In light of recent allegations made by the daughter of Tom Bulleit of his homophobia and mental and physical abuse toward her, I have made the decision that BourbonGuy.com can no longer endorse products bearing the Bulleit name.
This is it. Tonight we find out who will the final two spots of our semifinals round. Round 2 of the 2019 BourbonGuy.com Bottom Shelf Brackets continues with Division 2 Number 1 seed Wild Turkey 101 versus the advancing Number 5 seed Bulleit Bourbon.
We’ve already met Bulleit, but to recap, it it is a sourced bourbon from Diageo. It used to be made of Four Roses juice but it is getting less and less likely that there is any left in the bottle since it has been five or six years since they were cut off. The other competitor is Wild Turkey 101. It is a product of Campari’s Wild Turkey distillery. And it is one of my favorite “everyday” bourbons. Let’s see who comes out on top.
These were tasted blind in the following order. Tasting notes are from before the reveal.
Wild Turkey 101
Purchase Info: $19.99 for a 1 liter bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Details: 50.5% ABV.
Nose: Caramel, vanilla custard, cinnamon and a hint of mint.
Mouth: Sweet and spicy with mint and cinnamon.
Finish: Medium length, warm and sweet. Lingering cinnamon and vanilla custard.
Bulleit Bourbon
Purchase Info: $18.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Details: 45% ABV.
Nose: Spearmint, toffee, cherry, cinnamon red hots.
Mouth: Spicy and sweet (though less sweet than number one) baking spice, toffee, and cherry.
Finish: Medium length. Lingering toffee and baking spice.
Pre-reveal Thoughts: Two very good whiskeys in this one but whiskey one wins this round. The spice is spicier. The sweet is sweeter It has more well-defined flavors. And it has a warmer and longer finish. Whiskey one is tastes like they took whiskey two and cranked up the volume.
Post Reveal Thoughts: Not shocked that Wild Turkey 101 won this round. The proof difference could easily explain the difference in “volume.”
Round 2 of the 2019 BourbonGuy.com Bottom Shelf Brackets concludes with Division 2 Number 2 seed Evan Williams Bottled in Bond versus the advancing Number 6 seed Old Forester Signature 100 proof.
Old Forester Signature 100 proof is the plucky underdog here. Or is it? Though it was once a staple on my bourbon shelf, I’ve been passing on Evan Williams Bottled in Bond more and more lately. It has just started tasting too young to me. More grain-forward than I’d like. Especially when I can get the same size bottle of Wild Turkey 101 for just a dollar or two more.
These were tasted blind in the following order. Tasting notes are from before the reveal.
Old Forester Signature 100 Proof
Purchase Info: $24.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Details: 50% ABV.
Nose: Honey, caramel, wintergreen, almond.
Mouth: Caramel, black tea, vanilla, clove and cinnamon.
Finish: Medium length and warm. Lingering caramel, apple, cinnamon and oak.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
Purchase Info: $17.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN
Details: 50% ABV.
Nose: Brown sugar, mint and vanilla.
Mouth: Caramel, mint and dried grain.
Finish: Medium length with lingering caramel, dried grains and cinnamon.
Pre-reveal Thoughts: Whiskey one wins this one hands-down. In my mind there is no contest. Whiskey two is way too grain forward by comparison.
Post Reveal Thoughts: No surprises here. Old Forester is a nice complex bourbon. It’s everything that I look for in a decently priced bourbon. By way of comparison, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond just isn’t as good as it used to be. I’ve noticed that about a lot of the Heaven Hill Bonded bourbons lately. Good, but not as good as they used to be. (Possibly because Heaven hill seems more interested in putting out new $100+ “prestige” bourbons like the new Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond than they are the lower-priced offerings that helped build their reputation.) Anyway EWBiB will work great in cocktails, but that is what this contest is about. Old Forester Signature advances.
And so the Championship Rounds are set! Old Grand-Dad Bonded versus Larceny and Wild Turkey 101 versus Old Forester Signature.
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