Thomas S. Moore Extended Cask Finish Bourbons, 2020

I’d like to thank the folks at Sazerac for providing these review samples with no strings attached.

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Last month Sazerac released the first of an ongoing series of “extended cask finished” bourbons from the Barton 1792 distillery. I was fortunate enough to get a sample of all three sent to me, so since there will be three sets of tasting notes, let’s jump straight into the background info without dilly-dallying around.

According to the press release, the Thomas S. Moore line is the first “ultra-premium brand” from the Barton 1792 Distillery. They start with the “signature high rye bourbon” aged for “many years in new charred oak barrels” (According to Master Distiller Denny Kahn speaking to the Bourbon Review, many in this case means 5-7 years old). The bourbon is then aged in finishing casks for between one and three years in order to draw out not only the character of the product previously in the barrel but also that of the finishing barrel itself (again according to the article in the Bourbon Review).

Sounds interesting to me, let’s see how they taste.

Thomas S. Moore Extended Cask Finish Bourbons, 2020

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Cabernet Sauvignon Cask Finish

Details: 47.65% ABV

Nose: Cotton candy, mint, red fruits, toffee, and hints of oak.

Mouth: Baking spice, mint, and a hint of red fruit.

Finish: Long and flavorful on the finish. Spicy red wine notes, dark chocolate, salted caramel, mint, and oak.

Thoughts: The finish makes this one, it's just so flavorful. I'd say most of the wine cask influence makes its presence known at this point. I just kept having new and different notes pop up as I analyzed it. Without that amazingly flavorful finish, I would have given this a meh or low like. As it is, I have no problem saying I like it. Recommended for folks that already like cask finishes though.

Chardonnay Cask Finish

Details: 48.95% ABU

Nose: Sweet. Lots of fruit, wine influence. Welch's grape juice, spearmint gum, and clean oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, ginger, citrus zest, mint.

Finish: Medium length. Notes of oak, ginger, mint.

Thoughts: I like this one, but probably not enough to personally run out and try to get a bottle. Unlike the Cabernet Sauvignon version, the wine influence takes over a bit too much for me. I'm not getting as many bourbon notes as I'd have liked.

Port Cask Finish

Details: 49.45% ABV

Nose: Almond, cooked cereal, hints of red fruits.

Mouth: Thick mouthfeel. Cinnamon, almond, caramel, red fruits, milk chocolate.

Finish: Fairly short. Notes of oak, baking spices, caramel, a touch of mint-and some dried fruits.

Thoughts: This is the most "bourbony" of the three. Oddly it is also the least interesting of the three. Of course, interesting isn't always what you want in a glass of bourbon. So do with that information what you will. Like the Chardonnay version, I'd happily take a glass if offered but probably wouldn't run out to buy it on my own.

Overall, I liked the Cabernet Sauvignon the best and will probably grab a bottle if I see it. The other two I am happy to have tried but won't be buying now that I have. I like them, but I’d need to be in the mood for them and they would sit on my shelf for quite a while. That Cabernet, on the other hand, would have to be rationed so I didn’t drink it too fast.

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Isacc Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon finished in Port Barrels

Let me set the stage for you.

The year was 2014. It was Valentine’s Day and my wife and I were in Richmond, Virginia. We were looking to move out of Minnesota and were auditioning locals across the United States. As part of that plan, we made an effort to visit places during their most uncomfortable season. We visited Atlanta and Savannah during the height of Summer and we visited Washington, DC, and Virginia in February.

We learned a lot about each city this way. I learned that Savannah, Georgia has a kick-ass fireworks display on the Fourth of July and that Atlanta is basically the surface of the sun at that same time.

We learned that winter is cold in DC, and that snow removal is laughable in Richmond when compared to places that actually get snow on a regular basis. Luckily for them, the snowstorm that hit overnight during our stay had melted by noon.

As we happened to be in the area on Valentine’s Day, we made the decision to take the day off from looking at the neighborhood and do something fun. I mean it was nominally a vacation after all. My wife, being the amazing wife that she is, surprised me with a visit to, and tour of, the A. Smith Bowman distillery. And even though we didn’t buy any liquor on our visit, we did hit up the VABC store nearest to our hotel room to see what Bowman booze we could bring home with us. And sitting there right on the shelf was Abraham Bowman Limited Edition, Port-Finished bourbon. As that was something that I wouldn’t get at home, I snatched it up.

