Kentucky Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Elijah Craig All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel #5

Posted on October 11, 2023October 3, 2023 by Nick

Although less common than Elijah Craig Private Barrels bottled at barrel strength, there are Elijah Craig batches that are bottled at the small batch 94 proof. Given that the small batch is routinely one of our recommended bottles for beginning your home bar, are these viable options to add to your shelf? To find out, I grabbed a (now sold out) bottle of Elijah Craig All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel #5 [they still have batch #6 if you feel inclined as of the time of writing this].

Elijah Craig All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel #5

Barrel No.: 6071250
Age: 10 Years
Rickhouse: T
Floor: 4
Proof: 94 (47% A.B.V.)

Sight: Chestnut Oloroso Sherry – Slightly darker than their standard offering.

Smell: A significant amount of a vanilla and caramel sweetness lead off. Big touches of powdered sugar, peanut brittle, and maple come through. There’s more heat here than you might expect at 94 proof. There’s an underlying spice that compliments the sweetness here, giving good amounts of oak spice, cigar box, and cinnamon. A little hint of orange peel and apple comes through.

Sip: The sip starts off moderately, but immediately pulls through a good run of sweetness. There’s nice hits of caramel, oak, and a little bit of dark chocolate. The predominate nuttiness downgrades a little, turning more into a background note. That slight touch of apple or orange is still there. Overall, it’s pleasant, soft, and mildly assertive.

Savor: Sweet oak continues through out with nice amounts of caramel, touches of maple, and a little spice. It lingers pleasantly and softly.

Elijah Craig All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel #5 is well textured, decently layered, and subtly different than the standard offering. The flavors here are more bent toward fruit and nuts than the standard, but this makes it a little more fun to explore as it opens in the glass. The price difference being less than $10 makes this a nice option if you’re hoping to enjoy your Elijah Craig Small Batch neat.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, it gives a nice medium body and plenty of flavor. There’s good spicing from the oak and bitters that help to lay the background for some caramel and chocolate notes. The subtle apple notes gain a cinnamon element and it has a bit of baked apple. As Manhattans go, it’s very nice and slightly autumnal.

In Review – Elijah Craig All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel #5

Elijah Craig All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel #5 was very good value at only $40. The age comes through in the neat pour, while it’s versatile for cocktails. These sort of bottles (single barrels that are from producers we recommend for beginning your bar) are bottles you should consider when stocking or restocking your bar to introduce both quality and variety. While not all of them will be like exactly like this bottle, it’s reasonable to go with confidence when selecting an Elijah Craig single barrel selection.

Old Tub Bourbon

Posted on October 4, 2023October 3, 2023 by Nick

Old Tub Bourbon is a tribute to one of Jim Beam’s original best selling bourbons (in the 1890’s). Named after the old tubs that used to be used for distillation, this unfiltered, bonded bourbon used to be a gift shop only offering in 375 ml vessels. A few years back, this changed, and Jim Beam began offering Old Tub as a regular offering in 750 ml. The price is reasonable, and as you might have noticed, this seems to have replaced Jim Beam Bonded. So is it a step-up over Jim Beam White Label?

Old Tub Bourbon

Distillery: James B. Beam
Proof: 50 (100% A.B.V.)
Age: Not Age Stated, Minimum of 4 Years
Filtration: Unfiltered
Bottled-In-Bond

Sight: A solid deep gold.

Smell: Unsurprisingly, the Jim Beam peanut funk comes out here loaded for bear. Around it there’s a nice amount of oak, spice, and caramelized sugar notes. The nose also has a bit of heat to it with a bit of vanilla like notes.

Sip: The mouthfeel starts moderately full. The first notes are peanut like with some oak, before there’s a turn toward hay, tobacco, and black tea. A little bit of caramel and spice flits at the edges, but it’s more on the grain and savory side.

Savor: The ending is oak and more hay-tobacco notes. The finish has a moderate tannic nature, but doesn’t last particularly long.

Old Tub Bourbon is average and not particularly exciting or deep. What it does deliver is a solid, dry, bottled-in-bond offering that gives some more oak forward flavors. The Beam funk is also prominent, but not long lasting. Overall, drinking it straight isn’t offensive, but not exciting either.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan there’s a nice weight and textural component that makes the drink feel solid. Beyond the weight, the herbal notes in the vermouth tend to vibe with the oakier notes of the Old Tub. The subtle sweetness of the vermouth moves the peanut notes a little toward brittle, but ultimately it leans dry again. The ending brings in more herbal components and oak tannins.

