Review - Maker's Mark Private Select Kentucky Bourbon - Troutdale Liquor
10 individual custom wood finishing staves were hand selected by Troutdale Liquor in Troutdale, OR creating this kick in the pants….It isn’t for faint of heart at 109.8 proof and is definitely not in the price point for just anyone either. This is top-shelf hand-crafted Kentucky Bourbon and fits the bill.
Rating 3 Glasses
Distillery: Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc - Star Hill Farm, Loretto, KY
Years Aged: NAS
Proof: 109.8
Local Price (USD): $67.95
Availability: Uncommon
Tasting Notes
Color & Consistency: Rusty Caramel borderline copper. Slow and thick.
Nose: Rubbing alcohol and cough-syrupy sweetness with a corny allspice.
Taste: Hot like someone lit a fire in your mouth but super sweet at the same time.
Finish: Caramel and vanilla notes linger but HOT as the bowels of the deepest pits of hell.
Conclusion: 10 individual custom wood finishing staves were hand selected by Troutdale Liquor in Troutdale, OR creating this kick in the pants. Maker’s Mark Private Select starts off as cask strength fully matured Maker’s Mark. Custom wood finishing staves are added to the barrel and it is then left to age for 9 weeks in their limestone cellar to create the unique flavor profile.
Available Staves for Selection (information from Maker’s Mark Website):
P2
Virgin American oak and French oak are the woods of choice for Private Select finishing staves. P2, or Baked American Pure, is made from American oak and is the first stave sampled in the program. It adds notes of brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice.
Cu
Next in the tasting order is Cu, also known as Seared French Cuvée. Cu is made from French oak that's ridge-cut and seared with infrared heat. It gives off toasty notes of oak and caramel.
46
The next finishing stave is the one used to finish Maker's Mark 46. It's made from seared French oak and delivers dried fruit, vanilla and spice. A barrel fitted with 10 of these staves would give you a cask-strength version of Maker's Mark 46.
Mo
The Roasted French Mocha stave, or Mo, is French oak toasted at high heat in a convection oven. Mo adds pleasant traces of char, maple and cacao.
Sp
Sp, or the Toasted French Spice stave, is also French oak that's toasted in a convection oven, first at high heat and then low heat. Sp has a flavor profile of smoke, coumarin and spice.
Out of these options Troutdale Liquor chose 5 P2, 2 Cu, 1 46 & 2 Mo.
Staves Picked By Troutdale Liquor
Based on the heavy influence of American Oak in the finishing of this whiskey we understand why it comes across as being very hot on the palate. It isn’t for faint of heart at 109.8 proof and is definitely not in the price point for just anyone either. This is top-shelf hand-crafted Kentucky Bourbon and fits the bill. The waxed top doesn’t give you any extras and there are definitely a few competitors available that could go toe-to-toe (namely Stagg Jr., Wild Turkey Rare Breed & Elijah Craig Barrel Proof) but we would recommend taking the plunge if you dare.
Review - Michter's US-1 Limited Release Barrel Strength Straight Rye Whiskey 2019
Bottled at 108.4, this particular selection from barrel No. 18F829 is truly a wonder to behold. Familiar but with a depth of flavor and ABV punch that you won’t get from Michter’s std US-1 Rye.
Rating 4.5 Glasses
Distillery: Michter’s Distillery
Years Aged: NAS
Proof: 108.4
Local Price (USD): $79.15
Availability: Rare
Tasting Notes
Color & Consistency: Caramel with rich long legs.
Nose: Pepper and rubbing alcohol leaning into butterscotch and cherries.
Taste: Rye spiciness and buttery smooth charred vanilla with a warming heat that rises slowly.
Finish: Oak and rye spice that lasts well into overtime.
Conclusion: Luckily we were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to snag a bottle of this limited 2019 release. Barreled at a lower 103 proof allows the higher water content distillate to take on more of the flavors of the barrel and makes for a fuller-bodied whiskey. Bottled at 108.4, this particular selection from barrel No. 18F829 is truly a wonder to behold. Familiar but with a depth of flavor and ABV punch that you won’t get from Michter’s std US-1 Rye. It’s hot and spicy like a good rye whiskey should be and we can only hope to come across another in the future. For the money if you happen to see this one on the shelf at your local liquor outlet, grab it and don’t look back, you won’t be disappointed.
Review - Wanderback Whiskey Batch No. 2
…Wanderback's second release sets itself apart by first aging in new American oak barrels then finishing its last 6 months in Nicaraguan ex-rum and Heaven Hill ex-bourbon barrels. In our opinion Batch No. 2 is a notch above its older sibling and delivers a smoother, more balanced and flavorful experience overall….
Rating 3.5 Glasses
Distillery: Westland Distillery (Bottled by Wanderback)
Years Aged: 3 (website says 4)
Proof: 100
Local Price (USD): $64.95
Availability: Uncommon
We want to thank the the good folks over at Wanderback for providing this sample for review. Our reviews are objective and without bias regardless of how the whiskey was obtained.
