OLD FORESTER 80´s (?) bottling 43%

Nose:
Mesmerizing nose with cherries, violets, citrus and superb thrilling spices. Delightfully creamy and oak-chewy.




Palate:
Just the right amount of creamy vanilla holds together a marvellous mixture of red fruits, cheesecake and liquorice. All this complemented by a healthy dose of vibrant spices.





Finish:
Long and dry with a distinct corn-oak dominance. A little strawberry sweetness manage to break through just before the dying stages.

Comments:
Points docked for the slightly too oaky finish but all in all this is true beauty for being merely an "everyday"whiskey. Truth be told, I have never tried the current OF (impossible to get where I live) but I have to say that this old bottling holds up very well compared to other Brown-Forman products of today that I have sampled.

Rating: 8 1/4 /10

GEORGE DICKEL Barrel Select 43%

Nose:
Trademark Dickel flavours with toasted oak and lush tobacco sweetness. Here lifted to another level thanks to some marvellously fresh oranges.



Palate:
Exceptionally good mouthfeel. Traces of toast and cocoa mix effortlessly with smooth rye of world class quality.





Finish:
Sharp oranges leap out from the dark closely followed by cocoa and spicy menthol-fresh oak. All flavours get entangled into each other in harmonious fashion.


Comment:
Clearly, a lot of care and thought has gone into this whisky. Perhaps not so conquering in nature as the classic No. 12, but for sheer sophistication and hedonism you can´t beat it. Similar in some ways to the 10yo Barrel Reserve that made the rounds during the 90´s but this is much better.

Rating: 8,5/10

PLATTE VALLEY Straight Missouri Sour Mash 5 years old 80,6%

Nose:
Well balanced, moderately oily corn benefits from confident support of spices.




Palate:
Smooth buttery corn. Nothing else, really but very tasty all the same. Nice creamy texture.




Finish:
More corn abetted by short bursts of helpful white pepper. Perhaps a bit subdued.


Comment:
This is the original bottling from the McCormick distillery in Missouri. I have never tried the current version thus being unable to make any comparisons. Complexity is not the first word that springs to mind here. Still, a charming little rascal. Approach with an open mind if you can find it.

Rating: 8/10

JIM BEAM Rye 7 years old 40%

Nose:
Good fatness on the nose lays the ground for attractive juicy fruit and hard candy. Firm spices spearheaded by cloves broadens the palette.




Palate:
More or less a continuation of the nose with some chewy toffee added for good measure. Alluring spice bite.





Finish:
Lemon cough drops aided by ozone-fresh spices. Perhaps a bit on the short side.


Comment:
I have no idea whether this is a discontinued whisky or merely limited to certain regions. It´s a 1000 ml bottle which points firmly towards an airport existence. Perhaps not as fun as the younger and zestier standard version but retains enough qualities to be able to save the day.

Rating: 8/10

OLD BARTON 8 years old 43%

Nose:
Flavoured tea, soft cherries and sweet chewy corn. When body temperature has been reached, a mesmerizing tobacco sweetness appears.



Palate:
All grains work in tandem here, producing a potpourri of flavours consisting of ginger cookies, overripe berries and surprisingly visible malt. All this even further enriched by chewy oak and buzzing spices.




Finish:
Orange marmalade followed by spicy oak and toffee. Fading out with soft cherries.


Comment:
A fine array of flavours but somehow not as well constructed as the 8-year old I sampled a couple of weeks ago. A good whiskey, no doubt, but where the constituent parts do not gel to 100%. The nose is wonderful, though. From when does it date? Your guess is as good as mine. I only knew of Very Old Barton before I laid my hands on this one.

Rating: 73/4/10

EAGLE RARE Single Barrel 13 years old 45%

Nose:
Criminally seductive honey sweetness. Fruitiness that switches between cherries and blueberries. Cinnamon-laced corn. A light touch of woodsmoke adds to the mesmerizing palette.



Palate:
Magnificent melt-in-the-mouth liquid honey with crystal clear rye fruitiness floating on top. Chewy oak and coconuts. After a minute or so, a chocolate toffee character with faint echoes of liquorice takes over.





