One short year ago, Hannah and I announced the launch of our whiskey website, WhiskeyfortheAges.com. The world has certainly changed, but our love for this magical elixir has grown – and the journey has taught us a lot too!
As of this first anniversary, our site offers nearly 150 whiskey reviews! While our noses, taste buds, and preferences conflict from time to time, we’ve enjoyed the adventure and sharing our thoughts with readers. The review library includes profiles of more than 85 whiskeys (most of them bourbons). And the number grows nearly every week. “The Sip” page, includes a dozen whiskey articles, and we have plans for many more. Be sure to “subscribe” so you can be notified when Hannah or I publish a new post.
In our site’s sidebar, there are links to “Whiskey By Price” and “Whiskey By Proof” as well as a Tools widget where readers can download free copies of the “Whiskey Wheel PDF” we reference when evaluating a new whisky, a “Whiskey Glossary & Vocabulary” list defining the many of terms we and other writers use, and an “Infinity Bottle Worksheet” for people to record additions and subtractions when creating and sampling their own whiskey blends. We will be posting an article on this fun project on the “The Sip” page soon.
The widgets and links noted above can be found near the bottom of each page when accessing the site on a phone (after an article or review), or to the right of the content when using a laptop or tablet. There are also widgets for readers to search our site’s content and another to safely suggest a whiskey to review, article topics to research or to simply leave a comment on a whiskey we’ve reviewed or something one of us has written.
And of course one can find the “Subscribe” widget in the sidebar as well. Scroll to find the widget and enter your email address so you’ll never miss new content.
WhiskeyfortheAges subscribers are notified by email whenever we post … and don’t worry … contact detail is never shared without written consent. Click to read our Privacy Policy.
We look forward to sharing in the year ahead … Cheers!
Hello, Sippers! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying some quality whiskey! I thought today I’d put in the second installment of my “A Slow Pour” series (today The Empty Bottle). This is where we kick back and just chat, so go pour yourself a favorite and relax with me! There’s certainly enough chaos to the start off our year, so perhaps a slow pour – a pause – is something we could all use.
As stated above, today’s slow pour consideration is that of the empty bottle. Maybe this is a product of your pour today. Maybe you’re staring at that nearly empty bottle in your bunker, vowing to save that last drop.
The empty bottle feeling is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I find myself staring at a few bottles in our own collection where I’m already dreading the eventual goodbye. Naturally, these bottles were rare or hard to find from their beginnings on the market. Some are dispersed throughout the United States (maybe you’ve been lucky in your country too), and others are private selects specifically for Idaho consumers.
Not too long ago, there was one bottle in particular that was staring me down, and I’d been avoiding it for months, not wanting to partake in the final pour. This particular whiskey, as I’m sure some of you could already guess, is a bourbon. An Idaho-selected batch, Knob Creek’s Single Barrel Idaho Select, Bourbon #1, is the greatest tasting bourbon I’ve had to date. (Note: there are over 120 whiskey reviews on my page alone on this site; however, I’ve likely had closer to 150 or more.)
I don’t expect many readers ever purchased this bottle, as I imagine many do not live in Idaho. Nevertheless, I hope that your place of residence provides opportunities for select bottlings, just as Idaho does.
Part of my consideration of the empty bottle leaves me with a question for readers: What makes a bottle special for you? Is it all about the taste? Is there another magical element in it that keeps you from finishing it off for good?
I had the opportunity to taste the Knob Creek at an event before even buying. (Bear in mind, this was pre-pandemic.) I can still remember the ambiance of the bar and what a good time it was! Then, when we brought the bottle home and sat down with it for a proper review, it was even better than I remembered!
Of course, there are other, more widely available bottles outside of Idaho that both my dad and I lamented finishing. For instance, we each were fond of certain Small Batch Barrel Proof releases of Elijah Craig (him Batch A118 and me C917).
I find that Single Barrel bottles are always a bitter parting also, even if I already know that Single Barrel offerings of a particular brand are regularly available on the shelf… But you know that there will never be another barrel like the one you enjoyed, and that just stings.
