Tag: Brian Dawson

Larceny Barrel Proof B522

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Larceny Barrel Proof B522 Review:

reviewed 28-September-2022

LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 BOURBON REVIEW:

From the nose to the palate and even a bit on the finish, Larceny Barrel Proof B522 (Larceny BP B522) has a strong alcohol presence. Herbal roasted corn blends with wheaty notes as do dark cherries and faint peaches. Dark baking elements of cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter mix with cocoa, vanilla, brown sugar, making for a delicious treat. BP B522 offers a medium long finish of dry, toasted oak and leather in a pleasant wave of warmth. Read on to learn more about this wheated barrel proof offering from Heaven Hill.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 BOURBON VITAL STATS:
Larceny Barrel Proof B522

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 contain six to eight year old bourbon)
Entry Barrel Proof: 125
ABV: 61.9% (123.8 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 18860
Availability: Tri-anual Limited Release
Batch: B522
▪”B” Second release of the year
▪”5″ Released in May
▪”22″ Released in 2022
Price: $64.95 USD (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.
— Learn more at Heaven Hill Distillery.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

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 two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as we prepared this review.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 NOSE:

Larceny BP B522 greets the nose with aggressively strong ethanol alcohol. While it takes time to acclimate, I can coax herbal roasted corn and wheaty grain. With careful concentration, fruit aromas abound … Dark cherries, unripe peaches, orange citrus, and mashed bananas. I am reminded of a freshly made Orange Julius from the shopping mall. Then come baking spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered green pepper mixed in melted butter, cocoa, and vanilla. The sweets build as buttery hard candy and burnt brown sugar caramel come together in dark hazelnut toffee. As I contemplate and continue to nose the confection, faint dry-seasoned oak fades into hazy and toasted smoky-sweetness, bounded in faint leather.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 PALATE:

As with other Larceny BP offerings, B522 gives the mouth a hot but herbal roasted corn and wheaty alcohol bite. I am always surprised at this, as the sensation is what I’ve come to expect from a ryed barrel proof bourbon not something with a wheated pedigree. Further sips bring cherry pipe tobacco then gingered peaches and cinnamoned prunes. There is pepper here too and some nutmeg sprinkled in brown butter and vanilla over crushed graham crackers. Sweetness comes as dark brown sugar, burnt caramel, and robust Grade B maple syrup. The aromas of dry seasoned and toasted oak along with notes of leather pass to the palate as well.

Larceny Barrel Proof B522

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Larceny BP B522 gives the mouth and throat a rough and gritty workout. As I become accustomed to the sensation, my saliva makes the liquid viscous and oily but I still get quite a tickle on the tongue. The flora and fruit are well balanced with sweetness and wood having a touch more impact. As each sip is taken, a thick veil breaks into fat evenly spaced long clinging legs. Then inside the Glencairn a fine thin crown breaks into tiny dots which dribble slowly above a deep, dark, and rich mahogany pool.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 FINISH:

Larceny Barrel Proof B522 offers a medium long finish with a wave of warmth. The herbal roasted corn passes through as do dark fruits and baking spices. Ginger lingers, but the sweetness has faded into dark mocha, light vanilla, and toffee. The empty Glencairn is full of oak sawdust and faint alcohol drifts in and out. This is a nice but hot pour.

MY RATING: 89/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Like other Heaven Hill barrel proof offerings, I will always be on the lookout for the next Larceny BP when released.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click Larceny.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Larceny Barrel Proof B522
Larceny Barrel Proof B522

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Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon Review:

reviewed 21-September-2022

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM BOURBON REVIEW:

At first glimpse, Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon (Redwood Bourbon) appears honey-like in color, making me wonder … But when the cork is popped, classic bourbon aromas waft from the bottle. There are not many herbal notes, but when tasted, warm roasted sweet corn and newly spouted rye grass along with powdered ginger and white pepper blend into a sweet rye bread treat topped with a hint of honey. While the color belies this bourbon’s age, there are plenty of woody notes to provide a solid foundation.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM VITAL STATS:
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Category: Bourbon
Region: Graton, CA
Company: Redwood Empire Distilling
Distillery: Undisclosed distilleries in California, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee
Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 21% Raw Rye, 4% Malt Barley
Barrel Char: undisclosed
Barrel entry proof: undisclosed
Age: A blend 4 to 12-year-old barrels
ABV: 45% (90 Proof)
Price: 39.95 (California, 2022)

FOR EVERY BOTTLE SOLD, WE’LL PLANT A TREE

Named for the 14th tallest tree on the planet, Pipe Dream is our first Bourbon whiskey. Pipe Dream Bourbon is made from barrels aged between four and twelve years with a high corn mash bill. Smooth and complex, it is a true sipping whiskey.
— Learn more at Redwood Empire Whiskey.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

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

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM NOSE:

Redwood Bourbon offers a classic bourbon aroma without an alcohol nip to trouble on the nose. I get light fruit tree blossoms and a hint Maraschino cherries. There are faint notes of powdered ginger and white pepper which seem to enhance aromas of fresh baked rye bread. The sweets are faint as well and present as vanilla, simple syrup, faint honey, and a hint of maple. But most prominent is light sweet oak an a bit of cedar.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM PALATE:

Redwood Bourbon tastes of warm roasted sweet corn, raw fresh grain, and newly spouted rye grass. The aromas of powdered ginger, white pepper and fresh rye bread pass to the palate. But now the sweets darken as burnt caramel and dark honey cover bitter walnuts. This is a woody bourbon as dry seasoned oak fades into toasted oak and barrel char.

