J. Rieger Kansas City Whiskey

J. Rieger Kansas City Whiskey

February 4, 2020

Name: J. Rieger Kansas City Whiskey

Color: Light brown

Nose: Sherry, caramel, spices

Taste: Light burn, caramel, sweetness

Review:

When I am up in the midtown area of NYC I like to visit Park Ave Liquor Store. Recently I visited the store and samples of Kansas City Whiskey by J. Rieger Distiller were being offered. I had heard of this distillery from the Whisky Cast Podcast and I was interested to sample it.

It is worth a quick mention; I never buy anything at this store. I just like to be absolutely shocked at the ridiculous prices. They do carry some high end stuff and display some impressive bottles in their street window, but their average bottles retail cost is far too high. As for the street window luxury displays, mark my words, there will be a smash and grab job one day.

Kansas City Whiskey is a blend of straight bourbon, light corn, straight rye, and a small amount of 15-year-old Oloroso Sherry. The whiskey is aged at least 4 years. I asked about the age of the whiskey versus the distillery and I was informed they were sourcing the raw product. Since the whiskey is young I asked about other spirits they produced. Similar to other small distilleries who need to keep the revenue coming in as the whiskey ages, they produce gin, vodka, Caffe Amaro (coffee liquor), and specialty releases.

This whiskey has a nice flavor and I would definitely enjoy it in my Old Fashions or Manhattans cocktails when I am out or at home. If you haven’t yet tried increasing the quality of your whiskey for cocktails I strongly recommend it. I realize people think, “What’s the point of spending the extra money?” I used to think the same way. The point is, it’s worth it for the taste! Enjoying a cocktail in the comfort of your own home with higher quality whiskey is worth every penny.

Priced at approximately $45 it is good and I will be adding to my bar at home.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

 

 

 

 

ChrisJ. Rieger Kansas City Whiskey
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Backbone Bourbon

Backbone Bourbon

November 6, 2019

Name: Backbone Bourbon

Color: Copper

Nose: Oak, orange spice, nutmeg

Taste: Vanilla, orange, spices

Review:

Backbone Bourbon is distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and is bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky. It is a cask strength bourbon at 113 proof, officially non-aged stated, but is aged approximately 4 years. The mash bill is 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley. The bottled I sampled was Batch #14 and was distilled on July 2008 and bottled on October 2016.

The name “Backbone” comes from the saying that the Midwest of America is the “Backbone of America”. It is a romantic description of hard-working people coming home each night for a glass of bourbon. It sounds nice, but people coming home for a bourbon each evening was a big complaint of the Tempest Women who were the catalyst of Prohibition. Gotta love that marketing!
The overall taste profile is tight and young with no real mellowness to the bourbon. Add a little water and it is a bit easier to drink. Backbone would be better for a cocktail not to drink neat.

Price around $60 and I was not very impressed. I would recommend Maker’s Cask Strength or Bulleit 10 at this price point and proof.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisBackbone Bourbon
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James Oliver American Whiskey

James Oliver American Whiskey

October 23, 2019

Name: James Oliver American Whiskey

Color: Copper

Nose: Cheap, tight, vanilla, corn

Taste: Vanilla, corn, oak/wood, burn finish

Review:

James Oliver American Whiskey is produced by Indio Spirits Company and comes from Portland, Oregon. Portland is an interested place in America right now. Perhaps they need more whiskey, maybe less?

The whiskey is distilled from high rye mash aged in two different barrels. The aging is in ex-bourbon and sherry casks for 2 years and is bottled at 43% abv. I have found conflicting information online about the barrels, char level, and abv.

James Oliver won Best American Whiskey Gold Metal in 2015. For the tasted of this spirit I question if this award was bought and paid for ahead of time. I cannot taste any quality, care, or interested in making this whiskey. It has a very cheap rough taste and cannot taste the sherry finish. It appears to me this is a rushed whiskey with a questionable award.

Priced around $30 and not very good. You can use it as a mixer or in an emergency if a you are bit by a snake.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

 

ChrisJames Oliver American Whiskey
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Cask & Crew Whiskey

Cask & Crew Whiskey

October 16, 2019

Name: Cask & Crew Whiskey

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Sweet, ginger, spices, orange

Taste: Sweet, ginger, spices, orange

Review:

Cask & Crew Whiskey is a ginger spiced fruit flavored whiskey. It is a blend of Kentucky Whiskey and Canadian Rye that is aged for 3 years and bottled around 35% abv.

It smells cheap and tastes sweet and spicy. I could barely drink it neat and it was not much better on ice. It is one of those whiskeys made for holiday cocktails.

I am not going to spend any more time writing a review. If you like a ginger flavor and not spending money, go buy a bottle.

Priced around $25 and I am not a fan of ginger with my whiskey.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

 

ChrisCask & Crew Whiskey
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Koval Whiskey – Oat

Koval Whiskey – Oat

July 11, 2019

Name: Koval – Oat

Color: Light brown

Nose: Toasted grains with sweet taste, spices and apples

Taste: Oat and grain woody taste with apples and spices

Review:

This is a unique American Whiskey from Chicago that I tried at a cigar night in midtown recently. Now, to be honest, there were eight of us smoking cigars and we consumed 1-1/2 bottles whisky before we ran dry which I took as a sign that it was the end of the night. I was ready to pack it in until the two married guys with new born babies left the table and ran across the street to get a fresh bottle to keep the party going. They returned with Koval Whiskey -Oat. Upon tasting it (even in my whiskey-cigar zen state) I found the flavor profile to be very different due to this whiskey being 100% Oat and matured in Minnesota American Oak Barrels. Koval also has designs their products to be Organic and Kosher which is great for those that prefer organic food and/or follow Jewish Law regarding food practices.

