In his latest post, Frank gives us a refreshing look at a 2024 bottling of Rare Breed Rye. Take it away, Frank! After my last review of Wild Turkey’s famed “Christmas Rye‘,’ it only feels right that I should turn my attention to Wild Turkey…
In his latest post, Frank gives us a refreshing look at a 2024 bottling of Rare Breed Rye. Take it away, Frank! After my last review of Wild Turkey’s famed “Christmas Rye‘,’ it only feels right that I should turn my attention to Wild Turkey’s latest rye expression, Rare Breed Rye. It also feels timely […]
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Americans are facing higher costs nearly everywhere – at the pump, at the supermarket, and even at the liquor store. Here are 5 tips + 2…
Americans are facing higher costs nearly everywhere - at the pump, at the supermarket, and even at the liquor store. Here are 5 tips + 2 bonus tips on ways to find bourbon that won’t make your pocketbook scream “Uncle” - and still let you enjoy some fine tasting bourbon.
($22 - $24)
If you’re a fan of Basil Hayden, you might be surprised to find that this bourbon from Jim Beam shares the same high-rye mash bill of 63% corn, 27% rye and 10% malted barley. If you’re looking for a truly inexpensive pour, you can go right to the 80-proof version of Old Grand Dad. This bonded expression subscribes to the requirements as stated in the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. As such, you’re getting a spirit that has been aged for at least four years in a government-supervised warehouse and is bottled at a versatile 100-proof. In the glass, you’ll find plenty of vanilla, caramel, and buttered corn fritter notes that are balanced with enough oak char and baking spices to remind you it’s a higher rye bourbon.
($24 - $27)
If Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select strikes your palate, this is one to definitely reach for. Produced by Brown-Forman, the mash bill is 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley - identical to the flagship Woodford Reserve product. For years, the Old Forester brand languished in the shadow of its more famous sibling, Thanks to a brand refresh beginning in 2014,, the brand now stands on its own. Many thought this bourbon was a more youthful version of Woodford Reserve. In reality, the yeast strains are just a hint different between the two brands. This bourbon may have the best nose of an inexpensive bourbon, with vanilla, caramel, dark and tropical fruits, balanced with oak and spice. You’ll find similar notes on the palate, as well. This bourbon is also a great mixer, as evidenced by its use as the base for the iconic Kentucky Derby Mint Julep.
($22 - $26)
Affectionately called Four Roses Tan Label, this is the flagship product of its namesake distillery. While bottled at a low 80-proof, this bourbon is anything but low on flavor. Two mash bills are used in this blended bourbon - one with 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted, and a second with 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley. Fermented using no less than 5 different yeast strains (you can catch the inside story here), you’ll be amazed by a cacophony of perfectly blended flavors in the glass. Lighter in color, you’ll find fruity and floral notes - like apple and peach blossoms - blended with vanilla and light spice. This, too, makes a fine mixer, but is also perfect neat or over a little ice.
Benchmark Lineup
($10 - $32)
You may not recognize the brand, but you’ll recognize the taste. Benchmark is part of the lineup from Sazerac and the Buffalo Trace Distillery. This bargain-shelf bourbon shares the same mash bill (#1) as Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Old Charter, and E.H. Taylor. The brand has evolved beyond its initial 80-proof version ($10) to includes a Top Floor, Bonded, and Single Barrel expression. All of the subsequent extensions are solid, everyday pours - especially when Buffalo Trace’s flagship bourbon is oftentimes marked-up, behind the counter, and allocated. These bourbons are loaded with brown sugar, caramel apple, dried fruit, and raisin. If you’re hankering other lower-shelf bourbons from Buffalo Trace, don’t overlook Ancient Age - a younger version of the same mash bill as Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, Rock Hill Farm, and others.
($14 - $16)
You didn’t think I’d get out here without mentioning one of my cornerstones, did you? Affordably priced, comparable to classic Jim Beam, but with a slightly higher proof, it’s hard to go wrong with this bourbon. Named after America’s first commercial distiller, Evan Williams is made from 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. Aged 4 years, the finished product is bottled at 86 proof - 6 points higher than Jim Beam’s flagship product. On the nose and palate, you’ll find kettle corn along with classic bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla, balanced with gentle spice. It’s not overly complicated, but it is a very traditional bourbon.
