Old Overholt Bonded

March 6, 2018 Eric Burke

Old Overholt Bonded. It's a year older and 20° proof higher than the standard Old Overholt that has been around for years. It's got a suggested retail price of $24.99 for a 750 mL. I've found it for as low as $22.99 for a 750 and $27.99 for a liter locally.

Since this is the third affordable rye in Jim Beam's line-up so I though that it might be interesting to see how they match up to one another in a blind tasting. So I did. Blind pours of Jim Beam Rye non-age stated at 90° proof (16.99 for a 750ml bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN), Old Overholt 3 years at 80° proof (12.99 for a 750ml bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN), and the new Old Overholt Bonded 4 years old at 100° proof (28.99 for a Liter bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN).

Whiskey 1

Nose: Mint, almond, a hint of oak, cardamom, ginger and fleeting hints of dill.

Mouth: Tingly spice with black pepper, mint, lemon oil and dusty oak.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering black pepper ginger and dusty oak.

Thoughts: This is fine. Very much not my favorite of the three, but not the worst either.

Whiskey 2

Nose: Sweet with almond, cardamom, and a hint of mint.

Mouth: Easy going with hints of spice. Clove and almond.

Finish: Gentle with lingering spice.

Thoughts: Not much here. Delicate and sweet with minimal spice when compared to the last one.

Whiskey 3

Nose: Warm, dried grain. Brown sugar, dusty old lumber, and black tea.

Mouth: Sweet with tingly spice. Black pepper, mint, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Finish: Medium length and warm. The spices from the mouth continue to linger into the finish.

Thoughts: I'm kinda liking this one. It drinks more like a high rye bourbon than a rye.

Reveal:

Whiskey 1 was Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye. Whiskey 2 was Old Overholt 80. Whiskey 3 was Old Overholt Bonded. All of these shared a strong family resemblance. The proof seems to be the biggest factor in how enjoyable they are to sip on. The highest proof is also the most enjoyable and the lowest proof is the least enjoyable.

A few further notes on the Old Overholt Bonded. I'm not as high on this one in cocktails as others are. I feel like it is getting lost in cocktails meant for Rye. On the other hand, I'm enjoying it quite a bit in a rocks glass in front of the tv. Like I noted in the blind notes, it drinks more like a high-rye bourbon than a Straight Rye, but since it is barely legal at 51%, that is to be expected. Overall I'd say that the added proof and extra year of age is worth the cost over the standard Old Overholt. Whether it is worth the cost compared to the Jim Beam Rye will be up to you. I enjoyed it more so I'd be likely to say yes for me. Still not my favorite rye, but if I pretend it is a bourbon I am more than content with it.

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Old Overholt - Revisited

February 27, 2018 Eric Burke

One thousand seventy-eight days ago on April 16, 2013, I published a review that included three different rye whiskeys, each from a different company. Of the group, my favorite was Wild Turkey 101 rye. This would have been the prehiatus rye. My least favorite of the group was Old Overholt. Here is what I said about it then.

"Standing on it's own, this is a meh. I wouldn't put it into a glass, but if I was at a bar I wouldn't turn it down depending on what else was back there. It's really just ok."

Old Overholt is a straight rye whiskey that, until very recently hasn't gotten much love from its producer, Jim Beam. Back in 2014, there was an abortive campaign that packaged Old Overholt with Old Grand-Dad and Old Crow into a collection called the "The Olds." The Twitter handles are dark, but the website is still there, minus any mention of Old Crow.

Notice I said "until recently" there? Well, that is because Jim Beam has released a new expression of Old Overholt. This one a Bottled in Bond version. And as this new expression is on my mind, I thought it would be a good idea to go back to the original and revisit that one. See if my thoughts have changed any.

Old Overholt

Purchase Info: $12.99 for a 750mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 40% ABV. Three years old.

Nose: Sweetness, dried grain, hay and a touch of both mint and cardamom.

Mouth: Sweet with ginger and black pepper.

Finish: Starts sweet and fades to a dry bitterness. Along the way, there are more notes of ginger and cardamom.

Thoughts: This is a solid competitor for Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye. They play in a similar price point at my store ($12.99 vs $16.99 for a 750 mL). It isn't one that you'd drink out of a Glencairn glass but does ok for a casual tumbler. I used this in a few cocktails and some it did fine in, while in others it got lost. Overall about what you'd expect for a mixing whiskey. I give it a meh, but wouldn't fault anyone else for liking it.