In Review – Old Tub Bourbon

Old Tub Bourbon is unremarkable, and priced accordingly at around $20. It’s the kind of bourbon that gives a little more emphasis than standard Jim Beam White Label, but doesn’t quite expand it’s horizons in any meaningful way. While there’s a big jump in price, it probably is worth considering making the leap to Knob Creek if you’d like to go up in the Beam range, while for higher proof, Wild Turkey can deliver with more spice and less peanut funk. Finally, it isn’t immediately apparent that this is an upgrade over Jim Beam Bonded, but perhaps its dry, less exciting cousin.

DeKuyper Triple Sec

Posted on September 29, 2023September 27, 2023 by Nick

Cointreau is expensive, but do you have to use it? Alternatives abound for orange flavored liquor, many of which are considerable cheaper. Among them is DeKuyper Triple Sec, which comes in at $10 a liter. So is it good enough to use in your drinks?

DeKuyper Triple Sec

Proof: 48 (24% A.B.V.)

Sight: Clear

Smell: The notes of orange peels float up with a little bit of fresh orange juice. Hint of sweetness, generally just orange.

Sip: Sweet, rich, lightly orange flavored. Again, more zest than fruit. It’s sweet, but with a hint of bitterness. It’s almost a little bit like pith.

Savor: The ending is sweet with just a bit of orange.

DeKuyper Triple Sec is what you’d hope for in a generic orange flavor. It delivers with a nice orange taste and plenty of sweetness. While it isn’t so sweet that its it’s undoing, it is a lot to just sip. Thankfully, we’re putting this in cocktails.

In Cocktails

In a Margarita DeKuyper is fine as the orange flavor tends to meld with the lime. That said, it is slightly sweeter, but it’s not off putting. It also doesn’t add a lot of layers. It demonstrates this more in a Sidecar, where the singular note leaves the cognac and lemon doing more of the lifting. The sweetness being higher also is noticeable, but may be more of personal preference. Overall, it isn’t a terrible foil in cocktails.

DeKuyper Triple Sec vs. Cointreau

Compared with Cointreau it DeKuyper is significantly sweeter. The flavors of orange in Cointreau are more nuanced and layered. Where as DeKuyper feels like a normal Cara Cara orange, Cointreau is layering in elements of tangerines and different varieties of orange. The higher proof makes the sugar content feel more balanced. In cocktails, this helps to keep ratios more in line with recipes that specifically call for Cointreau, allowing you to add more orange without adding as much sugar.

In Review – DeKuyper Triple Sec

DeKuyper Triple Sec isn’t bad for the price (around $10 a liter). It deliver what it needs to, orange flavor. What it doesn’t offer is complexity, and instead delivers additional sweetness. All of this taken together with the price suggests you could add this to your bar, and be relatively happy. So why don’t we? Well we suggest adding premium liquors and try to balance the sweetness in the cocktail. This doesn’t give a premium addition and requires extra effort to account for the sweetness in drinks that call for higher proportions.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – C923

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Nick

We’ve highlighted before the idea that proof means flavor. Proof on it’s own isn’t doesn’t mean flavor though. While many factors are important to create the flavor profile of bourbon (mash bill, cask type, etc), perhaps few are so regarded as longer aging. So when the most recent Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – C923 – showed a 133 proof and a 13 year, 7 month age people became understandably excited. So does this combination of age and proof work out.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – C923

Proof: 133 (66.5% A.B.V.)
Age: 13 years, 7 months
Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered
Price (MSRP): $75

Sight: Auburn to Mahogany

Smell: To start, it’s 130+ proof, so just don’t stick your nose directly in it. There’s undeniable heat, but behind it are sweet layers of lacy caramel, spiced oak, vanilla, burnt marshmallow, sarsaparilla, and brown sugar. The vanilla in particular is fragrant and luscious, wrapping floral vanilla bean notes around the baking spices. There’s a bit of nuttiness in the background, and a bit of preserved cherry.

Sip: The body is rich and silky from the start, and the heat begins to build, but slower than the nose would suggest. The flavors gather steam, pulling in creme brulee like vanilla and burnt sugar. Caramel wraps around and builds elements of bing cherry. The oak then steps in with plenty of spice and almost a hint of candied orange. There’s a subtle brown sugar like sweetness, but it gives ways to a strong hazelnut note and perhaps some other nuts. A hint of char is present as well.

