Kentucky | NYC Whiskey Review

Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

February 8, 2024 America

Name: Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

Color: Copper Brown

Nose: Sweet, caramel corn, toasted wood

Taste: Oak, vanilla, butterscotch, nutty roasted

Michter’s 10-year-old Single Barrel Bourbon Barrel No. 17B310 is an award winning release from Michter’s. The Single Barrel Bourbon won the “Best American Whiskey” by Food and Wine Magazine. I do not know what that means, but it sounds important.

I was in Kentucky recently and my friend bought a bottle for his son’s school charity auction. No one was bidding so he decided to get the auction going and ended up buying back the bottle he bought and donated, at double the cost. Lesson learned, keep your hand down. I enjoy several drinks from this bottle along with a cigar on his back deck in Kentucky. Somehow the bourbon always tastes better when I am sitting outdoors in Kentucky. I should probably stop giving life advice to his son’s after three drinks but why learn from an IPhone when you can learn from Uncle Chris?

There are two items of note on the bottle label. The barrel number and the statement: “Kentucky Straight Bourbon”. The number indicates from which barrel the whiskey sourced. The term “Kentucky Straight Bourbon” is only achieved by following a set of laws. These laws, in the simplest terms are (minus a few details);

Made in Kentucky
Mash of 51% corn grain
Not exceeding 80% abv
Aged minimum of 2 years

Overall, Michter’s produces very nice whiskeys and I have enjoyed all the expressions I have tried so far. I found this bourbon to be smooth, well balanced but not very complex. It reminded me of a better version of their American Whiskey. By no means does it make it bad, but it makes a bit of a stretch when it comes to the price.

Price around $120 its good but not $120 good. It is priced less in Kentucky (approx. $100).

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Basil Hayden Bourbon

January 4, 2024 America

Name: Basil Hayden Bourbon

Color: Gold Brown

Nose: Apricot, citrus, light vanilla

Taste: Light test of vanilla, oak and a touch of caramel.

This is a very popular Bourbon with a blend of corn, rye and malt barely which gives it a interesting taste but a light one. This Bourbon is a good one to have and I enjoy it on the rocks over mixing it with something due to its lightness. This makes for a good summer Friday drink on the rocks, in a cocktail, by the water or a at a roof top bar.

Price is very good as it ranges from $35-40 and the whisky works well in various combinations depending on how your like to drink your bourbon.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

WL Weller Special Reserve

November 16, 2023 America

Name: WL Weller Special Reserve

Color: Light brown

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, light oak

Taste: Sweet, vanilla, caramel

I got the opportunity to try WL Weller Special Reserve a couple of weeks ago when I was visiting Kentucky. After a good day of losing money at Keeneland Race track on the pony’s, it was time to relax with a drink. My friend channeled his Tom Cruise from the movie Cocktail and made me a “Southern Gentleman” with Weller. Prior to my cocktail I set myself up outside on the deck with a big cigar and enjoyed a dram neat as he made the drink.

The bourbon is good, but nothing mind blowing. Not sure how special this “Special Reserve” really is but it tastes good, however, it is not special. As usual, a little marketing on the bottle is needed by the distillery. Weller is affordable bourbon to keep on your bar if you need one for sipping or cocktails.

The receipt for the “Southern Gentleman” by Saint Matthew Barker (The Patron Saint of West Palm Beach, circa 1994-98):

Rocks glass & one large ice cube/ball
3-4 oz Weller
Splash of fresh Ice Tea
Splash of Pure Maple Syrup
Stir and serve over ice

The cocktail was very refreshing and helped with the 80F weather, which was a surprise for October in Kentucky. One other note, the deer in the background surprised me as I was taking the bottle picture. It just stared at me for a few minutes with the look of “what the fuck are you looking at?” and then ran off. I could have had venison for dinner.

Weller Special Reserve is a good example of a whiskey that does not have to be expensive to be good and drinkable. As I say, if you like it, drink it. You do not have to always spend big money on your whisky.

Price in NYC is around $50+ and in Kentucky is $19.99. (Note this review was posted in 2020, prices have increased)

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

September 8, 2022 America

Name: Blantons’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Color: Brown

Nose: Spices, caramel, vanilla, orange

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

Over 4^th 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!

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!

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!

Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon

November 18, 2020 America

Name: Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon

Color: Brown

Nose: Caramel sweet, corn, light wood

Taste: Wheat, wood, caramel, strong alcohol

Review:

Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon is another in a growing line of expressions from Maker’s Distillery in Kentucky, USA. The mash bill is 70% corn, 16% Red Winter Wheat, and 15% Malted Barley. The bourbon is aged 5-3/4 to 7 years in a limestone cellar which is not really impressive since most of Kentucky is limestone. Private Select is bottled non-aged stated and ranges from 54% to 57% abv (108-114 proof). In this expression ten custom wood staves are added to each barrel to create a unique flavor profile. The combination of the 10 different staves and can be customized with 5 different flavor profiles with a retail partner to produce a desired taste. After the barrel is finished, and some creative math is calculated, it gives 1,001 flavor combinations with this expression. I guess they did carry the “1”.

So in summary, it is Maker’s Mark high proof bourbon with special pieces of wood for flavor that is bottled with less water in it. I know this because the price difference is scaled with proof and label.

Scale in % abv versus price:

Maker’s Mark: 45% abv = $35
Maker’s 46: 47% abv = $45
Maker’s Cask Strength: 55+% abv = $65
Maker’s Private Select: 54-57% abv = $75

Maker’s Cask Strength Bourbon with special wood to create something different is different, but is still kind of the same stuff. The secret about Maker’s Mark (besides the wheat) is the is amount of water and marketing. Less water means higher proof and a little Mad Men Marketing and there ya go! You can drink Maker’s Cask Strength for less and the high proof will make it difficult to determine the flavor profile without water to cut it for the average drinker. This is the kind of bourbon I like to make my high-quality cocktails with.

Priced around $75 and worth the money if you got it the money or want to give “more specialer” gift to someone.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old

May 21, 2020 America

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!

Four Roses – Single Barrel

May 19, 2020 America

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!

New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old

April 14, 2020 America

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!

Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

Basil Hayden Bourbon

WL Weller Special Reserve

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon

Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old

Four Roses – Single Barrel

New Riff Bourbon 4 Year Old

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