Bonus Idea 1 If you’re buying for a crowd, everyday consumption, or you’re looking to stretch a buck, don’t overlook handles of bourbon. These aren’t just for college student parties anymore. The big 1.75 liter bottles contain 2.3 normal 750ml bottles of bourbon. In my house, come summertime (aka grillin’ time), you’ll often find a handle of Jim Beam or Evan Williams in my kitchen for marinating, making bbq sauce, or my famous Derby Pie.. If you can time your purchases with a sale, you can stretch your dollar even further. My local big-box regional liquor store routinely runs handles of Jim Beam or Evan Williams for $16-$18. Considering the quantity of liquor inside, these are hard to beat!
Bonus Idea 2 Check out the discontinued bourbon shelf along with bourbon on clearance. My local Hy-Vee had its own store pick of Maker’s Mark Private Selection marked down significantly. At our regional liquor store, there’s always a shelf of discontinued bourbons that are heavily marked down. It also had a stellar deal on the 2023 Christmas Bottles of Woodford Reserve (was not a fan of the star label). Similar to my comment on handles, these large, 1-liter bottles were marked down to $39. At one-third larger than Woodford’s standard bottle, that’s like getting a regular bottle of Distiller’s Select for $29. I’ll grab a deal like that any day!
Seeing as this is the penultimate entry in the “12 Rickhouses of Turkey” series, I thought I might shake things up a bit. But just slightly. The original concept for this series centered around Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel selections from popular ri…
Seeing as this is the penultimate entry in the “12 Rickhouses of Turkey” series, I thought I might shake things up a bit. But just slightly. The original concept for this series centered around Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel selections from popular rickhouses over the last few years. Today, I’m reviewing an anomaly – a 2020 […]
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We’ve sampled traditional Benchmark, as well as their Top Floor and Bonded expressions. Today, we check out another in the Benchmark…
We’ve sampled traditional Benchmark, as well as their Top Floor and Bonded expressions. Today, we check out another in the Benchmark lineup - Benchmark Single Barrel.
Where the Buffalo Cross
The Benchmark brand is produced by Sazerac at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. In smaller letters on the bottle, you’ll see a reference to McAfee Brothers. These larger-than-life pioneers - James, George, and Robert McAfee - were early settlers of what later became the Commonwealth.
In 1773, they discovered the great buffalo crossing along the banks of the Kentucky River. Later, bourbon legends the like of Taylor and Stagg would build the OFC Distillery at the very site, leading to the name “Buffalo Trace”. As land surveyors, the McAfees left behind their markers, known as “benchmarks”.
The Tasting
Buffalo Trace is mum on the mash bill for the Benchmark lineup, but most agree that it shares the same low-rye (less than 10%) Mash Bill No. 1, which is also used in the Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Old Charter, and E.H. Taylor expressions. Benchmark Single Barrel is bottled at 95 proof. Unlike many single barrel products, there is no indication as to age or warehouse location of the aged barrels. The label does show this as a straight bourbon, and lacking an age statement, we can assume that the finished product has aged for at least 4 years.
Eye: Amber with a few medium legs displayed when swirled in the Glencairn glass.
Nose: Pleasant, with caramel sauce drizzled over Grannysmith apple slices.
Palate: Sweeter with brown sugar and fruit. Unremarkable, but nice.
Finish: Medium with nutmeg, cinnamon, oak char, balanced with vanilla.
Overall: At 95-proof, this expression of Benchmark is between the low 86-proof Top Floor version and the 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond Bonded rendition. Priced locally at $25, this is a fine bargain pour - especially when comparable bottles of the flagship Buffalo Trace just can’t be found everyday. At a higher-proof, with more bourbon-bang-for-the-buck, I’d lean towards either the Bonded or Single Barrel as my pick of the litter. Fine for everyday sipping, this is one that won’t bust the bank.
When I saw a display of this at a local food store, I eagerly snatched a bottle. The newest release from the Buffalo Trace Distillery,…
When I saw a display of this at a local food store, I eagerly snatched a bottle. The newest release from the Buffalo Trace Distillery, Traveller Whiskey is produced in collaboration with entertainer Chris Stapleton.
Collaboration is Key
Traveller Whiskey brings together music entertainer Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace’s Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley to create a new whiskey from the Trace. Stapleton, a native of nearby Lexington, Kentucky, together with Wheatley, sampled more than 50 different blends before selecting Blend No. 40 as the best.
