Redemption Sur Lee

This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes with no strings attached.

If you’ve been here a while, you probably know that I love it when whiskey companies experiment with things. My very first review was applauding an experimental whiskey from craft distiller friends of mine. I applauded the experimentation, even though I didn’t care for the results. Not every experiment is successful but even failed experiments yield valuable data.

So when the folks at Redemption reached out and asked me to take a look at their new product that was the result of their own experimentation with the whiskey aging process, I was happy to take a look.

Well, what did they do differently? I’ll actually quote from the bottle for this one since they were nice enough to illustrate and outline the process they used right on the label.

  1. THE MASH. 5% barley 95% rye. We begin with our classic pre-Prohibition style Redemption Rye Whiskey mash bill.

  2. FERMENTATION. When added to the mash, the yeast consumes the sugar, converting it into alcohol & CO2.

  3. THE BACKSET. During distillation, alcohol is separated from the grains and yeast creating a flavorful backset, which we call the “whiskey lees.”

  4. ON THE “LEES.” We add the “lees” into our barrels, a technique inspired by a French winemaking process called “Sur Lie.”

  5. ROLLING THE BARRELS By periodically rotating the barrels during the aging process, we cause the grain and yeast cells in the “lees” & the whiskey to continually interact, infusing the liquid over time to create a deep and complex expression.

  6. CHILL HAZE. We non-chill filter the whiskey to preserve its best flavors and aromas. The whiskey may appear cloudy when chilled.

  7. ENJOY. The result of this innovative process is a whiskey that is soft around the edges with bold, rich taste, accentuated with a creamy mouthfeel and a hint of rye spice.

And from the Press Release:

Said Tom Steffanci, President of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, which produces Redemption: "At the beginning of our creation process, we were curious to see what flavors would be imparted if we applied a technique similar to the French winemaking sur lie process to our amazing classic rye mash bill. We spent a lot of time adjusting the approach to get it just right and we are delighted with the delicious outcome. I can't wait to hear from consumers once they have the opportunity to taste it."

Now, this might offend purists, but at the end of the day, experimentation like this is what differentiates products that would otherwise be basically the same. This takes (probable) MGP whiskey and does something interesting to it. Which I applaud. But the most important thing is how it tastes. So let’s dig in.

Redemption Sur Lee

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes by the provider and their PR team. The suggested retail price is $59.99, and it is available for a limited time in NY, DE, FL, CA, TX, and MA.

Price per drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: Three years old. 47% ABV. Aged with a bit of setback from the fermentation process.

Nose: Cedar, mint, almond, and nutmeg.

Month: Caramel, cedar, almond, and cinnamon.

Finish: Medium length. Initial notes of cedar and mint fade to reveal cardamom.

Thoughts: This is a decent rye. I'm partial to the 95% rye mash bill, so I'm enjoying this. I really dig the cardamom note right at the end of the finish. Makes me want to go back for another sip.

Compared to the standard Redemption rye: The noses are pretty similar. If I didn't have them side by side, I wouldn't notice a difference. But since I do, I'd say Sur Lee has the same notes, just more pronounced. The Sur Lee has a softer mouthfeel, and the sweet and cedar notes are more prominent. The finish on the Sur Lee has that fun cardamom note that standard is missing.

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Redemption Rye

This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes with no strings attached.

If you ever wonder whether or not you are good at your job, just think about the poor Minnesota Legislature and the fact that they accidentally legalized THC edibles this summer because one party forgot to actually read the bill that they were voting on. But since a majority of citizens in my adopted home state wish they had gone further and just legalized marijuana, they can’t even take credit for doing what they accidentally did. If you can say that you are better at your job than that, I say that you’ve got it made.

I was thinking about that tonight as I was playing a little Pink Floyd on my new turntable. For…no reason.

I kid, obviously. I was actually thinking about it because I was working on some banner ads. I hate making banner ads because I hate seeing them. (There is a reason I don’t put ads on this site.) Not only that, but I’m not terribly good at them. But people keep hiring me to do it, so…at least I’m better at the job than the Minnesota Legislature?

