Revisiting Old Taylor bourbon: three 1980s bottlings

That's kind of the big question, isn't it?

Greetings my fellow olds! And a hello to all the papas (fathers and taters) out there who may or may not have had a drink on Father's Day!

As I type, it is that very day when our children celebrate our dumb asses for about a half an hour, maybe. When you read this, that day will have passed, and we are back on whatever terms we are normally on with our families. May those terms be peaceful.

In honor of Father's Day, I sat down in a restaurant for the first time in about 16 months, and scarfed down a bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Once my body (probably) processed all that pork belly and sodium, I prepped this here tasting of National Distillers-distilled Old Taylor bourbons of the past.

These are the final bits of bottles I'd opened in 2014 and 2015. I previously reviewed the 1985 and 1987, but not the 1989 for some reason. They're all 6 year olds, but the '85 and '87 were bottled at 43%abv, while the '89 was 40%abv. The '85 and '87 were gorgeous. I was less thrilled by a '91 bottling that was, like today's '89, bottled at 40%. I'd like to know what my palate thinks of this stuff now, six or seven years after opening the bottles, with the awareness that some of these may have oxidized a bit in that time.

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Old Taylor 6 year old bourbon, 43%abv, bottled in 1985

The nose begins with an aromatic mix of rye seeds, fennel seeds and orange peel. Lemon candy, molasses, hay and cream soda follow next. There's also a note, right in the middle, that's like a rum cake made with Worthy Park.

Oh dear. The palate is viscous and very fruity. Think cherries, plums and peaches in a crazy pie. Yes, the famous National Distillers butterscotch note shows up on time. After 30+ minutes, smaller notes of citrus, fresh ginger and pepper appear.

The finish is just sweet enough without going overboard. Ginger, plums and tart cherries find balance with a slight rye bite.

As lovely as I'd remembered, though with different notes than my review from seven years ago. Drinking this, I had the same reaction that I do with dusty single malt scotch; this is a very different fluid than what is put in bottles today. Different textures and characteristics result in a very different (and better, IMHO) experience.

RATING - 90

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Old Taylor 6 year old bourbon, 43%abv, bottled in 1987

Though the nose has a hint of dusty mustiness, it's mostly a riot of desserts. Pound cake, vanilla ice cream, old cognac, almond extract, fruity cinnamon, milk chocolate and white peaches. Very American and French.

The palate reads heavier than the 1985 bottling. More butterscotch, oak spice and caramel sauce. It develops a bold tart lemon note with time, as well as some smaller notes of flowers and stone fruit skins. Like the '85 bottling, it has a thick mouthfeel.

It finishes with oak spice, cassis, lemons and a hint of butterscotch.

Again, this is truly from another era. More of a dessert pour (probably outrageous with ice cream) than the '85 bottling, this '87 bottling shows its depth more on the nose than the palate. It's no longer a 93-point whiskey, but that may be due to all the years in the sample bottle.

RATING - 89

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Old Taylor 6 year old bourbon, 40%abv, bottled in 1989

The nose begins with cherry candy and sweat, then it expands after 20 minutes of air. What first appears as a pear/guava cocktail drifts towards a pear tart. A hint of butterscotch here, a whiff of cinnamon custard there. Maybe some flowers in between.

The palate holds all sorts of cherry notes: fresh dark cherries, cherry candy, cherry Sudafed. Lots of caramel. LOTS of butter. Small notes of char and clementines beneath.

It finishes with tart cherries, a gentle woodiness and sakura-flavored tea.

This one is the closest to contemporary bourbon as the oaky seams begin to show. Normally I'm not a fan of buttery notes, but this one has enough fruit to balance it out. It was likely a very good bourbon, but today's competition was unfair. I seemed to have no problem with polishing off the bottle's other 23 fluid ounces, six years ago.

RATING - 83

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WORDS WORDS WORDS

Tastings like these used to ruin me for contemporary bourbon for months, but since dusty bourbon prices are out of my range, I'll just have to appreciate what I have. I encourage you to do as well. And if there is something you've hidden away, something remarkable, what are you waiting for?

The Spring Whiskies: Old Taylor 6 year old Straight Bourbon (1991 bottling)

To all the folks who lust after Stitzel-Weller dusties, y'all can have 'em (except maybe leave a single Old Fitz for me somewhere).  My preference is for the stuff National Distillers used to make.  If you want to read about a man falling in luff with ND-era Old Taylor, see my post from March of 2014.  Also, I encourage you to read that post for more information and good links about Old Taylor.  Today's post will focus just on this particular bottle.

