High West Campfire

February came and went without a post.  My apologies.  It's a short month, I'm busy...No, excuses are like assholes, everybody's got one.  In any case, I have a couple of posts in store for the next week or so.  Today I'm reviewing High West Campfire.  Typically, I will write in my whisky journal and then transfer my thoughts onto the blog in an organized fashion.  Today you will get my thoughts as I have them; I am sitting with the glass as I type.  I have tasted this whisky before, so it's not totally blind.  If you don't know much about High West, out of Utah, the owner is David Perkins.  Perkins had a background in biopharmaceutical engineering and wanted to get into the whisky business.  He set up a distillery but, like most craft startups, realized it's not a profitable model to sit on your thumbs while your whisky ages.  So he began sourcing and blending whiskies from other producers.  Some whisky folks turn up their nose at this, and go so far as to claim that buying and repackaging other folks' juice is not an art or a skill.  But if you know anything about the history of brown spirits, blending is a huge part of the industry, and indeed takes a great deal of skill and technique.  And if you haven't tasted any of High West's products, which include a couple of fantastic ryes, a bourbon/rye blend called Bourye, and several others, than you don't know what you are talking about.  Perkins is marrying products with totally different mashbills, ages, and styles, and the results are totally unique products where the components work in perfect harmony.  My favorite High West whisky to date is the Rendevous Rye.  The K&L Spirits Journal has an interesting podcast interviewing Perkins if you want to have a listen. 

Campfire is a blend of rye whiskey, straight bourbon whiskey, and blended malt scotch whisky.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Scotch and bourbon in one bottle.  The text below is from the blog Sour Mash Manifesto, and gives a little more info on the components:

"Here’s the gist of Campfire Whiskey. Its a blend of a six year old bourbon distilled and aged at Midwest Grain Products (Formerly Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana or LDI), a 5.5 year old rye whiskey also distilled at the former LDI and aged in the upper floors of the famed Stitzel Weller Warehouses in Kentucky, and finally an 8 year old peated Scotch whiskey from the Scottish mainland."

You can read Jason Pyle's full review here.  I read it when he first posted it but I am not looking at it now as to not be unduly influenced in my review.

It has the standard cool packaging one would expect from High West.   You can see the batch and bottle number in the pic.  This shot is 92 proof and the bottle costs about $50.  I got it in Indiana.   I initially had a pour of this at Fete Sau, Stephen Starr's BBQ and Bourbon joint in Northern Liberties.

Nose: Fairly gentle.  Perkins writes on the back of the bottle about honeydew topped with peated syrup, a dessert he had in Scotland that inspired the drink, and I'd say the nose about matches up with that concept.

Taste: This is a fantastic whisky.  The smoke is certainly there but plays a supporting role.  This would be good for someone who wants an introduction to smoky whisky but isn't ready for the punch of a Laphroaig 10 year.  It's a bourbon at heart, for sure, but the rye spice is present in addition to the smoke.  Fruit drizzled with honey, oaky backbone, and all of it is laced with the smoke.  It's like when you cook over an open flame, every bite of your steak has some smoke influence, but again, it's not the dominant flavor.  My father in law loves peated whisky, and I wonder if the peat influence here will be too faint for his palate.  But as a bourbon lover it suits me just fine.

Finish: This one is about perfect at 92 proof.  Just a tiny bit of bite but on the whole is it very mellow.  It would indeed be a perfect pour in front of the campfire, but I'll settle for my living room on a nippy early March night in the Northeast corridor.

Value/Intangible:  I love the creativity of this product.  I have a review of a Compass Box scotch coming soon, Compass Box does some neat things on the other side of the pond, but for me High West is the high water mark for artisanship with sourcing and blending whiskies.  Fifty bucks for me does not an everyday pour make, but a fine price for a Sunday evening pour.  If you can get your hands on it I'd highly recommend it.

Thomas H Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

If you can read that label, you'll see that this baby comes in at a powerful 128.6 proof.  Not that I have to explain myself to anyone, but the bottle is almost empty not because I drank it all, but because I have just rebottled some of my stock (see this link for my post about rebottling).  In any case, I apologize in advance that Urban Grain has become a string of whisky reviews of late, just seems to have happened that way. 

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye is part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection that comes out each fall, this one is from 2011.  I was able to get this from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, of all places, for $60, a great value.  In general the Antique Collection bottles are a bit hard to come by, but they are out there.  I believe this whisky is an uncut and unfiltered version of their "baby Saz," a 6 year rye that you can find for about $30. 

Color-For such a high proof I'd expect a darker whisky.  This one is straw/gold in color.

Nose-Nose this one too quickly and you wreck your senses in a hurry.  What comes to my mind is the cinnamon part of a sticky bun, coated in vanilla icing.  Rich and sweet, yet sharp and spicy. 

Taste-I am trying this with no water.  I wouldn't recommend drinking too much high proof whisky with no water, but they bottled it that way so you could try it that way.  The taste is an onslaught.  Again, cinnamon and vanilla, here with some oak in the background.  Like a slice of rye bread with butter and honey.  The alcohol burns through the whole palate into the finish.  But it still maintains a certain softness and pretty full mouthfeel despite the sharpness.

Value-I think the $60-75 price range is fair for the higher end Buffalo Trace products.  They are unique, and their high proof is bang for the buck.

Intangible-I used this in a Manhattan once and it was maybe the best Manhattan I've ever had.  I love the Antique Collection, but I don't love how hard it is to come by.  I think this year I will hunt for Stagg again.  Of the 5 entries in the collection, I think Stagg is generally the most special.  But the W.L. Weller gives it a run for it's money.  Both of the ryes are fantastic but I don't know if they are quite on the level as the other two.  I've never had the Eagle Rare 17, though it's probably the easiest to find. 

