The Whiskeys of Luca Mariano

I’d like to thank the folks at Luca Mariano Distillery for providing these review samples with no strings attached.

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Last month, the folks at the Luca Mariano Distillery reached out to me to see if I would be interested in taking a look at their products. Of course, I said yes. And once it arrived, I was surprised to find five different whiskeys in the box. So since we have a lot to get through tonight, let’s cut straight to the chase.

First, though, I was looking at their website and couldn’t find the answer so I reached out to them and asked for clarification as to whether they were distilling their own juice yet. Here is what they had to say:

Our distillery is currently under construction, so Wilderness Trail Distillery is currently distilling our mashbills for us.

I absolutely love the transparency. And heck Wilderness Trail is a good choice for a production partner as well. So without further adieu, let’s see what we are looking at tonight.

Old Americana Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00

Details: 41.5% ABV. 4.5 years old. Currently available in Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina and online through Woods Wholesale Wine

Nose: Vanilla, mint, cinnamon, and toffee.

Mouth: Thin on the month with notes of cinnamon, toffee, and a hint of bitter oak.

Finish: Gentle and on the shorter end of medium. Lingering notes of cinnamon and bitter oak.

Thoughts: This is a bit meh for me. Especially for the price. As I grade on a curve, if this were a $20 whiskey it might grade higher. That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it just doesn't align with my preferences. It's thinner on the mouthfeel than I'd like and the bitter note of the oak makes it taste a bit over-diluted. Especially for a $45 bottle. What flavors are there make me interested to try the higher proof offering though based on what is shown in this one.

Luca Mariano Single Barrel Bourbon

Thoughts: Let me start out by saying that I am not giving this one tasting notes or a rating. When this arrived the cover was loosened (though the seal was unbroken) and leaking and after tasting it, I'm guessing it was contaminated by contact with the wet packing materials. I tried to take notes around the off, almost "meaty, moldy" taste but can't guarantee I did right by the product. The suggested pricing is $59.99. Let's move on to the next one.

Luca Mariano Signature Single Barrel Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $64.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 53.5% ABV. 5.5 years old. Currently available in Michigan, Kentucky, and online through Woods Wholesale Wine

Nose: Brown Sugar, mint, almond.

Mouth: The hard Bazooka Joe Bubblegum from my childhood, mint, and cinnamon.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Sweet with almond and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This one is very good. Took me right back to my childhood and stuffing my little month with two or three pieces of Bazooka Joe bubble gum. Only now it's alcoholic! Seriously though, I really like this. Drinkable at 107 proof when served neat. Water brings out more caramel on the nose and more spice in the month. I’d buy this one if I saw it on the shelf.

Old Americana Small Batch Rye (Luca Mariano Small Batch Rye prior to an April 2021 Rebrand)

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00

Details: 95% Rye Mashbill. 41.5% ABV. 4.5 years old. Currently available in Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina and online through Woods Wholesale Wine

Nose: Cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mint.

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel. Cool mint transitions to cinnamon red hots.

Finish: Gentle and short. Follows the nose with mint, cedar, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: Once again, the thin mouthfeel on this one is kind of a turn off for me, but I could see this acting well as a "card playing" rye where you don't really want to contemplate what is in your glass, instead just wanting a little social lubricant. But that would only be the case if it were priced lower. Once again. Nothing wrong with it, just not to my palate.

Luca Mariano Single Barrel Rye

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 51.5% ABV. 5.5 years old. Currently available in Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina and online through Woods Wholesale Wine

Nose: Cedar, mint, honey, and nutmeg.

Mouth: Follows the nose with cedar, mint, cinnamon, and a nice spicy heat.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Notes of cinnamon, cedar, and mint.

Thoughts: Classic rye notes predominate. I like this one a lot. This tastes like the perfect proof level for this whiskey. Nice mouthfeel, heat, and flavor. I’d be happy with this purchase if I found it on the shelf.

