America | Page 8 | NYC Whiskey Review

High West Bourye

November 17, 2021 America

Name: High West Bourye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Rye spice, wood, cream vanilla, pepper notes

Taste: Rye, vanilla, cream, orange, spices, toffee

Review:

High West Bourye is from Park City, Utah. Established in 2006 was founded by a former biochemist. They started small and have steadily built up their business over the years.

The whiskey is a combo of bourbon and rye, which is a strange combo, hence the jackalope on the bottle. It is aged 10 years and the combo is a secret, aged in new, charred white American oak barrels. It is released once per year and the blend is said to be a secret but, on their website, it states the mash bill is from Indiana and is the following:

Straight Rye: 95% rye, 5% barley
Straight Bourbon: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley
Straight Bourbon: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% barley

The bottled I sampled was Batch 19L11 which stands for something which I did not research too much. The whisky is a blend of straight whiskeys, non-chilled filtered, no color added and bottled at 46% abv.

Overall, it is good stuff, not amazing. The flavor profile and abv would make for a good cocktail. The price is too high for my preference. I can get some very good single malts aged up to 16 or 17 years.

Priced around $85 and good for sipping or a cocktail but too expensive for me for what it is.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

November 4, 2021 America

Name: New Riff Single Barrel

Color: Copper

Nose: Sweet corn, vanilla, honey, oak

Taste: Vanilla, caramel, honey, strong booze

Review:

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon is a cask strength New Riff Bourbon aged 4 years in 53 gallon toasted charred new oak barrels and hails from Newport, Kentucky. It tastes very much like regular New Riff Bourbon but with a much bigger kick.

New Riff Bourbon Single Barrel Bourbon is produced by the New Riff Distillery which is located in Newport, KY on the Ohio River adjacent to Cincinnati. New Riff was founded by Ken Lewis who used to own The Party Source next door in the same plaza. It is my understanding that you cannot produce and distribute whiskey in Kentucky so he sold the store to start the distillery. You can see me here below at the distillery.

This bottle of Kentucky goodness is 110.0 proof, is from barrel #15.1616, and is related to 217 other bottles from the barrel. As I have written many times before I am not a fan of high proof whisky but with this one I can make an exception. If you pour it in a decent sized glass with a large ice cube the sweet corn flavor makes it more tolerable. I am sure making a few different cocktails you will still enjoy the flavor profile of New Riff.

Price around $65 in NYC ($55 in KY) and is nice stuff but strong stuff.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Skrewball Whiskey

October 21, 2021 America

Name: Skrewball Whiskey

Color: Brown

Nose: Toffee and nuts

Taste: Coffee, toffee, peanut butter

Review:

Skrewball Whiskey is a flavored whiskey that has a peanut butter flavor and is bottled at 35% abv. Yes, I said peanut butter.

This whiskey hails from Ocean Beach, California and was created by a bartender. I wonder what the late Anthony Bourdain would have said about a Cali bartender making peanut butter whiskey and a New Yorker drinking it? I bet it would have been a good one! If you have read my reviews you would know that I am not a fan of heavily flavored whiskeys that are cocktail gimmicks and taste like shit.

However, Skrewball may have “potential” as a holiday cocktail, baking, or coffee mixer. It is not that bad and a bit on the sweet side, but I theorize it could work in certain drinks. I wonder how it would taste in egg nog or holiday cookies. I doubt it would work well in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. I will give it another try around Thanksgiving or Christmas in a drink.

I can not drink it neat or on the rocks, but it is better than I expected. Let me know what you think!

Priced around $30 and if you like the flavor profile for a mixer.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

September 30, 2021 America

Name: 1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Color: Light brown

Nose: Sweet corn, honey, vanilla, black fruit, oak

Taste: Cherries, vanilla, spice, honey

Review:

1792 Small Batch Bourbon comes from the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, KY which is owed by the Sazerac Company. The name “1792” is connected to the year Kentucky became a state. Of course, officially, Kentucky it is a Commonwealth. You can look up the difference, but to me, Kentucky is the Blue Grass State and the only home of bourbon.

