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BSG Review: New Riff Bourbon

August 21, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: New Riff Distillery

Location: Covington, KY

Parent Company: N/A

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4 Years

Mashbill: 65% Corn, 30% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

New Riff Distillery was founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis and is independently owned by one family. Ken was previously a successful liquor retailer in Kentucky and sold his business to his employees in order to legally be allowed to start his own distillery. New Riff took the route of sourcing bourbon from MGP and selling it under a different label (O.K.I.) while patiently waiting for their own stocks to age. Now that the stocks are old enough, New Riff only releases products of their own making. New Riff bourbon is distilled with the sour mash process, non-chill filtered and bottled-in-bond. The initial release was in 2018 when the first barrels came of age to be released as a bottled-in-bond bourbon.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Classic Amber

Nose: Citrus, oak, vanilla, caramel

Palate: Cinnamon, orange zest, honey, vanilla

Finish: Long and spicy, black pepper at the end

This bourbon was definitely worth the wait for it to be released as a bottled-in-bond offering. It smells of citrus and oak with the familiar vanilla and caramel sweetness peaking through. As it hits the front of the palate, I get a pop of cinnamon that is quickly followed by a touch of orange zest. As is flows back and to the sides of the palate, a hint of honey and vanilla tries to sneak through. This is not an overly sweet tasting bourbon. The high-rye mash bill definitely puts the spicier notes front and center, then it finishes long and spicy with a lingering note of black pepper as is settles in for a mild Kentucky hug. This makes for an extremely easy to drink bourbon that will be sure to please any fan of the higher-rye bourbons.

The single barrel offerings from New Riff are some of the best on the market right now. I have tried, and bought, several of these bottles already and have never been disappointed. As for the standard bourbon offering, I’d say this was a home run for New Riff. I recommend taking the distillery tours if you are ever in the greater Cincinnati area. You won’t be disappointed in the unique offerings they provide out of the gift shop and at the Aquifer tasting bar. If you are a gin fan, give the Bourbon Barreled Kentucky Wild Gin a try as well. It was surprisingly good to this whiskey drinker.

BSG Score: 88/100

BSG Review: Four Roses Small Batch Select

August 13, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Four Roses Distillery

Location: Lawrenceburg, KY

Parent Company: Kirin Brewery Company

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 104 (52% ABV)

Age: NAS (minimum 6 year old barrels)

Mashbill: Blend of Recipes… OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK, OESF

Four Roses Small Batch Select is the first addition to the regular Four Roses lineup in 12 years. The initial release is only being offered for sale at the distillery and retail locations in KY, NY, CA, TX and GA. The retail price should be in the $55-$65 range. Master Distiller Brent Elliott selected and mingled 6 of the company’s 10 bourbon recipes that were each aged a minimum of 6 years. He also had the product non-chill filtered before bottling at 104 proof.

BSG REVIEW

Color: Medium Amber, long & thin legs down the glass

Nose: Heavy on the baking spices, light caramel

Palate: Red Hots cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, peaches

Finish: Medium-long, cinnamon, hint of mint, oak

OK… this one feels hotter than 104 proof to me, probably because of the Red Hots cinnamon note that comes through heavy on the palate. It wasn’t so much a cinnamon spice note on the nose, though, I did pick up some generic baking spices. After I got over the initial cinnamon bomb, I was able to pick up on the familiar caramel and vanilla notes. Plus, the fruitiness on this one came across as peaches for me. It made for a decent combination as the finish progressed from peaches back to cinnamon. The barrel was more present as the finish moved along, but it also brought a hint of mint with it. There wasn’t a deep Kentucky hug, but there was decent length to the flavors in the finish.

Ultimately, the palate felt a little hotter than expected while the finish felt just right. No big, bold burning on the way down, only lasting flavors that didn’t disappoint. I would probably recommend having this pour as a follow-up to another lower proof option rather than the first pour of the night. Additionally, the bottle seemed to open up as it had some time to get some air past the neck pour. The third pour was less powerful on the cinnamon shock to the palate than the first few, though it was still there as the dominant flavor. Maybe leave it open in the glass for a little while before diving into it for the first time.

As far as recipe comparisons go, the standard Four Roses Small Batch uses a blend of OBSK, OESK, OBSO, and OESO recipes aged a minimum of 4 years. Also, the standard Single Barrel is an OBSV recipe. Store pick single barrels could be any of the 10 recipes.

Check out some of the other Four Roses BSG Reviews such as the Four Roses Super Premium (Japan-only release).

BSG Score: 82/100

BSG Review: Barrel House Select Bourbon

August 9, 2019 / BSG / 1 Comment

Distilled By: Undisclosed for Barrel House Distilling Company

Location: Lexington, KY

Parent Company: N/A

Class: KY Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: NAS

Mashbill: Undisclosed percentage of Corn, Rye & Malted Barley

I had the privilege of attending a tasting event this week hosted by the Evansville Bourbon Society featuring Associate Distiller Mark Williams from Barrel House Distilling Company. During Mark’s entire talk, I felt like I was watching a seasoned stand-up comedian deliver a stellar performance. His body language and dry humor complimented his speaking style very well. He presented the company’s story with the typical historical information and stats that you would expect. But, he utilized his unique personal experiences working for the company that kept the entire room entertained at the same time. From what I understand, Mark is relatively new at having the spotlight in a tasting event setting. However, he told us that he does lead tours at the distillery on weekends. He seemed to feed off of the audience and I thoroughly enjoyed his entire presentation. He should try stand-up comedy on his off days!

