Bottom-Shelf Brackets 2022: Round 1: Evan Williams 1783 vs. Winchester

March 17, 2022 Eric Burke

IMAGE: A bottle of Evan Williams 1783 from Heaven Hill sitting in the sunshine next to a bottle of Winchester Bourbon from TerrePURE.

Here we go! Let’s get down to the competitions. I hope that you guys are as excited by this as I am. Round 1 of the 2022 BourbonGuy.com Bottom-Shelf Brackets opens with Division 2 Number 1 seed Evan Williams 1783 versus Number 4 seed Winchester.

These are two newcomers to the contest, at least in their current forms. Evan Williams 1783 recently went through a reformulation that gave it a proof bump. And for its opponent, well, I’ve never allowed a TerrePURE product in previously. In fact, I almost disqualified Winchester right up to the moment of our tasting because of the TerrePURE process. But then, I remembered that TerrePURE claimed early on that they were not trying to make high-end bourbons, but were instead looking to compete with budget whiskeys. In that case, then there was no contest they belong in more.

So, first up is the small-batch version of the number two selling bourbon in the country. Looking good in its svelte new outfit, and competing under the name Quark Juggler, we have Evan Williams 1783!

And their opponent is a collaboration between Total Wine and TerrePURE. Aged for two years before being subjected to fancy scientific processes, please welcome Winchester Bourbon!

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and could have influenced the perceptions of one another.

Quark Juggler (Evan Williams 1783)

Purchase Info: $29.99 for a 1.75-liter bottle, MGM Wine & Spirits, Burnsville, MN

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $0.86

Details: 45% ABV.

Nose: Mint, orange, cinnamon, and a dusty note.

Mouth: Cinnamon candies, oak, and honey.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of oak and cinnamon.

Thoughts: Warm with lots of spicy baking spices. Tasty.

Horse Jacket (Winchester)

Purchase Info: $34.97 for a 1.75-liter bottle, MGM Wine & Spirits, Burnsville, MN

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.00

Details: 45% ABV. Aged 2 years.

Nose: Wintergreen, caramel, vanilla, and almond.

Mouth: Smokey brown sugar and wintergreen.

Finish: Robust and kinda bitter. Very perfumey.

Thoughts: It's a minty bourbon. some people love those, some hate them. I'm mostly ok with them. This one however just feels off somehow. It's as if all the pieces for a tasty bourbon are there, they were just put together in the wrong order.

Winner: I feel like this had the opportunity to be a very close matchup. Because there is so much inconsistency at the lowest end of the price scale, we often get a powerfully flavored 90° proof versus an 80° proof that is thin and watery. But not here. Both of these were full-flavored, robust bourbons. The problem was in the nature of that robust flavor. Horse Junkie was so minty that it felt just weird in the mouth. Very reminiscent of Pepto-Bismol. Just way too overpowering on the wintergreen note.

Quark Juggler doesn't so much win this as Horse Jacket loses it. Quark Juggler or Evan Williams 1783 is advancing to round 2.

IMAGE: Graphical representation of the bracket as it stands after one matchup.

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9th Annual BourbonGuy.com Bottom-Shelf Brackets: The Handles (Without Handles) Edition

March 15, 2022 Eric Burke

Arctic Mama versus Sonic Berry? Quark Juggler versus Horse Jacket? Hamburger Arcade?

Eric, have you lost your damn fool mind? What kind of nonsense are you spewing?

Well, I thought that this year I’d give you a peek behind the curtain as to how we do these brackets every year. We used to do an entire convoluted routine so that we could both have a blind tasting. It involved people leaving the room. Pieces of paper. Cyphers. It was very confusing, and if you made a mistake (or just needed more whiskey to help you make a decision) there was no way to recreate what happened.

But nowadays, we have an ever so simple process. I seed the whiskey in the bracket. Then I pour 200 mL bottles of each of the contestant whiskeys and label them with a nonsense name. Finally, I make a separate bracket with the nonsense names and give that and the 200 mL bottles to my wife. After that, she takes care of everything. She has no idea what is in each bottle due to the nonsense name. She pours and keeps track of the winners while we do our tastings. And all I need to do is taste and write. It’s a pretty slick system.