Savor: The ending carries forward a wonderful candied praline and layered with vanilla and almost latte like mellowed coffee and char. The spices linger in the background and lean toward a dessert like mocha. Somehow the finish almost feels creamy and coating. As it lingers, the tannins of the oak expand, give a velvet feeling as the flavors continue to linger.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – C923 is impressively balanced, sweet, complex and rich. The flavors are built on a dessert like sweetness but have a great reflection of the char and spice of the oak. Amazingly, despite the proof, it never really gets hot. The lingering finish is pretty, and carries forward the mix of oak and sweet in a balanced way. There’s a ton to love about sipping this, and it should only get better with time.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is unsurprisingly aggressively and powerful. The notes of oak and perfumed vanilla take the lead here with burnt marshmallow, caramel, praline, and mocha leading the charge. The flavors are assertive and pleasant, but beg you to take notice. The ending has a lovely dark chocolate and concentrated brown sugar note with plenty of oak. There’s a nice luscious caramel drizzle and creamy note that occasionally comes through. Overall, this is a heavy handed Manhattan that will mostly apply to those who are a big fan of barrel proof whiskey offerings.

In Review – Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – C923

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – C923 is delicious neat. There’s no getting around the fact that the team at Heaven Hill has produced a particularly good batch with a 13 year age statement. Without a doubt this whiskey will be showing up on several ‘top whiskey of the year’ lists As a result, this is a no brainer at MSRP ($75), and one that those who enjoy high proof, high age statements should hunt down. Unfortunately, as of the time of writing, the secondary market on this is asking for up to double that price. While it’s good, that’s a bitter swallow (approaching $150).

Those looking for cocktails are going to find this one a little harder to justify. While the flavors are delicious, there’s a lot going on here for the average drinker. Additionally, many cocktail elements may impact some of the neat nuances. Combining this with the proof, and you could also set some guests down a path to more consumption than plan. For all these reasons, this is a bottle that we definitely recommend, but more so for enjoying neat than making drinks.

Previous Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Reviews:

Elijah Craig B520

1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits Single Barrel Select

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Nick

The last 1792 Full Proof store pick I had I received from a friend, and it was nothing short of delicious. As with most brands, when I find something I like, I think it’s worth exploring further. So on a trip last winter, I knew that the 1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits pick was definitely something I’d have to try. So how does it compare, and did I make the right decision in getting another bottle by a different selector?

1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits

Sight: Deep tawny, hedging on auburn

Smell: The nose here is decidedly more oaky than the last single barrel I encountered. There’s a perfumed vanilla that lingers behind a heavy oak and cigar component. The woody character gives off impressions of roasted walnuts and pecans with a deep dark chocolate and slight berry character. Like the other Full Proof, the nose has a tinge of alcohol that’s obvious enough that you shouldn’t go face first into the glass. Those berry notes add a brightness to the edges here, but make no mistake, this is a heavy nose that doesn’t convey sweetness.

Sip: The start is not at heavy as it might imply, but does quickly pull in some baking spice and toasted marshmallow. The oak notes definitely show up though, giving off a toasted char to compliment the spice. Some nuttiness and cocoa powder shows up. Vanilla works it’s way back in with a hint of brown sugar, but it doesn’t quite run sweet. There’s a tobacco and astringent black tea component moving here as well.

Savor: The finish pulls in some of those baking spices, black tea, and slight perfumed oak note. It lingers with a moderate weight without getting too aggressive, and goes more into a charred oak sort of linger. It pops with a little heat toward the end.

1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits is more of a dry take on things than the last bottle I had. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it’s more of a contemplative sipper that isn’t quite as unique or complex. It has some good deep notes in it, but it isn’t going to make anyone run out for another bottle to sip.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, 1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits is unsurprisingly very full bodied and rich. The sweetness actually opens up though, giving an interestingly vanilla brown sugar character that lingers under a toasted barrel / marshmallow riff. The astringency is complimented by the sweetness of the fruity vermouth, and somehow the bitters kind of bind it. While it is strong in presence here, it also sort of mellows. Better in a cocktail than neat.

In Review – 1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits

1792 Full Proof – All Star Wine & Spirits is good, and at a price under $50 it really delivers well on full proof without high price. While it isn’t the home run the previous full proof is, it still shows these picks are worth picking up and enjoying at the $50 price point. Generally speaking, it seems like if you happen to like 1792 (Barton’s) normal full proof, you’re going to enjoy other bottles. Thanks to reasonable price point, these are worth getting when you see them at retail.

