Category: Bourbon

Ben Holladay Bottled in Bond, 6 y/o

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Maker: McCormick, Weston, Missouri, USA.

Style: Bonded rye-recipe straight Missouri bourbon.

Age: 6 y/o (distilled autumn 2016, bottled January 26, 2023)

Warehouse/Floors: See photo below

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Michigan State Minimum: $60

Appearance: Medium reddish copper.

Nose: Spicy, with roasted corn, and a bit of caramel.

Palate: Caramel and amaretto chews, rock n rye soda, then cayenne. Water tames the spice and brings the sweet candy flavors to the fore.

Finish: Salted caramel, burn.

Parting words: The bourbon boom has seen a lot of new distilleries appear on the scene, and the last few years have seen the rise of a number of distilleries with promising futures, like (the new) Yellowstone, New Riff, Wilderness Trail, Woodinville, and many others. These folks are putting out great whiskeys right now, and are only getting better.

Something that has also happened is that a few old distilleries around the country have jumped back into the bourbon game, by releasing their own, new products. Ross & Squibb (FKA LDI/MGPI) is one example of that, and McCormick is another. When I first became interested in American Whiskey, I got to know McCormick as the making of Platte Valley corn whiskey, which comes in those distinctive stoneware jugs that used to have a cartoon Hillbilly on them. At 80 proof, it’s a bit weak, but a decent sip on a hot summer Saturday evening.

McCormick saw other distillers getting rich and asked themselves, “Why not us?” They already had the still, the corn, and the warehouses after all. They even found a historical mascot, Ben Holladay, a 19th century transportation mogul (hence the stagecoach) with ties to the distillery for the brand, So they distilled and aged some bourbon and released Ben Holladay Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey to the world in spring of 2022.

I had always assumed that Weston must be on the west bank of the Mississippi, just a stone’s throw from the Kentucky border. It’s not. It’s in the opposite part of the state on the northern edge of the Kansas City metro area. That makes it about 600 miles from Bardstown, Kentucky, and about 500 from Owensboro. The town’s population is about 1,700 people, which is not too different when the distillery was founded in 1856.

Missouri Straight Bourbon whiskey has more stringent standards than its Kentucky cousin. It must be made of corn grown in Missouri, and aged in a barrel manufactured in the state as well. That’s in addition to the requirements to mash, ferment, and distill instate.

Anyway, I like Ben Holladay 6 y/o. It’s sweet and spicy and mixes well too. My only complaint is the price. A bourbon from a venerable producer like McCormick shouldn’t be as pricy as a micro-distiller’s. That said, there are younger, less sophisticated bourbons being sold at twice the price right now, so I guess $60 isn’t too bad, but it could still be better.

Anyway, Ben Holladay 6 y/o BiB is recommended!

1792 Full Proof, Single Barrel Select, Red Wagon Shoppe.

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Maker: Barton 1792, Bardstown, Kentucky, USA (Sazerac)

Style: Rye recipe straight bourbon whiskey (high malt?)

Age: NAS (I don’t remember if the store disclosed the age), but at least four years old.

Barrel #8683

Proof: 125 (62.5% ABV)

Michigan state minimum for 1792 Full Proof: $47

Tasted with a splash of water (don’t be a hero when it comes to 125 proof bourbon)

Appearance: Dark copper.

Nose: Dark caramel, charred oak, Habanero chili.

Palate: Full-bodied and semi-dry. Caramel, white pepper, anise, allspice.

Finish: Dry with some sweet heat.

Parting words: This is my first review of any kind of Full Proof 1792. I did review 1792 Single Barrel from the pre-divorce Red Wagon alongside a selection from the Rural Inn. I believe that last bottle of Full Proof I owned, however, was a selection from the Rural Inn. It tasted good, but I always got a wicked headache afterwards. I’m not sure why, but unchill-filtered bourbons have a tendency to do that to me.

No such complaints for this Red Wagon (Rochester Hills) selection, though. It has big caramel flavors with some holiday spice in the background. It’s not particularly complex, but with a splash of water, it’s a very nice winter or autumn sipper. $47 isn’t chump change, but when the high proof is factored in, it’s a pretty good deal, especially compared to how much microdistiller or Potemkin distillery products go for these days. Red Wagon selections almost never disappoint. Full Proof 1792 Red Wagon Shoppe, Single Barrel Selection barrel #8683 is recommended!

Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond: Barton 1792

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Maker: Barton 1792, Bardstown, Kentucky, USA (Sazerac)

Style: Bonded rye recipe (high malt?) bourbon.

Age: At least 4 y/o.

Proof: 100 (50%) ABV

Michigan State Minimum: $36/1 liter (works out to $27/750 ml)

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Alcohol, five spice powder, dark caramel, velvet.

Palate: Medium-bodied, semi-dry. Caramel, thyme, oak, white pepper.

Finish: Dry and lightly woody.

Mixed: Good with Benedictine, and in a Manhattan.

Parting words: I reviewed the Kirkland Small Batch last summer. Back then I expressed my hope that the bonded would come in soon. It came in a few weeks after that and I got three bottles. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to review it until today, and even more unfortunately, I’m only down to one more bottle.

As one would expect, this is a step up from the Small Batch, though not nearly as much as I had hoped. There’s more complexity and depth, for sure. The cinnamon candy had been replaced with five spice, and there’s more caramel and tannic grip to it. It cleans up nicely compared to its Small Batch sibling, but it’s still not quite what I would call elegant. I would rank it below Very Old Barton and 1792 bonds, but just barely.

Still, for a store brand at this price, it lives up to expectations. It’s good in traditional cocktails, but like the Small Batch, it’s at its best on the rocks. If this one every comes around again, buy it.

Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond: Barton 1792 is recommended.

Final parting note: I took the Pepsi Challenge with this (diluted to 90 proof), Very Old Barton 90 proof, and 1792 Full Proof (diluted to 90 proof) to attempt to determine which mashbill the Kirkland BiB was: VOB or 1792/Kentucky Tavern (supposedly a high malt bourbon). I’m only about 67.924% sure, but I think the current Kirkland BiB was made from the 1792 mashbill. It has a certain spicy, burnt note on the palate and finish that bears a resemblance to it. If I am ever able to get a hold of the Single Barrel (which is in the current price book, but I have not seen on a shelf), I will attempt the same exercise.

Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond

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Maker: Heaven Hill, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Style: Rye recipe, straight bourbon whiskey, bottled-in-bond.

Age: 7 y/o

Proof: 100 (50% ABV).

Michigan state minimum: $50.

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Charred oak, caramel, tarragon, alcohol.

Palate: Full-bodied, and well balanced. Leather, caramel, chilies, pinch of tarragon.

Finish: Field mint, fading into cinnamon disks.

Parting words: This is not the first time I have reviewed Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond. The 6 y/o version was a favorite of mins for many years and I would stock up on it whenever I went to Kentucky, which was pretty frequent back then. I still have one bottle squirreled away in my basement for a rainy day or for some hopefully distant day when I get put into an old folks home. It was a pretty good bourbon, but it was an excellent value. 100 proof, 6 years of age, all for well under $20. It was my house bourbon for many years when company came over.

To their credit, when Heaven Hill decided to revamp their Heaven Hill line, they did add one year of age and give the label a fresh, modern (if a bit dull) look. Not to their credit, they more than doubled the price. HH was known for many years as the distillery of choice for cheapskates like me, because they offered a wide range of pretty good to very good bourbons at several dollars less than their competitors did at the same age/proof ranges. Now, they are unfortunately making a name for themselves by turning their ex-value bonds like Heaven Hill and Old Fitzgerald into super-premium products with prices to match.

All that said, there’s nothing wrong with this bourbon as it is. If it didn’t have the same name as one of the greatest bourbon values of all time, I might be more willing to cut it some slack. But with the almost always superior Henry McKenna 10 y/o single barrel bonded for only $10 more, it’s hard to recommend the current HH BiB. I’m not sure what the point of it is anymore, frankly. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 y/o is mildly recommended.

Rebel Distiller’s Collection, Red Wagon selection

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Maker: Lux Row, Bardstown, Kentucky, USA (MGP)

Distiller: Probably Heaven Hill.

Style: Wheat recipe straight bourbon.

Age: NAS (4-5 y/o?)

Proof: 113 (56.5% ABV)

Notes: Barrel 7533582, Filled 11/2/2016.

Michigan state minimum: $45 (Red Wagon, though I forget which one.)

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Leather, caramel, amaretto, alcohol,

Palate: Full bodied. Cinnamon almonds, burn. Water adds chocolate hard candy and oak.

Finish: Oak, candy, alcohol.

