Bourbon Whiskey Archives – Page 48 of 79

Old Forester 86 Bourbon Review

Posted on 26-October-202029-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Old Forester 86 Bourbon Review:

20-October-2020

OLD FORESTER 86 BOURBON REVIEW:

I’ve been on reviewing easier to find bourbons off and on for a while now and Old Forester 86 Bourbon is next up – In fact the bottle has been in the bunker for several months now. On the the review …
When the cap of Old Forester 86 Bourbon was first twisted off, gentle candy sweet aromas wafted from the bottle. In my mouth, an essence of minty freshness mixes with dark fruits and the finish grows as the pour is enjoyed.

OLD FORESTER 86 BOURBON VITAL STATS:

– Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Region: Louisville, KY, USA
– Distillery: Brown-Forman
– Mash Bill: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley
– Barrel Char: #4
– Barrel entry proof: 125
– Age: nas (unpublished)
– ABV: 43% (86 Proof)
– Price: ($19.95 2020 – Idaho)

Learn more at https://www.oldforester.com/.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I shared the juice neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

Old Forester 86 is quite aromatic upon twisting open the cap. When the whiskey is brought to the nose the soft alcohol fades to light fruit tree blossoms and mint. Tart apple and maraschino cherries blend with spices of nutmeg, white pepper and rye and sweet aromas of orange sponge cake, vanilla custard. Additional candy sweets of vanilla taffy, circus peanuts, butterscotch, and caramel corn blended with hints of cashews and light oak. To my nose, the aromas are quite gentle.

PALATE:

The soft alcohol sensed on the nose is warm and passes to the palate. Roasted corn and dusty grain mix with mint giving Old Forester 86 a certain freshness yet I also taste dark fruits of currants and fig and the sensation of ark dried fruit leather on my tongue. Spices of dark cinnamon, black pepper and rye counter sweets of orange sponge cake, burnt sugar, burnt caramel, dark molasses, and a hint of honeycomb. The is also a trace bitter walnut to go with dry, seasoned oak, and barrel flavors of toasted wood and char. A solid Kentucky Chew is not going to hurt seasoned bourbon drinkers and as I drank my pour I noted the palate is much darker than the nose.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
The nose and palate of Old Forester 86 are disjointed; light versus dark yet this is a simple and light bourbon that is a bit watery and at the same time smooth. In the Glencairn a nice crown of clinging droplets gives way to long evenly spaced clinging legs which drop into the russet colored bowl.

FINISH:

The medium long finish of Old Forester 86 lengthens the more I drink. It is a soft alcohol, dry and warm and the dusty grain comes through. The finish is a bit bitter – maybe citrus zest, which is a nice balance to the black pepper and rye. The sweets are gone as dry oak, toasted wood, and barrel char leave a woody aftertaste blending with sensations of leather. When the whiskey is gone, the empty Glencairn presents with sweet woody caramel.

MY RATING: 84/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? NO
While this bourbon is in my wheelhouse and the price point is GREAT, I prefer so many others.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

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WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Posted on 24-September-202028-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Review

evaluated on 22-September-2020

EVAN WILLIAMS BOTTLED-IN-BOND REVIEW:

In my opinion, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon is an fine value whiskey. While not complex by any measure or standard I’ve previously set, the basic bourbon aromas and flavors are just plentiful enough to treat the senses. This bourbon will not likely “wow” anyone, but at 100 proof and for about $15 USD, this would be one for the bunker to calibrate the palate, close out an evening when one more dram is needed, use as a mixer, or to pour for novice drinkers when introducing bourbon.

EVAN WILLIAMS BOTTLED-IN-BOND VITAL STATS:

– Category: Bottle-in-Bond Bourbon
– Region: Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: Heaven Hill
– Sour Mash – Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
– Barrel Char: #3
– Barrel entry proof: 125
– Age: nas (at least 4 years old)
– Charcoal Filtered
– ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
– Purchase Price: $14.95 USD (May, 2020 – Idaho)

Learn more at https://heavenhill.com/.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I enjoyed the bourbon neat from a Glencairn glass with daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Hannah.

Check out her review of this bourbon here!

NOSE:

Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond BiB Bourbon smells like a decent bourbon should, but it is not complex. At first waft, it is warm with a touch of ethanol. Faint fruit tree blossoms float as if on the breeze. I get herbal notes of sweet corn as well as ripe berries sweet cherries, and a sensation of an indistinguishable tropical fruit. Spices of pepper and rye mix with simple sugar syrup as it blends into caramel. Further nosing adds light seasoned oak, but this bourbon is simple and clean, maybe a bit weak, but certainly fresh and light.

PALATE:

When the liquid first passes my lips, there is a little bite of warm alcohol. Then Evan Williams BiB’s herbalness asserts itself in roasted corn and assorted fresh green vegetables. The ripe berries and sweet cherries sensed on the nose are there, but faint as cinnamon, black pepper and rye assert themselves in buttery caramel and toffee. Seasoned old oak and hazy toasted wood fades in and out with each sip.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Evan Williams BiB is a simple balance of non-distinct flavors and is mellow, smooth and buttery in my mouth. In the Glencairn, an ill defined crown, gives way to fat, quick falling legs returning the liquid to the russet colored bowl.

