Bourbon Archives - Page 3 of 5 - First Pour Cocktails

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Forester 1897

Posted on June 3, 2022April 18, 2022 by Nick

Old Forester 1897 is a bottled-in-bond offering from Old Forester / Brown Forman. This means it’s held in a government warehouse for 4 years and is distilled in one season. The end result is a 100 proof offering that comes in at about $50. If this sounds like there’s not a lot of info, that’s because there isn’t. For a product that comes in double the price of their Signature offering, and at the same proof, the basic difference appears to be the bonding and label (and minimum 4 year age). So is it worth over double?

Old Forester 1897

Sight: Chestnut / Oloroso Sherry

Smell: There’s a softness to the nose that gives way to a caramelized brown sugar and maple syrup nose. Notes of bananas and fresh cherries creep in before a dose of spices pop in. There’s a surprising amount of heat to the nose, and the fruit gradually grows in strength with just a hint of acetone or floral elements.

Sip: The palate is warm and full of brown sugar and spices. Clove and cinnamon jump out with a bit of cigar box and charred oak. Roasted banana and cherry jam come in, before giving up a bit of tobacco. There’s a slight mocha cream going on as well. It is a touch hot.

Savor: The finish is more of the light brown sugar and charred oak. It lingers with a hint of burnt marshmallow.

Old Forester 1897 is fine, with a nice nose and pleasant palate. The nose is rich, if slightly on the easier side, but it doesn’t ever quite elevate to captivating. The taste follows suit. It has a lot of nice elements, and it seems to fringe into refined, but then falls short. It almost seems like it misses a little bit of a punch, but it certainly isn’t bad.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, Old Forester 1897 is balanced and inviting. It lets loose some of it’s tobacco, spice, and brown sugar while giving the vermouth space to work. Then it adds in some brown sugar before it works into the background. The overall drink is actually quite bright. Overall it’s nice, but doesn’t seem like a $50 bottle Manhattan.

In Review – Old Forester 1897

Old Forester 1897 is underwhelming for $50. There are better options in the same price point that offer more complexity, more flavor, and more versatility. That might be the worst of it, until you consider that Old Forester already makes a 100 proof offering at less than half the price. In a side by side there’s an increase in heat, especially on the finish, but the flavors are more defined on the palate, and the noses are comparable. This is a problem, because Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon is within easy striking distance of it’s bigger cousin. For the purposes of your bar, this one is a hard pass, and Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon should get the nod instead.

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength

Posted on May 27, 2022May 25, 2022 by Nick

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength originally started its life as a distillery only release back in 2015. This release was designed to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Maker’s Mark 46. The limited release proved success, and for the 10th Anniversary, Maker’s decided to release it again in 2020 in a slight broader release. In 2021, they expanded the release even further, and I knew based on the solid offerings of their standard Maker’s, Maker’s 46, and their limited releases, this would be a must try. So was it worth the hunt?

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength

Sight: A robust tawny.

Smell: Spiced honey and baklava lead. Stewed cherries and a perfumed vanilla note express themselves. Fresh cherries mix with spicy oak notes and there’s a bit of heat. A milk chocolate element joins in toward the end.

Sip: There’s a sizable amount of weight to start things off, but it’s still smooth despite a hint of heat. An immediate explosion of baking spices come forward and are toned down by the appearance of vanilla sugar and dried cherries. Caramel drizzles out, but is reigned in by brandied Bing cherries. A slight nuttiness and preserved figs show up with a little stone fruit.

Savor: The nuts and spices are accompanied by a tingly finish and lots of lingering tannins.

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength is packed with flavor, almost to the point of being super saturated. The flavor complexity is delicious, but almost overwhelms at moments. The flavors kind of supersize the normal Maker’s Mark Cask Strength / Maker’s Mark. Where it gets a little lost is the French Oak finish. Somehow it loses some of the smoothness and finesse of it’s proofed down relative. Water teases this smoothness out, but it’s much more layered – almost like two different whiskey’s.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength continues it’s single handed push for every spice it can grab out of the pantry. It only reaches for these after it runs through a quick wall of vanilla and a series of preserved cherries. The weight is incredible, and it kind of gets into syrupy territory. The finish grabs more oak and wood notes, and the whole experience lingers dramatically. As it warms up, it picks up more warm vanilla notes, and hints of brown sugar.

In Review – Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength is an enjoyable offering, but the extra horsepower of cask strength doesn’t necessarily add to the fun. This offering is a bit of a mystery to me, as it seems to combine the strength of Maker’s Mark Cask Strength without the finesse of the finishing for Maker’s Mark 46. The result is like pushing a V8 engine into a Miata. Sure, it’s bonkers and entertaining, but it doesn’t necessarily make it any better for daily driving or track use. The biggest issue is at $60, this puts it at almost $20 more than Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and $25 dollars more than Maker’s Mark 46. For a sipper, this might make sense, but as a cocktail whiskey, this is a hard pass.

Maker’s Mark

Posted on May 6, 2022May 6, 2022 by Nick

Among bourbon’s featuring wheat, there are few as readily available and recognized as Maker’s Mark. Made with soft red wheat, the intention of Maker’s is to be easy to drink without the bite of rye. This recipe is rumored to have at one point in its history share roots with Pappy Van Winkle’s Old Fitzgerald recipe. Factor in a couple of Beam boys and their yeast, and you have a recipe with more than a couple twists and turns. Figure that distilleries have sold, distillers have been replaced, and that recipes have been tweaked for modern palates; and you basically have the wax on the bottle as the best guess as to what to think.

So let’s throw all the history and tater baiting out the window, and start with a much more basic question. Is Maker’s Mark good bourbon?

Maker’s Mark

Sight: Between deep copper and burnished.

Smell: Chocolate, almonds, and cherries lead things off. Cocoa powder and touch of spice join in. Oak and a hint of ethanol finish things off.

Sip: Smooth and mild to start, with a medium body, Maker’s Mark is invitingly easy. Cherry, tobacco, oak lead, and hints of chocolate, spice, red licorice, and a brown sugars come into give a layer of complexity.

Savor: On the finish, oak leads and has touches of bing cherries with a slightly tannic nature and a bit of heat

Maker’s Mark is simple, well rounded, and built upon smooth, inviting flavors. While the body and the flavor profile isn’t the most complex, the texture makes up for it, and the wheat influence and fruity character makes it enjoyable and reasonably priced. As a result, it’s managed to find its way into most bars and is widely available. As a sipper, it’s perfectly fine on ice, but nothing to make you write home.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Maker’s Mark opens with maraschino cherries and touches of orange marmalade. Notes of almond and pecan come in, and there’s a good amount of clove and spice. Just prior to the finish, there’s a pop of dark brown sugar and caramelized stone fruit that then gets connected to an oaky finish.

In Review – Maker’s Mark

Maker’s Mark is a widely available wheated bourbon. The flavors are clear, clean, and strong. It provides good hints of nuts, spice, chocolate, and cherries, while not requiring a wait in line or bartering your left kidney. It’s well made and enjoyable, as well as well rounded. From this perspective, and around the mid $20 price point, there’s nothing here that’s not worth the time to experience. Maker’s is a foundation whiskey with good reason, and reportedly can trace it’s origins to Weller-Stitzel. We recommend you try it to see if you enjoy it, and potentially even keep it around your bar.