Category Archives: Bourbon

Review: Jim Beam Red Stag Honey Tea and Red Stag Spiced with Cinnamon

Red Stag — black cherry flavored Bourbon whiskey — was a bit pioneering on its own. And while it isn’t the only flavored whiskey we’ve encountered, now try this on: Two new versions of Red Stag (which is still based on a standard, four-year-old Bourbon), one with honey and tea flavors, one with cinnamon. I can’t be sure, but I believe this is the first flavored flavored whiskey to hit the market. We got an early taste of both of the new varieties. Here’s what we thought.

UPDATE: John, in the comments below, is correct. “Red Stag” is a new brand name, not an indicator of black cherry. So, no, there shouldn’t be black cherry notes in these. My bad.

Red Stag Honey Tea shouldn’t really surprise anyone — honey and tea are the two biggest flavors in the whiskey world right now. Now putting them together and adding them to whiskey that’s already black cherry flavored isn’t something I would have thought of. Sure enough, this is a convoluted spirit with a lot going on. The honey comes through the strongest, surprising me, and beating back the tea character handily. It’s a whole lot to deal with, but not entirely unpleasant. Basically, you should consider this to be Beam’s entry into the honey-flavored Bourbon category (everyone else in Kentucky has one) and less an expansion of the Red Stag line. B+

Red Stag Spiced with Cinnamon – Again, fairly self-explanatory? The cinnamon notes are strongest here, offering a light, Hot Tamales character to this spirit, punching aside just about everything else. There are some fruit notes in the nose, oddly enough, which is where the cinnamon barely comes through at all. Again, think of this one as cinnamon first, whiskey second. Not at all bad. B+

Both are 80 proof and arrive on shelves early this year.

each $18 / jimbeam.com

Red Stag Honey Tea and Spiced with Cinnamon Review: Jim Beam Red Stag Honey Tea and Red Stag Spiced with Cinnamon

Red State Bourbon vs. Blue State Bourbon: Which Will You Choose?

As political season heats up, our friends at Heaven Hill have a question for you: Are you a Blue State or a Red State kind of guy?

The idea is pretty genius: Two Bourbons, one called Blue State and one called Red State, complete with appropriate donkey/elephant imagery. Can the political leanings of the country be determined based on where they spend their whiskey money? You can even vote for your favorite on the whiskey’s website.

I sampled the product and, as Heaven Hill promised, it’s “basic bourbon… just for fun, really.” 80 proof and quite traditional in every way. The wood notes are strong, but the caramel and vanilla flavors have a moderate pronunciation, too. Big, raw wood character returns on the finish. It’s young stuff — alcoholic fumes are quite prevalent — but give it some air and it’s easily drinkable without a mixer or water. That said, I expect the vast majority of either of these whiskeys will go down with Coke, 7-Up, or ginger ale. In other words, don’t go looking for a lot of complexity in this Bourbon: Just an easy-to-swallow, relatively harmless concoction that’s designed to get you tipsy — just like your typical political candidate! I’d give it a B if you pushed me.

So which Bourbon is better? Alas, dear reader, while the packaging is wildly different, inside they are exactly the same. A better statement about politics I can’t imagine. Hats off to you, Heaven Hill.

about $15 each / redbluebourbon.com

Review: Big Bottom Whiskey Port Cask Finish 3 Years Old

I liked Big Bottom’s 2 Year Old Port Cask Finished Whiskey so much I named it my top American whiskey of the year. What could be better then than Big Bottom Port Finished Whiskey, one year older?

With this second batch of whiskey, the Bourbon is older (3 years, one day) before it went into the Port casks, and it spends longer in the finishing barrels (4-5 months instead of 3-4 months). The barrels were also turned over more quickly: This time the finishing barrels spent only 30 days idle and empty; with batch one they were empty for about four months before the whiskey went in.

Those are the mechanical differences, what about the taste? I sadly don’t have any of the first batch of whiskey left, so comparisons are tough. But versus my notes and the similarly made Angel’s Envy, this is a whiskey where the wood is clearer in its influence, muting somewhat the Port character.

That said, the whiskey is spry and racy, spicy confection that balances sweet with lots of peppery spice, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, and with wood running through all of it. Great balance, but quite a different spirit. I like it almost as much as the original, which is evidenced by the fact that by the time I got to writing this review, my sample bottle was already empty.

91 proof.

