Evan Williams 9 year old 2000 Single Barrel

Look who's clearing out his old American whiskey samples!!! The week began with a surprisingly positive Weller Taste Off, which was followed by a hairy craft whiskey from Texas. Now the reviews progress to a Heaven Hill bourbon with some age on it.

This single barrel of Evan Williams was dumped three days before its tenth birthday, which was kinda young for EW SBs in 2011. They were usually 10+ years at the time. Then they became 9 year olds, then 8, then 7. I haven't seen one in two years, are they still legally bourbon?

This bourbon was matched up with the bourbon I'll be reviewing tomorrow, which also had some years in the barrel. You will probably believe what happened next.

Distiller: Heaven Hill

Brand: Evan Williams

Type: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky
Age: almost 10 years (12 November 2000 - 9 November 2010)

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley (I think)

Alcohol by Volume: 43.3%

(thank you to Florin for the sample!)

NOTES

There's more pine than oak in the nose, and lots of it, to the point that it almost reads medicinal. Peanut shells, brine and Old Spice sit in the middle, green bananas in the back.

Medium sweetness and medium tannins on the palate. There are some oranges rolling around in salt and vanilla ice cream. It does get woodier with time.

A little less tannic than the palate, the finish also gets woodier after a while. Otherwise, it mostly matches the mouth.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This reaches the edge of my (so delicate) oak tolerance. The nose works better than the palate, probably because I prefer smelling oak to tasting it, but also because this whiskey's sniffer is more interesting, more complex than its mouth. As with Weller Special Reserve, this Evan Williams drinks better on ice, in a tumbler, than neat in a Glencairn. I will say, I like EW Black Label (and possibly even Green Label) better than this.

Availability - Current batches are at many American specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - $34.99 in Ohio
Rating - 79

Balcones Baby Blue corn whiskey, Batch BB 09-11

I reviewed the center and right whiskies, the Wellers, yesterday. Today I would like to talk about the whiskey on the left, Balcones Baby Blue corn whiskey, batch BB 09-11.

Today's intro ends here because I'll have more to say below. I can't really top the second paragraph of my previous Balcones post anyway

Distillery: Balcones
Region: Waco, Tejas
Type: Corn Whiskey
Batch: BB 09-11

Mashbill: 100% Hopi blue corn

Maturation: refill 5-gallon barrels
Age: ???
Bottled: 17 December 2009
Alcohol by volume: 46%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose is mostly cheesy sweaty sock eau de vie with a side of glue, confectioner's sugar and dry boxed pasta.

The palate is very sweet, starting off with candy corn, vanilla and Canadian Club. There's some chemical bitterness and furry white dog in the background.

Finish - White dog-chased Nilla Wafers and that chemical bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

*Gives self the pep talk, "I won't turn this into a shitpost. I won't turn this into a shitpost. I won't turn this into a shitpost."*

Balcones distillery was founded in 2008, and this product was bottled in 2009, so it's no surprise that it reeks of a Revenue Release. The founder, Chip Tate, was a Blogger Buddy™ during his six years at the distillery's helm, so it's possible that many early bloggers gave Balcones products a pass in the early years. But this corn thing is the Craftiest of Craft Whiskies, the sort of thing many of us were complaining about more than a decade ago. Perhaps its sales helped keep the stills running back in the day, but it's a grim specimen to release to establish a brand. At its best it can be used as a Canadian Club substitute because the palate is salvageable on the rocks, a lot of rocks.

Availability - There are newer batches now, this one is gone
Pricing - Too much
Rating - 63

Weller Special Reserve versus Weller Antique 107, current labels

I'll begin with my usual disclaimer: My palate doesn't take to contemporary wheated bourbons, but the Wellers are usually the most approachable of the flock.

Gently pilfered from the official site

I found a bottle of the current version of Weller Antique 107 in the Ohio wilds two years ago. The shock of seeing a bottle on the shelf influenced me to buy it at the regrettable $50 price, regrettable because that's a 150% price jump from seven years ago. Upon opening it I discovered the bourbon was much too damned sweet for my mouth, so sweet that its cocktails required half the usual amount of simple syrup.

Even though I had help finishing the bottle, the process of emptying the thing still took nearly two years. Halfway through, I set aside a sample of the 107, then sourced a sample of its younger sibling, Special Reserve (whose price had gone up a mere 53% in eight years).

Here's a head-to-head of the two:

Starting with the cheaper sib:

Weller Special Reserve wheated bourbon, current green label, 45%abv

The nose starts off with cherry bubblegum and barrel char. Then vanilla frosting on vanilla cupcakes. Notes of grape drink and strawberry jam hug the sides.

The palate has a spirity edge to it, feeling hotter than the ABV. Cherry candies and grape candies wrapped in polyester. Salt and sour hints in the background.