Finish:
Honey in pole position with some fragmented corn and rye trying to get a foot in amidst a wave of spicy oak.


Comment:
Produced exclusively for the renowned French whisky shop La Maison du Whisky. Bearing in mind that the folks at La Maison and them guys at Buffalo Trace know their stuff, it hardly comes as a surprise that this is a goodie. Perhaps not as distinctive as Blanton´s or Stagg, what this whiskey lacks in individuality it more than enough compensates for with both elegance and sheer hedonism. BT-collectors note: this bottle is more or less identical to the ER 10yo. The only difference being a silver sticker on the neck and the number 10 being drawn over on the back label. Cask No. 23.

Rating: 8,5/10

VERY OLD BARTON 8 years old 43%

Nose:
Very appetising nose. Good corn/rye interplay produces creamy fruitiness, cinnamon and flavoured tea.





Palate:
Vanilla fudge with wood extracts supporting sweet oily corn, melons and a little sharp-ish malt.





Finish:
Dry aggressive spices at first, followed by exuberant corn and marmalade-sharp fruitiness.


Comment:
Haven´t got the foggiest what period of time this hails from. From its looks I would say the 70´s but the Barton distillery has a penchant for old-fashioned labels so it might very well be of a more recent date. Not too recent, though, since 8-year olds haven´t been produced for quite a while. No matter what, this is a little gem. A surefire sign that quality bourbon wasn´t invented with Blanton´s.

Rating: 8,5/10

BLANTON´S GOLD Edition single barrel 51,5%

Nose:
Bananas, British toffee and caramelised oranges. Glue-ish. Perhaps a bit more closed than usual.




Palate:
Perfect marriage between rye and corn produces a sublime marmalade toffee that switches enticingly between sweet and sour. White peppers grab for attention in the background.




Finish:
Long and complex with chewy oak and explosive bursts of white pepper, followed by hard candy and hefty liquorice.


Comment:
When this is on top form it is one of the best whiskeys in the world. Here it is merely very, very good. Which, for the moment, will do just fine. Dumped on 12-2-05 from Barrel No. 132. Stored in Warehouse H on Rick No. 8.

Rating: 8,5/10

VAN WINKLE Family reserve rye 1985 50%

Nose:
Big vanilla thrust eventually letting through some ultra-inviting spices. Cinnamon, black peppers and anise are some that I can pick out. Moderate doses of cherry and even blueberries augment the complexity.




Palate:
Creamy and mouthfilling. Cherry interweaved with hedonistic vanilla and just a little cocoa. Spices present but a bit more subdued compared to the nose. Certainly shows its age but the sappiness is on an entirely acceptable level.



Finish:
Estery fruitiness and spicy oak. Very long.


Comment:
Alas! The last drops of this no longer available bottling (made for the French market, I believe). Unlike most Van Winkle products, this is, I understand it, not from the sleeping Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville. No matter its origin, this is a true whiskey beauty. If you happen to see it on an auction or in a dusty corner, make sure you´ll get it. Or better still, tell me so I can grab it. :) In retrospect, I should have bunkered up on this one but I have to be grateful that I managed to own two bottles.

Rating: 8,5/10

OLD HICKORY Seven years old 43%

Nose:
Seductively sweet. Lightly roasted almonds swimming around in a sea of sugared oranges. Hints of nail varnish and flavoured tea. At its most vigorous before it reaches body temperature.




Palate:
Blistering pepperiness to begin with. Then juicy fruitiness accompanied by a pleasant tang of cloves. Falls away rather swiftly though with vanilla and cream toffee becoming too dominant.




Finish:
Short-ish and rather dry. Oak with a dash of burnt toffee and just a faint echo of fruit.



Comment:
One of the lost distilleries of America, Old Hickory was based in Philadelphia. This is a whisky that is great in parts only. Still, could be worth it for the delicious nose, alone or if you are a distillery completist, like me.

Rating: 7,5/10

WILD TURKEY Russell´s Reserve 10 years old 50,5%

Nose:
A dark brooding beast. Cherries, rye and cinnamon rumbles on a field of sturdy but pleasant oak.




