Brian Dawson Whiskey Archives – Whiskey for the Ages

Maker’s Mark BRT-02 Review

Posted on 05-May-202305-May-2023 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Maker’s Mark BRT-02 Review:

reviewed 28-November-2022

MAKER’S MARK BRT-2 BOURBON REVIEW:

Maker’s Mark BRT-02 (BRT-02) is a fine bourbon and represents what Maker’s is doing with their Wood Series quite well. The aromas are awesome and the flavors follow them nicely, although I feel they are a bit subdued. BRT-02 is a maple and caramel bomb with some nice dark cherry, baking spices and a little dry old oak as well. For those who like caramel, maple, oak and a long finish, be sure to pick up a bottle if and when you get the chance.

MAKER’S MARK BRT-2 VITAL STATS:

Category: Straight Bourbon, Finished Bourbon
Region: Loretto, KY
Company: Beam Suntory
Distillery: Maker’s Mark, DSP-KY-44
Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: 110
Finishing staves: 10 Virgin Toasted French Oak Staves added to the barrel during the last eight weeks of maturation.
Age: nas
Non-chill filtered
ABV: 54.7% (109.4 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 19500
Release Date: Fall 2022
Price: $59.95 (Idaho, November 2022)

MAKER’S MARK 2022 BRT WOOD FINISHING SERIES:

2022 marks the fourth year Maker’s has produced the Wood Finishing Series. Each year has had a unique taste vision. This year the two releases focus on barrel rotation (cycling rackhouse location). The goal is to distinguish and enjoy the unique flavors found on the top floors while comparing them to barrels stored lower in the warehouse.

Since 1953, Maker’s consistent flavors have been credited to the hand-Barrel RoTation process. Top barrels in the rickhouse are brought to the bottom, and each level is then raised to ensure equal exposure to varying temperatures over time. The designation “BRT” for this year’s releases comes from this practice.

BRT-02 comes from the cooler bottom ricks. French oak staves help the liquid to react and impart dark depth.

^{Click Maker’s Mark 2022 BRT Wood Finishing Series Release to learn more.}

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.

Check out Hannah’s and Elora’s reviews for this bourbon!

MAKER’S MARK BRT-2 NOSE:

The first waft of BRT-02 is warm and inviting. As I settle in, roasted corn and dusty wheat fade in and out. Then, red berries, caramel dipped cherries and other dark fruit mix with faint cinnamon and nutmeg. But more than anything, sweetness dominates the nose as rich vanilla, brown sugar, buttery caramel, maple syrup and dark molasses take turns on center stage. Under the sweets, I detect a solid foundation of roasted pinenuts, dry old oak planks and timber and the haze of barrel staves drying in the sun.

MAKER’S MARK BRT-2 PALATE:

As I sip, BRT-02 gives my mouth a mild burn with roasted corn and dusty wheat tempting the tongue. Like on the nose, I taste those dark caramel covered cherries, something I’ve not enjoyed before. They go nicely with warm baking spices of cinnamon, clove and black pepper. The sweets come through as well; dark chocolate, rich vanilla, burnt sugar, caramel, and dark molasses. Then maple syrup punches through, and the other sweets fade. As they do, I taste a bit of tongue depressor which may have been used to stir the syrup. There are a few roasted nuts in the pour along with a solid base of old dry seasoned oak, hazy char and ash.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
While there is a bit of a burn, giving my mouth and throat a gentle tickle for the most part, BRT-02 is creamy and easy to hold. The maple goodness blends in from the aroma and taste, through to the finish. After each sip is downed, thin long legs break from the veil, as sparse fat droplets fall from a thick irregular crown back to the mahogany colored pool.

MAKER’S MARK BRT-2 FINISH:

Maker’s Mark BRT-02 offers a long, throat warming finish of over-roasted corn nicely balanced by wheaty softness. Like sensed on the nose and tasted on the palate, red berries, dark cherries, cinnamon and pepper fade after each sip. As they do, the sweetness of vanilla, brown sugar, and maple syrup drift over dry-roasted nuts, seasoned oak barrel char along with a hint of ash.

MY RATING: 88/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 88/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click Maker’s Mark.

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Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon

Posted on 04-July-202204-July-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon Review:

reviewed 29-June-2022

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A122 BOURBON REVIEW:

Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon (Larceny BP A122) has quite a lot of ethanol on the nose. There is earthy roasted corn, dry hay, and musty tobacco leaves and the aroma of apple, cherry, and apricot compote flexes on the palate. The flavors are nearly masked by dark spices of black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. This bourbon is not sweet, but there is a hint of burnt dark chocolate, some brown sugar, and dark molasses as well. Overall, it is the earthiness which dominates. Hazy barrel char, tobacco ash, and musty leather fade in and out of every sip.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A122 BOURBON VITAL STATS:

Category: Barrel Proof Wheated Bourbon
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Mashbill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Barley
Barrel Char: #3
Age: nas (Heaven Hill states batches will contain six to eight year old bourbon)
Entry Barrel Proof: 125
ABV: 62.2% (124.4 Proof)
Availability: Tri-annual Limited Release
Batch: A122
▪”A” First release of the year
▪”1″ Released in January
▪”22″ Released in 2022
NABCA CSC #: 18860
Price: $59.95 USD (in Idaho, 2022)

^{The Larceny line of Bourbon is the modern heir of our historic wheated mashbill, known behind-the-scenes at our distillery as “O.F.D.” or Old Fitzgerald Distillate.
_{— Heaven Hill}}

Learn more at Heaven Hill Distillery.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

Taken out of the newly opened bottle, the first one and a half ounces mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating the pours, four once review amounts went into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as we prepared this review.

