Category: BSG Reviews (Page 2 of 6)

BSG Review: Taconic Dutchess Private Reserve Cognac Cask Finished Bourbon

November 11, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Taconic Distillery

Location: Stanfordville, NY

Parent Company: N/A

Class: Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: 3.5 years

Mash bill: 70% Corn, 25% Rye, 5% Barley

Taconic Distillery releases periodic limited production runs of their Dutchess Private Reserve Bourbon that has been finished in various other casks. This Cognac cask release is one of those highly sought after limited production finished bourbons. All of their offerings are non-chill filtered and their aging process occurs in shipping containers rather than in traditional barrel warehouses, or rickhouses. The founder, Paul Coughlin, is just about the nicest person you’ll ever talk to and their head distiller, Brandon Collins, formerly of Buffalo Trace, is just as personable. The company was established in 2013 and was inspired by a passion for the outdoors through hunting and fishing. The distillery facilities were officially completed in August of 2016 in the Hudson Valley of New York.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Light amber, very clingy short legs on the glass

Nose: Sweet stone fruit (plum), caramel, oak

Palate: Oak, vanilla, nutmeg, plum

Finish: Medium-long, buttery, oak, plum

The Cognac cask finished Dutchess Private Reserve bourbon is a light amber colored whiskey with short legs that just cling on the sides of my Glencairn glass for days! The nose starts with a burst of stone fruit in the form of plum. I also get the lighter notes of caramel and oak through the aroma after you get past the initial plum note. The taste brings out more of the oak than the nose did, along with the more familiar vanilla note. I also find a bit of nutmeg along with the plum as the whiskey crosses the mid-palate. I would say this one has a medium-length, buttery finish that lingers with the oak and plum notes through the final moments. The stone fruit notes throughout the entire experience and that buttery finish really hit the sweet spot for me. I loved this whiskey from start to finish even though I’m not a huge fan of Cognac in general.

I have already tasted a few other offerings from Taconic and have to say that these guys are doing something right. Keep an eye out for more BSG Reviews on Taconic Distillery products! I can only hope that their distribution makes it to Indiana and Kentucky soon so it’ll be easier to get my hands on it. If they are in your local market, don’t overlook these bottles.

BSG Score: 91/100

Images courtesy of taconicdistillery.com and @taconic_distillery on Instagram.

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BSG Review: Old Grand-Dad Bonded

October 24, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Jim Beam Distillery

Location: Clermont, KY

Parent Company: Beam Suntory

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4 years

Mashbill: 63% Corn, 27% Rye, 10% Barley

Old Grand-Dad Bonded is made by Jim Beam from their high rye mash bill. It’s aged for at least 4 years and meets all of the legal requirements to be labeled as bottled in bond. If you’ve had the OGD 114 proof version and found it to be too hot, this could be a perfect compromise to keep the heat down and, yet, the flavor still be bold enough to keep it interesting. Most consumers should be able to find this bottle for under $25.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Copper

Nose: Caramel, butterscotch, baking spices, oak

Palate: Caramel, oak, leather, mixed fruit

Finish: Long, caramel and baking spices

Old Grand-Dad Bonded started sweet on the nose with caramel and butterscotch sticking out before the baking spices and oak came through underneath. This bourbon tasted of caramel on the front end, but then transitioned to an oak and leathery mid-palate with a hint of mixed fruit to round it out with no one specific fruit flavor standing out. The finish was long and stayed on the caramel note, but the higher rye mash left the baking spices hanging around the longest as the mild Kentucky hug settled in for a while.

This is a solid choice for a daily sipper or even a cocktail if you so choose. I would say this bourbon would be a good candidate for an old fashioned on a hot summer day, but I was perfectly happy sipping it neat in a leather wingback with something to read on this cool Fall evening.

BSG Score: 86/100

BSG Review: Jim Beam Repeal Batch

October 16, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Jim Beam Distillery

Location: Clermont, KY

Parent Company: Beam Suntory

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Age: 4 years

Mashbill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

Jim Beam Repeal Batch is basically the same 4-year-old bourbon that is used for the standard white label offering, but there are a few differences that will make this one worth your time. The main differentiator is that this expression is non-chill-filtered and bottled at 6 proof points higher than white label. This was created as a commemorative offering celebrating the 85th anniversary of Repeal Day. It is supposed to result in a taste that more closely resembles the taste profile of their post-prohibition whiskey. Most consumers should be able to find this bottle for under $20.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Golden with long, thin legs

Nose: Vanilla, popcorn, oak, almonds, clove

Palate: Oak forward, clove, butterscotch, cinnamon, corn

Finish: Oily, medium-long spice and honey

Jim Beam Repeal Batch starts of visually with some very long, thin legs down the side of the glass. The nose initially comes off with vanilla, popcorn and oak. After a few sips I also picked up some almonds and clove. The taste was very much oak forward with clove also on the front end. The transition back went from butterscotch and cinnamon to the familiar corn notes as it went down. The finish was oily and relatively long with a spiciness and some honey notes coming through at the very end.

