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Stratahan’s Sherry Cask

August 3, 2023 America

Name: Stratahan’s Sherry Cask

Color: Copper

Nose: Malt, dry sherry, dark fruits

Taste: Malt, dry sherry, caramel

Stranahan’s Whiskey was founded in 2004 and it is located at 200 S. Kalamath St. Denver, CO. The distillery/visitor center is in an industrial park and has a simple outdoor seating area with a nice view of the mountains. The inside bar has a modern rustic wood design with seating for around 75 people. The bar serves whiskey, flights, cocktails, and the retail store sells bottles and merchandise. The staff is very friendly with that easy going Colorado vibe.

The Sherry Cask is created from the four year old Rocky Mountain Single Malt and is then finished in Oloroso Sherry Barrels that come from the Andalusia region of Spain (aka the Palm Beach of Espana). It is a very nice tasting, smooth, semi sweet dry finish styled whiskey. It is well balanced and easy to drink. The Spanish Sherry styled finish is very nice on the plate. Normally, I do not go for sherry cask whiskeys but this expression is very good.

Other expressions produced: Original, Blue Peak, Mountain Angel 10 Year, Snowflake, Diamond Peak, Sherry Cask, Single Barrel, and other special releases. The whiskeys that really impressed me are the Snowflake, Sherry Cask, and Cask Strength.

Priced around $75 and the best of the four I sampled in 2022. I highly recommend this one and will pick up a bottle if I find in the NYC area.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Old Bardstown Bourbon

July 19, 2023 America

Name: Old Bardstown Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn mash blend, wood/oak, vanilla

Taste: Corn mash, vanilla, sweet cream, spices

Bardstown Bourbon comes from the Willet Distillery, is a NAS and is aged around 4 years. It is a hard to nose at 50% abv with a hot finish. It is sweeter style bourbon and not really to my taste.

It is not a bad bourbon, but it lacks any complexity or depth in the flavor profile. It is overall a good bourbon and would work fine in cocktail or on the rocks. At the price point, I know half of the cost is taxes so it this to me is a very basic bourbon.

Willet is known to make some great bourbons, but this one just seems to be a mass market whiskey. It’s drinkable and will get the job done.

Prices around $50 and good, but nothing that impressive.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Kentucky Owl Rye

July 13, 2023 America

Name: Kentucky Owl Rye (Batch #3)

Color: Copper

Nose: Corn mash, barley/rye, vanilla, white oak

Taste: Corn, vanilla, orange finish

Kentucky Owl Rye Batch #3 whiskey is one of those with an odd history and a very high price tag. I stopped by the Bardstown Distillery with the hope to sample some of their more exotic expressions, but I was only able to get a flight of basic expressions and this rye for some reason. The bartender was really selling how great this rye was and that the gift store has bottles for sale. My Spidey-sense started tingling which is never a good sign.

When I tasted this rye, (away from the bartender at a table) it had a nice balance, soft profile, and was a little hot at 57% abv. A little water opened it up, and I liked it. But then I learned the cost and I started hating it.

I had to do some research about why this rye cost so much. I learned the Stoli Corporation purchased Kentucky Owl from a private owner who is the great-great-great grandson of someone who made bourbon a long time ago. They appear to be in the process of creating a premium luxury brand and added this stuff to their portfolio. The whiskey is sourced from multiple distilleries. It is not clear which ones but it is thought to be Jim Beam, Old Forester, Wild Turkey, and Barton/Sazerac. This does not justify the cost.

Priced around $250 and not worth the money. What dumb ass pays $250 for a 10-year-old rye?

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

PS: I read Batch No. 4 is not being released. No shit? I wonder why…

Boone Country Small Batch Bourbon

June 29, 2023 America

Name: Boone Country Small Batch Bourbon

Color: Copper

Nose: Corn (harsh), oak, vanilla, dark cherries, spice

Taste: Corn (harsh), oak, vanilla, dark fruit, rye spices

Boone County Small Batch Bourbon comes from someone with a distillery, somewhere, that was inspired by someone who lived 182 years ago, that did something.

That is pretty much how I am going to start summing up these fairly tale history sales pitches. I have learned when I read a things like “we are inspired by….following the same tradition……we take our direction from the brave ones before us….” there is an extremely high chance it will taste like shit.

