Uncle Nearest 777 Anniversary Blend – The Lost Chapter, Plus a Book Giveaway

This review sample was kindly provided by the PR team for Uncle Nearest Whiskey with no strings attached.

Well, I’m back! I hope no one missed me too much (though, selfishly, I do hope you missed me a little). Vacation was fun. I drove to Maine and realized that the Maine coast looks a lot like Minnesota's North Shore—if Lake Superior had tides and crashing surf, which was pretty cool. I love visiting Minnesota’s North Shore.

Tonight, we're looking at a whiskey sample I received before vacation: the latest release from Uncle Nearest, the 777 Anniversary Blend, nicknamed the Lost Chapter. This 7-year-old, barrel-strength whiskey is bottled between 110-120 proof and celebrates the seventh anniversary of Uncle Nearest’s launch. Only 7,000 bottles were available for sale. I say "were" because it seems to be sold out online. That’s my bad for taking a vacation!

But the folks at Uncle Nearest didn’t just send me this whiskey to talk about the liquid; they also were hoping that I’d mention the best-selling book by Uncle Nearest founder Fawn Weaver. It’s called Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest. As a lover of books about whiskey, I’m more than happy to do so. In fact, at the end of this post, you'll find a giveaway where you can win the copy of the book featured in the photo above.

Now, let’s take a look at the whiskey, shall we?

Uncle Nearest 777 Anniversary Blend – The Lost Chapter

Purchase Info: This 50 mL sample was sent to me at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $139.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $9.27

Details: 60.85% ABV. Seven years old.

Nose: Black tea, lumber, honey, and a light grassiness.

Mouth: Nice, thick mouthfeel. Notes of cinnamon spice, almond, and caramel.

Finish: Warm and long with notes of oak, honey, and a slight mineraliness.

Thoughts: My first sip caused me to exclaim: “Ooh. that's yummy." And that's the gist of it. This is delicious. It has a lovely mouthfeel. Let's just say that, boy, do I wish there was more than 50mL in that 200 mL bottle. It's good enough that if I saw it on the shelf, I'd buy it even though the SRP is $140. It takes water well, too, which is an added bonus (it is over 120° proof, after all). Some high-proof whiskies, these days, fall apart at a lower-proof, but this is not one of them. Just a lovely product that I wish I’d thought to buy a bottle of while they still had them.

Giveaway

Would you happen to have suggestions for things I can cover on BourobnGuy.com? Books you’ve read, questions you have, whiskies you want to share? Well, nominate them for review/answering on BourbonGuy.com. In return, you’ll be entered into the giveaway for Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest, by Fawn Weaver.

You can enter the giveaway using the form below. You only need to enter once (though you can suggest as many things as you’d like), as I’ll be tossing duplicates to make for a fair giveaway. One winner will be chosen at random. That winner will receive the book mailed to them.

Good Luck! You have until Wednesday, September 25th, 2024, to enter (you need to "log in" so I can receive your email address to notify you if you win, either login method gets me that). I do value your privacy, though, so I don’t keep the contact info you provide once the contest is over.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey, B924

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

Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof bottle, Batch B924, 122.6 proof, 61.3% alcohol by volume.

Here we are with the first post of the new schedule. I’m not going to lie; it felt really weird not writing for y'all last night. Instead, I did things like hang out with my wife and read a book. It was nice—strange, but nice.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ve probably heard me gush about my love of science fiction. Whether it’s TV, movies, or books, I’ve been a fan for a very long time. One of the early greats of the genre is Isaac Asimov. I just finished watching the second season of Foundation on Apple TV+, and it put me in the mood to read that series of books again. So I started last night—dug out my 40-year-old copy of The Complete Robot and read a few short stories.

It’s something I do every couple of decades or so. I think the first time I read them was in middle school in the mid-to-late '80s. I did a more complete read-through as a young adult in the early 2000s. And then? There they sat on my bookshelf, almost forgotten, until now. There are certain books that I will just never gt rid of, and the Robot/Empire/Foundation series is among them. Even though some of the parts of it were written almost 75 years ago. It’s fun to read stories about how “the FUTURE” would look from well before the future started—well, at least what I considered the future when I was young. Though I’m not going to lie, the story I read last night could have been written today. In today’s verbiage, it was basically about a group of Google Waymo cars gone, not so much bad, but certainly dealing out righteous justice.

Sometimes, I like going back to old favorites and revisiting them—kinda like I do a couple of times per year with tonight’s whiskey. I’ve never seen it in the wild, but they are kind enough to send me a taste when it comes out so I can tell you about it and hope that if you see it in the wild, you’ll be intrigued enough to buy it.

Bernheim Barrel Proof is a barrel-proof version of the Bernheim wheat whiskey put out by Heaven Hill. It is made from a mash bill of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. The whiskeys in this batch range from seven to nine years old. It has been bottled at 122.6° proof.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey, B924

Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $67.

