Spirits Archives - Page 5 of 16 - First Pour Cocktails

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”

Posted on December 14, 2022December 12, 2022 by Nick

There are a lot of brands of whiskey out there. The run the gamut from trying to get started with their own distillate to those are only interested in sourcing barrels to create blends. In order to sell these whiskeys that don’t share the hype with the products of Sazerac, Beam, or the other major established players, many brands turn to colorful marketing or fancy bottles to pull in the interest of buyers. Among the multiple color bottles that sit on shelfs, few scream, ‘Look at me!’ like Pinhook. Among their highest proof offerings is the annual high proof bourbons named after a horse. Enter Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”.

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”

Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Corn
Proof: 116 (A.B.V. 58%)
Age: Aged more than 3 years (NAS on front)
Vintage: 2022
Filtration: Unfiltered
Distilled at Castle & Key

Sight: Chestnut Sherry Oloroso

Smell: The nose has a layer of heat if you’re not wary about sticking your nose straight in, and it makes no attempt to disguise this fact. Pulling back slightly, notes of cantaloupe, melon, caramel, blackberry, and other dark fruits come out. Spicy oak and toasted sugar get in on the mix as well – giving some space for cherries and other pastry like notes. The blasts of spice accentuate the heat, making the nose feel prickly.

Sip: The mouthfeel starts off light, with more melon and honeydew notes. The body quickly picks up, but keeps that highly evaporative light characteristic (almost like extremely high proof rum). Notes of cinnamon spice, caramel, fresh fig, and pome (apple / pear) fruit come in. Some grain notes are present as it a bit of rye herbal notes and burnt oak.

Savor: The finish is apple skins, fresh figs, and caramel with spices. The finish lingers dryly with a bit of herbal, burnt oak.

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini” is light, fruity, and full of fire. Given the mashbill and the age statement, it’s not surprising that there are some wild and unrefined notes. Despite being slightly unrefined, it is coherent and brings a lot of flavors you can’t find in most of the common large distiller offerings. As a sip goes, you’ll definitely want to sip slowly and have some water nearby.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the emphasis moves into cloves and black tea mixed with caramelized apples and touches of herbs. Notes of toasted oak, tobacco, and cigar box come in with a bit of burnt sugar. The body is relatively robust despite the lighter flavor profile. The flavors are actually quite well rounded with the slight vanilla background of the Carpano Antica. Overall, it’s a nice, if slightly lighter character Manhattan.

In Review – Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini”

Pinhook 2022 High Proof Bourbon – “Bourbondini” retails between $50-$60. The marketing is undoubtedly on point in that price range, but the juice is a bit on the inconsistent side. Flavors a good, and on the lighter end of the spectrum which is something unusual amongst the bruising barrel strengths that are more common. Which is where the rub begins, as it ends up competing against other high end offerings like Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Larceny Barrel Proof, and 1792 Full Proof. Where this has an edge is availability and supporting a new brand. Like the horse, that’s quite a tall order to get on with. We can’t recommend this as a must have in your bar, but it’s certainly worth a try if you get an opportunity.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

Posted on November 30, 2022December 17, 2022 by Nick

Perhaps few Rye whiskeys capture the annual attention that A Midwinter Night’s Dram receives. Bottled by High West Distillery, this is their Rendezvous Rye finished in French oak port barrels. The combination leads to flavors most enjoyers compare to various notes of the holidays in a glass, which explains why it’s released toward the late fall. Each year is labeled with an Act, indicating the year, and a scene, which tells you the day of bottling. In the case of a Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Scene 1, this means our bottle was bottled in 2021, on day 1 of bottling.

If you’re looking for the most current Act, Act 10, I’ve yet to get to try it, so we’re visiting last years offering which I was lucky enough to receive as a present!

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

Age: No Age Statement (NAS)
Base: Rendezvous Rye
Mash Bill: A blend of MGP sourced Rye (95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley) and High West Distilled Rye (80% Rye, 20% Malted Rye)
Finish: French Oak port barrels.
Proof: 98.6 (A.B.V. 49.3%)
Secondary Abbreviations: MWND

Sight: A lovely tawny-auburn.

Smell: The nose starts off with deep, jammy plums and fresh figs mixed into rye spices and light Christmas tree essence. Warm toasty vanilla comes through followed by a luxurious caramel, bursting ripe blackberry, and a raspberry sauce. Toasty pecans and baking spices join in with a little bit of an undercurrent of star anise and an underlying green peppercorn or herbaceous notes.

Sip: The vanilla leads off like a bomb with a nice caramel note and then a rush of raspberry and blackberry notes running from fresh to preserved. A light sweetness runs though, and notes of star anise, clove, and other baking spices join excitedly. The body is nicely balanced, and feels rich, and there’s a bit of chocolate and cigar going on here too to balance some of the sweeter dessert elements.

