Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Hayner Original 6 year old Rye Whiskey

Though my friend, Heather, a lifelong Ohioan, is a bourbon fan, she's less keen on rye. She knows I'm a fan, so when her dad opened his bottle of Hayner 6 year old rye, she brilliantly saved me a 2oz sample. Thank you, Heather!

Hayner Distilling Co is a legally licensed distiller located in Troy, OH, but they bottle other producers' distillate. And they are fully transparent about that. For instance, their website lists the four bourbons that go into their Straight Bourbon Whiskey, as well as the mashbills and percentages of each whiskey. Diving for Pearls approves! Their Original 6 year rye, with its vintage label, is 100% MGP 95/5 rye. Diving for Pearls double approved!

BTW, it has been more than 5 years since I've reviewed an indie bottling of MGP rye. 'Twas an Old Scout, reviewed two weeks after my younger daughter Beatrice was born. Beatrice now drives a BMW X5. How time flies.

Yes, I already tucked into it. It's frickin' MGP rye, people.

Brand: Hayner
Region: Troy, Ohio (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Age: at least 8 years
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Maturation: 5 five years in new oak, then moved to another new oak barrel for one more year
Alcohol by Volume: 45%
(sample from my buddy!)

NOTES

A massive note of marble rye with pickles leads the nose. Pine sap and halvah fill the middle, with cherry candy and plum wine in the back. The bready, gently peppery, dry palate goes very light on the sweetness (a big plus on this site). Tangy berries, crisp green bell peppers, and mint leaves make up the rest. It finishes dry and salty, with mint, pickle brine, and ginger beer.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I forgot how much I enjoy MGP 95/5 rye. The nose's first note is a like a reassuring old friend, one I've missed so. The Hayner 6yo stood up to its sparring partner, Lot No. 40, more than adequately. In fact, hell, I liked it better. It won't spin your head on your shoulders like the Willet MGP single barrels, but it's a high quality sipper, if you dig this style. I dig this style. Might have to stop by the distillery shop...

Availability - At the distillery shop
Pricing - $49.95
Rating - 85

Kanosuke 1 year old 2018 New Born

Kanosuke is another one of Japan's baby distilleries, and by that I don't mean they distill babies, despite the name of today's product. Owner Komasa Jozo produced a barrel-aged shochu for decades before firing up the Kanosuke pot stills in 2017. Their whisky is now old enough to be whisky, with some 3-4 year old bottlings appearing over the past couple of years. But before that, the company sold "New Born" spirit (1-2 years old) in 20cL bottles. Intrigued, I split one of these bottles with Dr. Springbank...

Distillery: Kagoshima

Range: New Born

Location: Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan
Ownership: Komasa Jozo
Age: 1 year (May 2018 - May 2019)
Maturation: "white oak casks"

Alcohol by Volume: 58%

(from my half of the bottle pictured)

NEAT

Breakfast cereal oat clusters, pie crust, marshmallows, and caramel show up first in the nose, followed by a little bit of pine sap and some floral but farty ethyl. (Floral But Farty Ethel Merman is the name of my indie band.) Whew, that palate is capital 'N' New. Not far from raw spirit, kind of like malted rye white dog. Mostly burning, cassia, and peppercorns. And that's its finish as well.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL new born

The nose has simplified and focused into Nillas and graham crackers floating in ethanol. The palate has become very sweet, loaded with cherry candies up front, white bread crust and peppercorns in the back. It finishes like sweetened white dog.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

You may or may not have noticed that I did not begin this post's title with "Things I Really Drink". Though I do have this bottle, I'll be damned if I can get through 30mL of this stuff in a sitting. It's very raw without being actual new make. I should have bought their New Pot rather than this par-baked stuff. Their warehouses likely hold some five year-old single malt. I'd be much more interested in those casks than their New Born products.