5 Bourbon Annoyances

January 18, 2018 Eric Burke

Look, I'm an easy going guy. I live by the motto "don't be a dick." That said, when you've run a site about bourbon for as long as I have, it's hard not to find occasional annoyances in the bourbon world. And hey, I'm human, I get annoyed just like anyone else. Though probably less so...I mean bourbon helps with that too.

1. Brittle or Messy Wax.

I love bourbon. I'd rather have bourbon in my glass than almost anything else. But sometimes it seems that companies are going so far out of their way to fancy up the bottle that they forget that some of us actually want to get into the damn thing. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a knife out to cut through the tough, cheap wax it was dipped in. And if you try to open a bottle of Knob Creek, you will shatter the wax. There will be pieces on your counter, on your floor, in the sink, and maybe in the dog (if you aren't fast enough or they are particularly curious).

As far as I'm concerned, there is one company who does a wax dip correctly, and that is Maker's Mark. The wax is soft and smooth. It tears easily and comes off without making a mess on your counter or floor. Everyone else, just use some foil or something.

2.Extraneous Packaging.

I dislike excess packaging. A cardboard and metal tube or box? Annoying. A wooden box where the bottle needs to be glued in in order to keep it from falling out? Super annoying. Not only is it less convenient to get to the Bourbon and less convenient to store, but there is excess trash to throw away. I tend to be super tree-huggy when it comes to trash. I want to make as little as possible.

3. Agglomerated Cork Closures.

Just about a year ago, I wrote an entire post about how much I dislike this type of "particle cork" closure. And I'll sum it up for you now. They break! Damn near every broken cork I've had to fish out of a bottle has been this type of closure. I will say that as of right now, I have zero open bottles that use this. That makes me very happy. But Bulleit? I'm looking at you. You seem to be the biggest offender of the "regulars" on my shelf I keep extra synthetic corks on hand to pop into Bulleit bottles they break so often.

4. "Experts."

Yeah, this is interesting coming from a blogger, right? But I don't mean whiskey geeks that are enthusiastic on the internet. We are a dime a dozen, and if you were annoyed by them, you wouldn't be here to read this and I wouldn't read the scores of whiskey blog posts that I read each week. I like people who are exploring things and I like reading things from people who really do know their stuff. Those people that I get annoyed by are the ones who tell you all the "facts" they've read about bourbon. The myth-spreaders that tell you Kentucky is the only place you can make bourbon. I try not to let this one annoy me too much. But when they switch from telling people falsehoods about bourbon to telling them how they _should_ enjoy theirs? That's when my hackles go up. How someone enjoys their whiskey is their own damn business. Want it on the rocks? Cool. Want it in soda? Fine, it's your bourbon.

5. Whiskey Cynics.

This is where it goes from sometimes annoying me to sometimes angering me. There are people in this world that seem to think that everyone is out to get them. That conspiracy lurks behind every corner. And the more logical hurdles that they have to go through to get to their conclusion, the more they are convinced it must be true. These people seem to be a minority of the whiskey community, but they are a very vocal minority. And they come at you with guns blazing. These whiskey cynics think every blogger is a shill for the companies. Especially if said blogger has a PR contact for a company or gets samples from them.

And I'm speaking from experience here, these people seem to think that after multiple years of honesty, that people are just willing to throw away their reputations for a sample of bourbon worth, at most, $20. And when you call them on it, they tell you things like "if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen." Yeah, that actually happened. I don't tend to publish these comments because I try not to interact with trolls, but I read them all.

And then there are the bloggers who have gone from being fans of whiskey to the "guardians of purity" for the industry. These guys seem to think that being a cynic means you are being edgy or that you are "sticking it to the man." But really, you're just being a dick. And like I said at the top, I try to live by the mantra of "don't be a dick."

Giveaway

Ok, I could go on forever on that last one, but I won't. Instead, if you've made it this far, I want to reward you. I was recently sent a box of goodies by the PR team that represents Bulleit. Some of them, I can't send out because they are alcohol and it is illegal to mail that, others I opened and in the process made them unpresentable for a giveaway. But there were a couple that I thought would be fun to share. I have a winter hat and a mini-flask keychain that I would love to send to you.

You can enter the giveaway using the form below, please only enter once. I’m planning to remove duplicates before I randomly pick a winner so it won’t help your chances. There will be two winners chosen one getting each item. All I’m asking in return is that you answer a question. The answers will help inform future posts and in an anonymized and aggregate sort of way may end up in a future post on their own.

Good Luck! You have until Friday, January 26th to enter (you need to "log-in" so I can receive your email address to notify you if you win, either log-in method gets me that).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BourbonGuy 2017 Bourbon of the Year: Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

December 21, 2017 Eric Burke

I can see the question in your eyes as you read this. Why, after five years of publishing this site, did you finally decide to do something as gimmicky as a "Bourbon of the Year" award?