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234

Posted on August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 by Nick

Castle & Key’s distillery starts it life in 1887 when Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr built the structure inspired by European architecture. The result featured a Castle, a classical Springhouse, and a Sunken Garden, and contributed to an age of bourbon hospitality. Sadly, it wouldn’t last, and the distillery was shuttered in 1920 with the passing of prohibition. Purchased in 2014, the team at Castle & Key began work to create a functioning distillery. Nearly 100 years later (2018) the first spirits became available for purchase, with aged spirits following in 2021/2022. Among these are single barrel selections, such as Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234. So has their effort paid off?

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234

Mash Bill: 17% Yellow Corn / 63% Rye / 20% Malted Barley
Barrel No.: 234
Bottle No.: 32
Age: 4 Years
Released: 2022
Proof: 115.9 (A.B.V. 57.9%)

Sight: Russet Muscat to Tawny

Smell: Hello, would you like ALL OF THE PEANUTS. The noses explodes with peanuts, peanut brittle, peanut butter, and an armada of other peanut notes. A yeasty dough and mild milk chocolate flavor. The nuttiness covers a lot of the herbal notes, and instead lets some brown sugar and baking spice out.

Sip: It’s viscous, rich, and creamy on the palate. There’s a creamed honey and peanut that comes forward. The vanilla and pastry notes pick up a significant amount of clove and herbs. There’s a deep amount of caramelized brown sugar and light notes of fruit that comes through. There’s some apple and peach notes that get through too, but it’s heavily peanut and sugar orientated.

Savor: The finish carries through dessert like peanut notes mixed with peaches and light mint. The warm baking spices and a touch of tea like astringency gets into the mix. Welcoming oaky notes and light toasted elements finish the long, lingering, peanut finish.

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234 is delightfully dessert like without losing the underpinned rye. It has a moderate amount of complexity and layered sugary notes. The yeastiness is pleasant and balanced, working as a good foil to neutralize some of the more predominate rye elements. Overall, this is a fun rye, and one that I think offers a lot at this price point.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye is smooth, hiding between the sweetness of the red plum in the vermouth. The herbal flavors emphasize slightly here, but there’s not a stand out element beyond the caramel and vanilla. The black tea notes creep up as it warms up. Overall, it doesn’t feel like a 120 proof rye Manhattan, and this disappearing act is a little disappointing.

Compared to another Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye

Another single barrel pick reveals a large gulf. The color shows a bit less, going toward russet muscat. The nose shows interesting aromas of honey and cinnamon with wine like fermented fruits. The herbal touches of the rye creep in adding a savory juniper kind of backdrop, but it lets a honeyed baklava come out. There’s a slight pastry and vanilla nose complexity. The palate explodes with raspberry, peaches, and mint. It’s moderate bodied, and pulls in honeyed tea notes. The flavor is almost similar to a deeply complex, aged dessert wine made with noble rot. There’s a hint of coffee and waffle cone here too. The sweetness here belies a funny sort of sweet white fruit character. The finish is complexly herbal and mixed with dried fruits. The finish brings forward some lingering dried red fruit notes.

Overall, it’s another stunner, even if it’s completely different. It gives me confidence in picking another barrel this rye.

In Review – Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye is really good on it’s own. Especially for the price point, and the step up over the standard shelfer (Castle & Key Restoration Rye). The premium bottle and cork add a richness to the experience, but the complex flavor of the rye inside adds up for a lot of fun. Having two bottles that both positively show this is a confidence booster for picking up another one of these, especially around $60.

Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect

Posted on August 24, 2023August 23, 2023 by Nick

One of the best ways to experience new whiskey is to try it in a bar at a reasonable price. This is how I fell in love with Little Book Chapter 2, and how I ended up initially finding a bottle of Little Book Chapter 5 to review a few years back. I still find time to celebrate with a pour of it, as I think it’s worth savoring. So when I saw the chance to buy a bottle of Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect, I had to take it and see if it lived up to my memories.

The “In Retrospect” portion of this release of Little Book is described as a, “blend of seven cask strength American whiskies – one curated from each of the brand’s previous six chapters and a seventh new addition.” On paper, the blend looks interesting, but without percentages, it hard to say how it drinks. So how is it?

Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect

Chapter 7 contains the following in its blend. The percentages are not disclosed:

18 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
17 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
10 Year Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
9 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
5 Year Straight Malt Whiskey Finished In Applewood Smoked Barrels
4 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
4 Year Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Little Book Chapter 7 comes in at 118.1 Proof (59.05% A.B.V.) and is not aged stated.

Sight: Deep Russet with a lean of chestnut.

Smell: Floral, apple forward, slight smoke start. A rich caramel gets involved with the apple / apple blossom and baking / all spice notes. Nose is slightly hot, there’s a lot of layered apple and fruit smells here, like apple cider. It’s drier on the nose than the fun description implies. There’s a slight grain or malt character here that appears.

Sip: The flavors starts a bit warm, but mellows as it opens. Vanilla, oak, applewood, and burnt caramel come together. There’s a floral sort of apple blossom that butts up against a smokey char. The body is full, and it goes heavily on the fruit and vanilla. The fruit almost reaches for a dark cherry candy or jam note. That grain note is still around, but not super prominent. It’s pleasant, has some nuttiness, but doesn’t go full on beam profile. It also doesn’t feel as complex as the blend implies.

Savor: The ending lingers heavily on the long notes of apple, applewood, caramelized sugar, and heavily charred wood. The finish lingers lastingly, and almost florally as it’s predominant finish (possibly apple blossom). That fruitier character travels forward.

Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect is less complex than it’s predecessor, and more dependent on finishing. The flavors of apple, applewood, and general wood are the highlights here. Fruity flavors that aren’t apple run toward the darker side of the spectrum (dark cherries, maybe plum skin), and it lacks the general Beam nutty profile. The results in layered and on first blush, complicated. The long term isn’t quite so clear, as the layering doesn’t necessarily make for clean set of flavors.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan (yes, this sacrilege again), Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect starts smooth, delivering a rich body, slightly smokey and wood forward drink. The flavors lean into the burnt sugar, vanilla, and applewood realm, while the floral notes are diminished. The black cherry comes back through with a subtle bitterness. The finish is slightly smokey with a hint of cherry, clove, and herbs. It lingers leaving a dark fruit laden charred wood with a bit of heat and a grainy note, and a touch bitter. It’s really unpleasant, emphasizing the worst parts of both the whiskey and the vermouth.

For reference, this was a fresh cracked bottle of Carpano Antica that tasted fresh and had no off notes.

In Review – Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect

Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect doesn’t feel like $130 whiskey. The layering is muddled, the flavors are singular, and it feels like it fights its finish all the way through. The result is it drinks like a finished bottle that lives in the $70-$90 price point. It isn’t bad, but the price of admission feels (at first blush) like it’s paying diminishing returns compared for LB5. Perhaps as American single malts come into their own, this whiskey will age kindly, but right now this feels like an awkward opening salvo.

Castle & Key Restoration Rye

Posted on July 7, 2023August 30, 2023 by Nick

After receiving a Castle & Key Restoration Rye Single Barrel from a friend in Chicago, I was intrigued to see how the Castle & Key entry level offering was. The single barrel offering was deep and robust, with lots of layered flavors. With a higher proof point than many standard offerings (coming in at 103), it would seem that this rye could have a lot of the same depth of the single barrel. So does show up like Wild Turkey 101 compared to Rare Breed, or do you have to go up scale with Castle & Key?

(This picture is from Christmas, when my wife was lovely enough to buy me a bottle)

Castle & Key Restoration Rye

Release Year: 2022
Batch: 2
Bottle No.: 08303
Proof: 103 (51.5% A.B.V.) (Annoyingly their website lists this as 105 / 52.5%)
Mash Bill: 63% Rye, 20% Malted Barley, 17% Yellow Corn

Sight: Burnished to chestnut oloroso sherry

Smell: The nose has an orange zest and peanut note off the bat. It gives way to some lightly honeyed notes with hints of herbs, black tea, and pine. There’s heat suggesting that the proof has a little bit of tilt northward, and it gives away some spice and fruitiness. The fruitiness is almost artificial, like candy.

Sip: It’s lightly bodied, but doesn’t feel thin. Notes of pine and slightly yeasty notes come though with hints of spice and oak. The mix isn’t overtly sweet, but not quite savory, running a very straightforward line. Touches of herbal notes and fruit are very minimal but present.