This particular bottle, found in a neighborhood liquor store, cost all of $12.19 before tax.  The bottle itself is from 1991...

...which means that this was likely from the last batches of the old label old version of Old Taylor.  After this it was replaced by an all-Beam version of OT.  Like my 1987 bottle, this one lists both Frankfort (ND's home of Old Taylor and Old Crow distilleries) and Clermont (Beam), KY.  It also has the National Distillers UPC prefix 86259.

But unlike my beloved 1985 and 1987 bottles this bourbon was bottled at 40% ABV, rather than 43%.  And that, as I shall now demonstrate, makes a difference.

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD STRAIGHT BOURBON, bottled in 1991
Owner: Beam Inc at time of bottling
Distilled by: National Distillers
Brand: Old Taylor
Distillery: possibly at Old Crow Distillery, some older spirit may be from Old Taylor Distillery but that's very doubtful in this instance
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky / Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: ???
Age: minimum 6 years old; though it has been suggested by Michael Jackson that 10+ year old whiskey is in the mix
ABV: 40% ABV
Bottle year: 1991

Its color is dark gold.  The nose leads with cinnamon, rye, and vanilla custard.  Small perky highlights of dried blueberries, raspberry candy, and tangerines appear from time to time.  Then there's barrel char, bubblegum, jasmine, and denim.  With 30+ minutes in the glass, the whiskey picks up more rye-ish spices and a lot of caramel.  The palate is charry, slightly bitter, slightly sweet.  And watery.  There's a hint of soap, though that's due to bottle oxidation as I've found with all of my dusty Old Taylors; if I don't empty the bottle in two months, the soap demons come to take it away.  There's a very rich vanilla note which is met by cayenne pepper, tart berries, and tart citrus.  Time in the glass makes it slightly fruitier and bitterer.  The finish is simple but of decent length.  Sweet, floral, peppery.  The palate's berries sweeten up here.  The soap note shows up briefly.

I didn't add water due to the palate's thin nature, but I have put it on the rocks during a couple hot weekends.  With ice, it turns into a refreshing vanilla and halvah sipper.

The noses on these dusty Old Taylors leave me wonderfully prone to superb superlatives.  They're my favorite bourbon sniffers, and one of my favorite whisk(e)y smells overall.  (I can confirm the gorgeous aromas also show up in National Distillers' Old Grand Dad bourbons too.)  I don't know if this is due to decades in the bottle, or that this stuff used to smell this great back in the '70s, '80s, and '90s.  I've never smelled anything like it in contemporary whiskies.

On the other hand, the palate was disappointing, even discounting the soap note.  OT was excellent at 43% (and 50%) abv, but Beam seems to have broken it by reducing it to 40%.  In my stash there's an '89 that's 43% and a '90 that's 40%.  So it seems as if Beam tried to stretch out the last of their ND stocks during the final couple of years.  A bummer indeed.  It's not terrible, but it falls far short of the nose.  I might just finish off the last couple ounces on the rocks the next time the heat jumps above 90ºF.

Availability - Happy hunting!

Pricing - ???

Rating - 82 (gained a couple points by working well on the rocks, but if the palate had matched the nose then this would have been near 90)

Some Single Malt Ramblings for the weekend

Just a few items that were floating around my head:

1.  Last Monday, Jordan at Chemistry of the Cocktail had a killer post about the importance of long fermentation in whisky production.  Science is one of Jordan's fortes, so yes the post is science-y.  But it underscores a mutual concern: the speeding up of whisky production does have an effect on the final product.  Denying it only serves the purpose of protecting the brand through misdirection or naïveté.  Maturation has changed, barley varieties have changed, yeast has likely changed, and barrels are getting dumped earlier and earlier.  These changes to the product are not being done in the name of progress, they're being done for revenue.  Anyway, that's my hot air.  Jordan's post has actual fact-based observations and studies about fermentation effects.

2.  My Annoying Opinions unleashed his latest opinion piece last Wednesday.  As he is apt to do, MAO ventures out into delicate territory.  This time he explores the blurry lines between whisky blogging and brand marketing.  As usual, he is right on.  The resulting comment section is quite something.  Some big names in the whisky blogging community respond to MAO's questions.  Sometimes the comments are very thought-provoking, and sometimes the comments are very disappointing.  Good stuff.

3.  A little update on that weird Suntory Royal SR blend I'd found.  In my post I said that making a mizuwari out of it was okay.  I was wrong, it's really not okay.  The sink drank the drink.