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Wilderness Trail "Silver Label" 6-Year-Old Bourbon

Right now I am in the process of smoking my third ever brisket. I’m usually more of a pork butt guy, but I saw this at my local supermarket and felt like it needed to come home with me. Mostly because they never have cuts of meat that I’d want to smoke and, well, it’s cold out and I just plain miss smoking meat. (Though it is probably about right to smoke some cheese…guess I need to buy some more cheese.)

I don’t usually do brisket for a couple of reasons, one is that pork butt is cheaper than brisket and since I like them about the same, it is a better value for me. But the other is that I’ve never gotten brisket quite right. Now don’t get me wrong, it always tastes good. Just not as good as the stuff other people make. I know that comes with practice, but at eight to nine bucks per pound? Nah, I’ll practice on something else. I just don’t have the time or money to invest in that sort of thing.

Which sounds like a lot of people who used to get into the craft distillery business. Many of them didn’t have the time or money to put out a good product so they ended up putting out inferior ones and just hoped for the best. Some of those places weathered that, but most didn’t.

And then there were those who came along and had the money to have the time to put out a fully matured product. Those like Wilderness Trail, the producer of tonight’s bourbon. They wanted to put out a Bottled-in-Bond bourbon and, luckily they had the time to invest in the product. And the result was the yellow-labeled Wilderness Trail Single Barrel Bourbon. A single-barrel wheated bourbon produced using a sweet mash process. A very good bourbon that I enjoy quite a bit.

And now that even more time has passed we are treated to an even older version of that same bourbon. Their recent Silver Label Bourbon release is still wheated using the same mash bill: 64% corn, 24% wheat, and 12% malted barley. It still uses the sweet mash process. It’s just now six years old. Let’s see if it was worth the wait.

Wilderness Trail "Silver Label" Bottled-in-Bond 6- year-old Bourbon

Purchase Info: $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Binny’s Beverage Depot, Bloomington, IL

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 50% ABV. Mash bill: 64% Corn, 24% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley. 6 years old.

Nose: A delicate mix of cinnamon, vanilla, cherry, and mint

Mouth: Cherry, cinnamon, caramel, cooked cereal, and a little mint.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Notes of warm caramel and cinnamon and just a hint of mint.

Comparison to Yellow Label: Yellow label shows more dried corn on the nose. The mouth of the yellow label is sweeter and fruitier with more grain influence.

Thoughts: The 6-year-old Wilderness Trail bourbon is a really nice upgrade to the standard single barrel yellow-label release. As is to be expected, the barrel influence is more pronounced leading to a drier and more refined bourbon. I really like this one.

Now here’s hoping my brisket turns out just as well.

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New Riff Maltster Bourbon with Malted Wheat

Well, here we are, the last post of 2020. It’s been a real shit show of a year, hasn’t it? But hopefully, you have made it through with only minimal hardships. I was one of the lucky ones. Although one of my businesses brought in only $75 one month, and about half of what I’d expected for the rest of the year, we made it through. Mostly because my other business deals with advertising for plumbing and HVAC (a type of business that wants to continually remind you via advertising that they are essential).

I want to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’ve decided to take next week off in order to spend more time with my wife while she is off work. I tip my hat to all of you and want you to know that I don’t take anyone who reads my ramblings for granted. I really appreciate that you spend some of your time with me.

Now let’s get on to the whiskey. This is the second “Maltster” bottle that New Riff released through their Fall 2020 Whiskey Club slate. Like the last one, this is Bottled in Bond, non-chill filtered, and uses a malted flavoring grain. In this case malted wheat. Unlike the Malted Rye version, this does not use malted barley in the mash. Speaking of, the mash bill is 65% corn, 18% Bohemian floor-malted wheat, 10% unmalted wheat, and 7% dark wheat.

After the rye, I have high hopes for this one.

New Riff Maltster Bourbon with Malted Wheat

Purchase Info: $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle through the New Riff Whiskey Club website.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 5 years old. 50% ABV. Mash bill: 65% corn, 18% Bohemian floor-malted wheat, 10% unmalted wheat, and 7% dark wheat.

