs so it will be periodically available at some stores but not always available.
Cracked open the bottle tonight. Its about $35 a bottle, but its a 1/2 size bottle with only 375ml instead of the normal 750ml size bottle.
Damn good stuff. If you like regular Makers Mark then if you can find this stuff I'd suggest you buy it. Its stronger, by a good margin, roughly 120 proof, but that varies from barrel to barrel. Regular Makers Mark is 80 proof. You may want to tame this down with a single ice cube. Even tamed a bit it offers a much more flavorful drink than regular M.M. Still not harsh, still smooth, but it may be a bit much for some if you drink it neat.
Its good. Really good.
I picked up one of the bottles of the limited edition Jefferson's Groth Reserve Cask Finish bourbons. Was going to save it until the weekend but a friend was pestering me via TEXT message so I caved to pressure and cracked open the bottle tonight.
This is 6 year old bourbon finished in wine casks from the famed Groth Vinyards.
First off, this is almost a copper colored bourbon. Polished copper maybe. Not the traditional amber.
To my nose its got some great aromas. Maybe a bit of Peach, definitely some Corn, Caramel, Vanilla and Oak. There is also a bit of char or smoke.
The taste is awesome. It has no mouth tingle but there is a long finish with some burn, a bit more burn than I like, but the taste more than makes up for that one drawback. It goes into your mouth smooth and sweet. As it transitions to the back of the mouth it stays sweet and smooth, it is not until it goes down that you feel any burn on the finish. There is definately corn and toffee and vanilla, and then there is the influence of the red wine, maybe a hint of blackberry.
I'd honestly rank this a solid 8.5 out of 10. Jefferson's Voyage #2 is better, Voyage #4 is not as good. This is very different than either of those. It spent something like 9 months in those red wine barrels that previously held $100 bottles of Cabernet and the wine influence is actually fairly subtle, but it must do something because this is a very nice bourbon that should be reserved for celebrations and special occasions. Worth the $80 MSRP.
It is a limited item, hard to find, but if you find Jefferson's Groth Reserve Cask Finish its worth buying.
This is 6 year old bourbon finished in wine casks from the famed Groth Vinyards.
First off, this is almost a copper colored bourbon. Polished copper maybe. Not the traditional amber.
To my nose its got some great aromas. Maybe a bit of Peach, definitely some Corn, Caramel, Vanilla and Oak. There is also a bit of char or smoke.
The taste is awesome. It has no mouth tingle but there is a long finish with some burn, a bit more burn than I like, but the taste more than makes up for that one drawback. It goes into your mouth smooth and sweet. As it transitions to the back of the mouth it stays sweet and smooth, it is not until it goes down that you feel any burn on the finish. There is definately corn and toffee and vanilla, and then there is the influence of the red wine, maybe a hint of blackberry.
I'd honestly rank this a solid 8.5 out of 10. Jefferson's Voyage #2 is better, Voyage #4 is not as good. This is very different than either of those. It spent something like 9 months in those red wine barrels that previously held $100 bottles of Cabernet and the wine influence is actually fairly subtle, but it must do something because this is a very nice bourbon that should be reserved for celebrations and special occasions. Worth the $80 MSRP.
It is a limited item, hard to find, but if you find Jefferson's Groth Reserve Cask Finish its worth buying.
In case you were confused and thought it was Christmas, it is not. But it is a wonderful day in America today => http://www.nationalbourbonday.com
Enjoying one of the best drinking bourbons I've ever had the pleasure of sipping.
This is Garrison Brothers Fall 2013 release. My wife got me this bottle over a year ago and I break it out on rare occasion. Its my favorite Garrison Bros release and we did a comparison of a several different bottles at the cigar lounge and it confirmed what we already knew, this is the best Garrison Bros release.
If you can find any Fall 2013, grab it.
This is Garrison Brothers Fall 2013 release. My wife got me this bottle over a year ago and I break it out on rare occasion. Its my favorite Garrison Bros release and we did a comparison of a several different bottles at the cigar lounge and it confirmed what we already knew, this is the best Garrison Bros release.
If you can find any Fall 2013, grab it.