A / $30 / bigbottomwhiskey.com

3 Year Port Cask Bottle Image Review: Big Bottom Whiskey Port Cask Finish 3 Years Old

Review: Rebel Yell Bourbon

Will Rebel Yell have you crying “More, more, more?”

Admittedly the name does not instill the confidence of high quality. Like Fighting Cock, perhaps, it connotes a rough and tumble Old West style. I poured a glass and prepared to be burned in more ways than one.

I was surprised to find that Rebel Yell is far more innocuous than its vocal name might imply. First off, it’s a wheated Bourbon, which invariably lends itself to more softness. While age isn’t disclosed, the whiskey does feel a bit young, and there’s a certain kick and brashness to be found in the raw grain character. But it’s not altogether rough, just a bit pungent.

Stepping back, Rebel Yell has largely classic wheated Bourbon characteristics: Vanilla, a lively undercurrent of cinnamon, and wood notes. That graininess lingers on the finish, but it isn’t unpleasant. For all its rough-and-tumble aspirations, Rebel Yell ultimately comes together as one of the lighter and simpler whiskeys I’ve tried in recent memory.

80 proof.

B+ / $13 / rebelyellwhiskey.com

rebel yell whiskey Review: Rebel Yell Bourbon

Review: Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Bourbon Round Three

We’re now 36 whiskeys into the 192 to be produced as part of Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project. Check out our coverage of Round One and Round Two to catch up if you’re unsure what this series of very limited-release Bourbons is all about.

How does this round measure up? This time, all of the whiskeys were aged in concrete warehouses, in #4 char barrels with 6 months of seasoning (or air drying), and in barrels made from the bottom half of the tree. What differs this round: The rye vs. wheat mashbill, the entry proof (how hot the whiskey is when it goes into the barrel — either 105 or 125 proof), and the tightness of the wood grain). It’s the first time in the project that entry proof has been altered during a testing round.

Away we go with the testing! All were tasted blind, and the provenance information is added afterward. All Bourbons are again 90 proof.

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #8 – A really solid entry, heavier on the spicy character than most of the round. Good balance, with more of a sugar-forward character than the otherwise similar barrel #167. A close second place to that barrel. A- (rye, 125 entry proof, tight wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #24 – Hot, tastes like an overproof Bourbon. Not getting much character out of this, just some light grain characteristics. It’s like the wood just didn’t give up its essence in the service of this whiskey. C+ (rye, 105 entry proof, tight wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #40 – Good all-around balance here: Sweet nougat character plus spicy notes, but the finish veers toward the spice. The body’s a touch on the thin side. B+ (wheat, 125 entry proof, tight wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #56 – An odd finish mars this Bourbon. Terribly ard to place, it tastes a bit like coconut, banana, and rubber. Intriguing due to its tropical uniqueness, it comes across like a “world whiskey” instead of Bourbon — and something wholly unlike any of the other whiskeys in this collection… for better or for worse. B (wheat, 105 entry proof, tight wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #72 – Caramel apples here, bit of bite on the finish, but otherwise relatively unremarkable. B (rye, 125 entry proof, average wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #88 – Sweet and traditional, but with a hard edge to it, a kind of bitter finish that mars a promising start. B- (rye, 105 entry proof, average wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #104 – Smooth, quite sweet. Lots of caramel on this one, with a distinct vanilla kick. One for the sweet tooths, but not a lot of nuance. B+ (wheat, 125 entry proof, average wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #120 – Distinct mint notes are prominent in this one, another “big” and moderately woody whiskey that carries with it a surprisingly sweet finish. B+ (wheat, 105 entry proof, average wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #136 – The mild nose is misleading: The whiskey beneath the surface is racy and literally overflowing with spiciness and a lush, wood kick. Fans of big rye whiskeys are going to enjoy this one, but traditionalists may find it too overpowering. A- (rye, 125 entry proof, coarse wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #152 – A smooth operator. Classic vanilla/caramel body, very mild. A touch of menthol in the finish, but it’s fleeting, a bit like an Andes mint after a creme caramel dessert. A- (rye, 105 entry proof, coarse wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #167 – Great balance here, love the intense caramel and vanilla notes and just a hint of cinnamon to give it depth. Incredibly rich, this is probably my favorite whiskey in this batch. A (wheat, 125 entry proof, coarse wood grain)

Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Barrel #184 – Heavy apple character here, moderate wood influence. The balance is imperfect, though, with a somewhat hard edge to the finish. B (wheat, 105 entry proof, coarse wood grain)

What did we learn this time around? In no round did a lower-entry-proof whiskey outscore the higher-entry-proof whiskey, which is not surprising. Water simply doesn’t age as well as alcohol in wood: When you drink a whiskey with a lower entry proof you’re really drinking more wood-flavored water than actual Bourbon. Once again there were good ryes and good wheated whiskeys — and the wood grain didn’t seem to be a major factor in this batch.

