Sample Roulette: Vacation Edition

Well, I’m back.

We had an amazing trip. One that was far too full of fun to spend time doing whiskey tastings. Well, almost. I did happen to toss a few blind samples in my bag to try. I was on a fun adventure and these little bottles had the possibility of being very adventurous.

I mean, these were samples that I had poured from 2011 until 2017 during my “hoarding phase” of whiskey fandom. During that time, I kept samples of everything I bought. It didn’t matter if it was a limited edition or a $10 handle. All of them had a sample poured and stashed in a little box. Last year I realized I no longer wanted to keep them and started to drink them. I’d covered the original labels with painters tape in order to make them blind, just because it was more fun that way.

So while we sat in my room that overlooked the shores of Lake Powell, planning the next day’s adventure, we took a little time to have a little whiskey adventure as well. Let’s see what I brought with and if any of it was as good (or as bad) as I remember.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Corn, toffee, and a mineral note.

Mouth: Spicy, Cinnamon, Cardamom, and a delicate fruit note.

Finish: Hot and Spicy. Notes of cinnamon and cardamom.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: I really like the spice of this one. My wife doesn't like cardamom so she isn't as big of a fan. That means I will get the rest of this pour. Yay!

Reveal: George Dickel 14-year-old private Select

Post-Reveal Thoughts: The bottle that this sample came from was purchased at a grocery store near New Orleans back in 2014. I remember it being very good and I still found it so. This makes me very excited to crack into the bottle of the 15-year-old Dickel that I found in Colorado on this trip.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Floral mint, brown sugar, and cherry.

Mouth: Cherry, brown sugar, cocoa, and nutmeg

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cherry, nutmeg, and mint.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is really good. I'm feeling like this might be a really good Canadian Whisky. It has a mouthfeel that, while not thin, is on the thinner side. Good sweetness.

Reveal: Jefferson's Presidential Select, 18-year-old

Post-Reveal Thoughts: When I first reviewed this, I wasn’t a fan. I found it too woody and stated I wasn’t a fan of bourbon with an emphasis on wood notes. I guess I have mellowed with age when it comes to that particular flavor note because it didn’t even show up in my notes seven years later when I did this tasting. Interesting.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Dried grain and spearmint

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel, dried grain, spearmint, lots of cinnamon, and sugar sweetness.

Finish: Warm, but not too warm. More dried grain and cinnamon.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is pretty meh. Probably won't be finishing this one. Vacation is too short to spend time on meh whiskey.

Reveal: Old Fitzgerald Prime.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: I don’t have much to add to that statement. I put this one away back in 2014 and gave it a meh then. I still think it’s pretty meh.

I always find this to be a fun exercise. You never know when you are going to put something truly terrible in your mouth and it makes every pour a little more exciting when the product is good. And this round we got two likes and a meh. Not bad for three shots in the dark.

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Chicken Cock Bourbon

Well, here we are. For years I’ve told people not to fall for a pretty bottle. Do a little research and find out what people are saying about a bourbon before dropping their hard-earned money on an expensive bourbon. To not get caught up in the hype of a “Limit 1 per person” sign.

Yep, I’ve preached that for years, yet here we are. Looking at a photo of an oh-so-pretty bottle. In my defense, I’d just found a bottle of Elijah Craig 18-year-old, for pretty close to the suggested retail price, and, I guess, I was feeling a bit lucky that day. So I figured, “why not also take a flyer on something new?”

I backed up that bit of bravado with logic. “My wife likes to decorate with pretty whiskey bottles, so at the very least, I’d get that, right? Besides, I’ve heard of Chicken Cock, and I don’t remember hearing anything bad about it. If it was really bad, I’d have heard something, right?” Yep. A guy who can’t remember how long he’s been married or what his kid’s age is trusting his memory on a $60 bottle of whiskey. Of course, there is always the old “well, at least I’ll get a blog post out of it.”

And so here we are, still looking at that pretty bottle. So we might as well get on with this. What is Chicken Cock bourbon and did I make a $60 mistake?

Chicken Cock bourbon is the anchor bourbon expression for South Carolina’s Grain and Barrel Spirits. It is a revival of a pre-Prohibition brand. The company has put out quite a few expensive bottlings since reviving the brand, which is where I’d heard of them. In 2018, they signed on to be part of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Distilling Program. And in 2019 the expression we are looking at tonight was released. Here is what the company has to say about it:

Distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky, Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has a rich, elegant mahogany hue; a nose which balances oak tones with sweet notes of dried fruit, caramel, and vanilla; and a palate that opens with soft tannins. A creamy, almost buttery mouthfeel is complemented by butterscotch notes and toasted oak, resolving with a vanilla finish. At 90 proof, there is a slight, welcome bourbon heat. The bourbon is bottled in a replica of the Prohibition-era Chicken Cock bottle.

So, what about what’s inside that “replica of the Prohibition-era Chicken Cock bottle?”

