Forged Oak 15 yr

Well it's been a hot minute since my last review, so for anyone who's been missing me, I'm sorry. For those who aren't, why aren't you?!?

Forged Oak 15 year! The new release from the highly criticized Orphan Barrel. Following my review of Barterhouse and my tasting of Lost Prophet, I was eagerly anticipating what has already been called the best of Orphan Barrel project. Well folks, I'm here to tell you, this...is...a dud. Very disappointed in this release. I will explain more in the tasting notes, but suffice to say, there was little to nothing interesting to say about this release. The price, for a 15 year is great! But the price for a 15 year bourbon like this, is not so great. To the Tasting Notes!

Nose: Do you smell something? Anything? If you dig through the emptiness you may notice caramel, honey, oak. But it's very faint.

Taste: Very smooth, little to no burn, which should be expected at only 90.5 proof. Unfortunately, beyond that, it's very bland. Again, if you dig, you can find some sweetness, vanilla. At 8% rye, don't expect too much of it to pop out at you. Same amount of barley, so you're looking at 84% corn, definitely a sweeter flavor. But not much of a flavor to be found, sadly. Watered down.

Finish: Well, as if you didn't know, there isn't much of a finish either. A little but of sweetness and oak hang around but quickly dissipate. Again, no burn, smooth as silk, but without character.

Talking price, you're at $65+ retail. I say + because you can be paying upwards of $100, for which this is definitely not worth. At $65 I really think I would pass. There's little to no complexity to this pour and honestly, there are much better whiskies at the $25 range (I'm looking at you Elijah Craig).

Rating 70/100

Barterhouse Bourbon

WOTD 14: Barterhouse 20 Year Bourbon 

So another long gap but for good reasons. I went to Kentucky to do the Kentucky Bourbon Trail plus 2 not on the trail and came back with lots of goodies to try and review. So first review back is Barterhouse Bourbon. To begin, some history of Orphan Barrel and their story behind their unique bourbons. 

Orphan Barrel is a series of old and rare limited-edition whiskeys from Diageo's warehouses. Barterhouse Whiskey stocks were discovered in old warehouses at the Stitzel-Weller facility in Louisville, Ky. Orphan Barrel whiskey releases could be from a number of operating distilleries, including Bernheim's current distillery and older, Stitzel-Weller, Four Roses, Dickel, etc. So while bottled at the Dickel distillery, it wasn't made there. The first of 4 (possibly 5) releases is Barterhouse. 

Nose: So at 20 years I expected much more oak. Don't get me wrong, its definitely got a strong oaky presence, just not what you would think with being 20 years in the cask. Behind the oak you have sweet scents, caramel, vanilla, orange.

Taste: Sweet, burnt toffee, cinnamon, vanilla and butter

Finish: Dry and long, slight caramel and oak again

So with a price tag normally from $60 - $90 this whiskey's a bit of a gamble. I like it and I think its a unique entry in a collection. Backstory aside, as surely there's more fluff than transparency in it, it's still a good price for a 20 year bourbon and while many would falter at that age, this one still holds it's own. If you're new to drinking whiskey, grab it, it's good and easy on the palate. If you're a seasoned veteran, try it before you buy it.

Rating: 93/100

Cost: $60 - $90 (if you can find it)  

Maker's Mark Cask Strength

WOTD 13: Maker's Mark Cask Strength

First of all, sorry for the long gap. Holiday's mean time off and busy, busy, busy. I know, I know. It's no excuse...

But I come back with an amazing find and taste! Maker's Mark Cask Strength! For the uninitiated, this is Maker's at 113.2 Proof (56.6%). This used to be available as a taste while touring the distillery, but now you can get it in 375ml (why not 750's, Makers! WHY?!?). It is tough to find, but if you find it, get it.

Tasting Notes!

Nose: Caramel (as is common with Maker's in general). Molasses, dried cherries

Taste: Sweet with caramel, cinnamon and banana. Take Maker's and kick it up a notch (BAM!)

Finish: Sweet and Spicy. Medium Finish, very smooth.

If you are a Maker's fan, this is your holy grail. Even if you're not, there's something here that is really good. Excellent sipper, with or without water. I'm partial to the higher ABVs but it doesn't weaken too much with water and you do get some extra notes in the nose.

Rating: 95/100

Price: $39.99

Stagg Jr.