This bourbon is a straight bourbon bottled at 45.45% abv with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. On my first taste it is harsh, but a little water opens up the flavors slightly but does not impress or improve the taste. Boone has an a Old Forster type of taste and would probably be ok in a cocktail or with a mixer, but not for the price. I hate being right before I sample a whiskey.

Priced around $50 and not that impressive and I do not recommend it.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Whistle Pig 10 Small Batch Rye

June 8, 2023 America

Name: Whistle Pig 10 Small Batch Rye

Color: Brown

Nose: Rye malt, spices, caramel, light oak

Taste: Rye malt, spices, orange, vanilla oak notes

Whistle Pig Whiskey was founded in 2007 in Vermont and produce high end rye whiskey that is expensive. Their history is a mixed bag of startup distillery, reality show owner, board management drama, and sourced product from Canada. It is a bit of a mess so go look it up if you are interested.

The Whistle Pig 10 is 100% rye, aged 10 years, and is bottled at 50% abv. For a rye whiskey it is very smooth, well balanced, and easy to drink. It has a little spice on the finish, and it bit hot due to the proof. A few drops of water open it up nicely. At the price this should be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. I would not put this in a cocktail as it would probably not hold its flavor profile after mixing or shaking with ice.

Like my recent comments on Stranahan’s Origional in last week’s review, I can understand the relationship between the age of the distillery vs. the expressions but I struggle to understand the cost per bottle of Whistle Pig. For the price I will spend my money on scotch or Sagamore Rye Cask Strength for cocktails.

Other expression: Piggyback Rye, Farmstock Rye, 10 Year Small Batch, 12-Year-Old World Cask Finish, 15 Year Estate Oak Rye, 18 Year Double Malt Rye, and The Boss Hog (editions releases vary in name).

Priced around $75 and overall good but too expensive for a sourced rye.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: What is Best Bang for the Buck?

February 22, 2023 America, Cigar Accessories

Opinions Vary: What is Best Bang for the Buck?

When you think of the question “What’s the best bang for the Buck?” it quickly becomes a very subjective question. For me it depends on what I like and what my budget is for the whiskey. It eventually all comes down to money, the quality, and what is the proof (abv).

So basically, it when it comes to the down to it, you are dealing with Price & Proof if you want a good bang.

The best whiskey for the value is connected to the proof. If you read my reviews, I am not a fan of cask strength whiskey, but when it comes to maximizing price, I recommend you get the strongest whiskey at the best price. For me I have come to the following conclusions:

Bourbon Best Bang for the Buck:

Knob Creek 9 Year (100 proof) for $35 or Sagamore Rye Cask Strength (112.2 proof) for $60.

Scotch Best Bang for the Buck:

Any 12-Year-Old Single Malt for under or around $50. If I had to pick two it would be Tomatin 12 or The Singleton 12 at $40 (summer drinker) or Talisker 10 or Laphroig 10 (winter drinker) at $60. Most will be around 80 proof.

Special Occasions Best Bang for the Buck:

18-Year-old Single Malts, Johnnie Walker Blue or other high-quality whiskey give great bang for the buck (if you budget allows it) for you and one or two friends drinking with you. If you open a $130-$250 bottle of whiskey with a recognizable bottle in a larger group it will evaporate quickly so chose your whiskey and friends wisely.

If you are stretching your dollars or spending a fair amount to serve to multiple thirsty people you will want to manage your expectations and your wallet. Usually, if you buy a few bottles it is going to be drank in mixers, cocktails or on the rocks. People aren’t usually going to sip 2 ounces repeatedly at a party.

In the end, the Best Bang for the Buck is your call!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Ole Smokey White Lighting Moonshine

February 9, 2023 America

Name: Ole Smokey White Lighting Moonshine

Color: Clear

Nose: Rubbing alcohol

Taste: Alcohol and orange liquor

Ole Smokey White Lighting Moonshine is a clear whiskey in a moonshine style from Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The distillery was founded in 2010 and they state they have a “100-year-old family receipt” to make this corn-based spirit. I wonder if it tasted like shit a 100 years ago or this is a better version.

The nose is impossible for me to detect any specific notes. The taste is ok compared to the nose, but it’s far too harsh at 50% abv. I have seen this stuff on the shelf for years but never wanted to spend the money on jar. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. I tried clear alcohol once many years ago and my mouth was on fire on each sip.