Price per Drink: $4.47

Nose: Caramel, wintergreen, and toasted grains.

Mouth: Bready, sweet, and spicy with notes of caramel, cinnamon, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of toasted grains, cinnamon, and wintergreen.

Thoughts: This is very tasty. Sweet in the mouth but more dry on the finish. The toasted grain notes read as bready on the mouth, which I'm really enjoying. This is perfectly drinkable neat, even at over 120° proof. All in all, I really like it.

Comparison to last batch: The last batch is much sweeter on the nose and mouth. This batch shows more mint. Last batch is spicier, but the new batch has more layers of flavor. They are both very good, but if forced to choose, I'd go with this current batch because of the depth of flavor.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Bernheim Barrel Proof, A224

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

I had my weekly allergy injection this afternoon, and it is knocking the shit out of me tonight. So, let’s jump right into the review, shall we? Luckily for all of us, tonight’s whiskey is another of Heaven Hill’s Barrel Proof series of whiskeys, and since we’ve covered the other two during the last couple of weeks, we should all be up to speed on them. Or at least close enough.

Bernheim Barrel Proof is, as the name suggests, a barrel-proof version of Heaven Hill’s Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. The mash bill is 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. This batch was aged between seven and nine years before being bottled at 125.2° proof. The A224 designation means that this is the first batch (A) of 2024 (24), and it was released in February (2). The suggested retail price is $64.99.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Bernheim Barrel Proof, A224

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $64.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 62.63 ABV. Mash bill: 51% wheat, 37% corn, 12% malted barley. Aged 7-9 years.

Nose: Nutty and floral with caramel and oak.

Mouth: Spicy, floral, and nutty with cinnamon, caramel, mint, cherry, and oak.

Finish: Hot, spicy, and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of toasted nuts, cinnamon, and cherry.

Thoughts: Hot, spicy, and nutty are the three words I would use to describe this. It's quite good, but not quite as good as the Larceny or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof whiskies. This doesn't have the same level of richness that they do. But if you like a nutty whiskey, then this is one for you.

Comparison to B923: A224 is much more vibrant on the nose. A224 is nuttier and hotter in the mouth, but B923 is much sweeter. I'd personally pick B923 if given the choice because it is a little gentler if such a thing can be said about something that is over 120° proof.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

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).

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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Bernheim Barrel Proof, B923

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

I’ve been very into jigsaw puzzles lately. Last year, while on vacation, I spent many an evening in a National Park with a drink, a little music, and a puzzle to fill the time between our last venture out into the local sights and bed. And then, I picked up one from the airport and spent the next couple of months putting it together (it was very hard) only to find that one of my guest pups had eaten the final piece.

This year, I grabbed a couple from the airport to shove in my bag to sort of extend the vacation feeling. I tell you what, a glass of whiskey, a record on the player, and a partially completed puzzle have become my favorite way to spend an evening with my wife. It’s low-tech, it’s relaxing, and honestly, it’s fun.

And what whiskey might I be pouring these days? Well on at least a couple of evenings, it was the predecessor to tonight’s whiskey. I’d stashed the bottle of A223 that we reviewed in February so that when the second release came out, I’d have something to compare it to. And now that we are here, that bottle has become the go-to pour.

As far as specs, not much has changed between the two. A223 was 118.8° proof. B923 is 120.6° proof. Other than that, they use the same mashbill, they have the same non-stated age range, and are aged in the same locations. So, let’s see what Heaven Hill has to say before we dig into the important part of how it tastes.

The Bernheim Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey mashbill consists of 51% wheat, 37% corn and 12% malted barley. This is the same mashbill used in the Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey. Aged between 7-9 years in Heaven Hill's traditional open rickhouses, this edition is bottled at 120.6 or 60.3% by volume.

Bernheim Barrel Proof, B 923

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $64.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 60.3% ABV. Mashbill: 51% Wheat, 37% corn, 12% Malted Barley. 7 to 9 years old (per the press release).

Nose: Caramel, chocolate, and leather.

Mouth: Caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Long and spicy with vibrant notes of Cinnamon Red Hots candy.

Thoughts: This is much more vibrant than I would have expected. There is a lot of barrel influence with the chocolate and leather notes. Plus, there is a ton of cinnamon on both the mouth and finish. It's quite warm in the mouth, but it takes a splash of water well. I really like it.

Comparison to A223: Very similar on the nose. B923 has a much stronger cinnamon focus and is quite a bit hotter in the mouth than the previous release. Both are quite delicious, and I don't think one could go wrong with either. If forced to choose, I'd probably have to flip a coin as there are only subtle differences that could only be noticed in a head-to-head.

Did you enjoy this post? If you want to support the work going on here at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch (tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com.

Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Limestone Branch for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

If you and I have never talked about Malt Whiskey, it’s probably because, as a general rule, I do not like Malt Whiskey. Sure, I enjoy a few Irish whiskeys that also contain a significant percentage of malt. But in general, no. Malted grains are just not in my flavor wheelhouse. Even if that whiskey isn’t a “malt whiskey,” per see. I love Rye whiskey. But if a Rye has malted rye in it, I just don’t care for it.

So it was with mixed emotions that I noticed that the sample of Yellowstone’s latest release was an American Single Malt. I knew that I probably wasn’t going to like it, but I also knew that MGP makes some of the best whiskeys in the US (if not the best) and that Steve Beam is a fine curator and blender of said whiskeys. So if there was a chance that I was going to like an American Single Malt whiskey, this is the group that was going to give it to me.

So before we find out if they were able to craft something to pass the “Eric Test,” let’s see what Mr. Beam himself has to say about the liquid.

“I’m proud of the success Yellowstone Select Bourbon has enjoyed since 2015 when I introduced my take on my family’s historic brand,” said Beam. “And I’m proud to once again continue my family’s tradition of innovation with the launch of Yellowstone American Single Malt. This is a brand-new category of American whiskey, and our offering is sure to become a favorite among Yellowstone Bourbon fans and fans of American Single Malt Whiskeys alike.”

Alright. Let’s dig in.

Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $54.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $3.67

Details: 54% ABV. Aged & Distilled in Indiana

Nose: Clean, dried grains.

Mouth: Clean, dried grains, toffee, and cinnamon.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Notes of dried grains, toffee, cinnamon, and mint.

Thoughts: I'm impressed. There are next to no Malt whiskeys that I've liked. But I like this one. I wasn't sure at first, but it really grew on me over the course of the ounce in my tasting glass. Very impressed. I’ll be coming back to this bottle more often than I had anticipated.

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 by 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, and more.

Bluebird Days Whiskey

I’d like to thank Bluebird Distilling, Jordan Davis and their PR teams for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Most of the samples I get come from one of two sources. The vast majority of the samples come from a large producer. But there are also a sizable number of samples from a small producer who has done a deal with a musician. Tonight’s whiskey is from the latter. And since I have never heard of either the musician or the distillery associated with tonight’s whiskey, let’s let them introduce themselves via the press release.

ABOUT BLUEBIRD DISTILLING: Bluebird Distilling is a craft distillery that produces small batch whiskies (that includes a limited release Wheat Whiskey, Four Grain Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, and White Rye Whiskey) and other amazing craft spirits such as Juniperus Gin, Vodka, Sugarcane Rum, and Dark Rum, using a state-of-the-art hybrid copper still. The distillery and tasting room are located in Phoenixville, PA. For more information, please visit http://bluebirddistilling.com/.  

ABOUT JORDAN DAVIS: A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Jordan Davis is set to release his highly anticipated second full-length album, Bluebird Days, on February 17. Produced by Paul DiGiovanni, the album features 17 songs including his fifth career No. 1 hit, “What My World Spins Around,” and his double-platinum multi-week No. 1, “Buy Dirt” (feat. Luke Bryan), which won numerous accolades including CMA and NSAI Song of the Year and earned ACM, AMA, Billboard and iHeart Award nominations. Davis previously notched three consecutive No. 1 hits: Platinum-certified “Slow Dance In AParking Lot,” Double Platinum-certified “Singles You Up” and Platinum-certified “Take It From Me,” each featured on his Gold-certified debut album, Home State. Awarded Best New Country Artist at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, he is a two-time nominee for ACM New Male Artist of the Year and was named Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2018. Davis has over 4 billion streams worldwide and appeared on Ellen, Good Morning America, TODAY, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and more. He has previously toured with artists including Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts, Old Dominion, and more.

So now that we know who we are dealing with, let’s find out what the whiskey is (and yes, this sample has been hanging around for a while now, as evidenced by that album's release date). BlueBird Days Whiskey is probably best classified as a blend of straight whiskies as it is made from a blend of 90% 6-year-old Bluebird Bourbon (mashbill: 75% corn, 15% Heirloom Rye, and 10% Barley) and 10% 7-year-old Bluebird Red Winter Wheat Whiskey (mashbill: 100% Whole Grain Pennsylvania Red Winter Wheat).

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Bluebird Days Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $50 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Nose: Mint, a toasted nuttiness, and dried grains.

Mouth: Cinnamon, caramel, chocolate, nougat.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of malted grains, chocolate, mint, and some oak.

Thoughts: This one is not for me. It's not bad or anything. In fact, there will probably be people who think I'm crazy for giving this a neutral rating. But I'm not finding that the bourbon and wheat whiskies in the blend complement one another. They are both there, but to me, they fight instead of combining into a well-integrated whole. Plus, it just sort of feels overly grain-forward for my palate. It doesn't hurt that I get a note reminiscent of malted grain on the finish. And I really don't care for that flavor note. If you are a fan of celebrity craft whiskies, give this a try. Otherwise, it is probably safe to give this one a pass.

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 by 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, and more.