Nose: Vanilla, dried grains, and spearmint.

Mouth: Dusty dried grains, cocoa, caramel, mint, and vanilla.

Finish: Warm and long. Caramel, baking spices, and a touch of mint.

Thoughts: Another home run. These Maltster bourbons are really tasty. This one is more chocolaty than the malted rye version. I'm really glad I got my hands on these bottles. If you want a chance at bottles like these sign up for the New Riff Whiskey Club. You aren’t guaranteed availability, one of the three was sold out between the time I added it to my cart and when I checked out. But it is a fun way to get a shot at some unusual whiskeys.

See you in 2021!

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New Riff Maltster Bourbon with Malted Rye

Sometime in early 2019, I decided to join the New Riff Whiskey Club. I’m thinking it was right around the time I visited the distillery for the first time on a Spring trip to Kentucky. The New Riff Whiskey Club is a way for bourbon fans to get early access to the special bottles that the distillery puts out. These tend to be interesting “riffs” on traditional bourbon that are only made in limited quantities. They use unique grains or processes that let them play around a little bit and satisfy their curiosity.

Best of all, unlike the record clubs of old, there is no obligation to buy anything. Of course, you also don’t get 12 bottles of whiskey for a penny, either.

The Fall 2020 slate consisted of two bourbons—the Maltsters—created using malted flavoring grains, malted wheat, and, In tonight’s case, malted rye. They also re-released a rye whiskey, Balboa Rye, that uses local heirloom rye grains. I was able to get my hands on the two Maltsters. The Balboa was already sold out by the time my order was placed.

I was a little nervous about this one. I’ve had plenty of craft distilled rye whiskeys that use malted rye as part of their mash bill. And to be honest, the malted rye is usually my least favorite part of the flavor profile. Many of those ryes get used as cocktail ingredients to help disguise that malted rye flavor. I’ve also had one bourbon that used malted rye. I liked that one quite a bit, but the malted rye flavor really made its presence known and I needed to be in the mood for it.

But enough stalling, let’s see how New Riff handles Malted Rye in their bourbon.

New Riff Maltster Bourbon with Malted Rye

Purchase Info: $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle through the New Riff Whiskey Club website.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 5 years old. 50% ABV. Mash bill: 65% Corn. 30% Malted Rye, 5% Malted Barley

Nose: Cherry, leather, a touch of mint, and vanilla.

Mouth: Cherry, bubble gum, cinnamon, mint, and a touch of oak.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Lingering cinnamon, mint, cherry cough syrup.

Thoughts: This is a beautiful whiskey. As I said, I'm not usually a fan of whiskies that contain malted rye, but this is wonderful. The "malted rye flavor" that I've found in the other whiskeys I’ve had that use malted rye is either not present or is so well integrated that the flavor isn’t noticeable. Of course, maybe the folks at New Riff just handle it differently than the other distillers I've tried. Being brewers before they were distillers, they tend to take a different look at ingredients and processes.

I much prefer this neat rather than with water. I thought water brought out too much nuttiness. At 100 proof though, neat is just fine. I'm really glad I got my hands on a bottle.

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Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

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Jim Beam Single Barrel - 108 proof

September 9th, 2020 was the last day that I saw any of my family in person. In this case, it was my mother-in-law and brother-in-law who needed tech support getting a wi-fi signal into a steel garage sitting a couple of hundred feet from her house. The combination of a large house, a steel garage, and the distance between them made for a tricky issue. You couldn’t get even a weak signal inside the building.

I like problems like this. I know enough to do the research on how to solve the problem and it allows me to learn something new. Thankfully, I knew that if I could get a signal into the building, a wi-fi repeater would allow the computer that they used in there to get a connection. And with a little time and experimentation with the position of the router and repeater, I got everything to work.

It was a fun project. I’d originally set up the network quite a few years ago when there was no need to get a connection to the outbuildings (and when the tech would have necessitated a physical connection to get there anyway). But as time passed, needs (and tech) changed. And so I got to do something new and interesting with it.