Small Batch Bourbon is aged around 8 years in new American oak and is a high rye bourbon. Its mash is made up of corn, rye, and malted barley and is bottled at 93.7 proof.

On my first sip I was reminded of a sweet cherry medicine taste that came in old brown bottles when I was a kid. I also remember it being forced down my throat by my mother.

The overall taste to me is good but I feel it is more of a summer whiskey than a winter. I like the shape of the bottle and for the price range it will look good on your bar, as a gift, or in your office. 1792 Small Batch is probably going to end up in my office for the holiday season.

Price around $40 and is a little sweet for my taste but still very good.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Blanton’s Bourbon

September 15, 2021 America

Name: Blanton’s Bourbon

Color: Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, dark fruit, wood

Taste: Corn, white pepper, vanilla, oak, dark cherry

Review:

Blanton’s Bourbon is produced by Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, KY. It is named after Albert B. Blanton who started at the distillery in 1897 and held numerous jobs over his lifetime of employment. This bourbon was released in 1984 as single barrel, aged six years, and bottled at 46.5% abv. The trade mark stopper comes in eight styles and will spell B-L-A-N-T-O-N-S if you collect them all. Over the last few years, the price of this whiskey has skyrocketed, and it is very hard to find a bottle at a reasonable price.

Due the recent popularity I wanted to re-introduce myself and see if it was as good as I remembered. After visiting six stores in various locations in New York, New Jersey, and Florida I had no success in finding a bottle on the shelf. One store manager told me, “Ya, we got it in the back, but we save it for our preferred clients.” I responded in my head, “Ya, you should go fuck yourself”. I decided to leave and search the local bars. I found a it at $13 for 2 ounces in Hoboken. After my first sip, I realized that this bourbon is good, but not amazing. It is absolutely not worth the current market price.

Blanton’s is a little hotter tasting than I remembered, with a medium body, and some good Kentucky chew. A few drops of water opens it up nicely and it should not be used in cocktails. The biggest take away I had was, it is not as good as I remembered, nor does it deserve to be priced over $60-70 per bottle. If you have paid over $100 for this bourbon, you are a sucker.

For the trifecta of cost vs. taste vs. availability, I feel Blade & Bow or New Riff Single Barrel is much better for taste and cost per bottle. These two bourbons have a different flavor profile, but when comparing these three factors they are better. They also should not be put in cocktails.

I have seen prices as high as $120 a bottle, but it should be around $50-$65. If are currently mad at your money, go overpay and drink up.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Noah Mill Bourbon Whiskey

August 26, 2021 America

Name: Noah Mill Bourbon Whiskey

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, sweet vanilla, almonds

Taste: Oak, vanilla, orange, burn finish

Review:

Noah Mill Bourbon is produced by the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) in Bardstown, Kentucky. The distiller was originally named the Willet Distilling Company until it underwent a name change in the 1980’s. The Willet family has been in producing whiskey since the late 1800’s and KBD also produces other expressions such as Rowan’s Creek, Willet Rye, Willet Bourbon, and many more.

Noah Mill is 75.13% abs or 114.3 proof and has no age statement. From my research, it is a blend of maybe four bourbons aged around 15-20 years, however, at its retail cost I doubt this whiskey is blended with such aged spirits.

This expression from Willet is a side project and has low production. You might not easily find it in your area. I have seen it only a couple of times in the Tri-State area. It is not amazing, it is not bad, it just has a bit of an odd finish and is very “hot” due to the proof. You will need to cut it with water. I was surprised how smooth it tastes for such a high proof compared to other whiskeys in the same range.