WOTD 12: Stagg Jr.

So this is Batch 3 of Stagg Jr. There was Batch 1, at 134.4 proof and Batch 2 at 128.7 proof. Batch 3 weighs is in at 132.1 proof (66.05%). I've never tried the other 2 and judging by most reviews I apparently wasn't missing much. However, with this batch, it makes me wonder about the previous reviews and whether it's just me, or if it's the reviews.

To begin, lets discuss the nose: It smells amazing. Cherries, plums, maple, vanilla and oak, Mind you, you'll get a lot of alcohol if you don't let it sit for a few minutes, but after that, it's just beautiful.

How 132.1 can be this smooth, I'm not even sure I completely understand. Even though some of it seems to vanish on the tongue, the flavor is intense. Some prefer watering it down some but I like it neat in a chilled glass. The tastes of cinnamon, sweet caramel and maple again, with vanilla and a little spice. Did I mention it's smooth... like, very smooth?

My feelings about this? This is the best whiskey of my reviews so far. If you can find it, get it. If not for you, get it for me!

97/100

Cost: $55.99

Four Roses Small Batch

WOTD 11: Four Roses Small Batch

Four Roses Small Batch contains a mixture of four of their signature blends (I'll be doing a separate blog post about Four Roses methods). The Single Barrel contains only one blend, obviously, and Yellow Label is a mixture of all ten. Four Roses is an all around good bourbon. All of their blends contain good quality and consistency. If your fortunate enough to snag one of the Four Roses Limited Editions (Small Batch or Single Barrel) you'll find a truly superb whiskey. Today though, I'm going to review the standard Small Batch.

Nose: Spice, brown sugar, cherries and fruits, hint of oak and caramel

Taste: Spicy with some sweetness, oak, caramel, black pepper.

Finish: Smooth and of decent length

I like Four Roses Small Batch quite well, but to be honest, neat or on the rocks, it doesn't have a flavor that captures me. At 45% ABV, you can still add water with out weakening it too much but, honestly I think this still makes a better high grade mixer then straight up drinker. For the price though, you are getting a really good whiskey.

Price $30~

Rating: 86/100

Upcoming Reviews

Just wanted to update everyone and let them know some reviews of whiskeys coming up:

Stagg Jr.
E H Taylor Single Barrel
Hibiki 12
Blanton's

Feel free to make a request as well!

El Dorado 12 Year

WOTD 10: Whisk... Rum of the Day? El Dorado 12 Year

So for my 10th review I've deviated from the course a tad. I wanted to review something a bit different just to keep things fresh. That said, I decided to review El Dorado 12 Year Rhum. The H is on purpose.

Let's talk about Age Statements! (Oh joy...) There are two types of Age Statements when it comes to Rums. In the Spanish speaking countries, a Rum's age statement is based on the oldest Rum in the mix. This means that invariably the Rum itself is no where near the age on the bottle, but does contain some of the highest year in it, just fractionally. So for instance, the Ron Zacapa 23 is an average age of 6 - 8 years (5 being the minimum age before blending into older barrels and 23 being the high end). While this is totally acceptable, it can be a little deceiving, intentionally or not. On the other hand, in English speaking countries, Rums follow the rule of Scotch, which is, the year on the bottle is the age of the youngest batch and also can, and usually does, contain batches much older. El Dorado, while being based in Guyana, follows these same rules. El Dorado 12 is, at the minimum, comprised of 12 year old rums with possibly older rums blended in to uniform the taste. If you want to know more about the distilling process of the 12, 15, 21 and 23, it's possible I'll be putting a post on my blog about it. Regardless the 12 is slightly sweeter than the 15, 15 than the 21, etc.

The reason I bring up Age Statements in Rums is that you, the consumer, want to know what you are getting. Slapping a 23 year statement on a bottle of rum sure makes most people think it's 23 years old... the entire contents of the bottle. This is just not the case in most situations. Whether that actually matters to you, well now you know, like it or not.

Tasting Notes!

Nose: Tropical Fruits, dark brown sugar and honey

Taste: Smooth and easy, little to no burn. Full of flavor. Fruits and Spice, honey and sugars.

Finish: Medium to long, with flavors of pineapple, coconut and honey.

You can treat a good rum just like a good whiskey. Nose it. Sip it. Taste it. Pick out the flavors you like and enjoy!

Cost: $45
Rating: 92/100