For the record, Buffalo Trace says that the favorite barrels (based on ratings on the website) from the first 24 released are numbers 61 and 127, both wheated Bourbons with wood from the top half of their respective trees (and both from round two). Neither of those were standouts in my earlier reviews.

$46 each (375ml bottle) / singleoakproject.com

Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project  Review: Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Bourbon Round Three

Review: Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon 2002 Vintage

One of the highlights of the Drinkhacker year is always the arrival of the Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon release, which is invariably just coming out of cask from a bit over nine years earlier. We’ve reviewed EW Single Barrel since the 1999 release and, even better, I’ve got all four bottles on hand to do a long-term comparison of how this Bourbon has evolved over time. (That said, the company’s been doing this since 1986, so I’m barely scratching the surface.)

Lining up all four, it’s clear to see how the Single Barrel has taken a more and more forceful approach over time. Putting them all side by side, the 1999 is a bit on the thin side and slightly bitter, then comes the near-perfect 2000, with its amazing balance. 2001 pushes the wood character a bit further, and 2002 continues that trend.

With this Bourbon, distiller Heaven Hill keeps pushing wood at us. Drawn from barrels held on a high floor in the rickhouse, the 2012 Single Barrel offers classic Bourbon flavor, rich with caramel, vanilla, and huge rye spices (though the mashbill for this whiskey is undisclosed). There’s some citrus in the middle, fleeting. Compared to other entries, the 2002 shows a bit of a tough finish, coming across a little like dried herbs muddying the body. Things open up a bit with time in the air, but the overall impact is that of a whiskey that’s seen a tad too much time in wood. Still definitely worth a shot, considering the price.

Barrel #1 reviewed. To be released in January 2012.

A- / $26 / evanwilliams.com

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2002 Vintage Review: Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon 2002 Vintage

Drinkhacker’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Best Alcohol/Spirits for Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving! While you’re enjoying your turkey, stuffing, and pie, many a thanksgiver’s thoughts turn to booze. Specifically, what one might buy for a favored loved one come holiday time. I’ve collected all my favorite spirits from 2011 here for you, but this is just a small sampling of what’s worthy on the market right now. Scan through the category of your choice for other ideas, and chime in with your own gift ideas!

Also check out our 2010, 2009, and 2008 holiday guides.

big bottom two years old 212x300 Drinkhacker’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Best Alcohol/Spirits for ChristmasBourbon – Big Bottom Whiskey 2 Years Old Port Cask Finish ($40) – Technically not a Bourbon, but close enough. I gave only two A+ grades (outside of event coverage) all year, and this was one of them. Finding this now will be tough (we’ll have a review of the 3 Years Old version shortly), so if this doesn’t pan out try Parker’s Heritage Collection Cognac Finished 10 Years Old ($80) or Col. E.H. Taylor Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon ($70). You can also try Angel’s Envy ($45), technically a 2010 release but also Port-finished and about as good as Big Bottom.

Scotch – The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve ($375) – This is my “go-to” whisky right now, though it’s rapidly depleting, and the price may make it a big much for anyone short of a spouse. If you can find  Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix ($95) or Laphroaig Cairdeas ($60), both make outstanding gifts. And MacKinlay’s “Shackleton” ($150) is worth the price alone for the conversation value.

GinBloom Gin ($29) – No question on this one. The floral but not perfumy Bloom is one of my favorite gins today. It may be made for a woman, but it’s powerful enough for a man.

russian standard gold vodka 185x300 Drinkhacker’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Best Alcohol/Spirits for ChristmasVodka – Russian Standard Gold Vodka – At $45, it’s pushing the boundaries of what anyone should pay for a neutral spirit, but it’s good and the package is striking enough to require no wrapping paper, saving you a few bucks. For your more avant-garde friends, check out Sub Rosa’s Flavored Vodkas ($30) or a bottle of Skyy Blood Orange ($18).

Rum – Montanya Platino Rum ($30) – So much good rum came out this year, but Montanya’s simple, pure, and bracing white rum is my winner for what you should give a loved one. Bottled in Colorado, not Latin America, they’ll immediately want to know more. For more traditional gifts, I also loved Berrys’ Own Panama Rum 10 Years Old ($80) and Brugal Extra Viejo ($27).

