whiskeyfortheages, Author at Whiskey for the Ages

Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Review

Posted on 24-January-202209-May-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Review

Original review written January 18, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

This is a fun pour with a lot to dissect and find, both on the nose and on the palate. It’s warm and soft, and accessible to any level of bourbon sipper. 92/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Bardstown, Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Kentucky Owl, Bardstown Bourbon Co./other Kentucky distilleries
– Classification: Blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
– Age: nas (blend of a 4 yr., 5.5 yr., and 8.5 yr.)
– Mash Bill: unpublished
– Casks: unknown char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 45.4% (90.8 proof)
– Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho 2021

Visit kentuckyowlbourbon.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

The savory quality of The Wiseman makes this bourbon want to be enjoyed in a steakhouse, right alongside your favorite cut, cooked your favorite way. It’s rich, and the mouth feel will pair nicely with the intensity of the steak. Everything is warm, rustic, and cozy, and wonderfully stunning.

Photo by Emerson Vieira on Unsplash

NOSE:

Dusty and savory grain meets dark fruits for a sweet component even on the first inhale. The savory-ness seems almost salty, much like the kind you’d find on some sweet maple wood bacon, complete with smokiness. The dark fruit is reminiscent of plums – not too strong in flavor, but there is just enough concentration to be noticed. There is also some toffee, with peanuts standing out amidst the sweet and salty bite. I cannot identify a strong alcohol essence in this at all – even large inhales do little to sting.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: This is most certainly soft, but there is a weight to it also. It sits heavy and initially dry, becoming more viscous the longer my salivary glands have at it.
– Balance: Solid. Salt blends with sweet and makes for a definitive bourbon palate, but with an interesting profile all the same.
– Visual: Carrot in color, this leaves an irregular crown and fast dropping, thick legs with occasional clinging droplets.

– Taste: This is very soft across the palate, carrying notes of pine, plum, honey and pie crust. I can detect some wheat, contributing to the softness, followed quick by golden delicious apples that do little to add any significant punch of flavor. There’s a hint of bitterness that seems nutty in origin – perhaps walnuts.

When I let the bourbon sit on my palate, a stronger fruit flavor appears, but it dissipates quickly after the sip is gone. It’s a bit like baked cherries (working well with the aforementioned pie crust, I must say), with some tartness that melts into sweetness quickly. Along with this fruit is a growing saltiness, much like the one found on the nose. All this does, is make the mouth water more and look for the next sip. I don’t think there is any distinct flavor with the salt, but it is an enjoyable aspect, nonetheless.

The alcohol continues to be virtually nonexistent. If anything, I would say that the alcohol acts more as a foundation for other flavors to build off of, contributing to the profile, instead of being a side effect of being bourbon. When I partake in a Kentucky chew, white pepper emerges to mix with some of the bitter walnuts. Very little sweetness found here.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. There is little to no flavor here in the finish, but the warmth does sit surprisingly heavy in the throat and in the chest. I’m impressed.
– Between Sips: Dry grains are about all I can detect between sips. It adds to the overall softness of this bourbon and leaves it without a single harsh edge.

– No More: There are more fruits to find the further into the glass I get. Suddenly there are fresh cherries to accompany the baked, and even a bit of caramel. It certainly takes this bourbon to another level of enjoyment for someone (me) who enjoys the taste of cherries in a whiskey.

The empty Glencairn is straight up sawdust shavings with some of the savory smokiness from the initial nose. It’s reminiscent of a steakhouse, and I’m absolutely now craving a baked potato.

WORTH THE PRICE?

I’d say that this does meet the standard I have for a $50 bottle of bourbon. It’s warm; it’s unique; and I think it’s accessible in a fun way to both novices and more knowledgeable sippers. There’s plenty to find in the palate, and nothing sticks out awkwardly. It’s a bottle I think is worthy of keeping around in the bunker when I find it, most certainly.

KENTUCKY OWL THE WISEMAN REVIEW RATING: 92/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 92/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.

