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...

Single Malt Report: The Arran Malt, Single Sherry Cask #391

Last year, I briefly mentioned that I was exploring sherry more deeply in order to sort out my sherried whisky issues.  In the thirteen months since, my tolerance and enjoyment of those whiskies has grown.  But I've also discovered that I really Really REALLY do not like sherry.  From the tart prunes and stale raisins in the palate, to the consistently off-putting finish that makes me want to slap myself in the face until the aftertaste falls out, there's nothing I actually enjoy about the process of drinking sherry (whether it's a $5 bottle or a $25 bottle).  Comparatively, sherried whisky is a pleasure.

With that in mind, today I'll follow up yesterday's Arran Single Bourbon Cask post with a review of one of their Single Sherry Casks.  Here it is matched up with a glass of sherry.

The sherry is an Oloroso from Lustau.  It's described as a nuttier, drier Oloroso.  Perhaps, but after choking down half the bottle's contents over the last two weeks, I'm dumping the rest down the sink.  Life's too short, plus the bottle took up valuable space in the fridge.

Next to the sherry, the Arran Single Sherry Cask whisky was subtle and nuanced.  Thank you to Jordan for this sample as well.  (Also, see Jordan's post about this same whisky.)  This was a fun swap.

Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Type: Single Malt
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland

Age: March 19, 1997 to June 16, 2008 (11 years)

Maturation: ex-sherry cask

Cask: 391

Alcohol by Volume: 55.4%
Bottle: 64 out of 276

NEAT
The color is light gold, lighter than many bourbon cask whiskies its age.  The nose starts with a little more alcohol prickle than yesterday's whisky had.  Beneath the heat, a nuts-to-cheese-to-malt progression evolves.  Maybe some fresh fruit in the distance.  At first there's a hint of milk chocolate, but after some time it expands and expands until there's a wall of soft Milk Duds and 3 Musketeers.  The palate is salty and nutty.  Thought it's not sweet, the chocolate bar notes from the nose are present here as well.  Chocolate malt too.  Maybe a hint of oloroso.  And a nice bit of tangerine juice.  That citrus note turns into something more like orange peel in the moderate, but tangy finish.  Chocolate and toffee.  Then, Rolos!

WITH WATER
Just a few droplets here.  Brighter peppery spices develop in the nose.  Vanilla bean, coriander, cardamom, caramel, and lime peel.  The palate is sweeter and malty with toffee and oranges (juice and peel).  More orange peel in the finish.  Then chocolate and caramel, dusted with chili powder.

This is Exhibit #5437 in the case against Macallan's "Darker = Higher Quality" marketing malarkey.  This whisky is better than many mahogany-shaded "luxury" drams.  Similar to Jordan's thoughts in his post, I think this particular single cask was an refill.  And with all of the caramel and vanilla things going on, I wouldn't doubt if the barrel had been fashioned from American oak.

While I found more complexity and enjoyment in the bourbon cask sample, I really did enjoy all of the sherry cask's chocolatey notes.  I also think it would stand up pretty well if matched up against GlenDronach's regular (non-CS) range.  That's impressive considering the Arran distillery's youth.

As far as recommendations go, consider your palate.  Mine prefers ex-bourbon casks, but it still enjoys this whisky.  If you require a first-fill sherry blast, then this isn't quite that.  But all the milk chocolate notes will likely appeal.

Please note that this Single Cask belongs to that earlier stage of SCs bottled between 2007 and 2011, not the current more premium Single Cask bottlings with the fancier packaging.  This reviewed Single Cask whisky is a few years younger than the current versions, but also $30-$50 cheaper.

Availability - Disappearing, though may be at some specialty retailers
Pricing - $80-$100
Rating - 86

Single Malt Report: The Arran Malt, Single Bourbon Cask #77

Between 2007 and 2011, the Isle of Arran Distillery bottled individual ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks.  The single cask releases helped fill out the still very young distillery's product range, which included an NAS starter malt, a 10 year old, and some NAS wine-finished whiskies.  The prices of the SCs were relatively reasonable and widely distributed which allowed non-insider whisky fans to try Arran's whisky at full strength.