Availability - Still around 3 years later
Pricing - $25-$30 depending on exchange rates
Rating - 71

Shizuoka 3 year old 2017, cask 2017-026 for Hasegawasaketen

Gaia Flow created something a bit different in Shizuoka distillery. Unlike most Japanese whisky distillers, some of their barley is sourced from local farmers. Inspired by sake production, the owners had several washbacks fashioned from local cedar trees. Their wash still is wood-fired, and somehow they acquired an old Karuizawa still which functions as one of their spirit stills. Clearly, Shizuoka aims for their own specific style.

But what will it be? The distillery started production in late 2016, and their oldest single malt is about five years old now, so unless they've discovered some sort of Chichibu-type miracle, plenty of time needs to pass to see how the whisky develops.

Today I'm opening my lone Shizuoka sample, a single bourbon cask bottled for Hasegawasaketen, a six-shop sake/liquor retailer in Tokyo. Its spirit was distilled using the Karuizawa spirit still and the wood-fired wash still (denoted as KS + WS on the bottle label).

Distillery: Shizuoka

Location: wait for it..........Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
Ownership: Gaia Flow
Age: 3 years (18 Nov 2017 - 27 Apr 2021)
Maturation: bourbon cask
Cask #: 2017-026
Outturn: 263 bottles

Exclusive to: Hasegawasaketen
Alcohol by Volume: 51.6%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

It has a simple crisp nose. Honey over apples, bananas, and lemon slices. Pinot Grigio, and a hint of dijon mustard. The palate starts of with barley and pears. A little of lemon juice and honey. Witbier, kirsch, and a mineral hint. It's very sweet and new, right through the finish, where there's pear brandy, rock candy, and a lemon shady. (Sorry, not sorry.)

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose still has that light Pinot Grigio fruitiness with a touch of minerals. Subtler notes of shortbread, white chocolate, and mint extract linger in the background. The palate is simply marshmallows, barley, and ginger ale, and the finish shows the same.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though quite decent for a three-year-old whisky, this Shizuoka is still but a three-year-old whisky. Plenty of bright fruits appear in the nose, while beer, eau de vie, and sugar ripple throughout palate. It's thankfully free of vodka and ethyl notes, though I wonder if the low (for 3yo whisky) ABV has something to do with that.

While I appreciate the distillery's technical measures, it's difficult to divine anything about their future from a three-year-old whisky. Though I would normally grouse further about such a young release, this single malt reads fully-matured compared to the subject of my next review.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 82

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Knob Creek 15 year old bourbon, batch KC002

After a 5+ year hiatus, BARD Friday returns! As with all my reviews, I give you no promises regarding the BARD whiskies' relevance, though it's still cheaper and easier to buy contemporary bourbons and ryes compared to single malt scotch, especially here in The Midwest.

Let's start the fun with the KC002 batch of Knob Creek 15, which was released either in 2021 or 2022. As I'm sure I've written many times, Knob Creek and I have a weird relationship. In general, I almost always prefer rye over bourbon in everything from sippin' to mixin'. But I like the Knob Creek brand's bourbon a lot more than its rye, to the point that I'm unmotivated to ever try another KC rye. On the positive side, yay KC bourbon! Here's the oldest one I've had.

pic source

Owner: Beam Suntory
Brand: Knob Creek
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley (I think)
Age: minimum 15 years
Batch: KC002
ABV: 50% ABV

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Pretty fruit notes arrive early in the nose, with pineapple, lemon zest, and cherry jello ringing the loudest. A hint of honey drifts towards flower blossoms with time. Soft whiffs of confections. And, yes, plenty of earthy char.

An intense burst of cherry candy meets almost-smoky levels of barrel char in the palate. Cinnamon, mint leaf, and salt rest in the middle, lemon and honey in the back.

Tannins fill the finish, yet do not wreck the tongue. Smaller touches of salt, lemon, blossoms, and mint leaf cower beneath.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The adorable nose wins, of course. Though quite good, the palate is prevented from ascending further by the brutality of charred white oak, something I frequently find in >12yo bourbons. It's like the leveling-off of a mountain. We never see the top, just an early plateau. This whiskey still works very well though, and may be one of the best contemporary 15yo bourbons I've had, though that's not saying much.