Now, about the company, Barrel House Distilling Company was started during the winter of 2006 by owners and operators Jeff Wiseman and Pete Wright. They released their first product in December of 2008. The distillery is located in the barreling house of the old James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky that was founded in 1780. They offer tours and tastings every week on Wednesday through Sunday. Unfortunately, their products are not widely available outside of the Kentucky market. So, I had to grab one of the empties from the tasting event to use for the bottle image in this post.

According to the distillery, Barrel House Select Bourbon is distilled using a heavy rye mash bill. It is barreled at 120 proof in #4 char barrels. Each batch consists of 3 barrels blended to meet a unique flavor profile that is then cut to 90 proof with Appalachian Mountain spring water before bottling. Now, I don’t know exactly who distilled and aged this particular product, because the bottle label only states: “Distilled in Kentucky, Bottled & Crafted by Barrel House Distilling Company in Lexington, Kentucky.” I couldn’t find any sourcing details during my research at the time of this writing.

BSG REVIEW

Color: Light copper; long, thin legs down the sides of my Glencairn glass

Nose: Straight banana pudding bomb… vanilla, banana and toasted marshmallow with very little oak at all.

Palate: Vanilla, honey and oak on the front end with faint banana notes showing up again as the bourbon crosses the back of the tongue.

Finish: Short finish that ends with more of the oak and a white pepper spiciness that did not show up for me early on in the nosing and tasting.

When I raised my glass to smell this for the first time, I was completely caught off guard by the overwhelming aroma of a freshly made banana pudding. I had this one right after tasting the barrel strength RockCastle Bourbon, also from Barrel House Distilling Company. This experience was totally different from what I had just finished. After this back-to-back tasting, I felt like I actually enjoyed the unique profile of the Barrel House Select better than the more “normal” bourbon profile of the RockCastle. This was a complete surprise to me, as I typically enjoy the higher proof bourbons better than the sub-100 proof offerings. I expected that I would review the RockCastle for this post. But, because of this curveball, I changed my mind. I could’ve continued to sip on this one all night.

BSG Score: 82/100

BSG Review: Lee W. Sinclair 4 Grain Bourbon

August 5, 2019 / BSG / 2 Comments

Distilled By: Spirits of French Lick Distillery

Location: West Baden, IN

Parent Company: N/A

Class: IN Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: 2 Years

Mashbill: 60% Corn, 17% Wheat, 13% Oat, 10% Caramel Malt

This 4-grain Indiana Straight Bourbon is double pot distilled and aged in Kelvin Cooperage #2 char, medium-plus toasted barrels. The barrels were stored for aging in their barrel chai/cellar at the distillery in West Baden, IN. The SoFL Master Distiller, Alan Bishop, is a humble and extremely passionate craftsman in both the science and art of distilling. Ironically, even though he doesn’t like to call himself a “Master” distiller, his approach to creating spirits is nothing short of masterful. Check out Alan’s personal blog, The Alchemist Cabinet , where you can read all about his passions, mostly revolving around distilling and farming and the history of each.

BSG REVIEW

Color: Light-medium amber

Nose: Sweet… vanilla, caramel, and coconut… yes, coconut

Palate: Vanilla, light oak, and coconut again, plus a hint of stone fruits

Finish: Medium length, mostly caramel at the end

Lee W. Sinclair is an easy, light drinking bourbon that is sure to please even the most inexperienced bourbon drinkers in addition to the most experienced palates. Moreover, this may even be a good gateway bourbon to bring in some of the non-peaty-scotch fans due to its lack of heavy barrel notes. It really is something to be proud of, period, especially for such a young craft distillery. With Lee W. Sinclair bourbon being 100% their make, it’s easy to notice the differentiation SoFL is starting to develop in their own unique flavor profile as compared to the more familiar KY bourbon flavor profiles. As a result, my final score really surprised me. My brain kept saying, “This is only 2-years-old!”

Now, I can’t wait to try this bourbon in the upcoming bottled-in-bond expression to be released in 2020. Keep an eye on this distillery in the years to come. In all, I’m convinced that Spirits of French Lick is doing something right and they are definitely out to make a name for themselves in the world of bourbon.

Watch for more BSG reviews of the products coming out of the Spirits of French Lick Distillery.

BSG Score: 86/100

Disclaimer: SoFL provided this product in exchange for an honest review with no strings attached. Another bottle was purchased and used in the photograph for this post.

BSG Review: Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength

April 15, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Undisclosed (Likely sourced from Heaven Hill Distillery)

Location: Bardstown, KY

Parent Company: Luxco

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 117 (58.5% ABV)

Age: 7 Years

Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

This Old Ezra 7 Year is an unusual barrel strength offering from Luxco. A (likely) Heaven Hill sourced 7-year-old high proof bourbon is just what I need! It has become one of the most popular high proof everyday sipping bourbons of 2018. The price is right and the flavor is undeniably satisfying.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Rich Copper

Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, oak

Palate: Apple, hint of cherry, caramel, oak, pepper

Finish: Long and dry, candied apples, vanilla, oak. Has a nice hot Kentucky hug.

I think this is a great example of how a distillery can use really good sourced whiskies to fill the gap while waiting for their own distillate to be ready. This is my favorite Luxco bourbon on the market right now. The Blood Oath Pacts are amazing works of art, but not all of them hit the mark for a wide audience (however, this guy really enjoys them so far). If this flavor profile is anything like what we can expect down the road once Lux Row Distillers has enough aged product to start releasing their own distillate, I will be a very happy consumer.

BSG Score: 89/100

Barrel Strength Gentleman

Page 5 of 8

BSG Review: New Riff Bourbon

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Four Roses Small Batch Select

BSG REVIEW

BSG Review: Barrel House Select Bourbon

BSG REVIEW

BSG Review: Lee W. Sinclair 4 Grain Bourbon

BSG REVIEW

BSG Review: Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength

BSG REVIEW:

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