Category: review

Bulleit Single Malt Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: For more than a decade, American Malt Whiskey has been the unquestioned domain of the craft distiller. The mixology-driven Rye Crunch of 2011-12 gave small whiskey-makers some space to carve out a niche in reviving moribund rye whiskey styles, but most rye sold is still made by big distillers in Canada …

By Richard Thomas

Rating:

Bulleit Single Malt
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

For more than a decade, American Malt Whiskey has been the unquestioned domain of the craft distiller. The mixology-driven Rye Crunch of 2011-12 gave small whiskey-makers some space to carve out a niche in reviving moribund rye whiskey styles, but most rye sold is still made by big distillers in Canada and the Upper South. Wheat Whiskey always had Bernheim, predating craft whiskey as we generally label it. But American malts, well, it wasn’t until very recently that the big players have decided to build on the efforts of folks like the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission and get in the game. Bulleit is the latest to join the party.

Before I go on, a clarification of terminology is necessary. American Malts follow the classic American pattern of being defined by the lead grain and new oak barrel aging, so 51%-plus malted barley in the mash and aged like bourbon. Woodford Reserve Straight Malt is an example. An American Single Malt follows the Scotch-Irish model, being 100% malted barley and aged in a mix of new and used casks. Bulleit’s latest addition, currently in limited release but undoubtedly intended for permanent status, is of the latter category.

Despite opening their own distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky in 2017, Bulleit does not seem to have made their new single malt in-house. The label clearly states it was bottled there, but says nothing about whether it was made there. That curious omission means it almost certainly was not; when the day comes that either Bulleit Bourbon, Rye or Single Malt are wholly made in Shelbyville, I find it hard to believe that parent company Diageo would let the marketing value of that pass. The most likely candidate for sourcing is MGP’s 100% malt whiskey, as Bulleit began relying on MGP after their Four Roses contract concluded, but that is only speculation.

The Whiskey
Bottled at 90 proof, the pour has a golden look to it. The nose is immediately suggestive of a lighter whiskey, especially compared to many craft malts (but, tellingly, not the MGP-derived malts I’ve tried). The cereal and herb base is there, but it lacks that hefty honeyed sweetness that often accompanies the category. Instead, the scent carries a pair of modest butterscotch and caramel notes. The flavor runs sweet and floral, turning a touch peppery at the end, turning to wood and pepper on the finish. Taken as a whole, it’s a light example of an American Single Malt, with no real surprises beyond that single point.

The Price
Bulleit Single Malt goes for $60 a bottle.

Old Elk Infinity Blend 2023 Whiskey Review

By Kenrick Thurston Wilcox Rating: B+ If anyone has wanted to try their hand at being a blender, infinity bottles are an interesting way for consumers to do so, with many articles on websites how to start your own at home blend. With its roots in the wine world via the solera aging system, the …

By Kenrick Thurston Wilcox

Rating: B+

Old Elk Infinity Bottle 2023
(Credit: Old Elk Distillery)

If anyone has wanted to try their hand at being a blender, infinity bottles are an interesting way for consumers to do so, with many articles on websites how to start your own at home blend. With its roots in the wine world via the solera aging system, the process sees consumers taking what whiskey they have available and over time creating their own uniquely personal blend.

Some whiskey companies, such as Old Elk, are aware of this trend and have gone a step further by creating infinity barrels, projects that see producers filling a barrel or tank, then draining a portion of the liquid, and topping it off with different products, creating an ever-evolving whiskey. Started in 2013 by entrepreneur Curt Richardson, founder and ex-CEO of OtterBox, and with Greg Metze at the helm as master distiller. Before coming over to Old Elk, Metze had an illustrious career as head distiller at MGP, where he worked for 38 years.

This is the third iteration of Old Elk’s Infinity Blend, which contains 15.3% of last years infinity blend, 40% of their unique high malted bourbon aged for 8 years, 43.2% wheat whiskey aged for 7 years and 1.5% wheat whiskey aged for 10 years and is bottled at 57.575% ABV.

The Whiskey
Once poured the whiskey is amber in color. The nose is is full, nutty and malty, with notes of toffee, coffee beans, chocolate and a slight leather scent.

On the palate the malt and wheat become more prominent though the liquid still retains the corn sweetness and thickness typical of a bourbon. Some notes of orange citrus come through along with some smoke, with the coffee bean notes fading far into the background.