I would absolutely drink this again! And if you don't mind tannin aggression, I hope you find Knob Creek 15 year old at its SRP.

Availability - USA
Pricing - anywhere from $100 to $300
Rating - 84

Eigashima 12 year old, cask 5113

Somehow I've gotten this far without reviewing an Eigashima / White Oak / Akashi single malt. That ends now!

Eigashima Shuzo allegedly became the first officially licensed Japanese whisky distiller when they picked up their license in 1919 (four years before Yamazaki), but I'm not sure until the family-run company really invested in production until the 1980s, once the current distillery opened. Nonetheless, I'm still going to root for this wee producer, because I'm really hoping that as the smaller Japanese whisky-makers (Chichibu, Mars, Eigashima, Kanosuke, Shizuoka, Okayama, Kurayokshi, and on and on and on) release high quality age-stated single malts SOMETHING will inspire the two majors (Suntory and Nikka) to do the same, damn it.

So far Eigashima's ≥12yo releases number in the single digits. And here's one of them, a single sherry butt of 12 year old stuff flexing a 60%abv.

Distillery: Eigashima

Location: Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan (between Himeji and Kobe)
Ownership: Eigashima Shuzo, Co. Ltd.
Age: 12 years (???? - ????)
Maturation: sherry butt
Cask #: 5113
Alcohol by Volume: 60%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Oh nice, 'twas a gentle butt. The nose shows citrons and limes, as well as their blossoms. Almond extract and candied pecans. Clover honey and cinnamon red hots. Hints of anise and maple in the background. But then there's the palate. First comes a mix of soil, black peppercorns, and green peppercorns. But really it's like you forgot about the ribs on the grill and burned them to shit but then took a bite just to find out what carcinogens taste like. I think there are some sweet oranges in the back, but my palate is murdered. It finishes with nothing but savory ash.

Time to go Full Ralfy on the dilution.

DILUTED to 45%abv, or 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose remains very pretty with honey, anise, citrus blossoms, and a whiff of delicate smoke. The palate isn't as pushy, but it's still mostly bitter smoke with a touch of lemon candy in the background. It finishes with bitter ash and lemon peel.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is the sort of "smoke" that feels like an accident. The nose and palates come from two different planets, or rather two different multiverses (since that's what kids are told to be into these days). It smells lovely. It tastes......like an oops. An interesting oops, but still an oops.

Dram Dracula, a nice reliable fellow who I've come across in online whisky groups, gives it an 85, but qualifies it with "Not something I would want to drink again, if I may super honest." I'm currently using it as a smoky rinse for my Ginza cocktails. Next time around I'll seek out a bourbon cask from Eigashima at a lower abv. Hopefully that delivers better results.

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???
Rating - 78 (saved by the nose)

Things I Really Drink: Chichibu 2015, cask 5262 for TWE

I am not in the habit of spending this kind of money on a single bottle of whisky, and I am not in the habit of entering bottle lotteries. But I do love me some Chichibu, and when The Whisky Exchange announced a lottery for an exclusive single bourbon cask of this Japanese single malt, I thought, "What the hell, LOL."

I entered. I "won". I paid the money. I got the bottle. I am fortune's fool. (That's what the Montague kid meant, right?)

The label is pretty sweet, with its Sportflix-style 3D karate action. There was no creepy giant wooden casket and pillow for the bottle to lay upon, thank goodness. They kept the kanji minimal too.

Secondary market FOMO for this bottle has been bizarre. During the month of its release, the bottle was flipped in auctions for more than thrice its price. But four months later it gavelled for twice its original price. Maybe that isn't bizarre. Perhaps FOMO's half life is evaporating in real time.

Anyhoo, I chose to open the bottle for New Year's Eve 2023 because OMG this planet. Then I did an official tasting on my half-birthday (the 24th of February, in case you've forgotten). Kanpai!

