Yellowstone Hand-Picked Collection: Cox's Evergreen Liquors Pick

Guess what? This is the last time I’ll mention my September trip to Kentucky. After tonight, I will have officially reviewed all of the bottles that I brought home.

I do a lot of shopping on that trip each year…

This last bottle is a store pick from one of a short list of liquor stores that I make sure to hit up every time I head to Louisville. I’m not a local, so I’m no expert on if the store is great or not, but Evergreen Liquors always seems to have a fun store pick when I stop by. And honestly, since I can get most brands at home, it is the store picks that I am most interested in these days. Especially if it is from a brand that I hadn’t previously had a store pick from. Like Yellowstone. I’ve had a lot of different expressions from the folks over at Limestone Branch, but this is a new one for me.

Let’s see if it was worth the wait.

Yellowstone Hand-Picked Collection: Cox's Evergreen Liquors

Purchase Info: $65.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Evergreen Liquors, Louisville, KY.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.40

Details: 57.5% ABV. Barrel#: 7571573. Barreled: 12/17/16

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon candies, and oak.

Mouth: Hot with strong notes of cinnamon candies right off the bat. Notes of caramel, chocolate, and oak follow.

Finish: Warm and long. Notes of caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, and mint linger.

Thoughts: This is a very tasty selection from a store that I think is one of the best at picking them. I've never regretted making the drive to one of the Evergreen locations when I visit Louisville. I'm loving the cinnamon/caramel/chocolate combination on this one. Delicious.

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Bib & Tucker 12-Year-Old Single Barrel Select, Total Wine Selection

I am going to whine for just a moment. And boy oh boy, I’m certainly going to show my privilege. But my beloved Minnesota Golden Gophers are playing in a bowl game against West Virginia. The game is in Pheonix and starts at 8:15 pm local time. This means it starts at 9:15 pm in the home market of one of the teams and at 10:15 pm in the home market of the other. On a Tuesday. Now I’m not a TV exec or a Bowl Game President, but since most of the viewership of bowl games is happening via television broadcast, don’t you think it might have been smart to allow the fans of the two teams to actually watch the game? It’s driving me nuts. I hope it’s a boring game because I’ll probably be asleep before halftime.

Anyway. That is neither here nor there to you unless you happen to be a fan of either the Gophers or the Mountaineers. What you are here for is whiskey. And I have a pretty good one for you tonight. It’s gift-giving season at the moment so I chose one that would make a pretty attractive gift for the bourbon-lover on your list.

And yes, I know I’m doing this after Christmas…just go with it. Pretend the recipient has an upcoming birthday.

Last year we talked about the 6-year-old and 10-year-old versions of Bib & Tucker bourbon. I liked them both, though I mentioned that I thought they were a bit overpriced for me to buy for myself but that they would make a good gift. Let’s see if the older and more expensive version lives up to those standards.

Bib & Tucker 12-Year-Old Single Barrel Select, Total Wine Selection

Purchase Info: $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Details: 49.5% ABV. Barrel number: 102418. Bottle number: 6. Age: 12-years-old. Distilled in TN.

Nose: Pear, cinnamon, caramel, and vanilla.

Mouth: Pear, milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

Finish: Medium heat and length. Notes of caramel, chocolate, honey, and fruit.

Thoughts: This is a tasty whiskey. It's probably not $100 tasty. At least not to me, considering what a 12-year-old from Knob Creek or a 15-year-old from Dickel is going for. However, it is tasty and the bottle is pretty so I'd be perfectly fine buying this as a gift for someone.

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Larceny Barrel Proof, C921

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

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It’s been a very strange 24 hours here in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Last night, a thunderstorm spawned Minnesota’s first recorded December tornado. Luckily I got the storm a but not the tornado at my house. This was caused by temps of about 50 degrees during the day. Now, temps about 50 degrees only five days after a foot of snow are not unheard of in this locale, but it usually happens in April. Due to that rapid swing in temperature, we were forecasted to have winds of about 80 miles an hour overnight last night. Luckily for us, and the trees growing in my now saturated ground, that also seems to have missed my house. However, I did wake up this morning to temps in the low teens and even more snow. As I said, it has been a strange 24 hours. And that’s the weather, here’s Bob with traffic…

Yeah, sorry. No traffic report tonight. Because we are having bourbon and shouldn’t be drinking and driving… ba dum tss.