The finish stays for a long time though is lacking in complexity tasting only of coffee. Adding a couple drops of water I noticed some black pepper on the nose, some leather on the the palate with more of the coffee flavor coming back, and the finish now having notes of chocolate, coffee and black licorice, although the time it lasted was shortened. This dram is great both on neat or on the rocks.

The Price
A bottle will should set you back $150 for a 750ml, but some online retailers have it listed for somewhat higher.

Redwood Empire Foggy Burl Single Malt Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- California distiller Redwood Empire embraces their titular theme fully, with their releases named after the oldest and tallest of the state’s famous sequoia trees. Foggy Burl is a 347-foot tall skyscraper of a tree, the name coming from its especially burly base and one of its main sources of water. …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

Redwood Empire Foggy Burl
(Credit: Redwood Empire)

California distiller Redwood Empire embraces their titular theme fully, with their releases named after the oldest and tallest of the state’s famous sequoia trees. Foggy Burl is a 347-foot tall skyscraper of a tree, the name coming from its especially burly base and one of its main sources of water. If you’ve ever wondered why are found in damp micro-climates, its because they thrive in and contribute to those conditions, drinking up some of their moisture from the air. Foggy Burl gets 40% of its water in this way.

This single malt is the first from Redwood Empire, Batch 001. It’s an American Single Malt, but there is no information on the use of heirloom grains or specialized brewers malts or any twists of that nature beyond that seven specific types were used. So, an American single malt whiskey, aged in toasted and #3 charred new oak barrels, and bottled at 99 proof in a 27 barrel production run.

The Whiskey
The pour takes on a polished bronze look in the glass. The nose oozes malty honey, toasted cereals and caramel, with a note of butterscotch. That sounds like the whiskey should come across as syrupy, but the palate is a good deal lighter than that, as well as taking a surprisingly spicy turn. I thought it was akin to making a sandwich out of oat biscuits and ginger cookies. The finish went over with ginger and clove.

The Price
Expect to pay $100 for a bottle.

Glenglassuagh Sandend Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Glenglassaugh’s location has its interesting features, starting with where it fits into the traditional regions of Scotch whisky. It’s so close to the boundary dividing Speyside from the Highlands that one wonders if the reason the eastern border of Speyside was placed as it is was not to exclude it …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Glenglassaugh Sandend
(Credit: Brown-Forman)

Glenglassaugh’s location has its interesting features, starting with where it fits into the traditional regions of Scotch whisky. It’s so close to the boundary dividing Speyside from the Highlands that one wonders if the reason the eastern border of Speyside was placed as it is was not to exclude it (more likely, it’s due to the distillery’s purchase by Highland Distillers in the 1890s). Another geographical feature is its place on the east end of Sandend Bay, leading out onto the Moray Firth Coast. It’s that feature that gives its name to this single malt, the Glenglassaugh Sandend Single Malt.

Dubbed a “coastal malt,” Sandend is drawn from bourbon, oloroso sherry and manzanilla sherry casks, with manzanilla being a special touch. Manzanilla sherry casks are rarely seen in the Scotch industry, it being a dry, white sherry known for its chamomile, almonds and dough flavors. In a probably intentional parallel, Manzanilla is made by the Atlantic Ocean, and is sometimes referred to as “coastal sherry.” Another distinguishing feature is that Sandend was bottled at a (for Scotch) potent 50.5% ABV. This is also a no age statement single malt.

The Scotch
Despite the strength of the whisky, Sandend pours as a pale straw liquid into the glass. The nose has a core of baked apples, but with extra ginger and a pinch of cloves in the pie spices used to season that dish up, and sweetened with honey and juice squeezed from a tangerine instead of brown sugar. The flavor turns away from fruit and towards honey-sweetened ginger cookies, accented by a current of dry wood (driftwood?). The finish jinks toward an even milder note, fading away as barn-dried tobacco.

The Price
This new offering from Glenglassaugh fetches $70 a bottle, and it’s a very fair price considering both the  quality and strength of the contents.

 

Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Jack Daniel’s may be the crown jewel of the Brown-Forman empire, but its foundation is Old Forester. Several years ago, the company decided to give that foundation a much-needed brand extension into the premium direction, introducing four new expressions. Each entry in this Whiskey Row series had a year name–1870, …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Old Forester 1924
(Credit: Brown-Forman)

Jack Daniel’s may be the crown jewel of the Brown-Forman empire, but its foundation is Old Forester. Several years ago, the company decided to give that foundation a much-needed brand extension into the premium direction, introducing four new expressions. Each entry in this Whiskey Row series had a year name–1870, 1897, 1910 and 1920–and its own particular twist on Old Forester bourbon. There the Whiskey Row series stopped a few years ago… or so we all believed.

