Tag: BSG Reviews (Page 2 of 4)

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: 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

BSG Review: Evan Williams Master Blend

February 11, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Old Evan Williams Distillery

Location: Bardstown, KY / Louisville, KY

Parent Company: Heaven Hill

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: NAS

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

This is a special blend of Evan Williams 23-Year-Old, Single Barrel, 1783, White Label Bottled-in-Bond, and Signature Black Label straight bourbons. This bottle is harder to find outside of the Heaven Hill Heritage Center and Evan Williams Bourbon Experience gift shops. I know some people that have found it in liquor stores around the Louisville, KY area, but it is not widely distributed elsewhere. I picked up my bottle at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience gift shop in July of 2018.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Deep copper color with long, thin legs down the glass

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, honey, black tea, floral, nutmeg, oak

Palate: Black pepper, cinnamon, black tea, caramel, vanilla, oak

Finish: Long with lingering spiciness, though the sweetness is still recognizable throughout. It gives a gentle, warm Kentucky hug as it make its way down.

I think this is a great example of how the different offerings by one distillery can give a unique experience when blended together properly. Not all of these individual bourbons are favorites of mine, but a few of them are absolutely some of the regulars that I continue to keep in my collection.

BSG Score: 82/100

BSG Review: Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

December 31, 2018 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Old Forester / Brown-Forman

Location: Louisville, KY

Parent Company: Brown-Forman Distillers Company

Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

Proof: 93 (46.5% ABV)

Age: NAS (5-6 years)

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

1910 Old Fine Whisky is the final expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row series. According to Jackie Zykan, Old Forester Master Taster, this is a double-barreled bourbon that finishes its aging (6-9 months) in a barrel that is so deeply charred (burned approximately 55 seconds) that it is on the brink of disintegration. This release pays homage to the twice-barreled (due to a street fire that shut the Old Forester bottling line down in 1910) “Very Old Fine Whisky.”

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Bronze, long-thin legs down the glass

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, very sweet cake-like aroma

Palate: Thick feeling, sugary, caramel, vanilla, cherry, toasted marshmallow, graham crackers, a little chocolate, oak

Finish: Heavy oak, light caramel and vanilla, leather, very long finish

To some, it seamed odd that Old Forester decided to release the 1910 after the 1920. Of the 4 years in the Whiskey Row series, this is the only one that was released out of chronological order (1870, 1897, 1920, 1910). I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Old Forester Whiskey Row series releases, including the extra movie tie-in release, Statesman. Depending on the day, the 1910 and the 1920 will flip in my order of preference. If I’m in the mood for a high proof bourbon, I’ll reach for the 1920 every time. However, the 1910 is an incredibly complex and enjoyable 93 proof old fine whisky.

According to Old Forester, the 1910 was so popular that they sold an entire year’s worth of inventory in just 60 days. They sold 318% of the launch volume that was sold with the 1920 (which previously held the record for the brand). Because it takes 6-9 months in the second barrel, they say it will likely be summer 2019 before the second batch is ready to be bottled and released.

Check out the BSG Review for the rest of the Old Forester Whiskey Row series (1870, 1897, 1920) and the movie tie-in release, Statesman.

BSG Score: 90/100

Tag: BSG Reviews (Page 2 of 4)

BSG Review: Four Roses Small Batch Select

BSG REVIEW

BSG Review: Barrel House Select Bourbon

BSG REVIEW

BSG Review: Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Evan Williams Master Blend

BSG REVIEW:

BSG Review: Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky

BSG REVIEW:

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