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary from Ace Spirits

And I admit, I've scoffed at them on other sites for as long as I've been reading other sites. But, I do have an answer and it's honestly really simple. I've finally found one that I'd be willing to put my own reputation behind. I stumbled across a bourbon that was so good that it needed more than just a heart icon.

And I do mean stumbled. Back in late summer, I got an email from Ace Spirits (I'm on their email marketing list, it wasn't some special heads-up or anything) mentioning that the barrel of Knob Creek 25th Anniversary was going to be arriving soon. On a whim, I decided to preorder it, even though it was well beyond my personal price ceiling. I immediately regretted it. $165 for a single bottle of bourbon will do that to you. Especially when that meant that my whiskey budget for my upcoming trip to Kentucky was going to be $165 shorter than normal.

But by the time the bottle came in, I was over that and had moved on to anticipation. I took it home, tried it, thought to myself "Ooh, I can't wait to review this." Then I went to Kentucky and promptly forgot about it. Over the intervening months, I would occasionally pour myself a glass. This was one I didn't want to rush through. And then last week, I realized that I had forgotten to review it.

And so the BourbonGuy.com 2017 Bourbon of the Year award was born. This is the best bottle I bought this year. It was better than the Rebel Yell Single Barrel. It was better than the Four Roses Limited. It was better than the 2016 Yellowstone I purchased and the 2017 one I got a sample of. This is in the conversation for the best bourbon I've ever had (of course, memories are notoriously biased).

So what do we know about this barrel of bourbon? It is part of the Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel brand. It is barrel strength at 61.6% ABV. It is 13 years old. And it is delicious.

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

Purchase Info: $165 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN (after tax, I can't find the original receipt since I thought I had already reviewed it).

Details: Barrel Date: 5/13/2004, 61.6% ABV, Barrel #: 5166, Warehouse L, Floor 3, Rick 32, Tier 3.

Nose: Dusty oak, caramel, vanilla, cocoa. Essentially a perfect bourbon nose.

Mouth: Shows its proof by being very hot on the first sip. I'm getting caramel, cocoa, oak, and vanilla. Very similar to the nose.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering notes of rich dark chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, and caramel.

Thoughts: The nose and mouth are very good, but the finish is what makes this the best bourbon I've had this year. The finish is simply phenomenal.

Notice: Starting tomorrow, I'm finally taking a real vacation where I won't be working at all. I'll be back after the first of the new year. In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and thank you for being a loyal reader.

Old Tub Bottled in Bond

December 7, 2017 Eric Burke

In the dark depths of time and history (pre-Prohibition), there was a brand of bourbon named Old Tub. It was a product of one of today's most famous Bourbon families: the Beam family. And from what I can gather, it was all they made.

Once Prohibition came along, the rights to the Old Tub name became a bit muddled, and the company eventually switched their focus to a new brand. You may have heard of it. It's called Jim Beam.

Even so, Beam continued to sell Old Tub on an ever smaller scale, until today it is a gift shop exclusive.* If you want a fuller history of the brand, Chuck Cowdery has one that is hard to beat.

And it is as a Gift Shop exclusive that I bought it. In the last year or so I have found an appreciation of Beam bourbons, and so I decided to grab one on my September trip to Kentucky. I was mostly curious to see how different it is from other Jim Beam bourbons.

Old Tub Bottled in Bond

Purchase info: $18.99 for a 375 mL bottle at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse (the Clermont Distillery).

Details: 50% ABV. 4 years old, age stated.

Nose: Salted-in-the-shell peanuts, mint and caramel.

Mouth: Nice cinnamon spice on the tongue with more peanut, salted caramel, and dried corn.

Finish: Medium length and warm with lingering cinnamon and corn sweetness.

Thoughts: This is closer to Jim Beam white than it is Jim Beam Bonded, but, if my memory serves me, it is distinct from either of them. If you don't care for Beam Bourbons, you probably won't care for this either. But if you do it's an average tasting but fun souvenir bottle.

*Kentucky law says that "distillery-only" products be available to other retailers in the state should they want to carry them.

UPDATE: I revisited this on July 7, 2020 in advance of the Limited edition offering of Old Tub by Beam. Check it out!

Basil Hayden's Dark Rye

October 31, 2017 Eric Burke

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

This is my favorite holiday of the year. I love the spooky theme of all the decorations. I love jack-o-lanterns. I love seeing the little kids in their costumes. And, I love the candy.

Way back in college, I used to love the parties and the costumes too. But these days, I'm more grown up. I sit at home, hand out candy to the few kids brave enough to head around the neighborhood and watch a spooky movie.

