Tag: Hannah Dawson

Stagg Jr. Batch #16 Bourbon Review

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review

Original review written February 1, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

A creamy mouth feel with rich, fruity, woody punches – all matched with high proof bourbon complexity. Solid offering, and I’m glad it’s open in the bunker at last. 94/100

VITALS:
Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review

– Made In: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Buffalo Trace Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: nas (believed to be ~8yrs.)
– Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (low rye <10%; speculated corn around 75%)
– Casks: Char #4
– Non-chill filtered
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 65.45% (130.9 proof)
– Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho 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:

This bourbon screams for a creative mind. Even though I am not an artist, I still feel the urge to pull out paints and brushes and let this bourbon take me wherever it wants to go across the canvas. The richness and complexity of this bourbon calls for vibrant colors, with a flair for messy as the brush hurries to make the image in your head a reality. Maybe it doesn’t look the best (maybe it’s not supposed to look like the best). Maybe it’s just supposed to be an honest, deep thought with colors. This bourbon would be your best critic and supporter all in one.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

NOSE:

Sharp berries, cherries, and apple cross the nose first, followed quickly by a white pepper and alcohol bite. With them is a perfect golden caramel, cinnamon, and maple sugar, contributing to the sweetness and making my salivary glands already excited. There is also a yellow cake element, maybe one with a dark chocolate marbling in it. Deep inhales coax out the corn, decidedly roasted, and an almost salty leather. A bitter nuttiness comes with the corn at the very end of the inhale, mixing with the sting of the alcohol. And despite the alcohol being most certainly present, it isn’t acetone-like, and I hesitate to even name it ethanol. I’d call it fiery and leave it at that.

Oak is present; however, it is very hidden and subdued behind all of the fruit sweetness and alcohol burn. The oak that is there, is spicy and freshly sawn.

PALATE:
Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review

– Mouth Feel: Creamy. The alcohol bite is certainly there, but this bourbon still has a distinct thickness to it, and I quite enjoy that.
– Balance: Complex. The sharpness of many of the flavors makes the bourbon angular; however, the creaminess softens the edges.
– Visual: Mahogany in color, this has a very faint ring, and the spirit falls in sheets, therefore leaving very few legs behind.

– Taste: The first sip immediately lets you know that it is a high proof bourbon, already stinging at the lips and not wanting to linger on the tip of the tongue for long. Cherries are much more pronounced on the palate than they were on the nose. They are chased by cashews, caramel… and cream? I rarely – if ever – find cream in a bourbon; however, I do find it subtly here, and I like the way it contributes to the mouth feel, and especially how it sits with the cherries. The cream also comes with some dark vanilla flavoring – dark enough to be almost bitter, but not quite.

Spice is similar to what was found on the nose – white pepper and cinnamon. These spices ingrain themselves firmly into the now present barrel char flavor of this bourbon. The barrel is strong, slightly bitter, simultaneously sweetened and heated by the spice. Naturally, along with the high proof, the bite of Batch #16 can be quite strong. On some sips, you’re lulled into a false sense of security with the creamy quality, and then given a hefty Kentucky Hug when you least expect it.

When I partake in a Kentucky chew, the burn and pain is much like needles to the tongue. That being said, a fresh oak, more nuts, and toffee appear on the taste buds.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Long-Very long. The heat goes on and on and on after the sip is over, despite not many flavors left in the aftertaste.
– Between Sips: A light fruit leather lingers between sips, but it dissipates quickly, leaving a mostly clean and warm finish behind.

– No More: The greatest change in this bourbon is not necessarily new flavors to notice or the elevation of others (though the caramel does grow to be slightly more formidable). Rather, the heat continues grow and threatens constantly to give a surprise Kentucky Hug. I’m trying to be careful and respectful, but I already know I won’t get out of this pour without a hug somewhere.

The empty Glencairn is fresh sawdust and smoke, playful with a nip of that proof that makes you want another glass.

THE ADDITION OF WATER

– This section written on February 6, 2022 –

Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review

Stagg Jr Batch #16 Bourbon Review: Water can often tame bold whiskeys and the addition of 2-4 drops will not radically change the proof of the pour. Rather water may help open the spirit allowing the aromas and flavors to bloom. As such, 2 and 4 drops of distilled water were added to their own respective 1.5 oz. pours of Stagg Jr. Batch #16 to detect any potential differences:

This still smells like a Stagg Jr. on the nose; however, there is even less of an alcohol sting now that the water is added. I can also find a sprinkling of coconut shavings, and maybe even a sudden coconut milk component to sweeten the nose. The sip is still sweet (naturally with less heat), though now heavier on baking sweet flavors, like vanilla, chocolate curls, and a cakey element. The newfound coconut in the nose is also here. Overall, the flavors are more akin now to a certain cookie that comes out in spring with coconut, chocolate, and caramel ;). The pour remains great, and I don’t think I could choose between the two drops variation or having it neat. It would just depend on mood. (RATING: 93/100)

This smells immediately sugary with caramel, with little to no alcohol burn. There’s more coconut and now even marshmallow on this nose. The palate continues with the caramel/simple syrup and comes across as a one-hit wonder. There’s a bitterness trailing the caramel, which doesn’t quite help the simple sweet flavor. Nevertheless, if you are wanting to get into high proofs, and want to ease into it without shocking the senses, this is solid way to go. I say this because I *know* that if I wasn’t aware of this being Stagg Jr., and was given this blind, I’d likely enjoy it just fine – even with it being less complex. (RATING: 87/100)

WORTH THE PRICE?

