Parker’s Heritage Collection, 2023, Cask Strength Rye Whiskey

August 31, 2023 Eric Burke

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

Parker's Heritage Collection is Heaven Hill’s annual “Ultra-Premium” bourbon release named for Parker Beam, Heaven Hill’s late Master Distiller Emeritus. For many years now, a portion of each bottle’s price has been donated to support ALS research and patient care in honor of Mr. Beam. To this point, sales of Parker’s Heritage Collection have raised over $1.2 million, which is pretty cool.

So on to the bourbon, Heaven Hill was very detailed on how this bourbon was created, so instead of rehashing everything, I’ll just let them speak for themselves in this one.

The 17th edition is comprised of 10-year-old Rye Whiskey that was barreled in August, October, or December of 2012. The barrels were aged on the first floors of Rickhouses H1 and H2, the fifth floor of Rickhouse FF, the third and seventh floors of Rickhouse BB, and the second floor of Rickhouse DD. At bottling, the liquid was non-chill filtered to preserve the natural flavors of the aging process. The mashbill for this edition is comprised of Heaven Hill Distillery’s traditional Rye Whiskey Mashbill 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley and bottled at cask strength, 128.8 proof.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Parker's Heritage Collection, 17ᵗʰ Edition, 10-Year-Old, Cask-Strength Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample was provided for review purposes by the producer at no charge. The suggested retail price is $185.00

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $12.33

Details: 10 years old, 64.4% ABV. Mash Bill: 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley

Nose: Cola, cedar, honey, and herbal mint.

Mouth: Hot and very sweet. Honey, cedar, cherry, and herbal mint.

Finish: Hot and long with prominent notes of honey and cherry, followed by notes of oak and baking spice.

Thoughts: Wow! Not only is this really hot—at almost 130° proof, I expected that—but it's much sweeter than I anticipated. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever had a rye with this much honey sweetness before. And you know I love honey, so this one hits in all the right places for me. I will say, though, that I prefer it with a small piece of ice or a splash of water. All the flavors stick around, but the heat is tamed a bit. It's delicious in either case. I like this one a lot.

Now, I usually pour off a section of these samples to share with local friends who love whiskey. But this time, I decided on a whim to use this more lavishly. I made myself possibly the most expensive Sazerac I’ve ever made at home. I used two ounces of Parker’s Heritage Rye, five shakes of barrel-aged Peychaud’s Bitters, and a squeeze of Agave syrup in a glass spritzed with absinth and a lemon twist. Oh my goodness! I know I’ve never had a Sazerac this good. Not in a bar, not at home, not in New Orleans. It was very possibly the best cocktail I’ve ever made. And after using $15 worth of whiskey in it, it should be. Just thought I’d share that. Not that anyone who didn’t get it for free (or is extravagantly wealthy) would use it this way, but if you were curious like I was, there you go.

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Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, 2023

August 29, 2023 Eric Burke

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

I don’t get to write about Four Roses very often, even though I am a big fan of their products. The issue is that they’ve only got four products. And I’ve written about all of them multiple times. So when Fall Limited Bourbon Release Season approaches, I get very excited because it lets me let my inner fanboy out. Because I am an unashamed Four Roses Fanboy. Maybe less so now that these releases have reached the $200 price range and are basically only available via retailer lottery. But that’s primarily due to my short attention span and the fact that there is no use getting excited about something that 1) I won’t see and 2) I couldn’t really afford if I did. (That excitement level will shoot through the roof, should I ever win a lottery for this product…I might even splurge and purchase it.)

So, though I’ve been covering these for most of the last 12 years, let’s go over some of the basics.

What is the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon?

Every fall, Four Roses releases a bourbon that can showcase their ten bourbon “recipes.” They have two mash bills and five yeast strains, which gives them a huge advantage when it comes to blending bourbons (don’t let them hear you call it blending, though; they are still smarting over being forced to be a Blended Whiskey brand by corporate overlords for decades). They use all ten for their main bourbon, one recipe (OBSV) for the single barrel, four (OBSK, OBSO, OESK, and OESO) for the Small Batch, and six (OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK, OESF) for Small Batch Select. The yearly Limited Edition Small Batch allows them to experiment with recipes and combinations that they don’t use in the main product line. In the past, releases have even used the Q yeast, one of my favorites but one many people do not prefer. They also tend to use much older product than their main-line bourbons.

Ok, you listed a lot of codes in that last explanation. What do they mean?

