Border Bourbon-Port Barrel Finished, South Lyndale Liquors Selection

I fucking had to shovel the driveway today! I know that I shouldn’t be complaining about snow…in December…in Minnesota. Especially not when this is the first time I’ve actually had to shovel this year. But damn it, I am a spoiled brat who doesn’t like being uncomfortable. And I hate snow with a passion. You might ask, “Eric, if you hate winter so much, why do you continue to live in Minnesota?” Which is a good question.

And one I ask myself every time I shovel the driveway.

But I guess there are problems everywhere. We don’t get earthquakes, or tsunamis, or religious zealots trying to take away people’s rights, or wildfires. Or at least not enough that we need to worry about them too much. Minnesota gets snow, which is fine, I guess. It’s not like I have to drive in it as a self-employed designer. That, however, doesn’t mean I can’t whine about it.

Now that that is out of the way, let’s get onto more important things. Bourbon. You know, the thing I use to make myself forget the white shit falling from the sky. I kid…mostly.

Tonight’s bourbon is a store pick from my favorite liquor store in the Twin Cities. South Lyndale Liquors was always a very well-stocked liquor store with old, creaky floors and a tiny parking lot. It had a lot of charm, mostly brought in by wondering if the shelves were going to fall on you if you stepped too heavily while in their vicinity. Well, they recently moved into a much larger and very beautiful space, and I needed to check it out.

What I like about the store, and what makes it my favorite place to shop for liquor when I venture out, is that I always find something fun there. It might be a little out of my way, but it is well worth the detour for me. Plus, they seldom miss on their barrel picks. They are almost always delicious. So when I saw a barrel pick from a local distillery and noticed it was barrel-finished in a way that I hadn’t tried from them before, I knew I needed to pick it up…along with a box full of other fun things.

So let’s dig in.

Border Bourbon Port Barrel Finished, South Lyndale Liquors Selection

Purchase Info: $74.99 for a 750 mL bottle at South Lyndale Liquors, Minneapolis, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 50.5% ABV. Port Barrel Finished. Barrel #250

Nose: Dusty oak, plum, almond, honey, and allspice.

Mouth: Follows the nose with oak, stone fruit, almond, honey, and cinnamon spice that builds the longer you hold it in your mouth.

Finish: Medium to long with a warmth that blossoms up after a moment. Notes of oak, plum jelly, honey, and baking spice.

Thoughts: I really like this one. My wife is less enthusiastic but admits that might be just because she isn't enjoying the fruity port finish as much as I am. I'm finding this sweet and fruity, with a nice bit of oak to round out the experience. Quite tasty. Though as I said, I would have been surprised if it hadn’t been. Store picks from South Lyndale Liquors rarely disappoint.

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Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No.3 – Snake River, Grand Teton National Park

I’d like to thank the folks at Wyoming Whiskey for providing this sample with no strings attached.

It is no secret that I love our National Parks. Every vacation these days includes a trip to at least one. And so when I got an email announcing Wyoming Whiskey’s latest National Park Limited Edition, I reached out to make sure that I was on the list. In the past, these have been good whiskey and the fact that it also benefits a cause near to my heart is an added bonus.

In years past, the annual release has helped to support both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. And this year is the same. Quoting the press release now:

For Wyoming Whiskey co-founders, Brad & Kate Mead and David DeFazio, Grand Teton National Park plays a pivotal role in their lives. The Meads historically used parts of Grand Teton National Park land for their annual cattle drive, a vital part of their ranching business based in Jackson, WY. DeFazio is also an avid outdoorsman, and visits the park year-round for fishing, hiking, skiing and more. All to say, Grand Teton is part of the Wyoming Whiskey identity which makes this year’s partnership with GTNPF so meaningful.

“My attachment to Grand Teton National Park is deep and visceral, as I have enjoyed some of the finest days of my ranch life in the park,” said Kate Mead who is also a founding member of the GTNPF board of directors. “Supporting the Foundation is a simple way to show our appreciation for all that the park has meant to our family, and to Wyoming Whiskey.”

“It is an honor for Wyoming Whiskey to be able to give back to the park and help to protect this beautiful land in our own backyard— a place so close to our hearts,” said Wyoming Whiskey Co-Founder David DeFazio.

"Grand Teton National Park Foundation is grateful for Wyoming Whiskey's incredible support," said Leslie Mattson, President of the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. "Their vision and commitment to national park conservation will help continue our work to steward, protect, and enhance all that is special in Grand Teton."

