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Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation

Posted on February 18, 2022February 15, 2022 by Nick

Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation is the fifth release in Jim Beam’s curated collection from Eighth Generation Beam Master Distiller Freddie Noe. “The Invitation” invites tasters to explore interesting blends, ages, and flavors in the evolving world of whiskey. The blend is meant to highlight the diverse influences that have influenced Freddie Noe’s journey and and shaped his style as a distiller. The results are nothing short of being fantastic, as the Little Book Chapter 5 has ranked number 3 on Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys of 2021.

Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation

Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation is a blend of 2 year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 3 year-old Malted 100% Rye Whiskey, 5 year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 15 year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The final result comes in at 116.8 proof.

Sight: Chestnut – Oloroso Sherry

Smell: The nose is an evolutionary experience with Little Book, changing gradually over the time you leave it in the glass. On first pour, there was a heavy dose of peanut and charred oak. After opening, the nose explodes with juicy caramel, brown sugar, rich toffee, peanut brittle, and a jammy cherry. As the nose continues to open, there are elements of charred oak, cigar box, toasted spices, black tea, maple syrup, warm vanilla, and a touch of almonds. Despite the proof, there’s not a lot of heat.

Sip: The body opens smooth and then warms up slightly. The flavors of preserved cherries and warm vanilla laced caramel come through. Touches of brown sugar and molasses open the door to almond brittle and notes of grape. The oak influence kicks in, adding elements of cigar spicing, roasted sugar, baking spice, and tobacco. Elements of black tea and a slight fruit funk jump in and compliment the light spicy sweetness.

Savor: The finish pulls through the creamy brown sugar and caramel elements with a healthy dose of spice. Roasted oak and spice goes through with a hint of burnt marshmallows. The finish lingers beautiful, layering in more wood and sweet sugar notes.

Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation is simply incredible. The flavors are layered, complex, and intricate. The sweetness of the caramelized notes is pervasive, but evolves constantly at Little Book continues to open. The fruit notes are present enough to give it variety, while the nuttiness and wood make up all the in between notes. The result is an incredible whiskey to simply savor over hours.

In Cocktails

Let’s start with the obvious, you’re not buying this bottle make cocktails. To a certain extent, there’s probably some group that would argue putting this in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned is sacrilege. All that said, if you own one, it’s your bottle, and you should enjoy it as you see fit. So here’s what I think of it in the one Manhattan I made.

Is it a good Manhattan? Oh god yes. Is it 3-4 times better than a $30 – $50 bottle of whiskey? No, not even remotely. You’d have to be out of mind to be making Manhattans or Old Fashioneds with it. The flavor is explosive with juicy cherries, spiced oak, and caramel. The notes of nuts and black tea are absolutely present, and it fights with some of the herbal character of the vermouth, explaining to pretty much every other element in the drink that is the superior element. The spicing and brown sugar flavors are so intense that it actually manages to pull off the same length of finish it does in the Glen Cairns glass.

To date, this is the most expensive Manhattan I’ve ever made, and was delicious. I do not however recommend you use Little Book for this purpose.

In Review – Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation

Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation is one of the best whiskeys I’ve ever encountered. This sort of bottle is obviously not a stock it and keep it around for making drinks sort of thing, but it is an incredible offering if you can manage to find it. One of those, words-fail-you sort of offerings that you keep for special occasions. Even at $125, there’s a lot of value here and you should try it if you get an opportunity.

Maker’s Mark 46

Posted on January 28, 2022February 7, 2022 by Nick

To the unfamiliar observer Maker’s Mark 46 appears to just be the next step up the line in Maker’s line up of bourbons. While it does represent an increased cost to purchase, Maker’s 46 should be considered an extension of the standard Maker’s Mark line up, and their entry point into their wood finishing series. Instead of changing their base recipe, 46 takes fully matured Maker’s Mark and then continues to age it with 10 virgin French Oak staves added to the barrel. The result is Maker’s Mark, but with a French oak twist. So is it worth the extra price?

Maker’s Mark 46

Sight: A burnished chestnut color.

Smell: French vanilla coffee and fresh baked pastry leads off, followed by jammy cherries. There’s a certain amount of creaminess here that gets paired with caramelized brown sugar and notes of crème brulee. Hints of banana, leather, cigar box, and spicy oak play background.