Palate:
Heavy oak stomps all over the opposition, to begin with. Gradually a delicate rye fruitiness enters the stage followed by lovely cocoa, cherry sweetness and prickly spices.





Finish:
Extremely long. Outstanding balance between sweet fragmented corn and dry chewy oak.


Comment:
Apparently no longer in production. It has been replaced by a 45% version which I have yet to try. Surely there must be something amiss at the distillery if they kill off something like this? One of the true greats of the last 10 years or so.


Rating: 8,5/10

WOODFORD RESERVE Four grain 46,2%

Nose:
Very dry and floral. Violets. Old-fashioned candy store. Dr. Pepper? Very un-bourbonlike but not reminiscent of anything else, either.




Palate:
Enormously mouthfilling. Cherry sweetness. Strawberry marmalade. Chewy oak. A tad metallic (copper?).





Finish:
Complex spicy oak and honey sweetness.


Comment:
From the revamped Woodford Reserve distillery at Glenn´s Creek (formerly known as Labrot & Graham). A much needed individual voice for the American whiskey industry. Haven´t seen it as of late. Hope they haven´t stopped making it.

Rating: 8,5/10

GEORGE DICKEL No. 12 45%

Nose:
Trademark Dickel toastiness. Tobacco sweetness and a whisper of fruit. Complexity somewhat subdued by heavy vanilla.




Palate:
Toasted oak mixed with candied apples and cinnamon. Lots of vanilla.




Finish:
Hits you at the back of the throat. Heavy corn at first which gives way to toasty liquorice and smoky oak.


Comment:
Perhaps a bit more lazy than of yore, due to that heavy vanilla. This is, however, still a treat. Not to mention a unique tasting experience. Considering the trouble that has plagued this distillery, we should be thankful that it is still around.

Rating: 8/10

TWO BOBS Single Barrel 13 years old 63,6%

Nose:
Freshly sawn off wooden planks interlaced with walnuts and raisins.




Palate:
Marmalade thick. Toasty oak on top accompanied by tobacco and more raisins.




Finish:
Overripe cherries splashes down on a bed of dry and complex oak. Marvellous!


Comment:
From the Barton distillery in Bardstown.Distilled in June 1994, bottled in August 2007 by Ian Macleod. This easily outshines the distillery´s own premium brand, Ridgemont Reserve. Only 228 bottles made. May we ask for a rerun, please?

Rating: 9/10

OLD GRAND-DAD 114 proof

Nose:

Extremely dry and spicy. Apples in the background. After warming the glass in hand, toffee sweetness and modest charcoal appears. Quite complex.

Palate:

Elegant candy-like sweetness with an undercurrent of heavily dry pepper which rocks the balance somewhat.

Finish:

Mindnumbingly dry. A little of that aforementioned sweetness can be detected at the back of the throat.

Comment:

This should be from Jim Beam stock, albeit an earlier version than the existing one (different neck label). Many redeeming features on display but let down by an über-obtrusive dryness.

Rating: 7,5/10

YELLOWSTONE Mellow mash, 7 years old 91 proof

Nose:

Creamy. Cherry de luxe. Exotic spices. A unique nosing experience.

Palate:

More or less a continuation of the nose. Luxurious. Curiously rum-like.

Finish:
Aggressively spicy with a subdued fruitiness in the background.

Comment:

A late 70´s (?) bottling from the now silent Yellowstone distillery in Louisville. I have no idea what part the mellow mash (as opposed to sour mash) plays but this tastes like no other bourbon I have tried. Not that dissimilar to a Guyana pot still Rum. A minor complaint would be that it lacks some of that whiskey robustness.

Rating: 8/10

OLD GRAND-DAD 86 proof ( DSP KY. 14 )

Nose:

Dry woodsmoke. A faint echo of tobacco.

Palate:

Starts off dry then develops a magnificently refined sweetness. Exquisitely textured. Short burts of pepper in the background.

Finish:

Spicy oak mixed with natural sweet toffee.

Comment:

Not the current Jim Beam product. This is from the defunct Old Grand-Dad distillery in Frankfort. A sad loss, heavily accentuated by the fact that this is not even a premium whiskey.

Rating: 8,5/10