This bourbon is five years old. It has a mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. It is bottled at 105° proof. It is available in select markets for $79.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Now let’s see how it tastes.

Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No.3 – Snake River, Grand Teton National Park

Purchase Info: This sample was provided for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 5 years old. 52.5% ABV. Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley.

Nose: Maple, cherry, allspice, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, vanilla, and a touch of molasses.

Finish: Warm and on the long side of medium. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla, molasses, and oak.

Thoughts: Very tasty. I'm digging the molasses notes. Almost reminds me of a hint of "rum funk" in the way it presents itself in the mouth. And I really enjoy a funky rum. The finish is relatively long and flavorful. I'm wishing that I had a larger sample because this is really good. In fact, since I do not believe that this is distributed in Minnesota, I think that I’ll be heading over to ReserveBar when I’m done here as the the press release says it is available there.

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Union Horse Reunion Rye Barrel Proof & Union Horse Rolling Standard

I’d like to thank the producer and their PR team for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Tuesday we revisited the bourbon and rye whiskeys from Union Horse Distillery in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City. We’d first covered those whiskeys over seven years ago, way back in 2016. Tonight, we take a look a couple of the items that they’ve released since that time.

The first is a barrel-proof version of the Reunion Rye that we looked at on Tuesday. The other is a unique mixture of their new American Single Malt and a Wheated Bourbon. It is called Rolling Standard and here is what they have to say about it:

Rolling Standard Midwestern Four-Grain Whiskey is a very interesting approach to creating a four-grain. Instead of using all four grains together in the same mash, Union Horse Distilling distilled a wheated Bourbon and distilled an American Single Malt, aged both for five years, and then blended them together. After the blending process, the whiskey is then returned to those barrels another 18 months together before being blended again as a small batch. It is non-chill filtered and bottled at 92°.

We have a lot of tasting notes to get through tonight so I’m going to jump right into those. First we will be taking a look at the Barrel Strength Reunion Rye Whiskey followed by Rolling Standard.

Union Horse Barrel-Strength Reunion Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Price: This review sample was provided at no cost by the producer for review purposes. The suggested price is $57.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.80

Details: 100% Rye. 60.7% ABV. 4-5 years old. Batch 12. Barreled at 110° proof

Nose: Mint, cinnamon, and cedar.

Mouth: Cedar, mint, ginger, clove, cinnamon, and chocolate.

Finish: Warm and long with mint, cedar, cinnamon, and ginger.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed the standard Reunion Rye and I like this barrel proof version even more. It’s the same, just dialed up to eleven. It is really damn good! It makes me wish it was distributed here in Minnesota (though next time I’m in Kansas City, I may see about bringing one back).

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Union Horse Rolling Standard

Purchase Price: This review sample was provided at no cost by the producer for review purposes. The suggested price is $33.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.20

Details: 46% ABV. Batch 21. 18 months old. Mash Bill: 45% corn, 20% wheat, 20% malted barley and 15% rye.

Nose: Butterscotch, cinnamon, chocolate, and roasted peanuts.

Mouth: Very malt forward with caramel and cinnamon.

Finish: Medium warmth and length. The notes remind me of a snickers bar, chocolate, caramel, malt and peanuts.

Thoughts: I like this one, but I like it a lot more as a cocktail ingredient than I do out of a tasting glass. It has a lot of good qualities, but doesn't quite align with my palate when neat. That said, I really enjoy the "Snickers Bar" finish. But the malt-forward notes in the mouth aren't quite for me. All-in-all, if you like a whiskey that has malted milk style malt notes in the mouth and a candy bar finish, you should certainly pick this up if you are in a market where it is sold. It makes a killer old-fashioned so I will be using mine for that.

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REVISITED: Union Horse Reunion Rye & Union Horse Reserve Bourbon

I’d like to thank the producer and their PR team for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

It has been two thousand six hundred and forty-four days since I last reviewed Union Horse Reunion Rye and Reserve Bourbon. Just over seven years. It was one of the very first review samples I accepted, and I mostly did it because I got an interview filled with reader questions out of the deal. At the time I stated of the rye:

This is one where it had to grow on me. In my initial tasting, I felt it tasted a bit young. After spending almost a month with it, I've warmed up to it. This certainly is a unique whiskey and is outside the normal American Straight Rye flavor profile, which threw me at first. But I've come around.

And of the bourbon:

I am not a fan of smoky whiskey. I can appreciate it, but seldom like it if it is too pronounced. In this case, the smoke flavors are just light enough that it doesn't bother me too much. My wife on the other hand likes this a lot and has been the primary consumer of the bottle above.