So fast forward to this past weekend. I’d run out of things to review. I had samples that had been promised on the way, but that hadn’t arrived yet. And I had plans that weren’t ready yet. But I had nothing left to review for you fine folks. And so I did what I usually do in such a situation and wandered from liquor store to liquor store in search of something that would catch my fancy and yet be something I hadn’t reviewed before.

Sitting right there on the shelf at the first store I visited was Isaac Bowman Bourbon. Because Isaac Bowman is also finished in port barrels, my mind immediately went back to that fun Valentine’s day in Virginia. It was in my hand almost before I realized it.

It seems that sometime around 2016, that bottle of Abraham Bowman which I had picked up in 2014 won an award for “World’s Best Bourbon” at the World Whiskies Awards. I really don’t understand whiskey awards so I’m not going to comment on how a Limited Edition Whiskey from two to three years before won in 2016, but it did. Apparently things blew up for A.Smith Bowman about that time and in late 2017, they decided to release a slightly lower proof version of that award-winning bourbon as part of their standard line-up. And so Isaac Bowman, Port finished bourbon was let loose on the world.

Isacc Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon finished in Port Barrels

Purchase Info: $45.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Lunds & Byerlys, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.07

Details: 46% ABV. finished in Port barrels.

Nose: Ripe red fruits, caramel, cocoa.

Mouth: Sweet, ripe red fruits, caramel, cocoa, oak, and spicy baking spices.

Finish: Spicy and sweet with a medium length. Lingering notes of cinnamon, fruit jam, and caramel.

Thoughts: Sweet and fruity with enough spice to keep things interesting. I'm really digging this one. I’ll be buying it again.

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The BourbonGuy.com "Stuck at Home" Bourbon Brackets

Wow. It seems like it has been just a moment since we last had a bracket around here. I mean time really flies, doesn't i...

What's that? Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Huh. Ok, well.

I've just been informed that it actually was only about a minute since I last had a bracket competition around here. Well, what am I still doing here then?

Oh, that's right. I can't leave at the moment. I, like many of you, are currently living under a Stay-at-Home order due to the pandemic. And though, the liquor stores are deemed an essential business in Minnesota, I'd rather not expose myself any more than I have too. Besides, when it comes to stocking up on liquor, I've been preparing for an extended stay at home for years now. 

To that end, I'm going to take the opportunity to address something that it seemed people were really looking for in the Bottom-Shelf Brackets. Parity. Specifically proof parity (I already had price parity). I had comments on more than one post that stated that certain bourbons were at a competitive disadvantage due to the wide range of proof levels amongst the competition. And while that would usually cause me to explain that the Bottom Shelf Brackets are a "what's best for the price" competition and not a "what's best" competition, this time, I had the thought of: "Well, I'm stuck here anyway." Especially when I realized that if proof was the deciding factor, then I could not only reuse a few of the bottles from the Bottom-Shelf Bracket but that I also had a lot of potential competitors in my bourbon closet.

And so I am pleased to announce the BourbonGuy.com "Stuck at Home" Bourbon Brackets. The qualification rules are simple: Be 100 or 101 proof. Of course, nothing is as easy as it seems. I had 10 qualifying bourbons in the house. I had the tough choice to make between eliminating a couple or adding a couple. When a reader donated $25 to the cause, I knew it had to be to add a couple. I called up my local liquor store and placed a delivery order for a bottle of bourbon. I also decided to let Four Roses Small Batch Select join the competition since it was only a few proof points higher. And once again, to keep it simple, seeding was done on price. The highest price equals the highest seed. After a few swaps to get rid of repeat matchups from last week, we are left with the following. I bracketed these via NFL playoff rules, meaning the top four seeds get a first-round bye. 

• Proving that price was no object in this competition, the number one seed overall is Four Roses Small Batch Select. I got this at Total Wine on my last Kentucky trip for $49.99. 

• Across the bracket from that is Division 2 number one seed Maker's Mark 101 proof. I got this at the Maker's Mark gift shop for $49.99. 

• Division one number two seed is a store pick of 1792 Bottled in Bond. I got this at South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis for $44.99. 