Savor: The finish carries forward a light yeastiness with a good hint of oak and spice. There’s a little more of that black-tea herbal note, but things are pretty simple and straightforward.

Castle & Key Restoration Rye is characteristically rye like in it’s nose, but then doesn’t quite make the transition to the palate. While it’s a bit warm, it doesn’t quite pull up on the flavors the way a 103 proof might suggest. The flavors therefore end up being rye, but rye light.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Castle & Key Restoration Rye’s flavor shortage of the neat preparation carry forward a bit. The start is a little heavy on the oak and spice, and then opens slightly into black tea and dried fruits. There’s a subtle oaky bitterness here, and a bit of sweetness from the vermouth. The weight is good, but it feels let down by the some of the more aggressive herbal notes. It’s not a Manhattan I would reach for again.

In Review – Castle & Key Restoration Rye

Castle & Key Restoration Rye is just really not great at nearly $40. It tastes young and reflects this in the lack of depth of flavor. The proof doesn’t seem to translate into weight or flavor. All these things that add up to a bottle that’s pretty, but hard to recommend. There are better options in this price range, and for nearly half as much. If you must have their distillate, go for a single barrel rye.

Maker’s Mark: Crumble Coffee Cake – OHLQ Exclusive 2022

Posted on May 31, 2023March 13, 2023 by Nick

As mentioned in our review of Maker’s Mark Marshmallow Krispy Treat, Maker’s does a fairly substantial presence on the shelves as private selections (or store picks). These picks are made up of combinations of finishing staves to impart different flavors on 5 – 7 year old Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. The finished Maker’s Mark Cask Strength then aged for an additional 9 weeks in temperature controlled conditions. Unlike their Marshmallow Krispy Treat, this offering is going for a more breakfast or dessert approach, as they’ve selected the name Maker’s Mark: Crumble Coffee Cake.

As always, be aware these combinations get reused by other private selections with different names, so double check your stave profiles to avoid duplicates or find your favorites.

Maker’s Mark Crumble Coffee Cake

OHLQ described Maker’s Mark Crumble Coffee Cake as follows:

Complex, velvety mouthfeel with aromas of roasted coffee beans, and rich flavors of brown sugar, warm cinnamon and bold baking spices, pie crust, and dried fruit.

Stave Profile:
- 2 Baked American Pure
- 2 Maker’s Mark 46
- 2 Roasted French Mendiant
- 4 Toasted French Spice
Proof: 111.3 (ABV 55.65%)
Age: NAS

As I split this bottle with a friend, the fill level is at half.

Sight: A pleasant oloroso sherry.

Smell: The nose erupts with vanilla and caramel. Behind them comes in this wonderful unctuous, creamy coffee note. Like a cappuccino with some cinnamon on top. A subtle dessert pastry like note comes in with plenty of brown sugar and a hint of preserved fruits, syrupy cherry, and baking spice.

Sip: The body lighter than the proof would imply, and before you read lots of sweet words, drier than it seems from the nose. A coffee and perfumed vanilla note comes through, before the heat starts joining. The midpalate has a more crumbly brown sugar note going on, with more vanilla, touches of caramel, and a bit of dried fruit. The back end gets vanilla cream heavy, somehow feeling lanolin and thin at the same time, but nailing this vanilla frosting note.

Savor: The ending is a cacophony of vanillas mixing with caramel and some obvious oak. The add in of spice and brown sugars make this combination a bit muddle, but does do a good job of conveying a dessert / cake like element. Perhaps just a bit of bitter tannins on the end.

Maker’s Mark Crumble Coffee Cake has a highly developed nose, and a palate that tries to keep up. The influence of the different finishes on the nose is really stunning, drawing you in like you’re about to have dessert. The taste is good but dry, but has a middling level of complexity that keeps you picking at it. The ending is where it gets a little muddled, throwing every sweet note from the staves at you, with vanilla (capital VANILLA) wherever it can. Overall, it’s fun to sip, but certainly not going to be the sort of bottle you shout from the roof tops about.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, this expression of Maker’s Mark does a beautiful vanilla and caramel cream mix across a background of baking spice (leaning toward clove). The coffee notes of the oak really come out here, giving a nice subtle roasty nature to the whole drink. Made with Maker’s Mark Crumble Coffee Cake, the drink comes out like a mature dessert, that would probably pair well with actual coffee cake or a dessert with less sweetness (like flourless chocolate cake).