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Stopped by one of the local liquor sellers tonight. He was waiting for me to show up and called me to the back room. He saved me a bottle of BLOOD OATH. He was allocated 3 bottles, I got one of those 3. I went in for a bottle of JEFFERSON'S Manhatten, which is a pre-mixed Manhatten. I knew that was coming in so I stopped as I was driving by and saw the owners truck in the lot.
Sipping on the Jefferson's Manhatten now while I watch all the weathermen on TV shriek about the severe storms/tornadoes that are just west of the state line on the IL side. Guess the heavy weather is coming my way, tornadoes are running southwest of Chicago and looks like South Lake County/North Newton County in Indiana are in line for some really bad stuff in about an hour as the storm progresses toward Kankakee, IL and then over the state line.
In the mean time, I'll enjoy sipping on the Manhatten and hope the tornado straps that we had installed to hold the roof in place actually work if we get hit.
From a BLOOD OATH press release (believe it at your own peril):
Sipping on the Jefferson's Manhatten now while I watch all the weathermen on TV shriek about the severe storms/tornadoes that are just west of the state line on the IL side. Guess the heavy weather is coming my way, tornadoes are running southwest of Chicago and looks like South Lake County/North Newton County in Indiana are in line for some really bad stuff in about an hour as the storm progresses toward Kankakee, IL and then over the state line.
In the mean time, I'll enjoy sipping on the Manhatten and hope the tornado straps that we had installed to hold the roof in place actually work if we get hit.
From a BLOOD OATH press release (believe it at your own peril):
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Umberto
Well-known member
My #1 son gave me a bottle of Fremont Mischief from one of the boutique distilleries in Seattle. a part of the proceeds goes to Wounded Warriors. I've not tasted it yet and waiting till I have my men at home.
http://fremontmischief.com
I don't know it's a "fine" whiskey but sure it will make a good Manhattan.
http://fremontmischief.com
I don't know it's a "fine" whiskey but sure it will make a good Manhattan.
Got stuck in a traffic jam due to an accident. I happened to be right in front of a liquor store. Stopped in and picked up some supplies for our July 4th celebrations and saw this bottle. $36. Limited release 1/4 cask signature Beam Signature. Might crack the bottle open tonight, just to insure quality.
Broke the seal, poured just a little bit into a glass.
Nice caramel color, on the nose you get hit with powerful whiff of alcohol and it overwhelms everything else. This is only an 86 Proof pour so I'm not sure why it has such a strong alcohol presence. There is probably a hint of vanilla coming through, but it is a distant secondary aroma.
On the tongue it is pleasant, mildly sweet, very little change from front to back of the mouth, very little tingle on the lips, no peppery bite at all. There is a mild burn on a lingering finish.
Its a good $36 bottle, but there is really nothing outstanding. Not a great $36 bottle. Not sure that the 1/4 Cask finishing really offered up anything special. This is an easy to drink smooth bourbon, no need to try to tame it down with a cube of ice, its not hot (but it is warm) on the finish, its not overly bold in flavors, in fact, like with the non-descript aroma the flavors, to my taste are also reasonably undistinguishable.
Best, and probably worst, I can say about Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask Finished Bourbon is that it is fine. Just fine.
Nice caramel color, on the nose you get hit with powerful whiff of alcohol and it overwhelms everything else. This is only an 86 Proof pour so I'm not sure why it has such a strong alcohol presence. There is probably a hint of vanilla coming through, but it is a distant secondary aroma.
On the tongue it is pleasant, mildly sweet, very little change from front to back of the mouth, very little tingle on the lips, no peppery bite at all. There is a mild burn on a lingering finish.
Its a good $36 bottle, but there is really nothing outstanding. Not a great $36 bottle. Not sure that the 1/4 Cask finishing really offered up anything special. This is an easy to drink smooth bourbon, no need to try to tame it down with a cube of ice, its not hot (but it is warm) on the finish, its not overly bold in flavors, in fact, like with the non-descript aroma the flavors, to my taste are also reasonably undistinguishable.
Best, and probably worst, I can say about Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask Finished Bourbon is that it is fine. Just fine.
Took a 2nd try at the Jim Beam 1/4 Cask the other day.
