Category: Buy It Again

Four Roses latest innovation is a welcome change. Instead of releasing finished product at twice the price, they are releasing 100 proof versions of their recipes at a LOWER price than their retailer selected single barrels. The new red label looks fantastic and the juice is great as usual. Today we’re looking at the OESK recipe. This is the LOW rye mashbill with the spicy yeast. Always a favorite at our barrel picks, the spicy yeast pairs perfectly with the sweeter than industry standard Four Roses. Early Grey tea, sweet oak, cinnamon, and toffee are all at play. The 100 proof may just be the secret to Four Roses as well. Grab these before they’re gone!

4 staves of Baked American Pure 2, 2 staves of Seared French Cuvee, 4 staves of Maker’s Mark 46, make for one of the sweetest Maker’s Mark privates we’ve ever had bottled. 111.6 proof with sweet fruit and spice firing off from the jump. Mellow sugar cream pie sweetness on the palate with a distinct tropical fruit and spice note emerging through the finish.

Combining bourbon and rye ins’t necessarily a new thing, as Wild Turkey’s Unforgiven took marketing advantage of a blending “accident” years ago, but with Beam’s release of LIttle Book Infinite, and now their Bourbon x Rye they’ve taken the concept to a new level. Who knew HOW GOOD Beam’s rye recipe is, especially when salted with a little 9 year Knob Creek. Nose is spicy with tropical notes and sweet almonds. On the palate, the 113 proof blend exhibits sweet rye smoothness, combined with a backbone of spicy bourbon. Again, this might be an easy release to overlook, but you shouldn’t. It’s delicious and will be the sneaky hit in any bottle tasting. And don’t even get me started on how good of an Old Fashioned this makes. It’s legit!

Beam checked every box with this new release! It’s their high rye recipe (Old Grand Dad) released as a single barrel at 7 years old at 107 proof. I don’t I think we could have scripted it any better. And the results are incredible. Best NOSE on a Beam item I’ve smelled in years, maybe ever! Lot’s of candied almonds and tropical fruit, very fragrant. On the palate, tons of Beam yeast flavor with orange rind, caramel, and soft spices to finish. The price is high, but it’s an innovative release that doesn’t rely on finishing, gimmicks or anything, just darn good bourbon released at the right age and the right proof. Worthy of any drinker’s Collection.

15 Stars is an Indiana based company doing some of the best blending of ultra-aged non-disclosure bourbons in the US right now. They aren’t cheap, but what you do get as impeccable juice, which if released by the distilleries themselves would easily command these high dollars. Take their Timeless Reserve, a blend of 13 and 15 year old Bardstown distilled whiskies. There’s only 1 Bardstown distillery with juice that old. I’ll let you do the detective work, but needless to say this 103 proof blend comprising only 1800 total bottles released is a gem. Super soft entry with light leather, coconut, chocolate, and almonds all rushing in. The mid-palate brings oak, but not too much, and the finish is elegantly chewy. Rest assured ANYTHING 15 Stars releases has been tasted and tested many times over. They don’t rush to put out anything. You’re paying for quality, and it shows.

This single barrel of cask strength Angel’s Envy finished in Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at 115.3 proof is a fruit and leather showstopper. Cinnamon candy on the nose with subtle red fruit and toffee. On the palate, traditional bourbon notes lead with leather, vanilla, apricot and chocolate, but from mod-palate on the sherry takes over imparting a very rich raspberry wine note that pairs PERFECTLY with the whiskey. Based on the retail of cask strength AE the last several years, this is a deal!

New full time TOASTED rye from Elijah Craig! I’ve always loved the mellow middle-of-the-road style of regular EC rye. At 94 proof it’s an easy drinker but adds the perfect amount of spice to a rye Old Fashioned. Add the toasted barrel finish to it and the wood and spice really do take on a new dimension. Rye inflected fruit and grain brushed over with sweet oak. On second thought, maybe a big rock and a cigar are in order for this spicy, mellow treat.

Made from a blend of NY state heirloom corn bourbon and straight Kentucky bourbon, Baby Jane from Widow Jane distillery in NY bucks the trade of undrinkable craft whiskey, maybe because it’s only HALF craft whiskey, or they never actually say how much Kentucky whiskey is in the mix, so we’ll never know, but not that it matters, because the 91 proof is actually really delicious. Rich earthy caramel on the nose with butterscotch and a touch of soft grain emerging. On the palate really round and sweet upfront with back end spice. Very well integrated and drinkable bourbon, way better than average for craft.

Let’s take a look at Dixon Dedman’s most affordable of the 2XO (two times oak) brand, “American Oak,” a whiskey which is finished a second time in HIGHLY charred barrels. Double oak or double barrel finishes have been very popular in recent years, but often the results are mixed. So much flavor is derived from the barrel, that adding a NEW freshly charred barrel to the mix can greatly affect the flavor profile, and in some instances add too much. There’s also the issue with heavily flavored second barrels which essentially render the base liquid null and void because it transfers the whiskey into a sickly sweet version of itself. So, what’s up with Dedman’s American Oak? For starters the nose is candy corn sweet with a touch of menthol and cassis, nothing over-oaked at all, but pleasantly sweet to smell. On the palate the 92 proof spirit presents as sweet initially followed by rye spice, then oak spice. The finish is medium long, but the chewy sweet oak mid-palate is where this whiskey really shines. More than middle of the road, this really is fantastic juice that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Cask Strength Indiana Made 99% corn Old Hamer on sale for only $42.99. Take it from the Westfork brothers Blake and Julian Jones…this all Indiana whiskey is the perfect blend of sweet and strength. It’s easy to sip neat but performs really well in Old Fashioned or a long drink like Bourbon and Lemonade. Not many folks utilize the 99% corn recipe, but these guys have stuck with it, and it provides such a basic and pleasureable bourbon drinking experience, it’s really the place you should start. All corn, all the time, lots of sweet body but still classic spice to balance things out.