Sip: The sip leads of smooth and silk, but quickly becomes firm and slightly warm. There’s a pop of smoked vanilla and latte that explodes out. The French vanilla combines with oak and baking spice. A lazy caramel drizzles its way through, lavishly coating things, while a slightly smoky preserved cherry hides in the background.

Savor: The ending preserves that smoked vanilla cherry note, while adding in some toasted oak and caramelized sugar (with just a hint of charred marshmallow)

Maker’s Mark 46 is beautifully French oak polished Maker’s Mark. There’s a lot going on here beyond the normal cherry, tobacco, and oak of ordinary Maker’s. Specifically, it pops with French vanilla, coffee notes, and other toasted wood elements. The addition of caramelized sugar notes bring a subtle sweetness. Maker’s 46 is lovely on it’s own, and reasonably priced for the additional complexity.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Maker’s Mark 46 adds a variety of vanilla and caramel notes immediately out of the gate. The vanilla almost becomes floral, like a vanilla bean. It then balances back out, allowing touches of cherries and baking spice to join in. Brown sugar and almond notes accentuate and have a hint of bitterness. Texturally it’s still rich, but more balanced throughout and the ending avoids being tannic.

In Review – Maker’s Mark 46

Maker’s Mark 46 is a clearly step up and departure from its sibling. While it does deliver additional flavor, the flavor is much more focused on the traditional vanilla notes associated with French oak influence than creating deeper version of the original Maker’s Mark. In doing so, they’ve created a separate but related product that maintains its quality and is both a very good bourbon and great finished bourbon. Its amazing flavor also plays well in classic cocktails and adds another dimension for crafting new items. While it isn’t a must have for a bar, it is a must try for any fan of French oak aged wines, vanilla fans, or Maker’s Mark fans. For only $8-10 more, it’s certainly worth a try.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon

Posted on September 20, 2021September 21, 2021 by Nick

As I previously mentioned, my first exposure to Ezra Brooks was the OHLQ store pick Distiller’s Collection bottle. The bottle so wowed me that I felt the need to explore at least one other Ezra Brooks product. While getting to 107 in there line up is no longer possible (without a store pick), they still offer both a 99 proof and barrel proof offering. To make an appropriate evaluation, I chose to take the smaller price different, and compare with the Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon (retailing for $24 at time of purchase – compared to $35 for the Distiller’s pick).

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon

Sight: Deep copper bordering on sherry.

Smell: Notes of vanilla, caramel, and hints of ethanol lead off. The nose is sweet with touches of caramelized pome fruit and a hint of something bright (like pineapple?). Hay and grain notes add some backbone.

Sip: The sip starts off rather middling, neither smooth nor harsh. Notes of charred oak slowly creep in before ceding some space to vanilla and light caramel. Touches of peanuts and sweet pops of light brown sugar come out as well.

Savor: The ending leaves a bit of that sweetness and a lightly tannic charred oak finish.

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon is obviously younger just from a sight perspective, and the nose shortly after confirms this with a straightforward enjoyable bourbon characteristic. The sip doesn’t really change this, offering a nice amount of bourbon flavor without getting too complex or interesting. The finish is a bit more of the same, but with a bit more of an oak influence. Overall, it’s an acceptable sip that’s slightly sweet and wouldn’t be unpleasant on ice.

In Cocktails

Making a Manhattan with Ezra Brooks 99 makes a drink forward loaded on sweetness. The result is a Manhattan that naturally emphasizes caramel, brown sugar, brandied cherries, fruity red notes, and vanilla. Even with the use of Angostura bitters, there’s a bit of a turned down spice component here. While the vermouth is usually working over time to help bring out the bourbon’s characteristics, they almost seem to share the space as equals here. With that said, both elements seem to be adding caramel notes, making a very caramelized Manhattan.

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon In Review

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon is a pleasant bourbon that’s not particularly dominant. It’s sweet and friendly, but almost comes across as gentle. There’s something interesting to be said for making a gentler or sweeter drink with it, but it’s not going to appease drinkers of high rye, bold and brash bourbons. Most regrettable is the gulf between the Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon and Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon. At only $10, there’s a massive gulf of flavor. As a result, this is a recommendation to try or sample before committing to a full bottle.

Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon – OHLQ Selection #1

Posted on September 17, 2021September 21, 2021 by Nick

Allocated bourbon and store picks are exciting. They offer an opportunity to receive a single barrel selection at an equal or better price than the equivalent bottle. Theses picks are typically highly sought after and generally hard to find. They also have a significant amount of bottle to bottle and batch to batch variability. In some cases, it can even be dependent on the selector for the store or liquor authority. For these reasons, I generally don’t purchase these selections since they’re two variable to recommend as liquors for bases for cocktails. I generally follow this rule, but made an exception for Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon – OHLQ Selection #1.

Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon – OHLQ Selection #1

Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon – OHLQ Selection #1 has a 53.5% A.B.V. (107 Proof). It’s barrel number was 7015900, and the barrel was filled 2/23/15. I purchased the bottle in early January of 2021, shortly after it’s release. OHLQ provided the following information on the barrel:

Warehouse: 1
Floor: 5
Rick: 39
Tier: 3
Position: 17
Description: Warm caramel and vanilla, sweet.

Sight: Bordering on tawny.

Smell: The nose undoubtedly starts sweet, and instantly leans into vanilla and caramel. Touches of hay and wheat join in, with black cherries and black tea. A rough splash of clove joins in with touches of clove and tobacco.

Sip: The sip starts smooth and sweet, before opening up into vanilla, caramel, brandied cherries, and oversteeped spice tea. Pops of clove overwhelm the other spices, before allowing oak to come to the forefront. A hint of ethanol comes out too.

Savor: The finish gets tannic, pulling in notes of charred wood, strong clove, and a slight sour cherry.

Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon – OHLQ Selection #1 is sweet and spicy sip that doesn’t disappoint. The proof isn’t so high as to be difficult to drink, but it comes loaded with flavor. The texture is smooth with just a hint of burn. The complexity is in line with a $35 bottle, and opens up with more sweetness, especially after a sip of water.

In Cocktails

This particular bottle of Ezra Brooks is unbelievably great as a Manhattan. The caramel and vanilla notes come through with touches of black pepper and black tea. The weight feels perfect, just like liquid silk should. The play off the vermouth shows them sharing the space as equals, giving space for the fruity flavors of the vermouth and the sweetness and herbal notes in the bourbon.

Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon – OHLQ Selection #1 in Review

Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection Bourbon is honestly one of the standout bottles I’ve had in 2021. Upon sharing it with my father, he confirmed my bias to enjoy it. At $35, I picked this up as an impulse buy and found it punched well above it’s weight. Which led me to wonder whether or not the rest of Ezra Brook’s selection is anywhere near as good.

In short, I recommend Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection, but as a store pick or limited time offering, we won’t be adding it to any of our formal lists.

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon

Posted on September 3, 2021September 1, 2021 by Nick

Perhaps no community in the alcohol world so fetishizes the amount of alcohol by volume as bourbon lovers. The thought process is simple, by cutting the proof of the whiskey from the barrel, you get a less flavorful product. If you spend time with these individuals, you’ll almost inevitably see that products bottled below 100 proof are looked down upon compared to their higher proof cousins. Barrel proof and cask strength rule the day, and demand high value. In the middle are many 100 proof offerings, such as Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon.

Coming in just above the 86 proof entry level offering, the 100 proof Old Forester actually has the longer lineage, dating back to the 1897 Bottled In Bond act that locked proof at 100 for bonded whiskeys. It actually wasn’t until well after World War II that the 86 proof offering was introduced (in 1959). In the low $20 price point it has both the heritage and proof to make it a compelling proposition, but is it any good?

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon

Sight: Russet muscat (a rich, but transparent brown)

Smell: Intense notes of caramel and baked bananas lead things off. A candied cherry note comes in with a bit of spice. A vanilla extract intercedes with a bit of toasted almond and a marzipan like note. There’s a distinctly fruity and sweet note to the nose.