On one of the bourbon forums I was advised to let it 'air' for about 15-20 minutes and that would improve it.
They were wrong
Honestly take a pass on that bourbon. At $36 a bottle it is not a bad price, but there are better bourbons for $10 less per bottle.
So tonight, trying to rid that bad experience from my memory, I'm going with one of the world's best bourbons. And the fact that it raised money for charity makes it all that much better.
Parker's Heritage Promise of Hope Bourbon. About $100/bottle and it was a very limited release, which is all sold out. If you don't have it already, you are not going to get it. Unlikely you'll find it at any of the whiskey bars either, this is from 2014 so bars that were lucky enough to get it have probably already sold out.
On one of the bourbon forums I was advised to let it 'air' for about 15-20 minutes and that would improve it.
They were wrong
Honestly take a pass on that bourbon. At $36 a bottle it is not a bad price, but there are better bourbons for $10 less per bottle.
So tonight, trying to rid that bad experience from my memory, I'm going with one of the world's best bourbons. And the fact that it raised money for charity makes it all that much better.
Parker's Heritage Promise of Hope Bourbon. About $100/bottle and it was a very limited release, which is all sold out. If you don't have it already, you are not going to get it. Unlikely you'll find it at any of the whiskey bars either, this is from 2014 so bars that were lucky enough to get it have probably already sold out.
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I haven't been able to find any unusual premium bourbons locally for a while, seems like we are in the dog days of summer as far as bourbon supplies go. Tonight I put a few bottles on order.
HUDSON FOUR GRAIN BOURBON, this is a 1/2 bottle (375ml) size, runs about $40 for a half bottle. I have a bottle of HUDSON'S BABY BOURBON, which is an all corn bourbon, this one, as the name describes, is made from 4 grains, but still has, by law, 51% corn in the mash bill. HUDSON's seems to be pretty well respected, but I am not a big fan of their BABY BOURBON, figured I should give them a second chance with the FOUR GRAIN and see how that goes for me.
FILIBUSTER TRIPLE CASK limited edition. Paid $79. Its a limited release, something like 2750-ish bottles. Its also a 'cask strength' bourbon, so it is very high alcohol. They age this is for 5 to 6 years in charred American Oak, then further matured for 60-90 days in Pedro Ximenez Sherry (80 percent) and Fino Sherry (20 percent) barrels for additional finishing, before being combined bottled at cask strength (117.47 proof). Oh, and the finishing barrels are only 40 liters in size, so they are very small compared to standard barrels, which supposedly means that the bourbon gets extra contact with the barrel. Might be a gimmick, but many of the Sherry aged bourbons are really good so I figured I would give it a try.
Bourbon #3 is actually more strange and unusual than the Fillibuster. It is Kings County Barrel Strength Bourbon from New York. About $36 for a mini-200ml bottle, so its actually expensive because the bottle tiny size. Another 'cask strength' high alcohol bourbon. I know very little about it, but it is a 122 proof, 70% organic corn & 30% barley mash bourbon from the oldest distillery in NY state. It is aged in mini barrels that only hold 5 gallons each and they are exposed to the sunlight to heat them up. Its just an odd process all the way through and figured I'd give it a try.
Not sure when they will arrive but I'll keep you informed.
HUDSON FOUR GRAIN BOURBON, this is a 1/2 bottle (375ml) size, runs about $40 for a half bottle. I have a bottle of HUDSON'S BABY BOURBON, which is an all corn bourbon, this one, as the name describes, is made from 4 grains, but still has, by law, 51% corn in the mash bill. HUDSON's seems to be pretty well respected, but I am not a big fan of their BABY BOURBON, figured I should give them a second chance with the FOUR GRAIN and see how that goes for me.
FILIBUSTER TRIPLE CASK limited edition. Paid $79. Its a limited release, something like 2750-ish bottles. Its also a 'cask strength' bourbon, so it is very high alcohol. They age this is for 5 to 6 years in charred American Oak, then further matured for 60-90 days in Pedro Ximenez Sherry (80 percent) and Fino Sherry (20 percent) barrels for additional finishing, before being combined bottled at cask strength (117.47 proof). Oh, and the finishing barrels are only 40 liters in size, so they are very small compared to standard barrels, which supposedly means that the bourbon gets extra contact with the barrel. Might be a gimmick, but many of the Sherry aged bourbons are really good so I figured I would give it a try.