FINISH:

Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon has a medium warm finish of herbal green vegetables. Faint black pepper and rye mix nicely with a pleasant but not overly sweetness. As each sip draws down the pour, dry old oak fades into hazy, toasted wood. And in the empty Glencairn, seasoned dry oak with traces of char are easy to coax with simple nosing … making me want more.

MY RATING: 85/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
At $15.00, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond should be in everyone’s bunker.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

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Booker’s 2020-01 Granny’s Batch Review

Posted on 21-September-202027-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Booker’s 2020-01 Granny’s Batch Review

Original review written on September 15, 2020

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Booker’s 2020-01 Granny’s Batch Review: Everything about this is different, from the nose, to the palate, to the finish, yet the distinct Booker’s bite is here. Not my typical bourbon, but I LOVE it just the same. 96/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Jim Beam Distillery
– Master Distiller: Fred Noe
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Small Batch
– Age: 6 yrs. 4 mo. 21 days
– Mash Bill: Corn=77%; Rye=13%; Malted Barley=10%
– Casks: Char #4
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 63.20% (126.4 proof)
– Price: $84.95 USD in Idaho

– From Master Distiller’s Notes: Granny’s Batch is made up of barrels from two different production dates that were aged in six different locations within four warehouses/rickhouses (WH)… Breakdown is as follows:
– 24%: 6th floor of 9-story WH G
– 24%: 5th floor of 7-story WH L
– 22%: 4th floor of 9-story WH H
– 16%: 4th floor of 7-story WH L
– 10%: 6th floor of 7-story WH L
– 4%: 5th floor of 7-story WH P

Find more information at bookersbourbon.com

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

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

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

The drink may scream wood and freshness, but I think Granny’s Batch is pour you take outside in the middle of the desert, just as the sun is going down. Cacti cover a sandy floor and the air is cooling as the sun disappears behind a mountainous terrain and the stars come out.

Photo by Nicolas Moscarda on Unsplash

NOSE:

Nuts, nuts, nuts, and more nuts. That is definitely what hits first, warm and rich. I’d say there’s some chestnuts, but really, it’s peanuts ground down to a grainy peanut butter. This smells A LOT like a peanut butter/toffee granola bar I like to snack on regularly. On deeper draws, I can pull a little grain that seems relatively soft. A little chocolate and caramel goes along with the toffee, but it’s quite gentle and not at all overpowering.

I get wood – a mixture of oak and pine – on the back of the palate. It is an incredibly earthy wood too – almost like broken off branches that have a cool, dewy dirt clinging to them. Touch of black pepper makes this even more savory.

Despite this being such high proof, very little alcohol burn or even presence is detectable.

PALATE:

– Mouth feel: Sharp and single, then evaporates like nothing I’ve ever had before. Love it!
– Balance: Earth everywhere, but in a wide variety of flavors.
– Visual: Carrot in color, there is a thin crown, but long, thick legs are present.

– Taste: This is really earthy, with a refreshing pine or biting herb like rosemary. Not quite so cool as mint. The nuts are still here, but they are much milder in body, yet somehow sharp on their approach.

The back of the palate offers a fleeting cherry that hits the salivary glands just so. I find old leather here also – the kind of an overstuffed chair you snuggle into for a nap.

There’s a soft grain paired with a slightly sharper rye. The grain could even be a green vegetable in disguise. However, it’s mild and offers an extra something that actually rounds out the savory flavors of herbs and wood really well.

Not getting a lot of alcohol here either, but just enough to nip. A Kentucky chew is straight up fire and barrel char, eventually chased away by a smoldering cherry that soon explodes into its own burning flame.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Very long. I can feel the warmth in my cheeks all the way to my chest. Sometimes, I’ll get a resurgence of heat out of nowhere. It didn’t happen in this pour, but I can tell Granny’s Batch has the potential to give a very painful Kentucky hug.
– Between Sips: A little cherry, and lots of peanuts linger between sips. I also get a slightly sweet, grassy element that I can chew even after the sip is gone.

– No More: The flavors stay strong and warm throughout the glass, with wood and nuts staying dominant. Very pleased with this and this bourbon. Already can’t wait for my next pour. (Indeed, I had some more the following day after this review. It was still fantastic.)

The empty Glencairn has chocolate-covered almonds and nuts along with warm oak.

WORTH THE PRICE?

For me, Booker’s is always an experience. From the packaging and stories that come with the bottle, the batches are always an adventure. Sometimes, I don’t end up thinking they are necessary to add to the collection, as they are priced fairly high. However, this bottle, I think is definitely worth it, and it is packed full of any type of adventure you could be looking for.

RATING: 96/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 96/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Booker’s.

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