The website shares that this whiskey is Easy to Drink, Hard Not to Love. music entertainer Chris Stapleton. Further, we’re told to expect complex aromas of vanilla, aged fruit and buttery shortbread rounded off by caramel and a touch of oak. The palate has just a touch of sweetness, followed by spice, toasted nut and oak flavors with a robust finish.
The Tasting
Like all whiskeys produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery (and its affiliate Barton), the mash bill and blend of whiskeys is undisclosed - so we have no idea whether bourbons, rye whiskey, Canadian whiskey, and so on are used in the ultimate finished product. It is bottled at 90 proof.
The presentation looks simple: a rounded shouldered bottle with a band announcing the name and that this is Blend No 40. The back of the bottle shares the story of how the various blends of whiskeys were sampled and the one selected was No. 40. Further examination shows a woodcut map drawing visible from the bottle’s front (thus the reverse of the back label).
Eye: Golden honey.
Nose: The nose is straightforward and subdued, with vanilla, wood, stone fruits, and spice.
Palate: Subdued and simple - almost “watered down”. The notes here are very light and continue with sweet vanilla and wood. At this stage, it tastes more like a whiskey that I’ve let the ice ball melt in and watered it completely down.
Finish: Medium with vanilla, nutmeg, and dry oak char.
Overall: Priced between $35 and $40, leaves me a little wanting. While it’s a smooth sipper, it's unremarkable. I’d have loved more disclosure on the blends of whiskeys used from the various Sazerac distilleries to arrive at the finished product. To that end, I appreciate firms, like Bardstown Bourbon Company with the disclosure of whiskeys used to produce some of their products, such as the Fusion Series. Further, at this price point, there are a host of better products available, with more transparency, including Knob Creek, Wild Turkey 101, Woodford Reserve, and so on.
If you’re a fan of Chris Stapleton, this is probably a bottle to grab. If you’re not, or you’re a fan of Buffalo Trace or other similar bourbons, this is probably one to pass on.
I confess that each time I taste it, I say to myself, “Why don’t you keep this around a little more often?”. So it was easy to respond to…
I confess that each time I taste it, I say to myself, “Why don’t you keep this around a little more often?”. So it was easy to respond to a text from my sister-in-law when she mentioned that her local Piggly Wiggly grocery store (yes, that’s a real Midwestern name) in Wisconsin had a special bourbon on display. I asked her to go ahead and grab a bottle for me as she headed south to join us on the beach.
The Original Small Batch
The premium brands of the Beam lineup include Booker's Baker's, Basil Hayden's, and Knob Creek - the original small batch bourbons when it was introduced in 1992.
The brand draws its name from "Knob Creek", which runs near the Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. Legendary Master Distiller Booker Noe created the Knob Creek brand to reflect the strength, flavor, care and patience that characterized pre-Prohibition style bourbons. The bottle's rectangular shape is styled after a bootlegger’s flask, with labeling that is similar to the old custom of wrapping bottles in newspaper at the distillery.
The Tasting
This particular store pick from Cowley’s Piggly Wiggly, located in Milton, Wisconsin, began with the signature Beam (and Knob Creek) mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley. It was distilled on 1/15/2014, aged on the 5th floor of warehouse P in rick 044. It was bottled after more than 9½ years on 8/14/2023 at Knob Creek’s single barrel standard of 120 proof.
Color: Ochre with a host of thin, wispy legs around the inside of my Glencairn glass.
Nose: Brown sugar, caramel, Cracker Jack snack mix, and toffee covered peanuts. Like some of the other single barrels from Knob Creek we’ve enjoyed, it doesn’t give away its high proof nature.
Palate: Rich and flavorful, with sweet brown sugar and caramel balanced by savory notes of toasted oak and dry, rye spice. It is here that this store pick reminds us of its proof, leaving my tongue tingling.
Finish: An exceptionally long finish with vanilla, toasted oak, and baking spices that takes several minutes to completely fade.
Overall: I may have added another bourbon hunter to my team. Store and single barrel picks are some of my favorite bottles to enjoy. While mass production and the blending of hundreds of barrels can deliver a uniform, consistent product, it’s here that bourbon’s true character can be enjoyed. In terms of “bang for your buck”, these higher proof bottles can stretch your dollar, whereas lower-proof whiskeys can fade away in ice or a cocktail.
On April 8, 2024, the town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky will be in the center of attention when the moon passes between the sun and the…
On April 8, 2024, the town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky will be in the center of attention when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, casting a solar eclipse. Hopkinsville was also in the path of the solar eclipse in 2017, and it will be for this year’s eclipse that Casey Jones Total Eclipse Bourbon is named.