Arran ascends my Top Distilleries list each time I try another one of their products.  Their 10 year old is very good.  I'm crazy about their 14 year old (which I'll review at some point before the century is over).  And I found their wine-finishes to be better integrated than Glenmorangie's.  To my great glee, I obtained a pair of samples of the aforementioned single Bourbon and Sherry casks via a swap with Mr. Chemistry of the Cocktail.

Today, I'm writing about the Bourbon cask.  Tomorrow(?), I'll have a post about the Sherry cask.  I stupidly discarded the Bourbon cask sample's label before getting picture of it.  In its place, here's a photo of two-row barley:

(source)

Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Type: Single Malt
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland

Age: July 19, 1999 to November 19, 2010 (11 years)

Maturation: ex-Bourbon cask

Cask: 77  (Please note:  There is another cask #77 that has been bottled by Arran.  That one was a nine year old single Sherry cask release.  Here's a link to that one for more information.)

Alcohol by Volume: 57.0%
Bottle: 123 out of 206

NEAT
The color is amber waves of (barley) grain.  The nose starts with a lot of grain goodness:  porridge, oats, and hot barley cereal.  There's a little bit of oak swimming around in there too, think buttered white bread along with hints of caramel and vanilla.  Then there's lime peel, fresh milk, and sweaty skin (if you need me to specify "in a good way" then what kind of hedonist are you?!).  After 20 minutes, more oak spice starts to show up.  After 30 minutes, fresh peaches and fresh cucumber.  Lots of barley in the palate too.  Some yeast and mint.  A hint of something Tobermory-ish (yes, "in a good way" if you're a fan of the current Tobermory 10).  Lemony with a light spicy zip.  Meanwhile, the alcohol heat is mild considering the ABV.  The sweetness is reserved.  But lots of toasty grains, which continue into the finish.  Some anise, fresh mushrooms, slightly salty and savory, and then tropical fruit juices slip in at the end.  But it's mostly malt malt malt.

WITH WATER
A little more oak appears in the nose, in the form of unburned barbecue wood chips, though there is a hint of char as well.  Lots of citrus, cardamom, and peach yogurt.  The fruits roll over into the palate.  There's also black peppercorn, sweet cream, chocolate malt, and lemon cream pie.  The finish is sweeter with more of that chocolate malt, along with orange candy.

This whisky falls into one of my favorite categories: nearly naked malt.  Arran makes some great spirit; they're clearly not afraid of it standing so far upstage that it's almost in the crowd.  It doesn't need water, but if you want the whisky to unleash more oak and sweetness, a few drops is the way to go. Personally, I'd keep it neat in order to revel in the barley-ness.  (Also, as per Jordan, be careful not to add too much water because it makes the whisky go a little weird.)

There are a number of other official Arran single bourbon casks out there and I've been told good stuff about them as well.  If you can find this at its original price ($70-$80), I'd be hard-pressed to tell you a better non-peated cask strength whisky at its age in this price point.

Here are the caveats:
-- This ain't no sherry cask.  In fact, there's even very little American oak influence showing up on the nose and palate.
-- There's lots of barley.
-- Though there are no ugly spirit notes, it is a young malt.

If you find any of the above troublesome, then I'd recommend you try it before you buy it.  On the other hand, I'm keeping an eye out for this whisky if the price is right.

Availability - Disappearing, though may be at some specialty retailers
Pricing - $70-$100
Rating - 89

Single Malt Report: Ardbeg Alligator

(Sorry for the weird timing of my posts this week.  Hopefully next week will be back to normal.  And Happy Valentine's Day!)

Thanks again to Tim for the whisky!

Good news:  Ardbeg Alligator is much more enjoyable than Ardbeg Galileo, better woven, better integrated, and tastier.

