Whiskey reviews and advice by Jeff Schwartz a/k/a The Whiskeyfellow. Learn, laugh and enjoy great whiskey!
Saturday, December 15, 2018
And the 2018 Whiskeys of the Year are...
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Old Ezra 7 101-Proof Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Treaty Oak Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
Recently, I reviewed Treaty Oak’s Red-Hand Rye. I mentioned how impressed I was with the transparency provided. However, with the Rye, I was left confused and stated, “if you poured this for me completely blind, I couldn’t tell you what kind of whiskey I was drinking.”
I was provided with additional samples of Treaty Oak’s whiskeys, including their own grain-to-glass Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon Whiskey. As before, I thank Treaty Oak for the opportunity to provide an honest review of their whiskeys with no strings attached.
Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon is created from heirloom grains from Barton Springs Mill. The mash is made of 57% yellow corn, 32% wheat, and 11% barley. Everything from mashing to bottling is completely handled start-to-finish on premises and aged two years in new, #3 charred American white oak barrels. It is bottled at 95° and retails for $49.99 which is right at the average for American craft whiskey.
Currently, Treaty Oak distributes its products in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and the District of Columbia. They do hope to increase distribution as the distillery grows. Is Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon worth checking out? Time to #DrinkCurious...
In my Glencairn, the color was a darker amber than I expected from a two-year whiskey. It left a thin rim on the glass that produced slow, fat legs to drop back into the pool of Texas liquid sunshine.
The first aromas to hit my nose were fresh sawdust and cherries. As I perused through my nosing zone, smoked oak and vanilla took over but yielded once again to the cherries. An obvious maltiness was in the upper zone. Inhaling through my lips was a strong fruitiness that made my mouth water.
A thin and watery mouthfeel created an almost déjà vu situation. Just like the Red-Hand Rye, my thought was, “What am I drinking?” But, that was the first sip, and as I always recommend, never, ever judge anything on that sip. An additional sip revealed the same watery mouth, and I was able to start discerning flavors. Sweet corn was absolutely up front, however, it was mellowed by the wheat. Behind that, a light fruit, followed by a muted chocolate. Underneath the chocolate was dry oak and bold spiciness, which could cause one to review the mash and look for non-existent rye.
The finish was shorter than I would imagine, especially considering how quickly the spice built at the end. I typically enjoy whiskeys at higher proofs, and 95° is not a big deal. However, my hard palate was left tingling just a smidge. There was also a residual smokiness that was reminiscent of peat. If you’re not into Scotch, peat can be shocking to the palate. Peat is so unusual with Bourbon that whenever it does come up, it is a curiosity. I must stress that the peatiness is very, very slight.
Bottle, Bar or Bust: Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon Whiskey hits an attractive quality with me, meaning, it is unique and not another me-too MGP product. That’s a good thing for craft whiskeys. A peated finish, even ever-so-slight, is something that will attract Scotch aficionados and can risk turning off those who haven’t experienced it. I was a Scotch drinker way before I ever tasted my first Bourbon, and as such, I look to it as a positive quality.
My rating is going to be a Bar for two
reasons: the non-single malt Scotch
drinker and the Bourbon drinker. The Scotch drinker will likely be intrigued
and can appreciate what a blended grain whiskey offers. In fact, the Scotch
drinker may be more attracted to Ghost Hill than a Bourbon drinker. The Bourbon drinker might look at the wheat
content and expect something like Maker’s Mark, which will not be fulfilled
and, if not a Scotch drinker, could find the peat confusing.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Infinity Bottle Review: Stank's Concoction #2
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Resilient Straight Bourbon Barrel 88 Review & Tasting Notes
Is Tennessee Whiskey considered Bourbon? That’s been an interesting debate going back
probably as long as the distinction between the two. Several years ago, I
inquired this of a certain now-retired Master Distiller who, in response,
winked at me and said it wasn’t. And, as much as I could stir that pot, I won’t
for the purposes of my review of Resilient Straight Bourbon Whisky.
Resilient is bottled in Pembroke, Kentucky but they source their barrels. Some barrels come from MGP, others elsewhere. In the case of Barrel 88, it was distilled somewhere in Tennessee back in June 2004, where it aged for 14 years until bottled this past July at 107°, then sold by BC Merchants out of Chicago. The distillate is a mash of 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley, making this a very high-corn Bourbon. It is non-chill filtered, and the barrel yielded 128 bottles. The suggested retail is $84.99.
I’d like to thank BC Merchants for providing me a sample of Resilient Bourbon in exchange for a no-strings-attached, unbiased review. Is Barrel 88 worth chasing down? The only way to answer is to #DrinkCurious and find out.
In the glass, the appearance was a dark, deep amber. It created a very thin rim that produced fat, fast legs to drop back to the pool, usually suggesting a lighter-bodied whiskey.
As I held the rim of my Glencairn at chin-level, there were aromas of mixed-fruits, including apple, pear, and apricot. I lifted it to lip level, and the fruits morphed to caramel and vanilla. Then, hovered just under my nostrils, smells of sugar cookies and oak took over. When I inhaled through my lips, a very definitive cinnamon spice.
The mouthfeel was initially thin, but subsequent sips became creamy and very warming. Up at the front of the palate, the cinnamon spice quickly changed to dark chocolate. The chocolate was soon overcome by dry oak mid-palate and at the back, black pepper, and creamy vanilla.
