Spirits Archives - Page 6 of 16 - First Pour Cocktails

Barrel Knickerbocker

Posted on September 16, 2022August 29, 2022 by Nick

The vast majority of gin undergoes a process to impart flavors of the botanicals and spices into the gin. Whether this is steeping, vapor infusing, or vapor distilling, gin receives the flavors, and then is typically ready to be bottled. For these reasons, it pretty easy to start your distillery with gin. What’s less common, is aging your gin. Thankfully the folks at New Holland have instead chosen to make an aged gin. Enter Barrel Knickerbocker.

Barrel Knickerbocker

Sight: Deep gold.

Smell: The smell of citrus, specifically multiple types of oranges (ranging from Curacao to Cara Cara) leap forth. Bergamot and juniper slide in quickly, and notes of angelica, herbs (possibly dill?), vanilla, and spice are present. Just a touch of oak and malted grain comes through. A hint of heat comes through. The nose is ultimately complex and inviting.

Sip: The flavor of oak and citrus pops forward with tons of orange notes again. The orange ranges from dried to candied, with a bit of pithiness. It isn’t quite sweet, but the start of vanilla notes seem to drive it that way. There’s a bright juniper note that pierces through with a gentle creamy vanilla. Herbal notes and juniper gradually build toward the back end.

Savor: The finish continues with a touch of spice, oak, herbs, and a lingering vanilla preserved orange note.

Barrel Knickerbocker is complex and intriguing, delivering significant vanilla and oak flavors but doesn’t lose the juniper. The resulting gin is surprisingly citrusy and vanilla forward, in a refreshing and lively way. The flavors beg to be sipped again and again, and keep evolving as you sip. Perfectly balanced between the gin and the barrel, nothing is lost.

In Cocktails

In a Martini, the citrus forward nature pairs lovingly with the herbs and wine notes of the vermouth. The vanilla and orange still hold a strong profile, giving it a smoothness and gentle spice. The net effect is a barrel aged influence on a Martini with a nice touch of citrus. The ending is equally as delightful, giving off vanilla and juniper notes with just a bit of spice.

In Review – Barrel Knickerbocker

Barrel Knickerbocker is delightful and unique. Priced in the low-to-mid $30s, there’s a lot of value added to this New Holland’s barrel aged offering. The spice and citrus nature pushes this toward contemporary, but the juniper is given a fair place. While it might seem like the kind of gin you can’t use in many places, it will offer a great way to place a twist in everything from a Negroni to a Gin Rickey. The aging process does still make this unique, so we recommend considering it as an expansion bottle, not a primary or starter bottle.

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Posted on September 9, 2022August 13, 2022 by Nick

Some liquors end up hanging around more out of nostalgia than actual enjoyment. Johnnie Walker Black Label fills that role in my life. In fact, it’s one of the first liquors I ever had, and one of the first bottles I ever owned. The reasons are more to do with the perception of scotch as a higher end offering, and the black label being a step over the Red. In reality, Black Label isn’t particularly fancy or high enough, but is it as good as my memory serves?

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Aged twelve year and matured in oak casks and is a blend of single malt and blended grain whiskies.

Sight: Burnished.

Smell: Green apples, chestnuts, and smoke float up. Sea spray and honey come together to give a salinity. There’s a slight breadiness as well. The apple note ranges as far from caramelized to fresh to slightly candy like.

Sip: The body is moderate, and touches off without a whole lot. It opens up gradually, pulling in plum, wet stone, smoke, sea spray, and a bitter honey element. There’s a slight oiliness here, and elements of green apple and hardwood or leather come to play. There’s a bit of heat.

Savor: The ending is more minerality and smoke. These two characteristics overwhelm most everything else, barely letting a hint of yeastiness though.

Johnnie Walker Black Label is an iron fist in a chainmail glove. There’s not a lot of subtleness here, and there’s not a lot of depth. While there are some fruit flavors, this is a bit of a bully. Drinking it neat could be fine, but it’s probably not the most engaging pour.

In Cocktails

In a Highball, Johnnie Walker Black Label opens up with red apple, fresh plums, hints of vanilla, subtle oak, and a hit of minerality. The palate eventually drags in the smoke, and leaves it lingering on the finish. The result is more refreshing, powerful, and open in it’s flavor spectrum, but it’s not particularly deep. In a Bobby Burns No.2, the smoke overwhelms some of the more delicate flavors, but works well with the sweetness and salinity (particularly the lemon garnish). Overall though, this is a bit more unbalanced. For a fun contrast, a rusty nail balances smoke and sweet.

In Review – Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker Black Label is a bit uncouth for most drinks. If you like smoke and would like it cheap, then Black Label is probably an entertaining choice. For those looking for more fruit forward flavors or more gentle floral flavors, this isn’t going to work well. Due to the sheer power, we don’t recommend this as a bottle to start your bar with.

Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1

Posted on September 2, 2022August 29, 2022 by Nick

Among the hottest brands in the bourbon market is Old Forester. They’re well known for not only their standard offerings, like their signature, but also their higher end bottles like Old Forester 1910 ,Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength, and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. Over the course of the boom, Jackie Zykan made a name for herself as their master taster. Her palate is phenomenal amongst the scene, so it was somewhat surprising when she left her role at Old Forester to become a partner and master distiller at Neeley Farm Distillery. The result of their first effort is Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1, a whiskey that currently is leading a hype train with secondary values near double MSRP. So is it worth it?

Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1

Sight: Tawny – Auburn

Smell: Grain and malt top notes with a slightly fruity caramel thing going on to start. The spices join in, giving a baked cinnamon / nutmeg pastry vibe. Almond and honeyed baklava join, with a distinctly vanilla sort of element. That underlying maltiness carries though, giving a sugary breakfast cereal character.

Sip: Moderate to full bodied. Surprisingly smooth and even throughout. Flavors are quite dry, with the first impression being heavy oak, tobacco, leather, and hardwood. These subsided for the second sip, giving more grain notes, picking up malty breakfast cereal, carob, sugar-free caramel, and a hint of vanillin. The flavors feel raw, and slightly young. In the background, a fruity floral character keeps coming back – in line with an unripe peach and pear.

Savor: The ending is dry, with lots of bright, unripe stonefruit and a smattering of oak and spice. A slight bitterness pervades and the malt comes back. The linger is real, long, and leans heavily into the stone fruit / pear / grape direction.

If you told me this was an American single malt, I probably would react differently. However, as a straight bourbon, Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1 is on the unusual side of the malt and fruit spectrums. The flavors are simultaneously dark and light, but they don’t quite ever reach cohesion. The result is something that feels like it wants to be impressive, but can’t quite edit itself into fully formed thought. As a result, it shows potentially great flavors, but leaves you wanting more.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1 is spicy, malty, chocolaty, and full of peach and pear notes. All of those things taken together with sweetness and a big oak hit, make for a very strange, and not quite right Manhattan. The vermouth almost seems to fight with the floral notes, and the bitters just feel aggressive.

In Review – Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1

At $75 a bottle, this one is definitely unusual. If Jackie Zykan’s goal was to lean into a more maybe malted whiskey direction, then she’s possibly heading toward success. As bourbon goes, I’m not sure I’d be reaching for this first. While some of the notes I’d expect are there (particularly in the nose), the palate is a little bit all over the place, and the finish is more fruity and floral than I’d expect. As an inaugural release, it isn’t boring, but I’m not sure I’d hunt it. Interested in seeing how Hidden Barn’s future evolves after their inaugural salvo.

Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

Posted on August 26, 2022August 12, 2022 by Nick

When I first began trying to find new bourbons to try, I found myself reading reviews on many websites. While reviewers palates vary, you can generally find alignment if you try a few liquors or beverages and compare notes. This works because reviewers are relatively static, but what about a hivemind like Reddit’s r/bourbon? Well things become trickier, as you have a mix of reviewers sharing opinions on the same bottles. Yet, there are few things they agree on as much as the positive reviews for t8ke’s single barrel picks. And as luck would have it, the first lottery I ever won was for a chance to buy a bottle of Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

The particular barrel chosen has the following statistics and tasting notes:

Aged: 4 Years
ABV: 118.5pf
Bottle Count: 145
Price: $52 (before shipping)
Tasting Notes: Pound cake, citrus, maple, orange rind, a big root beer note, confectioners sugar and butter cream. Syrupy vanilla bean and butterscotch, long citrus and maple finish. Back on that Old Fashioned in a bottle vibe that I got from our first Blue Note (barrel #15036) and I’m here for it. Reminds me of a night at the supper club here in the Midwest.

Below are my tasting notes:

Sight: Amontillado Sherry to Copper.

Smell: Toasted sugar, maple, and pound cake come out. There’s a strong smack of alcohol top note here that keeps flitting in and out. There are notes such as sarsaparilla, toffee, hazelnut, and game meat or smokey leather. Fruit notes are pretty sparse, leaning slightly toward candied orange or white grape.

Sip: The palate is moderate in weight, leaning thick as it sits. Heat starts building quickly, and the edges can get rough. Toasted sugar and cake are present with hits of oak, smoke, root beer. There are some tobacco notes here has well, with just a hint of burnt marshmallow, and a touch of caramelizing green banana towards the transition to the finish.

Savor: The ending maintains that heat and pulls in more notes of roasted pecan, slight pastry, and again, a cola or root beer like note.

Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club” is complex enough to keep revisiting, but not quite well put together enough to be enjoyable. The palate is hot and the flavors are a bit inconsistent from sip to sip. Given the price point, I want to be wowed, or at least impressed. Instead, it feels young, partially developed, and not quite smooth enough. It feels out of its depth.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club” doesn’t quite work as expected. There’s a lot of weight added, which makes for a nice solid Manhattan. Vanilla bean and maple candy mix with an herbal-woodsy note and sweetness that immediately shifts dry on the finish. The herbaceous notes are nowhere in the general palate of just the whiskey. There’s also an interesting smokiness that presents on the finish. Overall, it’s an interesting, if non-traditional Manhattan.

In Review – Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

Reviewing Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club” is a bit of an exercise in futility. With the extremely limited availability, you’ll never see it. Given it’s a single barrel, it’s subject to all the variation that happens from barrel to barrel. Combine this with the fact that it’s a surviving barrel from a tornado strike, and we’ll it just isn’t representative. So why spend the time?

The fact is that limit availability bottles like this are good ways to peak behind the curtain of different distilleries, and to get an idea of the stock they’re working with. They can serve as potential guideposts when trying to evaluate either a single barrel selector (such as r/bourbon) or the brand (Blue Note). Ultimately, the challenge here is a mix of exclusivity and cost. These picks are not uncommon in many states, and retail for something closer to $40. After exclusivity mark up and shipping, this bottle ended up at $65.

That $20+ is a big jump, and brings this bottle into competition with things like 1792 Full Proof, Maker’s Mark Wood Finish Series and Private Selections, Russell Reserve Store Picks, and more. Those are some big competitors, and Juke Joint’s age and complexity just doesn’t feel like it has the depth to hang here.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

Posted on August 19, 2022July 28, 2022 by Nick

Plantation has made some of our favorite rums for making tiki drinks. While their three star is great for Daiquiri’s and other drinks requiring lightly aged rums, you might find yourself wanting something a little more caramelized and complex. Their original dark could be a good option for something aged, but if you want something a little more unique, why not consider their single origin offering? Enter the Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

Plantation Barbados is aged 5 years, 3-4 in bourbon barrels in the Caribbean and 1-2 in French oak on the continent. The rum contains added sugar (dosage) at 16 g/L, and caramel color to ensure consistency.

Sight: A 14-18k carat gold.

Smell: French vanilla, caramel, banana, and tropical fruit mix with a touch of rum ester to lead things off. Spices come in with a touch of oak, before giving way to coconut and sweet brown sugar. Dark fruits come in at the end. There is a hint of heat to the nose, but nothing offensive.

Sip: The palate starts of light and slightly sweet. The sweetness builds and brings in toasted marshmallow, French vanilla, caramelized bananas, and baking spices. Cigar box and oak come in, and there’s a touch of toffee, ester, and tropical fruit.

Savor: The ending carries in more vanilla with hints of dried tropical fruits and oak. The finish lingers pleasantly with a bit of tannin for a moderate length of time.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum is very approachable and easy going. The flavors are sweet and woody, which is helped by the actual subtle sweetness of the rum. The sippable nature has enough complexity that it doesn’t get boring, but enough complexity to keep it interesting. It feels dependable and reliable, despite not feeling exceptionally unique.

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum imparts many of the same caramel and toasted marshmallow notes with lots of oak. It plays a great counterpoint to the lime’s brightness and works well with the simple. In a grog, it also works well, although thanks to the sweet notes, it can stand the extra acidity. We’ve also used Plantation Barbados 5 Year extensively in our tiki drinks, finding it extraordinarily versatile as a base to split with other strong rums like Smith & Cross or Plantation O.F.T.D.

In Review – Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum is a really solid rum, and a great choice for an aged addition to a bar. The neutral and aged rum character actually makes it a nice bottle for starting a home bar too. We recommend it as a starting point, or even a dependable shelfer to keep around thanks to it’s price in the low $20 range.

Maker’s Mark 101

Posted on August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 by Nick

A new limited release, Maker’s Mark 101 sits almost perfectly between their Cask Strength and standard offerings. In theory, this means it should be the perfect amount of additional flavor and weight over their entry point, without the extra flavor of their finishes, and without hitting the highest proof point. Why they chose this specific proof point isn’t immediately clear, but the price point isn’t halfway between their basic and cask strength, so does it bring enough flavor to justify?

Maker’s Mark 101

Sight: A solid burnished copper

Smell: A caramel-cherry sweetness leads off rather bombastically. A brown sugar and vanilla laced oak comes in and gives a richness and almost a hint of sweet cream. There’s a bit of a baking spice component going on as well, and the nose is deeply concentrated without being hot.

Sip: The mouthfeel has a solid, almost thick weight to it. The smoothness has a prickle of heat though that builds over time. The fresh cherry flavors continue their frontal assault with plenty of almond now. The vanilla lingers, but the caramel is a bit more reserved, instead allowing oak, dried dark fruit, and spice to have a little more of the forefront.

Savor: The finish ends with a heavy dose of oak and spice with just a little alcohol. Cherries gradually peak out as the finish goes.

Maker’s Mark 101 has this interesting effect of making Maker’s Mark seem emaciated by comparison. Those extra points of proof don’t seem like a lot, but the richness here really sets it apart from their standard offering.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the cherry and dark fruit notes come to the forefront. The caramel and oak notes gets rather strong and the overall body has a nice silkiness. It almost is subtly sweet, like eating a ripe piece of fruit drizzled with caramel syrup. The interesting thing is the spices seem to be more in the background, appearing more toward the end with a bit of tannin.

In Review – Maker’s Mark 101

Maker’s Mark 101 is really delicious, if not quite positioned in a cost price point that makes a lot of sense. At just under $40, it sits $15 higher than the standard offering, but comes in just a few dollars less than the cost of Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Given there doesn’t seem to be any obvious difference in age, the question would be why not just by the easier to find Cask Strength. Regrettably, this question doesn’t seem to have a particularly obvious answer. With all that said, if you like Maker’s this is a must try, but for a few dollars more the Cask Strength is as good and easier to find.

The Scarlet Ibis

Posted on July 29, 2022July 24, 2022 by Nick

Originally commissioned by Death & Co, The Scarlet Ibis is rum from Trinidad that is aged 3 to 5 year in American white oak casks. The rum is not chill filtered to help preserve the full character. Haus Alpenz has been distributing this out to the market as it’s become available. While the reputation would suggest a top shelf rum, the price is actually reasonable around the mid $20s. The pedigree of this rum suggests great things, so how does it fare?

The Scarlet Ibis

Sight: Between hay and 14/18k gold.

Smell: The nose opens with elements of brown sugar, slight rum esters, papaya, and other tropical fruits. There’s a light element of alcohol burn, but it gets supplanted by roasted banana, touches of spice, and caramel.

Sip: The body moderate, and begins with touches of brown sugar and sugar cane juice. The tropical fruit flavors then start to climb out of the woodwork. Papaya, lush guava, limes, pineapple, and other tropical fruits join in. A touch of wood and spice joins in, and a green sugarcane note starts to show up toward the end. Despite all the fruity notes, it remains dry throughout.

Savor: The finish carries off a juicy, tropical caramel start before sliding into sugarcane juice and touches of spiced oak. The finish lingers with an herbal earthy funk that is also quite tannic.

The Scarlet Ibis is a juicy tropical rum with an element of sugarcane and oak. The nose wouldn’t lead you to believe anything super complicated going on. The flavor profile matches and seems straightforward, but opens up in new directions as it you keep sipping. The fruity elements are nicely forward here, while still maintaining the rum characteristics that make it round and inviting.

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri, The Scarlet Ibis continues to convey it’s fruity character, but the lime and sweetness help mute some of the more tannic notes. The overall result is a daquiri that feels lively and tropical, but that also has a long, lingering, almost skin-on fruit like finish (like when you eat an apple with the skin attach or have a bit of pith on an orange. The flavor is really enticing, and it seems to help boost the drink in a satisfying way. The only detractor here is complexity, where it may not bring as much to the party as other rums.

In Review – The Scarlet Ibis

The Scarlet Ibis is enjoyable and lively for the price point. The flavors are well defined, easy to sip on, and have a decent diversity to them. In a cocktail it holds it’s own, and brings some lively new dimensions without reinventing anything. The net result is a good rum that isn’t something you need to go out of your way for, but worth trying if you’re looking for something new.

Martell VSOP

Posted on July 22, 2022July 19, 2022 by Nick

I may have mentioned in the past that I am not particularly fast at going through the back log of bottles we’ve collect. As a result, there are occasional packaging flow throughs and changes that make identifying what a particular bottle is a challenge. This is part of what happened with this particular bottle of Martell VSOP (Matured In Red Barrels).

Martell VSOP

Martell VSOP (Matured In Red Barrels) was an effort in Martell’s branding to help address the stodgy image of cognac. By emphasizing the “red barrels” the focus would be adjusted to target the fruity flavors within the cognac. The aging process is done in “red barrels” of fine-grained oak that reduce the exchange rate (compared to larger grain). According to their website, it is also aged at least 4 years for VSOP.

Sight: A pretty reddish amber

Smell: There’s a notable heat here coming off the start that gives way to flowers, touches of lychee, and plenty of fresh apricot. Notes of baking spiced laced macerated peaches come in with a top note of subtle caramel. The nose is unmistakably fruity, but carries the oak influence in the background.

Sip: The palate has a middling to heavy weight and a prickly heat to it. It drinks significantly hotter than 40% A.B.V. would imply. Notes of ripe apricot, peach, and nectarine come out and have a hint of caramelized brown sugar and spices.

Savor: The ending carries over the heat but brings in more oak and a hint of bitterness and unripe stone fruit.

Martell VSOP is fruit on the nose and fire on the palate. This is a rare case of dramatic discontinuity between the nose and the palate. Which is particularly confusing given that the proof isn’t particularly high. While the fruit notes are nice, this is hard to sip straight.

In Cocktails

In a Sidecar it brings the fruit in spades. The drink pops with notes of strawberries, apricot, marmalade, and peach. The overall notes of orange and lemon get prolonged appearances as a result of the relatively weak showing of oak and rich preserved fruit flavors. The result is a refreshing and bright sidecar that’s short of depth.

In Review – Martell VSOP

The value of Martell VSOP is in a price tag that sits below the $40 mark. That’s about where the appeal ends. The cognac in the bottle doesn’t match up with the presentation of the label and bottle. The result is something that’s acceptable, but not a recommendation.

W. L. Weller Antique

Posted on July 15, 2022January 9, 2023 by Nick

W. L. Weller Antique, more commonly referred to as Old Weller Antique (OWA), Weller Antique 107, or just red Weller, is a wheated bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery. Thanks to the bourbon craze originally unleashed for Pappy Van Winkle, all things even possibly made of a similar mashbill ended up being chased by bourbon enthusiasts. As a result, cheap bottles like Weller Special Reserve and Weller Antique went from common, cheap, and wildly available to insane secondary values or being used as currency more than they’re consumed. Weller Antique fits squarely into the second half of this, where it more often serves as trade bait than actual drinking whiskey.

W. L. Weller Antique

To start, lets compare Weller Antique to Weller Special Reserve. Purportedly, these wheated bourbons are made of the same mashbill at Buffalo Trace. They’re aged a similar period of time, and then bottled at different proofs. Other than the label, these are the biggest differences.

Sight: Chestnut – oloroso sherry in hue.

Smell: A nice mix of cinnamon and hints of vanilla bean lead things off. Touches of walnut and stone fruit are joined by preserved bing cherries and other dark fruits. There’s also a little bit of roasted honey and a couple of whiffs of heat.

Sip: The mouthfeel is smooth and leads off with caramel and vanilla notes that are immediately inundated with cinnamon and touches of wood smoke. Cherries and hints of fig come out and are joined by oak and brown sugar. The proof isn’t overtly noticeable other than adding some weight to the middling body.

Savor: The ending continues with some oak and a healthy dose of cinnamon bark. It lingers with a good amount of tannins and a hint of tobacco.

W. L. Weller Antique is a nice, easy going sip with a healthy amount of complexity, and clearly defined flavors. The sweet elements are well contrasted with the spice, and there’s just enough dark fruit in there to keep things lively and interesting. The sugars and oak shifting around give layers to the flavor. As a sipper, it’s clearly why W. L. Weller Antique is popular.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan there’s a nice cinnamon and brown sugar play that leads things off. The vermouth gets a good amount of the stage adding in dark berry notes and cherry elements. The oak and tobacco hints come through as well. On the finish, it’s balanced, a touch tannic, and a hint sweet and oaky. Overall, it does well in a Manhattan, but wouldn’t necessarily be a stand out component.

Now that I’ve finished making a bunch of the taters clutch their pearls, let’s move on to the overall.

In Review – W. L. Weller Antique

W. L. Weller Antique is a very nice sipping whiskey, that has a good amount of complexity and friendly flavors. The proof provides a nice amount of punch and flavor without it being pushy. While it does just fine in cocktails, no one is likely buying it for making mixed drinks. There within lies the two problems with OWA.

You probably won’t find OWA at MSRP outside of controlled liquor states. Even then, you likely will need to hunt to find a bottle (and might even need to become a dreaded tater!)
The MSRP is $50. At $50 it’s a good, solid value sipper. It is not, however, particularly deep, interesting, or a good bottle for making cocktails with.

As with all allocated bottles, we can’t recommend W. L. Weller Antique as a bottle to keep on you shelf (due to availability). However, if you do happen to find a bottle at MSRP or a decent priced pour on a restaurant list, it’s worth trying to see if you feel the hype is worth it.

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel

Posted on July 11, 2022July 14, 2022 by Nick

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel is a relatively new product from Heaven Hill. Starting with Elijah Craig Small Batch, the bourbon is then finished again in a new specially toasted oak barrel. Similar to their Small Batch, there’s no aged statement here, and the site doesn’t suggest how long it’s in the barrel. The idea is that the new finishing step will add chocolate and baking spice flavors to compliment the oakiness. It also adds another $20 to the price, so does it justify the cost?

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel

Sight: Burnished Chestnut / Sherry

Smell: The nose is an explosion of freshly made caramel, butterscotch, and stewed cherries. Confectioner sugar, fresh candy store fudge, and almonds follow things up. Traditional notes of oak and spice come through with some additional fresh red fruit and plum (albeit slightly heading toward fermenting). There’s a hint of heat to the nose as well, and a little bit of corn or grain.

Sip: The body is on the light to medium side. There’s a strong influence of oak that leads things off with vanilla and caramel notes. Spice and plum skin start to pick up with a bit of dried cherry. There are touches of butterscotch, more oak, cigar box, and almost a confectioner sugar / artificial vanillin. There’s a touch of heat, but the flavor profile isn’t overly clear or aggressive.

Savor: The ending hits on a deep undercurrent of oak, with flavors of charred oak giving way to vanilla and unripe cherries. There’s a touch of nutty toffee and a little heat. The char begins to lean bitter over time.

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel packs a solid amount of oak into a turned up version of their standing offering. The result is something that gives the vanilla and oak a forefront, but doesn’t appear to give a lot of room to many other flavors. The result is a tasty bourbon with an extra step of finishing that doesn’t add a whole lot of extra complexity.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel brings a lot of oak and caramel to the party. The result is a spicy and caramel ladened sip with some peaks of red fruit, which is followed by a literal battering of oak. The oak is so strong it leads to bittering and tannic notes on the back end of the palate. Which is amazing, because Carpano Antica is one of the most aggressive vermouths on the market (to the point where some cocktail groups will even recommend avoiding it for certain bourbons). Elijah Craig Toasted just steamrolls it.

In Review – Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel is oaked. Really oaked. In the wine world, we’d complain when a wine was oaked to the point where the actual grape got lost in a mess of vanilla, wood notes, and caramel flavors. Toasted Barrel is fringing into this territory. If you happen to find the flavor of oak to be the thing you want to focus on, this is a potential winner for you. For everyone else, $55 plus territory is going to be expensive, chased after by bourbon lovers, and outshined by other more balanced bottles.

Old Overholt Straight Rye

Posted on June 24, 2022June 1, 2022 by Nick

Few whiskeys have the prevalence or brand lineage of Old Overholt Straight Rye. Take a close look at the rail of almost any bar, and you’re likely to see a bottle of Old Overholt hiding somewhere. The reasons for the prominence are multiple, including it being one of the oldest rye brands in the country. Not only did it survive prohibition, but it also managed to endure the decline of whiskey in the U.S. post World War II. The easiest reasons to note today are the price (typically at under $20 a bottle) and the ownership by Beam Suntory since 1987. The rye in the bottle is young, aged only 3 years, but is non-chill filtered and comes in at 86 proof.

Old Overholt Straight Rye

Sight: A chestnut oloroso sherry – deeper than expected.

Smell: The nose starts off with some elements of cigar box and peppery spice. Peach blossoms and touches of baked cherry Danish join in. There’s a slight touch of mint and a healthy dose of orange marmalade round things out. There’s also a bit of a burn.

Sip: The mouthfeel is thin and it’s slightly hot. The flavors of pepper, oak, and orange zest come through sloppily. Other touches of burnt caramel and touches of floral elements hang around the edges.

Savor: The finish picks up a cracker / cereal like note laced with spice and a bit of heat. The ending grows increasingly oaky with touches of rye.

Old Overholt Straight Rye is more inviting in the nose than on the palate. The palate isn’t necessarily muddled, but it works harder than the nose implies it would. The finish is also slightly more one note than might be expected. The fact of the matter though, is that you don’t buy this bottle for sipping. So how does it do at making cocktails?

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Old Overholt Straight Rye produces a surprisingly balanced Manhattan. The oak and orange flavors join up with the spice notes from the vermouth and balance sweetly. There’s a good moderate weight to it, and just a hint of heat. The finish maintains that cereal linger note after showing just a few fruitier elements.

In Review – Old Overholt Straight Rye

Old Overholt Straight Rye is certainly serviceable if not the most interesting rye in the world. While not as complex as Rittenhouse Rye, it also doesn’t lean heavily into some of the green notes that rye can produce (like Elijah Craig). Given the price differential (typically sold around $15), it’s also significantly cheaper. If you’re only looking to add a rye to your bar, and really don’t want to want spend the extra, there’s nothing wrong with Old Overholt, but for a few dollars more, you can enjoy the wonderful flavors of Rittenhouse.

Pikesville Rye

Posted on June 10, 2022June 9, 2022 by Nick

Pikesville Rye was originally distilled in Maryland and is now owned by Heaven Hill. Despite this, it holds the distinction of being one of the last remaining Maryland rye brands. Reportedly, the mashbill reflects it’s new Kentucky origin, and sits at a required minimum 51% rye. Coming in at $50, it almost doubles Heaven Hill’s slightly younger Rittenhouse Rye (coming in at 4 years). So is it worth it?

Pikesville Rye

Age: 6 Years
Proof: 110
Mashbill (Unverified): 51% Rye, 39% Corn, 10% Malted Barley

Sight: Between amber and tawny.

Smell: Buckwheat honey and caramelized sugar come through with deep baking spices and notes of dark chocolate. Mint, slight herb, malt, and touches of graham cracker join in. Undertones of forest floor and a robust nuttiness join in. There’s also just a touch of floral. The overall nose is sweet and relatively complicated with lots of earthy and baking notes – especially chocolate and nutty notes.

Sip: The body starts off with a moderate to heavy weight and is smooth. It quickly opens up with a barrage of caramel laden rye spices echoing things from clove to burnt cinnamon. Earthy notes make an underlayer here, giving a forest floor, cocoa, and slight dried mushroom underpinning. Buckwheat honey and slight blackberry notes come in. There’s also some mint and cereal. Hold it too long, and the smoothness gives way to alcohol.

Savor: The ending carries forward notes of cocoa, caramel, rye, and a hint of earthiness. The finish lingers – giving way to more rye spices and 100% cocoa as it lingers.

Pikesville Rye is delightfully complex and doesn’t impart quite as much wood as you might expect for a minimum 6 year release. The flavors are deep, complex, and layered. The earthiness bumping up against the chocolate notes with a hint of minty herbs is a beautiful combination. It invites the imbiber to continue to seek out new flavors in each sip. On it’s own, it’s a wonderfully layered and complex rye.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the earthy flavors manage to pull off this interesting background note where notes of dark cocoa powder, forest floor, and a slight grilled portabella mushroom umami play background. In the forefront is a great amount of caramel and latent rye spice. The more minty and buckwheat notes are present, but more minimal, subdued by some of the vermouth notes. The bitterness on the finish is more prominent, as the background note of unsweetened chocolate and forest floor come more to the fore with hints of burnt marshmallow.

In Review – Pikesville Rye

Pikesville Rye has incredibly deep and complex earthy notes. It’s important to note here that those looking for sweet flavors are going to find this more on the savory side. It does these savory flavors really well, giving depth and robust character to each sip. As a result, drinks made with Pikesville end up more taught and brooding than some younger more herbal – fruity ryes. There’s a ton of things to love here though, and at around $50, this is good value that you might want to try before you buy.