4.  Two weeks ago, I posted a rave review of two Old Taylor bourbons that had been bottled in the 1980s.  I'd noted then that the 1985 bottling had oxidized very quickly.  Well, the 1987 bottling (which I'd given the higher grade) has now oxidized very quickly as well, nearly silencing the palate and adding a subtle soapiness to the finish.  I'm beginning to wonder if this quick oxidation is something that happens often to dusty bourbons once they're opened.  Dusty scotch whisky doesn't thin out like this.

5.  I added a Diving for Pearls Facebook Page follow button on the right side of the blog.  If you're reading this (and thank you for doing so!), then you already have your method of getting here -- by boat, train, Twitter, Google+, Feedly, blogger links, searches, etc.  Facebook is another method.  If I find fun stuff to share on FB then that will join my links to the posts.

6.  I've got a fever and the only prescription is more 'Fiddich.  'Fiddich Fever burns hot this week.  All of three bottlings worth.

Old Taylor ('85) vs. Old Taylor ('87) vs. Old Taylor ('96) 6 year old Bourbon

Once upon a time, Old Taylor Kentucky Straight Bourbon was distilled at the Old Taylor Distillery.  Alternately known as Old Taylor Castle and Stone Castle Distillery, it's really a hell of a thing to see.  Rather than swiping other people's photos, I will recommend that you click over to Fred Minnick's photo essay.  (K&L Spirits Journal has some good pics too.)

The Old Taylor brand, once actually owned by the Taylor family, was purchased by National Distillers after Prohibition had ended.  The distillery itself ran until 1972, after that the production of Old Taylor's distillate was done at other National Distillers distilleries, mostly likely OT's neighbor, the Old Crow Distillery.  In 1987, when National Distillers folded up, Beam Inc bought a bunch of brands including three Olds -- Grand Dad, Crow, and Taylor.  The Old Crow Distillery was closed down that year, its space then used for warehousing barrels.

Along with the brands, Beam picked up all of the related maturing barrels.  Due to the whisky glut in the '70s and '80s, a lot of older bourbons went into brands that had younger age statements.   As has been mentioned on the Straight Bourbon forums, Michael Jackson once wrote that in the mid-eighties, Old Taylor 6yo was around 10-12 years old.  Beam continued to bottle the original stocks until they ran out and segued to their own formula (and new labels) in the early '90s.  In 2009, Sazerac purchased Old Taylor from Beam and are now the current owners of the brand.

I've had limited success at hunting for dusty old bourbons.  But my best find has been '80s Old Taylor bourbon.  They are lovely things.  While I enjoy single malts, Irish pot still, and straight rye more than bourbon, the old Old Taylor has proved to be an exception.  It's incredibly rich, and can be used either as a brisk summertime pleasure or as something to mull over on a cold rainy night.

The first OT6 in this lineup was bottled in 1985.  Tax stamps were being phased out that year and my bottle was amongst those that didn't get that sticky paper seal.  It lists Frankfort, KY as its home, the location of the Old Taylor and Old Crow distilleries.

The second OT6, is a 375mL bottle from 1987.  That was the year Beam took over.  The label stayed the same except for the addition of "Clermont, KY" Beam's home.  One other difference is the listing of ABV along with the US proof, something companies had started switching to in the late-eighties.

The third OT6 has made multiple appearances on the blog this year.  First on its own, then as part of a Beam vertical.  No worries about it making a fourth appearance as it has all been processed by my liver now.  That Old Taylor was bottled in 1996 and was 100% Beam juice.  I tossed it into this lineup for the sake of comparison.  And I needed to finally finish the little 200mL bottle off.

Here are a few additional links about Old Taylor, in addition to the links above, in case you're interested:
http://www.ellenjaye.com/ghosts.htm
http://tomeblen.bloginky.com/2013/08/31/abandoned-since-1972-the-old-taylor-distillery-awaits-restoration/
http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2012/03/dusty-thursday-old-taylor-86-circa-1982.html
http://bourbondork.blogspot.com/2013/05/baltimore-dusty-hunt.html

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Here are the tasting notes in bottling date order, from oldest to newest:

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (bottled in 1985) - 43% ABV


Owner: National Distillers at time of bottling
Brand: Old Taylor
Distillery: possibly at Old Crow Distillery, though some older spirit may be from Old Taylor Distillery
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
Mash Bill: ???
Age: minimum 6 years old; though it has been suggested by Michael Jackson that 10+ year old whiskey is in the mix
ABV: 43% ABV
Bottle year: 1985

Please note, I zipped through this bottle much too quickly after opening it.  This sample comes from the bottom quarter of the bottle which I decanted into a smaller bottle.  It had already oxidized very quickly and the palate isn't quite what it was upon opening.