Savor: The finish carries forward a pleasant vanilla that underpins the entire mix. It’s full of subtle pressed plum and berry notes, complete with a bit of the port like tannins that you might associate with the skins. The rye spice grows with some of the oak influence as it lingers, complete with a little touch of that evergreen flavor.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 is a beautiful mix of well balanced rye spice and delicious vanilla laden port. The influence of both elements stands taught, and they play a balanced and beautiful game of tug of war across the palate. The flavors are clear, clean, and deliciously demonstrate what one would expect from the holiday. With the profile, it’s not hard to understand how just sipping this by the tree, you favorite people, holiday decor, or a fire is worth the price of admission.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the fig and berry notes of the port explode out with the sweet herbal, fruitiness of the sweet vermouth. The amazing vanilla notes grab some caramelization, and sweet baking spices run through adding complexity. Other notes pop out, like chocolate covered cherries and raspberry jam. The dessert like vanilla icing elements give way to hints of espresso and cigar. Overall, the Manhattan that A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 makes is special, unique, and deep.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 vs Act 8

Over time, the make up of a Midwinter Night’s Dram has shifted. Originally, the mash bill was made up of not only MGP, but also some very old Barton distillate (some as old as purportedly 15 years+). While you’re unlikely to find any of the original acts, you still can come across acts that are primarily MGP and really leveraged French oak port barrels. A friend of mine was kind enough to provide a sample with one of these previous versions, Act 8.

Color wise, they’re quite similar, but the nose reveals some critical differences. Where Act 9 shows of it’s fruit from the port as the primary influence, Act 8 shows off this creamy vanilla and ice cream like sweetness. There are beautifully jammy notes that join in, with some rye spice, but the focus is more on the vanilla and dessert notes. This carries forward to the palate where the vanilla is more dominate, showing off the pastry cream like elements, including the texture. The spicing is great, and the fruit is more like a drizzled syrup and chopped preserved fruit add-in. The ending carries this linger forward, showing an amazing amount of vanilla. While they’re clearly very much related, the flavor profiles are significantly different.

In Review – A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 is nothing sort of amazing, and a wonderful bottle at the original MSRP. Original MSRP is the operative piece of this statement though, which was only $99.99. This year the MSRP went up to $129 (and $150 in the state of Ohio). The secondary has shifted as well, going from $200ish to over $250 in some cases on the most recent batch. The problem is that while this is a delightful finished rye, it doesn’t overwhelm something like Isaac Bowman (admittedly a bourbon), which retails for around $40. So is it good? Sure, but it no longer justifies it’s price for either MSRP or secondary.

Be aware, the shifts in Acts also create potentially large shifts in the taste. So their Act 10 may be better or worse than the Act 9.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Posted on November 23, 2022November 21, 2022 by Nick

If you didn’t know, Wild Turkey also makes a rye. Similar to their bourbon, their rye comes in 86 proof and 101 proof offerings, as well as the barrel proof, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye. This product is bottled at the slightly lower 112.2 proof, and is distilled by Wild Turkey (unlike some other producers who use MGP sourced ryes). Given how good the bourbon is, should you also look at enjoying the rye?

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Proof: 112.2
Age: No Age Statement (Reportedly a blend 4, 6, and 8 year old Kentucky straight ryes)
Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered

Sight: Burnished

Smell: The nose really shows a maturity here that’s rounded off some of the more obvious grain and cereal notes that can appear in younger rye. Pops of chocolate, coffee, oak, spice, and a bit of preserved cherry come out. More of the mint and herb rye notes being to emerge toward the edges, but the nose gives a dessert like caramel brown sugar character with a lot of fruitiness and chestnut.

Sip: The sip starts out a touch sweet and then opens up with preserved dark fruits, like cherries, plums, and prune. The rye spice picks up here bringing in brown sugar and massive chestnuts before pepper, spice, cigar box, tobacco, oak, and buckwheat. There’s a honey and resin flavor that sort of flits around and gives a little bit of a floral – herbal complexity. The body is quite big and smooth to start, but gets warm as it goes

Savor: The brown sugar and herbal notes carry over with touches of preserved dark fruit and plenty of rye spice. There’s a decent amount of tannin.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye is complex and refined in all the right ways. The balance of spice, fruit, oak, and delicate floral / herbal notes is well defined, and loaded with powerful flavors. The more important thing is it flows from floral to spicy to nutty to fruity to oaky. There’s no particular are it falls short in. It works neat and shows the restraint of maturity.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan it delivers on the sweetness of the dark preserved fruits with notes like blackberries and prune. These flavors are the amazingly powerful and defined. The rye spice joins with some chestnut notes and pulls out amazing flavors of buckwheat honey and complex tobacco notes. The oak builds on the finish, but almost becomes cabernet or port like. This flavor profile is distinct compared to what most individuals expect of a manhattan. Overall, the flavor profile that Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye brings is a bit unusual, but nothing short of spectacular.

