Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Name: Blantons’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Color: Brown

Nose: Spices, caramel, vanilla, orange

Taste: Charred oak, vanilla, honey finish, slight burn

Over 4th of July weekend at lot of people on social media were celebrating with BBQ and Blanton’s Bourbon. I was going to join the pack and get a bottle but my Scottish side somehow convinced me to drink scotch on the rocks. A few weeks later and still in the mood, I dropped into “American Whiskey” in midtown Manhattan and treated myself to a Blanton’s.

Blanton’s Bourbon is a “single barrel” bourbon that spends 8 years in white oak barrels that have been toasted to a #4 char rating. The mash bill is estimated to be 51% corn with 15% rye, however, the exact figures are not released from the distillery. The term “single barrel” means that each bottle comes from an individual aged barrel instead of from multiple blended barrels. The bottle label lists the date, warehouse, barrel, location, etc. which is different to almost all whiskies. To summarize, one barrel will produce a limited amount of bottles from that specific barrel.

For the TV and movies fans, you might recognize Blanton’s because of the unique bottle shape. If you have watched the TV show “Justified” or you have seen the movies John Wick I & II you will see Blanton’s being drank. In Justified, which took place in South Eastern Kentucky, the US Marshall’s sipped it in their office. In John Wick, Keanu Reeves prefers bourbon to pain meds after he takes a beating fighting from fellow hit-men.

One thing I really like about Blanton’s (besides the taste) is the bottle. The octagonal shape and cork with racehorse and jockey stand out among other bottles of bourbon. The combination of single barreling, the taste and the bottle style make a great gift for yourself or someone else.

Price around $50-60 it is well worth the price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisBlanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
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New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

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!

ChrisNew Riff Single Barrel Bourbon
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Jim Beam Bourbon

Name: Jim Beam Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, wood/pencil shavings, citrus

Taste: Sweet corn, vanilla, pepper finish

Review:

Jim Beam is produced by Beam Suntory and comes from Clermont, Kentucky. Jim Beam is one of the biggest names in bourbon and has been around for a very long time. The original creator was the Bohm family in the late 18th century who immigrated to Kentucky from Germany and eventually changed their name to Beam. Jim Beam Bourbon is a medium bodied, non-complex profile basic bourbon. It has a light fresh taste, with a peppery not sweet finish. It is easy to drink and good to have on the bar as a basic Kentucky Bourbon.

Jim Beam has other expressions such has;

  • Straight Bourbon: Original, Black, Devil’s Cut, Bonded, Double Oak, and Single Barrel.
  • Premium Whiskey: Craft, Craft Quarter Cask, Harvest Collection, Distiller’s Masterpiece, and Rye.
  • Small Batch: Bookers, Baker’s, Basil Hayden, and Knob Creek.
  • Liqueurs*: Apple, Honey, Kentucky Fire, Maple, Red Stag, Vanilla, and Peach.

*Liqueurs and not equal to liquor because they are sweetened with various flavors, oils, extracts, and other additives. I have been reviewing some of these liqueurs, and I have to tell you, they are fucking awful to drink neat. I am suffering for my reviews and your reading when I drink these things.

Jim Bean is as Kentucky as it can get when it comes to bourbon. If you have not tried Jim Beam, give it a go and check out some of their Small Batch expressions. 

Priced around $30 and a good baseline bourbon from Kentucky for drinking or mixing.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

 

 

ChrisJim Beam Bourbon
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TX Blended Whiskey

Name: TX Blended Whiskey

Color: Brown

Nose: Sweet corn, vanilla, orange citrus

Taste: Vanilla, honey, citrus

Review:

TX Blended Whiskey comes from Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. in Fort Worth, Texas. It is a straight bourbon made from yellow corn, red winter wheat, 6 row distilleries malt, and a yeast strain from a pecan. I am not sure what all that means, but it sounds impressive.