Oh, speaking of…vote for people next Tuesday that will actually do their job and read the damn bills that they are voting on, ok? I won’t tell you which party to vote for (you probably already know my leanings), but regardless, we should be hiring people who, at the bare minimum, can do the reading part of their job.

Anyway, now that I’m all worked up. Who wants a drink?

Tonight, I’m looking at a whiskey that I have walked past for years. Literally years. I saw that it was listed as two years old on the back and just didn’t feel like giving it a chance. Even if it does look to be sourced from MGP, my favorite distillery for rye. They sent it along with a more expensive new release so that I would have a baseline to compare with the new one. As I hadn’t had either before, I thought that was pretty smart. So let’s dig in.

Redemption Rye

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes at no cost. It goes for $27.99 at my nearest Total Wine.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.87

Details: 2 years old. 46% ABV. Mash bill: 95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley.

Nose: Spearmint, herbal dill, and bubblegum.

Mouth: Gum from a pack of 1980's baseball cards (yes, I'm old. If you aren't, think bubblegum with hints of cardboard, but in a good way), spearmint, nutmeg, and almond.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium. Notes of mint, cinnamon, and caramel.

IMAGE: This isn't bad, but it's not really for me. So it gets a neutral face.

Thoughts: This is an ok Rye whiskey that I will happily finish but probably wouldn't buy again unless it is on sale. It's a pretty sweet and gentle rye. Which isn't typically what I look for in rye whiskey. However, it does work ok in rye cocktails. I tested it in a Sazerac and an Old Fashioned, and it worked fine in both as long as you adjusted the other ingredients to account for the fact that this is a little gentler than other ryes I’d usually use. Overall, not bad, just kinda meh. I’m excited to try the other bottle they sent now that I have this as a baseline. Check back next week to see how the more expensive version fairs. (How’s that for a tease?)

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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Filmland Spirits presents Moonlight Mayhem Bourbon

I’d like to thank the producer for providing this sample for review purposes with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Moonlight Mayhem. The label is in the style of an old B-movie. For this release it a Werewolf movie.

As you might be aware, yesterday was Halloween. Possibly the best holiday of the year. I love Halloween. Before I moved to Minnesota, I lived in a neighborhood with a ton of kids. We had Trick-or-Treaters from 4 pm until almost 10 pm. Non-stop. And we went all out. My wife and I designed and built a graveyard in the front lawn, complete with spooky lights, fog, tombstones, and a mummy lying in state on an altar. We were all in costume all night long. At times I’d hide out in the graveyard, appearing from there to give the kids their candy. It was great.

But then I moved to a neighborhood of mostly retired folks. No kids. I’d get maybe a dozen Tick-or-Treaters total. Last night we had ten kids. So, since we don’t have to buy quantities of candy anymore, we buy quality. Yept, I’m one of the growing number of houses that give out full-sized candy bars. Costco had thirty bars for $18 yesterday. So I jumped on that.

Of course, the best part of Halloween is not the candy or the spooky decorations. It is seeing the kids in their costumes! It’s honestly my favorite part. They are all so adorable. My kid is grown, and I don’t have any grandkids yet, so I live vicariously through the few parents in my neighborhood. Of course, there is always one kid that sees a big, tall, bearded man and gets nervous. Which always makes me sad. I try to get down on their level and let them take the candy. It usually works.

Last night, however, it did not. He was a tiny little guy. Dressed as a dinosaur. I opened the door, and his eyes got as big as saucers. I guess I looked a little too much like the Big Bad Wolf to him. His sister took a candy bar, and I got down and offered him the bowl. He was too busy looking at me with his now giant eyes to notice. It was super cute. Eventually, his big sister took his for him and put it in his bucket. Even as they walked away, he was walking backward, staring. Once I closed the door, I noticed his parents taking a photo of him in our driveway with his candy. I guess I wasn’t too traumatizing.

But as it is the first post after Halloween, I thought that tonight’s bourbon was especially appropriate. It is Moonlight Mayhem by Filmland Sprits. The bourbon itself looks to be MGP’s 21% Rye Bourbon. Distilled in Indiana and bottled in Kentucky, this bourbon has a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like me some MGP bourbon, but I didn’t get this bottle for the juice inside. No, I’ve admitted to being a design snob, and sometimes, I just like to reward good artwork. That’s the case here.

