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...

---

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

High West Rye Taste Off! Rendezvous Rye versus Double Rye

And now back to your regularly scheduled whisk(e)y reviews...

This week I'm going to rye it up a little bit.  All of these ryes should be easily available, despite some retailer outcries of scarcity.  Their prices can range between $20 and $50, so none of them should bust a budget too badly.  My palate prefers rye over bourbon probably 80% of the time, but I know that other palates feel otherwise, so I'll try to remember that in my reviews and ratings.

Today it's a Taste Off!

HIGH WEST RENDEZVOUS RYE

vs.

HIGH WEST DOUBLE RYE

I reviewed Rendezvous Rye last year (last February actually) from my own bottle and was very pleased by it.  Before that one was emptied, I stashed away a Taste Off Only sample for further studies like this one.

Then in July, while doing my usual snooping around Costco's liquor shelves, I found to my great surprise bottles of Double Rye selling at an excellent price.  So I availed myself of one.  In November, I stashed away a Taste Off Only sample of this one too.  Like the Rendezvous, the sample comes from mid-bottle.

To be clear, High West Distillery did not distill these ryes.  These are created from barrels David Perkins purchased as his distillery was being built.  Selling these bottles, Perkins picks up some revenue to help finance his company's distilling future.  Right now their stills are up and running.  High West has released some white whiskies, perhaps we'll see some aged ones before too long.  Here's the makeup of today's two ryes:

Rendezvous Rye -- 16yo (80% rye mashbill) Barton Distillery + 6yo (95% rye mashbill) LDI

Double Rye -- 16yo (53% rye mashbill) Barton Distillery + 2yo (95% rye mashbill) LDI

So technically Rendezvous is the older brother with a higher rye content.  Let's see how this turns out.

---

RENDEZVOUS RYE

Product: Rendezvous Rye
Distillery: Barton/Tom Moore and LDI distilleries

Producer: High West
Type: Straight Rye Whisky
Region: Utah (High West), Indiana (LDI), Barton (Kentucky)

Age / Mashbill: 16 years, 80% rye 10% corn 10% malted barley (Barton) + 6 years, 95% rye 5% malted barley (LDI)

Maturation: charred white oak barrels
Batch: 12E03
Bottle: 4024

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
(many thanks to LA Whisk(e)y Society for the distillery and mashbill data)

NEAT

The color is a medium gold, though slightly darker than the Double.  Four Ps on the nose: Pears, (nail) Polish, (black) Pepper, and Pickle brine.  Then fresh cut wood, vanilla beans, coriander, and heated oregano.  The palate has less of the Ps, but is instead very rich and sugary.  Brown sugar, rum, vanilla, and lots of caramel.  Some pipe tobacco as well, along with a little salt and a mild green leafy note.  It's warm in a pepper sauce sort of fashion.  It finishes sweetly too, and much bigger than Double's finale.  Rum and tobacco.  Baking spices, cream, and mild cheese, along with that peppery heat.

WITH WATER

Some tropical fruit notes arise in the nose.  The water also brings out more charred oak weight, more sawdust, and more sugars.  A curious note of smoked celery too.  The palate gets drier and blander.  Some toasted grains, white and black pepper, and green leafy veg are up front.  Sweet rum and caramel in the rear.  Pepper in the finish, some more oaky residue, caramel, and a hint of raisins.

I really recommend this one neat.  You can add water if you wish, but I think it kills the best parts of the Rendezvous.  I'm glad Perkins released it at 46% ABV.

---

DOUBLE RYE

Product: Double Rye
Distillery: Barton/Tom Moore and LDI distilleries

Producer: High West
Type: Straight Rye Whisky
Region: Utah (High West), Indiana (LDI), Barton (Kentucky)

Age / Mashbill: 16 years, 53% rye 37% corn 10% malted barley (Barton) + 2 years, 95% rye 5% malted barley (LDI)

Maturation: charred white oak barrels
Batch: 13C07
Bottle: 2309

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
(thanks again to LA Whisk(e)y Society for the distillery and mashbill data)

NEAT

Gold again, color-wise.  On the nose, it has a similar Four P (pears, polish, pepper, and pickle) pop but it's infused inside vodka.  Good rye vodka, but vodka nonetheless.  Then there's applesauce, tapioca pudding, mango, and corn whiskey.  These latter notes are nice, but sometimes the new make note overwhelms the rest.  There are more fruits in the palate, but they're very brief.  Some citrus, some tropical.  Makes me wish they'd develop more.  Some earthy molasses.  It's sharp on the tongue in a youthful way.  The fruits carryover into the finish, briefer, brighter, and lighter.  But I'm still getting a lot of sharp vodka stuff.

