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Mixtures, wine, and secrets

Creag Dhu (40.2%, OB, Speyside single malt, oloroso, circa 2022?)
Canmore (40%, Charles Edge London, single malt, bourbon & sherry, circa 2023)
Enigma 15 yo 2008/2024 (54.8%, Cadenhead, Islay single malt, bourbon hogshead, 1494 bottles)
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Creag Dhu (40.2%, OB, Speyside single malt, oloroso, circa 2022?)

Canmore (40%, Charles Edge London, single malt, bourbon & sherry, circa 2023)

Enigma 15 yo 2008/2024 (54.8%, Cadenhead, Islay single malt, bourbon hogshead, 1494 bottles)

Scarabus ‘Sherry Cask Edition’ (46%, Hunter Laing, Islay single malt, 2024)

Parkmore Selection 8 yo (46%, Aceo, Highland single malt, Barolo cask finish, circa 2023)

A Secret Speyside Distillery 13 yo 2010/2023 (51%, HK Whisky, Chinese Yellow Wine Cask Finish, cask #2)

Cream of Sponge 28 yo 1993/2022 (44.7%, Whisky Sponge, Highland single malt, refill hogshead, 263 bottles)

Celestial (50%, Compass Box, blended Scotch, 2024)

Big Peat ‘15th Anniversary’ (50%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, red wine cask finish, 2024)

Glasgow 1770 Unveils Cask Strength Whiskies

The Glasgow Distillery has released Glasgow 1770 Cask Strength Batch 02 – their second batch of annual cask strength single malt whiskies, comprised of casks featuring the distillery’s unpeated and peated single malt production. Glasgow 1770 The Original Cask Strength Batch 02 is made with the distillery’s unpeated double-distilled spirits, bottled at 59.5% alcohol by […]

The post Glasgow 1770 Unveils Cask Strength Whiskies first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Glasgow 1770 The Original Cask Strength Batch 02 is made with the distillery’s unpeated double-distilled spirits, bottled at 59.5% alcohol by volume [119 proof] and is said to offer notes of apple, apricot, orange, pear, pineapple and vanilla.

Meanwhile, Glasgow 1770 Peated Cask Strength Batch 02, is a peated malt born out of a combination of three casks, bottled at a whopping 60.7% alcohol by volume [121.4 proof] and is said to offer notes of apricot, barbecue smoked ham, orange and plum.

Only 750 bottles of Glasgow 1770 The Original Cask Strength Batch 02 and 1000 bottles of Glasgow 1770 Peated Cask Strength Batch 02 are being made available in the UK and on The Glasgow Distillery website for $80 per bottle for The Original Cask Strength and $85 per bottle for the Peated Cask Strength.

The post Glasgow 1770 Unveils Cask Strength Whiskies first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Spring and Fall 2024 Reviews

The product development team at Chattanooga is a prolific bunch, churning out endless experiments with–based on those I’ve tasted–terrific outcomes.

BOTTLE DETAILS

DISTILLER: Chattanooga Whiskey
MASH BILL SPRING: B005 (20%), B005V2 (10%), B005V3 (20%), SB091 (30%) and SB055 (20%)
MASH BILL FALL: SB055 (40%), B005 (40%) and SB101 (20%)
- The impressive codes of these mash bills are decoded on Chattanooga's website – Spring / Fall. If you choose to dive down that rabbit hole to understand them, good on ya, mate. It's an interesting look, but we haven't space enough here to do that.
AGE: At least 4 years old
YEAR: 2024
PROOF: 100 (50% ABV)
MSRP: Spring and Fall Releases are $52.99
BUY ONLINE: Find where to buy both releases here.

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: All whiskey fans.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yep. They're unique and delicious.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle, both.

OVERALL: Because I haven't liver or time enough to keep pace with all the bottles arriving weekly, it's easy to push them onto a single shelf and lose track of what's there. Long story short is I realized I'd not reviewed the Spring release in Chattanooga's High Malt Bottled-In-Bond series before the Fall release of the same series arrived. Therefore, I'll review them both here.

The product development team at Chattanooga is a prolific bunch, churning out endless experiments with–based on those I've tasted–terrific outcomes. (Visit its whiskey page to see what I mean.) Some, not all, craft distillers try similar creative endeavors, but more often than not, they fall short of Chattanooga's achievements, not the least of which is a discernible house style in all its liquids.

Despite the wide-ranging grain combinations from which these whiskies originated, both of make sense on the nose and palate. Their biscuity-nutty aromas are born of the high malt portions of their mash bills, and their appreciated dose of cask character forms the backbone of these solid BIBs.

Comparing the noses of each, Spring (to borrow a meteorological colloquialism) is more lion while the Fall release is more lamb. Spring leads with abundant spice and fruit character, while Fall seems ready to recline into winter aboard a cushion of tobacco, clove and allspice. Spring's floral aromas leave the glass voluntarily, while Fall makes you pursue its virtues with persistent sniffs.