Chicken Cock Bourbon

Purchase Info: $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.00

Details: 45% ABV. Bottled by Grain and Barrel Spirits.

Nose: Wintergreen, generic fruitiness, and generic baking spice.

Mouth: Thin and pretty gentle. Notes of caramel, wintergreen, delicate fruit, and baking spice.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of spearmint and fruit.

Thoughts: Fans of soft, delicate, minty bourbon will adore this one. I am not that person. It reminds me of a lesser version of Redbreast 12. It has a similar delicate fruit note to it. It's just not as refined or tasty as Redbreast. This is not a bad bourbon just an extremely underwhelming one. I'd probably give this a pass unless you just can't live without its admittedly cool bottle. The juice on the inside however is just meh.

But hey, at least I got a blog post out of it.

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Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 11, Ruby Rye Springs

I’d like to thank Four Gate Whiskey Company for providing a review sample with no strings attached.

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Ordinarily, I do tasting notes over the weekend in order to allow me to spend more writing time on the essay that goes in front of each review on writing night. Well, now that it has warmed up (we are above freezing for the second day in a row!!!), I’ve spent the last three days running a smoker and the only thing I could smell, during the time I would usually do a tasting, was smoke. So tonight you are getting raw, unfiltered, day-of-tasting notes without the benefit of a second tasting.

It also means that I don’t have quite as much time to write an intro essay so instead, I’m spending all of this time writing excuses about why I couldn’t write something more interesting. Yay! Intro!

Four Gate Whiskey Company is a company that is making quite a name for itself as an innovative barrel finishing whiskey company. I’ve only had five of their eleven releases but already I’ve had bourbon finished in gin/Orange Curaçao barrels, bourbon finished in Cognac/rum barrels and as of tonight, a rye whiskey finished in a barrel that has previously aged Ruby Port and then rum. Some of these are home runs, some are super weird, but all are very interesting. Here is what the company has to say about the barrel finishing of tonight’s rye.

The secondary casks originally were originally used to mature ruby port, a fortified wine from Portugal in which the wine is removed from barrels and stored in tanks to prevent further aging, leaving the resulting product sweeter and brighter on the palate than other styles of port wine. The barrels found a second use with Virago Spirits in Richmond, VA where the barrels were used to age a blend of rums, imparting them with a lush molasses sweetness that pairs excellently with the bright red fruit of the ruby port.

The most interesting thing about this whiskey is that it is the third in a series featuring the same rye whiskey. I initially reviewed the first of the series in July of 2020. It was a 7-year-old Straight Rye whiskey from Indiana that featured the 95% rye/5% malted barley recipe made famous by MGP (and even though the company didn’t confirm it, I assume that is exactly what it was). You can read what I had to say about Batch 7 here. They then performed two barrel-finishing experiments using that same whiskey. One I did not get a sample of, but the other is tonight’s whiskey. My tasting tonight featured both the Batch 7 (unfinished whiskey) and Batch 11 which spent an additional 40+ days in a second barrel. Let’s see how it turned out.

Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 11, Ruby Rye Springs

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously supplied by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is: $185 

Price per Drink (50 mL): $12.40

Details: “95/5 Indiana Straight Rye” (going out on a limb to say that means MGP though this has not been confirmed by the company), 56.7% ABV, 7 years old, 1,444 bottle batch. Finished in a cask that previously aged both Ruby Port and then Rum.

Nose: Bubblegum, mint, caramel, red fruits, and allspice. 

Mouth: Whoo, that's spicy. Cinnamon, red fruits, and mint.

Finish: Spicy and long. Notes of Bubblegum, molasses, cinnamon, and mint.

Thoughts: This is damn good. If you can afford to splurge on this one, and you like high-proof ryes, do it. I think this is almost the best thing I've had from Four Gate (I loved Batch 6, but this was almost as good). I can see saving up to splurge on this one.

Comparison to the Unfinished Rye: Ruby Rye Springs has a much softer, yet more complicated, nose. It is sweeter and really shows off what the finishing barrel brought to the party. The Unfinished rye is sharper on the nose and almost antiseptic by comparison. The unfinished rye is delicious, a good rich 95%- style rye. Good cinnamon and minty rye notes. Somehow the Ruby Rye Springs is even better. It retains the spice and minty herbal rye notes but adds a nice layer of sweetness and fruit to the top. They used a deft touch on the barrel finishing. If I hadn't known this was barrel-finished rye, I would not have guessed. I would have just thought it was a rye whiskey with nice fruit notes and a complex finish. It was only through the comparison, that I saw what had been accomplished. It is hard to improve on a barrel-strength "Indiana 95% Rye" but Four Gate has done it. My hats off to them. Nice Work!

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Barrell Bourbons: "Sympathy for the Devil" Single Barrel and Batch 24

I think that I may have had too much whiskey in my house in 2020.