WITH WATER

Oak recedes almost entirely on the nose, leaving behind, well, rye vodka again.  Some vanilla and baking spice from time to time.  The palate is nice and sweet.  Edges dulled.  Sugary baked pears, cinnamon, mild cheese, and fresh grass.  The finish is short, sweet, and spicy.

Water plays better with the palate than the nose but, overall, a few drops won't hurt it.

---

I was surprised by the significant difference between the two: much more age and richness in the Rendezvous, and a hell of a lot more spirit in the Double.  In fact, it felt like they went very easy on the old stuff in the Double.  Apologies for my repeated use of the word "sharp" but that's the one word that kept running through my mind every time I had a pour from the Double bottle.

There are some folks out there who like the Double Rye more.  And I'm wondering if there might be some batch variation involved here.  A question arises: If you're a smaller whisky producer sending an entire batch to be sold at Costco, are you giving them a great batch or a lesser batch?  Would you save your best stuff for well-respected specialty liquor retailers that may buy at a higher price then turn around and sell your product to bigger spenders?  Or do you send a great batch to a bulk buyer like Costco, sacrificing price for winning over a different demographic?

Okay, maybe that was three questions.  Because my bottle of Double Rye was decent but not at all impressive, I've been wondering if a lower quality batch was sent to Costco (who can underbid but sell in bulk).  At $27.99, it was a good deal, but I haven't seen the return of a single High West product to Costco since then.

Now back to the Rendezvous, you may notice my notes vary a little bit from last year's review.  That may be due to the sample bottle decanting or perhaps my senses read it a little differently.  Either way, I still recommend it just as highly.  I will caution that there may be some batch variation in this rye as well, but I haven't had a less than good experience with the Rendezvous yet.

A final note on pricing.  Rendezvous used to be easily available at $45 around here.  Recently, I've noticed the price heading towards $50-$55.  As good as it is, I don't think I'd buy it at $55 or higher.  Double Rye can still be found in the low $30s.  I hope it doesn't go up into the $40s because I don't think it can compete at that price level.

RENDEZVOUS RYE
Availability - Most liquor specialists

Pricing - $45-$60

Rating - 88 (but neat only!)

DOUBLE RYE
Availability - Most liquor specialists

Pricing - $30-$40

Rating - 79

Live Bowling the Super Blog

Welcome to the first and final Annual Super Bowl Post.  There may will be profanity and a severe lack of proofreding.  I'm not sure how fast or furious the updates will come, but I will need to take breaks for food prep and bathrooming and marveling at the spectacle (often all at the same time).

As mentioned on Friday, "I'm rooting for Denver. But if I were a betting man, I would be taking Seattle (+2.5) and the over."  I just quoted and linked myself right there.  With that out of the way, here we go:

7:05pm PST - Thanks for checking in!  Now go watch something exciting!

7:02pm PST - Had I actually placed my planned parlay bet, I would have won have been have myself a payout of 13/5.  But I didn't.  Anyway, somehow Chevy Silverado had the ad of the night, mostly because I really wanted to make fun of their ad campaign, but they beat me to it.  Go 'Merica cars!

7:00pm PST - Kristen and I were so involved in this game, that we're already discussing laundry.  At least Downton Abbey's coming up in two hours.

6:55pm PST - The over/under for bathroom runs was 4.5.  If you took the under you won.  This game was just too riveting.  Or I didn't have enough to drink.

Russell Wilson isn't even sweating during the post-game interview.  I don't think he and his team even had to work for today's victory.  Complete dominance.

6:49pm PST - For all I've complained about Denver, Seattle was excellent.

6:47pm PST - Peyton didn't even get a fuck during that fumble.  I think I saw him texting Eli while his line scrambled for the ball.

6:45pm PST - Not even a pass, Peyton?  You're going to keep making your backfield suffer for what's not their fault?

6:41pm PST - This game isn't worth the dusty bourbon.  I've switched to Miller Lite.

6:37pm PST - So Fox's big surprise teasey commercial reveal was a new season of 24?  This is the shruggiest Super Bowl telecast I've seen.

6:31pm PST - Refs doing okay.  Play-by-play not annoying.  I'm so confused.

6:23pm PST - For those who follow football next year, you'll probably start hearing this Talking Piehole talking point: Can the AFC compete against the NFC?  Similar to the NBA's, "can the East compete against the West?"

6:05pm PST - The only thing that Bob did right in that commercial is shave that Vincent Price moustache.