Bourbon #3 is actually more strange and unusual than the Fillibuster. It is Kings County Barrel Strength Bourbon from New York. About $36 for a mini-200ml bottle, so its actually expensive because the bottle tiny size. Another 'cask strength' high alcohol bourbon. I know very little about it, but it is a 122 proof, 70% organic corn & 30% barley mash bourbon from the oldest distillery in NY state. It is aged in mini barrels that only hold 5 gallons each and they are exposed to the sunlight to heat them up. Its just an odd process all the way through and figured I'd give it a try.
Not sure when they will arrive but I'll keep you informed.
Can't help you there. I don't drink bourbon and until I'm finished with my meds I can't drink at all. [emoji22]
When you are finished with all your meds and all healed up then you can start learning to drink bourbon
Bob, if you're going to be watching Sharknado you don't need to be worrying about the quality but more about the quantity. It takes a LOT of Bourbon to make that movie even come close to being enjoyable.
Bob, if you're going to be watching Sharknado you don't need to be worrying about the quality but more about the quantity. It takes a LOT of Bourbon to make that movie even come close to being enjoyable.
You were right. But I cracked open the seal of the Filibuster Triple Cask Aged bourbon. It was a bad choice. I had been eating BBQ ribs that the lovely Mrs_Bob had slow cooked on the grill and the flavor of the BBQ lingered in my mouth and overwhelmed the bourbon's flavors. The movie didn't help. I didn't recall SHARKNADO being that bad of a movie.
Tonight is the premier of SHARKNADO 3, Oh Hell No and I will try again, maybe I can make it all the way through tonight's movie? In any case, I will sip the bourbon AFTER a reasonable palate cleansing so I can taste the flavors, smell the aromas and enjoy the bourbon.
Before drinking a fine aged bourbon, one must cleanse the palate first with water.
I prefer ginger ale as my palate cleanser.
But certainly trying a new bourbon after eating BBQ ribs with a nice thick sticky sauce is not the right way to test the spirit.
SHARKNADO 3, Oh Hell No is on now, lots of stars making cameo appearances in this one. It promises to be as bad as can be expected, in a good way.
In tonight's glass is another short pour of the same limited edition Filibuster Triple Cask bourbon. Tonight I have a clean palate giving this bourbon a fair trail.
The color is a rich golden brown and the aroma hits you with a really nice dose of vanilla or perhaps butterscotch up front. You pick up alcohol only after you pick up the sweetness of vanilla/butterscotch aroma. This is a CASK STRENGTH bourbon, my bottle is from "Batch 3" which had only 605 total bottles and is bottled at 117.47 proof. There were only a total of just about 2750 bottles produced from all the batches, so I suspect there were 5 total batches.
The first sip proves this to be a hot drink. There is all sorts of mouth tingle, it hits your inner lips as well as your tongue and the finish after it goes down is just a long slow burn that is a bit to hot. Not quite the smooth drink I was hoping for. The peppery tingle in the mouth is fairly mild until after the bourbon is washed down, that is when it picks up with a spicy tingle that lingers, but you spend more time concentrating on the burn in the belly which is like a self induced heartburn.
Its too bad because for the brief moment when you can actually taste this burbon (before the spicy tingle and burn set in and overwhelm your senses) it has some serious potential to be good. I really like some of the bourbons that are aged in sherry casks, but for $35 the Jim Beam Signature Craft Sherry Cask aged is a better buy than this limited edition Filibuster, at least when sipped neat. But the Jim Beam is NOT a "cask strength" bourbon, is a traditional 80 proof bourbon so its probably not a fair comparison. This Filibuster is one of the very few 'sherry cask' aged "cask strength" bourbons on the market, the only other one I know of is the limited edition Angels Envy Cask Strength, and I've never seen one of those bottles in any store. So it is probably not fair to compare the Beam to the Filibuster, at least not without watering down the Filibuster.
