Category Archives: White Whiskey

Review: Heaven Hill Trybox Series New Make White Whiskeys

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

Like it or not (and most of you appear to be firmly in the “not” camp) white whiskey is here for the consuming.

The good news: Heaven Hill is doing something useful with white whiskey beyond attempting to make a quick buck. (Since white whiskey is unaged and need not spend years in expensive barrels, it is far more cost-effective to produce and sell… yet producers command some pretty impressive prices for the stuff.) With its New Make series, Heaven is giving consumers an opportunity to see how different mashbills affect the finished product: Unadulterated by wood, you can now compare a predominantly corn vs. a predominantly rye spirit head to head.

The results are something every whiskey fan should experience at least once.

I sampled Trybox New Make production 6c11 (a corn whiskey which, when aged, would become a bourbon like Evan Williams Single Barrel) and production 7r11 (a rye which, if aged, would turn in to Rittenhouse). Neither is 100 percent any grain: Both contain a mix of corn, rye, and barley, just in different (and unspecified, except for which is “primary”) proportions.

The results are, again, intriguing, if hardly anything you’d want to sip after dinner. At 125 proof, these are both moonshine in the figurative and literal sense: Hot, wild, and deadly powerful white lightning.

The differences, however, are quite astonishing. The Trybox Series Rye New Make Whiskey (B+) has distinct corn character on the nose, but is spicy on the palate. Initially it is sweet and racy, then that secondary corn — always the overpowering element in any mashbill — kicks in, giving you a chili-flavored Frito finish. As much as is possible, this is a whiskey in balance among its various components — hardly complicated, but balanced and, in its own way, pleasant to drink. Trybox Series Corn New Make Whiskey (B) is a little more blunt, overpoweringly earth and corn-focused on the nose, then heavier with corn on the tongue. The sweetness comes along more in the finish, but that funky, petrol-laced finish comes on strong soon after, reminding you that this is young, immature bourbon at heart. It’s more instructive than it is enjoyable.

All in all, very interesting experiment all around. If you pick these up, be sure to grab both (or share with a friend) so you can compare the two offerings.

$25 each / heaven-hill.com

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Posted in Rated B, Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey, White Whiskey

Tasting Report: Whiskies of the World Expo San Francisco 2011

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

The San Francisco Belle was packed but the crowds were manageable at this year’s San Francisco Whiskies of the World event. With much more room to move around than last year’s cramped fest, lots more seating, and plenty of whiskey, guests seemed to be having a great time, myself included. Who knows what venue will host WotW in 2012, but if the organizers (and new owners) continue to put this kind of care into crafting the affair, it’s certainly going to be worth the price of a ticket.

I spent this year’s event tracking down — almost exclusively — whiskies I hadn’t tried or which were new on the market. (As much as I enjoy it, how many times can I stalk the Glenlivet booth?) You may not know some of these names, but more than a few are worth memorizing (especially that Amrut Intermediate Sherry, my favorite spirit of the night). Grades and tasting notes follow.

Tasting Report: Whiskies of the World Expo, San Francisco, 2011

Scotch

McKinnon Glen 35 Years Old Cask Strength / A- / a fine blended Scotch, but the story is more interesting — a USAF serviceman bought into a share of Ben Nevis Distillery’s new make spirit in 1971, then it went out of business; the stock languished in storage until 2006, when 484 gallons were bottled for sale; this is literally all of it, and Sam Perrine is trying to hawk it all himself: 70 bottles of cask strength and 953 bottles of 80 proof whisky!

