Category: Bourbon

My Two Ounces: My Favorite Bourbons Under…

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I’ve had some requests from friends of the blog for lists of my favorite bourbons in certain price ranges. This sounded like a fun exercise, but there are some challenges. First, not all bourbons are available everywhere. Second, not all bourbons are the same price everywhere. Third, there are some bourbons I don’t usually care for, but I like some of the specially selected retailer bottlings. Finally, some bourbons are only released in limited quantities once a year. Some of them, like the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon and the Four Roses annual releases, vary quite a bit from year to year. Others, like the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC), are pretty consistent.

For my recommendations I have decided to include bourbons available in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky or Chicago, i.e. places where I shop. For all bourbons available in Michigan, the price I will be using is the state minimum retail price. Bourbons not available in Michigan will be marked with an asterisk and I will use the price listed at The Party Source in Covington, Kentucky. All prices are rounded to the nearest dollar before sales tax. I will note retailer bottlings I like in each category at the end of each list. For the purposes of this list, I have included Tennessee Whiskeys. Rye whiskeys are not included, but get their own very short list at the bottom.

Whew. So without any further ado, and without comment (mostly)…

Favorite bourbons under $25

*Heaven Hill Old Style, 6 y/o,  Bottled-in-Bond (White Label) $9

*Very Old Barton, Bottled-in-Bond $13 (the 90 proof version is available in Michigan for the same price)

Old Ezra 101 $16

*Ancient Ancient Age 10 y/o (not to be confused with 10 star) $18

Geo. Dickel Old #12 $22

Elijah Craig 12 y/o $22

Old Forester Signature $22

Old Grand Dad 114 proof $23 (Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond is also a great value)

Retailer bottlings of Buffalo Trace and Old Weller Antique are also worth seeking out.

Favorite bourbons $25-$49

*W.L. Weller 12 y/o $25

Evan Williams Single Barrel (I like the 1994, 1997-2000 vintages) $29

Wild Turkey Rare Breed $35

Four Roses Single Barrel $40

Old Rip Van Winkle 107 $40

Retailer bottlings of Elijah Craig 18 y/o and Four Roses Single Barrel, Barrel Strength (OBSK, OBSV, OESO, or OESQ recipes) can be stellar.

Favorite Bourbons $50 and up

Pappy Van Winkle 15 y/o $65

Four Roses Ltd. Ed. Single Barrel $70

Four Roses Ltd Ed. Small Batch $70

Geo. T. Stagg $71

Parker’s Heritage Collection (Wheated or Cognac finish) $80

Favorite ryes

Under $25: *Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond $22

$25-$50: Bulleit Rye $25, Sazerac Rye $28

Over $50: Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye $60

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 2011 edition

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Maker: Brown-Forman, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Age: 12 y/o (distilled 1999, bottled 2011)

Style: High-rye bourbon

Proof: 98 (49% ABV)

Appearance: Dark copper with longy clingy legs.

Nose: Black walnut, oak, varnish, dried figs, mincemeat pie, old bottles of Old Forester Bottled-in-Bond

On the palate: Thin and surprisingly light on the palate. A litte spice, sweetness and burn. Doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the nose.

Finish: The assertive, “dusty” Old Forester notes from the nose come roaring back in the finish. Big burn, then big tannic oak, then a hint of cotton candy. The burn and tannins linger for a very long time, begin to transform into peppermint, and then vanish. Wow.

Parting words: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is always interesting, whatever else it may be year to year. Ironically 2011’s is unusual in its Old Forester-ness. The previous two years were notable for being the least Old Forestery in a while. This one brings to mind old bottles of Old Forester Bottled-in-Bond or a milder version of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Seasoned Oak. The 2011 edition is the best since 2008 and is recommended.

1792 Ridgemont Reserve

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

Age: 8 y/o

Proof: 93.7 (46.85% ABV)

Appearance: middle-aged copper with big, thick legs that cling tenaciously to the glass.

Nose: Cotton candy, strawberry ice cream, a bit of wood and vanilla.

On the palate: Sweet, then some burn, fairly full bodied. More cotton candy, vanilla, strawberry and tart cherry pie, bubble gum.

Finish: Burn with a hint of candy. Very little wood, though.

Parting words: I dunno…this is a toughy. My opinion of 1792 changes quite a bit depending on the time of day and what else I’ve been drinking. Before supper or as the first whiskey of the evening, it is very tasty. After something more boldly flavored like Four Roses Single Barrel or Evan Williams Single Barrel (both close to the same age) 1792 falls flat. It makes a smooth Manhattan but I like mine with a little more spice and wood. To sum up, it ain’t bad, but it ain’t great either. I have to come down somewhere though, so I’m giving 1792 a mild recommendation.

Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition 2011

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Maker: Four Roses, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, USA (Kirin)

Age: 12 y/o

Recipe: OBSQ

Warehouse/Barrel: QN/17-34

Proof: 118.6 (59.3% ABV)

Appearance: auburn with long, clingy legs.

Nose: Like distilled jerk sauce. A lovely balance of spice, heat, and fruity sweetness.

On the palate (with water): The fruit really comes to the fore. Less jerk and more Pickapeppa® now. Wild Blackberry, raspberry, pomegranate juice, sweet red currant. All this with some caramel and a tiny hint of oak, but it’s not missed. Like a baroque concerto grosso. No one element dominates, but each takes its own turn on the tongue, resulting in a sublime balance of disparate elements.

I tasted a 9 y/o Party Source bottling of OBSQ for comparison’s sake. The extra three years in the bottle make a pretty big difference. All the elements are there in the younger bourbon, but the hot spice overwhelms the fruit. More like a Buffalo Wing sauce or a romantic solo concerto.

Finish: Hot, then tannic and slightly sweet. This is by far the oakiest part of the whole experience. But even here the sweetness and fruit provide a refreshing counterpoint to the wood.

Parting Words: Not much else can be said about this amazing whiskey. I loved the 2009 edition but like the younger OBSQ, it was more solo than grosso. The sweet cotton candy and bubblegum flavors overran the other elements. The 2010 was the 100th Anniversary (of the distillery building) edition. It was 17 years old, and was too woody and dry for my taste. The 2011 is on par with the first two releases in the series (2007’s 40th anniversary and 2008’s 120th anniversary). It’s expensive for a bourbon (>$70 for per bottle) but it is worth much more than that. Coming from a cheap bastard like me, that’s high praise. It goes without saying, but this bourbon is one of the best I’ve ever had and is very highly recommended.

Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Strength Head to Head: What a difference a yeast makes!

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1)     OBSK (Binny’s, barreled 4/27/99)

2)     OBSF (Binny’s, barreled 7/11/02)

Maker: Four Roses, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, USA (Kirin)

Age: NAS (around 9 y/o)

Proof

1)     121.2 (60.6% ABV)

2)     124.2 (62.1% ABV)

Appearance

1)     Reddish copper

2)     Auburn, with a little char in the bottom.

Nose (with water added)

1)     Caramel, spice, jalapeno

2)     Peppermint candy

On the palate (with water added)

1)     Full-bodied. Caramel, a little clove and peppercorn mélange, then burn.

2)     Even fuller bodied. Big herbal hit of mint on initial entry. Then some oak that gets more prominent as the whiskey lingers in the mouth. Bourbon lovers will know what I mean when I saw that at times I wondered if this wasn’t a Heaven Hill product rather than a Four Roses.

Finish

1)     Burn, and a little bit of wood. This hangs around for a long time and as it does, it transforms itself into cotton candy and a little tingle that lingers on the lips like the kiss of a long-distance lover.

2)     In the finish, the mint starts to become unpleasant. It feels like I just got done brushing my teeth. Not that it’s a bad feeling, just way too much mint. It doesn’t linger long though. Much shorter finish than the OBSK.

Parting Words

Yeast is something that doesn’t get a lot of discussion in the world of whiskey. Until recently there wasn’t much opportunity to do a head to head comparison. But over the past few years Fours released all 10 of their individual bourbons (2 mashbills, 5 yeasts) as single barrel barrel strength selections at around nine years old to big retailers like Binny’s in Chicago, Party Source and Cork & Bottle in the Cincinnati area, and Julio’s in Massachusetts. For a breakdown of the 10 recipes and the products that use them, click on friend-of-the-blog Oscar’s post here: http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=256627&postcount=63

In addition to being really tasty, these releases offered a chance to deconstruct Four Roses and conduct amateur experiments (like this one) on the impact of mash bills and yeast strains on the taste of the finished product. As you can see above, it makes a big difference.

Viewed simply as individual whiskeys, I’d have to give the edge to OBSK but the OBSF is tasty too, especially when vatted with other whiskeys, like Four Roses Small batch or another single barrel barrel strength recipe. Both are recommended, the OBSK highly.

Four Roses Small Batch

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Maker: Four Roses, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (Kirin)

Age: NAS

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Appearance: Golden straw with nice long legs.

Nose: Dry and subtle for a Four Roses product, but some alcohol and rye spice.

On the palate: Medium bodied and sweet. As it lingers flavors come through. A bit of bitter char, a bit of sweetness. A very delicate whiskey. Closer to the standard Four Roses (“yellow label”) than the single barrel.

Finish: Light and sweet with a bit of burn.

Parting words: Goes down easy. Makes for a dry but good Manhattan. 4RSmB brings out some pleasant bitter flavors that do a good job of balancing the sweetness of the vermouth. Small batch does a better job of this than its little brother Four Roses does. Small Batch’s higher proof is better able to stand up to a gutsy red vermouth like Cinzano.