And it means that everything is a true surprise. When we finished the final tasting and revealed who won each round, there were real surprises. It was more fun for us than when we knew who was in each tasting but didn’t know which glass was which whiskey.

So who are the participants and how did they get chosen? Well, every year I try to put in limitations that will force me to choose a new set of participants. Well, mostly new, anyway. This year I limited myself to only whiskeys that are available in handles (1.75 L bottles for those unaware of the term). Now trends in packaging have made it so that the term “handle” is not really appropriate anymore. I can’t think of a single “handle” that actually has a handle on it these days. A grip maybe, but not a handle. And many don’t even have that. But in any case, I like the shorthand of not needing to say 1.75-liter bottle.

Here are the rules that governed who was chosen. These are based on the same rules that I’ve used for most of the prior eight editions of this contest.

It has to be Straight Bourbon Whiskey. No blends or whatever. And if it is straight and doesn’t say it? Too bad. If the words Straight Bourbon Whiskey don’t appear on the label you are not qualified. A man needs standards after all.
My usual rules state that bottles need to be $15 or under for a 750 mL bottle or under $20 for a liter bottle. Following the math, that means handles need to be under $35.
Participants were seeded based on age and then proof. If you are over four years old, you don’t need to put the age on the label. Under that and you are required to say how old it is. If you stated the age and didn’t need you, you would get a nod. If you did it because you were required to, then someone else got the nod over you. After that, higher proof means a higher seed.
These were tasted completely blind. Until the final tasting was completed, neither my wife nor I had any clue what was in each bottle.

And now that we know how they got here, let’s meet the contestants under their real names. The number one overall seed is Arctic Mama otherwise known as Heaven Hill’s Evan Williams Bottled in Bond. As the highest proof entrant in the four-year-old or older age range, it gets the first seed. It starts out going against Sonic Berry aka Colonel Lee. An old brand that is now listed as being bottled by Barton Brands. It was chosen by a coin flip as one of three bottles that were three years old and 80° proof. The number two seed is the Giant Charmer, Four Roses who will be facing off against Beam Suntory’s Old Crow, aka Barrel Shakes.

Across the way in Division Two, we have Quark Juggler or Evan Williams 1783 in the number one spot facing off against Total Wine’s TerrePURE brand Winchester otherwise known as Horse Jacket. Finally, we have the most expensive entry, a bottling from IJW Whiskey, coming in one penny under the rules at $34.99 in Hamburger Arcade or McFarlane’s Reserve going up against the least expensive entry in Laird’s Banker’s Club Bourbon (Fire Pirate) which I bought for under $20 for the handle.

A lot of new faces this time. Only three have been here before in the form they are now. Evan Williams 1783 has competed previously but has undergone a proof bump and reformulation since then. This one was a lot of fun. Who you got? Any upsets that you see on the horizon? Let us know down in the comments.

IMAGE: a visual representation of the brackets as discussed in the previous paragraph.

Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, 1st Edition

March 10, 2022 Eric Burke

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

Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, Aged 17 years.

Heaven Hill has announced a new annual spring release to balance the fall release of Parker’s Heritage Collection. The first edition is age-stated at 17 years old and is a blend of “ultra-aged” bourbons between 17 and 20 years old. Here are the details as described by Heaven Hill:

“The Collection, a testament to Heaven Hill’s patience and ultra-aging techniques, will feature one of the six traditional American Whiskey mashbills produced by Heaven Hill, the only heritage distillery to produce this range. The first edition features Heaven Hill’s Bourbon mashbill comprised of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and bottled at a barrel proof of 118.2. With an age statement of 17 years, this release is made up of 28% 20-year-old barrels, 44% 19-year-old barrels, and 28% 17-year-old barrels pulled from Deatsville, Glencoe, Schenley, and Heaven Hill main campus warehouse locations.”