In Review – Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

At $45 – $60 Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye represents a fantastic combination of flavors that work both straight and in cocktails. The cost is high, but at the lower end this is a serious contender to be one of the best possible values you can buy. The flavors are balanced across a variety of different elements, ranging from delicate floral and fruit to robust oak and spice. This is highly recommended as a bottle to add as your primary rye, or to splurge on if you don’t have the means to regularly stock it.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Posted on November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 by Nick

Our love of Wild Turkey 101 is something we have no shame about. At $20ish a bottle, it delivers enormously consistent and powerful flavors without breaking the bank. While there is the lower proof 86 offering, there up market bottle, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon is far more interesting. Coming in at 116.8 proof, this barrel proof offering is reportedly made of 6, 8, and 12 year offerings but states no age. As Wild Turkey reportedly enters the barrel at a lower proof than the normal 125, some drinkers may find this easier to handle than higher proof barrel proof offerings (like Elijah Craig or Jack Daniels who both frequently exceed 120 proof).

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Sight: Between Chestnut and Russet.

Smell: A healthy amount of spice and touches of bready notes leap out at first. Freshly baked rye and spices leap out, delivering massive hits of spice over the top of sweet caramel. Touches of cherry and plum come through, with a bit of jammy marmalade. There is some heat in the nose if you inhale deeply enough. The oak and vanilla is present, but more background.

Sip: The palate opens up with lots of spice and sweet jammy / dried fruits. The oak comes in here with plenty of caramel. The spices and fruit explode into plums, cherries, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and all sorts of various combinations. The mouthfeel is smooth despite the proof, and brings in some notes of baking pastries and toasted oak.

Savor: The ending carries over spice, caramel, light brown sugar, and touches of cherries.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed is complex and spicy. There’s a good balance between spice, oak, and fruity notes that keeps it sippable and engaging. The flavors are powerful, but the proof doesn’t overwhelm, allowing the spice and caramel to show off. The subtly also helps with some of the yeastier notes. Overall, there’s a lot of flavor and proof here for the price.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the spices come to the forefront, but the vermouth provides a great sweet and fruity foil. The result is that the sweet notes of sugar and caramel explode against jammy raspberries, baked cherry pie, and complex brown sugar with fresh baked fruit notes. The spices and oak explode on the ending, adding intensity and a slightly tannic nature to the finish. The body is rich as well, thanks to the proof. As Manhattan’s go, this one is an aggressive and balanced approach that expands for beautiful notes not present in lesser whiskey.

In Review – Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Wild Turkey Rare Breed offers exceptional value and availability at a great price, especially compared to other barrel proof or cask strength offerings. Similar to Four Roses Single Barrel, there’s a massive amount of flavor here that doesn’t require waiting in line or breaking the bank. The key difference is that this is Wild Turkey spice kicked up to 12, and delivered in a cohesive package that doesn’t hurt the overall balance neat or in cocktails. It isn’t a delicate bourbon, but it is delicious, and we highly recommend adding a bottle to your bar after you’re had an intro bourbon or Wild Turkey 101.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Posted on November 9, 2022November 8, 2022 by Nick

Perhaps few bottles suffer so greatly from both hype and barrel variation as Henry McKenna Single Barrel. Amongst the bourbon lovers, Mckenna is notorious for consumers greatly enjoying one bottle, and then being disappointed in the next. While there are a variety of possible reasons for this, including actual differences in production and what the consumer immediately ate prior to enjoying it, it doesn’t change that this bottle has won some significant awards and has a strong hype train surrounding it.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Henry McKenna Single Barrel is a Bottled-In-Bond whiskey aged ten years from Heaven Hill. This age statement makes it among the older available Bottled-In-Bond offerings.

Sight: A rich tawny.

Smell: Rich caramel and nuts float out of the opening salvo. Zesty spice, tobacco, and notes of oranges and peach pits join in. There’s a slightly fruity character that comes in, a bit of heat, and a pops of toasted oak and a cereal like note. Something akin to peanut brittle in a fudge shop occasionally comes through as well.

Sip: The flavors are complex and layered, starting with caramel and spice it evolves into peach pits, tobacco, charred oak, cigar box, and nuts. The flavors are somewhat random in their progression, but consistently show up. There’s a fair amount of stone fruit, from peach to plum that comes around the edges. There’s very little burn despite the 100 proof, and the texture is rich. A very occasional oversteeped black tea note also appears.