Brandy – “Original Gangster” XO Brandy ($25) – This gift works on a couple of levels. First, the packaging and name are so ridiculous that your hipster friends will get a solid, 25 dollar laugh out of it. Second, the brandy is actually pretty good, so you can actually drink it when you’re done giggling.

TequilaCasa Dragones ($275) – The other A+ I gave this year, but considering the price of this. Tequila is still on the rise, and lots of good stuff is on the market, including Gran Dovejo Blanco ($47), El Gran Jubileo Extra Anejo ($65), and Excellia Blanco ($50), among many others.

Liqueur – Tatratea (up to $60) - A collection of five tea-flavored liqueurs, each increasing in proof level. Exotic and bizarre, and totally worthwhile for the liquor snob who has everything. Home cocktail enthusiasts would also love a little Pimento Dram ($28) or the all-new Drambuie 15 ($56).

Need another custom gift idea? Drop me a line or leave a comment here and I’ll offer my best advice!

“Chasing Pappy” Seeks Whiskey, Funding

Pappy Van Winkle is one of the most legendary brands in Bourbon today… so why not make a movie about the whiskey’s fans, who often have to hunt high and low to find the Bourbon they love so much? That’s what Mark Casey is up to, and he’s trying to raise $3,000 to get his movie (a short subject documentary) made. I’m kicking in a few bucks on Kickstarter to help… how about you?

Tasting Report: WhiskyFest San Francisco 2011

WhiskyFest remains the whiskey enthusiast’s festival to beat. With hundreds of whiskeys, it is a mad dash for all sorts of great stuff — if only you can find it in the scattered auditorium and muscle your way to the front of the line. Don’t worry, you can do it, and even though the 2011 installment of this awesome event had more than its share of no-shows from the advance whisky list — Isle of Jura Shackleton, Tomatin 30 Year Old, Pierre Ferrand Ancestrale Cognac, the entire Usqueabach table — there were so many amazing whiskeys here it is hard to complain.

Favorites were unilaterally from the private bottling companies, including Duncan Taylor’s killer 36 Year Old Lonach Blend, Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 21 Years Old — all that time in ex-sherry butts — and maybe by new favorite whisky ever, Samaroli Evolution 2011. Notes on all of these follow, plus comments (however brief) on everything else I sampled during the evening.

Thanks again to Whisky Advocate (nee Malt Advocate) for putting on such a terrific show (and inviting me).

Scotland

Samaroli Evolution 2011 / A+ / this Rome-based private whisky bottler was a fave at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and this bottling was a revelation; a vatting of whisky stocks dating back to 1957, it is incredibly supple, complex, and impossible to put down

Samaroli Glenlivet Top Class 1977 / A- / amazing elegance

Samaroli Linkwood Top Class 1983 / B+ / bit tougher

Samaroli Glenburgie 1989 / B+ / rich and chewy

Samaroli Highland Park 1989 / B+ / has an edge to it

Samaroli Bunnahabhain 1990 / B+ / surprising sweetness

Auchentoshan Valinch / B / hard finish

Auchentoshan Bordeaux 1999 / B+ / sweetness up front leads to a rough finish

Auchentoshan 21 Year Old / B+ / my fave of the Auch line, better balance

Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve / B

Glen Garioch 1994 Vintage / B / big nougat notes lead to a strange, funky finish

Tomatin Highland Single Malt 25 Year Old / B+ / almost American in styling, sweet finish

Tomatin Highland Single Malt Decades / A- / a vatting of 5 decades’ worth of whisky; complex and lots of fun

Isle of Jura Superstition / A- / nice balance with the peat here

Isle of Jura 16 Year Old / B / big grain notes, exotic

Laphroaig Triple Wood / B+ / finished in sherry, which adds just a touch of citrus to standard Laphroaig’s peat and iodine; interesting but could go farther

Gordon & MacPhail Benromach 10 Year Old / B / young but charming

Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila Port Finish 10 Year Old / B+ / nice mix of smoke and sweet, needs more aging

Gordon & MacPhail Linkwood 15 Year Old / A-

Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 21 Years Old / A / spends all 21 years in sherry casks, an amazing whisky, deep and rich (by far the darkest Scotch I saw all night)

Gordon & MacPhail Tamdhu 30 Years Old / B+ / a bit over the hill, wood-wise

Compass Box Great King Street / A- / a masterful blended whisky

Springbank 14 Year Old Manzanilla Cask / B+ / big olive notes

Springbank 18 Year Old / B+ / not feeling it tonight; too much of a coal character