Bad news:  Ardbeg Alligator done sold out two years ago.

Ugly news:  I'm going to review it anyway.

Ardbeg Alligator was first sold only to Ardbeg Committee members, then was later released in a limited fashion to the public in 2011.  Like the majority of Ardbeg's limited releases, it does not have an age statement.  Most descriptions of it say it's "similar to the 10 year", which I think means that the majority of the whisky in the bottle was aged in ex-bourbon casks.  The part that makes it different and "Alligator" is the char levels on some of the rest of the whisky in the mix.  Ardbeg used new Missouri oak and gave it (I think) a level 4 char, which is a deep charring of the cask interior that leaves the oak looking like scaly alligator skin.  In Dominic Roskrow's 1001 Whiskies book, he quotes Bill Lumsden as saying this sort of oak experimentation was underway in 1998-2000 after the distillery was up and running under Glenmorangie's control.  So perhaps the whisky is in the 10 year old age range.  But we don't know that due to the lack of age statement.  But Alligator was released at a higher ABV than the Ten, a 51.2% versus 46%.  And now you know all I know about it!

Distillery: Ardbeg

Owner: LVMH

Age: NAS

Maturation: ex-bourbon casks + heavily charred virgin American oak

Region: Islay

Alcohol by Volume: 51.2%
Release Year: 2011
Limited Bottling: possibly 10,000

NEAT
The color is dark amber.  The nose begins with vanilla beans, piney peat, and salty cheese.  Then there are hazelnuts, an Asian sauce heavy on the sesame oil, and caramel sauce.  After some time, a very strong cinnamon and cracked pepper note emerges which is very reminiscent of new make rye.  The palate is intensely ashy, but sugary around the edges.  There's cinnamon, smoked cocoa powder, brown sugar shisha, and a bit of barley.  It finishes on orange peel and cinders.  Sweet + peat.  Cocoa and lot of drying tannins.

WITH WATER
The pine recedes in the nose, replaced by mango and papaya.  Lots of burnt notes.  The vanilla remains strong.  There are some band aids in the mix along with black pepper and grilled beef.  Gets more candied with time.  The palate reminds me of Ardbeg Ten but with more bitter oak, though the bitterness isn't offputting.  It's less sweet now, though the brown sugar is still intact.  Some peat moss, then a lot of lemon tartness.  More of the tartness in the finish, along with the moss, and a light sweetness.

Though I like it better neat, Alligator swims well (sorry).  The finish sticks around for a long time; that's good.  Enough to keep my wife away from me for a while; that's bad.

The new makey notes in the nose made me wonder if the "Alligator" part of the mix was in fact very young.  Clearly there's a lot of oak swimming around in this whisky, so if you're not a fan of that then this isn't for you.  But I like it.  It's a darn shame it's now selling at "collectors'" prices.  At $80-90, I'd consider it a one-time enjoyable Autumn malt.  It doesn't surpass the heights scaled by Corryvreckan and Uigeadail (and older versions of the Ten), but it may have made for an interesting addition to Ardbeg's regular range.

Availability - Specialty liquor retailers

Pricing - was $90-$100, but is now $250-$500, yep

Rating - 88

Single Malt Report: Ardbeg Galileo 1999

This post will wind up being as much about the whisky as its creator because, in this case, Ardbeg Galileo is indicative of the current stage of Dr. Bill Lumsden's whisky path.

Dr. Bill is the head of whisky creation (and/or director of distillation, whisky creation, and whisky stocks) for both of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy's distilleries, Glenmorangie and Ardbeg.  Under his supervision, annual (or semi-annual) limited releases are produced by each distillery.  For Glenmorangie, what at first started out as malt and peat experiments (Signet and Finealta) has since become a focus on wine and oak (Sonnalta, Artein, Ealanta, and Companta).  Ardbeg's limited releases started out as experiments with aging and peating levels (Almost There, Rollercoaster, and Supernova), but has since followed Glenmorangie down the wine cask path (Day, Galileo, and Ardbog).