I am so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I swear I haven’t been drinking. Maybe that’s the problem. Anyway, let’s just hurriedly change the subject to tonight’s bourbon. Tonight we are looking at the last batch of Larceny Barrel Proof for 2021. We’ve covered this plenty of times already so instead of me opening my mouth and potentially letting more horrible jokes pour out, here is what Heaven Hill has to say:

“Like each batch, this Larceny Barrel Proof is an uncut Small Batch of Bourbon aged six to eight years Bourbon bottled straight from the barrel. Heaven Hill distiller’s wheated Bourbon mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley continues to shine in this release.”

So let’s see how it tastes.

Larceny Barrel Proof, C921

Purchase info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 61.3% ABV

Nose: Oak, brown sugar, almond, vanilla, and baking spice.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Honey, vanilla, oak, and baking spice.

Finish: Warm and medium to long in length. Cinnamon, almond, and mint.

Thoughts: Nice and sweet with strong honey and spice notes. Great mouthfeel with a decently long finish. I really like this one.

Comparison to B521: The nose on C921 is similar to B521, but is more herbal. C921 is much sweeter and much spicier, showing a strong honey note that B521 is lacking. If I saw either of these in a store, I'd grab whichever they had. Both are good. However, if I had the unlikely opportunity to choose, I'd grab C921 every time. It is very, very tasty. Use a little ice though. It’s a hot one.

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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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Rebel Single Barrel Store Picks: Distiller's Collection and Cask Strength

Two weeks ago I covered a pair of Ezra Brooks store picks that I’d picked up in Kentucky and the branding program that led to each bottle having a different name. Tonight we are taking a look at the wheated versions of the same program by looking at a Rebel Distiller’s Collection store pick and a Rebel Cask Strength store pick. I went over the program in the Ezra Brooks post but to recap:

There are two main differences between these two labels. The first is the proof. Rebel Distiller’s Collection store picks are bottled at 113° proof while Rebel Cask Strength store picks are bottled at 120° proof. The other difference is in how the picks occurred. Distiller’s Collection picks are allocated and are done via samples sent to the retailer. There are no in-person barrel picks for these barrels. The Rebel Cask Strength picks, on the other hand, are not allocated and are only done at Lux Row Distillery. So what each label tells you, the consumer, is whether your retailer went to the distillery to pick the barrel or whether it was sent to them via samples. As I said last time, I’m sure there is a reason for this that I am not seeing since I do not work in either a distillery or a liquor store. But in any case, there you go.

So let’s check out a couple of store picks. The Distiller’s Collection is from Jax Liquors in Chattanooga, Tennessee and the Cask Strength is from Liquor Barn in Danville, Kentucky.

Rebel Cask Strength Single Barrel Selections

Rebel Distiller's Collection (Jax Liquors)

Purchase Info: $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Jax Liquors, Chattanooga, TN.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.67

Details: 56.5% ABV. Barrel #: 7503430. Barrel filled: 9/30/2016.

Nose: Dried grains, wheat bread, mint, and a hint of honey.

Mouth: Hot and sweet with a good mouthfeel. Notes of honey, cinnamon, and wheat bread.

Finish: Long and warm. Strong notes of cinnamon candies and honey.

Rebel Cask Strength (Liquor Barn #4)

Purchase Info: $58.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Liquor Barn, Danville, KY.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.93

Details: 60% ABV. Barrel#: 7270811. Barrel filled: 12/31/2015.

Nose: Dusty oak (think the inside of a rick house), cinnamon, and honey.

Mouth: Oak, cinnamon, chocolate, and orange.

Finish: Warm and long. Follows the mouth with notes of orange, chocolate, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: These are both very good, yet noticeably different. The Jax Liquors bottle was very hot, but also really sweet. The Liquor Barn bottle showed much more oak and a sort of orange note that I found a bit surprising. The orange is kind of like the orange slice jelly candies. I wasn't expecting that. It's tasty though. The chocolate notes really elevate this one. If forced to choose I'd choose the sweeter Jax bottle. My wife however is drawn to the Liquor Barn bottle. Good thing we bought both!

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Ezra Brooks Single Barrel Store Picks: Distiller's Collection and Cask Strength

And we’re back! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! I know that mine was fantastic. It started out with a ton of dogs in my house. On Thanksgiving itself we had our traditional pan of Lasagna (neither my wife or I like turkey in it’s domesticated form), home made pumpkin pie made from pie pumpkin from our garden, and of course a glass or two of Wild Turkey. As the weekend progressed and the number of dogs began to dwindle, my beloved Minnesota Golden Gophers walloped our hated rival the Wisconsin Badgers in an upset to take possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

It was a glorious weekend.