The nose leads with a nutty syrup, figs, dried cherries, and a mile of rich caramel.  There's actually a significant malty element (which appealed to this Scotch fan) and a hint of Old Bottle Effect (OBE) metal.  Then there are lavender buds, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cotton, black pepper, an old leather chair, and a slight medicinal note.  The palate starts off with Milk Duds, vanilla ice cream, and dried lavender.  Even with the oxidation, it feels much fuller and thicker than a normal 43% ABV whisk(e)y.  There's a wheaty-ness that might appeal to S-W fans (though I don't think this is a wheater).  The corn element remains very mellow.  Then some cream soda and an old moldy musty note.  Boisterous spices awake in the finish.  Then caramel, wood pulp, dates, and the musty note.  It's simple, but full and sweet.

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (bottled in 1987) - 43% ABV

Owner: Beam Inc at time of bottling
Distilled by: National Distillers
Brand: Old Taylor
Distillery: possibly at Old Crow Distillery, though some older spirit may be from Old Taylor Distillery
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky / Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: ???
Age: minimum 6 years old; though it has been suggested by Michael Jackson that 10+ year old whiskey is in the mix
ABV: 43% ABV
Bottle year: 1987

This sample was taken right near the top of the bottle.

The nutty syrup, figs, and big caramel show up in the nose again, but they are followed by mint leaves, vanilla fudge, and toffee.  Then lavender growing out of freshly fertilized soil.  That's followed by a whole list of fun stuff: dried stone fruits, root beer, cream soda, pipe tobacco, smoky tea, smoky butter, and maple syrup.  The palate is unbelievably rich.  Decadent salted caramel and milk chocolate.  Rose petals and dried lavender.  Vanilla extract meets whispers of smoke and savoriness.  It's a bourbon pudding.  A little more corn in the finish, along with the moldy/musty note.  Cayenne pepper generously sprinkled in caramel sauce.  A little bit of the flora, a bit of sugar, and an herbal twist at the end.

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (bottled in 1996) - 40% ABV

Owner: Beam, Inc. at time of bottling
Brand: Old Taylor
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: Standard 15% rye (probably)
Age: minimum 6 years old
ABV: 40% ABV
Bottle year: 1996

From the bottom half of the bottle.

First up in the nose, a bag of salted peanuts.  I missed that note in the Beam review probably due to the nuttiness in the other Beams.  Here, compared to the N.D. OTs, it shouts loudest.  That's followed by mild corn, stale dried fruits, simple caramel and vanilla, notebook paper, banana skin, nutmeg, and Cow Tales.  The palate is decently textured but nothing like its predecessors.  I find those peanuts again, along with caramel and corn syrup.  Also there's both barrel char and some actual uncharred oak.  The finish mirrors the palate.  Maybe some more salt, and then a whole cord of oak.

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The '87 bottling is a knee buckler, no joke.  When I saw it in the store, I didn't know if Beam had switched to their own barrels once they bought Old Taylor, so I only bought one bottle.  Per Monday's post, as you can imagine, I wish I had bought more.  The vibrancy of the bourbon even shows itself in a flat wide tumbler glass; it's something to behold.  Had I saved a sample from the top of the '85 bottling, I'd likely say the same about it.  But all I have to go on now is a somewhat oxidized sip.  Still its nose is tremendous and the palate is still thick and tasty.  The '96 bottling is still very drinkable but almost feels like a different liquor genre next to its elders.

I'll cut straight to the meat about the National Distillers-distilled Old Taylor 6 year olds.  The only other bourbons I've had that can compare to the element of sheer joy (though for completely different reasons) are Stitzel-Weller Old Fitzgerald BIB and George T. Stagg.  If you ever find one of these old Old Taylors in the wild, I loudly recommend it.  It will probably be pretty cheap, and even if you don't find it very complex you'll at least enjoy the ride.

[Update 4/13/2014:  Now the 1987 bottling has oxidized very quickly as well.  The palate's richness has largely faded, and the finish has a slight soapy character.  But the nose remains awesome.  You gotta drink these old Old Taylors quickly, I suppose.  Straight from the bottle or mainlining or vaping the whole thing in the first night (slight exaggeration).]

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (1985 bottling)

Availability - Happy hunting!

Pricing - ???

Rating - 90  (was even better before it oxidized)

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (1987 bottling)

Availability - Happy hunting!

