Lest you think Cain is some radical spirits maker, know that his grain choices and fermentation techniques are rooted firmly in family traditions. For more than a century, his family has used its own heirloom varietal born of Canadian rye “that’s similar to a brasado rye.
This bourbon is a study in patience. Knowing the founders of this brand, they didn’t expect this whiskey–the first barrels they ever bought before moving to distill at Castle & Key distillery–would turn out as well as it has…
Saying it’s not a complex bourbon is not a sleight, rather it’s a nod to whiskies that present as lean, lithe and elegant–which is no small feat for liquid resting 10 years in oak. In a world of double-oaked wood and tannin bombs, this measured approach is much appreciated.
Gary Hinegardner has a problem with bourbon makers. He says the No. 2 yellow dent corn used by the vast majority of American whiskey makers is a subpar grain never intended for the distillation of America’s native spirit.
Truth is I prefer 1792 releases over anything from Buffalo Trace–outside of its incredible Antique Collection, of course. I’m like a lot of bourbon drinkers who love visiting Barton to duck cobwebs in dusty rickhouses to thieve whiskey eventually bottled as Full Proof single barrels.
As good as this 9-year C925 is, it makes me long for the labyrinthine nuances of those earlier, older versions. This one is simpler, but still expectedly delicious.
In this case, Blue Run is asking $125 for a whiskey blend that’s half Bourye’s, age, lacking Bourye’s well-earned reputation and triple the price for Knob Creek’s iteration–all while delivering a product low on complexity and flavor compared to those.
On the nose is a battle between fruit and minerality, olfactory soldiers armed with aromatics derived from airborne yeast, cooked agave, tahona crushing and finishing in those ex-American whiskey, ex-PdC and ex-Madeira casks.
Not only is it delicious, it’s unique. This release marks the first time any spirit in the Beam portfolio was aged in ex-tequila casks, and it is–to my palate–an historically powerful bourbon that’s beneficially tamed because of that.
This is one of those bottles that makes me want to say to Chris Morris, “Just do more of this, please. Lots more of it.”