Priced around $50 and good but I prefer other high proof bourbons for mixers.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

FEW Rye Whiskey

August 19, 2021 America

Name: FEW Rye Whiskey

Color: Gold brown

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, sugar

Taste: Rye grain, citrus, smooth vanilla, spice

Review:

I sampled this rye whiskey a few weeks ago at Whiskey Live NYC and I really enjoyed the spirits that Few Whiskey released on the market. Few produces a rye, bourbon, and single malt and they are all very good. When I saw this bottle on the store shelf I decided it would look good on my bar at home. Over the weekend, I broke the seal and decide to try it neat and then on the rocks. This whisky is well balanced, smooth, tastes great, and I even like the bottle style and label. I am not going to ramble on about Few Rye in this review, I will just close with Few Whiskeys are very good, and I recommend them if you have not tried them yet.

The only drawback I can see is the cost per bottle if you are going to use this rye as a mixer in cocktails. At approximately $60 per bottle it is a good price, but not for a mixer. I would recommend mixers not exceed $30 per bottle.

If you like it, drink it! Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon

August 5, 2021 America

Name: James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon

Color: Copper

Nose: Caramel, corn, vanilla, honey

Taste: Spices, rye, clove spice

Review:

James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon is named after Colonel James E. Pepper who was a Bourbon Industrialist (not sure what that means) who died in 1906 and was a third generation distiller. The name dates back to his grandfather’s Revolutionary War era recipes.The bourbon is 100 proof and very strong. It is a non chilled filter and is 38% rye, also known as a “high rye”. The balance of flavors is a bit off and hard to detect. The corn ethanol is harsh and the high rye of the whiskey makes it a bit tough to drink.

This bourbon is not a straight or on the rocks drinker. It is more a mixer in a cocktail. When it comes to a mixer it is very subjective and personal with respect to the flavor, proof, and cost. I find if you are spending around $50 for a whiskey to make cocktails you better know what you like. I prefer FEW and Sagamore Rye Cask for my Old Fashions. For my Manhattans I like Maker’s 46.

Priced around $40 and not worth the money on flavor, only on high proof.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Rebellion Bourbon

July 22, 2021 America

Name: Rebellion Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, oak, dark fruit, ethanol

Taste: Corn, vanilla, rough finish

Review:

Rebellion Bourbon is a “in house” type bourbon created to commemorate Opici Wines history of business. Opici Wines is an importer and producer of wines and spirits founded in 1913 and is headquartered in Glen Rock, New Jersey.

The whiskey is aged 6 years and the mash is 70% corn, 30% rye, and malted barley. It is distilled in copper pot stills and charred in American oak casks. It is bottled at 47% abv but is non-aged stated. The nose is strange, and the taste is awful. This stuff must be for those creative cocktail menus you see at regular bars.

You will probably not find this bourbon it in stores. Their sales force will be pushing it to buyers to make more money for the owner instead of selling another distilleries products.

Priced around $40 and tastes like shit.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength

July 8, 2021 America

Name: Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength

Color: Brown

Nose: Orange, spice, light vanilla

Taste: Maple, oak, spices, booze

Review:

Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength is a recent expression from Bulleit that adds a little “kick”to their Bourbon. Barrel Strength Bourbon is an uncut (no water added), single batch, non-chilled filtered bourbon that is bottle between 120-125 proof. The bourbon is aged at their base of operations which is Stitzel Weller in Louisville, KY. I have been there for a tour and a tasting. It is a good tour and tasting but Woodford’s setup is a bit nicer.

The Bulleit 10-Year-Old is comparable in flavor and cost and probably is the same bourbon with some aging and water added. The Barrel Strength has almost the same flavor profile as the regular Bulleit Bourbon but more powerful due the higher proof. It can be hard to detect the flavors due the higher proof but I do not think flavor is what they are going for with this expression. Although it is not stated clearly, it appears Bulleit has created this bourbon for more powerful cocktails per requests of bartenders as the whisky and cocktail craze continues. Cocktails get water down during the mixologist (what a stupid fucking name btw) process to make them so strong booze will allow the flavors to stand out.

Price around $65 and good for Bulleit expressions but needs water to cut/soften it. Great for a stronger cocktail.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

High West Bourye

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

Skrewball Whiskey

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Blanton’s Bourbon

Noah Mill Bourbon Whiskey

FEW Rye Whiskey

James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon

Rebellion Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength

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