Back to…

Hannah’s Whiskey Reviews
Whiskey Reviews

Templeton 4 Year Old Rye

Posted on 16-January-202205-May-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Templeton 4 Year Old Rye Review:

reviewed 11-January-2022

TEMPLETON 4 YEAR OLD RYE REVIEW:

Templeton 4 Year Old Rye (Templeton Rye) is the most gentle and quite possibly the simplest whiskey I’ve ever enjoyed, and yet enjoy I did. For someone with a beginners interest in whiskey, Templeton Rye would fit the bill as it is so mellow. This whiskey would lend itself to nearly any summer cocktail one might care to mix or invent. Templeton is not something I would reach for as frequent pour, but I look forward to a sip over ice while sitting on the porch this summer on a hot and sticky evening — maybe with a drizzle of honey and a dash of powdered ginger or some mashed blackberries and crushed mint.

TEMPLETON 4 YEAR OLD RYE VITAL STATS:

Category: Rye Whiskey
Region: Templeton, Iowa
Distillery: MPG Inc.
Producer: Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC
Mash Bill: undisclosed, believed to be 95% rye and 5% barley
Barrel Char: undisclosed
Barrel entry proof: undisclosed
Age: 4 Year Old
ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
Price: $29.95 (Idaho, January 2022)
NABCA CSC #: 27102

Learn more at www.templetonrye.com.

TEMPLETON RYE BACKSTORY:

I must admit I am a sucker for a good story and Templeton Rye has both history and mystique. During prohibition, the area around Templeton, IA produced high quality rye whiskey. Speakeasies in and around Chicago, Kansas City and Omaha created the demand. Al Capone allegedly preferred Templeton Rye.

Years later, Templeton “re-introduced” Rye Whiskey with the claim its mash was “based on a prohibition-era recipe”. Now when one thinks rationally, it is unlikely there was a single distillate or process for making whiskey back in the 1920s. Other omissions got Templeton Rye Spirits in trouble as well. Labeling omitted the origin of the distillate. So in 2015, as a result of a class action settlement, the words “distilled in Indiana” replaced “Prohibition Era Recipe” and “small batch” on the label.

Templeton Rye is currently distilled and aged by MGP of Indiana. While the recipe may be shared with other brands, Templeton employs an “alcohol flavoring formulation” with the goal to make its whiskies taste like prohibition era rye. Later this year (2022) Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC hopes to begin bottling their own distillate.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into two Glencairns. Hannah and I enjoyed the rye neat for this review.

Check out her review for this rye here!

TEMPLETON 4 YEAR OLD RYE NOSE:

Templeton Rye seems dry and dusty as I bring it to my nose. There is no alcohol with which to contend, even with heavy draws. I sense the presence of rye, but sweetness is the most dominant trait. Brown sugared pastry, yellow cake, light vanilla, butterscotch candy, caramel and toffee are in nearly every sniff. At times I also sense some faint pecans and maybe a trace of light oak but in the end this is a sweet simple rye.

TEMPLETON 4 YEAR OLD RYE PALATE:

As on the nose, the first sip of Templeton Rye is dry. I sense (more than taste) nectarines with the warmth of ginger and white pepper. Most of the sweets noted earlier are gone but light vanilla and now honey come forward. There is still a little light oak but it seems a bit bitter. Like the nose, Templeton Rye is a simple tasting whiskey with little complexity.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Templeton Rye is mellow, smooth and easy to hold as I get no tickle on the tongue. After each sip the dregs fall quickly in thin broken legs back to the russet colored pool. Left behind is an irregularly spaced inverted crown.

TEMPLETON 4 YEAR OLD RYE FINISH:

Templeton 4 Year Old Rye has a short finish and offers only a little warmth of ginger in the throat. As each sip fades, I sense the nectarines, a bit of citrus and some soft honey which I feel coats any notes of oak which may remain. And when the last dram is downed, the sweetness of honey and a little oak are easy to draw from the empty Glencairn.

