Buffalo Trace announced this year’s release of the Van Winkle lines of bourbon. Unfortunately, the yields are less then in previous years. Marketing director Kris Comstock noted “… several of the older Van Winkle barrels did not meet those standards.” The result is less 15 year-old Pappy, and “far less” of the 20 and 23 year-old releases. Kris suggested the allotment is half as much as last year.
Read MoreThe biggest flavour change in the whisky world in the last ten years has been a move away from smooth whisky, and a move toward whisky with character.
Read MoreEagle Rare, is in many ways, is the perfect bourbon for casual bourbon drinkers. There’s enough dramatic shift between the oaky-vanilla start and the oak-based-spicy finish to say yes, this is well-aged bourbon. It’s easy to drink, but not boring. There’s enough complexity that you can sit back and enjoy it, but it’s not so luxuriously priced that you feel bad for drinking it absently.
Read MoreWe’re just one mile of Deatsvill, Kentucky. This is T.W. Samuels Distillery, named after the founder. T.W. Samuels is the great-grand father of Bill Samuels Senior, the founder of Maker’s Mark distillery. Bill actually worked these very grounds you see here in the 30s and 40s.
Read MoreMaker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength bourbon comes in a charming miniature bottle that has that “I snuck it out of the test lab” feeling to it. At the time of this writing, though, it’s only available at the Maker’s Mark Distillery gift store. There’s a good degree of bottle variation between releases. Proof levels will vary. The one reviewed here is bottled at 54.45% ABV.
Read MoreBuffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) whiskies are highly sought after, rarely found, and cherished by the quarter-ounce when poured. I was at Buffalo Trace Distillery to do a tasting of the 2015 collection prior to release. When I posted a photo of the collection on Twitter, I was challenged with “why bother?" What’s the point of reviewing BTAC when there's so little supply released that it's nearly impossible to get?
Read MoreBourbon buyers in Ontario have always had their secrets. When rare products appeared on shelves (Elmer T. Lee back in the day, W.L. Weller 12 today), Ontario whisky buyers snatched them up quickly. Good bourbon options in Ontario are, however, disappearing. We can’t even blame the LCBO on this one. The demand for bourbon in the United States is delisting many favourite bourbons from international sales.
Read MoreRedbreast 12 is the exact opposite type of drink I reach for, and yet it continues to be one I always have around. This isn’t a ‘staying out at a loud bar’ whisky, but rather an ‘at home reading a book’ sipper.
Read MoreJust around the time the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection comes out, Jamie and I speak with Sazerac Director and Master Blender, Drew Mayville. Drew tells us of his favourite Buffalo Trace Experimental lines, answers the question of “why BTAC?” and talks about his role as the Master Blender. We sipped from the Single Oak Project with their experiment of coarse grain versus light grain. We also took home some the infamous 26-year old [failed experiment].
Read MoreWhisky additives have always sparked suspicions from whisky consumers. Many want real proper traditional whisky. But what does that mean? Reid Mitenbuler, author of Bourbon Empire, notes: “In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, whiskey was minimally if at all aged. Drinkers often added flavorings to mask any rough edges."
Read MoreWild Turkey Forgiven is the result of an accidental blend of bourbon and rye. The story behind the whisky is straight-forward—An employee accidentally blended Wild Turkey Rye into a batch of Wild Turkey Bourbon. It’s not necessarily an easy mistake to make, but distilleries re-route whisky into big vats before bottling. Mistakes happen, though rarely are they this expensive.
Read MoreAs written in the pages of my book, when writing about Buffalo Trace Distillery:
Read MoreIt would be easy to point to the notoriously rare Pappy Van Winkle as the distillery’s crown jewel whisky, but Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) is better.
“The best barley that ever came is from Ireland…It’s a fantastic growing region… Whisky is about barley. That’s what it is. That’s what it comes from. And the best place to grow barley in Europe is Ireland.” — Mark Reynier
Read MoreWith the success of The Whisky Topic, the next step is to move forward with a website that includes writers besides myself. Jamie Johnson, co-host on the podcast, will play an active role here as well.
Read MoreMany bourbon lovers rightfully obsess over Four Roses.*
The distillery uses five different yeast strains (yeast matters), and two mash-bills to create a total of ten different variations of high-rye bourbon. This allows for a lot of micro-variation and complexity in the blending process.
Read MoreMeant in jest (I assume!), the fear that Jamie Johnson and I feel when shopping for bourbon expressed perfectly. Bourbon’s Existential Terror:
Read MoreYou don't have to read Kafka to understand what an existential crisis is—just hang out in the Bourbon section of any major retailer long enough and you'll witness it first hand … Sir, can you tell me: does this Bourbon have value? Does it have any meaning? Any purpose? And, if not, what does that say about me? ...
Colonel E.H. Taylor championed the Bottled-in-Bond act of 1897 that served to protect bourbon drinkers in an era where poisons, flavouring, and un-aged spirit were all common additives to whisky. The designation means the whisky has been aged at minimum of 4 years in a federally bonded warehouse, bottled at least 50% ABV, and made in the same distillery during the same year.
Read MoreOld Rip Van Winkle 10 represents the raw youthful bloodline of the Van Winkle line. This would be a whisky that’s easy to write-off in one sip, but with that branding, few would. It takes time to build a relationship with Old Rip Van Winkle 10 and experience the uniquely charismatic and sharp flavours.
Read MoreThe Van Winkle 12 Year Old is an utterly frustrating drink. Firstly, let’s get one thing out of the way—unless you really want a “Pappy” related product, this isn’t the one to get. At the retail price ($55 US), this is a pretty good purchase (★★☆☆). At the $200 to $300 retail range you’re likely to find this (and far more), it’s not worth considering. This is an example where the prestige of the whisky hurts its Whisky Cabinet Rating despite a high taste score. The rating is, after-all, the “Is this worth buying!?” rating.
Read MoreBarrel Proof, uncut, unfiltered. This is the sort of wonderfully chaotic whisky that grabs your attention and doesn’t let it go. It’s intensely loud from start to finish, and that’s no surprise—It’s over 64% ABV (ABV changes from release to release). When doing whisky tastings, the Colonel E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof is (using the baseball term) the “closer” whisky. At the end of the night, no matter what else that you’ve had, CEHT Barrel Proof will be the standout star (Unless, maybe, you’re drinking Stagg).
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