Priced around $50.00 and has that something different about it that is enjoyable and makes for good conversations and debate.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisKoval Whiskey – Oat
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Four Roses – Small Batch

Four Roses – Small Batch

May 16, 2019

Name: Four Roses – Small Batch

Color: Light brown

Nose: Sweet caramel, orange, spice, vanilla

Taste: Spices, sweet vanilla, oak and cream

Review:

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a 6 to 7-year-old bourbon that is 90 proof and has a been created from multiple recipes. On the label of Small Batch, it states that is it is made from four bourbons. From my research, 250 barrels make one batch and it is made from two mash bills and multiple yeast strains. The two mash bills are;

  • 75% corn, 20% rye and 5% malted barley
  • 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley

I do not put a lot of faith in this information that I have found online. I do not believe any business ever gives away the “secret sauce”. I think it is a combination of truth and marketing and we all know what I think of marketing.

Small Batch is a very good and well balanced bourbon. I was pleasantly surprised with this one and enjoyed in on the rocks and in my cocktails. The sweet caramel taste has the right amount of orange, spice and vanilla oak. It finishes with a light cream taste which is very nice. I originally bought Small Batch to fill my bourbon decanter but it never made it in. (IW Harper did).

Price around $45 and worth the money. It is somewhere between a mixer and a sipper.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

ChrisFour Roses – Small Batch
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Jack Daniels “Gentleman Jack”

Jack Daniels “Gentleman Jack”

March 21, 2019

Name: Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Caramel, citrus, orange

Taste: Vanilla, pepper, with softened Jack Daniels base flavor

Review:

As a subscriber to Joe Rogan’s Podcast, I have listened to him and his guests enjoy Gentleman Jack or the Jack Daniels Frank Sinatra Edition. I am not sure how Jack and Weed go together, but it does sound like they are having more fun in the studio than I do in my cubicle.
In general, I do not drink regular Jack Daniels. It is not a bad whisky, but I find it too rough of a taste and finish and the overall flavor is not to my liking. I also have the same opinion of Jameson Irish Whiskey but that is for another review.
I was at Whisky Live NYC last week and I sampled Gentleman Jack to remind myself of the flavor. I was pleasantly surprised while tasting the whisky. It has a smoother taste that comes from a twice filter charcoal process used during distillation. It has an easy finish and I found myself enjoying it, but it would not be my daily drinker or oddball spirit to mix things up. However, I will be adding it to my bar just in case a serious Jack Daniels drinker drops by my apartment.
Priced around $45 it is a good value if you like Jack Daniels flavor.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisJack Daniels “Gentleman Jack”
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IW Harper Straight Bourbon

IW Harper Straight Bourbon

October 31, 2018

Name: IW Harper Straight Bourbon

Color: Light brown

Nose: Sweet corn, vanilla, cinnamon, honey

Taste: Light citrus, nuts, and spice

Review:

IW Harper Straight Bourbon was founded in 1890 by Isaac Wolfe (IW) Bernheim who immigrated to America from Germany in the mid 1800’s. He originally started with a liquor business and later purchased a distillery in Louisville, KY.

The “Harper” name was added strictly for marketability and is connected to a horse owner who he knew and/or liked. This was a smart move on his part for a future of the world he could not see coming. As IW Harper grew and developed there were times over a century it is was not fashionable to be German. Bernheim story is interesting and worth a read elsewhere online.

On the first nose of the whiskey I got a sharp alcohol burn. However, when I tasted it I experienced a light taste with little to no burn. I believe this is because of the mash bill which is 73% corn, 18% rye, and 9% malted barley. The whiskey is finished in new charred American oak keeping with cooper requirements to make bourbon.

IW Harper Straight Bourbon does not taste very complex which is a nice way of saying it is a bit on the cheap side, but it gives you an idea of what they can produce. I feel this expression gives a good preview of the other expression that are available. I stand by my theory that if the base line (basic) whiskey is decent it should only get better as you move up. This is not always true, but it in most of my tasting experience it has worked out this way.

Price around $35 and is ok on the rocks but better for a mixer. It is a decent bottle to bring to a party if needed. 

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

ChrisIW Harper Straight Bourbon
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Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Whiskey

Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Whiskey

May 10, 2018

Name: Jack Daniels Old No. 7

Color: Brown

Nose: Sweet, light smoke, spices

Taste: Banana peels, nuts, caramel

Review:

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. The last time I drank it was on a flight to Florida. I had the choice between Jack or Jameson. I chose the lesser of two evils.

Priced around $30 and I do not like it very much.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisJack Daniels Old No. 7 Whiskey
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Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Old

Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Old

October 19, 2017

Name: Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Old

Color: Brown

Nose: Caramel, sweet corn and oak

Taste: Caramel, vanilla, oak, slight burn on the finish

Review:

I’m off to Kentucky today and I was wondering;

Do you need a 375ml bottle? Perhaps something small, easy to transport with a little kick in it… Maybe you require some whiskey for train ride home, the office after a hard week, a day at the beach, a tailgating party, or a camping trip? Look no further, this is the bottle is for you!

Ok, that was my clever opening but it holds some truth. This is not full size bottle but I like this bourbon. Its good, well priced and packs a punch and fits well for all the ideas suggested.

Jim Bean produces Knob Creek and it is not the best or the worst Bourbon out there but it can go neat, on ice or in a mixer. At 100 proof you are getting a strong bourbon and it will get you feeling relaxed and good. I find this bourbon to get good for a mixer or a nip from the bottle. The price is good but the taste is not amazing but is decent.

Approximately $40 and a good value because a couple of bar cocktails in NYC are almost the same price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisKnob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Old
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