Tag: Retailer Selections

Knob Creek Single Barrel Review: Holiday Market Selection

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Maker: Jim Beam, Claremont, Kentucky, USA (Suntory)

Bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel, Holiday Market selection.

Style: Rye recipe Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Age: 9ish years old (barreled 4/15, selected 9/24)

Proof: 120 (60% ABV)

Michigan state minimum: $65

Tasted with a splash of water.

Appearance: Medium gold.

Nose: Cut lumber, Beam yeast.

Palate: Sawdust, street corn, green chili.

Finish: Char, brown sugar.

Parting words: Knob Creek Single Barrel is one of my most reviewed bourbons. I reviewed the Georgia Bourbon Society pick I helped select here, and here’s a goofy video review from me and friend of the blog Amy. I review it a lot because I’m a big fan of Knob Creek in general, and barrel selections are a fun way to explore the multitudes that KC contains.

This one was good, but like most Holiday Market selections, it is a good example of itself, but it doesn’t really offer anything new. There’s little difference between this and the median bottle of a non-select KCSB. The Beam funk is maybe a little more prominent, but that might very well be the state of my palate. It’s far from bad, just a little disappointing. Still, it’s better than a dozen other bourbons at that price point. Knob Creek Single Barrel, Holiday Market Selection (9/24) 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!

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.

Signatory Vintage, Ardmore 2009, Vine & Table selection

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Bottler: Signatory, Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland, UK

Region: Highlands

Style: Peated single malt whisky.

Age: 8 y/o

Notes: Distilled: 10/22/09, bottled: 7/17/18, bourbon barrel cask, cask #706320, bottle 117/247.

ABV: 59.2% (cask strength).

Price: $94 (Vine and Table exclusive)

Appearance: Light straw.

Nose: Smoky peat, alcohol, sweet malt. With water: Still potent. Tobacco smoke, baked pie crust.

Palate: Full-bodied. Butterscotch, ash, burn. With water: sweeter and creamier. Vanilla icing, smoky dark chocolate.

Finish: Peaty and dry. With water: tamer, but still peaty.

Parting words: I bought this Scotch last year when I was in Indianapolis visiting family. I was looking for a sweet, creamy single malt to sit alongside a smoky one I had open already. This 8 y/o Ardmore was not that, but that’s been more than ok!

I wouldn’t call this Ardmore balanced, but it does have more going on than just peat smoke. There’s a creamy, desserty background to it that comes out with a healthy splash of water.

If I had paid $60 or $70 for this, I would be happy and it would earn a full recommendation. For $94, I expect more, though. More age, more complexity, something more than this.

Signatory Vintage, Ardmore 2009, Vine & Table selection is mildly 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.

Russell’s Reserve Private Barrel Selection: Holiday Market 2021.

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Maker: Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, USA

Style: Standard recipe single barrel Kentucky straight bourbon.

Selection from: Holiday Market, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Age: 8.75 y/o (Distilled 12/26/12, dumped 10/12/21)

Proof: 110 (55% ABV)

Michigan state minimum: $70

Appearance: Dark copper.

Nose: New oak, char, cherry pits, anise. Fruitier with water. Peach, leather.

Palate: Full bodied and creamy. Caramel, black pepper, red pepper, burn. Water brings out similar notes to the nose, but retains the spice.

Finish: Hot with eucalyptus. Lingers longer with water. Fades into French brandy fruitiness.

Parting words: Russell’s Reserve is Wild Turkey’s premium line, named after its long time distiller and current mascot Jimmy Russell. His son Eddie has taken over almost all of his venerable father’s dutie at this point, but the back of the label still reads Approved by: Jimmy Russell.

This is a well-balanced bourbon. It has the fruit typical of RR expressions, but it is well integrated into the typically aggressive Wild Turkey style. It is similar to the old “Small Batch Single Barrel” but much better integrated and much better all around. Holiday Market selections rarely awe, but they are usually good examples of house style.

$70 ain’t cheap for a bourbon, but factoring in the high proof and an age right in the bourbon sweet spot, it’s well worth the money for a weekend or special occasion bourbon. Russell’s Reserve Private Barrel Selection: Holiday Market 2021 is recommended.

Signatory Vintage Glenlossie 2009, Un-Chillfiltered Collection. Vine & Table selection.