• The next one might be a bit controversial since it has been discontinued. I seeded it based on its replacement's current price instead of the price that I paid for it. Division two number two seed is Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond 6 year. I didn't have any of the 7-year around, and honestly, when I reviewed it, I didn't find much difference between the two. You can get the 7-year, when available, for around $40

• The first seed in our "Wildcard round" is division one, 3 seed Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond. I bought this at my closest Total Wine for $33.99. This was also one of the swaps that were made to reduce repetition from last week. They are going up against division one, number six seed JW Dant Bottled in Bond, which I bought at South Lyndale for $16.99. A battle of Heaven Hill Bonded Bourbons.

• Over in division two, we have number three seed Four Roses Single Barrel ($42.99 at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake) going up against Bottom-Shelf Bracket Champion Wild Turkey 101 proof ($18.49 at Total Wine, Burnsville). Let's see how Wild Turkey does against competition where it isn't overwhelming its opponent with proof.

• The final competition in division one is number four seed Johnny Drum Private Select ($33.97 at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake) versus Knob Creek Bourbon ($24.98 at Ace Spirits, Hopkins). 

• And finally, we have division 2 number four seed Old Forester 100 proof ($24.99 at Total Wine, Burnsville) versus Very Old Barton 100 proof (purchased for $12.99 at a Total Wine in Kentucky).

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I think this is going to be a fun competition. Once again, I'd like to thank reader David Brown for helping with the cost. It would have been a much smaller competition without his help as I would have probably made the decision to go down to eight contestants instead of going up to twelve without that support.

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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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Bottom-Shelf Brackets 2020: Round 1: Buffalo Trace vs. Old Forester 100 proof

Tonight we finish Round 1 of the 2020 BourbonGuy.com Bottom Shelf Brackets. Tonight’s competition is between Division 2 Number 2 seed Old Forester 100 proof and Number 3 seed Buffalo Trace. By a strange coincidence, this is a repeat matchup of last year. In that competition, Old Forester won. Let’s see if my taste buds (and the producers) are at all consistent from year to year.

So here we go. First up: the Pride of Louisville, the first Bottled Bourbon, let’s welcome to the stage: Old Forester 100 proof!

And their opponent is the Pride of Frankfort. The bourbon that’s so good they decided to name the distillery after it: Buffalo Trace!

We strive to have a clean competition so these were tasted blind in the following order. Tasting notes are from before the reveal and may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and may influence one another.

Whiskey 1 (Buffalo Trace)

Purchase Info: $24.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 45% ABV.

Nose: Dried mint leaves, vanilla sugar, cinnamon.

Mouth: Vanilla sugar, caramel, cinnamon, oak.

Finish: Medium length. Mint, cinnamon, oak.

Whiskey 2 (Old Forester 100 proof)

Purchase Info: $24.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Bubble gum, almond, citrus peel.

Mouth: Almond, cinnamon, clove, hint of orange.

Finish: Longer side of medium. Almond, cinnamon.

Pre-reveal Thoughts: Whiskey number one is sweeter and a bit of a cinnamon bomb. Whiskey number two is super enjoyable in a holistic way. The "heat" or "burn" is better which adds to the enjoyment of the product. Which ultimately is what decided this one. I like the flavor of whiskey one better and if it had the heat of whiskey two, it would be the clear winner. But it doesn't and this is close enough that I am weighting overall experience higher than just flavor. So whiskey two is the winner here.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: In another case of proof making the difference in a head to head matchup Old Forester 100 proof advances to Round 2, just like last year. Buffalo Trace put up a good fight in this one, but the Old Forester brought the heat and that made the experience more enjoyable.

Make your guesses and check back next time to see who comes out on top.

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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.

Bottom-Shelf Brackets 2020: Round 1: Knob Creek vs. Very Old Barton 86 proof

Tonight we get a fun one, at least for me. Round 1 of the 2020 BourbonGuy.com Bottom Shelf Brackets continues with Division 2 Number 1 seed Knob Creek versus Number 4 seed Very Old Barton 86 proof. This is fun for a couple of reasons. First, this is the first time Knob Creek has been in the competition and it only got the number one seed on the basis of a coin flip. Secondly, it is going up against a former Bottom-Shelf Champion in Very Old Barton.  