The Stillmaker - Not the Engineer
We stopped by the Casey Jones Distillery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on our way home from a warm, winter getaway. The ,,Casey Jones Distillery takes its name from Casey Jones, a local stillmaker. During Prohibition, Jones was well renowned for creating finely crafted stills for moonshiners in the region.
While many built column or pot stills, Jones crafted square stills that were easily hidden inside of wagons and pick-up trucks to create mobile distilling sites and keep the law at bay. Unfortunately, Casey’s luck did run out and he served a few years in a West Virginia prison. Casey's grandson Arlon Casey Jones ("AJ") carries on the family tradition - both in distilling and crafting his own still - modeled after one that Casey built six decades ago.
The Tasting
Casey Jones did a great job with marketing this bourbon, as the label bears a large copper-colored etching of a solar eclipse. I really appreciate the transparency and disclosure behind the finished spirit, as well. While many craft distillers provide a quick story and share limited information about an “old family recipe”, this label shares all. Mash bill number 4 is used to produce this bourbon, containing 75% locally-sourced yellow corn, 10% wheat, 10% rye, and 5% malted barley. The label has a hand-lettered 3-year age statement, and the final product is bottled at a versatile 100-proof.
From the ,,website, we’re told to expect baking spice and butterscotch on the nose, followed by a semi-sweet body with orange zest and toasted oak, and finishes with smooth, pecan notes.
Eye: Amber with a few lacy legs evenly spaced along the inside of the Glencairn glass.
Nose: Sweet, with vanilla glazed kettle corn followed by tart grannysmith apple. There are fainter notes of spice and oak.
Palate: A burst of vanilla, followed by toasted oak and light peppery-spice. Subsequent sips reveal some corn-pudding-like notes. A drop or two of water mutes some of the more prominent notes, but the orange zest is revealed.
Finish: Medium-long led by toasted oak and spice.
Overall: This craft bourbon was very nice. While I’d prefer a little more maturity, the underlying sensory profile is a good one. I appreciate the uniqueness of the mash bill and the slightly higher proof, as some of the better notes could have been lost in a lower-proof product.
We’ll have to wait until August 23, 2044 to catch the next solar eclipse in the United States. Don’t wait that long, though, to try this craft bourbon. If you’re looking for this bourbon to highlight your eclipse party, you may need to stop by the ,,Casey Jones Distillery where it can be purchased for $49.99. Their bourbons can also be found in select retailers in CA, GA, KY, IL, OK, TN, TX, NY, NJ, and WI.
Frank is back with a review of another vintage Wild Turkey expression, the fan-named “Christmas Rye.” It’s been a good while since I last tasted a 101 Rye sporting the green and red label. After reading this piece, I’m determine…
Frank is back with a review of another vintage Wild Turkey expression, the fan-named “Christmas Rye.” It’s been a good while since I last tasted a 101 Rye sporting the green and red label. After reading this piece, I’m determined to revisit it in the very near future. Enjoy! dj Christmas came twice in 2018 […]
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In 2022, Tyrone’s rickhouse M reappeared in Wild Turkey’s private barrel program. The last time enthusiasts had seen private selections from M was in 2016 and 2017, and they were some of the most noteworthy barrels at the time. In fact, I’ve covered a …
In 2022, Tyrone’s rickhouse M reappeared in Wild Turkey’s private barrel program. The last time enthusiasts had seen private selections from M was in 2016 and 2017, and they were some of the most noteworthy barrels at the time. In fact, I’ve covered a number of Tyrone M selections on this blog over the years, […]
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We recently took the family out for a special dinner. At a very nice restaurant, my bourbon-loving daughter asked for an Old Fashioned…
We recently took the family out for a special dinner. At a very nice restaurant, my bourbon-loving daughter asked for an Old Fashioned cocktail. The waitress asked her what kind of bourbon she wanted in the cocktail. My daughter rattled off several everyday bourbons and the waitress answered each bourbon named with the phrase"I'm not sure we have that in the well." Really, I thought? Really? You don’t have that “in the well”? And that got me thinking - What's in my house well?