Pricing - ???

Rating - 93

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (1996 bottling)

Availability - More so in the Midwest, less so in the East and West

Pricing - $4-$5 for 200mL; for the current Sazerac version $12-$15 (750mL), $18-20 (1L)

Rating - 80

A Poacher Enters The Dusty Hunt

I haven't spoken about this to many people, let alone blogged about it, but I have a reliable spot for dusty bourbons.  Rather, I had a reliable spot.

Many of us dusty bottle hunters have a place that's reliable, usually off the beaten track.  And eventually, with new hunters coming aboard every day, that secret place is found by someone else and he or she relieves the store of what remains.  That's just part of the hunt.  I personally do not believe in hoarding a good find, so I usually leave a bottle or two on the shelf for that next person.  Others have done it for me, and I am grateful for it.  If I ever do "clean out" a store, I will share the spoils because I believe whisk(e)y is best as a group experience.

The store of interest here, let's call it Tasty Liquors, had five different brands of '80s bourbons.  There's one particular brand (to be reviewed soon) in which I have the most interest and have occasionally purchased a bottle, leaving more on the shelf.

On Friday night, I opened a bottle of this bourbon and found it to be enormously enjoyable.  When I'd purchased this whiskey two weeks earlier, there were at least 3 more bottles on the shelf.  On this past Friday night, as I delighted in the delicious stuff, I decided that I'd get one more bottle for myself and one for a friend.  So, first thing on Saturday morning, I drove to the store.

When I got to Tasty Liquors around 8:30am, I noticed that ALL of their dusty bourbon bottles were gone.  Not just my favorite brand, but all of the dusties.  In place of every old bottle was its new/current version.  At first I wondered if the old bottles just went to the back of the store so the newer shinier more familiar looking bottles would take front stage.

(Tasty Liquors is run by a very polite Asian couple and I think they recognize me now since I've been gradually relieving them of their old stuff.  The husband had always looked at me oddly as I'd ask for bottles he hadn't been able to sell in three decades.)

More than a little disappointed by the missing dusties, I innocently asked the wife of the couple if they had any of the older versions left, emphasizing that I'd be happy to buy them, not knowing if she would know what I was referring to.  But the moment I said the name of my specific brand, she said that "they were discontinued".

"Discontinued", an interesting word choice.  The ownership and label had changed 25 years ago, the juice had changed 20 years ago, but discontinued?  No.  After additional careful polite questioning, I discovered that the distributor rep who restocks this bourbon told her that all of those old bourbons were discontinued and needed to be pulled off the shelf and replaced with the newest versions...

...and he left with all of the dusties.  I asked her if he had purchased the bottles.  She was confused by that question and said again that he'd said they were discontinued and needed to be taken away.

When I originally wrote this post on Saturday afternoon, I was really f***ing angry.  Part of it was grumpiness about someone emptying out the whole stash.  Part of the frustration was aimed at myself for not stocking up earlier.  But most of it was irrational righteous indignation.

Distributor reps have quite a bit of access to dusty bourbons.  Which is fine.  Some of them are serious bourbon geeks.  I have a buddy who works for a big distributor and he is the smartest bourbon guy I know.  He buys the fun dusties he finds and it's not a big issue for him since the bottles are always very cheap.  Plus he often shares his spoils.  He's the only reason I've been able to try Mr. Van Winkle's bourbons.

But in this instance, if I have interpreted Saturday morning's situation correctly, a distributor rep walked into a liquor store, lied to the owners and then walked out with up to a dozen bottles of collectable (and delicious) whiskey without paying for it.  Thus it's very possible that a thief cleaned out a liquor store using his unique position to lie to unknowing ownership; a lying thief who has access to many other prime dusty spots.

Could I be wrong about this?  Yeah.  Something could have been lost in translation in my chat with the owner.  The rep could have bought up the old stuff when he replaced it with the new stuff.  And if he didn't, the owners look like complete and utter saps for falling for his BS (though, historically, men have gotten laid utilizing more dubious stories).  Or, perhaps the owners finally wisened up after 30 years and realized that there was a market for the oldies (inspired by my sudden purchases) and found another avenue to sell the bottles at a higher price, thus they fibbed to me.  Or maybe I totally misunderstood and someone else had bought the dusties before or after the new versions were restocked.

But, I don't think so.  Those bottles didn't move for almost 30 years and it's very likely more bottles were needed after my previous purchases.  Thus a call to restock.  The rep had clearly pushed the "discontinued" angle.  And suddenly the dusties were gone, with a somewhat confused owner left in the wake.