6:02pm PST - WHY CAN'T YOU FUCKING TACKLE?  "Just terrible defense," says Aikman.  I actually agree.

Okay, I'm so bored/ashamed by the Broncos that I'm going to start rooting for the refs.

5:58pm PST - In more important news, my wife and I are feasting on Turkey Meatballs and Pastry Bites from Trader Joe's, both very awesome.  I'm still working on that bottle of stout.  And the Broncos' coaches are still working on selecting a play that works outside of practice.

5:57pm PST - Apparently Bruce Willis felt the same.

5:55pm PST - A total lack of violence, misogyny, and homophobia in the commercials.  This is the Super Bowl, right?

5:49pm PST - How terrible are the Broncos?  I'd rather listen to Joe Buck speak than watch them play.  Sadly, I have to do both if this is to continue.

5:41pm PST - DEMARYIUS THOMAS STOP RUNNING BACKWARDS!

5:34pm PST - I'm going to say this right now, even the Giants could beat these Broncos tonight.

5:31pm PST - Halftime over aaaaaaand Seattle already scored.  They are going to get the over on their own.

5:23pm PST - Mandy the puppy just dropped the ball faster than Demaryius Th---

Okay, I'll stop.

5:19pm PST - Wife just brought vegetables into the television room.  I've been told they qualify as food.  I'll take her word for it.

5:18pm PST - Enough Broncos jokes?

5:15pm PST - Loren will be joining the Denver backfield in the second half.

5:14pm PST - So far, the baby pups have shit the field less than the Broncos' special teams.

5:07pm PST - Lots of growth over the years with Puppy Bowl.  They now use the Fox Sports theme and the aforementioned deceased Muppets are advertising on the show.

And Michelle Obama.

Frankly, I'm seeing better defensive execution from the pups right now.  I hope the Broncos' secondary is watching this.

5:01pm PST - Keyboard Cat looked a little disgusted.  Was it because he's a Broncos fan?  Or because they were forcing him to playing Bruno Mars crap?

4:58pm PST - May I recommend the Kitty Halftime show from Puppy, brought to you by my former employers.  It the most watched public-access-quality content in the history of television.  Enjoy.

4:55pm PST - It's official.  Disney has somehow ruined the Muppets.  That takes some doing, but leave it to Disney to get it done.  Best wishes with Star Wars, y'all.

4:53pm PST - Go for it, John Fox, 22-3 is disgusting.

4:49pm PST - Coca-Cola, why are you exploiting American pride for your ads?  You're bigger than America, you don't need us.

4:38pm PST - Blowout alert.  Serious Serious Blowout alert.  While Seattle's defense is playing very well, Denver is playing very poorly.

What's making this bloggery most difficult is the limpness of the ads.  They're neither great nor terrible.  In fact they're quite normal.

4:33pm PST - Halfway through the second quarter and Peyton completes his first real pass.

And, yyyyyyeah, that was a burly first down.  Monte Ball, Badger alum, well done.

4:32pm PST - "Demaryius"?

4:31pm PST - The first time I shout at the television.

4:24pm PST - So, let me get this straight Bud Light is advertising screw tops and aluminum cans?  That's almost as bad as Coors Light advertising that their beer is cold.

And yes, there will be dragons and Mark Wahlberg in your next Transformers experience.  That film series has to be the most aggressive mediocrity in the history of cinema.  What alarms me is that in ten years we'll look back at the Transformers films as the peak of their genre, Big Robots Punching Each Other and Destroying Cities.

4:15pm PST - If you bet the over, you're probably contemplating something you never thought you would......will Denver actually score?

4:08pm PST - As a big U2 fan, I say "Meh".  I hope the rest of "Invisible" or "Invincible" sounds better......I'm already forgetting the song.

4:01pm PST - Opened up the stout.  Anderson Valley took their Oatmeal Stout and aged it former Wild Turkey barrels for three months.  It's good stuff, I hope they do another batch of it this year.

On the football side of things, Denver is doing well defending the run but look very shaky against the pass.

3:57pm PST - My sincere condolences to those whom put their money on Denver covering the spread.

3:48pm PST - Thank you Chevy Silverado.  That was awesome.

3:44pm PST - Good to see Maserati speaking for the little guy now.

3:41pm PST - Regarding the previous two notes.  Denver's special teams, offense, and defense looked weak all within the first five minutes (of actual time, not game time).

3:37pm PST - Wow, Denver.  Looking good.

3:34pm PST - Wow, Denver.  Looking good.