Savor: The ending maintains a stone fruit and toasted oak character with a moderate amount of oak. The flavor lingers in a balanced and inviting way.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel is quite nice as a sipper, displaying a good amount of complexity and depth. The continuing evolution of the flavors in the glass makes it inviting to come back to. The texture also helps in adding to the appeal. Overall, it’s far from a disappointing sipper.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the wonderful texture and proof helps to create the lanolin texture of a great Manhattan. Caramels, brown sugar, toasted oak, and stone fruit pastry notes all explode forth. There are pleasant baking spices throughout. The finish ends up carrying forward some of the spice, stone fruit, and caramel with just a bit of oak. It’s a phenomenal Manhattan.

Single Barrel Side By Side

A friend happened to have a bottle of Henry McKenna Single Barrel, leading us having the bottles in a side by side. The bottle my friend had was 2 years newer than my bottle. The other bottle was significantly stronger in the vanilla realm, but added a dustiness and reduced the spice. There were also fruity notes, but a bit more orange marmalade sort of notes. The palate is significantly lighter, still maintaining the vanilla notes, but also bringing in more floral elements with subtle spice. The oak notes are also still prevalent, but it doesn’t achieve significant oak or fruit. The weight of both is also different, with the newer bottle feeling significantly lighter.

The comparison feels shocking given both are bottled in bond products with 10 year age statements. While some variation is to be expected, these almost stuck me like two different distilleries due to the spread of flavors and textures.

In Review – Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Henry McKenna’s hype has been real on driving it’s cost up. When this bottle was purchased, the cost per bottle was $10 less than it is today. Pushing $60, the flavor is quite good, but the availability and bottle variation remain problematic. While it’s amazing in cocktails and neat, these factors might be reasons to shy away and instead choice a lower cost single barrel such as Four Roses or Wild Turkey Rare Breed.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Posted on October 28, 2022October 23, 2022 by Nick

Our first run in with Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum was at the amazing Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland, OH. If you haven’t been, you simply must go. The drinks are well crafted, the staff entertaining, and the collection of tiki memorabilia is tops. While Porco’s is amazing, the moment Rum Fire enters our knowledge is when they hosted Shannon Mustipher on her tour promoting her book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails* (a book that’s a great choice if you want to expand from Smuggler’s Cove!) Shannon loved Rum Fire, and after a taste, it’s not hard to see why.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Country: Jamaica
Still Type: Pot Still
Raw Material: Molasses
Yeast: Wild yeasts
Proof: 126 (63% A.B.V.)

Sight: Clear

Smell: Cotton candy and sugar cane flow forth with a smack of spice and exotic fruit. Overripe mango and papaya come forward with a host of other tropical fruits, including what seems like guava. There’s a grassy vegetal note as well, and a hint of nutty pie. Heat picks up late in the mix.

Sip: The palate is a spicy with a lot of grassy notes and a bit of sugar forward to start, tropical fruits start to come in shortly after. As they approach, the alcohol comes into play, putting everything on blast. The result is something tropical, somewhat sugary, and aggressively hot. Pressing through, there are notes of fermenting bananas, citrus peels, and brown sugar caramelized over an open flame.

Savor: The end is laced with almost smoke that gives way to tobacco, leather, and tropical fruit jam. It lingers with a hint of heat.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is a burning hunk of tropical flavors. The flavor basically smacks like a mule, and it’s pretty unapologetic about it. As sipping goes, you’d probably need to have a relatively anesthetized palate (which you could acquire by continuing to sip this) to find this a first choice. That said, there’s a ton of flavor here, but maybe not something you’d want to experience directly (like drinking vanilla extract).

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum kicks like a mule. The heat of the alcohol is tempered and gives way to amazing grassy notes laced with fresh melon, coconuts, almonds, and other tropical fruits. The ester of the rum becomes more apparent with the lime, and a pithy citrus note joins in. The mid palate is sweet with a fermented tropical note and almost a hint of bitter chocolate. There vegetal notes give a sort of leather and tobacco finish with a little heat. The overall effect is packed with flavor, but almost explosively so.

In Review – Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is an aggressive rum designed for complex drinks. While you can use this rum on its own, and even enjoy it on its own, it will be better for most folks in cocktails paired with other rums. What it will offer is fantastic complexity to join in with another rum or two. This will create astounding tiki cocktails, and give you a little extra kick.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale. To date (as of publication), we’ve made $8.08 from affiliate links in 2022, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting. Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 – Wood Finishing Series

Posted on October 26, 2022October 27, 2022 by Nick

While Maker’s Mark FAE-01 was all about the flavors involved in barrel extraction, Maker’s Mark FAE-02 focuses instead on texture. To do this, Maker’s Mark instead used French Oak (leading to more vanilla that is typically associated with French oak, compared to the banana and spice from American). Using new techniques, Maker’s double heat treated the staves with both infrared (to make caramel notes) and flame (aiming at making vanilla elements). This is markedly different than Maker’s Mark FAE-01 where only one side of the American oak stave was seared. So how does it compare?