I’m not usually a big fan of the entry-level offerings from Jim Beam, but this one has me intrigued enough to keep sipping. This is a well-done sub-90-proof offering that is sure to do well with consumers that don’t really want to move into higher proof bourbon, but still want a little more interesting experience than the old familiar college mixer in the white label bottle. I definitely recommend giving this one a shot. The price is right and I think they did a great job with the branding efforts for this throwback styling on the label. It makes this bottle look nice on the bar, too!

BSG Score: 75/100

BSG Review: Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon

September 25, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Rabbit Hole Distillery

Location: Louisville, KY

Parent Company: Pernod Ricard (as of June 2019)

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 95 (47.5% ABV)

Age: 3+ years

Mashbill: 70% Corn, 25% Malted Rye, 5% Malted Barley

Heigold is the latest addition to the Rabbit Hole Distillery portfolio. It is their fourth whiskey and will fill the spot of a high rye bourbon offering in their lineup. According to Rabbit Hole, “Heigold was named after Christian Heigold, a German immigrant who was a stonemason by trade. Taken with his love of America and his hometown of Louisville, he adorned the facade of his 19th century mansion with American icons, honoring the U.S. for the opportunity given to immigrants like himself. Heigold mirrors the patriotism and passion for Louisville that is shared by Rabbit Hole’s founder/whiskey maker Kaveh Zamanian, he himself an immigrant who loved the U.S. before he ever set foot on American soil.”

Heigold is aged in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American Oak barrels and has a barrel entry proof of 110. It is aged just under four years and is non-chill filtered. This will be a full-time regular addition to the Rabbit Hole collection and will debut in late September at the distillery as well as off-site retail locations for a SRP of $69.99 per 750 mL bottle.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Amber

Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, butterscotch

Palate: Lemon zest, white pepper, oak, light vanilla

Finish: Medium-short in length, mostly pepper

Heigold starts with an aroma that is all sweetness. The vanilla is front and center with brown sugar and a butterscotch note to round it out. When it hits the palate, though, the game changes completely. It approaches the front end with an initial touch of citrus in the form of lemon zest, followed by a transition to white pepper spiciness as it crosses the mid-palate. The sweetness from the nose is almost completely masked for me in the taste with just a touch of vanilla hanging on before it goes down. The finish is medium-short in length and stays on the spicy peppery note before fading away. I experienced almost no Kentucky hug with this finish, which made for an extremely easy sipping bourbon.

I enjoyed the swing from sweet to spicy as it switched from the nose to the palate. That keeps it interesting as the aroma is still experienced with every tip of the glass before taking the next sip. It definitely makes up for the lack of a long finish, which I don’t normally experience in most sub-100 proof offerings anyway. This is a welcome addition to the Rabbit Hole lineup and fills the gap nicely for the high rye bourbon aficionados.

BSG Score: 85/100

Disclaimer: Rabbit Hole provided this product in exchange for an honest review with no strings attached.

BSG Review: Angel’s Envy Finished Bourbon

September 11, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Sourced for Angel’s Envy

Location: Louisville, KY

Parent Company: Louisville Distilling Co. (Bacardi Ltd since 2015)

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels

Proof: 86.6 (43.3% ABV)

Age: NAS (believed to be 4-6 years old)

Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey finished in port wine casks is a blend of 8 to 12 barrels per batch. There is no age statement, but, according to the distillery, it is aged for up to 6 years. After the bourbon is done aging in its original barrel, ruby port wine casks are used to finish the bourbon for an additional 3 to 6 months depending on the taste. The barrels used for finishing are 60-gallon ruby port barrels made of French oak. They are imported directly from Portugal. The name Angel’s Envy comes from the story line that, though they lose about 5% of the spirit in the barrel each year to evaporation or “the Angel’s Share,” what’s left behind is what’s worthy of envy.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Goldenrod

Nose: Cherry, brown sugar, black pepper, oak

Palate: Cherry, baking spices, brown sugar, slightly astringent

Finish: Medium length, cherry/plum, licorice, dry

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of port wine. That being said, there were some enjoyable notes that came out of this whiskey for me. The nose started with a nice pop of cherry and brown sugar that then faded into black pepper and oak. The taste kept that cherry note on the front of the palate, but switched to brown sugar and baking spices as it crossed over the middle of the tongue. The flavors just hung out in the mid palate for me while leaving a bit of astringency immediately after it went down. The finish was a medium length that kept hints of cherry and also a plum fruitiness. The kicker for me was the black licorice note in the end while it dried up the palate rather quickly. Black licorice is one of my least favorite notes and will always skew my opinion of the whiskey to the negative side. Because of this, I cannot keep my score for this one in the 80’s and will have to let it slip just under the mark.

BSG Score: 79/100

Category: BSG Reviews (Page 2 of 6)

BSG Review: Taconic Dutchess Private Reserve Cognac Cask Finished Bourbon

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Old Grand-Dad Bonded

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Jim Beam Repeal Batch

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Rabbit Hole Heigold Bourbon

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Angel’s Envy Finished Bourbon

BSG REVIEW:

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