Category: Bourbon Whiskey

1792 Bottled in Bond Review

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s 1792 Bottled in Bond Review

written on 08-June-2018

1792 BOTTLED-IN-BOND REVIEW:

1792 Bottled-in-Bond begins a bit underwhelming at first but grows on the senses as the bottle empties.  There is a little honey and oak mixed in with the rye and nutmeg, but overall I found this whiskey not as sweet as some I’ve had.

1792 BOTTLED-IN-BOND VITAL STATS:
1792 Bottled in Bond Review

Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Barton 1792 Distillery
Company: Sazerac Company Inc.
Mash Bill: unpublished (Marketed as “High rye,” and believed to be 15-25% rye)
Barrel Char: #3.5
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: nas
ABV: 50% (100 Proof … Bottled-in-Bond)
Price: $36.95 USD in Idaho
Availability: One batch is released each fall

http://www.1792bourbon.com/

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I drank this spirit neat, from a small Mason jelly jar.

NOSE:

No alcohol burn on the nose and the scents are a bit light.  Sweet clover honey comes through and there is a trace of oak underneath on the initial draw.  With prolonged nosing fresh cut cedar peeks in.

PALATE:

No initial taste sensation, but an overwhelming and warming alcohol presence is followed by rye spice and seasoned wood which overtakes the sweeter notes sensed in the nose making for a spicy sip. Subsequent draws bring forth a sweet nuttiness: pecans, pine nuts, coupled with cloves, nutmeg, and powdered ginger, but the sugars are gone.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
1792 Bottled-in-Bond thinly coats and clings to the glass but has an oily and smooth mouth feel.

FINISH:

The warming sensation lingers, but all of the flavors have dissipated.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

To access other whiskies given this score, click 87/100.
Click 1792 Barton to see other whiskies from this distillery.

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Bulleit Barrel Strength Batch #4 Review

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Bulleit Barrel Strength Batch #4 Review

written on 29-January-2019

BULLEIT BARREL STRENGTH BATCH #4 REVIEW:

Bulleit Barrel Strength is a good bourbon.  There is understated sweetness coupled with some nice citrus notes.  As with other Bulleit products the rye exerts itself and in this case, quite nicely.  For my tastes, this barrel strength offering outshines the standard Bulleit products.

BULLEIT BARREL STRENGTH BATCH #4 VITAL STATS:
Bulleit Barrel Strength Batch #4 Review

– Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Region: Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: sourced*
– Producer: Bulleit Bourbon (Diageo), Non-distiller
– Mash Bill: 68% Corn, 28% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
– Barrel Char: unpublished
– Barrel entry proof: unpublished
– Age: nas (Blend of 5-8 year old bourbon)
– ABV: 61.7 (123.4 Proof)
– Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho

*Bulleit’s own website claims “Bulleit Distilling Co.”, however many internet articles attribute Four Roses to have been the supplier until approximately 2015/16, after which credit has been attributed to MGP.  In 2016 Bulleit broke ground on their own distillery but it will be years before it will be able to produce spirits.

bulleit.com

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I drank this spirit neat, from a Glencairn glass.

NOSE:

I found the nose on Bulleit Barrel Strength to be musty with fresh citrus and dark fruit undertones.  While its sweetness is not in the forefront, notes of brown sugar, buttery caramel and caramelized pineapple are present.  A rye spiciness prevails though as vanilla custard and a background of oak come through.

​PALATE:

Bulleit Barrel Strength Batch #: 4  has clean, high alcohol present on the first draw, followed by citrus and minor dark fruit notes.  As detected on the nose, Bulleit Barrel Strength is sweet but not overly so; there are subtle notes of toffee and cocoa, but the sweetness gives way to spicy pepper and delicate rye.  I detected bitter hazelnut that gave way to a smooth oakiness.

Balance, Body, Feel, and Look:
Bulleit Barrel Strength has a balanced aroma and flavor.  It is rich, round, full, warm and a touch acidic.  When “chewed” pepper spice explodes in the mouth.  The juice has long clinging legs in the Glencairn which fall into a warm mahogany and henna pool.

FINISH:

I found the dry finish to linger on for quite some time.  Bulleit Barrel Strength starts hot, then mellows into a viscous brown sugar creaminess complete with vanilla, rye spice and oak.

MY RATING: 89/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 89/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To see other whiskies from this brand, click Bulleit.

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Old Forester 1920 Bourbon Review

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Old Forester 1920 Bourbon Review

originally written on 11-May-2018 then updated 01-December-2019

OLD FORESTER 1920 BOURBON REVIEW:

Back in the spring of 2018, Old Forester 1920 was my introduction into higher ABV bourbon.  At 115 proof, Brown-Forman’s 1920 can be had neat, but for my novice nose and palate, just a couple drops of distilled water helped me enjoy the whiskey.  (Remember, water can be your friend.)  Now with more experience and many other higher proof offerings drained from their bottles, water is no longer necessary as aromas and flavors are easier to discern.  This is a wonderful juice and it is easy to see why Brown-Forman has made this Whiskey Row offering a regular in their lineup.

Old Forester 1920 Bourbon Review
OLD FORESTER 1920 VITAL STATS:

Category: Straight Bourbon
Region: Kentucky, USA
Company: Brown-Forman
Distillery: Old Forester Distillery / Brown-Forman Distillers
Mash Bill: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: nas
ABV: 57.5% (115 Proof)
No batch or bottle number identifiers
Price: $59.95 USD in Idaho

Learn more at https://brown-forman.com/

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the re-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:

When the cork is pulled, the luscious aroma of brown sugar wafts from the bottle as the dram is poured.  When brought to the nose, I felt a quick burn of ethanol, but nothing to cause concern.  Intense nosing brings in a potpourri of fruit blossoms followed by ripe blueberry fruit leather.  The spices are few: nutmeg and white pepper.  Sweetness comes from the bakery: pecan pie, chocolate cream and rich vanilla, with a little vanilla taffy, brown sugar and a nutty chocolate covered toffee thrown in for good measure.  But the dram is not finished … prolonged nosing brings in sensations of old books, toasted pecans and the nice woody aroma of fresh piled seasoned oak sawdust as the juice is enjoyed.  Old Forester 1920 treats the nose to a solid well blended bourbon.

PALATE:

The first sip has a gentle bite with an initial burn which quickly subsides to lingering warmth and there’s the sensation of ripe blueberries as well.  As on the nose the spices are few, but the black pepper and rye are ever-present.  The sweetness of rich vanilla, maple syrup and dark molasses are there, but never in the forefront.  Old Forester 1920 is an earthy and leathery bourbon with hints of toasted pecans and there is plenty of sweet, fresh cut, seasoned old oak to entertain the mouth.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Old Forester 1920 is a big, solid and well blended full-on bourbon.  It is viscous and oily.  I feel as though it can be pushed around as it tickles the tongue.  The dark old oak colored liquid heavily coats the inside of the Glencairn, then breaks into a well defined inverted crown before it gives way to long clinging legs.

FINISH:

The finish is exceptionally long and lingers as the throat tickles and warms after each sip and the mouth salivates as anticipation builds for the next.  When I swallow the liquid, my senses pick up traces of dried fig and mango along with black pepper, rye and a pleasant brininess.  Earthy and deep leather linger in the empty glass as old oak fades away.

MY RATING: 90/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 90/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Old Forester.

WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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