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 – Wood Finishing Series

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is produced starting from fully matured Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Once fully matured, 10 virgin toasted French Oak Staves were added.

Age: NAS
Proof: 109.1 (54.55% ABV)
Finishing: 10 Virgin Toasted French Oak Staves

Sight: Between Olosoro Sherry and Russet Muscat

Smell: The nose has a bit of heat to start things out, but presents with a healthy touch of vanilla and mocha out of the gate. The nose has a richness to it, and leans into a freshly roasted coffee beans and jammy cherry notes. The vanilla here is heavy, with a bean like aromatic quality and a pastry cream style richness. A light spicing and plum / roasted fig note join with some dried currants. Overall, the nose has a lot going on once you can pass the heat.

Sip: The body is smooth with heavy notes of oak, vanilla, cigar box, and touches of spice. The spices give a slight dryness to the body, and then opens up with a creaminess. The cherry and plum notes here are present, but well behind the vanilla cream notes that run throughout. The creaminess of the body really is the star here, with it being full, smooth, rich, and loaded with vanilla notes. A hint of coffee with cream and creme brulee can be found.

Savor: The vanilla and aromatics carry over onto the finish, and pull in a good amount of spices that linger. The finish gets more oaky with a bit of fire roasted marshmallows and charry sugar.

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is richly textured and heavily vanilla laden. Those expecting caramel and fruit will find more oak forward flavors that are well balanced and textured. While there are layers, they’re variations on vanilla and coffee shop kind of notes. Overall, this is an enjoyable, easy going sipper that has a pleasing texture that’s worth exploring.

In Cocktails

Just like it’s sibling Maker’s Mark FAE-01, you’re unlikely to be reaching for Maker’s Mark FAE-02 to make a cocktail. Let’s say you were to make a Manhattan though. It turns out it’s rich, surprisingly spice forward, and has a nice French vanilla coffee undercurrent. The subtle sweetness of the vermouth comes out as well, with a good amount of cherry and plum. As it warms up, it becomes a complete vanilla bomb, ranging from extract to bean. While this is amazing and it is a good Manhattan, it might not be worth the price of admission if you’re trying to make drinks.

In Review – Maker’s Mark FAE-02 – Wood Finishing Series

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is tasty on it’s own, and makes a reasonable cocktail. While this bottle is enjoyable, it doesn’t break a lot of new ground, and instead highlights the texture that Maker’s can achieve. If you happen to be a diehard Maker’s Mark fan, this might be worth $60 to you, but for most individuals, you’re going to want to find a pour of this in a bar or from a friend. Preferably next to FAE-01 so you can see what Maker’s was trying to show off (and would have been better selling me a 375ml twin pack).

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 – Wood Finishing Series

Posted on October 19, 2022October 18, 2022 by Nick

A part of Maker’s Mark’s Wood Finishing series, Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is their spring expression for 2021, and the latest in a line of annual releases focused on unique aspects about Maker’s Mark. Sometimes affectionately referred to as the “license plate” series due to their name, the 2021 releases chose to focus on unique elements that make Maker’s – Maker’s.

FAE-01 aims to highlight the barrel extraction flavors found in Maker’s Cask Strength
FAE-02 aims to highlight the textural notes and smooth mouthfeel elements of Maker’s Mark.

Maker’s Mark FAE-01

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is produced starting from fully matured Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Once fully matured, 10 virgin toasted American Oak Staves were added. Maker’s notes that these staves were only toasted on one side to help emphasize the smell of the barrel warehouse. They do not specify the additional aging time with these staves.

Age: NAS
Proof: 110.3 (55.15% ABV)
Finishing: 10 Virgin Toasted American Oak Staves

This is the third expression in their Wood Finishing series, which starts in 2019 with a single release (RC6), and was followed in 2020 with a second release (SE4xPR5). 2021 marked the first year with a spring and fall offering.

It also has the hardest cork to reinsert of any bottle I’ve ever owned. However, it definitely seals well.

Sight: A happy tawny.

Smell: Big bursts of cherries erupt, ranging the gamut from fresh and juicy to candied to dried. Elements of vanilla, caramel, and light oak charred wrap around them. Other notes of stone fruit, candied berries, and tobacco come through. There’s hints of heat and random pops of spice. The nose feels rich and thick despite the bursts of ethanol.