Parting words: Rebel Distiller’s Collection is a single barrel selection expression that makes the rounds of the usual retailers. I don’t remember when I bought this one, but I think it was sometime in 2022. I like Heaven Hill wheaters, generally, but Rebel (Yell) hasn’t always been made with the best Heaven Hill has to offer. Modern Rebel has a well-earned reputation of being thin, rough, and sometimes undrinkable.

This bourbon, on the other hand, is actually quite good. It’s one of the best wheaters I’ve had recently. With a splash of water, it’s a well-balanced, beautiful whiskey that can stand up alongside other high-proof wheated bourbons without embarrassment.

That said, this is a single barrel product, so there will be variation between bottles. I’ve seen reviews of Rebel Distiller’s Collection that were all over the map. As always, find a retailer (or club) that has similar taste to yours, so you can be confident that you’re getting a good one. $45 is still $45!

Rebel Distiller’s Collection, Red Wagon selection is recommended.

P.S. If you’re interested in Lux Row, check out my post on when I went there with some friends here.

New Riff Bottled-in-Bond

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Maker: New Riff, Newport, Kentucky, USA (Ken Lewis, founder of The Party Source)

Style: Bonded, high rye bourbon.

Distilled in the spring of 2018.

Age: 4 y/o

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Michigan state minimum: $40

Appearance: Medium brown.

Nose: Char, leather, caramelized condensed milk, dried chilies.

Palate: Caramel, white chocolate, ancho chili powder.

Finish: A bit of leather, a lot of chili powder.

Parting words: I last reviewed a New Riff bourbon in June of 2021, when I reviewed a Red Wagon selection of the single barrel, barrel proof expression. I liked it (eventually), but I thought it was strange. Very herbal, even for a high rye bourbon, and there was that cut lumber aroma I get out of a lot of young, “craft” whiskeys. The lumber isn’t completely gone, but the basil and tobacco are. The result is a much more conventional, but still tasty, bourbon.

Of all the macro-distilled bourbons on the market, it reminds me of Old Grand Dad the most. It lacks the yeastiness, but the spice and char is similar. I’ve had a few single barrel Four Roses expressions with a similar profile too.

$40 isn’t too bad for a quality BiB in 2023, either. Factoring in “craft” beverage inflation, it’s almost a bargain. While it’s not a Glen Buxton Riff, it’s still a solid Joe Perry one. New Riff Bottled-in-Bond is recommended.

Burning Chair

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Maker: Savage and Cooke, Vallejo, California, USA.

Distillery: Ross & Sqibb, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, USA.

Style: Bourbon whiskey finished in Zinfandel and Grenache (70/30%) barrels.

Age: NAS

Proof: 119 (59.7 ABV)

Barrel: 213

Purchased for $70 (Vine and Table)

Tasted with a little water.

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Big spice, char, cayenne, oak, and sweet red wine.

Palate: Full-bodied with a velvety, sweet opening. Wild cherry Lifesavers, then oak, spice, and burn that slowly grows until it burns the roof of my mouth like a hot slice of pizza.

Finish: Burn and cherry wine. Not quite cough syrup but right on the edge.

Parting words: Savage & Cooke is a restaurant/distillery in Vallejo, California. It was founded and is owned by Dave Phinney, known as “the The Prisoner Guy” in wine circles. It’s another case of a rich guy getting into the micro-distilling business, and also another case of a distillery that seems to be more of a distillery-themed restaurant than what normally passes for a distillery.

As cheesy as all that sounds, this is one of the better finished bourbons I’ve tasted. One of the keys is starting with good, already aged whiskey. Too many producers, large and small, try to use finishes to cover up flaws in the spirit. That almost never works, so I’m glad Savage & Cooke didn’t try. This has a solid whiskey base. The finish is noticeable, but not overwhelming, and well-integrated. It’s everything a wine-finished bourbon should be.

The price, on the other hand, is higher than it should be. I knew $70 was too much when I paid for it, but it is barrel strength, unavailable in the Mitten State, an exclusive retail bottling, and Dave Helt was pouring samples of it at the time. So I paid it, and I haven’t really been disappointed. As a result, Burning Chair (barrel 213) is recommended.

Woodinville Private Select, Holiday Market, barrel 4884

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Maker: Woodinville, Woodinville, Washington, USA

Style: Single barrel, barrel strength, straight bourbon.

Age: NAS (at least four years old).

