Category: American Whiskey

Whiskey produced in the United States of America

Review: Ezra Brooks

On By MajorHopIn 70-74, American Whiskey, Bourbon, Heaven HillLeave a comment

Paid: $12 for 1 liter

Distilled/Owned by: Heaven Hill / Luxco

Region: Kentucky

45% ABV

Aged For: NAS

Mashbill: Undisclosed

Cask Type: New charred oak

Chill Filtered: Charcoal filtered

Color: Light amber

Drank: Neat, in a glencairn

Nose: Light caramel, corn, oak, vanilla. This one is really simple, nothing offense to it, just plain Jane

Feel: Light to medium body

Taste: Vanilla, corn, nutmeg, oak, and light hints of pepper. Again, nothing complex about it, but nothing offensive either.

Finish: Light to medium warmth, vanilla, caramel, honey, and spices.

Thoughts: For $12 you could do a hell of a lot worse, at the same time the old 7 year was $20 and was one of my go to every day bourbons and this is nowhere near that. Simple, and easy.

Score: 70 out of 100

High West Rendezvous Rye Campfire Finish

On By MajorHopIn 80-84, American Whiskey, Blend, Rye Whiskey, SourcedLeave a comment

HW RR Select

 

Price: $80 for 750ml

Distilled/Owned by: MGP & Barton / Constellation Brands

Region: America

50% ABV

Aged For: Minimum 5 Years, finished additional 2.2 Years

Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% barley, & 53% rye, 37% corn, 10% barley, & 80% rye, 10% corn, 10% barley

Cask Type: New charred oak, finished in barrels that held High West Campfire

Chill Filtered: No

 

Color: Copper

Drank: Neat, in a glencairn

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, oak, rye, sharp sweetness, heather

Feel: Medium body

Taste: Rye, cinnamon, clove, tobacco, pepper, coriander, fennel, oak, vanilla

Finish: Medium warmth and length, honey, vanilla, oak, and rye spices

Thoughts: The campfire barrel really mellowed the rye out, without sacrificing flavor. Still very much a rye, but a nice change of pace.
Score: 82 out of 100

Review: Little Book Chapter 2: Noe Simple Task

On By MajorHopIn 80-84, American Whiskey, Canadian Whiskey, Jim Beam, Other American WhiskeyLeave a comment

Paid: $80 for 750ml

Distilled/Owned by: Jim Beam & Undisclosed Canadian Distiller(s) / Beam Suntory

Region: Kentucky & Canada

55.9% ABV

Aged For: NAS (Blend of 8, 13, and 40 Year whisky)

Mashbill: Undisclosed (Blend of Kentucky rye, Canadian rye, and Canadian Corn whisky)

Cask Type: Mix of new charred oak, re-charred barrels, and ex-bourbon casks

Chill Filtered: No

Color Added: No

Color: Golden

Drank: Neat, in a glencairn

Nose: Cinnamon rye spice, butterscotch, eucalyptus, vanilla syrup, lavender, caraway seeds, cracked corn, and caramel, the scent of alcohol lingers moderately in the background

Feel: Medium body

Taste: Cloves, tobacco, black pepper, rye, oak, cinnamon, toffee, butterscotch, herbal notes with perhaps cumin? Apple and VSOP brandy if I really focus on the fruit aspects. Bounces back and forth between sweet and spicy herbal.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. If the palate fought over spicy and sweet, sweet is winning now. Oak, vanilla, caramel, honey, butterscotch, and cream soda, with rye spice having a nice linger in the background.

Thoughts: I actually think Freddie made a decent blend here. The rye spices and sweet buttery flavors of old Canadian corn whisky pair nicely. The palate could have used a bit more body, and with most releases these days its priced $25 to $35 dollars over what it should be, but overall its something I think most fans of rye or bourbon would enjoy.