Sip: The mouthfeel is instantly thick and rich. The start has a nice sweetness and the preserved cherry notes, coffee, espresso, and caramels come out immediately. It evolves somewhat rapidly, building in levels of heat, but also extracting more roasted oak, tobacco, plenty of spice, and more stone fruit. There’s even a little hint of orange zest, banana, and clove. As it build, it maintains it’s richness, but gets aggressively heavy and hot.

Savor: The finish is oaky with a slight creaminess and plenty of cherries and fruit. One of the impressive things is the length. As it lingers, it brings in more roasted oak notes, plum skins, and cigar box. There’s even a bit of dark roast going on.

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is rich, smooth, and more than a little high strung. The flavor profile is really delightful and Maker’s hits there goal of delivering additional mouthfeel. The richness on the palate is really unparalleled by their standard offering. The flavors really delight the fruitiness of the whiskey while giving a lot of room to the American oak. The only down side is the proof of 110.3 here really comes across in every last point of proof. Don’t take too big a sip or hold it too long, and this shouldn’t be a huge issue.

In Cocktails

In all likelihood, you aren’t using Maker’s Mark FAE-01 to make drinks. If you end up finding yourself so compelled though, you’ll find that FAE-01 works well enough, adding caramel and cherry bursts between notes of spice and oak. There’s a bit of char that pervades on the finish. While the flavors are pleasant, and the Manhattan is good, with a bit of a honeyed note, this clearly doesn’t feel like the best use of this whiskey.

In Review – Maker’s Mark FAE-01

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is really quite good, and priced fairly at $60. The mouth feel is really the highlight here, and the value is in savoring on it’s own. While it doesn’t make a bad drink, you could make an equally good drink with a cheaper bottle – like their Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Based on this, and the fact that this was a one time allocated release, we recommend this bottle for bourbon enthusiasts, but doesn’t need a place on your home shelf.

Knob Creek Smoked Maple

Posted on October 14, 2022October 13, 2022 by Nick

When I originally purchased this bottle (back before the packaging changes), I thought this was Knob Creek’s regular bourbon offering. After taking a picture of it, I realized that I had purchased Knob Creek Smoked Maple. Unable to return liquor in the state of Ohio, I did what anyone would do. I opened it. So how is it?

Knob Creek Smoked Maple

If you read the reviews on Knob Creek’s sight, you’ll find that people are quite polarized over Knob Creek Smoked Maple. This isn’t surprising when you consider that many “maple” bourbons are aged in ex-maple barrels. The result is usually something that it’s particularly sweet, but has a maple note. This isn’t that, this is more akin to a bourbon with maple (flavors) added to it. With that out of the way, here’s what it’s like.

Sight: Chestnut Oloroso Sherry (no mention of color add –)

Smell: Unsurprisingly a roasted, slightly caramelized maple syrup note comes thought. It is slightly short of what I’d consider smokey. Touches of baking spices, vanilla, and oak notes comes though in the underpinnings. A slight touch of orange zest might be linger as well.

Sip: Sweetness starts with a richness from the sugar. The palate is loaded with maple drenched pecans and peanuts. The nuts are almost pan roasted with maple, and sprinkled with cinnamon and baking spices. Touches of oak and a little cigar box come in too.

Savor: The finish has a bit of warmth, giving some heat all the way down. Despite that, the sugar keeps it easygoing, and the flavors of maple, spice, and nuttiness linger.

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is sweet, maple laden, and underpinned by solid Knob Creek flavors. Like the Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year, there’s a lot to like about the interaction of the nuttiness and oak touches that under pin the maple flavors here. While the flavors are nice, purists will find the maple flavors overpower what they like to pick out of the whiskey, while those who like a little sweetness may find something to soothe the experience with. Either way, it isn’t a bad product, but it certainly isn’t meant as a neat drinker for everyone.

In Cocktails

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is more liqueur than liquor. As such, using it as a base in a Manhattan would be quite strange on it’s own, but you could use it as a modifier or split base. In an Old Fashioned, it produces the same nuttiness and maple notes as on it’s own, with a lot of complexity to the nuts. The spices here are accentuated by the bitters. Unsurprisingly, it’s an easy sipper and feels a bit like a shortcut / poor mans version of our Maple Cinnamon Old Fashioned. Due to the sweetness, I excluded an additional sugar component.

This might be the best usage as well, as this is a tricky bottle to find a great use for. Most recipes that specify maple syrup are using it as a sweetening element, while most recipes that are calling for bourbon don’t look for sweetness. The result is something that fits in neither category, and seems best for enjoying on it’s own, using as a small amount of modify in place of bourbon base, or in fast Old Fashioneds. You might also consider it in a Stone Fence, where the maple and apple could work well together.