I happily welcome this fellow to the LA-area dusty hunt, if he's purchasing his finds.  But if he's not purchasing them...  I know the region this person works in, the stores he stocks, and the company he works for.  I'm not going to spill this info in case I'm completely wrong about what happened.  But if, in my hunt, I find this happening again, I will be more than happy to share this information.  All's fair in the love and war of a dusty hunt unless you're a g****mned thief.

Yes, this is the calmer version of my post.  This sort of experience takes a lot of the fun out of dusty hunting.  I've been beaten to a good stash before, a few times.  But never by something that seemed so much like a scam.  And it didn't have to be that way.  These bottles cost, on average, $15.  Am I an overreacting sore loser?  Let me know.  Have you come across poachers in your rounds?  Do you believe in "cleaning out" a dusty store or do you leave goodies behind?  Or have I just inspired you to hoard even more?

3 Beams (aka The 4, 6, and 8 year old Beam Bourbon Taste Off)

This past week, Diving for Pearls received some very generous recognition by The Savory.  Thank you, Ross.  To quote Jack Benny, "I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."

And how do I respond to an honoring of this Scotch blog?  By posting about bourbon, of course.  Ah, bourbon: the whisk(e)y with which I have the second least experience.  (Canadian whisky, don't you get comfortable either.)

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A couple weeks ago, I reviewed a Beam-era Old Taylor 6 year old bottled in 1996.  Since then I picked up minis (always the best representation of a whisky <---sarcasm) of Jim Beam White Label and Jim Beam Black Label.  I was going to do this Taste Off in May, but I was much too excited to wait...

Sorry, I'll stop the sarcasm.  I get very little pleasure out of Beam's American whiskey products.  Beam produces some of the best single malts in Scotland, but I have considerable difficulty unearthing joy while drinking their bourbons.

But I did sort of like the Beam-era Old Taylor 6 year old, so it raised my hopes.  Was I warming up to Beam?  Or is Beam's current bourbon different than their older stuff?  As mentioned, the Old Taylor was bottled in 1996, thus the youngest bourbon in its mix was distilled in 1990.  The White Label was bottled in October 2013 (per the bottle code), so its youngest ingredient was distilled in 2009.  The Black Label was also bottled in October 2013 (per the bottle code), its youngest ingredient would have been distilled in 2005.

Preconceptions:
Jim Beam White Label (4 years old) - I'm going to shift keys for a moment.  Twelve years ago, someone very close to me died younger than he should have and I have considerable reason to believe that Jim Beam White Label was one of the lead culprits.  So, I have a very primal reaction when I see handles of JB White Label on sale for $19.99.  Whether this has influenced my own very negative opinion of the bourbon itself can be debated.  But it has been a long time since I've tried the stuff.

Old Taylor 6 years old (bottled 1996) - Here's my post from February.  I liked the bourbon.  Had it had any sort of finish, I would have liked it even more and would've felt comfortable recommending it to you all.  Yet, at $4 for a 200mL (if you can find this particular bottling) it's not a stressful expenditure.

Jim Beam Black Label (8 years old) - This is what I drink on planes.  Seriously, United Airlines seems to have this in their carts all the time.  But due to the heavy vibrations, air pressure changes, and low humidity, air travel has kept me from fully experiencing the whiskey.  This is my first time drinking it at sea level.

Here are the fighters:

Owner: Beam, Inc
Brand: Jim Beam White Label
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: Standard 15% rye (probably)
Age: minimum 4 years old
ABV: 40% ABV
Bottle year: 2013





Owner: Beam, Inc. at time of bottling, but now owned by Sazerac
Brand: Old Taylor
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: Standard 15% rye (probably)
Age: minimum 6 years old
ABV: 40% ABV
Bottle year: 1996

Owner: Beam, Inc
Brand: Jim Beam Black Label
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: Standard 15% rye (probably)
Age: minimum 8 years old
ABV: 43% ABV
Bottle year: 2013



All of these were sampled neatly in Glencairns glasses.  As a change of pace, the notes are shown list-style to allow for easier comparison.

JIM BEAM WHITE LABEL (2013)
Color - Light gold
Nose - Wet clay hits first, then a lot of rye spice.  Then charred oak, tree bark, Bit O'Honey, and stale peanuts.  Gave it some time......minty candy canes and an odd farmy note.
Palate - The clay, stale peanuts, and Bit O'Honey carry right over.  There's a lot of yeast in here.  Then creamed corn, rye seeds, more of that bland peanut thing, and charred corn on the cob.
Finish - Very drying.  Generic barrel char, polenta, and a hint of the Bit O'Honey.  Salty and tart.