Score: 82 out of 100

Review: Peg Leg Porker 12-Year Batch 2

On By MajorHopIn 80-84, American Whiskey, Bourbon, George DickelLeave a comment

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Paid: $80 for 750ml

Distilled/Owned By: George Dickel / Peg Leg Porker

Region: Tennessee

46.35% ABV

Aged For: 12 Years

Mashbill:  84% corn, 8% rye, 8% barley

Cask Type: New charred oak

Chill Filtered:  Hickory wood filtered

 

Color: Auburn

Drank: Neat, in a Glencairn

Nose: Caramel, mineral water, oak, buttermilk biscuits, vanilla, Maple hickory and rye spice

Feel: Medium body

Taste: Oak, spices, wood-smoke, chocolate, orange bitters, minerals (Iron like), with a touch of sweet caramel.

Finish: Medium length and warmth, smokey with the hickory remaining present. Toasted biscuits, oak, peanut butter, and vanilla bean.

Thoughts: Certainly has the Dickel vitamin taste, but I enjoyed the smokey notes from this one. If you can get it on sale around $60 Id recommend it, but at $80 Barrell offers better sourced Dickel.

Score: 82 out of 100

Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel 14 Year “Old Peanut Butter”

On By MajorHopIn 85-89, American Whiskey, Bourbon, SourcedLeave a comment

Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel 14 Year

Distilled/Owned by: George Dickel? / Barrell

Region: Tennessee

53.5% ABV

Aged For: 14 years

Mashbill: 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% barley

Cask Type: New charred oak

Chill Filtered: No

Color: Copper

Drank: Neat, in a glencairn

Nose: Caramel, minerals, oak, vanilla, sponge cake, cream, and brown sugar

Feel: Full, creamy

Taste: Nice measured oak, French vanilla flavored coffee, yellow cake, caramel, and cinnamon

Finish: Medium warmth, not quiet medium length, oak tannins, slight mineral taste, creamy toffee, and milk chocolate

Thoughts: I love the creaminess to this cask, I didn’t pick up any peanut butter, but boy was there cream and vanilla.

Score: 88 out of 100

Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition 2017

On By MajorHopIn 85-89, American Whiskey, Bourbon, Four RosesLeave a comment

Four Roses 2017 Small Batch LE

Price: Discontinued

Distilled/Owned by: Four Roses / Kirin

Region: Kentucky

54% ABV

Aged For: 12 to 15 Years

Mashbill: 2 different OESK’s, and OESV

Cask Type: New charred oak

Chill Filtered: No

Color: Copper

Drank: Neat, in a glencairn

Nose: Dry oaky spices, vanilla, caramel cream, a bit of earth and nutmeg

Feel: Medium body and dry

Taste: Spicy vanilla, cream, oak, chocolate, baking spice, and leather-bound books

Finish: Medium length and warmth, lots of caramel and vanilla with just a faint hint of fruit

Thoughts: It’s releases like this that have killed my interest in LE bourbon. It’s a very enjoyable whisky, but go ahead and google it and look for a price, $450 and up. For $20 bucks I can get some Wild Turkey and while it’s not as good, it’s enjoyable bourbon and less than a car payment for the average fellow to get ahold of.

Score: 85 out of 100

Stranahan’s Colorado Whisky

On By MajorHopIn 80-84, American Single Malt, American Whiskey, Stranahan’sLeave a comment

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Price: $55 for 750ml

Distilled/Owned by: Stranahan’s / Proximo Spirits

Region: Colorado

47% ABV

Aged For: NAS

Mashbill: 100% malted barley

Cask Type: New charred oak

Chill Filtered: No

Color Added: No

Color: Deep gold

Drank: Neat, in a glencairn

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, honey, tart apples, butterscotch

Feel: Light bodied

Taste: Vanilla, honey, apple, pear, butterscotch, oak, and caramel drizzle

Finish: Light to medium warmth and length, malt, honey, vanilla, oak, and caramel

Thoughts: It tastes like a malt whisky version of bourbon, and I actually enjoyed it more than I expected to. You get a lot of the bourbon vanilla, but the malt gives it a nice orchard fruit palate.

Score: 82 out of 100