Blanton’s (Kahn’s Select)

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Maker: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky (brand is owned by Age International, a division of Takara Shuzo Ltd)

Barrel: 86,Rick 7, Warehouse H (Kahn’s select barrel #3).

Age:  NAS. Dumped 2/23/09.

Proof: 93 (46.5% ABV)

Appearance: Dark copper. Long, thick legs, like Khloe Kardashian.

Nose: Alcohol, oak, leather, delicately sweet caramel, a bit of corn syrup.

On the palate: medium bodied, rich caramel, wood, burn, leather

Finish: Burn, cocoa power, burn, wood, burn leather, burn.

Parting words: Along with rickhouse and something else I won’t mention here, leather is one of my favorite smells. For my 17th birthday, I asked for and received a black leather jacket I wore almost every day for the next three years. That said, I rarely taste leather in whiskey. This was the first bottle I ever got leather out of. It bears a family resemblance to Elmer T. Lee, Rock Hill Farms, and Ancient Age. The tannins that come out as black tea in AA are the leather here. Blanton’s is not a bourbon I talk or think a lot about, but I can’t think of any other bourbon that better represents Buffalo Trace’s #2 mashbill than this. It has all the earthiness, sweetness, and balance that epitomize Buffalo Trace’s Single Barrel offerings. Definitely recommended.

Very Special Old Fitzgerald

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Maker: Heaven Hill, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Style: Wheated Bourbon

Age: 12 y/o

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Appearance: Dark auburn with quick legs.

Nose: Burn, sweet taffy, caramel, pecans. With a splash of water, cola notes pop out.

On the palate: Medium bodied. Cherry pie, pecan pie, and mincemeat pie (in that order). The nutty notes get stronger and stronger as it sits in the glass, until they begin to taste more grapey, like in a brandy. Water doesn’t change any of this too much, except to bring the nutty notes forward more quickly.

Finish: surprisingly dry. Burn, then some bitter walnut flavors and a reserved sweetness.

Parting words: Very Special Old Fitzgerald (VSOF) doesn’t get much respect in bourbon circles these days. It never really has. It was originally a part of the Bourbon Heritage Collection in which it played second fiddle to the revered wheater Weller Centennial. Centennial was 10 y/o and 100 proof, whereas VSOF was and is 12 y/o and 90 proof. I’ve had VSOF from that era and they are mild to the point of being dull. VSOF wasn’t helped by the fact that it was preceded by Very Old Fitzgerald and Very Very Old Fitzgerald which are regarded by wheater enthusiasts as two of the greatest bourbons ever made. Bottles of VOF and VVOF routinely go for hundreds of dollars on Ebay.

Compared to its current rival from the Buffalo Trace, Weller 12 y/o (also 90 proof), it seems a bit sluggish and muddled. Weller 12 has a bright acidic note that cuts through the rich brandy flavors and brings the fruit to the fore. If VSOF is mincemeat pie, Weller 12 is apple pie. Both are good, but unfortunately for the folks at Heaven Hill, Weller 12 is usually at least $5 cheaper than VSOF. Nevertheless, if the price is right (≤$35) VSOF is recommended.

Gone Antiquing: Old Weller Antique Head to Head

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Maker: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky

Age: NAS (Loch & K(e)y is around 9 y/o)

Style: Wheat Bourbon

Proof: 107 (53.5% ABV)

1)     Kahn’s

2)     Loch & K(e)y

Appearance:

1)     Dark Copper with big thick legs.

2)     Similar but seems lighter. Legs are a little thinner as well.

Nose

1)     Sharp and hot with char and homemade caramels.

2)     Not as sharp. The char comes through even more. The caramels are still there, but they now are studded with pecans.

On the palate

1)     Hot, but sweet. Assertive but not aggressive, more caramel and chewy vanilla toffees.

2)     Thinner, but milder belying its high proof. More complex than the Kahn’s. Wood, vanilla, toffee, caramels, pecans and walnuts.

Finish

1)     Big and hot especially on the lips, tempered by a growing sweetness in the form of the aforementioned vanilla toffees.

2)     Milder, but still bold. The sweetness leads more than in the Kahn’s bottle, but the tingle on the lips is still there and persists for what seems like a very long time.

Parting Words: These are both very good private bottlings. The Kahn’s drinks like an exceptionally good version of the standard bottling. The Loch & K(e)y bottling (associated with Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, Massachusetts) is more refined tastes closer to a Van Winkle wheater than the standard Old Weller Antique. Both these bottlings are sold out, but if you find a friend with one of them or you have an opportunity to buy a future private bottling of Antique from either of these retailers, I highly recommend you do so!