It finishes with cherry-flavored cough syrup with those salt and sour notes in the back.

This was better than I remembered it to be, but the palate is still too unformed (and sadly lacking in rye 🧐) to make it something I'd be interested in drinking casually. The nose is very pleasant though, and holds up even when the whiskey is applied to ice cubes. I hope its price point holds.

Availability - It can be found!
Pricing - $22.99 in Ohio
Rating - 78

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Weller Antique 107 wheated bourbon, current red label, 53.5%abv

Plums, red velvet cake and milk chocolate arrive first in the nose, followed by hazelnuts and nail polish remover. It's more on marzipan than vanilla. Just a whiff of peppercorns in the background.

The palate's alcohol level, though higher, works better here than in the Special Reserve, and the tannins don't bite too much. A combination baking spices and figs gradually turns into mulled wine after 20+ minutes.

The long, warm, fragrant finish leans on the spicy mulled wine note. More tannins here, though.

(Again) This was better than I remembered it to be. It was much less sugary, or was that because I was comparing it to the Special Reserve? Or maybe it needed some oxidation? This is still my favorite of the Weller clan, even matching up well with its older sibling Old Rip 10yo. Yet, after paying $18-$20 for the same (or older or better) 107 for many years, I find it difficult to pay $50 for it again.

Availability - Requires footwork and connections, but it exists
Pricing - $49.99 in Ohio
Rating - 84

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Aside from the pricing issues (shocker, right?), this turned out to be a very positive bourbon tasting. But there was one thing I did not disclose. There was a third whiskey:

I'll reveal the leftmost whiskey's identity tomorrow...

Jack Daniel's 10 year old Tennessee Whiskey, 2021 edition

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 is my least favorite whisk(e)y in the world, and has been for a quarter century. (I can't believe I just wrote those last two words.) Even back when I was just chasing shots with the cheapest beer I could find, JD was just too foul for my face. That combo of the corn, the charcoal and the Brown-Forman appealed less than plastic bottle vodka.

So there was not a more surprised person on the planet than I when JD's single barrel products turned to be......drinkable. I'm not sure how I feel about a world in which I'd consider purchasing a Jack Daniel's product. But, I'm pretty sure Jack Daniel's 10 year old (not single barrel) has sold out already, so I'll give it a try without worry!

Brand: Jack Daniel's
Ownership: Brown-Forman Corporation
Region: Lynchburg, TN

Mashbill: 80% corn, 12% malted barley, 8% rye
Age: at least 10 years old

Bottled: 2021
Outturn: around 24,000 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48.5%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins with bags of cherry lollipops and plenty of barrel char to spare. The cherry note moves  quickly to the fore, and a pretty floral note builds with time. Smaller of notes of Tabasco and mustard linger in the background. A berry gummy bear note appears after more than 20 minutes.

Gentle wood smoke, tart oranges and a lot of black pepper register first in the palate. Then the nose's cherries and flowers appear in the background, along with mildly tart apples. It never takes on any generic tannic nor barrel char notes, but the texture is very thin even at this strength.

It finishes with a mix of black pepper and sweet citrus. It's never too sugary, nor too oaky.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Despite what other reviewers have found, my senses picked up no banana notes, which is a very big plus, pushing this to the fore of JD whiskies. The pepperiness showed through in the old fashioned that I, er, fashioned with half of this sample, and I kinda liked it. What holds this whiskey back is that watery texture. It's so thin in the mouth, and limits any expansion or development. So one is left with a light, pretty bourbon. I know I'm speaking to the ether here, but I'd be interested in this whiskey at half its suggested retail price (or 1/10th of its secondary market price).

Availability - Not at its suggested retail price
Pricing - Not its suggested retail price
Rating - 83 ← the highest score I'll probably ever give a Jack Daniel's whiskey

Whisky 1500: Macallan-Glenlivet 32 yo 1937 Gordon & MacPhail (Donini)

This isn't actually my 1500th review. I miscounted, so my actual 1500th whisky review was the Ballechin Bunny. Or maybe it wasn't because I don't think I've documented all of my re-reviews. I've also reviewed an additional ~100 whiskies without giving a number grade (due to sample size), plus another 70+ in my Killing Whisky History series. I'm probably close to the 1700-mark, but who knows. Quantifying whisky is a fool's game, so numbers don't mean anything.

Except here's a 32 year old Macallan that was distilled in 1937.

Those numbers mean something. A time, a place, patience.

I've had some 1960s Macallan but that's as far back as I've gone. Here are two links to folks who may have a better idea of what this era's Macallan tastes like. Since I have no frame of reference, I'll just offer some thank yous.

I want to thank Cobo for including me in this bottle split almost exactly seven years ago. We discussed the bottle's provenance, and then each took part in some cLs. The sample's fill level hasn't moved in seven years, about which I am very thankful. I'm a dope for waiting so long.