Sip: The body is moderate and flavor is subtle in leading off. Notes of spice creep in first, followed by toasted oak and freshly cut cherry. There are more bready notes that start to come in with a similarity to crust. There’s also a nice sort of caramel and brown sugar note that runs through with a hint of banana or apple.

Savor: The ending is relatively simple, some additional caramelized sugars and hints of spice and oak linger.

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon is pretty easy going, and relatively robust. The most interesting (and usually love it or hate it) feature is the subtle note of banana that runs in and out. The nose has a lighter fruit character to it, and less spicing that allows the banana like note to come through. It doesn’t quite carry to the palate, but the flavor is also not stand out at 100 proof. That said, it’s very solid, and checks all the boxes for a bourbon.

In Cocktails

In an Old Fashioned, a cotton candy and candied apple element starts to present itself between the notes of oak and spice. The spice of the angostura seems to accentuate these fruity notes, and gives them a platform that leans into candied with the simple. In a certain way, it doesn’t seem to actually hold it’s own, despite getting spicier. In a Manhattan the spice notes are again dominate, but the cherry comes forward and an almond like note becomes present. On the finish, it hints at banana’s foster, toasted marshmallows, and charred oak.

In Review – Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon

The price point on Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Bourbon makes it really inviting (at only $20 in Ohio). The struggle with this bourbon is that it doesn’t quite do anything amazing. In cocktails it’s harmonious without standing out. If you’re into a more aggressive flavor profile, we recommend you try it in a smaller quantity before buying a handle or multiple bottles.

Bulleit Bourbon

Posted on July 30, 2021July 19, 2021 by Nick

One of the most eye opening cocktails I had in my youth was the Clara Bow at Rye in New York City. Made with Bulleit Bourbon, grenadine, lemon, St. Germain, and mint, the cocktail was shaken and served in a coupe. The result was a bright, balanced, and complexly flavored cocktail that toed the line between dark spicy bourbon notes and bright fruity, floral ones. While Rye restaurant has since closed and Serious Eats removed the recipe for the cocktail from their site, Bulleit Bourbon still holds a special place in my heart, and I still believe it’s a good bourbon to add to your bar.

Bulleit Bourbon

Sight: Between burnished and sherry in color with a hint of muscat.

Smell: The nose starts with a candied cherry and berry sweetness before picking up elements of black pepper, vanilla, and candied apricot. Spices pick up as it opens and builds with touches of oak and chocolate.

Sip: The body is on the thinner side, and the start is packed with spices, clove, almond, and touches of preserved cherries. Notes of chocolate and black pepper mingle with a light berry like note, and a hint of charred oak. There’s a hint of heat present.

Savor: The ending continues with a 100% dark chocolate, spice, and a touch of cherry and charred oak.

Bulleit Bourbon is spicy, slightly fruity, and very earthy. While not the smoothest bourbon to sip on, it does provide some nice nutty and woodsy notes. The fruity flavors give it a little extra personality, although nothing that’s overly standout. There are better whiskeys to sip on, and Bulleit has better applications in drinks.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the chocolate and spice notes shine and allow the fruity flavors of the vermouth to come forward. The result is a well balanced Manhattan that flows smoothly between the various aspects of bourbon and fruit. This same pattern continues in a Clara Bow, where the acidity of lemon accentuates the spice and woodsy elements while giving the grenadine space to flex. In a simpler preparation like an Old Fashioned, the spice is amplified and some of the caramel notes are free to join in with more clove notes.

In Review – Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon is marketed as a mixing whiskey, and it’s a wonderful whiskey for that application. Even though it’s designed for mixing, it’s not a bad sipper either. The result is a whiskey that’s priced toward the middle of the pack, and is a reasonable stand in for a bourbon to choose when starting your home bar.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon

Posted on July 2, 2021January 9, 2023 by Nick

There was a time (and in some states still is a time) when you could walk in and purchase a bottle of Eagle Rare in the mid $20 price point. Depending on where you live, Eagle Rare is now a borderline rare bottle that inspires truck chasers to wait in long lines for a chance to sample it. While one can debate the virtue (and value) of doing this, one thing isn’t up for debate. Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon is in fact very tasty for the MSRP.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon

Sight: A beautiful copper that leans toward oloroso sherry.