On the palate, Fall speaks to time around a campfire or a flask secreted inside a heavy jacket for sips inside a football stadium. After the game, it begs for a stout pour with a slice of jam cake. As it was on the nose, the spice remains and coats every corner of the mouth. For just 4 years old, it has amazing structure and pleasant tannin that elevates its lighter fruit notes. This is a delicate pour I'd never drink any way but neat.

Spring is fruit-forward with golden apples and toasted brioche with honey. This is a happy pour ... spring without tornadoes, spring with aromas of perennial flowers not devoured by deer, spring air imbued with honeysuckle and spring that poets fabricate for naive lovers. It's simple, elegant, vivacious (yeah, that's normally reserved for champagne, but I'm using it here) and, like its late season sibling, meant to be drunk neat.

Spring, like Fall, is surprisingly rich and mouth-coating, but it's never cloying or overly honeyed. Less weighty flavors such as cinnamon and light-brown sugar lead into caramel, toasted bread and golden raisin. Could this become a good cocktail? Maybe, but why? You could drink this at breakfast ... um, while on vacation, of course!

In conclusion, both are super supple and drink softer than their stated 100 proof. I really dig 'em.

BRAND NOTES

SPRING RELEASE: Tasting notes: Candied ginger, vanilla custard, orange blossom honey and muddled mint with a fresh oak finish.

FALL RELEASE: Tasting notes: Oatmeal raisin cookie, root beer, chocolate malt, pecan pie and sweet hay. Full bodied and approachable.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.

Mike And Matt Taste RD One Finished Whiskeys

RD One Spirits started business as the William Tarr Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky. They have changed their name to RD One, paying homage to the Ashland Distillery founded in 1865 and claims to be Lexington’s first registered distillery as the… Co…

Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Before tackling this wheated bourbon, a word about Mary Dowling Whiskey Company generally is in order, especially since their internet presence is currently limited to a Facebook page and write-ups like this one. The name Kaveh Zamanian should be a familiar one to Kentucky bourbon industry watchers, as he is …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
*(Credit: Richard Thomas)*

Before tackling this wheated bourbon, a word about Mary Dowling Whiskey Company generally is in order, especially since their internet presence is currently limited to a Facebook page and write-ups like this one. The name Kaveh Zamanian should be a familiar one to Kentucky bourbon industry watchers, as he is the founder of Rabbit Hole Distillery. French drinks giant Pernod Ricard acquired majority ownership in Rabbit Hole in 2019, and in 2023 Zamanian and his Rabbit Hole partners in France launched Mary Dowling.

The company is named for one of the rarest of trailblazers: a woman in the pre-Prohibition whiskey industry. An Irish Catholic, Dowling had no truck with the Temperance forces of her day. Instead, after her husband’s death she ran her own bourbon distillery, which has led some to call her the “Mother of Bourbon.” Rather than buckle under to Prohibitionists, she moved his liquor business to Juarez, Mexico.

The wheated mash bill (65% corn, 25% wheat, 10% malted barley) features local, Kentucky-sourced wheat and maturation in toasted, then #3 charred barrels. That mash is distinct from the Rabbit Hole Dareringer Bourbon, so contrary to some of the croaking I’ve already heard, this is more than just a case of Zamanian and Pernod Ricard taking something they’ve already made together and putting it in different barrel stock. It almost qualifies as a high wheat, wheated bourbon. The whiskey is then bottled at 91 proof.

The Bourbon
The pour has a pale amber look in the glass, pale enough that it could almost be described as copper instead of amber. The nose leads with something reminiscent of a dish I make because of something from Mark Twain: a creamy, sweet kind of cornbread I make served with fresh strawberries. Next to that is a saucer of dill, mint and cloves. The flavor retains that creamy, strawberry current, with the corn aspect turning candy corn and the spices running woody. I found it surprisingly, but not unduly dry. The finish ran dry and lightly woody, and faded away swiftly.

The Price
The retail price for this item is about $55.

After Two Year Wait, Michter’s Releases 20 Year Old Bourbon

For the first time since 2022, Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson have approved the release of Michter’s 20 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon. “It’s always a special event for us at Michter’s when we bottle and release some whiskey that is over two decades old,” commented Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco. …

The previous entry for Michter’s 20 Year Old Bourbon (2022)*(Credit: Richard Thomas)*

For the first time since 2022, Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson have approved the release of Michter’s 20 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

“It’s always a special event for us at Michter’s when we bottle and release some whiskey that is over two decades old,” commented Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco. “Unlike Scotch and some other aged spirits, bourbon has to mature in a new barrel. Reaching ages beyond 15 years without the whiskey getting too woody is an achievement that our team strives for. This is an exceptional release, and we only wish we had more to offer.”

Michter’s team members carefully monitor the barrels throughout their rickhouses, and pay extra attention to the older barrels. According to Michter’s Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson, “The Michter’s 20 Year is a remarkable drinking experience. It’s luxurious and expansive — a broad palate of flavor that culminates in a viscous, dark, and richly-complex finish. Taking over two decades in the making, this bourbon doesn’t just taste good – it evokes a piece of that timeless history, of life’s warm and glowing moments. It’s truly a once in a lifetime bourbon!”