I can tell you right now that in the intervening years, one of my reservations about the whiskeys has been addressed. They are no longer two years old, instead landing in the four- to five-year-old range. It looks like they still use no malted grains in the mash, instead using commercial enzymes to accomplish the starch-to-sugar transformation (which I think is pretty cool). And the bottles still look very nice.

But most importantly, do they taste better than they did seven years ago? We will start with the Rye first.

Union Horse Reunion Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Price: This review sample was provided at no cost by the producer for review purposes. The suggested price is $45.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00

Details: 100% Rye. 46.5% ABV. 4-5 years old. Batch 43. Barreled at 110° proof

Nose: Cedar, cinnamon, mint, and just a hint of smoke.

Mouth: Cedar, mint, cinnamon, ginger, clove, honey, caramel, and a hint of cocoa.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of chocolate, cedar, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: Vibrant, sweet, complex. I'm really enjoying this. It needs no water and I’m enjoying the heck out of it neat. It also makes a mean Sazerac.

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Union Horse Reserve Bourbon

Purchase Price: This review sample was provided at no cost by the producer for review purposes. The suggested price is $41.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.73

Details: 46% ABV. 4-5 years old. Batch 64.

Nose: Cinnamon, maple, cedar, and toffee.

Mouth: Cinnamon candies, cedar, clove, toffee, and dried grains.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of cinnamon, clove, and cedar.

Thoughts: Spicy and flavorful with a lot of baking spices. The finish has a nice burn but isn't hot by any means. It doesn't have your stereotypical bourbon flavor profile, but that's kinda what I like about it. And even better, at least for me personally, I detect almost no hint of smoke, even though it is listed in their official tasting notes.

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Luca Mariano Ambassador 86 Bourbon (in partnership with Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer Antonio Freeman)

I‘d like to thank the folks at Luca Mariano for sending this review sample with no strings attached.

I love American football. If a game is on a screen within visible range, my eyes will be on it. I just can’t help it. I love the sport. College Bowl season is my favorite time of the year. If I go out to eat, no matter the day, there will probably be a game on that I should have no logical reason to care about but will still watch intensely until we leave. These days, I am more of a college football fan than an NFL one, but if an NFL game is on the screen I can see, I’m watching it. My Saturdays are emotional in the fall. I’ll be the happiest man alive if my beloved Golden Gophers win. If they lose, it's probably best not to talk to me for a little bit until I get over it. (I think I will have more bad Saturdays than good this year since we just lost to a team without a coach.)

You’d think I’d be used to my teams losing. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin as a Green Bay Packer fan in the 1970s and 80s. I had to read books that were twenty years old to see things written about a good Packer team. But, just like these days with my Gophers, a bad year (or years) doesn’t dilute the passion. I mean, the people I grew up around would motion to the Pastor to speed things up if it looked like church wouldn’t end in time for kickoff (and he’d do it). We were a serious football family surrounded by other serious football families. And when I grew up and moved to the Green Bay area, you knew that I was going to be one of the many rabid fans in the area.

And I was! Of course, by this time, the Packers were actually good, having already gone to a couple of Super Bowls. I watched every game, including numerous games at Lambeau. (Even though every game is a sellout, numerous season ticket holders can’t make it to every game and make their tickets available.) Those I couldn’t be at were watched in my living room with a wife who was extremely tolerant of my obsession. She was a fan, too, but not in the “ruin your day after a bad game” sense like I was. And all those games I watched, I watched wearing my trusty Antonio Freeman #86 Packer Jersey.

These days, I live in a different state and don’t get the opportunity to watch as many games as I used to when I was in Green Bay. Unless you were one of the many establishments that had the game on, the local economy literally stopped during game time. And though I’m not nearly as obsessed as I used to be (like I said, college football fills that role now), I still follow along when I can. I’m even one of the thousands of official Packer stockholding owners.

So when I got a press release saying that Luca Mariano had made a whiskey in honor of their good friend Antonio Freeman? Well, you know, the first thing I did was reach out to them to see if they had a sample to taste and share. Here’s what they had to say about it:

Born from friendship and craftsmanship, Luca Mariano Ambassador 86 is a limited release to coincide with the upcoming 2023 NFL season and to celebrate the career of Green Bay Packer’s former Wide Receiver and Super Bowl XXXI Champion Antonio Freeman. Just like Antonio’s Super Bowl victory, Luca Mariano Ambassador 86 is a three barrel blend of greatness hand picked by Antonio Freeman himself. It’s a 3 Barrel Small Batch, high rye Kentucky straight bourbon, aged 8 years and 6 days, and comes in at 86 proof. This limited release not only celebrates Luca Mariano’s and Antonio’s commitment to excellence but also pays homage to the passion of a champion through its name. Antonio wore jersey number 86 throughout his NFL career and was known for his toughness, power, and ability to make big plays. His Super Bowl XXX1 championship with Green Bay cemented his place as an NFL legend.