MY RATING: 80/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? NO
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 80/100 to access other whiskies with this score.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

Back to …

Brian’s Whiskey Reviews
Individual Whiskey Reviews

Templeton Rye 4YR Review

Posted on 16-January-202209-May-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Templeton Rye 4YR Review

Original review written January 11, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

A simple whiskey, with plenty of possibilities for mixing and experimenting with, this one is just a fun, little pour. Honey, nectarines, and plenty of summery tones make this tasty for anyone. 80/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Templeton, Iowa, USA
– Distillery: MGP Inc., Templeton Rye Spirits LLC
– Classification: Rye Whiskey
– Age: 4 yrs.
– Mash Bill: undisclosed, believed to be 95% rye and 5% barley
– Casks: undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 40% (80 proof)
– Price: $29.95 USD in Idaho in 2021

Visit templetondistillery.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this rye here!

SETTING:

This one makes me want to sit on a porch swing in the middle of summer, looking out onto a lake. I’d love Templeton 4YR with some sort of mix, over some ice to help me keep cool in the heat. Everything is simple and refreshing and perfectly good. Bonus points if I’m drinking it out of big, Mason jar.

Photo by Aditya Vyas on Unsplash

NOSE:

This smells very sweet on the initial nosing, with peanut brittle, caramel, and butterscotch being the first aromas I catch. Not far behind these flavors is rye, a peppery freshness. It’s not aggressive, and I find that it pairs well with the sweetness offered first. There is a subtle fruit preserve that follows them all, bright and full of natural sugars. It seems most like a light stone fruit. With it, a distinct honey flavor that turns floral arrives and deepens with each inhale. Overall, it smells warm and inviting, if not also unique and original with its strong honey aromas.

The alcohol is nonexistent and certainly very approachable.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: Syrupy. I feel like I could drizzle this over pancakes and not be able to tell the textural difference between it and maple syrup. (Though the flavors would be different, obviously).
– Balance: Simple. It doesn’t have much of an explosive palate with one flavor or another, but it balances out well enough. There aren’t any flavors sticking out particularly odd.
– Visual: Russet in color, this leaves an uneven crown with some clinging droplets and the occasional, fast-dropping leg.

– Taste: The honey sweetness from the nose is still apparent here on the palate, and it has adopted an earthy, almost tea-like quality. There is even ginger to complete the ring, making it taste slightly medicinal (in a good way?). It’s even a bit reminiscent of sweet tea, making me want to throw this Templeton on the rocks just to see what would happen. There is still some of the stone fruit around as well, decidedly more on the nectarine side of things. This pour, so far, isn’t anything overly complex (though certainly different and original); however, there are a lot of ideas for mixing that come to mind.

I can’t find wood or char to speak of, aside from a twinge of bitterness that could stem from wood. It doesn’t seem oaky, but the wood is quite fresh – even tasting green. It’s not unlike an apple stem that I occasionally chew after finishing the fruit.

The alcohol is still impossible to detect, and when I partake in a Kentucky chew, it rears its head only slightly. Nectarines and now apples come to the forefront, chased still by the potent honey and tea flavors.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Short. There is a bit of flavor that remains at the end of the sip, but there is not much warmth.
– Between Sips: Sweet tea and apple sit between sips, and while this is good, it leaves me wanting something more from the palate. It feels like something is missing (likely whiskey warmth).

– No More: This stays consistent the further into the glass I get. An argument could be made for the tea essence growing in potency, but as someone who doesn’t drink tea, it still is not off-putting. I’d hoped some warmth would continue to grow, but unfortunately, it just has not.

The empty Glencairn is just as sweet and honey-like as the rest of the pour. There’s some brown sugar and baked goods, like waffles with maybe just a touch of cinnamon as well. I do wish the whole glass had been this spicy and deep.

WORTH THE PRICE?

$30 USD for this I think is a very fair price. I would not pay $40 for something quite this simple. However, if it were only $20, I’d think it a steal for the number of possibilities and ideas Templeton 4YR generates. Appropriately priced, and I could be convinced to buy it again.

TEMPLETON RYE 4YR REVIEW RATING: 80/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 80/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.

Back to…

Hannah’s Whiskey Reviews
Whiskey Reviews