The proof of this 2024 release is 114.2 (57.1% ABV), and the suggested U.S. retail price for a 750ml bottle is $1,200.

Josh Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel Review (2022)

By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ Whiskey barrel aged wines are now very much a thing, so much like beer, the absence of a whiskey barrel aged wine poses the question of why they have not delved into the practice. You know a thing is a fixture when its not being there is sometimes more interesting, …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: C+

Josh Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel
<(Credit: Josh Cellars)

Whiskey barrel aged wines are now very much a thing, so much like beer, the absence of a whiskey barrel aged wine poses the question of why they have not delved into the practice. You know a thing is a fixture when its not being there is sometimes more interesting, at least as a consumer question.

The barrel aged Zinfandel joins their barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon, making it the second and latest of Josh Cellars whiskey barrel aged wares. The wine spent just two months in old bourbon barrels before bottling at 14.5% ABV. This is the same as the other barrel aged Josh wine, but the impact was not as substantial.

The Wine
Unlike their barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon, the nose on this Zinfandel is rather unaffected, at least compared to my general expectations for the varietal. I have no experience with Josh Zinfandel to compare it to directly, but at its simplest, the nose is red wine.

On the flavor profile, I think the bourbon barrel aging pulled the wine towards a sweeter direction, but without making an overt influence. The flavor is blackberry and licorice driven, but without the peppery character the varietal is known for, and just a hint of vanilla.

It’s a nice wine, but not one where the barrel aging has put a particularly noteworthy twist on it.

The Price
Josh lists this bottle themselves for $23, but many online retailers have it marked at $20.

Ballantine’s Releases First Single Grain Whisky

Scotch whisky brand Ballantine’s has unveiled its first single grain expression, finished in two types of casks. Master blender Sandy Hyslop blended grain whiskies from Strathclyde Distillery to create the expression, which was named Ballantine’s Single Distillery. For many years, the Glasgow-based grain distillery has been a major component in Ballantine’s blends. The new single […]

The post Ballantine’s Releases First Single Grain Whisky first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Scotch whisky brand Ballantine’s has unveiled its first single grain expression, finished in two types of casks.

Master blender Sandy Hyslop blended grain whiskies from Strathclyde Distillery to create the expression, which was named Ballantine’s Single Distillery.

For many years, the Glasgow-based grain distillery has been a major component in Ballantine’s blends.

The new single grain offering is supposed to have sweet and flowery flavors like white peach, burnt pineapple, red apples, lemon zest, and toasted almonds on the palate. It has a double cask finish in rum and extra-charred American oak barrels.

Hyslop commented: “One of the things I enjoy most about my job as master blender is to be able to experiment and continue to push boundaries, just like our founder George Ballantine, who was doing things his own way and breaking conventional codes of whisky as far back as 1827.

“Ballantine’s Single Distillery was created to challenge perceptions of grain whisky and offers a whisky that really showcases the quality of the grain used. The addition of the double cask finish results in an exceptionally smooth Scotch, making for a refined drinking experience to savor during those finer moments in life.”

Ballantine’s Single Distillery Rolls to Whisky Markets

Ballantine's

Ballantine’s Single Distillery, a permanent addition to the brand’s lineup, will be accessible starting in November 2024 and comes in an amber-colored bottle with a shiny copper crest. Each market has a different RRP.

Ballantine’s collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA on a limited-edition bottle earlier this year as part of the brand’s music-inspired collaboration series.

Two limited-edition bottle designs honoring John Lennon and Elton John were added to the brand’s True Music Icons collection in September.

The Chivas Brothers division of Pernod Ricard, located in Dumbarton, Scotland, produces blended Scotch whisky under the Ballantine’s name. Fingerprint malts from Miltonduff and Glenburgie, together with 50 single malts and four unique grains, are what give the Ballantine its flavor.

The post Ballantine’s Releases First Single Grain Whisky first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Non-Review

The 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is back, and yeah, we know—it’s been talked about more than your buddy’s “secret” bourbon stash. So, we’re flipping the script.

The 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is back, and yeah, we know—it’s been talked about more than your buddy’s “secret” bourbon stash. So, we’re flipping the script. Our “non-review review” dives into what matters, cutting through the noise with our signature mix of brutal honesty and some much-needed humor.

Oh, and one more thing: watch to the end for your shot at winning samples of the entire collection. Yep, all of it. There's no catch, just a chance to taste like the pros without the hunt. Cheers!

Whiskey Quickie: King of Kentucky Bourbon Review

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review King of Kentucky Bourbon. This 16 year old bourbon is 130.4 proof and […]

The post Whiskey Quickie: King of Kentucky Bourbon Review appeared first on BOURBON PURSUIT.

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review King of Kentucky Bourbon. This 16 year old bourbon is 130.4 proof and $350 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.

The post Whiskey Quickie: King of Kentucky Bourbon Review appeared first on BOURBON PURSUIT.