So last night I was chatting with my friend Fred Minnick on twitter. He'd posted a shot of the bottle he'd got of Booker's Rye and I made my thoughts on the price known. He countered from a reviewers stand point and I replied with:
@FredMinnick or conversely, tasting notes don’t matter if no one can ever taste it 😉
— Eric Burke (@arok) June 2, 2016
Yes, I was joking. I was mostly feeling salty about the fact I will never taste Booker's Rye due to both my self-imposed restriction on accepting review samples and the fact that the price is about three months worth of my (mostly poorly-followed) whiskey budget.
I have to clarify that I was joking because I review things that few people will ever taste all the time: dusties, local retailer picks, special editions I make special trips to obtain, etc. I'd hate to be viewed as a hypocrite because someone only saw the one tweet as it was retweeted. I mean, my last post was a product that though easy enough to find right now, is out of the budget of the majority of my readers.
So to celebrate my newfound hypocrite-ness I'm going to review not one, but two things that are either limited editions or retailer picks that have been long sold out. I found the Port Finish 1792 at a local municipal liquor store and as I did my review tasting I thought to see how it compares to the regular release. I didn't have that, but I did have a bottle of a store pick single barrel. It shares at least a passing resemblance to the regular release so it would have to do.
1792 Single Barrel Pick - Ace Spirits
Purchase info: $19.98 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN
Details: 46.85 ABV. Exclusive barrel for Ace Spirits. Barrel no. 11.
Nose: Dry and oaky with hints of chocolate and sweet fruit.
Mouth: Warm and woody with notes of ginger, nutmeg and dark chocolate.
Finish: Warm and drying with medium length. Lingering dark chocolate and spice notes.
Thoughts: This is a bourbon I reach for when I don't want a "sweet" bourbon. It's spicy and warm and has a lovely dry "evaporating" sensation to the finish. This single barrel is tasty, but doesn't stray too far outside the 1792 wheel house.
1792 Port Finish
Purchase info: $38.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Apple Valley Liquor, Apple Valley, MN
Details: 44.45% ABV. After normal aging, this whiskey spends an additional two years in barrels that previously aged port.
Nose: Rich and creamy with a nice port influence of fruit and honey along with oak and hints of chocolate.
Mouth: Warm and sweet with noted of ginger, sweet fruit, oak and hints of rich dark chocolate.
Finish: Warm and sweet with lingering fruit and spices.
Thoughts: The combination of spice, fruit, oak and chocolate meld into a delicious whole. If you can find this and like fruity bourbons, this is one to pick up. It's quite different from regular 1792, but quite taste nonetheless.
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