Each label from Filmland Spirits is designed as a pulp B-movie poster. And I’m here for it. Here is what the producer has to say about it:

Unlike most whiskey bottles on your back bar, Filmland Spirits is truly unique down to the artwork on the label itself. The labels serve as original movie posters in pulp-style art that align with the expression’s story synopsis on the back of each bottle and carry the B-movie genre throughout the brand’s visual aesthetic. Consumers who yearn to learn more about each expression’s story can head to Filmland's website to read snippets of the script, view storyboards, and even watch an animated trailer!

These folks look like they had a lot of fun putting this out. But, it isn’t worth buying a pretty bottle if what’s inside doesn’t stack up. So let’s see what it tastes like, shall we?

Moonlight Mayhem Bourbon by Filmland Spirits

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $54.99. It is available for purchase in Kentucky, California, and online where allowed.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.67

Details: 47% ABV. 75% Corn, 21% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley. Distilled in Indiana. Bottled in Kentucky.

Nose: Caramel, mint, oak, and a touch of hops.

Mouth: Gentle. Notes of cinnamon, mint, almond, and red fruit.

Finish: Medium length and Warmth. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, almond, and much more oak than I'd have expected.

Thoughts: Not bad, not bad at all. If you want a fun bottle, this is one to look at. The bourbon inside is good, but not the star of this production. This is a bottle I will happily finish and then use as a fun decor for my home bar afterward. And if you want to watch the trailer, download the “movie poster,” or read a portion of the script check out their website at FilmlandSpirits.com.

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.

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

I’d like to thank the folks from Beam Suntory and their PR teams for sharing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish sitting in front of a tree with fall leaves.

A while back, my favorite artist came out with a new album. I stream everything on Spotify these days, but when I want to support an artist, I have no problem buying an album digitally as well. If I need to, I will buy the CD instead. But I realized as I was looking at the order page that I no longer have a device that will play CDs. Not even my vehicle has a CD player. And the last computer with an optical drive died last year. So I decided that I’d buy the album on vinyl. If I wasn’t going to be able to play it anyway, I might as well go with the big art. This way, I could use it as wall art, if nothing else.

But a funny thing happened after I bought that vinyl album. I got to thinking about the nature of the music I listened to as a kid. About albums that were meant to be listened to from start to finish instead of as individual tracks. And I came to the realization that even though I love streaming, there is something to be said about old formats too. Yes, I love just throwing on a playlist and letting it go all day. Basically as background music for my life. But when I was a kid, vinyl was king. Unless you were much more coordinated than I was, you couldn’t just choose the track you wanted to listen to (unless you had a single). And as is turns out, there are some ablums that were better listened to in order with one track flowing into another. Basically a larger work of art that is made up of smaller works of art.

So why didn’t I already have a ton of vinyl? Well, I was alive and aware as CDs hit the stage and became the dominant music format. I remember kids in school teasing me about still playing records when they all had CD players. Kids can be cruel and the those in the tiny town I grew up in were hyper-obsessed with how rich someone was. The more money you had the more popular you were. And I grew up in poverty so I didn’t have a lot of friends back then. The moment I could afford a CD player as a teenager, I got one. If only so that I could tamp down the emotional baggage of being teased as child. I don’t know that I listened to a record by choice after that until well into my second stint at college. By then I was collecting classic rock albums like crazy. But then digital music came around and, once again, I gave up vinyl as a waste of space and sold or gave them away.

Somehow I never seem to learn.

Anyway, long story short, I may have found a new obsession. Since I bought that “piece of art for the wall” I’ve bought five or six more albums, I researched and ordered a turntable. I’ve made a wishlist of other albums I want to buy in this crazy old format. And I plan to visit a few record stores in the area the next time I have a day free. I like the idea of intently listening to music again. Needing to pay attention to when a record ends and needing to get up to flip it over appeals to me right now.