Old Forester launched a fifth installment last month, Old Forester 1924. It’s the first Distillery Row whiskey with an age statement, pegged at 10 years old. It is also a departure from the entire Old Forester line in terms of its stock, being made with a mash bill 79% corn as opposed to 72% corn, with the difference being made up by cutting deeply into the flavoring, secondary rye content rather than the malted barley. That latter grain remains at 10%.

What makes that interesting is that Early Times was made with that mash bill, and Brown-Forman used to own Early Times. Indeed, their distillery in Shively was actually named the Early Times Distillery until the middle of the last decade. Brown-Forman sold Early Times (as well as Canadian Mist) to Sazerac in 2020, and probably transferred most or all of the Early Times stock in inventory as part of that deal. Brown-Forman hasn’t stated any of this, but the dots are all there to connect for those with a good memory.

There is a good reason that deal did not include the stuff currently going into Old Forester 1924, however:  it’s bourbon, and Early Times was not. Although it could have been bourbon coming out of distillation, that door was closed the moment the new make was entered into used oak barrels for aging, as bourbon is required by law to be aged in new oak barrels. The main, entry level Early Times expression continues to be labeled as a “Kentucky Whiskey” to reflect this. At some point a decade or more ago, Brown-Forman entered the Early Times new make into new oak barrels, and they’ve still got sufficient stock in the pipeline to introduce what looks to become an annual, limited release.

The Bourbon
The whiskey is bottled at 100 proof, and has a dulled amber look in the glass. The nose leads with deep caramel and butterscotch, accented by cranberries, the trademark banana and just a hint of nuts. On the palate, the liquid flows with a rich texture, a mouthfeel that makes the flavor profile heftier and more luscious than it otherwise might have been. That thick caramel from the nose takes the oaky spice rack by the hand and leads it up onto center stage, leaving the butterscotch current to trail along behind. The cranberry and banana evolves into a more fruit cocktail kind of note, with the sweetness being more syrupy than sugary. The finish turns fully spicy and woody, and lingers on for a fair spell.

The Price
Old Forester 1924 is pegged at $115 a bottle, which is a sticking point. Some will say that is too expensive, and I half-agree with that sentiment, but there is a major caveat with makes that only half-agreement.

Comparing MSRPs in this instance is rather pointless, because while Eagle Rare 10 Year Old or Henry McKenna 10 Year Old have an official price of roughly a third of Old Forester 1924, how often does anyone actually pay the MSRP for these bourbons? But rarely. Everything from Buffalo Trace has been hunted to near extinction. Basil Hayden 10 Year Old and Knob Creek 12 Year Old are generally more available, but they too often see a moderate mark-up on prices.

I’ve argued that liquor companies should start charging prices closer to what the market will bear, if only to discourage hoarding and other distortionate tactics that hurt consumers while yielding little or no benefit to producers. From that point of view, I think whether Old Forester 1924 is actually worth $115 a bottle is debatable rather than obviously too much. Maybe it is $15 too much, but not the $50 over the mark that some bloggers are implying, because their cited baseline exists only on a press release written up in Frankfort.

Old Elk Wheated Bourbon Review

By Douglas Fraser Rating: B+ Old Elk Distillery is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, just sixty miles from Denver. This expression is sourced from MGP’s very high wheat, wheated bourbon whiskey, with a mash bill of 51% corn, 45% wheat and 4% malted barley. As with many brands, sourcing from MGP is a staple of …

By Douglas Fraser

Rating: B+

Old Elk Wheated Bourbon
(Credit: Old Elk Distillery)

Old Elk Distillery is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, just sixty miles from Denver. This expression is sourced from MGP’s very high wheat, wheated bourbon whiskey, with a mash bill of 51% corn, 45% wheat and 4% malted barley. As with many brands, sourcing from MGP is a staple of Old Elk during their start-up phase, but it is especially appropriate in their case since they hired former MGP Master Distiller Greg Metze as a consultant. Aged for a minimum of five years, it is bottled at 92 proof.