According to a company social media post, this is available in Wisconsin at select Festival Foods stores. And according to the Festival Foods website, it runs about $90.

Ok, so now that we have all that out of the way, how does it taste?

Luca Mariano Ambassador 86 Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. No suggested retail price was given. But the Festival Foods website says they have it for $89.99, currently on sale for…$86.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00 (at regular price)

Details: 43% ABV. 8 years old.

Nose: Nutmeg, oak, brown sugar, and a pleasant floral note.

Mouth: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cotton candy, brown sugar, citrus zest, and oak.

Finish: Sweet and of medium length and warmth. Notes of vanilla, oak, and citrus zest.

Thoughts: When I saw 86° proof on this, I was prepared to be disappointed. Instead, I was very pleasantly surprised. This drinks very nicely at 86° proof. There is very nice spice, but it isn't so hot that you can't enjoy it. If you are looking for a comparison, it reminds me a lot of Buffalo Trace.

I like it. I will probably have to pour the rest of the sample into my glass the next time I watch a Packer game. Maybe more if any of my Wisconsin readers want to help a fella out…

UPDATE…and it turns out someone did help a fella out. You know who you are and thank you very much.

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Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2023

I’d like to thank the folks at Garrison Brothers for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

A reminder that I am on vacation to the Pacific Northwest this week. If things go as planned, as you read this, I should be hanging around Mount Rainier National Park or relaxing in my cabin outside of the park. Obviously, this was written ahead of time.

Garrison Brothers is not a distillery I know much about, having never purchased their product before. Mostly because the cheapest bottle that Total Wine has is about $90 per 750 mL bottle, with the highest-priced bottle being above $200. That’s a bit too high for me to take a flyer on. But when they offered me a sample of their upcoming 2023 Cowboy Bourbon, I knew I needed to experience this 140°+ proof monster.

2023’s Cowboy bourbon will be releasing Saturday, September 23rd, at a distillery event in Hye, Texas, with the remaining bottles landing at retailers starting the first week of October. The suggested retail price is $249.99.

Here is what the company has to say about this bad boy.

Cowboy Bourbon® is Garrison Brothers’ most elite expression offering the truest taste of Texas terroir on the market. The release comes from what Master Distiller Donnis Todd calls his “piggy bank” of barrels that are just too flavorful on first taste to bottle. He patiently saves and collects these specific barrels as he finds them during his daily, monthly and yearly taste tests, if he deems them of having Cowboy Bourbon® potential. Years later, he takes these barrels out of the already incredibly harsh Texas climate in which they are aging and puts them to the ultimate test: more Texas heat. The already incredibly high-proof barrels continue to age, with some ending up completely empty. Those that remain are collected and married together to make the legendary Cowboy Bourbon® bottled at cask-strength, uncut and unfiltered. Every barrel used in this year’s release was at least six years old.

So, how does it taste?

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2023

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $249.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $16.67

Details: 6 years old. 70.45% ABV.

Nose: Maple, mint, cinnamon, leather, and oak.

Mouth: Holy Fuckballs that's hot! Notes of oak, leather, maple, campfire smoke, and cinnamon.

Finish: Hot and long with notes of cinnamon, maple candy, leather, wintergreen, and oak.

Thoughts: This is a very tasty bourbon. Super fucking hot at 140.9° proof, but no one but internet tough guys would try to sit down and drink a glass of whiskey at this proof without water or ice. Well, not if they wanted to taste anything later that is. My taste buds are blown right out after this tasting. Luckily it takes water well, retaining the flavor but taming the heat. Give me this with a large cube/sphere of ice on a hot evening and I'll be happy as can be. It's quite good.

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Redwood Empire, Pipe Dream Bourbon

I think that it goes without saying that I enjoy trying new bourbons. If I didn’t, eleven years of writing for this site would have long ago become torturous. That said, even I am starting to find comfort in my old favorites. There are just so many new companies and labels on shelves that it is hard to keep up. At least I get press releases for some of them. I don’t understand how you folks make headway in this.