You wouldn't think I would be as happy for Halloween to get here as I am. Ignoring the calendar, before Halloween, it's Autumn. And even though I hate winter, I love Autumn. I love the crisp mornings with the hint of a warm afternoon. I love the fact that, on occasion, I can still get away with shorts and a t-shirt while doing lawn work. The idea that even if you get snow, it probably won't last. But after Halloween, it's winter. November in Minnesota means you are more likely to need a snow shovel than you are shorts.

But in spite of all of that. In spite of the fact that it'll feel more like winter tomorrow than it does today, I still love Halloween. It feels good to indulge my inner child for one night and eat pizza, candy and drink some beer.

All of which has nothing to do with tonight's whiskey, Basil Hayden's Dark Rye. Basil Hayden's Dark Rye is the latest in the line of Basil Hayden brand extensions. It is a blend of Straight Rye whiskey from Kentucky, Canadian Rye whisky from Alberta Distillers, and Port. If this tickles a memory for you, that is because Beam already has a similar product on the market in Alberta Rye Dark Batch. That is a blend of Canadian Rye, Bourbon and Sherry. So similar, but not exactly the same. I didn't care for the Dark Batch, let's see how Dark Rye fares.

Basil Hayden's Dark Rye

Purchase info: $44.99 for a 750 mL at Lakeville Liquors, Lakeville, MN

Details: 40% ABV. A blend of Kentucky straight rye, Alberta Distillers Canadian Rye, and Port.

Nose: Strong caramel notes lead off. Baking Spice, citrus, and ripe red fruits follow.

Mouth: Caramel, lots of baking spice, and ripe red fruits.

Finish: Short, but sweet with jammy wine notes dominating.

Thoughts: I'm going to do something I almost never do. This is getting two ratings from me.

Neat: I was ok with it up until the finish. I don't care for most fortified wines outside of a cocktail and the finish being very wine forward was a problem for me. That said, there is nothing wrong with this if you like that sort of thing. So this gets a dislike from me when tasted neat.

Cocktails: Night and day difference. Because of the fortified wine notes, we first used it in a Manhattan. My wife thought it was ok, but I thought it was a little too sweet. Then I tried swapping the Vermouth in the Manhattan for Amaro (Ramazzotti is my house amaro), and it was really quite good. It accentuated the baking spice notes which was quite tasty. So tasty that I've used most of the rest of the bottle in various cocktails. I've personally favored the ones that feature bitter notes to play off of the sweet fortified wine finish. So it gets a like from me for use in cocktails because this has been a go-to for as long as it has been here.

Basil Hayden's Rye Whiskey

May 30, 2017 Eric Burke

Last week, I went to one of my two favorite liquor stores. It's weird. I almost never go there because, although it is relatively close to my house, I have to go a little out of my way to get there. Plus there have been more than a few occasions where I went in for a six pack of beer and walked out having spent $150 when I got the beer and an extra bottle or two of whiskey that I just couldn't live without.

While my last trip there didn't end in me spending quite so much, I did walk out with a whiskey that I hadn't planned on buying when I went in. And boy, is this whiskey a controversial one. At least if you judge by the Twitter replies I got when I mentioned that I'd be reviewing it. I almost never get people telling me anything about a whiskey when I pre-announce a review, but this time I got quite a few, and they had me joyfully dreading my upcoming tasting. I like tasting bad whiskey almost as much as I enjoy drinking good whiskey.

Here are a few of my favorites. I love conversations about whiskey.

@OBGyeayouknowme sent me a yawn gif (which I recognize from somewhere but can't remember where and it has been bugging me ever since).

@BourbonFanboy told me it had "notes of grass and misery." (I like this one, it's clever.)

@ryewhiskeylover told me to take it back and then buy a Booker's Rye. (ummm...cool? Show me an overpriced unicorn and I'll...still never spend $300 on a whiskey).

And then I had the distinct honor of being screamed at by a dude who I blocked after about the third post in what may have been an epic Twitter rant. It started with the statement of it being shit, moved into telling me to F*** my review because it is the worst rye this person had ever had.

But hey, I'm not going to let one angry guy, and a bunch of amusing ones tell me what to do. I buy whiskey for me, but also for you. If it's bad, then you will know not to buy it. And if it's good? Well, then I have something tasty to drink. We all win.

So...were they right?

Basil Hayden's Rye Whiskey

Purchase info: $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Blue Max, Burnsville, MN

Details: 40% ABV, 2017 Release. Noticeable lack of the word "straight" on the label.

Nose: Fresh cut grass, spearmint, citrus and a gentle spice.