Jim Murray's review of the nose says the following, "Any crisper and the glass would shatter: hard as a diamond rye, but oh! so much more of a rare and valuable gem! Rye concentrate."  Then he reprints that description for taste, finish, and balance verbatim.  "I think you may have got the idea," he says.  

Collingwood Canadian Whisky: Toasted Maplewood Mellowed

Canadian whisky is, to many, the least exciting major whisky region in the world.  When you think of Canadian whisky, you think of "CC" Manhattans and bottom shelf booze.  Also, I've been burned by boutique Canadian whisky before.  But I read an article by Davin De Kergommeaux in the latest Whisky Advocate mag about how Canadian whisky is good for summer due to its generally lighter profile.  The article points out that despite the trends of specialty bourbons and single malts, "tanker truck after tanker truck filled to the brim with Canadian whisky streams, seemingly unnoticed, from Canadian distilleries into the U.S."  Popular doesn't equal good, but still.  I had been eyeing up this bottle for a while now, and the article pushed me over the top.  It doesn't hurt that it's produced by Brown Forman, makers of Jack Daniels and Woodford Reserve.  They know their way around brown liquor. 

Disclaimer: the following description of the process is paraphrased from canadianwhisky.org.  The spirit is first triple distilled in copper column stills at the Canadian Mist Distillery (Apparently, Canadian Mist makes two spirit bases, one with Ontario corn and western barley, and one rye based).  The recipes are aged and eventually blended.  When the final result is married in stainless steel, toasted maplewood staves are added to the vats to mellow the whisky a bit further.  This is not unfamiliar territory, as Tennessee whiskies have long been mellowing their product using maple.  It's new to Candian whisky, though it makes sense, as they have plenty of maple up there.  Chris Morris, master distiller for Brown Forman, also recently put out a limited edition maplewood edition of Woodford.  But enough with the backstory.  FYI this whisky is 80 proof.  Let's give it a go.

Color: Light, due in part to the proof, I'm sure.  I'd like to learn more about how mashbills affect color, as well, but not tonight.

Nose: Hmm, a bit astringent.  I get some fruit, like pears.  No noticeable maple.

Taste: The first thing I notice is a pretty rich mouthfeel on this one.  I'd say that's pretty rare on a $25 bottle.  The pear is there in the taste, too.  It's pretty sweet, not in a bad way.  Like maple syrup.  This may satisfy your sweet tooth.

Finish: No joke despite the low proof.  Mellow, yes, but just enough burn to make its presence known.

Value: Solid.  I would recommended this as a low risk change up to your usual lineup.   

Intangible: The first Canadian I've had that I really liked.  I wonder if I gave Forty Creek, a craft Canadian whisky, a raw deal?  Maybe my palate was too accustomed to a certain flavor profile and I am more open minded now.  Then again, no one at the whisky part liked it...Some folks online say the Collingwood bottle looks like dad's aftershave, but I think it's quite handsome.  Takes up some shelf space, though.

Here's the brief description from canadianwhisky.org, for the record: "Dark fruits, Concord grapes, roses and spring flowers with a rich and creamy mouthfeel. Split cherry firewood with earthy rye and tingling hot pepper. Floral & Fragrant." 

I don't know about all that, but it was pretty decent stuff.

Ancient Age Taste Off

When I was in North Carolina, I stopped in their state controlled liquor store.  I had hoped to do some real dusty hunting at liquor stores on the way down, but it wasn't meant to be, I'd have to settle for whatever the fine state of NC had to offer.  Most of the mid and higher shelf products, in both scotch and bourbon, were the usual suspects, nothing I couldn't find up here.  Invariably, however, the bottom shelf looks different from state to state.  All of the major bourbon distillers make 1-3 primary recipes, and age, proof, and package them all to have their own identity.  Thus, Benchmark is the same juice as Buffalo Trace, which is the same juice as Blanton's, George T. Stagg, and so forth.  The nice thing about this store was that they had a bunch of cheapos in pints, so I was able to get a few different ones to try for not a lot of coin. 

In addition to the two Ancient Age labels I picked up, I bought a handle of TW Samuels 100 proof bottled in bond, by Heaven Hill.  You might recognize the Samuels name as a famous one in the bourbon business, as they are the family that started Maker's Mark in the middle of last century.  The label is pretty funny, see if you can read the quotes:

I guess I should have known from a bottle with a "built in pourer" that the stuff inside was not likely to be good.  It wasn't.  But you never know, I've had some good cheap whiskies.

I digress, let's taste.  These Ancient Age whiskies pictured at the top are from Buffalo Trace.  The one on the left is 80 proof and aged "thirty six months."  The one on the right 90 proof and called "10 Star."  Who knows what that means, it has no age statement.  Interestingly, the 80 proof version states that it is made by Buffalo Trace, while the 10 Star says it's made by Ancient Age Distillery.  Each costs about 5 bucks.

Color:  Both are very, very light in color, like straw.  The 90 proof has a slightly richer tinge. 

Nose: The 80 proof is very corny, light, and sweet smelling.  The 10 Star has a bit more interest, with some cinnamon and spice.  I don't think it's the higher proof alone, this one must be a bit older.  I just did a quick Google it seems this one is 6 years old.  My nose didn't lie.

Taste: The 80 proof is hard to describe.  It tastes simultaneously good and harsh.  There is flavor there, some vanilla, some fruitiness, but buried under a certain unpleasantness.  Maybe it's too young, or it's a bad "cut."  The 10 Star is leaps and bounds better.  It has the cinnamon spice that was on the nose, and a bit of vanilla pudding.  It has the character of Buffalo Trace, but more like Benchmark in terms of overall quality, in my opinion.  I wrote this post while tasting and a few nights later had the 80 proof again.  It might satisfy a sweet tooth.  Not so bad.