The codes are a legacy of being a part of the Seagram’s family before it disintegrated back at the turn of the millennium. Each of the codes corresponds to one combination of mash bill and yeast. Every code starts with O, which is the old Seagram’s designation for the current Four Roses Distillery (they had a lot of distilleries). The second letter designates which mash bill is being used. It will be a B if it uses the 35% rye mash bill or an E if it uses the 20% rye mash bill, the only two that Four Roses still uses. The third letter will always be an S because it stands for “Straight Whiskey” and is another legacy of Seagram’s having a lot of products in their portfolio. The final letter tells you which yeast strain is being used. V yeast tends to provide a delicate fruit note, K a slight spice, O rich fruit notes, Q tends to provide a floral note (that I love), and F tends to yield herbal notes.

Great. So, which are used in the Limited Edition Small Batch this year?

Great question. Brent Elliott used four batches of three different recipes this year. 40% of the product is a 14-year-old OESK, 35% is a 12-year-old OESV, 20% is a 16-year-old OESV, and the final 5% is a 25-year OBSV. All barrels used in this batch were from the bottom three levels of Four Roses’ single-story warehouses.

So is it any good?

Let’s find out.

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, 2023

Purchase Info: This sample was provided for review purchases at no charge. The suggested retail price is $199.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $13.33

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, rose petals, spearmint, oak and cinnamon.

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, honey, floral spearmint, stone fruits, and oak.

Finish: Long and hot. Notes of cinnamon spice, nutmeg, rose petals, and oak.

Thoughts: I wanted not to like this. I wanted not to be tempted to enter lotteries for this. I wanted not to have to spend $200 on a single bottle of bourbon should I be one of the folks chosen to purchase a bottle. Guess what? I love this. Even graded on a $200 curve, I love this. I fully expected to say the opposite. That nothing is worth that price. But I'll be damned if I don't need to eat some crow, along with my preconceived notions. This is spicy and floral with just the right amount of oak. It's just absolutely delicious.

This is not just in the running for BourbonGuy Bourbon-of-the-Year; it’s leading the pack by a long margin. Hell, it’s the first one to get a heart in well over a year.

Larceny Barrel Proof, C923

August 17, 2023 Eric Burke

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

Well folks, it’s officially Fall Bourbon Release Season. I’ve gotten press releases for some and I’ve seen shipment notifications for others. But this Larceny Barrel Proof is the first that has arrived for review. We’ve talked a lot over the years about both Elijah Craig and Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbons. So I’ll just jump right into it.

This is the third and final release of the barrel-proof version of Larceny, Heaven Hill’s flagship wheated Bourbon, for 2023. As always this is delicious and quite hot. This one clocks in at 126.4° proof. The bourbons used in this batch are between six and eight years old. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Let’s dig in and see how it tastes.

Larceny Barrel Proof, B523

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

Price per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: 63.2% ABV

Nose: Dusty oak, almond, caramel and baking spice.

Mouth: Oak, caramel, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Finish: Long and warm. Dry with notes of oak and nutmeg.

Thoughts: Very oak forward on this one. Sweet and spicy in the month but the finish is dry. Very tasty. Water amps up the sweetness and tames the spiciness a bit.

Comparison to B523: C923 is much sweeter on the nose. Though B523 is hot and spicy, C923 is even spicier. The spiciness is balanced by a sweetness that B523 is lacking by comparison. I like them both but if I had the option to choose, I'd choose C923 for the extra sweetness. And this is very strange since I said last time that I would have chosen B523 over A123 for the same reason. More sweetness. I guess this year started great and just got progressively sweeter. In any case, you can’t go wrong with any of this year’s releases.

Angostura Cocoa Bitters

August 15, 2023 Eric Burke

I’m a big fan of cocktails. As such, even though I usually use my own house-made bitters, I also keep an extensive collection of commercial bitters on hand as well. Either because a cocktail that I want to make calls for a specific ingredient or because I was wandering down the store aisle that had bitters in it when something caught my eye.

Such was the case with tonight’s bitters. I was wandering through the digital aisles of curiada.com, looking at a collection curated by one of my favorite YouTube cooking and history shows (Tasting History with Max Miller), when I clicked on a link that took me somewhere I didn’t expect. Among the many items on that new page were Cocoa Bitters from Angostura. Honestly, I didn’t even know Angostura had released a third product in their line of cocktail bitters. Though since it happened during the summer of 2020, I can probably be forgiven for missing the news. I have a vague recollection of something more important going on during that time. So after searching online to make sure no local stores carried it, I added it to my cart and had it shipped to me (along with a few other deliciously tasty treats).

Before we get into what I thought of it, here is what the company has to say about its relatively new product.