So here we go. First up, the formerly (and soon to be again) nine-year-old founding member of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. Named for the river that Abe Lincoln grew up next to, please welcome to the stage: Knob Creek!

And their opponent is the most widely distributed release in the Very Old Barton family. Winner of the 2016 edition of the Bottom-Shelf Brackets, please welcome one of my favorite inexpensive bourbons: Very Old Barton 86 proof!

We strive to have a clean competition so these were tasted blind in the following order. Tasting notes are from before the reveal and may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and may influence one another.

Whiskey 1 (Knob Creek Bourbon)

Purchase Info: $24.98 for a 750 mL bottle, Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Toffee, crisp apple, nutmeg.

Mouth: Spicy and warm. Caramel apple, baking spice, vanilla.

Finish: Medium length. Cinnamon, oak, anise.

Whiskey 2 (Very Old Barton 86 proof)

Purchase Info: $16.99 for a 1L bottle, Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Details: 43% ABV.

Nose: Mint, cotton candy, oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, oak.

Finish: Medium length. Vanilla, cinnamon, hints of oak.

Pre-reveal Thoughts: I like the flavor on #2 slightly more than on #1. But #1 has a better mouth experience due to higher heat. This is much closer than our typical 1 vs 4 matchup. In the end, I think Whiskey #1 is more pleasurable, even though I had to spend way more time than I expected to find out.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Close one tonight folks. And it might have been even closer if the proofs were equivalent. Knob Creek wins and is moving on to Round 2. The last time Very Old Barton was in the competition, they won it all. Will Knob Creek do the same? Only time will tell.

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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.

1792 Aged Twelve Years

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

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This week I had my 14 year old nephew staying with me. If I ever get as excited about bourbon as he gets about Fortnite, someone take my booze away. It'd be time for a dry out. He’s a good kid, love him to death, but he does have an obsession with this one video game. And hey, I get it. He get’s to hang out with his friends and he gets to play a game as well. Honestly, from what I noticed, half the time they aren’t even playing the game, they were just chatting. So I guess it isn’t much different than being on the phone all the time when I was a kid in the early 80s, except they get to have more than one other person on the line.

So because I am exhausted from dealing with a hormonal and moody teenager for most of the last week, I am looking forward to keeping things nice and simple tonight. Unlike recent posts, we are just talking about one bourbon. And it is one I have been looking forward to ever since they announced it.

Sazerac has been putting out limited releases under the 1792 brand for a few years now. I think I have liked every one of them. I was a big fan of the Port Finish. The High Rye was pretty amazing. I damn near fell in love with the Full Proof. So when I saw the announcement of a 12 year old version of 1792, I was pretty stoked. The press release states that this is the same recipe as the flagship 1792 just older, obviously. Plus, the suggested price is right in line with the other limited 1792 bourbons at $50.

1792 Aged Twelve Years

Purchase Info: This review sample was graciously provided by Sazerac for review purposes. Suggested retail price is $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Details: 12 year age stated. 48.3% ABV

Nose: Cinnamon, cherry candy, eucalyptus, caramel.

Mouth: Lots of oak, caramel, cinnamon, hints of cherry Cola. Nice and spicy.

Finish: Spicy and medium length. lingering oak, caramel and cinnamon.

Thoughts: I'm on record as not being a fan of super oaky bourbons. Even so, I don't mind this one. It won't be my first choice but I'd certainly be happy to have it on my shelf. Not that it would last there very long. My wife loves older, oaky Bourbons. As such, I'm turning this over to her.

Wife thoughts: OMG YUM! oh wait… I have to say more than that. This is nice and spicy with the oak that I love in older bourbons. And it is priced like the older bourbons of yesteryear too. Brings back memories of pre-hiatus Elijah Craig 18 year. Add a small ice cube and this is a nice sipper.

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A comparison of Peychaud's Aromatic Cocktail Bitters: Barrel-Aged versus Standard

Last year, I took a cruise over the holidays. As someone who makes a significant fraction of his income as a dog sitter, my timing could not have been worse. You can only imagine how many people I had to turn away. But while I on the cruise I spent a lot of time down in the cocktail bar. This was a high end place that specialized in craft cocktails.