Finish: As you might expect, the 10 Star wins here, with a higher proof and more barrel, it lingers a bit. It has a similar fade to Benchmark, mostly pleasant, on the top of your mouth.  The 80 proof doesn't stick around too long.  Maybe that's a good thing? 

Value: Clearly the 10 Star is the better value, it was pennies more, at least in North Carolina.  I don't think either of these whiskies are particularly bad, but not that good, either.   I'd probably grab Evan Williams Black Label or try something else before going back to either of these.  Jim Murray rates the 10 Star 91.5, that's pretty high for him.  I'm not sure I was that taken with it, but the fact that some connoiseurs regard it that well does speak to it's value.

Intangible: Buffalo Trace puts out great products from the top to the bottom.  Remember my Dad's Hat review recently?  Buffalo Trace's crappiest stock is 3X older than these new upstarts.  It will take a while for craft distillers to make a major impact, as, unlike beer, whisky requires years to truly shine.  What a luxury to have rows and rows of warehouses to dump whisky from.  I can imagine the folks down in Frankfort now, "This barrel is not fit for our flagship Buffalo Trace.  It's okay, let's just dump it into the next Benchmark batch, sell it for a few bucks and still make a profit."

Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey

A bourbon whiskey mashbill is at least 51% corn, rye whiskey's is at least 51% rye.  For a "straight wheat whiskey?"  You guessed it, at least 51% wheat, in this case exactly 51% of the mashbill is soft winter wheat.  I've only ever seen one other wheat whiskey besides this one, and it was made by a craft producer.  I had this product a couple of years back when I first saw it on local shelves.  I paid $40 at the time.  This time, only $28 bucks.  Heaven Hill has slashed the price, presumably because it has not grabbed the share of market it was expected to.  But I don't really care about that--only if the stuff in the bottle tastes good.  Jim Murray rates it in his "brilliant" range, using descriptors like "smoldering toast from that-day- baked bread."  Intriguing.  Bernheim is a historic distillery, and has produced some legendary whiskey.  I am just starting to get into a bit of bourbon history, like what brands were produced where and when.  It's a rabbit hole I am completely unqualified to take you down right now (check out Chuck Cowdery's blog if the history is interesting to you, he has a book as well).  Just know that there were rumors that Bernheim stock made it's way into some Pappy Van Winkle bottles.  In other words, some good stuff has come off of the still at Bernheim.  This one is 90 proof, by the way.

Color: A bit lighter than your average bourbon, perhaps that is the effect of wheat?  The rest of the mash is corn and a bit of barley.

Nose:  Jason Pyle over at Sour Mash Manifesto gets graham cracker on the nose, and there is a bit of cracker, toast, or something of that nature.  The nose is strong yet soft, if that makes sense.  Pleasant.

Taste: It's very round in mouthfeel, as you might expect from a wheated bourbon or a wheat whiskey.  Jason Pyle gets lemon candy up front.  There is an acidity, with some sips it is more like candy in others a bit less pleasant.  Once it moves to the back of the tongue there is a nice toastiness, like campfire marshmallows.  It's very warming yet smooth all of the way.  There are some typical bourbon type flavors from the new charred oak, vanilla, some spice and oak, etc.  But it is a unique bird a bit harder to describe than its cousin, bourbon.

Finish: Again, soft and pleasant, but substantial.

Value: I think a fair comparison is Maker's Mark, the most famous wheated bourbon.  Similar in price and both featuring wheat.  Bernheim may have a bit more interest to it, a bit more range of flavors and a better finish.  That's not to say it is better than Maker's.  The folks at Maker's set out to make a reasonably priced, tasty sipping whiskey that has mass appeal, and they have achieved that.  Bernheim and Maker's might both be good introductory type whiskies.  Not too harsh but with nice flavors.  I do think $28 more accurately reflects what this whiskey is than $40.

Intangible/Overall: It's kind of a novelty.  If you like novelty, great.  But in a way, novelty can never trump the association you make with your favorite spirit.  You can say, "that's damn fine bourbon, " not so much "that's damn fine wheat whiskey."  But it could have a place in your rotation, a good change up.

Dad's Hat

Dad's Hat is a new rye whiskey.  It's mission is to return Pennsylvania rye--the orignal rye--to its former glory.  Rye was once made primarily in the Northeast, but died off during prohibition.  Some brands were salvaged, most of which by the Kentucky whisky industry.  Thus, Rittenhouse Rye, with its Philly name and "Pennsylvania style," is made in Bardstown, Kentucky by Heaven Hill.  Philadelphia distilling, makers of my favorite gin, Bluecoat, released a rye vodka a number of years back, and I remember some message boards lamenting the choice, suggesting that they should have re-introduced PA rye (they now sell a white whisky called XXX Shine).  Well, Laurel Spirits in Bristol, PA has stepped in where others hesitated.  The website tells the story of how the founder, a former chemical engineer/businessman named Herman Mihalich--used to live in an apartment above the family bar years ago (Dad's Hat Rye).  I first heard of the project from Craig Laban, Inquirer food critic.  He reviews the whisky here.  I read on Drink Philly that Mihalich did not want to release a white whisky, but due to their rise in popularity and faster trip to store shelves, he decided to release both a white and an aged version.  The whisky is aged in quarter casks for 7-9 months.  I wrote in my review of Hudson Four Grain about the small versus large barrel debate, and am always skeptical of upstarts.  Yet I am so excited about the prospect of local rye whisky that I am hoping it can hold its own.  Okay enough jibber jabber I can smell the pour as I type, let's get down to brass tacks.

Color
You may be able to tell from the picture that it is light in color, almost like a vienna lager.  It had more contact with the wood due to smaller barrels, but for only less than a year.