In Review – Knob Creek Smoked Maple

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is an unsurprisingly sweet and more refined maple liqueur. The underpinning of Knob Creek bourbon really gives it some character, but it is unmistakably sweet. Combined with the limited cocktail potential, this is a hard bottle to recommend to all but those who truly love maple syrup. Still, the liqueur inside isn’t bad, just not for everyone.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Nick

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry is a 100% Pot Still Rum, and aims to show off the traditional rum funk of 19th century rum. The rum is an aim to return to the original aspects of Jamaican rum. With access to both “Long Pond” and “Clarendon”, this rum is a dream of Alexandre Gabriel, the master distiller of plantation. So does it work out as dream?

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Rum Info (per Plantation’s site):

Alc./Vol. : 43%
Origin : Jamaica
Distilleries : Clarendon and Long Pond Distilleries
Raw material : Molasses
Fermentation : 1 and 3 weeks
Distillation :
- Clarendon : Pot Still (Vendôme)
- Long Pond : Pot Still (John Dore)
Tropical ageing : 1-3 years in Bourbon casks
Continental ageing : 1 year in Ferrand casks
Volatile Substances : 312 g/hL AA
Esters : 156 g/hL AA
Marks :
- Clarendon : EMB & MLC marks
- Long Pond : VRW & STC^E marks
Classification : Plummer
Dosage : 0 g/L
Cane sugar caramel E150a (% vol) : between 0% and 0.1%

Sight: Amber (Color corrected)

Smell: Spiced banana’s foster laden with rich buttery caramel and funky tropical fruit. Cracked black pepper and green papaya run through with a pop of spice. Creamy mangos and papayas with a hint of berries come in to add more tropical riffs in the character. The nose feels deeper than it should, and has a good richness.

Sip: The ester funk is unapologetic here, coming in from the word go. Interestingly, the dryness is present but keeps it well balanced throughout. The flavors of Jamaican funk come through, but ripe bananas, pineapple, mango, and a subtle grape-berry notes are prevalent. The spice and caramel are in the background, and start to show themselves closer to the ending.

Savor: The ending is spicy and oak laden with the tropical fruit taking background. The result is a bit of a fruity finish that leans spiced and dry as it lingers.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry has a wonderfully complex nose, and then doesn’t over do the sugar throughout. The flavors are well balanced, if drier, showing off the fruity components while minimizing sweetness. The flavor profile is unapologetically Jamaican, but rounded off by the continental aging. If you like the general character of Jamaican rum this is something you should consider to sip.

In Cocktails

In Grog, Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry shows off it’s tropical fruit in spaces against the lime and sweetness. The subtle touches of sweetness from the dark demerara bring forward more spice and caramelized notes. While it’s smooth, it doesn’t have the most depth.

In Review – Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry is really a great way to spend a few dollars more and get a very specialized rum. The flavor profile isn’t as aggressive as Appleton. For fans of a bit of the Jamaican funk without the full bore hit, this is a great option for $25. It also has enough balance that you could consider it as your only aged rum, if you’re starting your home bar.

Bundaberg UP Rum

Posted on September 30, 2022September 21, 2022 by Nick

Colloquially known as Bundy, Bundaberg holds a special place in Australian hearts. The Bundaberg Distillery was started in 1888, and first produced rum in 1889. While the distillery had it’s ups and downs (it burning twice – in 1907 and 1936), locals have loved to love or loathe the stuff. The distillery was originally independent in Queensland, but was later sold to Diageo in 2000. Diageo now produces the spirit in both New South Wales and Bundaberg, Queensland (with more of the small batch offerings reportedly coming from the namesake). Coming in at the very bottom entry point of their line is Bundaberg UP Rum.

Bundaberg UP Rum

Produced from local (presumably Australian) sugar cane, Bundaberg’s original UP rum is a NAS offering sold at 37% ABV. It should be noted that the original Bundaberg rum is bottled at 50%. The rum is produced by Diageo, following their buy out of the

Sight: Deep Gold

Smell: The nose has a woody start, leaning into green cedar and forest floor notes. Caramel and funky molasses come to the forefront. A hint of tropical fruit is slightly present, and there’s something grassy and spicy in there. A slightly chemical note similar to fresh sporting equipment hangs around the edges wrapping the entire smell.

Sip: The body is medium to full, it picks up some woody spice and caramelized notes. There is a subtle sweetness and fruitiness that runs throughout, but it starts to get slightly warm for a rum that only clocks in at 37%. As it gets warmer, more of the wood notes get overwhelming, and a subtle burnt or treated wood flavor comes through.