Of course as the weekend started to draw to a close, I took a look at the calendar to see what was on the docket for tastings this week. I’d been not so patiently waiting for this pair of Ezra Brooks store picks’ turn to come since I picked them up. See, I’d found this pair, and their brethren with the Rebel label, while wandering around Tennessee and Kentucky. I’d had a vague recollection of reading about a single barrel store pick brand on the market, but that’s all it was just a vague recollection. So when I saw that there were two different labels for sale at the various stores, I figured it would be best to buy them both and figure it out when I got home.

So once I got home, I reached out to my PR contact for Lux Row and asked what was going on. According to the information he passed along, there are two main differences between these two labels. The first is the proof. Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection store picks are bottled at 107° proof while Ezra Brooks Cask Strength store picks are bottled at 120° proof. The other difference is in how the picks occurred. Distiller’s Collection picks are allocated and are done via samples sent to the retailer. There are no in-person barrel picks for these barrels. On the other hand, Ezra Brooks Cask Strength picks are not allocated and are only done at Lux Row Distillery.

So what each label tells you, the consumer, is whether your retailer went to the distillery to pick the barrel or whether it was sent to them via samples. I’m sure there is a reason for this that I am not seeing since I do not work in either a distillery or a liquor store.

So let’s check out a couple of store picks. Both from Kentucky.

Ezra Brooks Single Barrel Store Picks: Distiller's Collection and Cask Strength

Distiller's Collection: Total Wine, KY PJ #2

Purchase Info: $35.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Louisville, KY

Price per drink (50 mL): $2.40

Details: 53.5% ABV. Barrel #: 7384651. Barrel filled: 5/4/2016

Nose: Leads with oak notes. Beyond that are notes of nutmeg, spearmint, and vanilla.

Mouth: Nutty with notes of mint, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of mint, caramel, and nutmeg.

Cask Strength: Liquor Barn #3

Purchase Info: $52.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Liquor Barn, Danville, KY

Price per drink (50 mL): $3.53

Details: 60% ABV. Barrel #: 7544620. Barrel filled: 11/15/2016.

Nose: Vanilla, honey, orange julius, and baking spice.

Mouth: Spicy warmth with notes of baking spice, mint, citrus, and cocoa.

Finish: Spicy, warm, and of medium length- Notes of cinnamon and chocolate.

Thoughts: These are both very good. Glad I stumbled across both of them. The Total Wine bottle is sweeter whereas the Liquor Barn bottle is much more baking spice forward. If trying to define the major difference between the two, I'd say that the Liquor Barn bottle is "Beam-ier" than the Total Wine (Jim Beam and Heaven Hill being the suppliers for Lux Row as I learned from Cheif Marketing Officer and Lux family member on my tour of the facility). Saying that they are both in the Ezra Brooks flavor profile. I like them both. A lot. I am hoping my local stores can get in on these programs soon.

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Baker’s Exclusive Selection. Limited Edition Release

I’d like to thank the folks at Beam Suntory and their PR firms for providing a review sample with no strings attached.

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We are still working our way through the sample backlog tonight so why don’t we jump right in.

Back in 2019, Baker’s Bourbon transitioned from a Small Batch to a Single Barrel Product. I’ve always been a fan of Baker’s. In fact, I’d say that it was probably my favorite of the Small Batch Collection. And the new single barrel version continued that even though I don’t buy it often as Knob Creek is so much less expensive in my neck of the woods. So imagine my delight when Beam Suntory announced that they had released a Limited Edition version of Baker’s Bourbon. This one is aged 11 years, 8 months. Sounded pretty good to me.

Let’s see how it tastes though.

Baker’s Exclusive Selection

Purchase Price: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $99.99.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $6.67

Details: 11 years, 8 months old. 53.5% ABV.

Nose: Leather, cinnamon, red fruit, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon, leather, brown sugar, red fruits, and oak.

Finish: Medium in heat and length. Lingering notes of cinnamon spice and oak.

Thoughts: As I said above, I'm a big fan of Baker's Bourbon. And this? Well, this is a very nice Baker's Selection. It hits all the notes I've always enjoyed in a pour of Baker's. It's sweet, spicy, and bold. If I knew a Baker's fan that I wanted to get a gift for, I can see myself seeking this out. For myself, the Standard Baker's Single Barrel release would be "good enough." Baker’s Exclusive Selection is really good, but I can't see myself paying the $40 premium for it unless it was a 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, posters, and more.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof: C921

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample to me with no strings attached.

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You know, I like Bourbon. I know that doesn’t come as a shock to most of you since, well, I do tend to write about it twice a week. But it is worth saying now and then when you are someone who acts as a critic. I love bourbon. Everything I write on this site stems from that. I won’t go so far as to say there is no bad bourbon, there is. (Cough…TerrePure…cough cough). But generally, I like bourbon. It’s one of the reasons the majority of products get a “like” rating. I just generally like the stuff. Occasionally there is one that I very much dislike. Like, it is bad. Or that really does nothing for me. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t for me. I don’t have this happen too often because I try really hard to only purchase things I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy. I mean, I’m going to have the rest of the bottle left after the review and I can only use so much prop bourbon.