Well, you probably do what I do when I’m in the liquor store. Ask the folks that work there, “What’s new?” “What are people buying these days?” I usually get an answer that I have to ignore as the recommendation is something I’ve already covered. But once in a while, I get a recommendation about something that I’ve overlooked. Such is the case tonight. Redwood Empire Whiskey is a craft distillery that opened its doors in 2014 in beautiful Sonoma County, California. Now owned by Purple Brands of Petaluma, California, the whiskey is produced in Graton, California, alongside Benham’s Gin and Vodka.

This particular release, Pipe Dream, is a blend of both in-house distilled bourbons and bourbons sourced from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The constituent parts are listed as between four and 12 years old on the company website. And the composite mash bill works out to 75% corn, 21% “raw rye,” and 4% malted barley (also per their website). And in case you wondered where the name comes from, the bourbon is named for the 14th tallest tree on the planet. That tree is located in California’s Humbolt State Park. You can read more about the tree here should you wish.

Redwood Empire, Pipe Dream Bourbon

Purchase Info: $35.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.40

Details: 45% ABV. Distilled in California, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Bottled in California.

Nose: Floral vanilla, oak, wood smoke, and toffee.

Mouth: Thin mouthfeel with muted notes of vanilla, baking spice, and toffee.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Sweet with notes of vanilla, toffee, and oak.

Thoughts: Solid bourbon. The nose is nice. The thin, muted mouth is a bit of a disappointment. But the finish is nice. And if I had to choose, I'd rather have a nice finish over a nice mouth experience just because I spend more time experiencing the finish. That said, I'm pretty neutral on this. I don't particularly like it, but I don't dislike it either. I probably won't buy it again, but if you poured me a glass, I wouldn't complain. (Not even after you were gone... I mean, I am Minnesotan. We are a very passive-aggressive bunch.) I will probably check out some of the other Redwood Empire offerings at my local corner liquor store though. I want to see about the cask strength version of this and maybe try their rye as well.

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Obtanium Bourbon Whiskey

At one point in my life, the Fourth of July weekend was my favorite time of year. I’m ethnically redneck, so there is a part of me that likes to “blow some shit up.” And I spent many a happy holiday weekend during my childhood and early adulthood doing just that. Once you add in the large fireworks displays, well, that was all it took for me to be happy.

These days though, I spend a lot of time as a dog sitter. This means that I comfort pets who are pretty sure that my neighbors have started a war outside. And as an empathetic human, it breaks my heart to see these poor pups so scared. But we try to make it calm and soothing, and fun to distract them from the chaos outside.

So though, I will never tell someone not to blow some shit up—because, damn, that’s fun—please be considerate of your local pets and also your local veterans who could also be suffering due to the noise as well.

Now onto the whiskey. I grabbed this one a while ago and have been sitting on it for a few weeks. As you will see below, my local liquor store had been sitting on it a for a while. That said, it is a wonderful example of a brand that we looked at back in 2021 for their Light Whiskey. As I stated back then:

Obtainium is a line of sourced whiskey from the Cat’s Eye Distillery in Bettendorf, Iowa, one of the five Quad Cities that span the Iowa/Illinois border (yes, there are 5 cities in the Quad Cities…I’d make an Iowa joke, but I’ll just leave it at that). In any case, these guys seem to be doing the sourced whiskey thing right.

What I especially like about the brand, other than never finding one bottle that wasn’t delicious, is that they give you as much information as possible about the whiskey. Back on that old Light whiskey, they named the predecessor of MGP as the distiller. On this one, they called out which MGP bourbon mash bill that is in the bottle. Just very cool transparency with these guys.

So even though it looks like they aren’t currently selling an Obtainium bourbon, let’s take a look at this so you can see if you are interested in picking one of their other products up if you run across it.

Obtainium Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: I bought this at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN, for somewhere around $50. I lost the receipt, so I can only get that close.

Details: Distilled 8-5-15. Bottled 1-30-21. Five years old. MGP 21% Rye mash bill. 53.4% ABV.

Nose: Sweet, caramel and vanilla, baking spices, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon notes without being too hot. Caramel, vanilla, and a bright floral note.

Finish: Medium to long and warm. Finish follows the mouth with cinnamon, oak, and floral notes.

Thoughts: This is a good solid cask-strength bourbon for a decent price. And being a fan of MGP bourbon, that's a great combo for me. Being as this was bottled in early 2021 and isn't currently on their website, availability may vary. But I've liked everything I've bought from this line, and this is no exception. So if you see the brand, give it a shot.

Have a safe and Happy Independence Day. Come back next Thursday with all your fingers and toes, ok?

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