Nose
It smells very young to me.  Not a lot of vanillins or oak influence.  It smells, oddly, like corn syrup.  Odd bc/ there is no corn in this one, just local rye and malted barley.  There is some pepper, and some floral element to it.  It smells nice, at this point I am accustomed to more cinnamon, vanilla, and barrel in the whiskies I drink, and this youthfulness is a bit aloof to me.  Or am I aloof to it? 

Taste
Initially I get a burst of rye spiciness and I am pleased.  As it washes over my tongue, the youthfulness hinted at on the nose is there in fruity, pleasant form.  Craig Laban feels it has some candied apple, and there is an element of that that reminds me ever so slightly of one of my all time favorites, Woodford Reserve.  I'll have to try it in a Manhattan to see how it holds up, there, but I imagine it might be just fine.

Finish
The bottle says "not lingering or heavy handed in its finish."  It's funny bc/ that description is a turn off to me, as I love a long finish.  Also I don't feel it's entirely acurrate, maybe it's not heavy handed but it is certainly substantial enough to be noticeable.  Not like a cheaply made whisky that leaves a slight sweetness in your mouth but nothing else.

Value
Here is the problem for me.  This bottle costs just a shade under $40 in PA liquor control board stores.  As always, I could rattle off a number of better whiskies at comparable or even cheaper price points.  But I do feel that this product has a lot of love in its production, and I understand that they cannot compete with behemoths like Heaven Hill and company in terms of output and profit margins.  I like that they support local farmers and are trying to revive a legendary product, and I plan to support them in their efforts.  To that end, Cheers!  Hopefully as they move forward, they will have more entries onto the market, and turn enough of a profit that the value part of the equation is a bit better.

Intangible
I am probably a bit biased, as I have ripped other newbies for being young or rushed to the market.  That said, I think I can objectively say that this is a promising, interesting product that has a niche market to grow and improve into.  I plan on visiting the distillery for a tour soon.  I also like the story behind it, including the concept of Dad's Hat being the perfect fit. 

Hudson Four Grain Bourbon

All bourbon is made with at least 51 percent corn (most of them are more like 70+), 10-15 percent malted barley, and then a secondary flavoring grain, usually either rye or wheat.  The most famous wheater is Maker's Mark, but you may have heard of the Weller line of bourbon, Old Fitzgerald, or Pappy Van Winkle, all wheated bourbons.  Hudson Four Grain has intrigued me for a while, as, you guessed it, they use both rye and wheat in addition to barley and corn.  Hudson whiskies are distilled in New York at the Tuthilltown Gristmill, which according to the bottle is a National Historic Site.  I like to try boutique or "craft" whiskies at times, but, as I've stated before, unlike the beer world, in whisky the little guys are still playing catch up in terms of quality, and it's always a risk.  I haven't tried it yet as the price point is about $40 for a 375ml bottle, that's more $ per drop than most high end bourbons, including the giant George T. Stagg and the rest of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (granted they are harded to find).  But after the guy in the store talked up Tuthilltown and said they were offering $2 off, I bit the bullet.  I am drinking batch 14, bottle number 405, 92 proof.  The corn is a New York heirloom variety, and makes up about 60 percent of the mashbill.

Nose/Color
Jim Murray's review says the nose is "a problem."  I don't find it particularly problematic, but it is on the sharp, alcoholic side rather than the soft, warming side, as far as noses go.  I found the nose more just a bit weak than anything else.  It's not particularly dark in color at 92 proof, it looks gold-like.

Taste
This is pretty good stuff.  Hudson uses smaller barrels for shorter aging, and I do think that has a negative impact.  There is a reason the better bourbons are aged for 6-8 years or more.  While smaller barrels allow for enough contact with the oak, something else happens in the magical aging process that I'm not sure you can replicate with smaller barrels in less time.  Here's further reading on it--small vs. large barrel debate--but this whisky is slightly rough around the edges.  I do think the four grains interplay nicely, you get a bit of rye cinnamon spice but it's still like eating wheat bread, soft and round and sweet.  Jason Pyle finds notes of rum and sourdough; there is a sort of "rumminess" to it.  One other thing I am getting is, well, paper.  Not in a bad way, and not that I've eaten a lot of paper.  But it's the only way I can describe it.  I guess paper is made from wood, maybe it's the oak I am getting, like a dryness.

Finish
Medium, pleasant.  No burn, for good or for bad.  Lingers shortly but too low a proof to have too much impact. 

Value/Intangible
It's a cool bottle, and it's always fun to try something made from a more local, small batch mindset.  I think it's real good stuff.  Jim Murray's Whisky Bible states, "Sort out a few gremlins and this promises to be a whisky to watch."   For me the main gremlin is the cost.  I just can't see putting down another 40 bucks or more, or even to try one of their other entries.  Jason Pyle from Sour Mash Manifesto says this is their best entry, so I'm glad I chose it.  But 375ml is only 7-8 pours, not the best value in my book.  I always compare whiskies to others first by taste and then by price point.  Is it better than Buffalo Trace's flagship brand.  Possibly.  Is it 3-4 times better?  No way.  As with any good bourbon, though, it does grow on you.  As I finish this post I wonder if I am being slightly too hard on it, because I am quite enjoying this pour.

Lagavulin 16 year

I'm writing this as I taste it.  Having been a "friend of Laphroaig" for a few years, I've been eager to try other
Islay malts that can match it pound for pound.  I had Caol Ila in a bar and it was good but I can't remember it all that well.  And I've had Ardbeg, which is regarded as one of the 3 great Islay malts.  Frankly, Ardbeg wasn't quite for me; it has a light sweetness that pairs with the heavy peat content that is somewhat jarring to me.  I think I'm kind of an all or nothing guy, give me the peat, oil, brine, etc.  Or something non-peated but with tons of flavor, like Aberlour A'bundh.  It's not to say Ardbeg is lacking in flavor, but somehow the combination of flavors wasn't my favorite.  I digress, on to Laguvulin.  I'd be lying if I didn't confess that one reason for moving it to the top of my list of whiskies to try was that it's what Ron Swanson drinks on Parks and Recreation.  He generally pairs it with lots of red meat.