Yeah, I can’t believe it either. But for a while, at least, it was technically correct. (Which is, of course, the best kind of correct.) See, my wife and I usually take a couple of trips to Kentucky in a given year. Once to see friends and once for BourbonFest in Bardstown. We also were supposed to take our niece on a trip to visit some National Parks.

For obvious reasons, almost none of this happened in 2020. Which left us with nothing to do and a little extra money to do it with. So I did what any whiskey lover would do when faced with extra time and money that had already been earmarked for fun.

That’s right, I paid some bills. Oh, and I went whiskey shopping. It was really the only thing I could come up with to get me out of the house. Every so often, I’d hop in the truck and visit a local liquor store. You know, just to see what they had. I figured if I couldn’t see new things out in the world, I’d at least try some new whiskeys.

Well, I ended up shopping more often than anticipated and bought more new bottles than I could review in a decent timeframe. Which left me with technically too much whiskey. (Yeah, I went a long way to incorporate that Futurama reference.)

So anyway, tonight’s whiskeys have been sitting in my closet waiting for their turn for review since Halloween. Well, one was Halloween, the other was mid-September.

Hey, there is only so much space on the Special Shelf. That’s what makes it special.

Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel (selected by Sympathy for the Devil)

Purchase Info: $119.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Blue Max, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50mL): $8.00

Details: Barrel #: D336. 13 years old. Bottle 096. 52.48% ABV. Distilled in Tennessee.

Nose: Caramel, a slightly medicinal wood note, and cotton candy.

Mouth: Thick and sweet. Caramel, vanilla, and oak which transitions to cinnamon and red fruit as you hold it in your mouth.

Finish: On the longer side of medium. Caramel, cinnamon, and oak. These fade to reveal a medicinal mineral note.

Thoughts: This is good, but costs much, much more than I am comfortable spending for it. You might ask, why I spent the money in the first place, then? And that is a good question. To be honest, I wanted to see what all the hype was about. However, if this had been sold at a store that offered tastings, I would have never bought it. I just don’t think it is worth the asking price. So, in a vacuum, it's pretty good. When you factor in cost, it's disappointing. I won’t be buying a barrel pick from this store again.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 24

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

Price per Drink (50mL): $6.67

Details: 56.95% ABV. Bottle#15,894, 9 years old. Distilled in Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. $99.99

Nose: Cinnamon, caramel, almond, mint, and brown sugar.

Mouth: Spicy and sweet with cinnamon, vanilla, almond, and a hint of mint.

Finish: Spicy and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, and almond.

Thoughts: This is delicious. I am as happy with this purchase as I am disappointed with the Single Barrel. Nice and spicy. Probably won't be buying this often due to the price, but would be open to splurging on a batch every couple of years or so. This one is going of the special shelf so I don’t drink it too fast.

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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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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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Old Wm. Tarr Manchester Reserve

I’d like to thank the folks at William Tarr Distillery for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

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Oh my goodness. Christmas is right around the corner. That means that there are only about two weeks left out of the 17.93 years that have been 2020. Now I know that the world will not suddenly get better at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, but it is nice to have an agreed-upon date that we can all point to as a possible turning point.

Like the rest of the country, my wife and I have basically been a pair of shut-ins for the last I don’t even know how many months. So we’ve spent most of December ordering food and drink to be delivered to the house. We ordered things like pizza and bagels from New York City, hot chicken from Nashville, and of course food from local restaurants as well. We’ve also been accepting a lot more review samples since we are unable to go on our usual cross-country booze shopping trips.

This brings us to tonight’s whiskey: Old William Tarr Manchester Reserve. I got a press release for this one back in October. It sounded interesting. A whiskey created by history buffs who happen to be whiskey fans. They sound like my kind of people.

According to their website, Old William Tarr Manchester Reserve is a blend of 8-year-old rye (37% corn, 51% rye, and 12% malted barley) and 7-year-old bourbon (75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley). The bottle is age stated at 7 years and the whiskey is bottled at 114° proof. Let’s see how it tastes.

Old Wm. Tarr Manchester Reserve

Purchase info: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for review purposes. I see that Liquor Barn in Louisville is selling this for $79.99 and that the Party Source (across the Ohio River from Cincinnati) has it for $76.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50mL): $5.33 (Liquor Barn)

Details: 57% ABV. Aged 7 years. Blended whiskey: blend of 7-year-old bourbon and 8-year-old rye (per website).

Nose: Red fruits, rose petals, cinnamon, and honey.

Mouth: Red fruits, cinnamon, and caramel.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. The rye really comes through on the finish with notes of cedar, cinnamon, and honey.

Thoughts: I'll be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this one. But I really like it. The rye notes really come through on the finish. I wish I lived close enough to where this was sold to snag a bottle for myself. Maybe in 2021, I mean it doesn’t take that long to drive to Louisville and back. Does it?

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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.

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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.