Wyoming Whiskey Outryder (2021 Edition)

I’d like to thank Verde Brand Communications for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Just in time for the holiday gift rush to begin in earnest, I’ve got one last sample to feature. This time, the 2021 release of Outryder from Wyoming Whiskey. I covered the origin story of Outryder when I received a sample of the 2020 release so let’s jump right into talking about the liquid itself instead of the story behind it.

Quoting the press release:

Following the popularity of its first two iterations of Outryder, in 2016 and 2017, Wyoming Whiskey came to terms with the finite amount of 2011 whiskey stock used to create the initial batches. In order to carry on the legacy of this exceptional whiskey, Wyoming Whiskey has begun to marry its 10-year-old “almost rye” whiskies (48% rye, 40% corn, 12% malt) and bourbon (68% corn, 20% rye, 12% malt), with two whiskies distilled in early 2017, which are considered a “true rye” (51% rye, 37% corn, 12% malt) and bourbon (68% corn, 20% rye, 12% malt).

I mean, that sounds like a pretty good blend. So how does it taste?

Wyoming Whiskey Outryder, 2021 edition

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99 and was available nationwide beginning in November 2021.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 50% ABV. A blend of three Wyoming Whiskeys the original “almost rye,” a rye, and a bourbon.

Nose: Caramel, cinnamon, black tea, mint, and a muted orange note.

Mouth: Brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, mint, and black tea.

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

Thoughts: This is a tasty one. I like it. It has a lot of "brown" baking notes. Brown sugar, baking spices, etc. The herbal mint and black tea notes play nicely with the baking notes. I'm a fan. Price is a little high for my tastes, but this is a limited release from a small producer, so you are going to have that.

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Jack Daniel's 2021 Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof

I’d like to thank the folks at Jack Daniel’s for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Last week I got to sit in on a fun virtual tasting with the Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller for their new 2021 Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof. It is an interesting tasting and what follows are some of the notes my wife and I took during the presentation.

  • Coy Hill is the name of the highest elevation on the Jack Daniel’s property with aging warehouses on it. This whiskey came from two of those warehouses, number 8 and 13. The retail product will list which warehouse of the two warehouses the whiskey was aged in.

  • The typical Jack Daniel’s warehouse has 7 floors, each with 3 levels. The top floor has just enough space between the ceiling and the top rack to squeeze another level of barrels. They call this the “Buzzard’s Roost.” This product came exclusively from the Buzzard’s Roost.

  • Barrel entry dates for this product were August 2, 3, and 17 of 2012. They were bottled in late September 2021. Meaning this product is 9 years old, though that is not on the label. All nine of those years were spent in the Buzzard’s Roost as they do not move or rotate barrels.

  • The retail product ranges from 137.4° proof to 148.3° proof. They had barrels in the batch that came in proofed over 160° proof, but the high alcohol content was causing leakage as the alcohol expanded in the head space and pushed the cork out. Most of these barrels are still aging until they figure out what to do with them. (For the record, typical barrel proofs at this age are probably in the mid-130s.)

And now some quotes from the Press Release that I found interesting:

  • “Coy Hill High Proof is made from Jack Daniel’s classic 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye grain bill.”

  • “The limited offering whiskey is bottled at proof points ranging from 137.4 up to 148.3 and marks the highest proof whiskey ever released from the Jack Daniel Distillery.”

  • “The Coy Hill High Proof is all about pushing the limit for single barrel maturation to create one of our boldest, most innovative whiskeys we have ever released,” says Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. “It highlights one of the unique attributes of the Jack Daniel Distillery – the dry air of the highest floors of the barrel houses – and the amazing impact it has on whiskey making.”

  • “Due to the high barrel strength, the bottle should remain upright at all times
    unless being poured into a glass for drinking in a responsible manner.”

But enough of that, let’s get on to the tasting notes.

Jack Daniel's 2021 Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof

Purchase Info: This sample was sent by Jack Daniel’s for the purposes of the virtual tasting and for review. The Suggested Retail Price is $70 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 73.65% ABV

Nose: Oak notes of leather and tobacco, spearmint, wintergreen, vanilla, and baking spices.

Mouth: Very warm and sweet. Initial strong toffee notes followed by vanilla, mint, and almond.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of almond, mint, toffee, and baking spice.

Thoughts: This might have the darkest color of any whiskey I’ve ever reviewed. It is also a very tasty whiskey. It is quite a bit too hot for my taste when consumed neat. Luckily for me, when I have a glass of whiskey for enjoyment, I like to have a small piece of ice in higher-proof ones. Well, this one gets a large piece of ice. And it takes it well. There is still some heat to the drink. The flavor softens a bit and brings the oak notes more to the forefront. And the finish is still fairly long. Overall, I really like this one.

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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Parker's Heritage Collection 2021: Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey

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.

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.

Little Book Chapter 5 - The Invitation

I’d like to thank the folks at Jim Beam for providing the following review sample with no strings attached.

By the time you are reading this, I will be on vacation. I’m guessing I will be somewhere in Northern Missouri if you are reading this the evening it came out. Hello from Wednesday! Did the world survive?

This is my first real vacation since before Covid. Even vaccinated, I’m a little nervous. But if I didn’t go, I’d lose all the money I paid for housing…so here I go. I’ll be as safe as I can and mostly just try to avoid being too close to people. Which is kinda how I usually do vacations anyway. And since I am in the middle of working my way through a list of “Things That I Should Have Done Last Week But Need To Be Done Before I Leave,” I’m going to jump right into the whiskey portion of this post.

I’ve been a fan of the Little Book releases since they were first released. I’m pretty sure that I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve tried. I really like the experimentation that Freddie Noe is doing with them. And this is no different. The whiskeys included in this blend range from two to fifteen years old. Paraphrasing the sell sheet provided with the sample (and quoting where appropriate) here are the blend components and what they say each brings to the final blend:

  • 2-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon: It “comes off the still and goes into the barrel at a lower proof delivering a whiskey that’s complex and balanced.” This whiskey contributed a creamy mouthfeel and sweet grain flavors.

  • 3-year-old Malted 100% Rye Whiskey: This whiskey brings in peppery notes and toasted grain/cereal notes with a hint of nuttiness.

  • 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon: This whiskey brings in hints of vanilla, corn sweetness on the nose, and a smooth finish “that help to balance the flavors from the younger whiskies and the 15-year-old bourbon.”

  • 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon: This brings heavier barrel flavors and adds complexity to the final blend.

That’s what Beam had to say, let’s see how it tastes.

Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $124.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $8.33

Details: 58.4% ABV. A blend of 2-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 3-year-old Malted 100% Rye, 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Nose: Bright ginger and cinnamon, toasted nuts, milk chocolate.

Mouth: Hot and spicy. Notes of vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and a generic nuttiness.

Finish: Warm and long. Notes of baking spice, chocolate, leather.

Thoughts: This is really good. I don't know that I'll be paying $125 for this, but I might check out Total Wine to see if they carry it for a little cheaper. But if you don't see a problem dropping $125 on a special release then add this one to your list. I like it.

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.