As I say with every Stagg Jr., $50 USD for a high proof, complex, deep bourbon is always a bargain. If you can find any batch, get it. Consider adding some water if the proof is too aggressive for your tastes. No matter where you are in your bourbon journey; Stagg Jr.’s always can find a way to shine.

STAGG JR BATCH #16 BOURBON REVIEW RATING: 94/100

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Early Times Bottled in Bond Review

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Early Times Bottled in Bond Review

Original review written January 28, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Early Times Bottled in Bond will easily move into the daily sippers rotation. It’s inexpensive; you get it by the liter; it’s bottled in bond… could I ask for more? 90/100

VITALS:
Early Times Bottled in Bond Review

– Made In: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Early Times Distillery Co.
– Company: Sazerac Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: nas; minimum of four years in new charred oak barrels
– Mash Bill: Corn=79%; Rye=10%; Malted Barley=10%
– Casks: undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 50% (100 proof – Bottled in Bond)
– Size: 1 liter
– Price: $24.95 USD in Idaho in 2021

Visit earlytimesbottledinbond.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed this 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:

Picture Small Town America, early morning, fresh air, and mountains. Maybe the road in front of the little bed n’ breakfast is paved; maybe it isn’t. The roads are empty all the same, and the town is barely starting to stir with lights in gas stations and restaurants turning on to greet the new day. Early Times BiB is warm, deep, and rich and will match the crisp morning air perfectly and make each breath in the lungs that much richer. Early Times for an early morning.

Photo taken by Hannah Dawson in Custer, Wyoming

NOSE:

Initial inhales are noticeably sweet with fig, brown sugar, caramel, and a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg hitting the nose. There’s even a crushed nut (pecan?) component that makes the aforementioned scents seem buttery, if not also syrupy. The glass has not even fully warmed up yet, so I’m already impressed with the intensity of aromas here. It truly smells like a dark stone fruit preserve, ready to be smeared on a pastry. It’s a rich and deep smell, despite perhaps not being the most complex. Each aroma goes on and on, surrounded by a dusty grain and a very mild cedar essence. It’s the kind of nose that I don’t even want to bother writing for. I just want to sip.

Even though this pour is 100 proof, it does not come across that high on the nose at all. Deep inhales barely pull much more than a tingle of bite; it’s just full and inviting without interest in appearing aggressive.

PALATE:
Early Times Bottled in Bond Review

– Mouth Feel: Raspy and full-bodied. The wood and bitter makes it impossible to not feel every drop with its oiliness.
– Balance: Solid. While the bitterness does sit a little forward, the quick chase of sweet to cleanse the palate, along with a woody foundation, makes it all work.
– Visual: Terracotta in color, this leaves behind a perfect, continuous crown. The legs aren’t quite so viscous, but they are evenly spaced and fall fairly slow.

– Taste: Apples, brown sugar and raw nutmeg cross the palate first, immediately drawing up the image of baked apples spruced up for both a touch of bitter and sweet. The nuts from the nose are here also, with the flavor most similar to pecans; however, the buttery-ness and slight bitterness isn’t too different from walnuts. There’s also a greater grain content on the palate than there was on the nose, contributing to some of the texture of the mouth feel and making it a bit raspier. With some searching, I can also find bitter molasses, with just a hint of sweetness making full circle to the original apple and brown sugar flavors.

Wood is in much greater quantity here on the palate. Gone is the cedar, replaced by oak – oak new and fresh enough, I practically feel myself chewing on wood chips. This grows in intensity, especially as the whiskey moves to the back of the palate. While I normally prefer sweetness over wood in my bourbons, this is growing on me considerably, and I find myself looking forward to each sip more than the last.

The alcohol is still incredibly mild, as it was on the nose. With a Kentucky chew, I find pastry, more oak, more molasses and suddenly some baking chocolate chips. Everything about this whiskey screams like it wants to be bitter, but it changes its mind at the last second to be almost sweet. In this way, I find it quite entertaining.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium to long. I have warmth sitting at the very back of my palate, but there is not much flavor here to keep the warmth alive too, too long.
– Between Sips: What is here between sips, is almost entirely oak wood chips after being soaked in water. It’s a familiar flavor for a bourbon, so much so, that it’s rewarding to find it.

– No More: This stays consistent as I go further into the glass. If anything, the wood components emerge more and the bitter notes dissipate slightly, but they do not disappear. The follow up of sweet is still present also, if not partially subdued. Overall, I’m impressed and pleased.