Priced around $30 and set my mouth on fire, again. You could use it to spike a punch bowl, but I would not recommend doing that.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Sagamore Double Oak Rye

December 21, 2022 America

Name: Sagamore Double Oak Rye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Light wood, vanilla, caramel, light spice/nuts

Taste: Sweet, oak, spice caramel

4 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Sagamore Spirit Whiskey originates from Baltimore, Maryland and is owned by the owner Under Armor clothing. The marketing claims that Maryland produced rye whiskey before Bourbon was created in Kentucky. This makes sense when you look at how America’s colonies and states developed, however, I can now smell a Mad Men marketing a mile away before I taste a whiskey.

Sagamore Double Oak Rye is bottled at 96 proof and aged 4-5 years in two oak barrels that have grooved cuts and are char’d to level 1. At the time of my tasting (March 2020) it had not be released and any release was going to be limited. The bottle design is six sided to represent a diamond to show quality. Ok, and again, more fucking marketing. Perhaps, and I am just guessing, it was designed to stand out on a shelf. Humans base first thoughts and actions on sight above all other senses.

This rye has a nice balance, but the rye notes are slightly masked by the sweet oak taste. It is very good, but I prefer the Sagamore Cask Strength over the Double Oak. I also find these better as high-end mixers than straight drinker.

Priced around $60 and worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Clyde’s May – Original Alabama Whiskey

December 15, 2022 America

Name: Clyde’s May Original Alabama Whiskey

Color: Copper Brown

Nose: Corn, rye, and malt blend, citrus, pepper, wood

Taste: Malted blend with corn, dry cedar, vanilla, lemon

10 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Clyde May is named after a moonshiner from Alabama with a long history of backwoods whiskey production. Clyde passed away in 1990 and his son took over the business and made it legal. The whiskey is sourced from Indiana and/or Kentucky and bottled in Florida. As of January 2022, they have broken ground with a distillery in Troy, Alabama. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2023 and first releases in 2027. The history of the May Family is one of good old fashion American grit, which I appreciate. Most new distilleries are just kids playing with daddy’s money or bored rich guys.

Unfortunately, the old fashion “grit” does not translate into quality. The first and second tastes of the Alabama Whiskey are just basic. This is their baseline expression and is a mixed bag in taste and with the nose. The taste profile has that blended corn, malt, and rye thing going on. The nose is softer than the Straight Bourbon and the color is darker than some of the other expressions. The abv is not strong enough to last in a cocktail and would be watered down too quickly. I find it hard to believe that they won any awards.

Other expressions: Straight Rye, Straight Bourbon, Alabama Style Whiskey, Clyde May’s Cask Strength, Alabama Style Whiskey, and Clyde May’s Special Reserve Alabama Style Whiskey.

Priced around $40 and drinkable. Good for cheap slugging or cocktails.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

New Riff Rye

December 14, 2022 America

Name: New Riff Rye

Color: Light brown

Nose: Rye, cream, vanilla

Taste: Rye, orange, wood, white pepper

11 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

New Riff Rye is produced by New Riff Distilling and is located in Newport, KY. The distillery was founded by Ken Lewis who used to own The Party Source Store in the same plaza. It is my understanding that you cannot produce and distribute in Kentucky, so he sold the store to start the distillery.

The mash bill is 95% rye, 5% malted rye, and is bottled at 50% abv.. The whiskey is aged for 4 years in new charred barrels, and is non-chilled filtered. The malted rye adds a different flavor profile which is very nice. It has a good balance, not too spicy, and a sweeter finish than I expected. I did not get to try it in a cocktail, but I am sure it would it would work very well.However, for a rye I prefer Sagamore Cask Strength for the spicy flavor for a few dollars more.

The current expressions produced: Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Rye, Single Barrel Rye, Red Turkey Wheat, Wild Gin, and Bourbon Barreled Gin.

Price around $50 and is good valve for the price.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Stratahan’s Sherry Cask

Old Bardstown Bourbon

Kentucky Owl Rye

Boone Country Small Batch Bourbon

Whistle Pig 10 Small Batch Rye

Opinions Vary: What is Best Bang for the Buck?

Ole Smokey White Lighting Moonshine

Sagamore Double Oak Rye

Clyde’s May – Original Alabama Whiskey

New Riff Rye

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