3:32pm PST - It's official, James Franco is everywhere.  He's the attendant in our guest bathroom right now.

3:28pm PST - Joe Namath wearing Suzy Kolber's fur coat?

3:23pm PST - I think I speak for many when I say, I'm glad they went with a professional singer over a pop star.

And get ready for some skull-crushing axe battles in the new "Noah" movie.  Because the End of Mankind does not provide nearly enough of a challenge for the protagonist.

3:10pm PST - I will not mock singing children.  Yet.

Robert Redford is in the new Captain America movie.  Apparently, "All is Lost" doesn't pay the bills.

These are the two beverages for today.  Got yer Old Taylor from the National Distillers era and my one of my...

Oh man, people at the stadium have to listen to Joe Buck's voice too?  I thought one of the perks behind the inflated ticket prices was that one didn't have to hear him at all.

...anyway, one of my favorite beers Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout will make an appearance too.

Also, am I the only one not understanding why Kurt Russell is playing emcee for the two teams' video introduction.  Why Kurt Russell?  Why both teams?  Why a video introduction, I mean we'll be seeing and hearing about these guys all night?

Some whisky updates and oh yeah I'm going to be live-blogging during the Super Bowl

1.  Not going to bury the lede here.  I was going to live-tweet during the Super Bowl, but realized live-tweeting is just a form of forced aggression.  My six twitter followers would have to keep seeing unfunny half-thoughts firing into their feed 60+ times in a three-hour period.  With live-blogging, a reader can choose when or if he/she wants to read my garbage.  Plus, I have the option to delete the whole post in case things go terribly wrong.

This will probably be the last Super Bowl I watch.  I missed thirteen in a row (XXXI-XLIII) when I didn't have cable, but really didn't miss a thing.  I've also been watching A LOT of football during these last three years.  Too many wasted Sundays watching people bludgeon the f*** out of each other in the hopes of witnessing a half second of derring-do.  Rules being instituted to try to curb life-crippling injuries cause issues with the gameplay itself and lead to other injuries because the sport is violent.  It's not bowling.  And it would also be nice if retired players (whom have helped make the NFL billions of dollars) received a little bit of long term healthcare assistance to deal with their broken bodies.  Both the league and the union have failed in this regard, and I feel ethical nausea watching it play out live in front of me.  But please know I'll be commenting on the gameplay as much as possible, I will check my ethics at the door.

And I love hating on advertising.  And I love hating on Sports Journalism Reporting Time-Filler Parasitic Flatulence; I hope you haven't wasted any of your life reading anything about gametime weather, Manning's legacy, Richard Sherman talking, Marshawn Lynch not talking, or the 12th Man (which won't be attending the game); do people really get paid for that "reporting"?  And I love hating on Joe Buck.

And there will be beverages, and profanity, and plenty of parasitic flatulence (for free).

I'm rooting for Denver.  But if I were a betting man, I would be taking Seattle (+2.5) and the over.

2.  I would to thank everyone for checking out my Whisky Consumer Advocacy post.  I appreciate the discussion that continues to follow.  There wasn't a single challenge from anyone in the hashtag-Whisky-Fabric community itself.  So I'm just going to assume that they were all incredibly humbled by words and will endeavor towards a higher level of ethics in the blogosphere and the whisky industry as a whole.  But if I were a betting man...

3.  Chemistry of the Cocktail posted a positive review of The Eagle Morning last Friday!  Please know that it only cost Jordan two ounces of his secret bottle of Malt Mill.

I'm thankful for all the feedback on The Eagle Morning.  There's a second full bottle of it in the cabinet.  I'd be happy to share it during swaps -- but I have to put swaps on hold for a few months because I don't have much stuff open!

And, yes, the cask is currently filled with another experiment.  It's one much less sexy than the previous two, but I really hope it winds up tasting good.

4.  You've probably heard this elsewhere, but The Angel's Share is now available for streaming on Netflix.  While one could carp about the fact that it seems like two films forced into one, both "films" are very good in their own way.  As the lead, Paul Brannigan's performance helps the script realize its intense emotional stakes.  It's a bit startling to witness comedy in a Ken Loach film, but it's also very welcome because the man continues to depict working class grit like no else.  Did I mention there's lots of whisky involved?  Keep an ear open for my favorite tasting note of all time.

5.  Finally, the full page view of the The Big Whisk(e)y List now has filters.  If Google Drive wasn't such a pain in the arse, there would be more sortable stuff.

Happy Friday!