The finish was spicy and held at the front palate well after traveling down my throat. Minorly on the back, stewed fruits, most likely apricot, but it was admittedly difficult to nail down as it was so muted. Clove then came in very late and stuck around for several minutes.
Bottle, Bar or Bust: The nose of Barrel 88 is absolutely the most complex attribute of this incarnation of Resilient Bourbon. I found the mouthfeel interesting and was somewhat entertained by the finish. However, I never quite fell in love with this whiskey. Resilient Barrel 88 isn’t a bad whiskey, but I would have a rough time paying $85 for it. As such, it earns a Bar rating. Cheers!
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Coppercraft Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes
Today we share the first post in a three-part series featuring products from Coppercraft Distillery. Each post features tasting notes from three different reviewers - none of whom were in communication with each other while performing the reviews. The result is a series of tasting notes and observations that are unique to each reviewer and helps to illustrate the difference in how even experienced whiskey drinkers interpret and rate a whiskey...
You can read this review in its entirety at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Monday, November 5, 2018
Whiskey Ratings - What Do They All Mean?
There can be great misunderstanding and confusion as it pertains to ratings. When I write reviews, occasionally folks will comment and ask why I don’t do a rating in their preferred manner or using a more “classical” method. Some want a scale of one to five (along with cute icons like Glencairn glasses, thumbs, etc.). Others request a scale of one to ten. And, for some, they want a score of one to 100. Then, there’s the 50 to 100, such as those done by Whisky Advocate...
You can read this article in its entirety over at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Peerless Kentucky Straight Rye Review & Tasting Notes
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Highland Park Valknut SIngle Malt Scotch Review & Tasting Notes
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Yellowstone 2018 Limited Edition Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Black Feather American Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes
Black Feather is a younger, MGP-sourced Bourbon. It comes in a very nice presentation, using a heavy bottle with “Black Feather” embossed in the glass, a thick, paper label, and a wax top. My bottle is from Batch 1...
You can read this review in its entirety over at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Old Ezra 7-Year Barrel Proof Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
Monday, September 24, 2018
Elijah Craig B518 Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
I'm going to start this off by saying I'm a sucker for Elijah Craig. This doesn't mean that any of the various expressions get a free pass from me, rather, it means when I see a new incarnation, I get excited and will buy a bottle untasted. When reviewing it, I give it the same unbiased opportunity for Bottle, Bar, or Bust as I do with anything else. There have been a couple of unimpressive releases in the barrel-proof versions...
You can read this review in its entirety at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Monday, September 17, 2018
Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
We’ve all been there. You have a few friends who pick up a pricey bottle, they tell you what a great whiskey is inside and that you have to get a bottle of your own. You consider what your friends say, then consider other options similarly priced, and you pass on the opportunity - at least for the moment.
Joseph Magnus is an MGP-sourced Bourbon that was triple-finished in Cognac, Oloroso Sherry, and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks...
You can read the remainder of this review in its entirety at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Monday, September 10, 2018
Litchfield Cask Strength Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
You can read the entire review at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Friday, August 31, 2018
#30DaysofBourbon Challenge (2018)
Four years ago I started a little something to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month. You see, I wanted to go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. The problem was that life happens, and I couldn't make it work out.
What I wanted to do was start a challenge for myself that would let me feel like I was truly celebrating America's Native Spirit. It couldn't be easy, and it couldn't be something that required little effort. What I did is come up with a 30 Days of Bourbon challenge.
This was something initially just for me. In Year Two, I had a few friends and some of the Bourbon & Banter crew join me. In Year Three it went viral as we put together a calendar and invited all of our readers to join us. What it boiled down to was folks taking part put up over 1800 tweets and 3800 Instagram posts that reached more than 8.5 million people...
You can read the remainder of this post over at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Friday, August 10, 2018
Aged & Ore Duo Glass Review
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Elijah Craig C916 Barrel Proof Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Review & Tasting Notes
Talisker provides a great lineup and Storm is certainly no exception. I was loving Storm when it was almost twice the price, and last year I was pleasantly surprised to see the price drop. There are still retailers that will charge the original price, but you should search around because I see Storm in store after store anywhere between the $38 to $48 range, even while traveling outside of my home distribution area...
You can read this review in its entirety over at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Islay Storm Single Malt Scotch Review & Tasting Notes
If you’ve been reading my reviews for awhile, you’ll know that my prior experience with Trader Joe’s Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey left me with a bad taste in my mouth – a really bad taste. It was a taste so bad that it had me skittish to try any other Trader Joe’s exclusives. And, yet, here I am, one year later, embracing the #DrinkCurious lifestyle, ready to risk my palate for the whisky-loving community with Islay Storm Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
You can read this review in its entirety over at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Friday, May 4, 2018
Wollersheim Round Top Rye Review & Tasting Notes
There’s a plethora of two-year-old Ryes hitting the market, with some commanding amazingly high price tags. As this market gets more crowded, distillers must distinguish themselves from the competition.
Being a local, I was excited when Wollersheim, who has run a successful winery for several years, opened its distillery and announced it would create whiskeys. I’ve been curiously waiting ever since for something to be released, with my fingers crossed that they’d distill and age something of at least decent quality, as they’ve done a great job creating wines...
You can read the remainder of the review in its entirety at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Blood Oath Pact IV Review & Tasting Notes
You can read the review in its entirety at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!