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Calumet Farm Small Batch Bourbon

April 20, 2022 America

Name: Calumet Farm Small Batch Bourbon

Color: Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, wood, dark fruit

Taste: Corn, vanilla, orange cream, light oak

Review:

Calumet Farm was established in 1924 in Lexington, KY and produced numerous champion racehorses. At some point they started making bourbon, and by “making” I mean sourcing it. From my research on their limited information, they source the whisky from Western Spirits by Three Springs Bottling Company in Bowling Green, KY. They then market they shit out of it in a unique and sexy looking bottle.

It is stated that this expression is a blend of 7-8 year-old and 14-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The mash bill is 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley, and bottled at 43% abv.

The first taste gave me a nice balance with an impressive flavor profile. The second taste was very smooth, and I was more impressed. This one was a new experience for me as I had not heard or tried this bourbon before. I do not see it on the shelves here in the NYC area.

Other expressions: 15, 14, 12, 10, 8, Small Batch, and The Pedigree.

Priced around $60 and a decent tasting bourbon. I look forward to trying more expressions to see how they hold up..

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: What is Best Bang for the Buck?

February 22, 2022 America

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 to drink and what my wallet can handle. It (and most things) come down to money, quality, and proof (abv). So basically it is Price & Proof if you want a good bang.

The best whiskey for the value has to be connected to the proof for the bang. If you read my reviews you know 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 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 $65. 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 for you and 1-2 friends drinking with you. If you open a $125-$250 bottle with a recognizable label in a larger group it will evaporate quickly. So buyer and drinker beware, 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 wallet. Usually, if you buy a few bottles for a party I know it is going to be drank in mixers, cocktails or on the rocks. So I will go with Knob Creek every time.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Journeyman Last Feather Rye

February 17, 2022 America

Name: Journeyman Last Feather Rye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Rye, white pepper, dried fruit

Taste: Rye, vanilla, cream, pepper/spice

Journeyman Spirits originates from Three Oaks, Michigan and is stated to be a hand-crafted artisan spirit. The distillery notes that all the ingredients are locally sourced organic grains and a local aquifer supplies the water. The factory that distillery operates out of has some interesting history of producing various old timey items for adults. You can look it up.

The distillery, like many new distilleries produces other spirits to support the whiskey production. Journeyman Spirits also produces vodka, gin, rum, brandy, and liqueurs.

Last Feather Rye is bottled at 45% abv and is a mash of 60% rye and 40% wheat. This rye is their flagship product and has won some awards. (if you read my reviews you know what I think about awards). I sampled was Batch #49, Bottle #413 from the three 200ml bottle box set. I thought the box set was a good price and killed three bottles with one purchase. I found the Last Feather Rye a little on the sweet side and is not that impressive of a flavor profile. It is what it is, which is a young, rough, and locally made slugging whisky that has made its way onto the market. Journeyman Rye reminds me of Mark Twain’s quote: “There is no such thing as a bad whiskey, some are just made better than others”

Priced around $50 and it’s your call to buy a bottle but maybe just get the 3 pack and decide for yourself.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Sagamore Reserve Series

February 10, 2022 America

Name: Sagamore Reserve Series

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Light, flowers, spice, honey, grass

Taste: Rye, semi-sweet, white apple fruit

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. Last month I reviewed Sagamore Double Oak.

Sagamore Reserve Series is aged 5 years, bottled at 101.32 proof, and finished in Calvados barrels for up to 2 years. Calvados is an apple (or pear) brandy from the Calvados region in Normandy, France. The Calvados barrel finish gives nice apples notes and the French Oak gives some nice tannins to the whiskey. The overall taste profile is more on the lighter side and I feel would make more of a summer rye cocktail than a winter drink.

Overall, I am impressed with Sagamore’s expressions so far and this one is no exception.

Priced around $75 and a little pricey for a mixer but worth a try to experience the flavor profile on a rye.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Angels Envy Bourbon

February 3, 2022 America

Name: Angels Envy Bourbon

Color: Light brown

Nose: Corn/malt, vanilla, orange, port wine sweet

Taste: Corn bourbon, light cream notes, port wine finish

Angels Envy is a Straight Kentucky Bourbon, aged 4 to 6 years, and bottled at 43.3% abv. The bourbon is matured in charred oak of barrels and is finished in Port wine barrels. Angels Envy is created by the Henderson Family and is produced by the Louisville Distillery in Kentucky which is owned by Bacardi.

The bottle I sampled was Batch No. 752 and Bottle No. 8840. It is different tasting than most bourbons I have sampled due to the port finish. The port wine finish is nice touch, but for traditional bourbon drinker this may not be to one’s liking. The bottle is a tall and flat shaped and imprinted wing that stand out through the bourbon and is unique looking. It is also a thin bottle that is easy to hide at your desk at work.