Of course, this is just the first release, and as you might expect with whiskey this old, attributes will vary by release. There is only so much old whiskey to go around, even for Heaven Hill who seems to have more than most. And if you are curious about the packaging and price they talk about that as well:

“Each Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 750ml bottle will be accompanied by a premium box in signature Heaven Hill blue with the double-H insignia stamped in gold to signify Heaven Hill. As will become a signature of the Collection, specific attributes such as warehouse site locations, production dates, mashbill percentage, and other designations will be noted prominently on the packaging. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will launch nationally on a limited basis with an SRP of $274.99.”

So now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, let’s see how it tastes.

Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, 1st Edition

Purchase info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $274.99.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $18.33

Details: 59.1% ABV. Aged 17 years

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, mixed berries, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: Very rich. Caramel, vanilla, tobacco, chocolate, and nutmeg.

Finish: Long and warm. Lingering cocoa notes.

Thoughts: When I poured my sample into a Glencairn, the aroma filled the room. The glass was a foot away from my hand and I was already starting to pick up notes of caramel and vanilla. The nose is so rich that you could spend a happy evening just smelling this. But if you did, you would miss out on a very delicious whiskey. The mouth is just as nice as the nose. Typical Heaven Hill bourbon notes, but super concentrated. I love this. At over $18 per pour, I can't possibly afford it, but I do love it.

Larceny Barrel Proof, A122

March 8, 2022 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: A sample bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof A122, graciously provided by Heaven Hill for the purposes of this review.

My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year. As you might have guessed over the years, date nights have gotten fewer and farther between as we developed busier schedules and became more comfortable in our relationship. Then of course the pandemic happened and they ended entirely. But as we now start to make the effort to reenter society something momentous has happened.

That’s right, two date nights in the span of five days. The first one was your typical “married people” date night. We went to the Container Store to pick up some home organization and went out for pizza. The only thing that really made it a date night was that we left the house together and that it took over an hour. But that happens rarely enough that I’ll take it. Tonight however is a real dinner and a movie date night.

I love going to the movies. I love the grandiose lobby decor, the popcorn smells, the giant screen. Everything. Well…I don’t care for the teenagers cracking jokes and talking throughout the movie, but that is why I tend to go on Tuesday nights. Fewer people around…especially kids.

That’s right, get off my lawn.

Anyway, I’m going to see The Batman tonight. Pretty excited about that. Though even though I just gushed about how much I love the theater-going process, I’d probably rather watch it at home if the option was available. At the theaters, I can get a beer to drink during the show. But at home, I can have a tasty whisky, which I prefer. Maybe one like the sample I was sent for tonight’s review.

Larceny Barrel Proof is a bourbon released three times per year, usually in January, May, and September. If you can find it, it is usually pretty affordable with a suggested retail price of $49.99. That if carries a lot of weight though as I’ve never seen it on a shelf before. Larceny Barrel Proof uses Heaven Hill’s wheated Bourbon mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. Every release so far has been super tasty, let’s see if that trend continues.

Larceny Barrel Proof, A122

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: 62.2% ABV

Nose: Caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: Caramel, oak, and red fruits.

Finish: Warm and sweet. Medium length. Notes of Cinnamon, caramel, and oak.

A smile because I like this and it makes me happy.

Thoughts: This is good, but not great. The oak notes are the main event here and I prefer oak notes to play more of a supporting role most of the time. If I saw it on the shelf for retail, I'd still grab it without hesitation, but it isn't as complex or as tasty as previous releases.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof: A122

January 20, 2022 Eric Burke

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

The Front Label of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. The wording states: "Uncut, straight from the barrel without chill filtration. 102.8 Proof, 60.4% ABV. Batch Number A122"

Have you ever seen a photo of a pile of sleeping puppies and thought to yourself, “Boy I wish I was part of that pile of cuteness?” Well, I’ve had a taste of that the last few nights sleeping with two 7-month-old puppies and a 10-month-old puppy. And if these guys are anything to go off of, that image isn’t nearly as comfortable as it looks. There is a LOT of movement in that pile. Sure, they will go to sleep resting their head on your shoulder. Making you think that they are going to be still and sweet all night. But then BAM! It’s one am and they’ve decided that it is playtime again. And even once they settle back down? So much kicking! Those sweet little puppy dreams aren’t nearly as sweet when what they are “running” across is the small of your back.