In Review – Maker’s Mark Crumble Coffee Cake

While Maker’s Mark Crumble Cake seems like it should be a dessert, it’s more dry than the name implies. Despite this, it’s an ok sipper that probably slightly undersells its $70 price tag. The shine here is in making a bang on dessert like Manhattan. It keeps your wanting another sip that goes all the way through vanilla and caramel with a cup of coffee. While this is a good bottle, the price tag means you’ll have to weigh how much you want to enjoy quite good bourbon, versus how much you want look for great bourbon or a new bottle.

Put differently, Maker’s continues to put out solid, high floor / low ceiling bottles that range from good to very good, but slide slightly short of great. This bottle falls toward to the good side of the spectrum, but is still very enjoyable.

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon – Baytowne Spirits

Posted on March 29, 2023February 14, 2023 by Nick

If you just want to have your Old Forester with a bit more power, then you should consider Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon. As the name implies, these bottles are made up of single barrels, and barreled at barrel strength. Unsurprisingly, they’re quite high in proof, and suggest that they might also be quite strong in flavors. This pick comes from Baytowne Spirits in Rochester, NY – where in addition to an amazing selection of single barrels, they have an outstanding selection of rums.

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon

This barrel has the following stats:

Warehouse: K
Floor: 2
Proof: 130 pf
Common Abbreviations: OFSBBS / OFSiBBS

Sight: Solid Auburn

Smell: The nose starts with a blast of oak spice and cherry. Notes of more fruity elements come out, such as macerated strawberries and ripe banana. Brown sugar and caramel roll around over a layer of heat. The spiciness grows and builds in ways ranging from peppercorn to chili to clove and allspice.

Sip: The start is smooth and more moderate bodied. Cherries cooked in brandy and chewy caramel come sliding out in thick waves. There are more fruity elements like dried strawberry and banana. Walnut comes in with full force and give more pepper and brown sugar elements room to grow. Things get increasingly hot, not unsurprisingly – with a rip of oak in between.

Savor: The ending keeps plenty of oak, walnut, cherry jubilee, and caramelized sugar notes. The ending is dry, tannic, and maintains a bit of warmth throughout. It lingers for a longer period than you might expect, but maintains the oak flavor – adding some cigar box and dried cherry as it goes.

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon is both complicated and relatively straightforward at the same time. This seems like a contradiction, but what it delivers is consistency of flavor. In all of the tastings I’ve had of this particular bottle, it tends to pull a very consistent flavor profile, and the glass drinks the same at the start as the beginning. As neat drinking goes, this is a barrel proofer that’s quite good, especially for Old Forester fans.

In Cocktails:

In a Manhattan it immediately makes you aware of its prescience. The weight alone is probably in the top 5 of Manhattans I’ve ever made (unsurprising again, given the proof) and the finish reflects this further with a bit of a heat. In the middle are waves of oak spice, caramel, fire roasted cherries, and cigar spice box. The flavor profile doesn’t really ever relax, but instead either sends spice, bombastic fruit, or oaky notes. Drinking it as it warms up, begs for more heat, but lets a bit more of the vanilla and berry notes through. If you’ve been reading previous Manhattan notes, you might conclude (quite correctly) that this is a bruiser of a bottle in the drink – which might excite some hardcore bourbon enthusiasts.

In Review – Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon

Old Forester Single Barrel – Barrel Strength Bourbon is a powerful, beast of a bourbon. The flavors match the strength, and it delivers a well rounded experience. Fans of Old Forester’s regular offerings should find a lot to like here, and it should be a stretch to grab a bottle. If you’re not a huge fan of Old Forester or barrel strength offerings, this is going to be a stretch – especially at $80, and more than double that on the secondary.

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418

Posted on March 22, 2023February 14, 2023 by Nick

Old Forester offers three different bottlings at 100 proof. We’ve covered two of these, the Signature 100 and the 1897 Bottled-In-Bond, both of which can be found on the shelf easily. What’s less common is the highly sought after Old Forester Single Barrel. Barreled at 100 proof, this offering proposes flavors with less proof than their barrel strength offerings, but also is typically selected by a retailer. While this is priced close to 1897, is it worth the hunt?

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418

Warehouse: H
Floor: 4
Proof: 100 (A.B.V. 50%)
Secondary Abbreviation(s): OFSiB, OFSB

Sight: Between Tawny and Russet Muscat

Smell: There’s a surprising amount of warmth coming out of this nose that gives way to caramelized peanut treacle and spicy oak. Caramel, vanilla icing, and powder sugar join in for a very dessert like character. A banana French toast gets in there with a slight red berry compote element. Like it’s on the whipped cream with the French toast.