The story (and there always has to be a story with LVMH) behind Ardbeg Galileo is that it was released to commemorate the fact that Ardbeg samples had been sent into outer space for scientific study.  But, with at least 15,000 bottles in this release that means there were a hell of a lot of casks involved in the whisky that turned out to be "Galileo", so the stuff was going to have be released at some point in some form, or else it would have been a financial liability.  Because really, how the heck does sweet Marsala wine casks mixed with bourbon casks have anything to do with space or Mr. Galilei?

I know plenty of retailers (and one particular reviewer) who trumpet Glenmorangie's limited wined-up releases, but I haven't found too many whisky fans who actually enjoy the stuff.  Perhaps there's a market for wineskis (as Serge calls them) that I don't know about.  And perhaps Lumsden's palate prefers this whisky category.  If it doesn't, then the reasons behind continuing the wine-biased limited releases are mostly financial.  These releases do continue to sell and they are backed by the most aggressive single malt marketing department in existence.  There's the money.  But expanding a brand's product range does not equal improving its products.

Of all of Ardbeg's releases, this one is the most Glenmorangie-esque, with those sweet Marsala wine casks mixed in.  And I'll tell you up front, this one makes no sense to me.  The wine is not at all integrated with the malt, which is similar to my issue with Glenmorangies Lasanta and Quinta Ruban.  My first pour from the bottle seemed like someone has swished equal parts whisky and wine in the glass like a 2am drunken disaster of a cocktail.  Over time the contents of the bottle got better but...

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many many thanks to Tim!!!

Distillery: Ardbeg

Owner: LVMH

Age: 1999 - 2012 (around 12 years)

Maturation: ex-bourbon casks (approx. 60%-70%) and sweet Marsala wine casks (30-40%)

Region: Islay

Alcohol by Volume: 49%
Limited Bottling: 15,000

NEAT
The color is a peachy gold.  The nose holds orange juice, cantaloupe, cardamom, and lots of rich peat.  At times there's some spoiled Half-n-Half, other times regular Coffee Mate.  Then tropical fruit Skittles, butterscotch, and a vague farmy note chased by overripe mango.  Lots of sweet wine.  The palate leads with ashes and moss, then a half-step later here comes sticky sugars and tangerine juice.  Considerable heat framed by tartness.  After a while, there's a burst of that curious too-old-cream thing.  It finishes with peat smoke and orange/tangerine peel.  It grows very tart, followed by a nutrasweet-like aftertaste.

WITH WATER
The peat recedes in the nose.  Lots of apricots and peaches covered in sugar and left out overnight.  That must be why a fly dive-bombed my Glencairn glass.  Orange peels and peach ice cream.  Odd intense jabs of tartness shoot through the palate, followed by cigarette smoke, more orange peel, and a little bit of peat moss.  The finish?  Bleh.  Very bitter, reminiscent of the time I chewed non-chewable aspirin when I was a kid.  The rotten cream thing.  Orange Tang.  Interminable.

HEAVILY OXIDIZED SECOND SAMPLE
On the nose the peat and fruit sugars are a little better integrated.  Nondescript stone fruit.  Milky coffee.  Flower kiss candy.  Elephant poop.  The palate hasn't changed.  Maybe more espresso bitterness and tart grapefruit.  The finish is oh so tart.  And buttery.  With sea salt and wet cigarettes.

Um......so water makes the nose better but harshes up the finish.  Air is nice for the nose too, but doesn't do much positive stuff otherwise.  A better bet is to try it neat.  The best bet is forgo the Galileo for some Corryvreckan instead.

If Beam did a madeira finish with their Connemara brand, like they did with Tyrconnell, it would likely be very similar to Ardbeg Galileo.