Lagavulin 16 is 86 proof and will run you in the $70-80 range.  I won't try to get into the science of peat and the ppm numbers--phenol in parts per million--let's just say it's a lot of peat in this beautiful green box, packaged as part of Diageo's Classic Malts collection.  I guess their concept is you could drink your way through 6 Scotland whisky regions and stay in their brand portfolio.  But the entries are legit, e.g. Glenkinchie, Talisker, Oban.  Laguvulin pours a deep gold color, and leaves legs in the glass (I'm using a Glencarin glass).  On the nose, you get lots of peat, assertive but somehow still soft.  On the second sniff you get the rich barley, like a malty beer.  A third sniff kills my sense of smell but keeps giving off the peat.  First sip...This one is a heavyweight.  It has a lot of bite somehow, though it's only 86 proof.  Not in a bad way.  The soft peat is there through and through.  But behind it are fruit flavors, maybe some melon?  Michael Jackson describes the palate as "oily, grassy" and "salty" and says that Lagavulin has the "driest and most sustained attack of any readily available whisky."  You definitely are transported to the warehouses which are "battered by the sea," and are immersed in a depth and breadth of flavor  In any case, it's pungent.  I don't really get much sherry.  The finish is solid but maybe not as sustained as you might expect from the initial punch in the mouth.  It's quite pleasant, like a campfire. 

Verdict?  It's really good stuff.  I usually like to write my reviews on the 2nd or third go round, so Laguvulin maybe isn't getting it's full fair shake.  If you read Urban Grain you know I'm a big value guy.  So how does this one stack up to my favorite malt of all time, Laphroaig, which is about $25 bucks cheaper?  It certainly holds its own, and some might choose it.  I would still go with Laphroaig, probably even if they were equal in cost.  Something about Laphroaig is so over the top and wonderful.  If Lagavulin is a heavyweight, Laphroaig is a super heavyweight.  That said, Laguvulin has all the things I fell in love with in Islay malts, oil, peat, brine and salt, and a cozy finish.  Great stuff and deserving of the lore and hype.

Hancock's President's Reserve Single Barrel

A quick and brief live blog tasting during halftime of game 6 of the Sixers-Celtics.  No format, just a few thoughts.  I bought it for $35 bucks, on sale.  It smells like vanilla.  Tastes like a classic Buffalo Trace.  These distillers all have one or two recipes and trot them out in 80 different formats.  This is 88.9 proof, almost identical to the flagship brand in that regard.  Tastes like it too, albeit slightly smoother.  Sweet and oaky.  A bit of cinnamon on the finish.  A nice solid whisky, with an awesome decanter style bottle, almost like cut glass.  It's in the same vein as Elmer T. Lee, Buffalo Trace, etc.  For me this is probably a one timer, not special in any notable way.  Too low proof and not enough flavor on the whole for the price.  I could name a dozen whiskies cheaper that I'd rather buy.  I won't right now, but I could.  It's decent, but you may want to pass it up in favor of something with more bite or more interest.

Whisky Review: Aberlour A'bunadh

One of the liquor stores I frequent has a whisky specialist on staff.  He's been to Scotland several times, and loves to tell stories about it.  For example, he peed in the Glenlivet river, and told me "the '99 vintage may be a little saltier than usual."  He sort of ribs me about being a bourbon guy, as he feels that with his age and palate, he needs the complexities of scotch.  He stocks some good American whisky though, featuring most of the High West products, Anchor Distilling ryes, and the occasional Van Winkle bourbon.  When I asked him to recommend a scotch or two, he pointed immediately to Aberlour A'bunadh. 

A'bunadh (meaning "of the origin") has no age statement in order to give distiller the freedom to use any casks to achieve the flavor profile they are going for in any given batch.  My bottle is from batch #38, 60.3 alcohol by volume.  That will punch you in the mouth, for sure.  It's aged exclusively in Oloroso Sherry butts, again, not for a specific time frame, though estimates put the average age of the final product between 9-12 years.  This is the first whisky I've tasted in my new Glencarin tasting glass, which was pretty great by the way.  Look for a glassware post down the line.  Let's give A'bunadh a run.

Color-Rich, mahogany color, due to the high proof.

Nose-Definitely get the sherry.  And honey and vanilla.  This is a non-peated malt, so no smoke here.

Taste-The first thing I noticed was tons of spice, like an atomic fireball.  The whole taste was a whirlwind, rushing over the tongue and down into the throat.  It was very syrupy, coating the mouth.  Oaky, sherry, sweet, fruity, juicy.  Jim Murray says that if he nosed it blind, he would have thought it was pot distilled demerarra rum.  I didn't get that so much on the nose, but there is a rumminess, if you will, in the taste, like a freshness and a sweetness.  Murray also mentioned some milk chocolote notes.  I got more vanilla than chocolote.  Michael Jackson says Aberlour's house style is nutty, spicy, and describes some of the Aberlour lineup as cedary, cigar box-like.  This whisky was more juicy than dry like cedar, perhaps it's the high proof.

Finish-Lingering, coats the throat as it did the mouth.  Rich. 

Value-For me, this is a great value.  Plenty of bang for your buck with the high proof.  Between 50-60 bucks, similarly priced to a lot of entry level single malts, and it performs very well. 

Intangible-This is a bourbon lover's malt.  Very sweet and aggressive, but textured and nuanced nonetheless, despite being non-peated.  You may need water with this one, I probably should have added a few drops to open it up, but I like to try things as they are the first go round.  I'm not sure why cask strength scotches tend to use a variety of age ranges, would a cask strength 15 year old be too oaky?  In any case, this is wonderful stuff, I'd recommend you get your hands on a bottle of it.