The website description is much longer and romantic (as they do for new products), but to summarize, it says, “All our shit is from Texas. Don’t mess with Texas”. I find the “mess” warning valid as people from Texas consider themselves Texans before anything else. Meaning, if you ask them “Are you from America?” they will respond, “I’m from Texas.” For any NYC or overseas readers, this is real thing.

TX Blended whiskey has a good balance and profile but is a bit too sweet for my taste. It has a light body but is syrupy in the glass and mouth. If you like it on the sweet side and want to drink it in the hot sun by an ocean, lake or pool this would be a whiskey for you.

I received this bottle as a gift from “Disco Stu” of Dallas, Texas for my wedding. I am very much appreciative of the gift. I needed a few drinks of this whiskey while we were planning the big day.

Priced around $45 and good for a sweeter American styled bourbon whiskey.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisTX Blended Whiskey
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WoodFord Reserve Bourbon

Name: Woodford Reserve Bourbon

Color: Brown

Nose: Sweet corn and vanilla

Taste: Carmel, vanilla with light cinnamon and light oak

Review:

Woodford Reserve was the whisky that got me off Gin & Tonic’s and into the world of brown spirits around 8 years ago. I had a business trip to Kentucky and part of the trip was a Bourbon Distillery tour and a cocktail party at the facility. I switched that night to whisky and never looked back. I remember Mad Men was starting up on television and it was all the buzz, but what I remember more was the massive shift towards whisky in bars as the second season aired.

This Bourbon is tripled distilled, smooth, well balanced and a bit more on the sweet side in flavor. It makes for a great drink anyway you like it and great gift in Duty Free if you are visiting someone overseas. Also, the flat bottle is excellent to hid at work in your book case, file cabinet or false panels of modern cubicle furniture (speaking from experience). Priced around $35-$45 it is a great value and will not disappoint.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisWoodFord Reserve Bourbon
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FEW Bourbon

Name: FEW Bourbon

Color: Copper brown

Nose: Cinnamon, spice, anise

Taste: Caramel, corn, cloves, spice, peppery herbs

Review:

I first tried FEW Bourbon at Whiskey Live in NYC and at the time I had not heard of this brand but I know them now. I tasted all of their products, but when I sampled the bourbon I was very surprised by the flavor. When I see the word “Bourbon”, I get prepared for a sweeter tasting whiskey due to the corn mash, but not this whiskey. It has the sweetness of bourbon but with spiciness of rye that makes a great combination. I started thinking about how this would taste in a cocktail. A week later I was at the Brandy Library having a FEW Old Fashioned and as expected, it was excellent. By the way, when I say Old Fashion I mean no mashed cherries and easy on the sugar.

Based out of Evanston, Illinois, FEW Bourbon is less than 4 years old and is a 3-mash bill of 70% corn, 20% rye, 10% two-row malt. At 4 years in the barrel I do not expect much from a whisky this young. You cannot have your cake and eat it too when you look at age, taste, and cost. Something has to be sacrificed in that combination to make a whisky in 4 years. Naturally, the whisky would taste better if it had more time to mature in the barrel, but products have to be released to make a profit.

The name FEW comes from Frances Elizabeth Willard, founder of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union who were involved in establishing prohibition. Prohibition started in 1920 and ended in 1933 and was overall a failure of politics. The only good thing to come out of prohibition, besides the strength the Mafia gained, was cocktails designed to offset the taste of cheap homemade booze (aka bathtub gin).

Priced around $50 it is a little high for a mixer but I feel it is worth it.

If you like it, drink it!

 

 

ChrisFEW Bourbon
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Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old

Name: Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old

Color: Copper brown

Nose: Sharp, vanilla, corn, oak, dark fruit

Taste: Sweet corn, vanilla, oak, cream

Review:

Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a classic Kentucky bourbon whisky. Russell’s bourbon is made by the father & son combo Jimmy and Eddie Russell of the Wild Turkey Distillery. It is boasted that together, they have 90 years of experience distilling bourbon.Bottled at 90 proof it has a bit of a kick on the nose and tastes good, but not great. Add a little water and it softens, with ice it is a bit better. After a few sips I concluded that this would be better suited as a cocktail mixer. Bourbon’s like Russell’s Reserve 10 are fine and worth the money but they taste better in the summer, on a back porch in Kentucky with a cigar and friends. I did hope that those 90 years of experience might yield a better product. This one will end up in my decanter for bourbon on my bar and will be used in my Old Fashions.