Check out Hannah’s review here!

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A122 NOSE:

At first draw, Larceny BP A122 greets with quite a lot of ethanol. Once I acclimate, roasted corn, dry hay, and musty tobacco blend with a lightly caramel coated fruit leather mixture of apple, cherry, and apricot. I smell baking spices of ginger, black pepper, bittersweet chocolate and faint vanilla. The sweets are few but come to the nose as woody brown sugar. But most noticeable are the earthy aromas of toasted almonds, fresh-cut pine, and musty leather.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A122 PALATE:

Each sip of Larceny BP A122 is full of warming ethanol as dusty grain, green vegetables, and tobacco play tag on the tongue. This drinks more like a ryed bourbon than one from a wheated pedigree. The apple, cherry, and apricot compote sensed on the nose flexes a bit more, but the fruity flavors are nearly overshadowed by the warm dark spices of black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. While this bourbon is not one I would call sweet, I do taste a hint of burnt dark chocolate, some brown sugar, and dark molasses. The earthiness sensed on the nose builds on the palate, as hazelnuts, dry oak, some barrel char and musty damp leather dominate.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
The aromas and flavors of Larceny BP A122 are well blended but for me, a bit heavy on the dirty side. In my mouth the liquid is viscous but aggressive, rough and gritty and at times, challenging to hold at length. As I tilt the glass then set it down, long clinging legs break from the curtain and fall quickly. When I swirl the glass, small droplets fall away, leaving a thin crown ring which hangs above the red-toned terracotta colored pool.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A122 FINISH:

Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon offers a medium long throat warming and mild ethanol finish. In the aftertaste I get green vegetables, black pepper and burnt brown sugar caramel, a combination I am not sure I like. The earthy theme continues as hazy barrel char, tobacco ash, and musty leather fade in and out. As I finish the last drops, the empty Glencairn smells of ethanol, drying grain and oak sawdust.

MY RATING: 85/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Since its inception and release in January 2020, Larceny Barrel Proof bottles have become much sought after … I will seek out future releases regardless of rating.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 85/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Larceny.

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Cream of Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Posted on 27-June-202220-September-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Cream of Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Review:

reviewed 21-June-2022

CREAM OF KENTUCKY STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY REVIEW:

Cream of Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (Cream of Kentucky Rye) is without a doubt the most unusual rye I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. I do not get the usual rye freshness, and there are few sweets to tempt either, yet its earthy depth is intriguing. Best of all there is just enough heat to add another level of complexity. I’ll give this a positive nod and say pick one up when you see it on your store’s shelf.

CREAM OF KENTUCKY STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY VITAL STATS:

Category: Bottled-in-Bond Rye
Region: Middletown, KY
Distillery: Distilled, aged and bottled at Kentucky Artisan Distillery
Distiller: Jim Rutledge, former Master Distiller at Four Roses
Mash Bill: 100% Rymin Rye
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: 4 years old (minimum)
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 16195
Price: $80.45 USD in Idaho 2022

^{The Cream of Kentucky brand was originally introduced in 1888 by I. Trager & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Just prior to the end of Prohibition, the brand was acquired by the famed Schenley Company and subsequently re-introduced in 1934 … [Acquired in 2018] Cream of Kentucky is now owned by J.W. Rutledge.
_{— Learn more at J.W. Rutledge Distillery.}}

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

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

Check out Hannah’s review for this rye here!

And find Elora’s thoughts here!

CREAM OF KENTUCKY STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY NOSE:

Alcohol nips at the nose in my first wafts. I smell a potpourri of dried grass, dusty grain, and fresh cut hay drying in the late afternoon summer sun. More scenting brings faint baking spices of cinnamon, powdered ginger, and freshly baked rye bread accompanied by faint cocoa malt. While I do sense a sweetness, it comes more as old fashion butterscotch candy than any other aroma. With additional and careful nosing, I detect roasted hazelnuts, hazy dry old oak and rich and fragrant potting soil.

CREAM OF KENTUCKY STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY PALATE:

Cream of Kentucky Rye gives an alcohol bite filled with dusty grain and the hay found on the nose. There is faint crushed clove, powdered ginger, pepper, and more rye bread, cocoa malt, and a little milk chocolate as well. While I wouldn’t classify this as sweet I do taste woody caramel which goes in hand to hand combat with roasted hazelnuts and toasted sesame seeds. I taste a lot of earthy depth here too which fades in as hazy old barrel char and dirty leather. This is a complex rye and so distinctive from others I enjoy.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Cream of Kentucky Rye has a buttery mouth feel. While there is a bit of a tongue tickle, each sip is easy to hold even though the pour clocks in at 100 proof. Each waft and sip is complex, deep and earthy. Above the terracotta colored pool, fat evenly spaced long legs cling, then fade, leaving behind only a few drops in the broken crown.

CREAM OF KENTUCKY STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY FINISH:

Cream of Kentucky Rye offers up a medium throat warming finish with the same potpourri of dusty grain and dry hay. Powdered ginger drives the molten heat as the theme of rye, malt, milk chocolate and woody caramel quickly fade into damp dirt and hazy char. As I tip back the last drops, the empty Glencairn smells of dry oak sawdust.

MY RATING: 88/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
… And I do have another in the bunker.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 88/100 to access other whiskies with this score.

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