But every so often, something surprises me. I’ve been doing this long enough that when a sample of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof shows up, I know I’m going to really enjoy it. I expect that and have never been disappointed. It is just damn fine whiskey. But this time I was surprised. Read on to see why.

Eijah Craig Barrel Proof, C921

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. I have found previous editions locally for as low as $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine.

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.67

Details: 60.1% ABV. 12-years-old.

Nose: Caramel, mint, red fruits, chocolate, and vanilla.

Mouth: Warm, but not as hot as the proof would lead you to expect. Sweet with notes of caramel, vanilla, allspice, red fruits, and chocolate.

Finish: Medium-long and sweet. Notes of floral vanilla, chocolate and baking spices.

Thoughts: This is delicious. Even at 120 proof it is drinkable neat. Sweet caramel, vanilla, and chocolate throughout. Nice baking spice notes. It isn’t enough to say that I'm a big fan of this one. I love it.

Comparison to B521: In my opinion, there is no question that C921 is better in every way. It is richer in the mouth and on the nose. Sweeter, spicier, better mouthfeel. It's so good. Don't get me wrong, I really liked B521, but I love C921! If you run across it, do yourself a favor and buy it. This might be the best bourbon I've had this year.

In fact, I’m going to pull out a very seldom used award. I’m going to say that Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C921 is only the second recipient of the BourbonGuy.com Bourbon of the Year Award. I only give this to bourbons that are by far the best thing I’ve had all year. The last one was awarded way back in 2017. I haven’t had a bourbon that was that much better than every other bourbon since. But this one qualifies. Nice job Heaven Hill!

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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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George Dickel Bourbon

I’m not going to lie, I bought a lot of whiskey on vacation. And by no small coincidence, a lot of the stuff I purchased happened to be things that I either haven’t had, or haven’t written about. You gotta have content. And as such it’ll probably be December before I stop referencing it. I really hope that you don’t get sick of posts that bring it up.

I mean, I could try writing so that I don’t mention it, but where is the fun in that?

Anyway I primarily stayed in two cities while on vacation, Chattanooga and Louisville. I’ve been to Louisville numerous times but I’d never been to Chattanooga before except as a place I drove through on the way to somewhere else. And as it was our first time in the area, we really felt the need to do some touristy things. We visited Rock City, which was cooler than I’d have thought it would be; we paid our respects at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park; and because of who we are, we went to distilleries. I did the tour and tasting at both Jack Daniel’s and at Chattanooga Whiskey. I didn’t at Cascade Hollow though. Mostly because they were not offering tours. Instead I spent a lot of money in the gift shop as I picked up a few things that I couldn’t easily get at home. I grabbed a 15-year-old Single Barrel, I grabbed a current Bottled-in-Bond for about $15 cheaper than I’d find it at home, and I grabbed tonight’s Bourbon. That’s right, Bourbon.

From June’s launch press release:

For Cascade Hollow Distilling Co.'s General Manager and Distiller, Nicole Austin, creating Dickel Bourbonwas an opportunity to showcase the amazing, mature whiskies at the distillery. At the same time, it allowed the brand to give a home to those barrels that leaned into more traditional bourbon notes and did not express the Tennessee Whiskey tasting characteristics found in the rest of the George Dickel offerings.

Basically it is the same juice, following the same procedures, that is in all of their other Tennessee Whiskey products, it just tastes more like a traditional bourbon then those do. But much more important to me than what they call it, is how it tastes. Let’s find out.

George Dickel Bourbon

Purchase Price: $40.00 for a 750 mL bottle at the Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. Gift Shop, Tullahoma, TN. $30.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Kroger, Louisville, KY.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.67 (TN), $2.07 (KY)

Details: 8 years old, 45% ABV

Nose: Red fruit, herbal mint, caramel, baking spice, and mineral notes.

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel. Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Finish: Medium length and very flavorful. Cinnamon red hots, caramel, vanilla, mint and the "Dickel" mineral note.

Thoughts: I like this one. Not as much as the high-end, extra-aged Dickel products, but more than No. 8 or No. 12. I picked up a bottle of Bottled-in-Bond at the same time for only five dollars more, and I definately like that better. But since people in my neck of the woods are gouging on the Bonded, this will be a pretty good alternative once it shows up here in Minnesota.

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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, posters, and more.