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (1996)
Color - Medium gold
Nose - Candied nail polish at first.  Then it recovers with vanilla extract, corn, baked bananas, and young rum.  Then there's butterscotch, caramel chews, pencil shavings, and a hint of maple syrup.  The vanilla and caramel explodes over time.
Palate - Mellow.  Toffee, corn syrup (but not sweet), vanilla, taffy, caramel, and white bread toast.  Some barley too, strong enough to make it seem like there's some blended Scotch in the mix.  That ABV leaves the texture a little on the thin side.  But it's very drinkable.
Finish - Sweetness kicks in more here.  Hint of sea salt, a little of the taffy.  But overall, brief.

JIM BEAM BLACK LABEL (2013)
Color - Dark(ish) gold
Nose - Bit O'Honey again.  Fresh peanuts this time.  Cherry syrup and corn syrup.  Minty and piney rye notes give way to burnt oak.  A hint of molasses.  The farmy note is more pleasant here than it is in the White Label.
Palate -  A lot of that minty rye.  Bit O'Honey, again.  A little salt, vanilla, hint of lemon, and peanut dust left at the bottom of the bag.  Thoroughly inoffensive.  It's denser than the previous two, perhaps thanks to those extra three ABV points.
Finish - Shortish, though longer than the 6yo.  Oak shows up the most here as char and bark.  Subtle notes of corn, caramel, and vanilla.

But then, a twist...

I fashioned each of these into mini highballs.  Southern California never had a winter after an extensive summer, so I'm always on the lookout for a good bourbon & soda.

As highballs:

JB White Label
Nose - Clay, Bit O'Honey, peanuts. Again.
Palate - Peanuts in caramel.......but then something unpleasant.  Rotten peanuts and plaster?
Finish - Very aggressive, unfortunately.

OT 6 year old
Nose - Maple syrup.  Oloroso?!  Elmer's glue.
Palate - Toffee and caramel.  Vanilla with a hint of citrus.
Finish - Stays plain, but doesn't offend. Though there's something kind of phenolic floating around.

JB Black Label
Nose - Baby powder, sawdust, peanut brittle, and creamed corn.
Palate - Nice and even.  Lightly sweet.  Creamiest of the three.  Vanillas and caramels.  So this is what I'm not tasting on the plane!
Finish - A little peppery spice creeps in to meet the vanilla.

Whew.

Firstly, the two current Beams are definitely related.  The rye is so much louder in them than the '90ish Old Taylor.  The Black and White have those oft-repeated peanut and Bit O'Honey notes, which are totally absent from the Old Taylor.  Is this due to a change in mashbill?  Beam certainly doesn't leak this sort of information easily, so if anyone knows more, please share.

Next, White Label wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated.  I was ready to exercise the expanse of my 100 point rating system, but that won't be needed, yet.  I'm not a fan of it, but it's still a step better (less sweet, less unbalanced, less stomach turning) than Jack Daniel's.  But it does get rather ugly when hit with club soda.

So then it becomes a battle between Old Taylor 6 and Jim Beam 8.  They are different bourbons, which made this Taste Off more fun.  Once aired out, Old Taylor has the better nose.  The palate is a fight to a draw.  But JBBL wins the finish scrum, because it actually has a finish.  AND, Jim Beam Black Label makes for a decent bourbon and soda.

Overall, I'll give Jim Beam Black Label the edge because of its flexibility and that extra texture in the mouth.  I can't really recommend any of these whole heartedly in a 750mL bottle, but if you can find a 200mL bottle of Jim Beam Black Label for $5-$7 it'll be a good test to see if you want to spend $16-$20 on a 750mL.

If you feel strongly in favor of or against my findings, let me know.  Some of you folks have a longer relationship to Jim B than I.  Has he treated you right?

JIM BEAM WHITE LABEL

Availability - Freaking everywhere

Pricing - $12-$18 (750mL)

Rating - 73

OLD TAYLOR 6 YEAR OLD (BEAM-ERA)

Availability - More so in the Midwest, less so in the East and West

Pricing - $4-$5 for 200mL; for the current Sazerac version $12-$15 (750mL), $18-20 (1L)

Rating - 80  (if it had any sort of finish it would be at least an 83)

JIM BEAM BLACK LABEL

Availability - Everywhere

Pricing - $16-$25

Rating - 81

Back to the single malts tomorrow...