On the way home, I stopped into one of the liquor stores I traveled past in order to see what I could get in the state of Wisconsin that I couldn’t get in my home state of Minnesota. And while I was picking up my bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Select, I also noticed a bottle of Jim Beam Single Barrel that was 108 proof.

Now as you are probably aware, I usually know a fair bit of what goes on in the bourbon world just because the companies reach out and tell me. But somehow I’d missed that in late 2019, Jim Beam Single Barrel was refreshed. The old white-labeled 95 proof version was retired in favor of a new 108 proof version. Much like with my mother-in-law’s home network, tastes changed since the original was created. The bourbon public wants higher proof, non-chill filtered options. And it seems that Beam was happy to cater to those changing tastes.

Jim Beam Single Barrel - 108 proof

Purchase Info: $38.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Marketplace Foods, Menomonie, WI

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.60

Details: 54% ABV. Barrel#: JB 000207013

Nose: Mint, ginger, caramel, light citrus, and peanut.

Mouth: Caramel, mint, cinnamon.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering notes of cinnamon, peanut, and oak.

Thoughts: This bottle is deceptively drinkable at 108° proof. I like it neat with no ice. Overall, I’d say that it is a very nice upgrade/refresh from the old 95° version. And I like that the price stayed about the same even more.

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Bib & Tucker 10-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank R\West for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

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I love the holidays. And I don’t mean that in a manner that will cause Fox News talking heads to lose their shit. I mean it literally. I love the Autumn Holidays. I love the time of year from October 1st until January 1st. I love Halloween, I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas and I love New Years Eve. This is my favorite time of year. Between the spooky decorations of October to the food of November to the fun lights of December, I’m in heaven.

Well except for one thing. I hate winter. Even more so, I hate snow. And historically, well, let’s just say that snow is a big part of this time of year. But, among all the bad curveballs 2020 has thrown our way, one that I’ve really liked was the weather. We’ve had one weekend of heavy snow. And that disappeared almost immediately. It has been glorious. For me, that is. I’m sure that people who depend on snow for their winter recreation, or who make their living off of winter recreation, are less happy about it.

But one thing that we can all be happy about is bourbon. At least if you drink, and if you don’t why are you reading this? Anyway, tonight I’m going to take a look at the second sample of Bib & Tucker that I received. This one is 10 years old and bottled at 92° proof. Like the 6 year old version, it was also distilled in Tennessee and bottled by Bib & Tucker.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Bib & Tucker 10-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 46% ABV. Distilled in Tennessee. Batch 2. 10 years old.

Nose: Oak, cherry, and menthol.

Mouth: Spicy with cinnamon candies, cherry, and oak.

Finish: Sweet and oaky with cherry and cocoa

Thoughts: This is delicious. Spicy on the mouth and sweet on the finish. I'm really digging the cocoa notes that come with the finish. It's a bit out of my price range for a frequent purchase, but would make a lovely splurge or gift.

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Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Bib & Tucker 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank R\West for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

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A couple of months ago the folks at R\West reached out to me to let me know that they were taking over the Bib & Tucker account and asked if I wanted some samples to review on the site. Now, I’d walked past Bib & Tucker numerous times. I figured that anything in a bottle that pretty must not be that good. I figured that kinda like the old joke about the guy with the jacked-up pickup (or the sports car for those of you who grew up in more urban settings), they must be overcompensating for something.

That said, I like decorating my house with pretty bottles so I always intended to buy a bottle someday.

So because of that vague future plan to purchase a bottle, I said yes. Not that I expected a full bottle, but I figured the sample would let me know (when I finally got around to buying a bottle) if I was buying expensive prop whiskey or something I’d actually want to drink.

Bib & Tucker 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $45.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.07

Details:46% ABV. Aged in Tennessee. Batch 22. 6 years old.

Nose: Cherry, mint, and wet rock.

Mouth: Cinnamon, cocoa powder, caramel, and mint.