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Bottler: Signatory, Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland, UK (Symington)

Distiller: Glenlossie, Elgin, Moray, Scotland, UK (Diageo)

Region: Speyside.

Style: Single Cask, cask strength, unpeated, single malt Scotch whisky.

Cask: 3376

Age: 11 y/o (distilled April 2009, bottled July 2020).

ABV: 53.2%

Purchased for $100.

Appearance: Medium pale straw.

Nose: Dusty oak, apricot, orange cream hard candy.

Palate: Medium full body. Creamy with mandarin orange, then big burn. Milder with water, but still creamy and fruity.

Finish: Malty and fresh with a little stone fruit.

Parting words: Glenlossie is one of the few twin distilleries left in Scotland. Its sibling is Mannochmore, which flies even farther under the Radar than ‘Lossie does. Both are owned by Diageo and are used more for blending than bottling as single malts, though the occasional independent bottling, like this one, does crop up from time to time.

I’m very glad this one did crop up. I wouldn’t characterize it as complex, but what it does, it does very well. Even at eleven years old, this is an elegant example of unpeated Speyside malt. Once the high ABV is tamed, there’s no rough edges to be found anywhere. Just highly polished sweet malt and fruit.

$100 is above my usual price range, but I don’t regret the purchase at all. When one factors in the cask strength, and skill that went into selecting this whisky, $100 is a fair price. Not a bargain, mind you, but fair. I’m really glad I picked this bottle up. Signatory Vintage Glenlossie 2009, Un-Chillfiltered Collection. (Vine & Table selection) is recommended.

Rye World

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Maker: Krogman’s, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

Distiller: Ross & Squibb (formerly MGPI), Lawrenceburg, Indiana, USA

Style: Single Barrel Indiana High Rye Rye Whiskey.

Age: 4 y/o

Proof: 112 (56% ABV)

Notes: 95% Rye, 5% malt, #4 barrel char.

Price: $25 (Vine & Table)

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Bold. Tarragon and leather.

Palate: Full-bodied and semi-sweet. Wintergreen, burn. More bitter with water. Char and peppermint.

Finish: Extra-minty toothpaste, apricot. With water, a little fruit but mostly faded starlight mint.

Parting words: As you may have guessed, Rye World is the Rye equivalent of the Bourbon World Vine & Table single barrel selections. That said, it’s a little less distinct than those two, since it’s basically just the standard high rye rye whiskey recipe from Ross & Squibb. That’s fine, though, since it’s a good example of that recipe, high proof, and cheap. If you like Bulleit Rye (apparently the best selling rye in the US at the moment!), you’ll love this. It’s aggressively herbaceous and minty, but take it easy with the water. It wasn’t able to withstand as much as I thought it would.

If you like Indiana Rye, Bourbon World is recommended.

Kirkland Signature Islay Single Maly Scotch Whisky

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Source: Alexander Murray & Co, Calabasas, California, USA.

Distillery: Undisclosed (Bruichladdich?)

Region: Islay.

Age: NAS

ABV: 50%

Michigan state minimum: $57

Appearance: Light gold.

Nose: Smoldering peat. Smells like a smoky custard with water.

Palate: Full and silky. Smoke, dark chocolate covered cherries, caramel. Water brings out buttery toffee.

Finish: Cigarette smoke up the nose, ash, peat, lip tingles. Very buttery with water.

Parting words: Alexander Murray & Co is an US based independent bottler that provides store branded spirits for Costco, Trader Joe’s, Total Wine, and other US retailers. I’ve really enjoyed many of their Kirkland Signature (Costco) bottlings, especially the blended Scotch and Irish Whiskey.

The Islay Single Malt is relatively new, at least at my local store. The online scuttlebutt is that it’s from Bruichladdie, but there’s been no confirmation of that. Having tasted this bottle next to a Port Charlotte bottling, there is definitely a family resemblance, but the PC is a little more rounded and sweet.

The biggest difference between Kirkland Signature Islay and whiskies put out under the Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte labels is the price. $57 is a very nice price for a Single Malt of this quality. If you’re looking for a smoky malt to put into your Burns’ Night lineup, this is an excellent choice. Kirkland Signature Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is recommended.