Now, you may ask what any of that has to do with bourbon. And that’s a good question. But I have a good answer too. You can enjoy music a couple of different ways. You can have it on in the background and almost ignore it. It’s just something to keep it from being too quiet. Or you can sit there and intently listen to a piece of someone’s musical art. Follow how one song flows into another and makes a whole greater than its pieces. Same thing with bourbon. You could take a shot and just use it as a means to an end. Or you could do what we do here and intently taste the bourbon. Teasing out the nuances of someone’s liquid art.

Plus in both of them you can easily get obsessed and spend way more than you had intended to if you aren’t careful. Ask me how I know.

Luckily for me, tonight’s whiskey was a review sample that didn’t cost me anything. It is the latest offering from the Basil Hayden folks over at Jim Beam. This one was partially finished in red wine casks. And although I’ve sworn off Basil Hayden numerous times in the past as not being flavorful enough for me, I found the idea of this one intriguing. Here’s what the producer has to say about it:

A blend of the classic Basil Hayden high-rye mash bill and bourbon partially aged in Californian red wine casks, this special release is ripe with cherries & dried fruit, while also delivering characteristic bourbon flavors of vanilla and charred oak. Perfectly balanced, Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish is layered & complex, yet approachable & inviting.

But, how does it taste?

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

Purchase Info: The bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: 40% ABV. Some of the bourbon used in the blend has been finished in California red wine casks.

Nose: Dried cherries, brown sugar, and oak.

Month: Cherry, vanilla, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cherry and cinnamon linger.

Thoughts: I've been hard on Basil Hayden products in the past, but I think they have a winner with this one. Lots of flavor in the mouth. The wine cask finish brings a lot of cherry to the party. I like this one. And that cherry note has me thinking that with such pronounced cherry, this might work well in a cocktail. And, of course, how could I pass up that opportunity? After giving it a thought, I landed on a sweet riff on a Manhattan. The result is below. I think it turned out pretty ok.

A Thursday Night Cocktail

  • 2oz Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

  • 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

  • 1/2 oz Luxardo Cherry liqueur

  • 2 dashes of Aromatic bitters (I use my own recipe, but Angostura would work too)

  • Orange Peel for Garnish

Directions: Combine all ingredients (except orange peel) into a mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into your favorite cocktail glass. Express the orange peel over the drink. Garnish with the orange peel and a couple of cherries.

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.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, C922

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

IMAGE: A bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (C922) sitting in the morning sun.

Hello from the past! I’m on vacation at the moment. If everything is going well I should currently be enjoying the sights of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. I love nature, especially when experienced in a National Park that I’ve never before visited. So I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that I am currently having a blast.

But you came here for the bourbon, I get that. So let’s get down to it.

Last year, the September edition of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (there are three editions per year released in January, May, and September) was only the second bourbon to receive a BourbonGuy.com Bourbon of the Year award since the award was introduced in 2017. There just weren’t that many bourbons that stood head and shoulders above the competition in the intervening years that would warrant the honor. So needless to say, I really enjoyed last year’s September edition.

So let’s see how this year’s September release does.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, C922

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 12-years-old. 62.4% ABV.

Nose: This smells like a cookie. Notes of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and oak.

Mouth: Hot, but sweet. Notes of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon and oak. It's exactly like I would have guessed from the nose.

Finish: Warm and long. Notes of cinnamon and oak.

IMAGE: I really like this so it gets a smile.

Thoughts: This is really good, as usual. Rich, thick, and delicious. Water brings out the oak and tames the heat. Not a Bourbon of the Year winner this year, but not because C922 isn’t good. It is very good. It’s just that the other Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases have been just as good. Let’s look at how C922 compares to May’s B522.

Comparison to B522: The nose on C922 is sweeter. The mouth of B522 shows more baking spice, whereas C922 is much sweeter. If I had to choose, I'd pick C922 personally. It just captures that "stereotypical Bourbon" flavor better. And because I have a sweet tooth. But both are delicious and if you see either on the shelf near the suggested retail price, I’d pick it up. Even if you have one in your closet already. Big, big fan.

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.