This is not a complete whisky failure, but I'm not sure where it succeeds.  Nor do I know for whom this was made.  It won't appeal to peatheads.  It won't appeal to Glenmorangie fans.  Nor will it appeal to fans of old fashioned whisky.  That might be why there are still bottles of Galileo (and Ardbog, for that matter) still sitting on retailers' shelves.  And, may I add, more people turned down my offers for a Galileo sample than those who accepted.

---

To be fair, Dr. Bill hasn't produced a series of horror shows like Jim McEwan.  But with so much money riding on his decisions, one has to wonder how much room Lumsden has to err.  In my experience, and to my nose and palate, this is the furthest thing from a success that Ardbeg has released.  This is a mashup wherein the songs don't merge, line up, or connect in any way.

What if he had sat on this and instead released some cask strength Ten?  It wouldn't have been as sexy, but his customer base would have enjoyed it greatly, and LVMH marketing would have spun some tale about stratospheric ABV levels.

As a loyal Ardbegger, I hope Lumsden ditches the wine casks in future releases and instead focuses on the barley, yeast, and peat.  That's IF he must continue the yearly releases, which of course he will until they or he is/are decided to be less than fiscally necessary.  Just maybe lighten up on all the cask focus next time, oh wait, too late.

Availability - Specialty liquor retailers

Pricing - $90-$110 (original pricing) or $150-$200 for those who deem this a collectible

Rating - 78 (neat only)

NOT Single Malt Report: Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whisky

Does this ever happen to you?  One of your friends recommends a newly released film.  And you think, "Hmm, that sounds interesting."  Then another friend recommends it.  Then another.  Then your dad recommends it.  And your mom.  And your second cousin, two coworkers, your landlord, and all of your exes.  Then a waitress recommends it to you, then a cab driver, the dude who bags your groceries, your dentist, your proctologist, a talking squirrel, the cop who arrests you for indecent exposure, and James Franco.

"Mmm, yes. The director's use of mise-en-scène for the
interiors was reminiscent of early Renoir.
More La Règle du Jeu than La Chienne, really."
(pic source)

Yet the more times you're told the film is great, the less and less you actually want to see it.

Then three years later you watch it, and everyone was right.  The film is excellent.  But you don't tell them about it because you recognize how late to the party you are due to the fact that you're such a stubborn sh*t.

Are you that guy?  I'm that guy.

I cannot count how many people have recommended Rittenhouse Rye BIB.  It got to the point where I was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's great. Whatever."  And I never tried it.  Then two months ago I purchased a bottle.  And holy crap.

Brand: Rittenhouse

Owner: Heaven Hill
Type: Straight Rye Whisky (no 'e'!)
Region: Distillery - Louisville, Kentucky; Warehouse - Bardstown, Kentucky
Maturation: new American white oak
Mash bill: 65% Rye (I think) 51% Rye (per Cowdery here and here)

Age: minimum 4 years, though some batches are said to be 6-8 years
Bottle Year: 2011

Alcohol by Volume: 50%

Its color is an orangey maple syrup.  The dense nose holds chocolate cake, flower blossoms, orange zest, cardamom, nutmeg, whole wheat bread, toasted rye bread, and damp tobacco.  There's something Scotch-ish about it too.  Perhaps it's a combo of toasted grains, salty air, and a hint of smoke?  With some time, the whisky develops notes of earthy molasses, fresh apples, licorice, and carob.  Rye seeds, black pepper, and brown sugar lead the palate.  There's an umami note in the center too; maybe savory herbs?  Lots of toasty grains all wrapped in silky sweetness.  It finishes with vanilla custard and caramel.  Lots of rich caramel sauce, all dark and syrupy.  Then the rye brings in a spicy twist of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and mint.

This stuff is very good served neatly.  It is very good on ice.  It is very good in cocktails.  It is very good to fill a tub with to plant your ass in.  Though I've never had a problem finding it in California, there have been known to be scarcity issues with this rye.  Must be from all those overflowing tubs.