The empty Glencairn actually almost smells… like root beer? There is a mix of smoky barrel char to mix with the sweet, and while this may not be my favorite part of this bourbon, it’s still a solid finish to a really impressive pour.

WORTH THE PRICE?

Under $30 USD for a whole liter? And it tastes rich and deep? Of course it’s worth it – keep it on hand always! This may even contend for my personal “Best Value Bourbon” right along with Eagle Rare.

EARLY TIMES BOTTLED IN BOND REVIEW RATING: 90/100

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Noble Oak Double Oak Rye Review

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Noble Oak Double Oak Rye Review

Original review written January 25, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

A similar pour to A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 and considerably cheaper, I think it’s a good pour and one I’d consider buying again should the mood for a special finish rye take me. 83/100

I will say that I am learning that while I really enjoy ryes as a whole, special finish ryes may not entirely be for me. I much prefer a straight up peppery freshness rather than a sweetness that melds into the rye quality without standing on its own. Nevertheless, this is good and I won’t have difficulty reaching for it and finishing this bottle. Will I buy another? Perhaps. So do take this into consideration going forward in my thoughts!

VITALS:

– Made In: Indiana, USA
– Distiller: unpublished; likely MGP Ingredients
– Bottled By: Noble Oak in Newton, Ohio, USA
– Classification: Finished Rye Whiskey; Special Finish
– Finished with Port Oak Barrel Staves
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: unpublished
– Casks: unpublished char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 48% (96 proof)
– Price: $39.95 USD in Idaho in 2021

Visit brainbrewwhiskey.com and edrington.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 see enjoying this one indoors and in a cozy corner with some candles around. Maybe you’re even in a boutique with candles and warm scents. The elevated flavors of this Noble Oak will pair with the aromas around you and help you settle into the atmosphere. It doesn’t have to be feminine – sometimes staring at a solitary flame with a good pour is all it takes for a bit of peace of mind.

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

NOSE:

Acetone like fingernail polish remover hits the nose first, followed by old books and a bit of citrus zest. I can detect some shoe polish and leather as well, making this come across as almost a snobby kind of expensive. There is not much fruit, aside from some gourmet raisins and currants. Oak is certainly apparent also, both in a freshly sawn and old, distressed sense. Deep draws can pull some baked, apple pastry, like a pie – complete with a sprinkling of cinnamon, but this cinnamon is very minimal.

The alcohol is incredibly mild, and it’s nearly impossible to burn yourself on this one if you know what you’re doing.

Most interestingly, I find this nose quite similar to Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Scene 4, which Dad and I reviewed a little less than two months ago.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: This has an initially raspy texture across the palate, but it does soften slightly.
– Balance: Fair. I don’t think anything stands out awkwardly necessarily, but sweetness from a finish with a rye is always a strange adjustment for my taste buds.
– Visual: Carrot in color, there are many thick and fast dropping legs. Any remaining essence of a crown quickly changes to clinging droplets, and they do linger for some time.

– Taste: I think the shoe polish and leather from the nose cross the palate first, along with a distinct rye bread. With this rye bread are more gourmet raisins which create a bit of acidity. The raisins lend themselves further to a fruit leather component, which darkens and sweetens the sip quite a lot. There is a hint of rosemary to pair with a lemon zest that comes at the back of the palate, making this element both fresh and slightly bitter.

Like the Midwinter Night’s Dram, I can taste a bit of a tea element to this rye, but it isn’t as strong. Instead, it gives the palate a gentle lift, letting the other flavors play off of each other more. Wood exists also with the tea, but I’m not entirely convinced that it is an oak. In fact, I am struggling to pin down exactly what wood it is. This is naturally, somewhat surprising as this whiskey does have “double oak” in its name.

The alcohol is still very mild, and in fact barely noticeable. When I partake in a Kentucky chew, the alcohol wakes up slightly, and I get a little more wood, but not much else.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Long. I wouldn’t say the warmth necessarily lingers the longest; however, there is an aftertaste present for some time after the sip is gone.
– Between Sips: I don’t get baked apples; however, I do taste some cooked apples. Some of the crispness is still there, and there seems to be a cinnamon syrup drizzle over them – like a chutney. I love this aspect of this whiskey.

– No More: Consistent throughout the glass, I don’t think there is anything new to report here except that the aftertaste continues to grow on me.

The empty Glencairn smells almost identical to the original nose above, which is somewhat surprising. I’m certainly used to finding some woody aspect in an empty glass, and I find myself missing that component here.

WORTH THE PRICE?

While simpler than Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9, this still is something you could conceivably turn to if you wanted an idea as to how that spirit drank. Given that it’s approximately half of the price of that rye, I’d say comfortably this is very much worth it. I don’t know if I like it enough to feel the need to constantly keep it on hand, but if I was in the mood, I wouldn’t feel bothered at all reaching for it and paying $40 USD.

NOBLE OAK DOUBLE OAK RYE REVIEW RATING: 83/100

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Click 83/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.
To access other whiskies by this parent company, click Edrington.

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