Few flavours delight one’s palate in a way that leaves you wanting more. None more so than the rich taste of cocoa! ANGOSTURA®, celebrated worldwide for its rich history in creating aromatic and orange bitters, has expanded its renowned collection to include ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters. We only use the world’s finest, the Trinitario cocoa from Trinidad and Tobago. This paired with 200 years of unparalleled bitters expertise have resulted in this truly decadent, indulgent new flavour.

So…how is it? Let’s find out. First, we’ll try it on its own.

Like most Angostura bitters, Cocoa Bitters is delightfully spicy on the nose. Bright minty notes pair with earthy clove and spices. Under that, there is nutty depth provided by the addition of cocoa nibs. On the mouth, it’s just like a delicious spicy chocolate cookie. There are strong chocolate fudge and cinnamon notes that would make a candymaker weep. The finish is pure, rich dark chocolate. Honestly, I could drink this on its own. It’s really good.

Now that we’ve seen what we are dealing with, let’s try it in a few applications. I love to drink soda water with a few dashes of bitters in it as a refreshing, non-sweetened drink. In this case, the bitters weren’t quite right, though. The intense dilution of the drink highlighted the nutty flavors and pretty much lost the chocolate. Maybe I just don’t like acidic and carbonated chocolate, though. So let’s move into more traditional uses.

The whiskey cocktail I consume most often is an Old Fashioned. It’s not my favorite cocktail, but it is the easiest, so when my wife asks if I want a cocktail, she usually makes that one. And let me tell you, Angostura Cocoa Bitters make an excellent bourbon Old Fashioned. It pairs so well with the aged spirits, making it richer and more balanced. After looking on the Angostura Bitters website, I found an unexpected use for Cocoa Bitters that I also had to try. The After Eight Mojito uses white rum, lime, mint, sweetener, cocoa bitters, and soda water. I was blown away by how good that was. I didn’t have Angostura white rum, but the white rum I had on hand had a bit of funk to it and the chocolate notes played so well with it.

Overall, I love it. And if you haven’t tried it yet, maybe you are like me and missed its release in the midst of the VID, give it a try. It’s well worth the $12.99 I paid for it.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Spring 2023 Edition

August 8, 2023 Eric Burke

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

Folks, you know what is amazing? That I, a well-noted clumsy person, have never broken a bone. Maybe it’s all the calcium that I ingested as a boy growing up in Wisconsin. I’ve tripped over both existent and non-existent items for almost 50 years. I’ve slipped, I’ve fallen, I’ve hit my head on things hard and soft. But no bones were ever broken.

Until last night when I tripped over a stone in my yard while barefoot, the concrete chunk that I used as part of my stone edging ripped open one of the smaller toes and (based on the color and severity of the bruises and the sensitivity of the toe) likely broke it too. It was an interesting night as I tried to keep dogs from stomping on it.

But the night wasn’t all bad. I also had the opportunity to taste a lovely sample from Heaven Hill. And no, I tasted it after the injury, not prior. The injury was solely due to my own clumsiness with no help from imbibed substances.

Tonight’s bourbon is the latest in Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald line of Wheated Bourbons. It was distilled in the Spring of 2013 and Bottled in the Spring of 2023, making it ten years old and, as it is a bonded bourbon, 100° proof. As usual, it comes in a beautiful decanter. This edition has a suggested retail price of $140.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2023

Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $139.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $9.33

Details: 10 years old. 50% ABV

Nose: Spearmint, bubble gum, and just a hint of baking spices.

Mouth: Velvety mouthfeel. Initial notes of caramel, cocoa, and almond before spicy cinnamon and nutmeg take over.

Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium with notes of cherry, cinnamon, and cocoa.

Thoughts: This is very good, though priced way out of my price range for what it is. I'd buy two at $70. But at $140? Well, I would have a hard time explaining the purchase to my wife. (Though not for nothin', she said she'd probably buy it if she saw it because she wants the bottle. If given the opportunity to choose, though, she'd pick a different edition to fulfill her need to put pretty bottles on the shelf.) It's very good, just not $140 good.

CleanCo Clean G Gin Alternative

August 3, 2023 Eric Burke

I really like a gin rickey on a hot day. We’ve discussed this in the past. And since it has been extremely hot so far this summer, I was looking for something that might allow me to have all the deliciousness of a gin rickey without drinking quite so much of the…gin. Just because it is hot out doesn’t necessarily mean I want to wake up the next morning with a hangover.

So as I was wandering through the aisles of my local grocery store, I noticed a line of non-alcoholic spirit alternatives in among the mixers. Now I’ve tried rum and whiskey alternatives before, and none of them were even close to the real thing. Most tasted like they were made by someone who had actually never tried the spirits. But I had a thought that maybe gin might be different. It isn’t barrel aged, so you wouldn’t need to try to figure out how to mimic that. And it’s flavored with botanicals. My theory was that you could do that by making a tea. I just never got around to doing it myself.