Despite the 50% ABV, it's not hot at all.  Instead, it is creamy and very drinkable.  Wild Turkey 101 used to be my favorite rye for cocktails, but Rittenhouse BIB just zoomed ahead.  Oh yes, one more thing: the quality-price-ratio is outstanding.

So, my stubborn rye-loving friend, I recommend this Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whisky to you.

Availability - Most liquor specialists

Pricing - $20-$28

Rating - 90

NOT Single Malt Report: Knob Creek Rye

Transitioning now from one of the smaller players to one of the biggest players in the American whiskey game...

Beam Inc's Knob Creek Rye.

Yes, you're not imagining things; there have been a lot of Beam products in my reports so far this year.  Aside from maybe one more, I have no plans to review additional Beam whiskies over the next two months.  Though I can't promise the same silence for their parent company's, Suntory's, goodies...

Oh, and may I just mention the news that Mila Kunis has been hired as the face of Jim Beam?  And a nice face it is.  Here she is going for the Marion Cotillard look:

So there you have it, a Ukrainian Jewish woman representing an American whiskey producer owned by a Japanese company.  Globalization does birth something pleasant from time to time.

Anyway, back to Knob Creek Rye.  Wow, everything is downhill after her.  Knob Creek.  It's technically made from the same mash bill (51% rye) as Jim Beam Rye, Old Overholt, and the discontinued (rî)1.  Interestingly, with (rî)1's demise, Knob Creek Rye was introduced into the market at the same price point, with no age statement but a higher proof (100).

words words words words words words pink elephant bumblebee carrots.  You're not even reading this, are you?  You're looking at her pictures.  Okay, you can catch up when you're ready.

My experience with the Beam ryes is limited to Old Overholt, which I've found inoffensive on its own and serviceable in a cocktail.  This is an unusual moment wherein I know a company's bourbons better than their ryes.  This is an attempt to correct that.

Here's the mini, which is in fact a miniature version of the regular bottle.

Brand: Knob Creek

Owner: Beam, Inc.
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey
Region: Clermont, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Maturation: new American white oak

Age: NAS
Release Year: the mini was bottled in August 2012

Alcohol by Volume: 50%

NEAT
The color is bronze.  The nose starts with indoor swimming pools and ham.  Then stewed prunes and wood varnish.  It's a little sugary, and seems cornier than rye-ish.  "Orange chicken" sauce (must be the corn syrup) with hazelnuts.  The palate is very dry and hot.  Oats and cream of wheat.  Toasted almonds and hints of rye seeds.  Then clay, yeast, and stale dried herbs.  Finally something...let's call it hazelnut turpentine.  The rye notes show up stronger in the finish as sweet baking spices.  Then toffee and vanilla.  Then the yeast.  Then polenta.  And it all fades abruptly.

That was weird.

WITH WATER (approx 43% ABV)
The nose sort of straightens itself out.  Floral perfume notes meet cut wood.  Then cotton candy; actually lots of sugary candy.  Play-Doh and something acrylic.  With some air: overripe strawberries starting to go rank.  Lots of hot cereal in the palate, again.  Hot Old Overholt.  Hot plain rye.  Slightly savory and a little salt.  Oooh, here comes the Play-Doh.  Pepper notes grow with time.  Some of that pepper carries over into the short finish, topped by a hint of fruity sugars.

This is not a thinker's rye.  This is not a rye to be analyzed.  And I'm trying to figure out if this is a rye to be drunk.  Served neat, the nose is schizophrenic, the palate is somehow both young and plain, and the finish is almost interesting and then it disappears.  With some water, the nose improves but the palate and finish do not.

I had a difficult time finishing my 50mL of this rye and it wasn't because I was too busy searching for Mila Kunis pics.  At the $40-$45 range this stuff is competing with Willett and High West, a matchup that ends more lopsided than Sunday's Super Bowl.  Honestly, I now have little interest in exploring Beam's ryes further.

Availability - Most liquor specialists

Pricing - $30-$50

Rating - 72