It will surprise no one who knows me to find out that the Sazerac is my favorite cocktail. If I am trying a new rye whiskey in cocktails for a review, it’ll always be in a Sazerac. If I’m traveling, I will usually order one if it is on the menu. Now I’ve had some really bad Sazerac’s at bars throughout the country. One bar in Bardstown, KY did almost everything wrong to theirs. They used bourbon instead of rye, orange instead of lemon, and they left out the absinthe. It was basically a Bourbon Old Fashioned with Peychaud’s. It was terrible. I’ve also had some very good ones as I’ve traveled. Which brings me back to the cruise mentioned above.

I was sad, though not terribly surprised that there wasn’t a Sazerac on the menu, it was a Caribbean cruise after all. But after chatting with the bartender for a few days, I asked him if he had the stuff to make one. He was super excited to do so. I’m guessing making the same 10 cocktails night after night gets a little repetitive. When he gathered the ingredients, I was surprised to see him pull out a bottle of the Barrel-Aged version of Peychaud’s Bitters. It was something I’d always wanted to try, but never felt justified in spending two and a half times as much on it.

That was a really good Sazerac. But, I kind of thought that surroundings might have had more than a little to do with that so I still didn’t buy any of the Barrel-Aged upon returning home. Well, at least until last week. I had planned the “best rye ever…this week” post and one of the tests was, naturally, a Sazerac test. Unfortunately I was out of Peychaud’s and when I asked my wife to stop off at Total Wine to pick some up, Total Wine was out of the standard so she picked up the Barrel-Aged version since she’d rather spend $10 extra than make an extra stop at another liquor store on the day before Thanksgiving. And so I found myself with the opportunity to see if there was anything to it that would justify spending that kind of money on it.

I compared the two Peychaud’s three different ways. First, I weighed out exactly 4 grams of each one and added 225 grams of soda water to each (bitters and soda water is my go to non-alcoholic drink). After that, I made one Sazerac (minus bitters) and split it into two, being sure to weigh each one out so as to remove relative strength as a variable. I then added 1 gram of each bitters and continued to finish each as normal. Finally, I just tasted each of them. I’m glad I did this step last, I still taste the darn things and it has been over two hours since I took a sip of each. Here is what I found, starting with tasting each on it’s own.

Nose:
Standard release Peychaud’s Bitters: Anise and celery notes.
Barrel-Aged Peychaud’s Bitters: Very similar with the addition of mint notes.

Taste:
Standard release Peychaud’s Bitters: Follows the nose, but has more of a celery emphasis.
Barrel-Aged Peychaud’s Bitters: Sweeter then the standard with less of a celery emphasis (though it is still there), also has the anise and mint notes from the nose.

In Soda Water:
The Barrel-aged is smoother and richer and with added mint flavor. Not a huge difference between the two with this much dilution, but still noticeable.

In a Sazerac:
The one made with the Barrel-Aged bitters is definitely sweeter, rounder and has more of the Peychaud’s influence than the standard release. Barrel-aged made a better Sazerac.

Thoughts:
I was surprised by a few things here. One, I honestly didn’t expect to find the celery notes in these when I tasted them on their own. Once I noticed it there, I was shocked that I didn’t notice it anywhere else. Not even in the soda water where there was no other flavor competition. I was also shocked at how much of a difference there really was between these two. I expected it to be subtle, but when tasted side-by-side it was anything but. Is there a reason to spend two and a half times on the Barrel-aged? Maybe. I’d guess that it depends on how often you buy Peychaud’s. If you only buy it every year or more, it really is better. If you buy it for use in bitters and soda water like I do and go through a bottle every couple months, it might be best to keep both on hand. One for soda and one for cocktails.

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Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2018

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I accept a review sample, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. Please consider it disclosed. I’d like to thank the folks at Buffalo Trace for providing this sample to me with no strings attached. As always, all thoughts are just my opinion.

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I recently got samples of this year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. This post will be long enough, so tonight I’m going to forgo all the extremely witty banter I normally provide before the review and instead jump straight into the reviews.

But first, a moment of silence for my sample of Sazerac Rye 18 year old. I knew something was wrong when the box UPS handed me was wet. Not being one to cry over spilled whiskey, I posted the photo on Instagram and got a few likes. I thought briefly about tasting the foam padding but decided that a tongue full of glass probably wouldn’t taste all that good, even though it smelled delicious. I guess sometimes the Whiskey Fairy just wants a dram for herself.