Sip: The start is on the sweet side, and very approachable with plenty of caramel and vanilla cake notes. The nuttiness quickly catches up with a strong roasted peanut brittle character. There’s a nice amount of cinnamon spice here, and a bit of that caramelized banana again. There’s a build of cigar box and toasty oak that come in as well.

Savor: That sweet caramel and toasty oak spice roll through with a beautiful amount of vanilla icing. The banana foster notes lean in throughout the rest of the palate, but the oak also gets more spicy as it goes, giving off cigar box and clove with a certain sweetness.

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418 is complex, sweet, and enticingly layered. The nuttiness is well balanced with the caramelized notes, and the baked goods mixing with the banana tones is really a well balanced mix of flavors. While the influence of the oak is strong, it also doesn’t overwhelm the more delicate flavors. As a single barrel, this bottle is well balanced and enjoyable.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418 is smooth, caramelly, lightly banana oriented, and solidly spiced. There’s a good amount of sweetness here, and the general texture is rich. On the finish, it carries forward a blast of spice, ranging from cinnamon to clove to nutmeg, before picking up some notes of vanilla cake. As a Manhattan it’s good, if heavily spiced.

In Review – Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418

Old Forester Single Barrel – OHLQ Exclusive #6418 is a really a solid bourbon, especially at $50. Single barrel variation should thoroughly be expected to come into play with these, and as such you’re likely to have more success if you’re already an Old Forester fan. If you can’t find this, remember that Old Forester Signature 100 Bourbon comes in at the same proof point. Although in my experience the flavors won’t reach this level, the cost is less than half at $21.

Angel’s Envy Bourbon

Posted on February 22, 2023February 14, 2023 by Nick

While A Midwinter Night’s Dram (MWND) might be one of the most sought after whiskey releases that is finished with Port, it’s far from the only offerings on the market. The best part is, a fair number of them don’t cost anywhere near the exorbitant $130 a bottle that MWND commands. Now while they’re all not rye, that doesn’t mean they’re not reasonable bourbons for great prices. Amongst them is Angel’s Envy Bourbon which typically retails for under $50. So does it taste as good as the bottle looks?

Angel’s Envy Bourbon

Age: No Age Statement (NAS)
Proof: 86 (43% A.B.V.)
Finishing: Port Wine Barrels

Sight: A pretty burnished hue.

Smell: Vanilla, bright fresh cherries, nuts, toffee, and figs all jump out at the start of the nose. More notes of raspberries and other red fruit join in with a slightly vinous quality. A touch of oak and baked, jammy berries with vanilla pastry creme follow up. A touch of hard cut oak runs through.

Sip: Red cherries and vinous notes mixed with oak come out at the start too. There’s a bit of sweetness and creamy vanilla that kick up, before being slathered in red plums and jammy raspberries. Touches of baking spice coming in to with just a hint of wood char.

Savor: The ending has a nice vanilla and berry finish. A bit of tobacco and toasty oak comes through as it ends.

Angel’s Envy Bourbon is dessert like in it’s flavors, and pleasantly mixed between fruit and vanilla. The lower proof keeps it easy to drink, but it doesn’t slouch either. The flavors are decently layered too, and each sip reveals a little more of the effects of finishing. The result is an enjoyable, port finished bourbon that’s easy on the palate any time, but especially after dinner.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the jammy sweetness and berry notes of both the Angel’s Envy Bourbon and the vermouth come to the forefront. The cherry notes really run the gamut from fresh to baked to dried. Caramel and vanilla notes come in with spice and cigar box, and give it another dimension with a light marshmallow char on the end. Overall, it’s a sweeter than average Manhattan, and it shows that the application of Angel’s Envy in other places may require some tempering to adjust for the sweetness.

In Review – Angel’s Envy Bourbon

Angel’s Envy Bourbon is polished and refined port wine finished bourbon. The flavors are clean, clear, and concise with a significant amount of both bourbon and port flavors. As a result, it works well in cocktails as well but may add some port wine notes that you might not want or expect them. Overall though, it is delicious and a bottle we recommend. While this bottle is a great offering to keep for guests after dinner, it might be a strange choice to be the only bourbon behind your home bar, so think of if as an expansion.