,,Heaven Hill Quality House / ,,Evan Williams Black Label
While fine and drinkable on their own, these can typically be found in the kitchen cabinet as cooking bourbon. These are great for baking, such as in ,,Derby Pie, making a terrific B,,BQ sauce, and marinating (e.g. salmon, pork, or the cook!). Each of these is made from the flagship ,,Heaven Hill mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. This is classic bourbon with vanilla, caramel, brown sugar along with a warm apple hand pie. I typically find the ,Quality House for a Hamilton in Kentucky, and connect on handles of ,,Evan Williams when they're on sale for less than a Jackson.
,,Woodford Reserve / ,,Woodford Reserve Double Oaked / ,,Old Forester
There is always - always - something in the Woodford / Old Forester palate in my cabinet. Everyone has their go-to, must-have brand - for me it's this family from Brown-Forman. With identical mash bills of 72% corn, 18% rye, the yeast strains are one strain off from each other. Thus, Old Forester is not a "younger" Woodford Reserve, but they definitely are close siblings/cousins in the family tree. These are in the sweet-savory family, with vanilla, caramel, malt and grassy notes, balanced with oak and pepper spice. Paired with a Blue Monday or a bourbon ball candy is my favorite way to enjoy this well-favorite.
,,Wild Turkey 101 / ,,Rare Breed / ,,Russell's Reserve 10-Year
I recently enjoyed a pour with a friend who is a ,,Wild Turkey fiend. While he always has nice and very exclusive bottles from Wild Turkey on hand, he shared that he had recently grabbed a bottle of traditional Wild Turkey 101 and commented on how much he was enjoying a bourbon that to him had been somewhat forgotten.
Forged by Master Distillers and father and son duo, Jimmy and Eddie, the Wild Turkey brands start with a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. Inside you'll find vanilla and caramel blended with brown sugar, and balanced with cinnamon, spice, and even some light citrus notes. The ,,flagship brand is bottled at 101 proof and is able to hold its own on ice or in cocktails. ,,Rare Breed is barrel proof, generally landing in the one-teens. For me, ,,Russell's Reserve 10-Year is one of my forgotten likes. The lower-proof on this one makes for an exceptionally smooth expression, and the 10-year age statement and an attractive price point make this easy to keep on hand.
,,Bardstown Origin Series / ,,Fusion Series
I've been quite impressed with the solid products being produced by ,,Bardstown Bourbon Company and Master Distiller Steve Nally. A look in my cabinet showed no less than 3 different Fusion Series - blends of BBC's own products blended with older-aged sourced products, and two of their own bourbons in their Origin Series.
While I've been impressed, my spouse absolutely loves these products. For her, they're rich, exceptionally flavorful, balanced, and smooth sipping on her palate. Their Origin Series - both of which have been aged for 6 years - has a ,,high-rye 96 proof along with a ,,wheated Bottled-in-Bond expression.
The Fusion Series is a long-running sequence of releases containing Bardstown's house bourbons blended with older bourbons from nearby neighbor, Heaven Hill. Each bottle contains a detailed description of the bourbons that are blended together. For example, ,,Series 8 was a blend of two different BBC bourbons paired with 30% 12-year bourbon from Heaven Hill. The resulting combination had notes of caramel and butterscotch laced with tangy honeycrisp apple.
Some of the bourbons in my house well are there, quite honestly, because I grab them every time I see them for their elusiveness. It has seemed that on several drop-in visits to ,,Buffalo Trace, ,,Weller Special Reserve was the allocated bourbon of the day.
Weller is a ,,wheated series of bourbons sharing a common mash bill to Pappy VanWinkle. This bourbon has traditionally done well in ,,blind tastings with other wheated stalwarts, including ,,Maker's Mark, ,,Larceny, and ,,Rebel. I will say, though, that the competition is stepping up their game, with very competitive wheated bourbons from ,,Green River and ,,Bardstown Bourbon Company. Weller offers sweet vanilla notes balanced with a floral and fruity sensation anchored in a spicy cinnamon finish.
Wild Card
Come to my house, and there's always something interesting to try. There may be something craft-like from ,,Wilderness Trail, ,,Whiskey Acres, ,,New Riff, ,,Casey Jones, or even a recent addition - ,,Holladay 6-Year Bottled-in-Bond. I do like to mix things up a bit and enjoy trying new bourbons. Don't be afraid to look beyond the Big 10 distillers (or so) when it comes to bourbon. While initially, some of the craft bourbons being produced were very young and just needed more age, some distillers are doing just that - giving it more time to age - or even engaging with the century-old standard of quality set forward in the ,,Bottled-in-Bond Act.