NOT Single Malt Report: Old Taylor 6 year old Straight Bourbon Whiskey (1996 bottling)

I was doing some dusty hunting a couple weeks ago and spotted an old looking Old Taylor 200mL bottle on a shelf.  I turned it over to find the glass bottle's production year and thought I saw what appeared to be an '86'.  Holy moley, I thought, I've found a National Distillers era Old Taylor.  And it was $3.89.  Sold.

The following week I did some snooping around online and noticed that the label really didn't look like the National Distillers Old Taylors.  In fact it looked much like the current one.  After further staring and staring and staring, I realized the number was a '96'.

So what the heck does all that mean?

Like the Old Grand-Dad brand from yesterday's report, Old Taylor bourbon used to be owned by National Distillers.  Along with OGD and a number of other brands, Beam Inc (Fortune Brands) bought Old Taylor in 1987.  At that point, the production moved to Beam's Clermont plant using the standard-rye Beam mash bill.  In 2009, Buffalo Trace bought the brand from Beam.

The Old Taylor 6yo (OT6) distilled by National Distillers is well liked by many bourbon geeks who say that it was a big butterscotch bomb.  And, according to one fellow from Straightbourbon who quoted Michael Jackson (the whisky one), during the bourbon glut in the '80s OT6 was actually 10-11 years old.  Thus my glee when I thought I had a 1986 bottle.  Thus my tempered glee when I realized I had a 6yo Beam.

I really do not like Beam White Label (four years old) and I sorta tolerate Beam Black Label (eight years old) when on a plane.  But I do like this Old Taylor...

...which makes me wonder if Beam's current distillation and maturation processes have changed since 1989/1990.  Or perhaps they were still adding extra older stuff into the mix in the mid-90s.

As you may know, my palate is much more familiar (and happier) with single malt whiskies so this is a continuation of my bourbon education.  But let's give it a go anyway.

Owner: Beam, Inc. at time of bottling, but now owned by Sazerac
Brand: Old Taylor
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Mash Bill: Standard 15% rye (probably)
Age: minimum 6 years old
ABV: 40% ABV
Bottle year: 1996

The color is a medium gold.  It looks a little watery and light.  The nose starts with a very rich vanilla bean blanket covering corn chips and black cherry syrup.  It's a little yeasty and bready at times.  Then there's more corn, as in corn meal and grilled cob.  With some air, a load of caramel notes develop along with butterscotch bread pudding.  It always smells like it's going to be sweet, but actually the palate remains very mild.  It's completely inoffensive.  Lots of whipped cream, vanilla, and caramel sauce.  There's a brief floral puff and a light vegetal note.  The finish is very short and mostly matches the palate.  Maybe a hint of bitterness and sawdust added in.

There it is.  A mild, light bourbon without any of the ugly off notes of Beam White and Black.  There's not much to it, but what there is is good.  I was (and am) a little shocked by how much I liked it, even going a second round without notes just to make sure.

It has none of the stamina or structure of OGD114.  It can't take water or club soda.  Its finish is non-existent.  And if you're looking for complexity, you need to go elsewhere.  But, I'd be happy to buy a bottle of this for the house bourbon.  I should match this up with Evan Williams to see who wins at this price point.

DISCLAIMER TIME:  I cannot say if the current version of OT6 is similar to this one.  In fact, I sincerely doubt it.  Even though Buffalo Trace / Sazerac owns the brand, the bourbon is still coming from Beam.  And as I mentioned above, the current Beam White and Beam Black are undrinkable compared to this.  Thus the current bottles of Old Taylor 6yo are likely to be very similar to White and Black.  IF you're interested in trying OT6, keep an eye open for the 200mL bottles.  They should be around $4 (and thus cheaper than a bar pour) at some corner liquor stores.  Before buying the bottle, take a look at the bottom and see if you can spot a two digit number beginning with '8' or '9'.  That will tell you the bottle's year.  If you find one with an older label, then that's probably made with National Distillers juice and seems to be recommended often by bourbon dorks.  Meanwhile, the current version is generally disliked.

Wow, that disclaimer was longer than my tasting notes.  I'm just trying to cover my bourbon butt in case someone buys a new bottle and proclaims that it's sh*t and it's all my fault.  Anyway, how the hell do I rate this?

Availability - More so in the Midwest, less so in the East and West

Pricing - $4-$5 for 200mL; for the current version $12-$15 (750mL), $18-20 (1L)

Rating - 80  (if it had any sort of finish it would be at least an 83)