Jim Beam Red Stag Whiskey is another one of these chemical flavor whiskeys/liqueurs that can not be drank straight. It is similar to Jim Beam Vanilla, as it is all chemicals and would only go with a coke mixer. I cannot think of another way you could tolerate the tast. I tried a White Claw Black Cherry recently and took one sip and was disgusted by it. Ironically, the Red Stag has a similar taste.
It’s basically a low-grade mixer and tastes like shit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jack Daniels a popular whiskey that you might have heard about in your life time. Jack Daniels, aka “JD” or “Jack” as it is sometimes known is not a bourbon. It is a Tennessee whiskey made up of 80% corn, 12% rye, and 8% malt. The whiskey is filtered through sugar, maple and charcoal which gives it unique taste profile. The label is iconic and is replicated for numerous type of products other than whiskey. It is said that no one knows what Old No.7 really means on the label. I say, who gives a shit. It is just romancing marketing.
Jack Daniels and Frank Sinatra are together in the photo because this week marks the anniversary of the passing of Frank Sinatra. I once heard, “Frank was never without Jack” or something along those lines. Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, NJ and started his career in NYC. Due to Sinatra’s great love of Jack Daniels the company makes a Jack Daniels Sinatra Edition Whiskey. I have not tried it but I have been told it is much smoother than the basic Jack Daniels, but it comes at a high price.
Jack Daniels is good for mixing or cooking but I find unpleasant to drink straight or on the rocks.
Tin Cup American Whiskey originates from Denver, Colorado and is a nice whiskey that I got a small taste of recently while helping on a tasting panel and I just picked up a bottle at Shoprite in Hoboken.
Tin Cup is a sourced whiskey a blend of high rye bourbon from Indiana and Colorado single malt whiskey that is cut with Rocky Mountain water. The mash bill is corn, rye and malted barley and is aged 4 years in American white oak barrels with number 3 char. Rocky mountain water may seem special but take it from me (engineer), any type of water can be recreated now with modern technology. Hard water, software, mineral based, salted, etc. can be made by scientist/engineer in a warehouse with the right equipment. Coors Light is made from Rocky Mountain water and tastes like shit, so I do not buy into that sales pitch.
Tin Cup is made by Jess Graber who co-founded Stranahan’s and similar to Stranahan’s there is a jigger on the top. I think that is a nice touch to keep you from drinking straight from the bottle. I like to joke that the jigger on Stranahan’s bottles must be $30 of the price of the bottle because their whisky is not cheap. Due to the taste, I am taking an educated guess that the single malt whiskey that is used is Stranahan’s because this whiskey is nice stuff!
This whisky is surprisingly good for the price (and you can see I am enjoying it). It works neat or on the rocks and I am sure it works well in a cocktail. It has been a while since I have been impressed with a whiskey in this price range. (See Tomatin 12)
I tried Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye last week when I was in Cincinnati at Lackman Bar in the Over the Rhine (ORT) District. If you are in Cincinnati in the future I recommend a visit the ORT. The area has been revamped over the years and there are a lot of nice bars and restaurants of various styles and flavors.
I have seen this whiskey on social media a lot in the last few months so I thought I would give it a try. A pour was $15 in Ohio dollars so that means it is probably $23-25 in NYC dollars. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste and enjoyed it. My friend was shocked at what I spent but I had to laugh as he has forgotten the cost of drinks on his last trip to NYC.
E.H. Taylor comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery, who also supplies Bulleit for most of their products. If you are not familiar with Buffalo Trace, it is a solid whiskey and a main stop on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. Buffalo Trace is also popular overseas in the United Kingdom and Europe. I see it on almost every bar shelf from London to Glasgow and from Munich to Madrid.
The bottle is a bit tall and long so if you have a short shelf keep that in mind. I do like the look and label of the bottle. I feel if you are displaying bottles on your bar at home you need to have a few colorful ones in the crowd.
Quick lesson; “Bottle in Bond” means the whiskey is a product of one distillery in one distillation season by one distiller. It is matured in a Federally Bonded warehouse for 4 years. In short, you are not drinking poison, you are drinking whiskey made by the letter of the law.
Priced around $65 I will be looking to pick up a bottle soon.
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.
Jefferson’s Ocean bourbon first came to my attention when I saw printed advertisements on the subway here in NYC. When I read “Aged at Sea….” I thought to myself “That looks interesting….and a bit gimmicky”. My gut reaction was right. It is gimmicky.
On my previous review of Jefferson’s Small Batch, I noted they source their bourbon rather than distill their own whiskey. As I have learned, and maybe some people do not realize, anyone who sources their whiskey and does not have a long history of distilling needs marketing to sell their product. Calling Mr. Draper! Calling Mr. Don Draper of Madison Ave. for a new method of creation and a romantic story. See below to summarize advertisement and marketing.
Jefferson states that the air, temperature and movement at sea creates a more unique flavor to the bourbon. For a bourbon that spends months at sea I did not get much of a marine, salt, or brine taste. Unlike Old Putney that has a sea/salt taste to it and Penderyn Madeira that has a wow factor, Jefferson’s Ocean had neither. To be honest, I am glad I did not get a sea salt taste. I have serious doubts about sea salt taste in a Kentucky Bourbon.
Jefferson’s Ocean is a nice, rich tasting bourbon but it is nothing mind blowing. In the end, you are paying for the price of the ship storage at sea and the gimmicky marketing.
Price around $75 and it is overpriced for the flavor profile.