The Bourbon
On the nose are gentle hints of cinnamon, almonds, wheat, and corn. The palate is rather the same, but extremely mellow. I suspect that is because of the wheat instead of rye. There are also notes of charred oak and a slight red fruit note. The finish is medium in length with notes of oak, baking spices, oak, and leather.

The Price
Old Elk Wheated Bourbon can be found for $75.

Glenglassaugh 12 Year Old Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B When a brand like Glenglassaugh releases what is essentially a new entry-level run in their line-up or revamps their look, it’s a good guess that the powers that be behind that brand are making a marketing and sales push or repositioning the brand. Something to that effect. Glenglassaugh owner Brown-Forman …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Glenglassaugh 12 Year Old
(Credit: Brown-Forman)

When a brand like Glenglassaugh releases what is essentially a new entry-level run in their line-up or revamps their look, it’s a good guess that the powers that be behind that brand are making a marketing and sales push or repositioning the brand. Something to that effect. Glenglassaugh owner Brown-Forman seems to be doing both, and then some.

The distillery now has a new core range, consisting of this 12 year old single malt, plus two no age statement single malts that will be reviewed in the near future. This is atop their release of ultra-aged expressions like the 46 year old that was my Top Pick of 2023.

The pedigree here is pretty straight forward. Glenglassaugh was reopened following a 22 year hiatus in 2008, so a 12 year old whisky avoids the substantial gap in the distillery’s inventory by a comfortable margin. The malt was drawn from a mix of ex-bourbon, ex-Sherry and ex-red wine cask stock, aged for at least twelve years and bottled at a rather hefty (for Scotch whisky) 45% ABV.

The Scotch
The malt took on a light copper coloring in the glass. The scent leads with toffee, fig and malty honey, underscored by a mix of dry grass and burnt dry grass. Sipping reveals a silken texture, more honey and toffee, a touch of vanilla and a handful of oak shavings. The finish wanders off with a light dusting of ash.

The Price
Expect to pay $65 for a bottle of this single malt.

Wild Turkey Generations Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- The Russells are set to become a three-generation dynasty of master distillers at Wild Turkey Distillery. First came Jimmy Russell. Although his father was a distillery worker, Jimmy was the first to rise to the top production spot, a post he held for so much of modern history that the …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Wild Turkey Generations
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

The Russells are set to become a three-generation dynasty of master distillers at Wild Turkey Distillery. First came Jimmy Russell. Although his father was a distillery worker, Jimmy was the first to rise to the top production spot, a post he held for so much of modern history that the identity of Wild Turkey as an actual bourbon (i.e. the liquid, not the marketing) as we know it today is very much his invention.

Jimmy was eventually succeeded by his son Eddie Russell in 2015, after several years of working as  de facto or de jure co-master distiller. Now the company is grooming Bruce Russell, Eddie’s son, as the next master distiller.

Part of that grooming is Bruce’s participation in new Wild Turkey releases, such as the appropriately named Wild Turkey Generations. All three Russells are said to have worked on the bourbon, which was released this past autumn, drawing on stocks of nine, twelve, fourteen and fifteen year old bourbons. They bottled it at a healthy cask strength of 120.8 proof, with a production run of 5,000 bottles.

The Bourbon
The color here is a dark, nutty amber. Nosing yielded a current of spices up front: nutmeg backed with cloves and cinnamon. Behind that was tossed handful of fat dried cherries. A splash of water added a note of damp pipe tobacco in for good measure, which to me just underlines how its usually a good idea to add a little water once the ABV approaches 60%.

The palate also opens up spicy, and rather dry to boot. The sweet follow up is less cherry, being more in the traditional bourbon vein of candy corn and vanilla bean. That dry aspect on the front end fades as the sweetness gains. That splash of water allows this transition to develop into something akin to baked apples as the journey draws to its conclusion. From there, the finish rolls off to a musty, oaky spiciness, but that dissipates quickly to leave behind just a touch of vanilla.

Complex is not the word I would use to describe Generations. I think sophisticated is better. No individual aspect of it is really all that amazing. Instead, it’s the transitions that take place and develop, especially after being watered down a touch to a lower proof, that give it some real character.

The Price

Officially, this bottle goes for $450. It’s been described as the most expensive Wild Turkey bourbon ever, which I can neither confirm or deny at present, but I would not be surprised if that is true. A quick (and hardly scientific) survey of online retailers as I wrote this piece showed no one asking that price, instead demanding between $600 and $900.