I dropped in a single ice cube and let it melt down a little bit to see if this can be tamed down so the flavors can be brought forward and the burn pushed to the back. Only SLIGHTLY melted and all of a sudden this is a much improved bourbon. The mouth tingle and harsh spice is tamed. The sherry cask flavors start to come forward, but there is still plenty of burn in the belly that lingers in the finish. A bit more melting of the ice and the flavor of vanilla seems to be coming forward, there is also some hints of the sherry cask coming forward and the burn is starting to be tamed down. The single ice cube is now 1/2 melted and I'm really starting to like this Filibuster Triple Cask bourbon. The flavors are sharper, the tingle is gone, the burn is there only as a hint of a memory of what it once was. I like the complexity of the flavors too. The sweetness of the sherry, the vanilla and butterscotch, the light hints of spice without the tingling or burn.
I'd have to say that this is a bourbon that you can't reasonably drink neat. This is just not a pleasant bourbon to drink without watering it down a bit. At 117.47 proof, this is too hot to drink neat. But its hard to drink my favorite BOOKERS neat, and it is impossible for me to drink George T Stagg neat, so that is not a condemnation of this limited edition Filibuster to say it is not wise to drink it neat. And adding a cube of ice waters it down, bringing the proof down to someting closer to the standard 80 Proof at which most traditional bourbons are bottled, so you can water it down and still have a full proof bourbon, which might actually stretch the value of this bourbon.
VERDICT: If you demand to drink your bourbon neat then pass on the limited edition cask strength Filibuster Triple Cask bourbon. If you don't mind taming it down with a little bit of water or a single cube of ice, and if you can find one of the roughly 2750 bottles of this stuff that were ever produced, then its worth the roughly $80 for the sherry cask flavor profile in this cask strength bourbon.
In tonight's glass is another short pour of the same limited edition Filibuster Triple Cask bourbon. Tonight I have a clean palate giving this bourbon a fair trail.
The color is a rich golden brown and the aroma hits you with a really nice dose of vanilla or perhaps butterscotch up front. You pick up alcohol only after you pick up the sweetness of vanilla/butterscotch aroma. This is a CASK STRENGTH bourbon, my bottle is from "Batch 3" which had only 605 total bottles and is bottled at 117.47 proof. There were only a total of just about 2750 bottles produced from all the batches, so I suspect there were 5 total batches.
The first sip proves this to be a hot drink. There is all sorts of mouth tingle, it hits your inner lips as well as your tongue and the finish after it goes down is just a long slow burn that is a bit to hot. Not quite the smooth drink I was hoping for. The peppery tingle in the mouth is fairly mild until after the bourbon is washed down, that is when it picks up with a spicy tingle that lingers, but you spend more time concentrating on the burn in the belly which is like a self induced heartburn.
Its too bad because for the brief moment when you can actually taste this burbon (before the spicy tingle and burn set in and overwhelm your senses) it has some serious potential to be good. I really like some of the bourbons that are aged in sherry casks, but for $35 the Jim Beam Signature Craft Sherry Cask aged is a better buy than this limited edition Filibuster, at least when sipped neat. But the Jim Beam is NOT a "cask strength" bourbon, is a traditional 80 proof bourbon so its probably not a fair comparison. This Filibuster is one of the very few 'sherry cask' aged "cask strength" bourbons on the market, the only other one I know of is the limited edition Angels Envy Cask Strength, and I've never seen one of those bottles in any store. So it is probably not fair to compare the Beam to the Filibuster, at least not without watering down the Filibuster.
I dropped in a single ice cube and let it melt down a little bit to see if this can be tamed down so the flavors can be brought forward and the burn pushed to the back. Only SLIGHTLY melted and all of a sudden this is a much improved bourbon. The mouth tingle and harsh spice is tamed. The sherry cask flavors start to come forward, but there is still plenty of burn in the belly that lingers in the finish. A bit more melting of the ice and the flavor of vanilla seems to be coming forward, there is also some hints of the sherry cask coming forward and the burn is starting to be tamed down. The single ice cube is now 1/2 melted and I'm really starting to like this Filibuster Triple Cask bourbon. The flavors are sharper, the tingle is gone, the burn is there only as a hint of a memory of what it once was. I like the complexity of the flavors too. The sweetness of the sherry, the vanilla and butterscotch, the light hints of spice without the tingling or burn.