New Whisky: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

You may notice I don't do too many reviews of a single whisky or beer.  I guess I lack the confidence in my sensory vocabulary.  Whisky reviews can get very flowery and specific, like the SNL sketch where they name all of the notes in the wine, "cloves....peppery....burnt rubber....a garbage man..."  But I thought I'd give one a try anyway.  Woodford Reserve is made by Brown Forman, the folks behind the #1 whisky on the planet, good old Jack Daniels.  Woodford is one of the original "boutique" bourbons.  Like Jim Beam's small batch collection, it was aimed at a growing number of drinkers who care a bit more about what is in their glass, and the image that goes with it.  Original Woodford Reserve is generally priced just over 30 bucks, still affordable but expensive enough to feel that it's a luxury.  They have only had one regularly available product since their inception in 1996.  Now, like with Maker's Mark before it with their introduction of Maker's 46, you will find a new Woodford product on the shelves, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.  Still exactly 90.4 proof, this bottle will run you $50.  So what's in the name?  The whisky spends time in two barrels, the first the same that original Woodford rests in, then a second which was "deeply toasted before its light charring."  Without pretending to be Mr. Wizard, charring is one of the ways distilleries can play with the flavor of a bourbon; the different levels of char can affect the sugars in the wood and resulting flavors in the bourbon.  Woodford's website does not give a ton of details about this process, there is simply a cheesy 1 minute video with some nonsense about "doubling the maturation and exposure to the oak."  I'm sure as this product is tasted and reviewed more intense bourbon geeks than I will find out more details about the process, aging time, etc.  Either way, it seems like a cool concept, especially considering that Woodford is the only U.S. distillery that operates its own cooperage.  I know one of Woodford's Master's Collection releases involved other experimentation with the wood, like extra seasoning (leaving it out in the sun).  So they know a thing or two about wood's role in the flavoring process.

 Disclaimer: some of my vocabulary may be pilfered from some of my favorite whisky writers, like Jason Pyle and Jim Murray, but I think reading about whisky is second only to tasting it when it comes to building a vocabulary and understanding, and that it can and should be a shared experience.  So, I credit those I have learned from, but now I will venture out on my own.  Okay, on with the whisky.

Color
Rich, almost syrupy looking.  Reddish brown.

Nose
The distinctive Woodford nose.  Like apple cider.  Maybe some butterscotsch pudding.

Taste
Round and full bodied even at a fairly mild 90 proof.  Maybe just the packaging, but I do think you get more oak in this one, like a dryness that cuts through the sweetness of the vanilla-corn character of the bourbon.  The apples are there on the taste, too, this would be great to have in autumn.  There's some maple syrup or some kind of baking spices, can't quite put my finger on that aspect.

Finish
Pretty substantial, again, considering the proof.  Lingered on the palate even after only my first taste.  If you enjoy a good strong burn, you won't find it with this one, though.  It's mellow through and through.

Value
I haven't had them side by side, but I can't say for sure that this is better or even all that much different than the original Woodford.  Even if it is, is it $20 dollars better?  Don't get me wrong it's great stuff, and I think it could hold it's own with other bourbons in that range (Bookers, Blanton's, Angel's Envy, etc.).  I guess it goes to show what a great bourbon and value the original is.

Intangible
I always have mixed emotions about Woodford.  I loved their distillery tour and love their product.  But I don't love how they like to position themselves as "craft" (it says so on the website) when really they are backed up by Jack Daniels.  Also they push the concept of copper pot distillation but I don't believe that all of the whisky in their bottles went through that still, as they produce so much product and use some "filler" whisky not distilled on site (like Old Forrester) to keep the taste consistent from batch to batch.  I don't even care what they do because the product is great, but I don't really love when companies try to overhype a mystique that is more myth than fact. 

Final Analysis
At the end of the day it was fun to try a new product from an old standby.  Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select is behind the bar at almost any place worth its salt that pours whisky, and their reputation is a good one for a good reason, namely, the bourbon is damn good.  I'd probably score Woodford Reserve Double Oak an 8 out of 10.  Maybe not spectacular, but great stuff nonetheless.

Evan Williams and Evan Williams Single Barrel

I recently did a side by side comparison of two Heaven Hill brands, Evan Williams black label (7 years old) and Evan Willams Single Barrel (9-10 years old).  I believe the two whiskies are from the same mashbill (recipe).  EW Single Barrel distinguishes itself, in addition to a couple of more years in the warehouse, as being the only vintage dated whisky on the market, meaning each year there is a new release, like they do in the wine industry.  Of course there is a bit of marketing here; many mid to high end bourbons label the bottle with information such as when it was filled, from what location in the warehouse, etc.  But the EW Single does provide a good amount of hand written info on the back of each bottle, including the date the whisky was "put in oak," the date of the bottling, and the barrel number.  I had barrel #429 from the 2000 vintage for this tasting. 

Black Label
Back to the black label.  Evan Williams 7 yr. is the $12-$15 bottle of whisky you can find in any liquor store in the country, and will recognize it because the label looks like a Jack Daniel's knock off.  I believe it was the first whisky I ever bought back in college, probably lured in by that marketing technique, "It looks like Jack but at half the price..."  Evan Williams black label pours a light gold color, and it smells like your average bourbon but with a faint cheapness to it.  The taste provides a bit of sting, but not in a bad way.  The corn is strong with just a bit of spice.  Again, their is a faint cheapness to it, you will know what I mean if you've sampled bourbons from even lower shelves than this one.  The finish is not as short as the price would suggest; it's not a long finish but doesn't vanish either.  Overall I find it inoffensive at worst and bordering on the complexity of much better bourbons at best.  A great value bourbon for a shrinking wallet or mixed drinks.  It's simple, sweet, straightforward. 