Aberlour 18 Years Old / A / Aberlour’s best to date; a fine pairing with chocolate

Clan Denny 30 Years Old North British Single Grain Scotch / B+ / big spice finish, with a rough mid-palate

Douglas of Drumlanrig Breaval 11 Years Old / B / lots of heat

Douglas of Drumlanrig Breaval 19 Years Old / B / odd phenol notes

Douglas of Drumlanrig Glen Grant 25 Years Old / B+

Douglas of Drumlanrig Macallan 20 Years Old / A / excellent expression of older Macallan

Douglas XO Blended Scotch / B+

Edradour Port Matured / B

Glenglassaugh Clearac / B+ / new make Scotch; surprising depth; part of a series of “how it’s made” mini bottles that Glenglassaugh puts out (see next 3 reviews)

Glenglassaugh Blushes / A- / aged 6 months in red wine casks; really interesting

Glenglassaugh Fledgling / A- / 12 months in cask; another curiosity along the way

Glenglassaugh Peated / B+ / new make plus peat; you can really see how important peat is vs. wood in peated whiskys

Glenglassaugh 26 Years Old / A- / now leave Clearac in cask for 26 years and here’s what you get… working well, firing on all cylinders

Signatory Aberlour Cask Strength / A

Signatory Caol Ila Un-Chillfiltered 1999 10 Years Old / B

Signatory Highland Park 1991 18 Years Old / B+ / bizarre; a Highland Park with smoke on the palate; even the Signatory rep couldn’t explain this one

Other Stuff

Willett 6 Years Old Single Barrel (for Cask) / A / awesome young Willett, single barrel exclusively sold at Cask in S.F.

Four Roses Single Barrel (for Cask) / A / same deal as above; both knockout bourbons

Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon / A-

Mickey Finn Irish Whiskey / B / because you knew someone was going to name a whiskey “Mickey Finn” eventually…

Goldrush Rye / C- / tough

Fog’s End Monterey Rye / C+

Amrut Cask Strength / A- / sweeter style malt from India

Amrut Cast Strength Peated / B+

Amrut Fusion / B / not my favorite fusing

Amrut Intermediate Sherry / A / Amrut’s finest, which goes from bourbon to sherry and back to bourbon barrels; a perfectly balanced mix

Cabin Fever Maple Whisky / B / yes, made from maple syrup; unbelievably sweet

Craft Distillers Low Gap Whiskey / C- / bizarrely fruity

Anchor Distilling Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey / B- / big corn notes

Stillwater Spirits Wylie Howell Corn Whiskey / A / the best white whiskey I’ve ever had, hands down; 120 proof corn spirit, rich in flavor and not funk

Kuchan Alembic Brandy / C+

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Posted in Bourbon, Brandy, Irish Whiskey, Reviews, Rye, Scotch, Whiskey, White Whiskey

Review: Charbay Doubled & Twisted Light Whiskey

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Charbay’s Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic, a 26-year veteran of the business, has created his first spirit, an unaged “white whiskey,” part of the big push to make moonshine, er, white whiskey palatable to the drinking public.

Whiskey is essentially distilled beer, and Karakasevic’s idea was that, especially if you aren’t going to age your spirit, you ought to use really good beer as the base. Doubled & Twisted is made from a high-grade IPA — Karakasevic says it’s the most expensive beer ever used to make whiskey.

As white whiskey goes, it’s pretty good. The IPA’s hops come across quite clearly, which tempers the funk that is wholly unavoidable with unaged whiskeys and lends the whiskey more herbal and grain character than you’d think. It’s still edgy and rough — you can’t get away from it with white dog — but I do like what Karakasevic has done here. Now what would happen if he put this stuff in barrel for a few years…. Hmmmmmm….

1200 bottles made. 99 proof.

B+ / $60 / charbay.com

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Posted in Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey, White Whiskey

Review: Benjamin Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskeys and Liqueur

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Christopher Null| 6 Comments

It may not be canonically “Bourbon,” but the state of Tennessee is responsible for the best-selling whiskey in the world: Jack Daniel’s.

But Jack isn’t the only whiskey going in Kentucky’s next-door neighbor. Benjamin Prichard has been producing a variety of spirits — including a whole family of rums — for ten years now.