Mouth: Grassy with spearmint, black pepper, and oak.

Finish: Spicy but short with lingering baking spice and oak.

Thoughts: Well, BourbonFanboy was half right, it certainly was grassy. I tasted almost no misery though.

But seriously, this reminds me a lot of Old Overholt. It's better than Old Overholt but similar. And the similarity isn't terribly surprising. Basil Hayden could be called a premium-priced version of Old GrandDad so why shouldn't Basil Hayden Rye be a premium-priced version of Old Overholt? Like Old Overholt, this works ok in a Manhatten if you cut down the amount of vermouth you use. Now, I don't mind Old Overholt, but as a $45 product, I find this to be a dud of a rye.

One of the thoughts I had while tasting this is that this is not a product that was put out with me in mind. I'm an experienced whiskey enthusiast with a well-developed palate. Basil Hayden's Bourbon is a great bourbon for the bourbon novice. Someone who is looking for a step up, but hasn't quite developed the palate for high proof whiskey. My wife was just such a person for a long time. Now she loves Old GrandDad 114 instead. Basil Hayden's Rye seems like the same thing. If you are new to rye, this would be a fine step up from Old Overholt and an ok example of the non-MGP style of rye.

So here is my verdict: if you are a big Basil Hayden fan, give this a try. If, like many, you find Basil Hayden to be too overpriced and too low proof, then give this a hard pass.

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Triticale

May 25, 2017 Eric Burke

Over the course of the past month, I've been taking a look at the Jim Beam Signature Craft Harvest Bourbon Collection. Tonight we reach the final review in the bunch. Triticale. But before we get into what I thought of it, let's recap where we've been.

Even though each of these typically retail for about $50 per 375 mL bottle, a local retailer had them for sale at $20 each or the full set of six for $100. I'm not sure if they were sitting on too many or if the distributor was, but in any case, that is a screaming deal. Basically, one-third of the suggested retail price. So when I got the email, I like a lot of other people decided that the time was right to pounce on it. And after sitting on them for a few weeks, I found room in the editorial calendar to slot in six reviews.

The first one we tried was the Six Row Barley. It didn't impress while tasting it in a Glencairn, but was really quite good in a rocks glass under normal drinking conditions. So good that I immediately ran back to the store and picked up another set of six.

Next was the Wheat. The wheat was less impressive than the Barley, and I was surprised by that. I had expected to like the Wheat more than the Barley.

Brown Rice was the only real dud of the bunch. Even though it was an 11-year-old bourbon, I had a hard time finding much to say about it. That I compared it to Bud Light should tell you something about it.

The Rolled Oat was the surprise of the group for me. Fruity, nutty, and very minty and I really enjoyed that.

The High Rye was one that I just assumed I would like. And I did, though it was for different reasons than I would have expected. This is made by the same folks who produce Old Grand-Dad another High-Rye Bourbon. It, however, doesn't use the OGD mash bill or yeast. So it is an entirely different product. And it shows. It was herbal and delicious. So much Anise that I tried it in a Sazerac riff.

Which brings us to the Triticale, my favorite of the bunch. It, though, suffers from the same flaw that the rest of these do. It typically retails for about twice as much as I feel it should. Most of these would be good at $50 for a 750 mL (not the Rice one...that's a dud) but are crazily overpriced at $50 for a 375 mL bottle.

Bottom line: if you find any of these for a good sale (Ace still has them and does ship*), I'd recommend giving them a shot. If you can only find them for retail though, I'd pass on all of them. None are $100 bottles of whiskey.

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Triticale

Purchase info: $16.67 for a 375 mL bottle (on sale) at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN

Details: 11 years old, 45% ABV, Triticale used as flavoring grain.

Nose: Vanilla, fruit, rose petals and oak.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy with a delicate floral note dominating.

Finish: Dry with a decent length. Lingering grain and oak.

Thoughts: This is a fantastic bourbon. To be honest, it reminds me of Old Grand-Dad with more age (even though it's made with a different flavoring grain and yeast). It has a nice spice, and the floral notes are delicious. I'm really, really impressed by this one.

*This isn't sponsored by Ace, I just like passing along a good deal.

Blog

Whiskey 1

Whiskey 2

Whiskey 3

Reveal:

Old Overholt

1. Brittle or Messy Wax.

2.Extraneous Packaging.

3. Agglomerated Cork Closures.

4. "Experts."

5. Whiskey Cynics.

Giveaway

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

Old Tub Bottled in Bond

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Basil Hayden's Dark Rye

Basil Hayden's Rye Whiskey

Jim Beam Signature Craft: Triticale