Other expressions produced by Angel Envy are:

Port Finish
Rum Finish
Cask Strength,
Sherry Cask 2019
Tawny Cask 2020

Good to drink straight or on rocks and maybe an after-dinner drink. I do not recommend it in cocktails, but the website has several receipts.

Priced around $55 and worth the money if the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Jack Daniels – Sinatra Select

December 7, 2021 America

Name: Jack Daniels – Sinatra Select

Color: Dark Brown

Nose: Sweet mash mix, soft oak, apples, vanilla

Taste: Honey, vanilla, butter scotch/cream, dark fruits

Review:

19 Days until Christmas! Do you have all your gifts and bottles ready?!?

In honor of Hoboken’s favorite son, Old Blue Eyes himself, I shelled out some money to sample Jack Daniels Sinatra Select in honor of The Chairman of the Board. This expression was created in honor of Frank Sinatra, and it was said he was buried with a flask of Jack Daniels.

This whiskey is very smooth with caramel cream and dried dark fruit notes. It is aged in “Sinatra barrels” which have deep groves in the staves and get extra toasted oak to allow the whiskey to absorb the flavor of the barrel. It is is non-age stated with a mash bill of 80% corn, 8% rye and 12% malted barley. It is bottled at 90 proof and expensive for being Jack Daniels, but it has an advantage that it is a 1 liter bottle, not the standard 750ml size.

Sinatra expression has almost no taste comparison to No.7 Jack Daniels. It is extremely smooth and very easy to drink. There is no charcoal, banana skin, or rough mash finish. If regular Jack Daniels was even half as good as this expression, I would drink it regularly drink Jack Daniels. But, it is not, so I do not drink Jack Daniels.

Priced around $165 and I would not spend the money on this for myself, but if you know someone who is Jack Daniels drinker and Sinatra fan it would make a wonderful gift.

As of June 2021, I am having a hard time finding a bottle in any stores in the NYC area.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

High West Bourye

November 17, 2021 America

Name: High West Bourye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Rye spice, wood, cream vanilla, pepper notes

Taste: Rye, vanilla, cream, orange, spices, toffee

Review:

High West Bourye is from Park City, Utah. Established in 2006 was founded by a former biochemist. They started small and have steadily built up their business over the years.

The whiskey is a combo of bourbon and rye, which is a strange combo, hence the jackalope on the bottle. It is aged 10 years and the combo is a secret, aged in new, charred white American oak barrels. It is released once per year and the blend is said to be a secret but, on their website, it states the mash bill is from Indiana and is the following:

Straight Rye: 95% rye, 5% barley
Straight Bourbon: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley
Straight Bourbon: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% barley

The bottled I sampled was Batch 19L11 which stands for something which I did not research too much. The whisky is a blend of straight whiskeys, non-chilled filtered, no color added and bottled at 46% abv.

Overall, it is good stuff, not amazing. The flavor profile and abv would make for a good cocktail. The price is too high for my preference. I can get some very good single malts aged up to 16 or 17 years.

Priced around $85 and good for sipping or a cocktail but too expensive for me for what it is.

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!

Skrewball Whiskey

October 21, 2021 America

Name: Skrewball Whiskey

Color: Brown

Nose: Toffee and nuts

Taste: Coffee, toffee, peanut butter

Review:

Skrewball Whiskey is a flavored whiskey that has a peanut butter flavor and is bottled at 35% abv. Yes, I said peanut butter.

This whiskey hails from Ocean Beach, California and was created by a bartender. I wonder what the late Anthony Bourdain would have said about a Cali bartender making peanut butter whiskey and a New Yorker drinking it? I bet it would have been a good one! If you have read my reviews you would know that I am not a fan of heavily flavored whiskeys that are cocktail gimmicks and taste like shit.

However, Skrewball may have “potential” as a holiday cocktail, baking, or coffee mixer. It is not that bad and a bit on the sweet side, but I theorize it could work in certain drinks. I wonder how it would taste in egg nog or holiday cookies. I doubt it would work well in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. I will give it another try around Thanksgiving or Christmas in a drink.

I can not drink it neat or on the rocks, but it is better than I expected. Let me know what you think!

Priced around $30 and if you like the flavor profile for a mixer.

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!

Calumet Farm Small Batch Bourbon

Opinions Vary: What is Best Bang for the Buck?

Journeyman Last Feather Rye

Sagamore Reserve Series

Angels Envy Bourbon

Jack Daniels – Sinatra Select

High West Bourye

New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon

Skrewball Whiskey

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

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