Wilderness Trail 10 Year Old 10th Anniversary Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: Upon returning to Kentucky in November 2016, I spent a few months catching up with the bourbon industry. Of course, during my eight year stint in Europe, I would call on various distilleries whenever I was visiting the family in the Bluegrass, but there was never enough time on any given …

By Richard Thomas

Rating:

Wilderness Trail 10 Year Old 10th Anniversary Bourbon
(Credit: Wilderness Trail)

Upon returning to Kentucky in November 2016, I spent a few months catching up with the bourbon industry. Of course, during my eight year stint in Europe, I would call on various distilleries whenever I was visiting the family in the Bluegrass, but there was never enough time on any given visit to knock out the entire to-do list. My return and relative idleness meant I could attend to that, and part of that to-do list was visiting with Wilderness Trail.

It was a propitious time, because they had only recently gotten their current distillery, set up on a farm outside of Danville, up and running. Indeed, they had also just recently changed their name from Wilderness Trace to Wilderness Trail, to avoid any trademark disputes a certain other distiller also using the name “Trace.” Prior to this, whiskey industry chemistry and engineering duo Shane Baker and Pat Heist had been running a true micro-distillery: their set up was such that, as they told it, putting in a twelve hour day with their pot still would get their fermented sweet mash distilled and into a single barrel fill. They were, essentially, running a weekend hobby distillery and filling one or two barrels per week.

It is a far cry from today’s set-up, which is producing over 200 barrels per day and was acquired by Campari last year, but that phase of the company history matters because we’re looking at a 10th anniversary bottling. Thus, it was distilled in 2013, and just so happens to come from only the second-ever barrel Baker and Heist filled back when the pair were working with a small pot still in what was essentially a rented storage unit in Danville.

That second barrel fill was done in the aforementioned sweet mash style, meaning there was nothing held back from the previous mash; each batch starts from scratch. That mash is a wheated one: 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley. They chose to bottle this very limited release at 100 proof, and at that rate Wilderness Trail estimated the barrel would yield about 115 bottles (the estimate was made prior to release, and hasn’t been updated since).

The Bourbon
The pour takes on a deep red tint to its amber, so much so that I think it reaches beyond a good brew up of tea and almost goes into red ale territory. It is a remarkable color, really. It isn’t Big Red ruby, but the brown in the amber is really just a suggestion.

Speaking of red, the nose smacked of red fruits and raisins plus brown sugar and vanilla, with notes of a baking spice mix that had an extra large helping of nutmeg stirred in. Behind all this was a hint of musty wood. The palate lead with that classic bourbon, brown sugar and vanilla character, but this was swiftly swamped under a burst of fat dried cherries and oak. On the finish, the sweetness and fruitiness disappear, leaving behind a fast fading touch of oak.

I imagine this will be a hard bottle to find at anything like a reasonable price. Yet if you can snag one at a not-painful price point, do so for its combination of quality and uniqueness.

The Price
These bottles were priced at $280 each at the time of release.

Smokehead Single Malt Scotch Review

By Douglas Fraser Rating: C+ Smokehead Islay Single Malt Whisky is a peat bomb for lovers of smoky whisky. The brand belongs to Ian Macleod Distillers, and its source on Islay is undisclosed and one of the company’s best kept secrets. Rumors point to Lagavulin and Caol Ila, but those are just rumors. This is …

By Douglas Fraser

Rating: C+

Smokehead Islay Single Malt
(Credit: Ian Macleod Distillers)

Smokehead Islay Single Malt Whisky is a peat bomb for lovers of smoky whisky. The brand belongs to Ian Macleod Distillers, and its source on Islay is undisclosed and one of the company’s best kept secrets. Rumors point to Lagavulin and Caol Ila, but those are just rumors.

This is not the only example of a sourced and bottled whisky from Islay. Port Askaig is another, and also rumored to come from Caol Ila.

The Scotch
Smokehead Single Malt Scotch seems like a typical Islay malt. I didn’t find anything bad about it, but I also not anything great about it either. However, the finish is quite nice with he long smoky finish that just lingers on your palate. Smokehead Single Malt Scotch is bottled at 43% ABV.

Color:  Gold

On the nose is iodine and smoke which hits your nose hard. After it settles there are some oak and green apple notes present. On the palate, the smoke continues with woody notes, oats, and a hint of some medicinal traits. The finish is long and smoky with some oak tannin and sea salt notes.

The Price
Smokehead Single Malt Scotch can be found for approximately $75.