Savor: The aftertaste has more treated wood and cedar notes, with a light spicing, touch of funk, and hints of something again, vaguely plastic – chemical like. There’s something like unripe tropical fruit that lingers.

Bundaberg UP Rum is a unique rum that has a love-hate local relationship, and that will feel unusual to rum drinkers not experienced with Bundaberg’s flavors. These notes, particularly the nose might make this sound some what pleasant to smell. In the sense that’s it rum, it smells rum like, this is true. As a nose amongst world rums, many will find this isn’t enticing and doesn’t make you want to try to savor a glass.

In Cocktails

Sadly due to traveling, I could not make a Daiquiri with Bundaberg UP Rum. In past experiences with Rum and Coke versions of Bundaberg, I can tell you that it is a bully, even with Coke, displaying that unripe fruit funk / slightly woody chemical note. This isn’t the first rum I’d reach for, but isn’t far off from the US spec Bacardi Gold (the Bacardi Gold might be better, but only just slightly).

In Review – Bundaberg UP Rum

While Bundaberg original rums have a place in the history of spirits within the Australian Spirit industry and are well loved (or reviled), there are signs the industry is moving on. Australia has a growing number of spirits producers (primarily in gin it feels) who are creating new and exciting spirits with different techniques and a flair toward the local. Rum is no exception, with one distiller in Western Australia (Illegal Tender) using dark brown cane sugar and ex-shiraz casks to embrace the wine and sugar industry. Bundaberg certainly seems to sense this, and their limited released have garnered generally improved reception, but not so much as to change the perception of their rums on the world stage.

Still this gives hope that Australian rum (and other Australian spirits) can continue to improve and begin to captivate palates around the world. In the meantime, Bundaberg UP Rum is more of a curiosity than a serious bottle to need to track down.

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021

Posted on September 23, 2022August 13, 2022 by Nick

Over a year ago, when I picked up my bottle of OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021, I walked into the store and found a whole collection of them. As of a a couple of months ago, the state managed to drop bottles around the state resulting in 2 – 3 hour lines in some locations (that wrapped around the building). It most likely goes without saying that the hype train has claimed another victim. While the secondary on these isn’t egregious, and you can find them on shelves from time to time, is it worth the hunt?

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021

The state described this pick as follows:

Creamy, smooth caramel up front with an extensive wood finish. Enjoy this one as you sit back and relax after a long day of working in the yard.

This barrel’s information is as follows:

Distilled: 12-12-11
Dumped: 08-08-20
Bottled: 10-27-20
Age: 8 years 8 months
Barrel # – 20-0464
Warehouse: B
Floor: 4

Sight: A solid tawny.

Smell: The nose is complex and weighty off the bat with a tobacco and red fruit like sweetness. Notes of ethanol, strawberry, jammy blackberry, and raspberry combine before giving way to caramel and vanillas. A pecan and peanut nuttiness comes in with some powdered sugar. Notes of coffee, tobacco, and oak with a subtle creaminess. There’s a solid amount of heat here as well.

Sip: The sip almost starts off sweet with light berry flavors before things get extremely hot with a wave of black tea and oak. Tones of caramel and vanilla run through the background, and there’s almost a tobacco or unripened stone fruit flavor to the body. The most interesting thing other than the brown sugar, nuts, and heavy spicing is the way that it seems to turn the flavors on and off like a light switch. The turn from sweet and lightly fruity to spice, tea, and sugars is the almost a vertical take off.

Savor: The finish is spicy, with plenty of rye, oak, ethanol, and black tea. There’s a medium to heavy amount of astringency from the tannins here.

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021 a spicy fire bomb with a slightly fruity edge. The roller-coaster of flavor is powerful, and not necessarily a good starting point for those who prefer more toned down spirits. While the heat is noticeable, the flavors are equally powerful. The heavy notes of herbal tea, caramel, nuts, spice, and sugars are the predominate notes. Expect a powerful hit on your first sip from this bourbon.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan It’s exemplary. The fruity characteristics show up interlaced with ribbons of sweet dulce de leche. The spices and oak join in, giving an amazing mix of sweet caramel, stone fruit, black tea, and vanilla laced oak. The body is smooth and rich, but the finish lets those spice, oak, and vanilla notes really shine with just a bit of silky smooth tannins. It’s a little hard to fully state how much the caramel, and the refinement of the caramel, really comes through in this application.

In Review – OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021 is nothing short of amazing, and another example of why these store picks are leaving the shelves faster than ever. So should you spend the time to hunt for one? That question depends more on what you find you enjoy in a bourbon. As a cocktail whiskey, it is delightful, but probably too expensive and time consuming to find and justify. If, however, you’re already a fan of Wild Turkey’s offerings, and enjoy sipping them straight, than these picks are worth the search.