Proof: 121.28 (60.64% ABV)

Michigan state minimum: $70

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Spicy. Caramel, hot pepper jam, mace, cassia.

Palate: Full bodied and lucious. Caramel and cream, with big burn on the end. Water calms things down a bit, but doesn’t rob it of its richness. It also brings out the char and a little chocolate.

Finish: Sweet and oaky, in the “dusty” bourbon way.

Parting words: Woodinville is a farm-to-bottle distillery in the wine country near Seattle. Like many micro distilleries around the US, they claim the late Dave Pickerell as a formative influence on their business. After parting ways with Maker’s Mark in 2008, Pickerell went into business as a travelling consultant and worked with scores of start up distilleries over the next ten years, Woodinville included.

I’m not very well acquainted with Woodinville, and this is the first bottle I’ve purchased, so I had no expectations upon opening it. When I first opened it, I drank it mostly on the rocks, and I was not particularly impressed. Once I started drinking it in a Glencairn glass with a splash of water, my opinion changed immensely.

It has a richness that reminds me a lot of some of my favorite old “dusty” discontinued bourbons. I don’t remember how old it is, but I don’t really care, frankly. It’s one of the best “craft” bourbons I’ve had. $70 is a perfectly reasonable price given the quality and proof. I really like this, and I can’t wait to try more Woodinville selections. Woodinville Private Select, Holiday Market selection (barrel 4884) is highly recommended.

Kirkland Small Batch: Barton 1792

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Maker: Barton 1792, Bardstown, Kentucky, USA (Sazerac)

Style: Standard recipe straight bourbon.

Age: NAS (at least 4 y/o)

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Michigan state minimum: $28/1 liter. Comes out to $21/750 ml

Appearance: Shiny copper.

Nose: Pretty hot for a 92 proofer. Cinnamon imperials, baking spice.

Palate: Cinnamon disks, cayenne pepper, oak.

Finish: More candy notes, but some oaky tannin and caramel.

Parting words: When Costco announced that they were going to be releasing a new line of Kirkland bourbons, all distilled at Barton 1792, I was excited, even though there were some who shrugged their shoulders. As you know, dear readers, I love Very Old Barton. Unfortunately, it’s highly allocated in the Great Lakes State where I live. As much as I love it, I find it hard to motivate myself to drive all over the metro area looking for a $14 bourbon. Kirkland Small Batch is slightly easier to find, but at least it comes in bigger bottles.

The question on my mind when this line was announced was which recipe was going to be used for it, Barton or the high malt 1792 recipe. After spending a couple months with this bottle, I can firmly say that I have no idea. If pressed on the matter, I would say Barton, given the sweetness and spice.

Either way, this is pretty much what I expect in a $21 bourbon. Some oak and spice, but a little thin. Strangely enough, I actually like this bourbon better on the rocks. Everything seems to be much more harmonious and integrated.

At any rate, Kirkland Small Batch: Barton 1792 is recommended! I really hope my local Costco gets some of the Bottled-in-Bond, or Single Barrel in soon!

Eastern Kille Bottled In Bond

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Maker: Eastern Kille, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Style: standard recipe, pot distilled straight bourbon.

Age: Not disclosed but at least 4 y/o by law.

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Purchased for $48 (Holiday Market)

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Sawdust, anise, over-roasted almonds.

Palate: Full-bodied and mild. Caramel, barrel char, dark chocolate, dash of amaretto.

Finish: Hot and woodsy.

Mixed: Performed pretty well in Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, with Coke, and with Cherry Coke.

Parting words: To me, the moment when a new bourbon distillery comes of age is when it can release a bottled in bond bourbon. So I was very excited to try this from Michigan’s own Eastern Kille. It feels like they’ve arrived.

But where have they arrived? I’m split. The nose and finish have that sharp sawdust note that I used to associate with small barrel bourbon, but I’m not so sure that’s where it’s from anymore (mashing maybe?). I don’t fine that aspect very pleasant, and it occasionally interfered with mixers. The palate is silky and chocolatey and very good, though, so I don’t know where to land.

Water turns the sawdust down but it also turns down the chocolate and char. So I think I’m going to give Eastern Kille’s BiB a recommendation, with a few drops of water or with strong mixers (boulevardier, Manhattan with good vermouth, or Cherry Coke!). There are some really nice things going in this bourbon, and I hope they continue refining it until it’s highly recommended!