Hannah Dawson Whiskey Reviews Archives – Page 7 of 10

Stagg Jr. Batch #17 Bourbon Review

Posted on 01-May-202229-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Stagg Jr Batch #17 Bourbon Review

Original review written April 26, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Another great addition to the Stagg Jr. line, though it’s potentially the last before we move to just “Stagg.” Deep, warm, complex – it’s high proof good bourbon. 94/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Buffalo Trace Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: nas (believed to be 8-9 yrs.)
– Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (low rye <10%; speculated corn around 75%)
– Casks: Char #4
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– Cask Strength/Non-Chill Filtered
– ABV: 64.35% (128.7 proof)
– Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho in 2021

For more information, visit buffalotracedistillery.com

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 bourbon here!

SETTING:

I imagine a sunset horizon in the distance with the sun having just disappeared. There’s enough light to see the world, but the colors are faint and fading fast. In the distance, pink and orange are the only identifiable colors, and you feel comfortable and peaceful knowing it’s just you and those colors. Stagg Jr. Batch #17 is suddenly the only thing needed to make your appreciation of them profound. After all, it’s how a beautiful day should end.

Photo by Luke Moss on Unsplash

NOSE:

Caramel, milk chocolate, peaches, and freshly baked bread all attack the nose collectively on the first inhale, being distinct enough to be both recognizable and enjoyable. Deeper inhales find lemon zest, shaved peanuts and waffle cone sweetness on one hand, and black and white pepper on the other. They are more difficult to distinguish; however, there is a specific bite given only by black pepper, and a characteristic sweetness found with the bite of the white pepper. The blend enhances one another as well as the other sugary flavors.

Other spice includes rye, which combines with the pepper blend to aggravate an already alcohol-forward nose. There’s even a wine tannin aspect that deepens the alcohol into something both rich and zinging.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: This has a big mouth feel – from the alcohol warmth to spice and fruit depth. It’s all encompassing and full, and everything you’d want a bourbon to be.
– Balance: Solid. The depth and richness make it complex, even when there aren’t many distinct forward flavors.
– Visual: Terracotta pot in color, there are many long, thick legs that drop from an eventual even ring – looking very much like veins.

– Taste: First impression: WOW that’s good. The alcohol isn’t immediately aggressive, and I’m able to sit with it for a while before feeling prompted to do anything. When I move it around on the palate, cherries, caramel, and bitter, yet creamy hazelnuts in a chocolate spread settle in. The result is warm, rich and complex bourbon with the burn kicking up especially at the back end of the sip. There’s a hint of barrel char, but I think it adds more as a spice than anything else or foundational.

The alcohol certainly grows, and with a Kentucky chew, the cherry becomes more pronounced, along with black pepper and the addition of a dark berry that makes it that much more jammy. That being said, the chew does induce many needles to stab at the tongue, and that sensation is slightly less pleasant.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Long. The warmth expands from the palate itself to the belly where a Kentucky hug is definitely possible, if you aren’t careful. Flavor lingers behind a little as well.
– Between Sips: Funnel cake sits between sips – a surprise, but certainly a welcome one. There might be a bread element here too, but it would be a sweet bread without question.

– No More: Bourbon heat only escalates, along with the richness of each of the flavors the further into the glass I get. What was already a great pour on the first sip, continues to become more complex and deeper; I couldn’t be happier.

The empty Glencairn is dark, deep sawdust – enticing, warm and everything I’d want an empty Glencairn to be.

WORTH THE PRICE?

It’s a Stagg Jr. It’s $50 USD. It is high proof bourbon. It will always be worth it.

STAGG JR BATCH #17 BOURBON REVIEW RATING: 94/100

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Rossville Union Straight Rye Review

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

Hannah’s Rossville Union Straight Rye Review

Original review written April 19, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

This is a dessert rye with complexity, and at the price tier, it’s one I intend to keep in the bunker. Peaches, cherries, oak, and rye freshness make for a great combination. 93/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Lawrenceburg, Indiana, USA
– Distiller: Lux Row Distillery/Ross & Squibb Distillery
– Classification: Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey (159 barrels used for this batch)
– Age: A blend of 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old rye whiskeys
– Mash Bill: unpublished
– Casks: unpublished char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 47% (94 proof)
– Price: $36.95 USD in Idaho 2022

Visit www.rossvilleunion.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:

I picture strawberries and cream and linen to go with Rossville Union. This is sweet and enjoyable and bright and the epitome of summer. Get some ripe berries, mix with maybe some straight cream or perhaps vanilla ice cream if the day is warm. You don’t even have to look around you – you know that everything is in bloom, and everything looks beautiful. The freshness of clean linen only makes the day more complete and lets you enjoy those strawberries and this rye to the fullest.

Photo by Deva Williamson on Unsplash

NOSE:

Traditional rye brightness and freshness exudes from the glass, founded off of the grain, but also earth and the smell of rain (petrichor). Fruits are sparse, but deep inhales can coax out white-fleshed peaches and granny smith apples that contribute a tartness to the nose. Any kind of sugary sweetness is also limited; however, there is barely-there white chocolate, light vanilla bean (think ice cream), and simple syrup. Spices like white pepper, rye, and a pinch of allspice make the nose livelier and add a necessary complexity to this otherwise, simpler nose. The alcohol is incredibly mild, and I’m not convinced that it could bite at all. Nevertheless, I find myself liking this nose and I am looking forward to what the palate will bring.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: Smooth – very, very smooth. There’s oiliness and viscosity that keep me going back for sip after sip.
– Balance: The freshness of the rye combined with the dessert quality of this whiskey make it very balanced, complex and thoroughly enjoyable.
– Visual: Russet in color, this falls first in a curtain of long legs from the rim of the Glencairn, only to eventually separate into many clinging droplets that just will not disappear.