Kilkerran WIP 3rd Release / B+ / like Kilbeggan, Kilkerran is doing releases as its whisky ages; at 3 years old it is young but exciting, lots of promise ahead

Duncan Taylor Banff 35 Year Rich and Rare / A / amazing fruit and wood here, lovely finish

Duncan Taylor Lonach Blend 36 Year / A / cinnamon and apple pie, all sorts of fun

GlenDronach 21 Year Old Parliament / B+ / curious wood and spice notes

GlenDronach 15 Year Old 1995 Pedro Ximenez Cask #2045 / B

Tequila Corrido Extra Anejo Barrel #2 / A / a smooth operator, lovely chocolate finish

Macallan 18 Year Old / A-

Highland Park 25 Year Old / A- / musky finish

Bruichladdich Black Art 2 / B+ / finish delves deep into grain character

Bruichladdich Octomore 3/152 / A- / the new “most peated” whisky in the world, actually quite pleasant and not the bowl-you-over dram I was expecting; more like a barbecue than a smoke bomb

Ardbeg Corryvreckan / A

Ardbeg Alligator / A- / Ardbeg’s latest, aged in ultra-charred oak barrels; the wood really does battle with the peat here, giving it a curious but less enthralling character, I think

Ireland

Redbreast 12 Years Old / B+ / really woody kick; the reputation exceeds the whisky

Redbreast 15 Years Old / B+ / not terribly different

United States

Bardstown Riverboat Rye Whiskey / B / a younger version of Redemption Rye

Bardstown Temptation Bourbon / A- / good sweetness, balance

Bardstown Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon / A / intensely rye-focused, and intensely alcoholic; not released (the company is hoping for 2012)

Koval Lion’s Pride Spelt Whiskey / B+ / aged 2 years; not bad, lots of grain character

Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve 10 Years Old / A- / love the rye kick; probably better since it was poured by Jimmy Russell himself (picture below!)

George Dickel Barrel Select / A- / nice rye going on here

Not Whiskey

Frapin Cognac VS / A- / 4 years old; surprisingly clean for a $49 Cognac

Frapin Cognaac Chateau de Fontpinot XO / A- / big nose on it, great citrus and sherry finish

Frapin Cognac  VIP XO / A- / quite similar to the Fontpinot

Frapin Cognac Extra / A / 75 years old, extremely complex, mellow, and lingering

Pierre Ferrand Cognac Selection des Anges / A- / beautiful, smooth

Pierre Ferrand Cognac Cigare / A / not smoky, and in fact not as big a body as you’d expect with a name like that; very well crafted and lush; drink with or without a cigar

Tequila Corrido Extra Anejo Barrel #2 / A / a killer, and the only tequila here; lovely chocolate finish

chris null and jimmy russell Tasting Report: WhiskyFest San Francisco 2011

Review: Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon

Firefly’s Sweet Tea Vodka was a pioneer in the tea-flavored vodka space. The South Carolina-based company has since expanded with multiple varieties (peach, mint, lemon, low-cal)… and now there’s this: Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon.

This category already exists (Jeremiah Weed has a stellar one), so the company has competition. Firefly’s version blend’s Buffalo Trace whiskey with real sweet tea (no vodka in this one, apparently), but bottles it at a mere 60 proof instead of 70, like regular Firefly. The result is, frankly, on the weak side, and a bit out of balance. The tea could be stronger, the Bourbon could be punchier, the combo a little more interesting. Instead, I get a kind of sugary wood character that doesn’t really taste like either of these great flavors. But I think the very heavy sugar finish is what undoes it the most.

Still, not an unpalatable quaff, and the nose is actually pretty spot-on, heavy with tea notes and a touch of Bourbon’s vanilla and wood character. It’s just too bad it doesn’t follow-through perhaps the way it could when it actually comes time to drink it.

B+ / $18 / fireflyvodka.com

Cocktail ideas from Firefly…

The Sweet Shot

1 part Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon
½ part Firefly Raspberry Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass

Igniter Martini

In a shaker with ice mix:

2 parts Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon
1/2 part cinnamon schnapps
Splash of cherry juice

Pour into chilled martini glass, sprinkle with cinnamon, add cherry garnish

Firefly Sunrise 

Fill a tall rocks glass with ice. Add:

1 part Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon
½ part triple sec
Splash or orange juice
Splash of cranberry juice

Add orange wedge and a cherry garnish

Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon Review: Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon