Spirits Archives - Page 9 of 16 - First Pour Cocktails

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Posted on December 17, 2021December 1, 2021 by Nick

A few years back, Jim Murray named 1792 Full Proof the whiskey of the year. Like many products that receive notoriety, 1792 went the way of Weller and Pappy Van Winkle and got incredibly hard to find in all guises, including Sweet Wheat, Port Finish, and 12 Year. In the state of Ohio, this included their entry level offering of 1792 Small Batch Bourbon. Unlike many of their other limited releases, Small Batch is findable with a little luck and no need to tater, but how is it?

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

A.B.V.: 46.85% (93.7 Proof)
Age: No Age Statement (NAS)

Sight: Slightly past deep copper, heading toward burnished.

Smell: Opens with candied cherries, bananas, brown sugar, and baking spices. Candied nuts and rock candy hang out in the background with some toasty oak. The cherries move toward preserved as it opens up and a touch of cocoa powder slips in.

Sip: The palate opens up with a combination of rye, spices, and oak. It’s dry, giving off various nuts, hints of stone fruit, and cherries. A vanilla and brown sugar mix begins to emerge, and creates a standoff between the sweet and spice. The mouthfeel throughout has a nice weight, and it does occasionally give off a little heat.

Savor: A barrage of spices come out ranging from vanilla extract to cinnamon to clove to nutmeg, along with touches of cigar box and toasted oak. A slight tannic note lingers with some red fruits.

1792 Small Batch Bourbon is a fairly spice forward bourbon that allows it’s rye notes to bring the spice. The spicy nature is part of the charm here, giving it a bit of character and zip. It’s not a bad sipper, and it has enough complexity to keep your attention. That said, it wouldn’t be what anyone would deems smooth.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan 1792 Small Batch Bourbon explodes with caramel, baked brown sugar and cinnamon, and vanilla. Cherries and stone fruit join in with plenty of rye and spices, and just the smallest touch of banana and orange marmalade. The mouthfeel is silky and easy going, almost creamy because of vanilla the notes. The ending is inviting with a slight ending of sweetness.

In Review – 1792 Small Batch Bourbon

1792 Small Batch Bourbon a slam dunk in a cocktail, opening up an amazing flavor profile that works well with other elements. The price point of around $30 makes it more than competitive with Elijah Craig, and a good alternative to Wild Turkey 101. The only real issue with 1792 is in some locations it’s allocated. However, if you have it available, we thoroughly recommend it as a bottle to use as your go to bourbon.

Flower City Gin

Posted on December 10, 2021December 1, 2021 by Nick

I went to school in Rochester, NY and as a result have fond memories of my days living there. Going back and forth to Albany, NY, I frequently make stops to explore what’s available in the local market that I can’t find in Ohio. Among the products I brought back with me, is Flower City Gin.

Made by the now defunct Honeoye Falls Distillery, Flower City Gin was a well received gin in reviews. Reviewers enjoyed the emphasis on floral notes and praised the price. Sadly this praise never seems to have translated into success for the distillery, and what’s left is a handful of bottles, including this one in my collection from back when they were operating. So it is worth trying to seek out?

Flower City Gin

Sight: Clear

Smell: The nose is as implied, very floral, with notes of violets, roses, and honeysuckle. Beyond the veritable florist’s shop of flowers begin notes of exotic spice, a touch of cassia bark, and juniper notes. The nose clearly demonstrates a more contemporary approach. A hint of citrus pith or greenery finishes things off.

Sip: The start is smooth, and then unexpectedly quite spicy. There’s a fair amount of cassia bark, grains of paradise, and other exotic notes that take over the palate. These remain balanced with a surprising amount of sweetness to counterbalance. As the spice fades, violets, carnations, and roses come into the picture with a juniper backbone.

Savor: Transitioning to the finish it picks up an almost pink peppercorn like character which balances against a juniper and floral profile. The finish is relatively short lived, but lingers with some spice.

Flower City Gin is surprisingly floral and complicated for its price point. The flavor of juniper reminds you that this is in fact gin, but the floral and spice notes drag it far away from traditional London Dry territory. The result is a slightly sweet, floral, and spicy gin that’s pleasant to sip, but also seems ready to play well with other ingredients.

In Cocktails

In a Martini Flower City Gin does exactly what it does on its own, it brings the spice. The same exotic spices punch out against the back drop of the herbal character of vermouth. The vermouth herbal notes also give room to amplify with the floral elements. The overall drink is smooth, but it feels as though this would work better in a Negroni. Trying it in s Negroni leads to a more amplified spice and bitter profile, but it works well with the warm flavors of the sweet vermouth. The only slight issue is that the naturally sweet nature of the gin doubles down here, making the Negroni a bit sweeter than usual.

In Review – Flower City Gin

Flower City Gin is a particularly interesting gin, but one that lends its own character to the drinks you make with it. The biggest struggle here is that it would alienate traditional gin drinkers. The balance is also slightly sweet. Given the price point of $20 or under, Flower City Gin is certainly worth a flyer for fans of Aviation Gin. That said, it’s no where near as composed as Aviation, and will take some balancing for crafting with. Combined with Honeoye Falls Distillery closing, Flower City Gin is now a discontinued bottle, we recommend you try a bottle if you find it on clearance, but don’t go out of your way to try to find one.

Summum Vodka

Posted on December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 by Nick

Summum Vodka is Total Wine’s house vodka brand, and their competitor for Grey Goose. The similarities are intentional and obvious. Summum is made from wheat in France and finished with spring water. As a result, they’re able to offer the brand in large quantities for cheap. So is this a goose hunter or should you stick to the avian?

Summum Vodka

Sight: Clear

Smell: There’s a bit of ethanol wafting off the top that gives way to hints of vanilla and a touch of cereal. The nose is very simple and straight forward, almost clean smelling like wet rock after rain.

Sip: The body is medium to rich, the flavor starts off with touches of vanillan and cereal grains. There’s a distinct ethanol and mineral notes as well, but the vodka doesn’t end up hot, but rather smooth.

Savor: The finish carries through notes of ethanol and vanilla, and a slight bitterness.

Summum Vodka is solid, straightforward, and plentiful. The overall flavor profile is clean with just a hint more alcohol than might be expected, but not enough to be offensive. It’s the sort of thing you have to dig for. That said, it also isn’t the kind of vodka you’d feel compelled to sit and sip on ice.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo Summum Vodka does it job admirably. The weight of the vodka leaves the texture as smooth and silky all the way through. The alcohol notes are subtly subdued by the chilling and herbal characteristic of the vermouth. The result is an easy drinking Kangaroo where the vermouth and vodka coexist in harmony and build slightly off each other.

In Review – Summum Vodka

Summum Vodka offers a surprising amount of quality and quantity for the price. Does it end up beating Grey Goose though? The results are a bit mixed. From a texture standpoint, I would say Summum delivers on 90% of Grey Goose’s, but things slip away on the flavor side. While both vodkas are clean, Grey Goose has a slightly more cohesive flavor profile and less identifiable alcohol notes. That doesn’t mean that Summum is bad vodka, on the contrary it provides amazing value at a discount price (this 1.75L comes in at $27, compared to Grey Goose at $25 for 750.

For these reasons, Summum is a great choice for those starting a bar or who need to serve a large number of people.

Bacardi Gold

Posted on December 3, 2021August 25, 2022 by Nick

Bacardi Gold is the very definition of lightly aged. At between one and two years in oak barrels, Bacardi Gold is on the low end of age. The product is run through charcoal filtration and claims a remarkably smooth character. At only $10, this is either an incredible value, or a “you get what you pay for situation”. We had a pretty good idea this wouldn’t be an amazing value, and we probably would have never bought this bottle (or any of the other bottom shelf Bacardis) if not for a funny little coincidence that happened about a year back.

In Cleveland, the Cleveland Cavaliers revamped the Quicken Loans Arena a couple years back. The resulting stadium (renamed the Quicken Loans Arena) contained new premium seating options, including the Bacardi Ocho Lounge. About two years ago, we received an email from a Cavs rep who sent us premium seats. In a bit of a misguided and hopeful moment, we thought perhaps this had to do with this blog. While we had a great time, it had nothing to do with our cocktail prowess, and we now have these three rums we hoped to impress the Cavs with a few years back.

Bacardi Gold

Sight: A yellow gold hue.

Smell: Traditional caramel and brown sugar notes lead things off with a hint of banana. Vanilla notes come through with a light touch of oak and rum funk. There’s a slight amount of alcohol.

Sip: The body is light, and leads off with notes of caramel, demerara sugar, and molassess. Hints of spice and oak come into the picture. There’s a subtle fruitiness and a light rum funk. There’s a whisp of alcohol.

Savor: The finish is more of the same with a washed out caramel and oak nature that lingers with a slight bent toward the wood.

Bacardi Gold is uncomplicated, uninteresting, and inoffensive. The rum itself tastes like a low expectation, lightly aged rum. While it doesn’t burn or have a heavy bitterness, it doesn’t drive any sort of interest. These characteristics don’t prognosticate a great outcome in cocktail testing either.

In Cocktails

Unsurprisingly, Bacardi Gold hides quite well in a Daiquiri. The lime and rum counterpoint effectively to each other, but the result is a slightly caramelly drink with a touch of tropical fruit and a good amount of brightness. The sweet resulting drink is nice, but boring. In a Grog the result is even more underwhelming. The lack of acid fails to wake up the minimal rum notes, and the result is a drink that doesn’t invite you back.

Bacardi Gold – Overall

Bacardi Gold is about $10, and for $10 it doesn’t make any fatal errors. It performs well enough as a rum, but doesn’t add any flavor. The problem is that for about $10 more, the quality of the bottle you can purchase is more than twice as great. For those reasons, we can’t recommend Bacardi Gold for anything other than late night volume production.

Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style Bourbon

Posted on November 26, 2021November 11, 2021 by Nick

Not every bourbon involves needing to line up at 11pm the day prior to wait for the opening of the shop to get. In fact, the vast majority of bourbons sit on the shelf and are completely serviceable. Perhaps the best example of this Wild Turkey 101, which offers amazing value for money. Among other bourbons we recommend is Elijah Craig Small Batch, which is made by Heaven Hill. Elijah Craig isn’t their intro brand, an honor that instead belongs to Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style Bourbon. At around $10, can this bourbon save your time and wallet?

Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style Bourbon

A.B.V. – 40% (80 proof)
Age – 3 Years

Sight: A deep gold.

Smell: Slight spices and a good dose of ethanol float up to start. Touches of fresh cherries and oak come in. The nose distinctly smells like oak, fruit, and hints of oak.

Sip: The body is light to moderate, but ultimately smooth. There’s a good amount of oak and light spicing here, with some fruitiness. There’s a bit of nuttiness that lingers throughout.

Savor: The ending is slightly oaky with just a touch of nuts and fruit.

Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style Bourbon is surprisingly smooth and not overly complex. For lack of a better way to put it, it smells like you’d expect bourbon to smell. Slightly oaky, with a little bit of fruitiness, and some spices and other flavors. Does it do anything particularly amazing? Not really. Would you be able to sip on it for a while? Sure. It’s easy going and not particularly offensive or hard to drink. If anything, the biggest criticism might be that’s just kind of simple.

In Cocktails

Quality House Old Style Bourbon in a Manhattan leads to more of the same. The drink is clearly based in bourbon, but the flavors are more of oak and spice. The vermouth gets a strong leg up here as there aren’t a lot of other flavors to stand in the way. The body is solid, if not noticeable. The net result is an uninspired but serviceable Manhattan. It somehow manages to pull the exact same trick in an Old Fashioned – which is amazing given it’s most of the drink.

In Review – Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style Bourbon

Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style Bourbon offers a nice value for a very unobtrusive bourbon. At about $12 a liter, this is impressive value, but not necessarily something to go out of the way for trying to make amazing drinks. If you want to offer a bourbon for the end of the evening or for a large group of guests, this is a nice option. For these reasons it’s a situational bourbon, but nothing that you’d have to be ashamed to serve.

Tanqueray London Dry Gin

Posted on November 19, 2021November 11, 2021 by Nick

Owned by Diageo, Tanqueray is a brand positioned as premium but that isn’t the highest in the Tanqueray portfolio. Tanqueray London Dry Gin is positioned as their entry level brand, while they market Tanqueray No 10 Gin as their premium offering. Most people won’t ever get to realizing this though, as Tanqueray frequently is seen as a premium brand in bars and restaurants. Distilled for nearly 200 years, it’s one of the most recognizable gin brands in the world. Despite this, it’s affordable. So should it have a home in your home bar?

Tanqueray London Dry Gin

Sight: Clear

Smell: Soft to start with touches of vanilla. Juniper leads off heavily, pulls in touches of cinnamon and spicing. Touches of lemon and other citrus comes in, and hints of exotic spicing joins in. There’s a hint of heat.

Sip: The start is similarly soft and smooth, but the heat turns up relatively quickly. A bit of sweetness is responsible for this start, which lasts throughout. Juniper is the dominate note, but it’s complimented by a spicy character. There’s notes of angelica and cinnamon that are prevalent. Other sorts of herbal notes are really not as obvious at the spice touches.

Savor: On the ending, the finish has a kick up of heat and more of a powdered cinnamon and touch of red hot style spice. Juniper eventually overwhelms the other notes.

Tanqueray London Dry Gin is a little hot, slightly sweet, and more spicy than a typical London dry gin. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, it has the underlying Juniper flavor that you’d expect from gin. The spice is also not nearly as pronounced as a contemporary style of gin. Overall, it creates a very good opportunity layering flavors on top.

In Cocktails

In a Martini the underlying spice plays a strong foil to the herbal notes in the vermouth. The brightness compliments the sweetness well, and it lends a clean, refreshing character to the drink. The ending lingers with more spice and subtle. The juniper is there, but due to the spice, it holds itself in check. Tanqueray may be a little wild on it’s own, but it also plays well with others.

In Review – Tanqueray London Dry Gin

Tanqueray London Dry Gin works well in cocktails, even if it doesn’t necessarily break new ground. Individuals that aren’t a big fan of juniper might struggle with Tanqueray and look toward Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire. That said, if you like juniper and spice, then Tanqueray plays well with others. The price being close to equal with Beefeater and Bombay puts Tanqueray into the recommended bottles for a home bar.

Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Bourbon

Posted on November 12, 2021November 2, 2021 by Nick

Made by Jim Beam, Knob Creek represents part of their Small Batch collection (including Basil Hayden, Bookers, and Baker’s). The Knob Creek series has been in existence since 1992, and carried a 9 Year age statement for most of its history. The 9 year age statement returned in 2020, making it one of the few bottles in this price point still carrying an age statement. So is Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Bourbon worth the price?

Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year Bourbon

Color: Tawny

Smell: Beautiful caramel and cigar box notes comes off the top with a light whiff of heady alcohol. A nutty note of roast peanuts comes in, with touches of brown sugar and toasted cinnamon. The nose opens up with more touches of oak and cloves, as well as hints of preserved blackberries and bing cherries.

Sip: The palate opens smooth and soft with plenty of cinnamon, cloves, and other baking spices. A nuttiness roles in with plenty of toasted oak and luxurious caramel. The light fruity character comes back and rounds out a little bit of dark fruit notes. A bit of tobacco brings the sip bottle home.

Savor: The ending continues leveraging spice and oak notes, but a complimentary vanilla and tobacco backbone supports throughout. The finish is long, lingering, and pleasant.

Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year is spicy with lots of sweet notes a healthy dose of complex oak. The amount of flavor is surprisingly robust, but doesn’t get overly hot despite the proof. While a small amount of the peanut funk is still there, the caramel and spice notes really lead things off. A subtle sweetness pervade through out. The overall word here is balance.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Knob Creek provides a solid and well oaked backbone with hints of caramel. The vermouth is allowed to play a more forward role, and the spices are pronounced, but not overwhelming. Some of the complexity and sweetness diminishes, but the overall Manhattan is well balanced. Overall, the weight of the bourbon helps here, giving a solid mouthfeel.

In Review – Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year

Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year offers a healthy amount of value in the mid $30 price point. If you happen to live in area where it’s under $30, this is a no brainer option to try or add to your collection. Between the proof, the versatility, and the complexity, Knob Creek Small Batch offers a compelling set of reasons to add it to your shelf. For these reasons, we’ve added it to our Recommended Bottles for Beginning Your Home Bar.

Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Posted on November 5, 2021October 1, 2021 by Nick

We’ve been a big fan of Elijah Craig’s Small Batch bourbon for a number of years. While it keeps tettering back and forth on our recommended bourbons list, we keep it there because the produce is incredibly well made for the price (even if the price creep is what keeps threatening to throw it off the list). Earlier this year, Heaven Hill committed to bringing a rye to the market under the Elijah Craig brand. Similar to Rittenhouse, Elijah Craig Straight Rye is a barely legal rye. This is surprising given Heaven Hill owns both brands, and only a small amount of supporting corn and malt separates the two. We previously also noted that Rittenhouse offers a great value, so should you give Elijah Craig the additional dollars?

Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Mashbill: 51% Rye – 35% Corn – 14% Barley
A.B.V.(%): 47% (94 Proof)
Age: No Age Statement (N.A.S.)

Sight: Tawny bordering on auburn.

Smell: There’s a heavy amount of herbal and minty elements that run parallel to a nice vanilla and spice mix. There’s a nice dried apricot and fresh plum note going on as well.

Sip: The herbal notes are definitely there giving it a black pepper and mint heavy character. Spice and black tea come out with an almost smoked character, similar to peat. Despite all the heavy elements going on, it’s not a very heavy mouthfeel.

Savor: The finish is leaned into campfire smoke and charred wood. Herbal notes run though the background over time with a bit a traditional bourbon sweetness.

Elijah Craig Straight Rye on its own is a smokey, herbal, and kind of bourbon like rye. Its nature is probably not for everyone, and not that inviting as a sipper. The result is also somewhat bitter, and oddly like licorice candies at the end of a meal. Both palate cleansing and somewhat off putting.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the spice of the rye is clearly forward. Notes of black pepper, banana, green apple, unripe black cherries, and cardamom all are present. An oversteeped black tea element and the tannic nature that goes with are around at the end. This flavor profile isn’t inherently smooth, but rather aggressive and bombastic.

In Review – Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Elijah Craig Straight Rye is uneven, aggressive, and a more savory set of flavors. Some of these flavors aren’t that weird in rye, such as herbal notes, but they get away from Elijah Craig here. In tasting side by side with Rittenhouse, the Rittenhouse displays more fruit, more caramelized sugars, and fewer burnt notes. The body is also more even. When you consider the Rittenhouse is $7 less per bottle, and comes in at a higher proof, then you end up with a hard sell on Elijah Craig Rye. For all these reasons, we don’t recommend you select Elijah Craig Rye over the cheaper, better Rittenhouse.

Chopin Potato Vodka

Posted on October 29, 2021October 5, 2021 by Nick

Chopin is a premium producer of vodka from Poland. They make three distinct vodkas:

Chopin Potato Vodka
Chopin Rye Vodka
Chopin Wheat Vodka

Given the overwhelmingly positive response from r/vodka to Chopin, I felt it should be one of my next selections to explore. For filling a hole in our line up, it made sense – having never covered a potato vodka.

Chopin Potato Vodka

Sight: Clear.

Smell: There’s something particularly earthy about the nose, and it leaves an almost freshly dug planters or mushroom like smell. There’s a bit of heat as well, and it fringes into burning rubber.

Sip: There’s a more lanolin texture at the start that gradually loosens up into a more half and half like texture. The flavor is again heavy into the earthy, raw potato side of the spectrum. The ethanol creeps up slightly, and there’s a subtle bitterness and growing heat.

Savor: The ending is slightly toward bitter, again, pulling a large amount of earthy notes.

Chopin Potato Vodka is extraordinarily earthy, fringing into some rather unpleasant flavors. Those who are used to drinking corn and wheat based vodkas, will find the bitterness and raw alcohol notes somewhat off putting. That said, it is distinctive, but perhaps not in a way that will appeal to casual drinkers.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo Chopin Potato Vodka maintains it’s earthy poise with a thick rich body. The lead off is on the starchy side of the spectrum with some potato and mineral flavors. Things transition into the herbal and it lingers throughout, and a subtle amount of sweetness and wine character comes through. The flavors are clean and the texture is lanolin. The net result is a nice sip that goes well with an olive.

In Review – Chopin Potato Vodka

My fiancée and I have polar opposite opinions when it comes to Chopin Potato Vodka. She finds it smooth, minimally flavored, and slightly vanillan, while I find it heavily earthy. Where we have alignment is in the texture. Chopin is undeniably smooth, and in cocktails, provide more texture than flavor. From a cocktail perspective, it is enjoyable, if not something that’s a must have.

At $24 dollars a bottle it’s inline with Grey Goose and other premium brands, while not quite reaching Absolut Elyx costs. That said, the texture makes it worth a try to see if it has a place on your home’s shelf.

Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin

Posted on October 22, 2021November 21, 2021 by Nick

While juniper is the most well known botanical used to flavor gin, there are often a host of other supporting flavors. These can range from cassia to lemon rind to grains of paradise to almost any spice the mind can conceive of. For these reasons, gins are highly variable as their influence is driven by more than factors like grain or fruit used and aging vessels. Among the most famous gins is Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin, which includes over 10 different botanicals, include cubeb, grains of paradise, and almonds.

Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin

While Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin is from a 1761 recipe, its worth noting that the brand is from the 1980’s. Following a run of success, it was sold to Bacardi, who has crafted other versions (including original Bombay Dry and Bombay East). The version in the US is the 94 proof, while international versions are 80 proof.

Sight: Clear.

Smell: The nose leads off with a bit of spice before jumping into juniper. The smell is bright and perfume like with a touch of almond, a variety of citrus (predominately grapefruit), and a hint of coriander. The spice creeps back in and is almost pepper like – most likely from the grains of paradise or cubeb berries.

Sip: The start has a hint of sweetness that slowly fades as the mouthfeel gets slightly warm. The heat persist throughout, but notes of juniper and citrus rind dominate the top notes. Hints of spice and earth notes grow in the background, with a persistent touch of pepper.

Savor: The ending is dominated by spicy pepper and juniper wrapped in lemon peel. The ending lingers provocatively.

Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin is an aggressive gin that doesn’t end up tasting like a pine tree. This dominance is driven by the citrus and spice notes that help balance the juniper notes throughout. The result is a bold gin that toes the line between herbal and spice in an elegant and strong way. While the palate feel is slightly harsh, the flavors are strongly indicative of a London Dry Gin.

In Cocktails

Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin really opens up in Martini. Floral notes and juniper jump out to lead, with plenty of citrus coming in to play background. Combined with the acidity and herbal notes of the wine, it blends smoothly and effortlessly, leading to a clean and inviting drink. Bombay helps to keep the strength of the gin in the forefront, but allows the vermouth to play its support role admirably.

In Review – Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin

We recommend Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin, both thanks to it’s dominate characteristics and complex flavor profile. The added bonus of playing nicely with other ingredients while still showing the full strength of botanicals present in gin. The price and availability are another reason for our recommendation. In the low to mid $20 price point, there’s a lot of value offered for the price.

Bombay Sapphire’s Website

Four Roses Single Barrel

Posted on October 15, 2021August 4, 2023 by Nick

Four Roses Single Barrel sits between their Small Batch and Small Batch Selects in their line up. If you factor in their highly sought after and extremely limited annual limited edition, then you can think of this as the middle of the road for their offerings. Our previous review of the Small Batch left us with the impression that Four Roses was making a solid, if slightly delicate bourbon that on occasions would slip out of the cocktail. This widely available single barrel is a high rye blend at 35%, and a higher proof point, so does it fare better?

Four Roses Single Barrel

Made using only the OBSV formulation, Four Roses Single Barrel comes in with the following characteristics:

Blend (B): 60% Corn | 35% Rye | 5% Malted Barley
Expected Characteristics:
- Straight Whiskey (S)
- Rich Fruit (O)
- Delicate Fruit (V)
Warehouse No: QN
Barrel: 11-4E
A.B.V.: 50%
Aged: 7-9 Years

Sight: A burnished deep copper

Smell: There’s a bit of heat in the lead, but it gives way to perfumed vanilla (almost floral) and hints of dried fruits. Touches of honey and poached pears join in. A very subtle hint of spice hangs around the edges.

Sip: The body is delicate but firm. It doesn’t quite give up it’s secrets right away, but rather slowly opens up. Delicate notes of flowers, plum skins, and a sweet vanilla express themselves. Further back, a honeyed note overlays a touch of oak and spice. Unripe nectarines join in toward the end.

Savor: The finish is more unripe nectarine, slight caramel, and a healthy amount of toasted oak and spice. It lingers pleasantly, waiting for another sip.

Four Roses Single Barrel is an interestingly delicate and powerful bourbon. On the one hand, the flavors come at you on each sip, begging to be recognized. On the other, the flavors are subtle, almost restrained. The net effect is a wonderfully sippable single barrel that’s both inviting and unique.

In Cocktails

Making a Manhattan with Four Roses Single Barrel emphasizes the beautiful honey and stone fruit characteristics that hide in the background. Hints of peach and honey overlap spiced caramel and cigar box. Hints of herbs and red fruit join in, and there’s a wonderful balance achieved between sweet and dry. On the finish, it’s marvelously tannic, while also gently suggesting coffee, clove, and burnt marshmallow notes. In a cocktail, it’s quite beautiful.

Update – Comparing Barrels

Warehouse No: KE
Barrel: 72-5A

Last year, we picked up a bottle for the groomsmen during the wedding (it is great whiskey after all). People believe that the number in the right side of the barrel makes a large difference in flavor profile, with the higher numbers indicating better flavor. The idea is the warehouse’s high changes how the whiskey ages in that 7-9 year period. Below are some notes:

Sight: A burnished deep copper.

Smell: Light pears and apples come out with notes of delicate rose petal and honeysuckle. Vanilla and caramel notes come up with plenty of nice spice and touches of plum. The nose is slightly lighter, heading toward a more bright and peppy plum (or cran/raspberry). It’s lively and a little bright.

Sip: The palate is elegant and moderately weighted, pulling in a nice vanilla note off the start. There’s a subtle sweetness here that gives way to creamy caramel, black pepper, plum, and a bit of honey. Mild oak and spice come out, giving it a touch of backing warmth.

Savor: The ending is smooth, vanilla and honey with bits of plum and gently spiced oak. The ending lingers heading toward black pepper and fresh plums.

Overall, it’s a great example of the whiskey, with a very similar texture and flavor profile. That said, it’s definitely a single barrel, and equally good to the first, even if it’s different. The flavors are dynamic, evolving, and continues to drive home the value I originally experienced.

In Review – Four Roses Single Barrel

As with all single barrel bourbons, your mileage with Four Roses Single Barrel may vary. As sippers go, it’s inviting and complex enough to keep interest, while subtle enough to tease the imbiber. As a cocktail bourbon, there are benefits to knowing the formulation isn’t going to shift. That said, barrel variation may lead to drinks made with this shifting slightly.

Finally, there’s the price to consider. At $45, there’s a good amount of value here, but the returns are on a sliding scale when comparing to the Four Roses Small Batch. The main benefit is that it covers some of the weakness seen from a body and character standpoint in a mixed drink. While there’s no shame in using it in that application (quite the contrary, it’s delicious), it also may lead to underappreciating the whiskey itself depending on the drink you make. All in all, there is a corresponding bump in quality when making a cocktail with Four Roses Single Barrel, but for casual imbibers, you may struggle to taste the benefit over their Small Batch or other bourbons around the $30 price point.

Fords Gin

Posted on October 8, 2021October 3, 2021 by Nick

Fords Gin seeks to be a versatile gin that is perfect for classic gin cocktails. This is an ideal application of Gin, as of all the base spirits, it’s one of the only choices that doesn’t also have a significant number of individuals enjoying it neat. The result of the choices made by Fords is a gin that seeks to bring out the best mix of flavors that are awakened by the addition of other elements, be they water or cocktail ingredients.

Fords Gin

Most gins don’t give you the exact percentage breakdown of their herbs and spice. Fords is a bit of an exception in this regard, providing exactly what percentage of each item is. Per their website:

Juniper – 49.5%
Coriander – 30.5%
Lemon – 3.2%
Bitter Orange – 3.2%
Grapefruit – 3.2%
Cassia – 2%
Angelica – 3.2%
Jasmine – 3.2%
Orris – 2%

Sight: Clear.

Smell: Juniper jumps out, but it’s more subdued. It’s followed by notes of creamy lemon and orange, earthy notes reminiscent of cassia and coriander, and floral notes. There’s a touch of heat as well.

Sip: Smooth and silky on the start, notes of citrus lead off the palate, bringing out orange and lemon zest. The background begins to building, adding touches of spice, plenty of juniper and coriander, and hints of jasmine. The heat on the noses doesn’t materialize here, but a pretty brightness does.

Savor: The ending brings in more notes or orange zest and lemon. It gets more pithy and a touch dry as it goes.

Fords Gin has a nice complexity to it, and is clearly configured to try to achieve balance instead of dominance. The overall smoothness gives it a pleasant texture that seems to be built to compliment other flavors. The spicing is just complex enough that it keeps begging your attention in the background. Overall, it’s very inviting and curiously interesting.

In Cocktails

In a Martini Fords Gin is well balanced, giving a nice mix of juniper and spice while also providing a space for the citrus to thrive. The texture is smooth, and the finish is clean and slightly citrusy and floral. Some of the spice notes are surprisingly prominent, and help to subdue the traditional juniper forward nature that are associated with gin.

In Review – Fords Gin

Fords Gin earns a lot of positive nods for both it’s pedigree and the development focused balanced drinks. Fords Gin does fairly well at achieving balance, especially on its own. It also does fairly well in cocktails, although it isn’t the most prevalent and sometimes almost blends with other elements. The other element of Fords Gin is the price. At nearly $30, it sits at almost double a traditional gin like Beefeater. The problem is the flavor isn’t twice as nice. For these reasons, we encourage lovers of gin to try Fords, but it’s not a must have for those running their home bar.