– Taste: Wood and bitter citrus zest greet me first on the palate, contrary to many of the scents from the nose. It’s followed by light caramel, the white peaches from the nose, and Rainer cherries that both brighten and deepen the flavor. There’s even a white wine element that makes the pour pop and go well with the peach. Like prosecco even. The palate is much sweeter than the ryes I’ve enjoyed before and coupled with the freshness that makes a rye a rye, this makes it a welcome pour. It’s summery and smooth and an easy sipper all around. Though there may not be an abundance of flavor, the flavors that are here are uncommon and unique. They turn this simple pour into something quite complex and distinct from its rye peers.

The alcohol remains mild and approachable, and a Kentucky chew makes the cherry explode and the dessert component of this rye grows exponentially, with the alcohol not being overbearing in the slightest. What an enjoyable pour.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Long. The warmth sits on the palate for much longer than I’d expect and there’s even a pleasant aftertaste as well to join it.
– Between Sips: Cherries linger the longest between sips; however, there are definite wood chips as well, soaked in peach syrup to make them logged in sweetness that is beyond tempting to chew.

– No More: This stays consistent the further I get into the glass, if not more enjoyable. It’s sweet, easy to sip, and fresh all at once. What’s not to like?

The empty Glencairn is a warm, sweet oak – more of those soaked wood chips, and it is absolutely delicious.

WORTH THE PRICE?

At under $40, absolutely this is worth the price. This falls easily into a great value category, and it will be one that I look to keep on my shelf even more than some of the other ryes that I enjoy. This has complexity, sweetness, freshness, and at this price, it’s impossible to not want to try to out. I’m only sorry it took so long for me to purchase a bottle.

ROSSVILLE UNION STRAIGHT RYE REVIEW RATING: 93/100

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Maker’s 46 Cask Strength Review

Posted on 18-April-202229-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Maker’s 46 Cask Strength Review

Original review written April 12, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

This one is another home run for the Maker’s line, and certainly better than the original Maker’s 46 (which isn’t bad at all). Dark, rich, and warm, who could ask for anything more? 94/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Loretto, Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Maker’s Mark Distillery
– Classification: Wheated Bourbon
– Age: nas (believed to be 5-7 yrs.)
– Mash Bill: Corn=70%; Soft red winter wheat=16%; Malted Barley=14%
– Casks: unpublished char
– Barrel Entry Proof: 110
– ABV: 54.8% (109.6 proof)
– Price: $59.95 USD in Idaho 2022

Visit makersmark.com for more information on the wood staves used for this bourbon

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 of this bourbon here!

SETTING:

Believe it or not, I imagine enjoying this bourbon in a warehouse. It may be full of activity and the bustle of things to do, or it may be empty, full of possibility and room to explore. Either way, I think Maker’s 46 Cask Strength will keep your palate warm and your mind open as you look out at the little empire carved out just for you.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

NOSE:

Cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, and dark vanilla cross the nose first – all classic Maker’s tells. I also find ripe apples sprinkled in dark brown sugar, begging to be baked in a pie, or at least cooked to lay over some vanilla ice cream. There’s new oak, roasted chestnuts (again with a brown sugar glaze), and a bit of molasses to give this sweet bourbon a darker, sturdier foundation. The alcohol isn’t particularly aggressive, though deeper inhales do give a slight sting to the nose, all the same. This bourbon overall, smells warm and quite rich with a lot of my favorite bourbon qualities being offered (at least here on the nose).

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: This has a viscous mouth feel with a grip on the palate that makes it incredibly enjoyable.
– Balance: Complex. Though there’s a lot of sweetness here, everything seems grounded in the proof of the bourbon and makes everything very approachable.
– Visual: Auburn in color, this leaves thick legs and plenty of clinging droplets falling from an irregular crown.

– Taste: The proof makes itself more noticeable here on the palate, emerging and blending with apples, pastry, and light vanilla. There’s similar spice to what was on the nose, from cinnamon to nutmeg, as well as allspice now too. I find toasted marshmallow and cranberry fruit leather at the back of the palate, of all combinations. And strangely enough, it works – with light bittersweet knocking back some of the harsher sugary notes the marshmallow brings.

As stated, the proof is more pronounced here; however, it’s not overly strong, acting more as a way to warm the bourbon from a sensation standpoint. It’s taking me a while to be motivated to do a Kentucky chew, simply because I am enjoying this pour as it is. When I do partake in a Kentucky chew, some dark cherries and more brown sugar come forth with the burn of the alcohol.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. This is warm in the throat, but there isn’t a great deal of aftertaste lingering behind.
– Between Sips: Spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon linger between sips, and it’s a pleasant, warm aspect of this finish that is entirely welcome.

– No More: This only grows on me the longer I sip, and it’s a bourbon I truly find difficult to review, because I simply want to sit back and enjoy it while it’s here. The warmth grows, and the fruit of the cranberry leather and apple intensifies in the best way and makes this just so good.

The empty Glencairn is a spicy, oaky sawdust and an absolute good way to finish this glass. And this is one of those rare instances where I actually run out to grab just a bit more for the glass; I’m just not finished with this yet!

WORTH THE PRICE?

$60 is an absolute yes for this bourbon. I’d love to keep it permanently in the bunker and I’ll certainly look forward to finding this around our stores in Idaho. This ticks all the boxes for my kind of bourbon, and I’m happy to have this bottle finally open.

MAKER’S 46 CASK STRENGTH REVIEW RATING: 94/100

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