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Eagle Rare 17 Year Old

Purchase Info: This sample was generously provided by Buffalo Trace for review purposes. Suggested retail is $99.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Details: 17 years old. 101° proof (up from previous years’ 90° proof). Distilled in the Spring of 2000. Aged on floors 1, 2, and 5 of Warehouse C.

Nose: Caramel candy, allspice, cinnamon candies, and almond.

Mouth: Nice mouthfeel with floral, caramel, leather and oak notes.

Finish: Nice and long. Ripe berries and floral notes transition to oaky notes of tobacco and dark chocolate.

Thoughts: I like this, but I don’t love it. I’m not a huge fan of bourbons once they reach their lower- to mid-teens. I am loving the floral notes on it, but there is a bit too much oak on this for my palate (my wife loved it though, she’s a fan of old oaky bourbons).

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William Larue Weller

Purchase Info: This sample was generously provided by Buffalo Trace for review purposes. Suggested retail is $99.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Details: 125.7° proof. Distilled in Winter 2006. Aged in Warehouses C, I, K, L, M and Q.

Nose: Very sweet. Chocolate covered cherries, the nougat from a Milky Way bar, vanilla, cinnamon.

Mouth: Cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, oak and campfire smoke.

Finish: Long and warm. Cinnamon and chocolate covered cherries linger.

Thoughts: Nice and warm. Very sweet. I like this one even though I’m not typically a fan of wheated bourbons.

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George T. Stagg

Purchase Info: This sample was generously provided by Buffalo Trace for review purposes. Suggested retail is $99.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Details: 124.9° proof. Distilled in Spring 2003. Aged in Warehouses C, H, I, K, P and Q.

Nose: Caramel, rich leather, ripe berries and pipe tobacco.

Mouth: Sweet with caramel, brown sugar, leather and pipe tobacco.

Finish: Long and warm. Very sweet. Lingering smoke and tobacco.

Thoughts: Rich is the first word that comes to mind on this one. Delicious is the second. I really like this one. It’s my favorite of the three bourbons.

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Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye

Purchase Info: This sample was generously provided by Buffalo Trace for review purposes. Suggested retail is $99.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Details: 128.8° proof. Distilled in Spring 2012. Aged in Warehouses I and L.

Nose: Spearmint, cinnamon, hints of anise and banana bread.

Mouth: Caramel, spearmint, very hot, great mouthfeel.

Finish: Long and warm. Spearmint, baking spices and just a touch of dill linger.

Thoughts: This is my favorite of the four. The bourbons were mostly sweet and this is a nice change of pace from that. It’s very warm, but not overpoweringly so even at full strength. I like this one a lot.

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Thoughts:

This was my first time sitting down and tasting across the BTAC lineup (or, more accurately, 4/5th of the lineup). I’d had most of them in the past, but only one at a time. It was interesting to see how similar the bourbons were, even though there was a difference in proof and mash bill. There is some “Buffalo Trace Flavor” that comes through on each of them. It’s a testament to their quality control that the “house” flavor is present in both the bourbons distilled in our current decade and in the bourbons that were distilled in the decade previous. It means they aren’t messing around with things.

Thomas H. Handy is simultaneously the only one of the line I’d never tasted and the only one of the line I’ve ever seen on a retail shelf (years ago, before this year’s release was even distilled). It is a big, bold rye that has all the minty and herbal notes that I look for in a good rye. I was really impressed with it.

I was impressed with them all in fact. I think they are worth every penny that Buffalo Trace is recommending they sell for. But based on the relative availability and quality of other bourbons in that price range, I don’t know that I would feel comfortable paying inflated retail or secondary prices for them.

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UPDATE:

Buffalo Trace was kind enough to ship me a replacement bottle of the 18-year-old Sazerac Rye. My notes for it are below:

Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old

Purchase Info: This sample was generously provided by Buffalo Trace for review purposes. Suggested retail is $99.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Details: 90° proof. Barrels filled in 1998.

Nose: Mint, bubble gum and almond.

Mouth: Follows the nose with mint, bubblegum and almond, then adds cardamom and nutmeg.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering mint, cardamom and almond.

Thoughts: I preferred the Handy Rye over this, as I preferred the relative “brightness” that it’s youth provided. That said, I also like this one a lot. When compared to the others in the range it is in the lower half.

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