Distillery: Chichibu #1

Location: Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Ownership: Venture Whisky
Range: Martial Arts Trilogy
Age: 5 or 6 years (2015 - 2021)
Maturation: bourbon cask
Outturn: 233 bottles
Exclusive to: The Whisky Exchange
Alcohol by Volume: 59.5%

(from my silly bottle!)

For this tasting, I tried the whisky diluted first, but I'm listing the notes in my usual order.

NEAT

The nose has at least three levels. Mangoes, guavas, and a honey-lemon syrup sits on top. Moss, dried herbs, and paprika fill the middle. Pastry dough stays on the bottom. The palate is hot AF. I needed to let it sit for 30 minutes in order to approach it properly. THEN: lychee, lemons, apricots, and yellow plums. The long finish has those apricots and yellow plums, but also a slight floral side. It gets tarter with time.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Oh, yeah. Kiwis, mangoes, gingerbread, molasses, and citrons hit the nose first. Then guava juice and orange oil, followed by new jasmine blossoms. The palate is gloriously fruity. Guavas, grapefruits, raspberries, and lemons. But there's also a distinct barley characteristic that turns into a digestive biscuit note with a gentle floral hint underneath. The fruits' tartness keeps the sweetness in check. The fruit basket continues into the finish: limes, lemons, grapefruits, raspberries, and Kasugai yuzu gummies (sorry, one Japanese reference).

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is kind of fabulous. (The TIRD luck continues.) The fruit juice style is tailored to my current palate, though it demands dilution. When the whisky is neat, the nose needs a long time to wake up, and the palate is much too sharp. But at 46%abv, it's all lovely, every bit of it. As I've said before, I have no idea how they've achieved this quality this quickly and consistently. So far, Chichibu is the real deal, holding up better than any other aggressively-hyped new distillery.

But is this whisky worth the $1100 or $700 secondary prices? Is it worth $300? I don't know anymore. But it will very likely be the only bottle of Chichibu I'll ever own, and it continues to be an excellent whisky. And that's as much as I can sort out. If you have this bottle, I hope you open it and share it with friends.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - It's up to The Furies and Whims of the marketplace
Rating - 90 (diluted)

Things I Really Drink: Dalmore 14 year old PX Cask (USA Exclusive)

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a bottle of Dalmore open. Correction, I have a half bottle. Dr. Springbank and I went halfsies on the Dalmore 14 year old PX Cask which was released exclusively for US Americans.

The Whisky Advocate has the full scoop: "It is aged in bourbon barrels, then 40-60% of the liquid is transferred to Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from Gonzalez Byass in Jerez, Spain for approximately 2 years while the balance remains in bourbon barrels. The two parcels are then blended."

That sounds exactly like the Port Wood Reserve, but with PX casks and more age. And it's priced lower than the Port Wood Reserve because it doesn't have "Reserve" in its name.

Distillery: Dalmore

Region: Highlands (Northern)

Ownership: Emperador Distillers Inc (via White & Mackay)

Range: The Principal Collection

Age: minimum 14 years

Maturation: see notes above

Alcohol by Volume: 43.8%

Chillfiltered? ???

Colorant Added? ???

NOTES

Though vanilla appears early in the nose, none of the 12yo Sherry Select's outright barrel char shows up. Broken stones, rope, and a hint of mushrooms highlight the foreground, with florals in the midground, and grapes and cherries in the back. With time it picks up lemon juice, and the vanilla extract turns into almond extract.

The least sweet and woody of this week's Dalmore palates, this 14yo leads with figs, carob, and menthol. Hints of golden raisins and tart limes drift around sides.

It finishes with dried cranberries and dried cherries (minus all the sugar), and mix of tart and bitter citrus.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I like this more than the Kilkerran 8yo CS Port Cask that I also split with Dr. Springbank. Life is weird. There have been times I have chosen to drink this. I would buy my own bottle, were Dalmore 14 half its actual price. (See, I'm not entirely crazy.) The PX casketry feels more like a second maturation than a polish or a "finesse", the fruit elements work, and its conclusion sticks around for a while. My new Dalmore champion! How about that?

Availability - USA
Pricing - $90ish
Rating - 85