Damn things are really cute though. I’m guessing that is how they keep their mommies from eating them…

Anyway, that’s been my week. I hope yours has been filled with as much cuteness and happiness and not nearly as many claws, teeth, or puddles of pee.

As for tonight’s bourbon? Well, there isn’t a lot to say. I mean Heaven Hill didn’t even include a press release with this one. It’s the most recent version of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. It’s delicious as always. But we had a pretty special one last time around. Let’s see how A122 compares.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A122

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: 60.4% ABV. 12 years old. Non-chill filtered.

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, oak and nutmeg.

Mouth: Very warm in the mouth. Notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, chocolate, and baking spice.

Finish: Warm and long with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel.

Thoughts: Very good as usual. thick, rich, creamy, and nice and spicy. Both in the heat and the baking spice usages of the word.

Comparison to C921: A122 shows a lot more nutmeg on the nose whereas C921 is sweeter. C921 is sweeter compared to A122 and not as blindingly hot. The finishes are both long and warm. They are both very good, but if forced to pick I'd grab C921 over A122 because it just hits all the right notes for me. It has heat, but it isn't overpowering. There is sweetness but it isn't cloying. A122 by comparison feels extra hot in the mouth, which isn’t a problem since I’ll be adding water or ice to it when I drink it. And A122 really seems to focus on the baking spice notes, which is good too. I guess I just liked the last version better. I mean C921 won my 2021 Bourbon of the Year for a reason. It was hard to top.

Larceny Barrel Proof, C921

December 16, 2021 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: Larceny Barrel Proof, Batch C921. Bottle sitting on a deck with snow in the background.

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.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof: C921

November 4, 2021 Eric Burke

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

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!

Parker's Heritage Collection 2021: Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey

November 2, 2021 Eric Burke

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

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been slacking a bit on reporting on samples that companies have sent to me. Between vacation, a covid scare, the worst allergies I’ve had in years, and then a booster shot, I haven’t had many opportunities for tasting whiskey. But that seems to be changing. I feel great so let’s start taking a look at the backlog.

Tonight’s whiskey was provided by Heaven Hill. It is the 2021 Edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection. the 15th Edition if you can believe that. My, how time flies. This edition is an 11-year-old wheat whiskey, using the same mashbill as their Bernheim product. It comes in at a whopping 122° proof.

I’ll let Heaven Hill tell you what makes this special:

This edition continues the award-winning series of heavy char releases, exploring how a more intense char allows the liquid to penetrate deeper into each barrel stave and the effects on the resulting flavor. Comprised of 75 barrels charred for one minute and 30 seconds (Level 5), as opposed to the traditional 40 second char (Level 3) for Heaven Hill, the Wheat Whiskey reached peak maturation after 11 years on the sixth floor of Rickhouse Y. The heavy char allowed Heaven Hill’s traditional Wheat Whiskey mashbill of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley to interact more with the oak, extracting a mix of sweetness, filled with hints of molasses and butterscotch. This release is only the second time the Wheat Whiskey mashbill has been featured in the Parker’s Heritage Collection, with the first released in 2014 as an Original Batch Cask Strength.

And as with previous versions of the Parker’s Heritage Collection, a portion of the proceeds of each bottle will go to support ALS research and patient care.

Parker's Heritage Collection: Heavy Char Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: This review sample was graciously provided to me by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $139.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $9.33

Details: 11 years old, 61% ABV.

Nose: Very hot, very spicy. Notes of cinnamon, mint, almond, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, mint leaves, vanilla, almond.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of dusty oak, red fruits, chocolate, mint, and a nice nuttiness.

Thoughts: Hot and spicy as might be expected from the high proof. The flavor seems most heavily influenced by the barrel, rather than the mash bill which is expected from both a double-digit age and a majority wheat mash bill. Overall, this is pretty close to what I would have expected. Which is to say that it is very, very good.

Blog

Quark Juggler (Evan Williams 1783)

Horse Jacket (Winchester)

Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, 1st Edition

Larceny Barrel Proof, A122

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A122

Larceny Barrel Proof, C921

Eijah Craig Barrel Proof, C921

Parker's Heritage Collection: Heavy Char Rye Whiskey