Single Barrel Vintage
I read one message board where someone asked if the single barrel is 2 times better than the black label.  Comparing values is such a relative thing, but for me the single barrel is easily worth the upgrade.  It may be the extra aging, or careful barrel selection, but this is clearly the superior whisky.  It pours slightly darker than the black label, with a richer, sweeter nose.  The taste is rich, with a lot of wood; the caramel and vanilla flavors bourbon is known for appear as you drink it but aren't immediate up front.  The finish is substantial, like cinnamon in your mouth.  It may not be the most balanced bourbon I've had, as the wood seems to dominate the subtler flavors.  But for my money, this is the best value on the market at around $25 a bottle. The only other single barrel at a similar price point I can even think of is Elmer T. Lee, probably a couple of bucks more but another fine choice.  I find EW Single Barrel rivaling bourbons at twice the price, and superior to many at its price point.  The vintage dating is a lot of fun, too.  I stumbled on a 1999 edition and snatched it up; I plan to get one each year for a few years and then have a tasting comparing them. 


Bonus thought
I came across a post on bourbonenthusiast.com that made an interesting observation.  Heaven Hill has chosen to market their upscale brands as extension of lower shelf versions, like Evan Williams Single Barrel and Elijah Craig 18.  This is unlike Jim Beam, which created new brands for their small batch line (Booker's, Basil Hayden's, etc.).  Jim Beam doesn't want to ruin the romance while you sip your Knob Creek with the knowledge that it is the same mashbill as white label.  Wild Turkey has a similar approach to H.Hill, they proudly state "Wild Turkey" on all of their products at all price points.  I don't really care one way or the other as long as the bourbon inside the bottle is good, but I actually kind of prefer the Heaven Hill way, it seems to take pride in their brand rather than hiding from it.

http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1031

Trio of Golden Ales

Last night's horrific loss by the lack of fightin' Phils in game 6 of the National League Championship Series was mitigated by the secondary activity I was participating in, a comparison of 3 belgian style golden ales during the course of a surf and turf dinner cooked for my wife's birthday.  We started with a Merry Monks from Weyerbacher Brewing in the Allentown area, then went to Russian River Damnation, and finished with  Duvel (prounouned doo-vell or doovil, depending if you are of French or Flemish persuasion).  I am not going to rank them, just comment on their similarities and what I liked/disliked about them.

Merry Monks, Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Easton, PA)
$6 750 ML corked and caged bottle
Merry Monks pours a rich, thick, gold, a half decent head and nice carbonation.  A lot of fruity aromas, some reviews I looked at compare it to the aromas of a hefeweizen (banana and clove).  It is high ABV (around 9 percent) and has a real rich mouthfeel.  My wife feels it is too sweet; I usually don't like things too sweet but if it is on the sweet side I didn't seem to mind.  I love this beer.  In the taste, a lot of fruit from the yeast, a bit of breadiness.  Technically this is a Belgian style triple, though the label says golden ale.  It's all in the same ballpark with similar ingredients and techniques. 

Damnation, Russian River Brewing Co. (Sonoma County, CA)
$10 375 ML corked and caged bottle
Russian River is one of the rock stars of the craft beer world.  I feel like all of their beers have huge buzz, one even being named "best beer in the world" by various sources.  I've only had Damnation and Consecration.  Maybe it just can't live up to the hype, or maybe it's the fact that it was the most expensive of the three beers here.  But I've had Damnation a few times and I won't rush to get it again.  That's not to say it isn't great stuff, because it is.  It has almost all of the characteristics of the Duvel and maybe even more complexity with some nice cedar notes and an interesting dryness.  More sour than sweet (as the Merry Monks was).  A little less thick and rich than the Merry Monks, with a fast, dry finish.  My wife still thought this one was sweet compared to Duvel, but I didn't think so.

Duvel (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, Belgium)
$9 750 ML corked and caged bottle
This is the original.  Maybe it's just because we had this one last in conjuction with a caramel hazelnut cupcake that destroyed my palate but this tasted exactly the same as the Damnation to me.  The Damnation had a woodiness that wasn't in the Duvel, but otherwise it was a fascimile of this Belgian modern classic.  Of course Duvel is famous for it's curvy chalice glass and thick white head.  Duvel basically takes the crispness and mass appeal of the pilsner style--using pilsner malts and Bohemian hops--and then throws us a curveball in the form of Belgian yeast.  Still easy drinking but a lot more complex and flavorful than your favorite pilsner.  This is a great beer.  If you haven't had it, this should be high on your list.  If you ever see it on draft (Duvel Green) you should know it's not the same stuff, as the bottle conditioning does a beautiful number on this beer and the tap version is not nearly as good.

Final thoughts
Maybe if I lived in northern Cali and didn't have to pay a huge upcharge for Russian River I might like their beers more.  The Merry Monks wine size corked bottle was only six bucks, that's less than half the price of the Damnation.  I won't say it's qualitatively better than Damnation, but I honestly think I like it better.  As for Duvel, it's a classic.  Maybe the Damnation offers a bit more complexity, but for twice the price. 

Whisky Party

Last weekend I hosted a whisky tasting at my home to celebrate the arrival of fall; of course it wound up being hot and humid.  This was the first time I've hosted a party of this kind.  It was a ton of fun.  A lot of whisky tastings will involve focusing on a specific style or region, but I was going for a more laid back feel for my first whisky party and told my friends to each bring a whisky from anywhere at any price point.  It was fun to have a variety and compare styles; we even had a blind taste-off late in the evening when our taste buds were a bit numb.  For dinner I smoked a pork shoulder on my little Aussie charcoal grill for 6 hours, it came out pretty tender and I think everyone liked it and needed it to sop up some of that whisky.  I had some trouble keeping it warm in the oven after it was pulled, though.  For the tasting we basically just went around the table, explaining why we chose our bottle and tasting them together.  We had water crackers and pretzels to clear the palate, and plenty of water and ice if folks were interested in going in for a full shot of something after the tasting.  Some people "switched to beer" after to slow down drinking.  Four beers later...