This means that when I saw the Clean G Gin Alternative on the shelf, I decided to save myself the effort of recipe creation and try it instead. Let’s see what the company has to say about its product before I tell you my thoughts:

Our take on a traditional London Dry Gin, Clean G features a crisp flavor with notes of balanced botanicals. That's because we carefully source and distill aromatic botanicals, like real juniper, to create a non-alcoholic spirit with a very fine finish.

Thoughts: Boy, am I ever disappointed in this. On its own, it tastes like 7-up that has gone flat. I get no hint of juniper, just a delicate citrus note. Definitely not making a martini with this thing. So I tried it in my favorite, the Gin Rickey. My Rickey was good. It just didn’t taste like gin. It tasted like fizzy water with lime in it (I might need to try just lime and soda more often, though, because it was delicious). After that, I tried a gimlet. Basically, limeade, sweetened and diluted lime juice. Finally, I decided to see how it held up in a low-alcohol cocktail by making a Negroni with the Clean G, Campari, and Vermouth. It tasted very flat. No vibrancy at all. The flavors of the liqueurs were present and tasty, but the “gin” just didn’t add anything to it.

Overall, for as much hope as I had for this, it just isn’t doing it for me. The one flavor I expect from Gin is Juniper. And this had none of that. I even tried infusing it with my own juniper berries to see if I could boost that flavor, to no avail. This is a pretty bottle. But it’s also $32 down the drain. If any of you know of a gin alternative that actually tastes like gin or even a nice juniper bitters, let me know. Otherwise, I think I’ll stick with lime and soda when I want a non-alcoholic rickey.

Booker’s “Apprentice Batch” 2023-02

August 1, 2023 Eric Burke

I’d like to thank the Beam Suntory and their PR folks for sending this review sample along with no strings attached.

Booker’s.

It was my first taste of overproof bourbon, and I’ve been a big fan ever since. It’s just. so. good. So much so that I hardly ever buy it because I know it will be delicious. Now you may be thinking to yourself: “Eric, have you been drinking again before you start writing?” And sometimes, that would be a valid question, but tonight the answer is no. Due to the nature of running a site that peddles reviews, I’m always searching for something new to talk about, and with only the budget of a freelance designer and a dog sitter to work with, I usually try to purchase things that will get me content. So things that I know will be delicious but won’t provide content often get passed over. Especially if they are expensive.

One day, when I retire from writing, I’m going to do a barrel pick (using my wife’s money) and just enjoy the same thing for years to come. It will be a nice change of pace.

But suffice it to say I’ve always had a soft spot for Booker’s Bourbon, even through the major price increases of a few years ago. Sure, I hated the increase in price, but if I was being honest with myself, I hated it because Booker’s was so good and so inexpensive compared to its peers. So when the opportunity presented itself to get a sample of their most recent batch, I gladly said yes. Especially since we haven’t talked about it since 2020.

This batch is nick-named the “Apprentice Batch.” Here is what Beam’s PR folks had to say about it:

This batch pays homage to the beginning of Booker Noe’s distilling career when he first learned the art of making bourbon under the guidance of his cousin, Carl Beam. Booker started working at the Jim Beam Distillery in 1952, and shortly after, Carl became his mentor. Carl was in charge and didn't put up with any foolishness - he always made sure Booker was set straight. But even if Booker did mess around sometimes, he was a fast learner and was ready to be put to work, which quickly got him Carl’s approval. Two years after Booker started, Jim Beam purchased a distillery in Boston, KY to increase production capabilities. Carl and Booker worked closely together to get it up and running, and eventually, Carl handed the reins over to Booker. This is where he was able to experiment and master the bourbon-making process, and later on, the location was renamed the Booker Noe Distillery. Carl showed Booker the ropes at the distillery, but from there, he encouraged him to try things out on his own, which is when his work really started to shine. Booker’s apprenticeship under Carl helped him become the Master Distiller and legendary innovator he is remembered as today.

So there you have it. The batch is bottled at 125.5 proof and was aged for seven years, one month, and two days. The suggested retail price is $89.99.

Booker’s “Apprentice Batch” 2023-02

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00

Details: 62-75% ABV. Age: 7 years, 1 month, and, 2 days.

Nose: Caramel, mint, cinnamon, and oak.

Mouth: Very hot, as to be expected, but also sweet. Strong notes of oak, chocolate, and cinnamon with an undercurrent of citrus.

Finish: Warm and long. Notes of peanut butter, chocolate, and oak.