Price around $45 and is ok/good, but I think the Makers 46 is smoother and would make a better cocktail mixer.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisRussell’s Reserve 10 Year Old
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Four Roses – Single Barrel

Name: Four Roses Single Barrel

Color: Brown

Nose: Spice, vanilla, fruit

Taste: Dark fruits, spice, vanilla, little oak

Review:

I enjoyed Four Roses Single Barrel in Kentucky, outdoors under and oak tree with a fine cigar. At the time, I had to dispense life advice to my college roommates 15-year-old son. Note to self and anyone reading, do not drink bourbon and give a teenager advice. The truth about life can scare them!

This bourbon is “straight bourbon whisky” which by law, must be aged in new charred white oak barrels that can only be used once to obtain this title. It is a “single barrel bourbon” which means that that a series of bottles are filled from only one barrel, hence the number on the label. Some people think this is better, others do not. You can be the judge. I have not yet tried the same whisky side by side with different barrel number.

Four Roses was once known as a low grade crap whisky. Over the last few decades it has had a re-birth and is now producing quality bourbons. If you are in Kentucky, need a gift for a someone, or just want to add a bourbon to your bar this would be a good one to purchase.

Priced around $45 and worth the money.

If you like it, drink it. – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisFour Roses – Single Barrel
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New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old

Name: New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old

Color: Orange Brown

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, oak, spice

Taste: Vanilla, caramel, rye spice, dark berries, and orange

Review:

A few weeks ago I enjoyed some and perhaps, a little too much New Riff Bourbon in my friends back yard on my annual trip to Kentucky for the Fall horse races.

New Riff Bourbon is produced by the New Riff Distiller that 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 can’t produce and distribute in Kentucky so he sold the store to start the distillery.

New Riff Bourbon is a bottle and bonded bourbon and distilled at 100 proof with 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley (all non GMO) and non-chilled filtered. The water is sources from the Ohio River Aquifer below the distillery. The bottle and bonded means it is aged for four years and quality measures have been followed.

Sales have started in August 2018 and there was/is a limit of 6 bottles per customer but I am seeing online in some bars here in NYC.

New Riff Distillery has multiple spirits for purchase which are bourbon, rye, and gin. They also have tours which vary from $10-$35 a ticket and the times vary. They have a reception area, small bar for cocktails, and merchandise. The distillery is located at 24 Distillery Way, Newport, KY and is in the same plaza with the The Party Source which has plenty of drinks, cigars and supplies.

Price around $50 in Kentucky, not sure of the price here but it is worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisNew Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old
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Michter’s Unblended American Whiskey

Name: Michter’s Unblended American Whiskey

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Candy sweet, spice, and vanilla

Taste: Caramel, vanilla, fruits and butterscotch

Review:

This whisky is titled “Unblended American” rather than “Bourbon” because it is aged in bourbon-soaked barrels instead of new charred American white oak, therefore, it cannot be called Bourbon. (Just a little whisky knowledge for you)

I first tried this whisky at Maysville in the Flatiron District of NYC while having a drink with Robin Robinson and I was very surprised at how nice it tasted. Michter’s has done a great job creating this whisky. It has a butterscotch finish, which may sound too sweet, but is soft and lovely on the tongue. I have since added this bottle to my bar and handed samples out to people that do not drink whisky. I have learned that non-whisky drinkers enjoy the taste even if they opt not to have a full pour.

This whisky to me is more of a summer whisky on the rocks than a Winter whisky served neat. Priced around $45.00 it is a great value.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisMichter’s Unblended American Whiskey
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