Tasting Notes
Color & Consistency: Golden amber with skinny turtle legs.
Nose: Floral and buttery rum cake drizzled with grenadine and lightly singed around the edges.
Taste: Sweet, spicy, rummy. Less smokey than Batch No. 1.
Finish: Smooth but medium fade. No smoke but instead hints of cherry brandy and rum.
Conclusion: Made from the same mash bill as Batch No. 1, Wanderback's second release sets itself apart by first aging in new American oak barrels then finishing its last 6 months in Nicaraguan ex-rum and Heaven Hill ex-bourbon barrels. In our opinion Batch No. 2 is a notch above its older sibling and delivers a smoother, more balanced and flavorful experience overall. As far as rating this whiskey, we would give it 4 glasses based on flavor and experience but the higher price point holds it back a bit. Yet still a very strong performance for only their 2nd release to date. Mash bill: Washington Select Pale Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, Crystal Malt. Bottles Released: 2,500 Based on how the current progression has been, we can't wait to see what Wanderback has in store for us with Batch No. 3 set to be released in the fall of 2019. You can check out our review of Batch No. 1 here. And when it's released our review of Batch No. 3 here.
Review - Wanderback Whiskey Batch No. 1
The first release from Wanderback Whiskey, Batch No. 1 was made in collaboration with Westland Distillery in Seattle, WA….This solid whiskey is full of oak and smoke and perfectly at home enjoyed neat in a Glencairn.
Rating 3 Glasses
Distillery: Westland Distillery (Bottled by Wanderback)
Years Aged: 2 (Website says 3)
Proof: 90
Local Price (USD): $59.95
Availability: Uncommon
We want to thank the the good folks over at Wanderback for providing this sample for review. Our reviews are objective and without bias regardless of how the whiskey was obtained.
Tasting Notes
Color & Consistency: Golden Honey. Slowly developing thin legs.
Nose: Smokey bacon, toffee and maple with a hint of vanilla.
Taste: Buttery toffee gives way to spice and charred oak. Reminds me of Lagavullin.
Finish: Long smokey dry finish with remnants of charred oak and spices.
Conclusion: The first release from Wanderback Whiskey, Batch No. 1 was made in collaboration with Westland Distillery in Seattle, WA. Aged in new American oak barrels, this great single malt contains a mix of Washington Select Pale, Pale Chocolate, Munich & Crystal Malts. Released in Summer of 2017, Wanderback's Batch No. 1 took home the 2018 double gold medal from the The American Distilling Institute. This solid whiskey is full of oak and smoke and perfectly at home enjoyed neat in a Glencairn. If you liked this review of Batch No. 1 go check out our review of Batch No. 2 here and we can't wait for the release of Batch No. 3 which is slated for Fall of 2019. Bottles Released: 2160
Review - Blanton's Original Single Barrel Bourbon
Light oak and vanilla that wants to stay for a while. Somewhere in between your brother-in-law jetting out before the end of the 1st quarter …and your great uncle just hanging around long after the final buzzer, watching re-runs of The Price Is Right and reciting for the 26th time the story about how he was “that close” to making it on the show…
Rating 3.5 Glasses
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Years Aged: 6-8
Proof: 93
Local Price (USD): $59.95
Availability: Widespread
Tasting Notes
Color & Consistency: Straw honey with medium legs
Nose: Caramel Apple Pops and Josh screaming “I smell prunes! I smell prunes!”. Lime with a little corn, a little oak and caramel to round it out.
Taste: Oak and dark charred sweetness of brown sugar that has been left on the stove just a bit too long.
Finish: Light oak and vanilla that wants to stay for a while. Somewhere in between your brother-in-law jetting out before the end of the 1st quarter because your sister gave him a 7:37pm curfew and your great uncle just hanging around long after the final buzzer, watching re-runs of The Price Is Right and reciting for the 26th time the story about how he was “that close” to making it on the show.
Conclusion: Introduced in 1984 by Elmer T. Lee to honor Albert B. Blanton, former master distiller of George T. Stagg distilllery (previous name of Buffalo Trace Distillery). Blanton’s was the first single barrel bourbon sold commercially and interestingly enough, the mash bill #2 used to produce Blanton’s is the same one used in Elmer T. Lee Bourbon. Unfortunately we can only get the 93 proof variety here in the States but there are higher ABV offerings exported that if one could get a hold of would be worth it.
We feel Blanton’s is a bit like Lil’ Sweet from the Diet Dr. Pepper Commercials with some vanilla, citrus and oak sprinkled on top. A good single barrel bourbon just not quite elevated enough to hang with other newer, higher proof and just plain better offerings in its price range.
Even being slightly overpriced, Blanton’s makes a great gift as the bottle is truly unique and the toppers are even more unique with 8 completely different caricatures available of a jockey riding a horse.
3.5 glasses from us but go grab a bottle, give it a pour and make your own determination. ↓