Following is a list of the whiskies we had with brief writeups (not full tasting notes or rankings):

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey-A young whiskey (2 years) with a very fruit forward taste.  Very light, maybe not my favorite but an interesting change up.

Ardbeg 10 (scotch)-A very smoky smelling island style whisky.  I was shocked at how pale the color is that may be why they put it in a green bottle.  For all the smokiness/peat flavor I found it still pretty light and fruity, delicate.

Talisker 10 (scotch)-Another island entry, the only whisky from the island of Skye.  I've had this a couple of times and for some reason I can't pinpoint the taste in my memory.  A fine drink, for sure, but I just can't place it yet.

Highland Park 18 (scotch)-This whisky is sort of the best of both worlds in terms of island and highland styled whiskies.  You get the sherry and the peat, a lot of flavor but balance as well.   

Prichard's Double Barrel 9 year bourbon-This is a neat twist on bourbon.  A bit of marketing involved with the double barreling concept.  The bourbon comes from Kentucky but it rebarreled and aged again by a company in Tennessee.  It somehow delivers a unique taste in bourbon.  I don't know about it in terms of value but at our party it was a big hit.

Yamazaki Sherry Cask (Japan)-This whisky was not overshadowed but the elaborate display that one friend set up to present it to us.  One of us described it as "cognac-like."  It was very rich, dark in color and with a nice bite. 

Bowmore 12 (scotch)-Another solid island style scotch.  I have a couple of sample bottles of this leftover that I am looking forward to tasting again.

Auchentoshan 10 (scotch)-Our only lowland scotch at the party.  I think those of us who have had Glenkinchie think that one is a bit better but I found them similar in terms of the creamy, grassy nature the style is known for.

Forty Creek Canadian-I chose this bottle because of the special techniques used to make it.  The 3 grains are distilled separately and aged in barrels of different char levels (how much the wood is burnt) before being blended.  I was very dissapointed.  It has a nice complexity to it but overall it's like cough syrup.

Pappy Van Winkle 15 (bourbon)-This is one of my favorite bourbons.  Wheated, so it's mellow but still with a ton of burn.  Hard to describe.  It pours fiery red.  Mellow but with a bite, just like your grandpappy.

A couple of folks tried some of my Four Roses Single Barrel, I find it much better than their other selections but we weren't sure how it stacks up against Evan Williams Single Barrel, which is one of my favorites, a couple others of us really like that one, too.  I don't want to name clear favorites, but I think the Prichards and the Yamazaki were both big hits.  The scotches were all good but maybe too many to choose a standout.  I of course, love Old Pappy Van Winkle, a lot of folks commented on its burn factor, which is good or bad depending on your preference.  I think the Forty Creek was clearly the worst. 

Sorry I forgot to take pictures you'll have to take my word that the party was a lot of fun.  I want to do another where we all chip in and get a super premium bottle of some sort.  One suggestion is the Hirsch Rye, the last of the Pennsylvania ryes.  That could be fun to try.

George Dickel Family of Whisky

George Dickel makes the "other" Tennessee whisky, i.e., not Jack.  Tennessee whisky is in almost all ways like bourbon except for the fact that they put it through the "Lincoln County Process."  This involves filtering the whisky through maple charcoal and a layer of wool before aging it.  It can't be called bourbon because this is considered "artificial" flavoring (additionally Tennessee whisky does not necessarily have to have 51% corn, which bourbon does).  The charcoal mellows the whisky, providing sweetness and jump starting the aging process by giving the young whisky immediate contact with wood.

I've had 4 different bottles of George Dickel and thought it was time to do a little review and comparison.  These are in ascending order.  You should know I take value into account, and the middle two were really tough to sort out for that reason.  I plan to post on my value theories at a later date.  Okay without further ado:

George Dickel Cascade Hollow (red label) $20/750 ml
For me this is the worst of the bunch.  I don't have tasting notes as I had this prior to keeping them.  I just remember being so disappointed; I had had the No. 12 Label before and really liked it.  It tasted cheap and reminded me of some super cheap bourbons such as Heaven Hill and Old Crow.  I did some research and found this is supposed to be their budget whisky.  I think I just paid way too much markup.  I probably wouldn't have minded if I paid $10, at least I would have known what to expect.

George Dickel Old. No. 8 $15/750ml
This stuff is one of the best bargains in the whisky world.  A fine sipping whisky.  I am slightly hesitant to use the word "pleasant" but it's damn close.  It's...inoffensive, which sounds like damning with faint praise but if you've had other whiskies in this price class you will appreciate that comment.  I am very excited that the Quaker State of PA decided to start stocking this; I plan to use it in my version of the Blues Explosion cocktail, which I originally had at the Franklin, a cocktail bar in Rittenhouse Square (see recipe below).

George Dickel Barrel Select $35/750 ml
This is a decent whisky.  I got a bracing, floral aroma on the nose.  My tasting notes say "maple, mellow.  ember type burn; campfire" to describe the taste.  A soft medium finish.  It was good stuff but probably not comparable to the quality one can get in the bourbon world at that price. 

George Dickel No. 12 $26/1 L
Again, I have no tasting notes on this one, but I know I bought this in NY state last Thanksgiving.  I think I've seen it in Jersey since then but definitely not PA.  This would be one for my regular rotation.  To me the ideal "sippin' whisky."  Mellow but with flavor, the same price as Jack but much better.  All in all I feel this is their best offering.

Blues Explosion Cocktail

1.5 oz Tennessee Whisky
.75 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1-2 tsp. maple syrup
5-6 dashes Angostura bitters

combine ingredients, shake and strain over ice, garnish with a cherry if you like