Thoughts: This is very tasty, as Booker's usually is. Very hot, though. The product “Fact Sheet” suggests sipping this neat or with a few drops of water. However, I think it takes water or a small piece of ice well. Water amps up the sweetness in the mouth as well as the "Beam Peanut" note. It also tames the heat and allows for a more enjoyable sip.

Though the SRP is $89.99, I see that my corner liquor store charges about $100 for Booker's. Honestly, I'd probably pay that for this as a very occasional splurge. And as I say, every few years, when I get a sample, this reminds me that I really do need to pause looking for new things and just spend that money on something that I know will be delicious more often.

ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink

July 25, 2023 Eric Burke

Liver: Ummm…what are we doing?

Me: testing something.

Liver: Testing…what? Because that looks like a lot more alcohol than you usually bathe me in…

Me: I saw a thing on YouTube and thought we’d give it a try. If it works, we might be able to help some folks on the internet.

Liver: And if it doesn’t work?

Me: It’ll work. Trust me. What’s the worst that will happen?

Liver: …I have a bad feeling about this.

And that is how my weekend went. I’d seen something called ZBiotics advertised on a YouTube BBQ show that I quite enjoy. They talked about science and breaking down something called acetaldehyde. And how that substance is the one that gives you the hangover. (They go into it in-depth on their website.) Well, this seemed just too good to be true for me.

But I thought, what the heck? I mean, I hate hangovers. Not that many love them. But I seem to be unusually susceptible to them. My Wisconsin forbears could drink all night and wake up to go fishing at 5 am the next morning with no noticeable effects. Me? If I have a third bourbon on an especially jubilant Friday night, then first thing Saturday morning, I’m reaching for the bottle of Advil and trying to sleep as long as possible. So I thought that even if it had a chance of working, it would be good to try. And then I spent the weekend testing it out. Here is how it went.

On Friday night, my wife and I cracked open one of the little bottles of ZBiotics each, just after she got home from work. We had a pre-dinner cocktail. Ate supper. A little while later, we had a bourbon. And then another before bed. More than I usually have, but not so much that it would be too out of the ordinary. And then, I went to bed fully expecting that there would be grogginess and a slight headache when I woke up Saturday morning.

But…no. I felt great! I was rested and ready to get on with my day. Same with my wife. So, does that mean it worked? Or was it a coincidence? I thought it worked. But it’s possible that I might have done something else that would help prevent a hangover without meaning to. And so I decided to try again. And this time, I kindly asked my wife not to have any as I wasn’t sure how this was going to end up and wanted to make sure that there was at least one responsible person in the house. I was going to try for four. Not because I particularly wanted four bourbons on a Sunday night, but if I was going to do more than spout marketing blurbs at you, I wanted to do this in a deliberate way.

So, once again, I drank the little bottle. Had a beer with supper. And then had at it for the next few hours. Man, was I happy. Just laughing and smiling. The doors were a little narrower than normal, but things were good. I was feeling great. Once I reached my fourth bourbon, I was done. Even in my oh-so-happy state, I knew that four bourbons and a beer in one night were at least a few too many. Then, my poor, suffering wife poured me into bed, and I went to sleep.

Monday morning was…not nearly as good as Saturday. I was certainly reaching for the Advil bottle. I slept as long as the dogs would let me, which wasn’t long enough. Then, I nursed coffee for the next few hours before trying to get some work done. I had a full-blown hangover. I joked with my wife that this entire post was just going to be “SEE WHAT I DO FOR YOU PEOPLE?!?” over and over again. And then I sighed and went back to feeling sorry for myself.

Final thoughts: I think that this worked well with a moderate over-indulgence. I really hadn’t felt that good after a third bourbon in a long time. But as far as pounding them down while pretending that you were still in college? Not really. Maybe it put a dent in it? If so, I hate to think what the day would have been like otherwise. But it certainly didn’t prevent anything, at least not for me. So my verdict is this: for $9 to $12 per little bottle (depending on the quantity you buy), I’d probably pass on it. It’s quite expensive when the alternative is just to drink less (which also works out to spending less on bourbon, too).

Once again, it turns out that the easiest and cheapest way to prevent a hangover is just to drink responsibly and not over-indulge. No matter what the YouTube BBQ guy is paid to say. That said, I’ll probably toss the remainder into my bag when I go on vacation this fall. I mean, maybe it does work if you practice moderation, and heck, I’ve already paid for them.

Blog

Parker's Heritage Collection, 17ᵗʰ Edition, 10-Year-Old, Cask-Strength Rye Whiskey

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, 2023

Larceny Barrel Proof, B523

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2023

Booker’s “Apprentice Batch” 2023-02