Finish: Medium finish in both length and heat. Lingering notes of cinnamon and wet rock.

Thoughts: This reminds me of a George Dickel whiskey. And since it is distilled and aged in Tennessee, it may very well have some Dickel in it. I like it, but it will depend on the cost as to whether I decide to pick up a bottle. I have a weird psychological hangup right around $45. $45.99 and I’m thinking $45 and have no problem paying for it on a whim. $48.99 (like I see it sell for locally) and I start mentally rounding up to $50 and $50 is where I start to scrutinize the cost a little more.

I said it was weird.

I’m really liking this as a sub $50 whiskey (so $45ish and below in practice) but I’m not 100% sold on if I’d lump it in with other $50+ whiskeys. Especially since I am really liking how it plays in cocktails and I usually don’t spend that much on whiskeys that I end up using as cocktail ingredients.

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Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Heaven's Door Trilogy

I’d love to start this out by quoting the song that this whiskey is named after, but I’m of an age that I identified Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door as a Guns N Roses song instead of as a Bob Dylan song for most of my young life. I may never get that association out of my head and out of respect for other people my age who have had Axl Rose’s voice inflicted upon them, I’m not going to mention this again.

Heaven’s Door Whiskey is a brand created in collaboration with Bob Dylan, musician, native of my adopted home state of Minnesota, and (as I learned while researching the brand) Iron Gate Artist. The brand website is filled with images of Mr. Dylan creating his gates. In fact, the artwork on the front of each bottle is a representation of some of those gates.

I had no idea. I thought that was pretty cool.

These bottles came out of a multipack that I found on an end cap in my local Total Wine. I originally thought it was a gift set and I had slotted it in as part of last week’s rundown. But that post got a little too long to tack three reviews onto the end of it. And honestly, I don’t know if it was a holiday gift set or just a way for folks to try their core whiskeys.

So, here are the three core releases from Heaven’s Door. A Tennessee Bourbon, a Straight Rye finished in French Oak, and Double Barrel Whiskey (a blend of three six-year-old whiskeys that was aged in a second barrel for an additional year). Let’s see how they taste.

Heaven's Door Tennessee Bourbon

Purchase Info: $56.99 for three 200 mL bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN. This whiskey at the same store is $46.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.13 (for the 750 mL)

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Cherry, vanilla, cola.

Mouth: Sweet. Cinnamon, vanilla, cherry cola, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering notes of cherry and oak.

Thoughts: The nose on this is delicate but delicious. I'm loving the vanilla, cherry cola notes on the whiskey. I usually turn my nose up at "celebrity" whiskey brands, but this is good. I'd buy it again.

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Heaven's Door Double Barrel Whiskey

Purchase Info: $56.99 for three 200 mL bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN. This whiskey at the same store is $46.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.13 (for the 750 mL)

Details: 50% ABV. Three 6-year-old whiskies combined then rebarrelled for a year.

Nose: Spearmint, Caramel, bubblegum, and raspberry

Mouth: I'm going to date myself on this one, but the first note I got was the "cardboard flavored gum" that came in a pack of Topps baseball cards in the early '80s. There are also mint, caramel, cinnamon, and oak notes.

Finish: Medium length and Warmth. Lingering cinnamon, and oak.

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Thoughts: Not really as much of a fan of this one. I definitely prefer the Tennessee Bourbon. The oak is a bit too forward and not well integrated. This one is a meh.

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Heaven's Door Straight Rye Whiskey finished in Vosges Oak Barrels

Purchase Info: $56.99 for three 200 mL bottles at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN. This whiskey at the same store is $75.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.07 (for the 750 mL)

Details: 46% ABV. Finished in toasted oak barrels from Vosges, France

Nose: Cinnamon, ginger, cedar, tall wild grasses, citrus zest

Mouth: Spicy and sweet. Bubblegum, citrus, cedar, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Follows the month with bubblegum, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: This is good, but not $75 good. I'd happily accept a glass if you are buying though.

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Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.