And thank you to the individual who elected to open his bottle of 1937 Macallan, and split it at a fraction of the market value. You are a mensch.

I also want to thank the old Italian importers, because without them we wouldn't have so many fake Italian dusties examples of single malt history to study, in our mouths.

And finally, thank you to my readers! I can't believe you're still here. Seriously, look at all of these words! 

Okay, I've delayed this long enough.

Distillery: Macallan
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Ownership at time of distillation: Roderick Kemp's Trust
Region: Speyside (Central)
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Imported by: Donini S.R.L., Milano
Distillation year: 1937
Age: at least 32 years
Maturation: sherry casks
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

So many notes swirl through the nose at the same time. Ocean and dandelions. Nectarines and blackberry juice. Dried currants and dried leaves. Daifuku and hints of tobacco, earth, parmesan and malt. It both charms and overwhelms.

The palate tricks one into thinking it's going to be too sugary, then takes a left turn into tartness. Yes there are black mission figs, daifuku and a mouthful of sweet shisha smoke. But there are also dried cranberries and currants that someone forgot to sweeten, and some tart citrus around the edges.

It has a very long sticky finish that's like a mix of black fig liqueur and German bitter herbal digestifs. Rainier cherries in the background and some more good bitterness right down the middle.

This has become a fragile whisky, requiring time in the glass, but not too much time. It's both a vibrant dessert malt, and something that calls for silence. One can treat these old bottles casually, as they can be fabulous drinkers, but I think to really indulge one needs to wrap oneself in the moment, put all the other things away, and just sit. It's a fair thing to do on a weeknight. Thank you all.

Availability - Secondary market, maybe?
Pricing - High
Rating - 91

A few brief thoughts before I continue

Three months divorced, though separated at heart for nearly two years, I have come to the end of my first Covid spell and I have a few thoughts.

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The American Brand is Sad™ and™ Horny™. I mean, I'm obviously projecting, but there are infinite ways we have communicated that brand over the years, from Wordle posts to Casablanca to Interpol. Speaking of which, about 16 years ago I lied to a work friend saying that I loved Turn On the Bright Lights. I hadn't listened to it even once, but my friend was so brilliant and beautiful and I didn't want to interrupt the reverie she was in, detailing how much that album meant to her. She died eight years later of cancer, survived by her husband and son. Taylor, I'm sorry I lied then, but you were right, I'm listening to it now, it is a great album. 

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When one stops drinking, one suddenly gets a lot of one's night back, especially if Covid has stolen one's ability to sleep. I'd like to pat myself on the back for falling into very few internet rabbit holes, avoiding most cat videos, and ignoring all performative parenting social media posts.

I did watch some films (French New Wave stuff (Contempt, Elevator to the Gallows, etc.), Star Wars things, Pig, The Green Knight, Blade Runner 2049, etc.), read books (Middle Passage (holy shit) and a slew of baseball history tomes), and did some cooking because I can still smell and taste.

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Five-word commentary:

Contempt - Makes much more sense now
Elevator to the Gallows - Jeanne + Miles + Louis = WANT MORE
The Force Awakened - Created with emotion, not thought
Pig - Rewatched Nicolas Cage's monologue thrice
The Green Knight - Improves as the journey progresses
Blade Runner 2049 - Earth needs more grownup SciFi

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On that note: Before getting back into liquid reviews, I tested my senses to make sure that cognac tasted like cognac, Ardmore tasted like Ardmore, and bourbon tasted like shit. ZING! Those spirits did not change while I was gone. Pending no viral relapses, I'll post my 1500th review on Wednesday.

Covid-19 Pause

Mathilda, recently vaccinated, caught Da 'Rona one week, and rebounded within 48 hours. Beatrice, who is too young for a vaccine, caught it the next week. She is on day 9 and is finally recovering. Across those two weeks, I took four Covid antigen home tests, scoring a negative each time. But when I woke up this Saturday morning, the first thing I thought was, I have Covid. Sure enough, fifth time's the charm.

I welcomed the booster five weeks ago, so I think it's helping me avoid the scary stuff. Mostly, the virus has been a sinus fucker. It's been almost three years since I had a real head cold, so I'm a bit out of practice with this whole under-the-weather thing. Not sure if these symptoms have become the worst "cold" I've ever had, or if colds were always this gross. [Update: This ain't no cold.]

I had a very fun whisky post scheduled for today, but it's going to have to wait. My sense of taste (LOL, because Covid makes this so much funnier) hasn't abandoned me entirely, but I'm not going to poison my immune system since it's fighting the Battle of Stalingrad right now.

To everyone out there, please make good choices, not just for you and your family, but for everyone else. Not all of us will be so lucky to write a blog post about this.