Smell: Beautiful notes of ripe, red cherries waft out followed by notes of caramel, roasted almonds, and spices ranging from nutmeg to cinnamon. The background has an almost mulled wine like character with cooked berries and orange notes. The nose has just the slightest about of heat and has a good oak backbone that doesn’t shine too aggressively.

Sip: The mouth feel is smooth and the texture is well rounded. The immediate flavor profile starts out with cherries, hints of orange, and touches of caramelized sugar. Hints of plums and spices enter back in before giving way to cigar box, cherry jam, and toasted oak.

Savor: The ending builds on the cherry notes and baking spices. It leans dry, and lingers for a long period of time bringing in more char.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon is delightfully complex and well rounded with a slightly dry finish. The complexity of the nose is matched by the great texture and complex flavor on the palate. The flavor profile is also dynamic, evolving throughout the experience of sipping it. It continues to open up new dimensions of itself. The most impressive part is the value, which at $30 is exceptional.

In Cocktails

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon plays delightfully in cocktails if you can bring yourself to spare it for the application. The flavors of cherry accentuate the nuances of the sweet vermouth and building on both the spice of the bourbon and the bitters. The net result is a smooth Manhattan that’s well rounded between fruit, spice, and sweetness. In an Old Fashioned, it amplifies the spice elements while providing a red fruit hint from the bourbon.

In Review: Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon

Eagle Rare is an exceptionally good bourbon for the $30 price point. The hardest part of Eagle Rare is reliably finding it. While some states are known to have heavy allocations (to the point that it’s regularly available on their shelves), other states [like Ohio] are subject to some fairly out of control tatering. This could unfortunately means you’ll be driving out of state or sitting in lawn chair on delivery day to try to get bottle of Eagle Rare. That said, if you find it at retail, you should absolutely buy a bottle. The tight supply regrettably means that Eagle Rare will not be added to our recommended list of bottles for starting a home bar.

Eagle Rare Website

Four Roses Small Batch

Posted on May 28, 2021May 16, 2021 by Nick

Four Roses Small Batch is a blend of 4 different blends of bourbons. Four Roses has two different mash bills (E and B), and 5 different yeast strains that allow them to make 10 different bourbon recipes. The mash bills are as follows:

B – 60% Corn | 35% Rye | 5% Malted Barley
E – 75% Corn | 20% Rye | 5% Malted Barley

For this blend, they utilize the slight spice yeast and rich fruit blends from both mash bills to create Four Roses Small Batch.

Four Roses Small Batch

Sight: A moderate gold, somewhere between deep copper and burnished.

Smell: The nose starts a little warm before resting, but opens up into a creamy caramel and spice. Oak begins to show itself prominently, and touches of dried apricot and cherries come through. The nose is inviting, if not complex.

Sip: The mouthfeel is lighter and more delicate than expected, but there’s plenty of caramelized sugars, oak, and spices. Fruits emerge gently, bringing forward touches of summer berries and stone fruits. It’s almost deliberately delicate.

Savor: The finish actually amps up slightly, delivering a punch of spice and browned sugar notes before relaxing back into a mix of ripe fruit, toasted oak, and almost cocoa nib like notes.

Four Roses Small Batch is really an interesting bourbon. Not only is it somewhat delicate on both the nose and palate, but it doesn’t fade on the savor. Instead, that amp up makes it even more satisfying since the flavors linger warmly. On its own it’s enjoyable, even if it’s a little straight foward.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, it unsurprisingly creates a softer drink. The emphasis here ends up on some of the fruitier notes in the whiskey, combining with the vermouth to emphasize a very caramel like outcome. The oaked notes become more subtle, and the spice subsides, linger around the edges. The overall character is softer, allowing more of the wine’s sweetness to play the lead.

Four Roses Small Batch In Review

Four Roses Small Batch is delicate, yet inviting. It allows other elements to play in synchronicity, instead of trying to take over. The result is a bourbon that’s both at home neat and in cocktails. While it is good, and the value is fair in the low to mid $30 price point, it also isn’t quite as versatile as other bourbons. From that stand point, we suggest you try Four Roses Small Batch if you’re a fan of more delicate, subtle bourbons, but don’t necessarily stock it as your primary go to bourbon.

Four Roses Website