We got a peek at three of the distillery’s whiskeys (and one whiskey liqueur) — and the results prove that if you don’t know Prichard already, it’s time to start paying attention.

Benjamin Prichard’s Lincoln County Lightning – White lightning, folks. Unaged corn whiskey. Moonshine. At 90 proof it isn’t horrible, its enormous corn notes balanced with just a touch of sweetness. I’m admittedly not the world’s biggest fan of white whiskeys, but if I had to drink one, Prichard’s is at least passable. 90 proof. C+ / $NA

Benjamin Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey – Now that’s more like it. An easy drinking whiskey, made of white corn, aged 10 years in barrel, and bottled at 80 proof, this Tennessee Whiskey was released to celebrate the distillery’s 10th year of operation. It’s worth the wait, very much a Bourbon at heart, sweet caramel notes balanced by a body that hints at its corn-based roots, a little black pepper, and vanilla on the finish. Nice balance. A- / $NA

Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon Whiskey (pictured) – The notes on the back of this curiosity say that it’s a “little known fact” that whiskey is watered down before it’s bottled. I’m not sure many whiskey drinkers are unaware of that fact, but regardless, what Prichard’s does with this whiskey is age it at normal cask strength for nine years, then water it down to 90 proof, and then re-barrel the cut whiskey in charred oak barrels a second time. What advantage this might actually offer is hard to say. Prichard’s Double Barreled is hot and much spicier than the 10-year Tennessee Whiskey, indicative perhaps of more rye in the mash. A little harsh on the attack, it quickly reveals a huge and racy herbal character, tempered by brown sugar. Lots of intrigue and worth seeking out. Limited release. A- / $60

Benjamin Prichard’s Sweet Lucy Bourbon Based Liqueur – Sweet Lucy — now there’s a name for a liqueur. Like many a whiskey-based liqueur before it, Prichard’s rendition is overwhelmingly, well, sweet, a syrupy concoction that is overwhelmingly sugary, but which offers vague Bourbon character in the finish. With this much sweetness, it’s hard to really differentiate; if you’re a fan of American Honey and its ilk, you’ll find Sweet Lucy just as satisfying. 70 proof. B+ / $25

prichardsdistillery.com

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated A-, Rated B+, Rated C+, Reviews, Tennessee Whiskey, Whiskey, White Whiskey

Review: Balcones Distilling Baby Blue and Rumble

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

The uninitiated may think of Texas as the frontier, a place where whiskey is probably as common as water. Not so: In fact, for years, Tito’s has been the state’s only legal distillery.

Now a few upstarts are coming out of the skunkworks, and the state has its first whiskey since Prohibition. Operating out of Waco, Texas, Balcones Distilling doesn’t just make the first whiskey in the state, it also makes, as far as anyone can tell, the only whiskey made from blue corn — in this case, Atole, a Hopi blue corn meal. The distillery’s first two products — Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky, and an odd offshoot, Balcones Rumble — are reviewed below.

Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky – Wow, intense. Clearly a young corn-based whisky without a lot of time in the barrel. The starchy character (“white dog,” in the parlance) is overpowering on the nose alone, with a huge, grainy body and a finish redolent of petrol. Some sweetness makes this drinkable, but like so many younger whiskies, it isn’t easy going. Why this wasn’t left in the barrel for another three or four years is a mystery to me. Batch BB10-10. 92 proof. C / $45

Balcones Rumble - Perhaps aware that Baby Blue was not made for easy consumption, Balcones created Rumble, not exactly a liqueur (it’s a serious 94 proof) but close enough. Made from Texas wildflower honey, Turbinado sugar, and Mission figs, Rumble looks like whiskey but tastes like something else. That Balcones corniness is apparent on the nose, but it’s a much sweeter spirit on the whole. Only the fig character really comes through, the rest is mainly a sweeter version of Baby Blue. Batch R10-10. C+ / $36

balconesdistilling.com