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Redwood Bourbon has a silky smooth mouthfeel is simple and gentle and is easy to hold. Yet it is a little disjointed with a bit of a effervescent mouth tickle. In the Glencairn the veil breaks quickly into long clinging legs. As the legs break, droplets hang then fall into the honey colored pool leaving behind a lingering crown ring with only a few irregularly spaced drops.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM FINISH:

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon offers a warm medium length finish of drying grain, ginger and pepper with a touch of warm buttery caramel. Like noted on the nose and palate, dry seasoned and toasted oak linger with a heavy char aftertaste. When the last drops are downed, the empty Glencairn smells of light barrel char and moist sawdust.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
I am surprised at the score I awarded and I would purchase another, but only if I couldn’t find something I would rather grab.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this score.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

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Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon Review:

reviewed 12-September-2022

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON REVIEW:

Horse Soldier Bourbon Whiskey offers three varieties: Premium (high rye, matured for two years), and two wheated bourbons, Signature and Reserve. This review is for Reserve (the barrel strength offering).

I admit it, I am a bit of a push-over when it comes to bourbon with a good back story. Many times the story is a more of a marketing ploy than anything else. But not so for Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon (Horse Soldier Reserve). This is a fine wheated bourbon and one I am happy to have on my shelf. Its nose full of dried fruit tree blossoms and dark stone fruits which blend nicely with baking spices, a dark sweetness and seasoned oak. These dark notes pass to the palate and on to the finish. This bourbon is dark and soft. Bring on the next pour!

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON VITAL STATS
Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Category: Wheated Bourbon
Region: St. Petersburg, FL
Distillery*: American Freedom Distillery
*Distilled by and stored in Ohio at Middle West Spirits
Mash Bill: 70% corn (yellow dent), 20% wheat (soft red winter), 10% malted barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: nas
ABV: 61% (122 Proof)
Price: $65.85 (Montana, Summer 2022)

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON BACKSTORY

Immediately following [the 9/11] attacks on our nation, the USA responded with a daring insertion of small teams of Green Berets into northern Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance successfully overthrew Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban stronghold, with the support of these brave men. This region’s inhospitable, mountainous terrain made efforts and enemy engagements on wild Afghan horses a necessity for one Special Operations team (ODA595). Nicknamed the “Horse Soldiers”, all these brave men are honored today by America’s Response Monument overlooking “Ground Zero” in New York City. [In addition,] our bottles … are molded with World Trade Center steel.
— American Freedom Distillery

*Website notes include the following statement:
“Due to federal alcohol regulations we must leverage a third party partner for fulfilment.”
Partner Distillery: Middle West Spirits in Columbus, OH

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.

Click Hannah’s review and Elora’s review to check out their thoughts for this bourbon!

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON NOSE:

Horse Soldier Reserve has a pleasant bourbony aroma. I get a potpourri of dried fruit tree blossoms and stone fruits of dark cherries, currants, plum, and soft dried prunes. As I continue to nose, I smell allspice, ginger, and white pepper along with brown sugar dusted pastry. Additional sweets come in as caramel corn, dark brown sugar, and dark molasses while the woody elements present as walnuts, sweet, fresh cut and toasted oak, with some BBQ smokey sweetness. I also sense an additional darkness in the form of musty, old leather. This bourbon is soft and dark.

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON PALATE:

My first sip of Horse Soldier Reserve has a bit of heat, and a fairly warm bite. I taste the potpourri floral notes sensed on the nose as well as the stone fruits of currants and dark plums. As I sip, baking spices of cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper mix with vanilla and sweets of dark brown sugar, and dark molasses. This bourbon tastes rich and it’s chopped and crushed walnuts blend into dry seasoned oak, toasted wood and smoky sweet barrel char. These flavors are well anchored in musty damp leather.

Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Horse Soldier Reserve is simple and gentle with good balance from nose to finish. It is viscous and oily yet can prickle the tongue. In the Glencairn, thick, evenly spaced, long-lasting clinging legs transport the liquid back to the auburn pool. Left behind is a thin ring broken by a few small droplets.

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON FINISH:

Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon offers a medium long soft and warm finish. As with other bourbons, I can sense roasted corn as well as the sensations of blueberry nectar and plum. Ginger and pepper warm the throat and light vanilla mix with dark brown sugar and subtle molasses flavors. As each sip is downed, seasoned oak, toasted wood and leather fade away. The empty Glencairn smells dark but fresh and is both caramelly and oaky at the same time. I look forward to the next pour.

MY RATING: 91/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
This bourbon makes me want to seek and try the other Horse Soldier offerings.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 91/100 to access Brian’s other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click American Freedom Distillery.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon
Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

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Brian’s Whiskey Reviews
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