I'd have to say that this is a bourbon that you can't reasonably drink neat. This is just not a pleasant bourbon to drink without watering it down a bit. At 117.47 proof, this is too hot to drink neat. But its hard to drink my favorite BOOKERS neat, and it is impossible for me to drink George T Stagg neat, so that is not a condemnation of this limited edition Filibuster to say it is not wise to drink it neat. And adding a cube of ice waters it down, bringing the proof down to someting closer to the standard 80 Proof at which most traditional bourbons are bottled, so you can water it down and still have a full proof bourbon, which might actually stretch the value of this bourbon.
VERDICT: If you demand to drink your bourbon neat then pass on the limited edition cask strength Filibuster Triple Cask bourbon. If you don't mind taming it down with a little bit of water or a single cube of ice, and if you can find one of the roughly 2750 bottles of this stuff that were ever produced, then its worth the roughly $80 for the sherry cask flavor profile in this cask strength bourbon.
I don't normally drink 2 nights in a row, but I've got 3 new bottles of bourbon to try! Tried the Filibuster and liked it. Tonight I poured about 2 ounces of HUDSON'S FOUR GRAIN BOURBON into a small glass. Drank more than half of it before I realized I was supposed to be taste testing it. So I poured a bit more so I had about an ounce in the glass.
First off, the color of this bourbon is a nice amber/brown. The aroma is definitely butterscotch. Its a 92 proof (46% alcohol) which is a bit more than the standard 80 proof that characterizes most brands of bourbon, but its not a hot bourbon in any way.
On the tip of the tongue its fairly sweet, but it becomes a bit aserbic and off flavored at the back of the tongue. Overall its a really nice flavor profile even if a bit off if you let it sit in the rear of your mouth. The finish is a mild warmth, not really a burn, and that warmth lingers for a good bit. There is no mouth tingle. There is no hint of spice either. This is a really mild mannered bourbon.
Honestly no need to drop and ice cube in this one. I know I do that for a lot of my reviews but I don't see the point since this is such an easy drinking bourbon. My biggest complaint is that this is expensive, its sold by the HALF BOTTLE (375ml) and runs about $42. That makes it an $84 bottle. For $84 I can find other bourbons I enjoy this much, or more. I do enjoy this one, I just don't know that its worth the price tag. Glad I bought it, I was not as happy with the same brand's BABY BOURBON, but this FOUR GRAIN is actually a nice drink.
First off, the color of this bourbon is a nice amber/brown. The aroma is definitely butterscotch. Its a 92 proof (46% alcohol) which is a bit more than the standard 80 proof that characterizes most brands of bourbon, but its not a hot bourbon in any way.
On the tip of the tongue its fairly sweet, but it becomes a bit aserbic and off flavored at the back of the tongue. Overall its a really nice flavor profile even if a bit off if you let it sit in the rear of your mouth. The finish is a mild warmth, not really a burn, and that warmth lingers for a good bit. There is no mouth tingle. There is no hint of spice either. This is a really mild mannered bourbon.
Honestly no need to drop and ice cube in this one. I know I do that for a lot of my reviews but I don't see the point since this is such an easy drinking bourbon. My biggest complaint is that this is expensive, its sold by the HALF BOTTLE (375ml) and runs about $42. That makes it an $84 bottle. For $84 I can find other bourbons I enjoy this much, or more. I do enjoy this one, I just don't know that its worth the price tag. Glad I bought it, I was not as happy with the same brand's BABY BOURBON, but this FOUR GRAIN is actually a nice drink.
Last night I cracked open the tiny 200ml flask of KINGS COUNTY DISTILLERY bourbon of high proof/cask strength bourbon.
OK, this is an interesting bourbon. Its not really to my taste profile, but it is an interesting bourbon.
First off, the color is a dark amber brown. The aroma is almost savory, which comes back in the flavor. More savory on the palate than sweet, and its followed by intense spices and then a long finish of heat.