NOT Single Malt Report: Wild Turkey Rare Breed Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The last of this week's bourbons costs as much as the previous two combined, but can still be found for under $40.  (Damn, I wish I could say the same thing about single malts.)  Like the OGD114, it's a bourbon brand owned by (Ye Gods!) an non-American company.  Yep, Wild Turkey is owned by Gruppo Campari, proprietor of Skyy Vodka, Campari(!), Appleton Estate Rum, Irish Mist, Aperol, and the Glen Grant distillery.

Their Rare Breed bourbon is a mix of six-, eight-, and twelve-year-old straight bourbons and bottled at what they call "barrel proof" in small-ish batches.  I have an issue with a piece of their terminology, that "barrel proof" part.  We see a similar descriptor in Scotch whisky: "Cask Strength".  Often times the label "Cask Strength" just means that the whisky was bottled at a higher alcohol proof than normal whisky releases.  How do we know this?  Well, major "cask strength" releases like Glenfarclas 105, Ardbeg Corryvrecken, and Ardbeg Uigeadail are always released at the same exact ABV every year.  That alcohol content consistency sounds pretty darned magical considering the hundreds and thousands of casks they've mixed together over the years to design these products, meanwhile maintaining a similar character throughout.  The same amazing coincidence occurs with Rare Breed.  Wild Turkey makes different batches of Rare Breed each year, but unlike Laphroaig Cask Strength whose ABV varies from batch to batch, WTRB just happens to hit the same exact 54.1% every time.

Look, a lot of companies push the cask strength / barrel strength half-truths on their products.  The only reason why I'm prodding Wild Turkey here is because they actually continue to spin the story on their website, saying Rare Breed "has no added water to lower the proof or dilute the flavor after it’s been distilled."  After it has been distilled.  That is not even remotely unique.  But what they neglect to include is the fact that water is added to reduce the bourbon's ABV once it's out of the barrel and before it is bottled.  Thus the whiskey in the bottle is not at the same proof as it was in the barrels.

I actually like this whiskey, but I find the use of the "barrel proof" designation and the attempt to explain it in a tricky manner to be a little silly.  Okay, enough with all the bitching.  Time for some drinking.

If you squint, you'll see that this a mini (purchased during my last visit to Arizona).  It's shaped similarly to the full-sized bottle, thin at the top, sloping shoulders, and sort of pudgy around the sides.  What the mini does not include is the batch number.  What I was able to glean from the printed code is that the mini was bottled in December 2010.  Here's what a 750mL bottle looks like:

Owner: Gruppo Campari
Brand: Wild Turkey
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery
Location: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Mash Bill: around 13% rye (probably)
Age: a mix of 6, 8, and 12 year old bourbons
ABV: 54.1% ABV
Bottle year: 2010

NEAT
Its color is dark gold.  Pine needles and tree sap are the nose's most prominent notes.  There's an earthiness that mingles well with caramel candy and granulated sugar.  There's also a bit of a black cherry syrup note floating around almonds; some young armangnac too.  Men's cologne and new carpet odors swirl around in the background.  In the palate there's a solid rye bite, milk chocolate, whole wheat bread crust, and cherry Sudafed meets cherry liqueur.  Something like saline and antiseptic show up occasionally.  A corny note and some amaretto bring up the rear.  The cherry flavoring appears again in the finish.  More rye, corn syrup, and Heath Bar.  It's mild and shortish considering its strength and age.  Slightly dry and woody.

WITH WATER
The nose grows more candied.  More vanilla, milk chocolate, and caramel.  Still some pine, and now the saline.  The palate gets woodier and sweeter.  Vanilla and sweet tobacco.  The pine starts to appear here as well.  The finish is sticky sweet.  Lots of corn and wood.

The nose can be a lot of fun and much more challenging than the palate.  It's all more enjoyable when neat, but water doesn't kill it.  The finish is disappointing considering all the character that comes before it.

What I like about Rare Breed is that it establishes itself as more unique in character than most of the bourbons I've tried recently.  Though I have little interest in buying a bottle of my own, I will say that it's more complex than most single malt Scotch at its price range.  But that's more of stab at the price of Scotch than anything else.

While Rare Breed is bolder and more fulfilling than Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, the question arises: Is the addition of some 12yo whiskey and a 3.6 point boost in ABV worth paying a 100% premium?  That I cannot answer "yes" with full confidence.  If you're interested, what I do recommend is seeking out a 50mL mini as they can be found at many specialty liquor stores.  They're just a few bucks and they'll help you decide if you want to spring for the full thing.

Availability - Most liquor specialty retailers

Pricing - $3-$4 for 50mL; for the current batch: $35-$45 (750mL)

Rating - 83