Sometimes, it’s not even about availability. Sometimes, there’s a nostalgic component added to the bottle itself and the juice inside. There are bottles I’ve enjoyed with friends and family, where we laughed, or even where we cried (over happy memories, I promise). So those bottles carry memories as opposed to the poetic message-in-a-bottle, I suppose. Throwing those bottles in the garbage is always a bitter pill to swallow.
Whatever the reason we feel saddened by tossing those bottles away, I still think about those pours, even after they are long gone. I know that for me and my pre-pandemic experience with my tasting, we were able to secure other single barrels from Knob Creek (both bourbons and ryes). So even with Batch #1 gone, there are still five others secure in a box that I can pour from and have a similar nostalgic experience with. Four of which I haven’t even opened yet because somewhere in me, I’m already dreading another far-off final pour perhaps…
But, as I’m sure many of you can relate with your favorites, it was just that bottle, wasn’t it? With its unique flavor profile plus the memories. Granted, it isn’t necessarily a rare occurrence when one enjoys many different bourbon brand offerings and has meaningful experiences with them. Yet, to me at least, as soon I find those bottles, they become something more precious in their own unique ways. Each bottle holds a memory, just as I give each bottle a unique setting. Even looking at the setting for Batch #1 below is a painful Kentucky Hug.
Here at the end of this slow pour, I turn the question back to you, readers. What makes a bottle special to you? How long does it take for you to muster the courage to make that final pour? Has it ever backfired and not proven as perfect and delicious as you remembered? Or has it ever been even better than you remembered, making the parting and pouring that much more difficult? I am very curious to know!
Stay healthy and happy, fellow sippers, and I hope you continue to find valuable pours to love and develop memories with! . . . Cheers!
Sit in a field at nighttime with your back pressed up against a rusty, old truck with only the stars and moon to shed light on your corner of the world. Listen to surrounding crickets and breeze as you sip Old Grand-dad and be transported to a simpler time with simpler and imperfect flavors to keep you company.
Rye and apricot fruit leather/jam emerge from the glass on the first inhale. I find a bit of pepper and chocolate too, along with a hint of butterscotch which contributes to an undercurrent of softness despite the evident spice. Along with that peppery spice is ginger and sour cherry.
Crystalized maple sugar makes for an interesting edge to an otherwise minimal alcohol twinge. Not too much wood, but there is a bitter nut that almost seems woody, just not quite.
The rye seems similar to Jim Beam products in its strength; however, all of these other aromas are very unique to this bourbon, all of which are actually very well-blended.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Tickly, but not enough to really hurt. – Balance: Unexpected. I can’t shake a bitterness that’s a little bothersome. – Visual: Tawny in color, there is a strong, lingering crown with minimal legs.
– Taste: Ginger crosses the palate first, along with rye and a little grass. I can get a citrus zest and maybe some mint that make the palate both edgy and bright. I can’t find any bold fruits, rather mostly earthy tones. It’s almost as though I can taste the acidity of the soil where the corn or rye was grown. And though there is this noticeable acidity, I can also find a distinct bitterness, like the nut (perhaps walnut) from the nose. If I’m being honest, I’m a little underwhelmed as a whole, especially given the smattering of deep and cohesive scents from the nose.
The alcohol is here, but not quite enough to go for a full burn, rather a pleasant tickle. A Kentucky chew makes the grains, as a whole, pop more against an elevated alcohol backdrop. Still, that tang or sour and bitter sits on my tongue.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Long. I have warmth and an aftertaste clinging to my tongue and throat. – Between Sips: I get a mix of mild cherry and grass between sips… This is actually my favorite aspect of this bourbon.
– No More: The glass stays consistent as I continue to sip, with only dryness becoming more apparent. This is decent, but at 114 proof ($30 or not), I do have higher expectations.
The empty Glencairn is a straight-up, beautiful oak. I’m almost offended that these weren’t flavors I could find on the palate, where they were definitely needed.
WORTH THE PRICE?
$30 sounds nice for a 114 proof bourbon, but I will confidently say that I would sooner purchase Old Forester 1920 at $60 and 115 proof than Old-Grand-dad 114 at this price. Take that how you will.