So lets get into this, drinking it neat it's a fairly hot bourbon, but not a nuclear hot that burns through your stomach lining, rather its a slighly hotter chili pepper than you'd normally like, and it sticks with you for a while, just a little while longer than you'd like. But before you get to that part of this bourbon you have a mildly sweet that turns into a savory flavor and then transitions into some seriously peppery spices in your mouth. Not objectionable spices, more like a "high rye" whiskey sort of peppery spices. You clearly get hit with the spices, no way to avoid them, but then it goes down and the long finish burn begins. I've had spicier bourbon. I've had hotter bourbon. This offers spice and burn, but not overwhelming spice, nor overwhelming burn. Just plenty of both. If you like rye whiskey this is probably going to be your bourbon. Some of the cask strength bourbons are nearly impossible to drink neat, its possible to drink this one without ice, but it probably would be better slightly watered down.
KINGS COUNTY DISTILLERY bourbon is 61% alcohol, or 122 proof. I should have tried it with an ice cube. I only tried it neat. I'd bet it would be more tamed down, and yet I suspect it might maintain some of its bolder flavors even with a partially melted ice cube.
I'm not sure if this is distributed outside of New York State. If you stumble upon some, and are feeling in the mood to drop some coin on a small bottle, this is worth a try. I'm really curious to see how it will taste with a little melted ice so its dilluted down just a bit. I'd bet it is very good. But that will be the subject of a future posting.
OK, this is an interesting bourbon. Its not really to my taste profile, but it is an interesting bourbon.
First off, the color is a dark amber brown. The aroma is almost savory, which comes back in the flavor. More savory on the palate than sweet, and its followed by intense spices and then a long finish of heat.
So lets get into this, drinking it neat it's a fairly hot bourbon, but not a nuclear hot that burns through your stomach lining, rather its a slighly hotter chili pepper than you'd normally like, and it sticks with you for a while, just a little while longer than you'd like. But before you get to that part of this bourbon you have a mildly sweet that turns into a savory flavor and then transitions into some seriously peppery spices in your mouth. Not objectionable spices, more like a "high rye" whiskey sort of peppery spices. You clearly get hit with the spices, no way to avoid them, but then it goes down and the long finish burn begins. I've had spicier bourbon. I've had hotter bourbon. This offers spice and burn, but not overwhelming spice, nor overwhelming burn. Just plenty of both. If you like rye whiskey this is probably going to be your bourbon. Some of the cask strength bourbons are nearly impossible to drink neat, its possible to drink this one without ice, but it probably would be better slightly watered down.
KINGS COUNTY DISTILLERY bourbon is 61% alcohol, or 122 proof. I should have tried it with an ice cube. I only tried it neat. I'd bet it would be more tamed down, and yet I suspect it might maintain some of its bolder flavors even with a partially melted ice cube.
I'm not sure if this is distributed outside of New York State. If you stumble upon some, and are feeling in the mood to drop some coin on a small bottle, this is worth a try. I'm really curious to see how it will taste with a little melted ice so its dilluted down just a bit. I'd bet it is very good. But that will be the subject of a future posting.
I'm not a bourbon drinker, mostly scotch. But I agree with you on the cask strength spirits being a little over the top. My current pour, Nadura, was bottled at 112 +. For me it needs one ice cube.
Have you tried playing with glasses? I'm a Reidel fan, and all spirits taste different depending on the glass. I don't know if there is a bourbon specific glass, but the Reidel single malt glass should work.
The difference in taste is amazing.
I typically use a "Glencairn" whiskey glass.
Bourbon, just like Scotch and Rye, is just a subset of the whiskey family of beverages.
This is the Glencairn glass I typically favor, its Irish crystal, designed for sipping whiskey, neat. But I will admit that sometimes I just use a 3-oz juice glass, especially if I am making a Manhatten or something similar. I rarely use a traditonal 'rocks' glass for mixed drinks because I rarely make a full size drink.
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Pretty glass. Why is it half empty? Bob, I'm disappointed in you!!!
That is about as much as I normally drink.
The most that glass has ever held would have had bourbon up to the top of the engraved cuts in the crystal.