Review of Fall 2024 Bourbon Selections at Niemuth's Southside Market

 

I have a friend named Sean Wipfli, the barrel-picking specialist at Niemuth’s Southside Market located at 2121 S. Onieda St in Appleton, Wisconsin. Every so often, Sean sends me samples of his whiskeys and asks me to review them. He does a ton of picks.

 

You would be mistaken if you think I give Sean a free pass because he's a friend. While several earn Bottle ratings, he’s been hit with his fair share of Bar ratings, although I admit he’s never acquired a Bust. I believe that’s one reason he keeps sending them over – he wants to know my honest opinions.

 

Sean enjoys tinkering and will experiment with barrel-finishing a new whiskey in a barrel that held a former pick and blending. He takes the #DrinkCurious lifestyle to heart, and whenever he sends me stuff, I never quite know what I’m getting into. He’s smart, and he has a good palate. We’ve also done picks together.

 

Today’s review is of four of Sean’s selections. Two are the same Bourbon at different proofs; the others are lone single barrels.

Jeffrey John McCarthy Reserve & Stricker Family Antique 

 

Distillery: Rush Creek Distilling

Mashbill: 65% corn, 25% wheat, 10% malted barley

Age: 6 years in new, charred oak

Proof: SFA - 53.5% ABV (107°) & JJMR - 67.5% ABV (135°)

Price: SFA - $54.99 & JJMR - $69.99

 

This will be an unusual head-to-head review, as they’re the same Bourbon. The only difference is that Jeffrey John McCarthy Reserve (JJMR) is at full barrel proof, while Stricker Family Antique (SFA) weighs in at 107°. The latter was proofed down in the barrel.

 

The first notes will be SFA and the second JJMR (because when dealing with more than one whiskey, I almost always sip them low-to-high proof).

 

Appearance: I poured both of these neat in fresh Glencairn glasses.

 

SFA presented as a golden amber. It formed a thick rim and slow, pencil-thin legs.

 

JJMR had an orange-amber appearance, creating a thin rim that jettisoned a fast curtain of tears.  

 

Nose: SFA’s aroma consisted of heavy corn, nutmeg, charred oak, and baked apples. When I brought the vapor into my mouth, there was butterscotch.

 

JJMR’s bouquet included thick caramel and vanilla, corn, and chocolate. Drawing the air through my lips offered a blast of caramel.

 

Palate: SFA produced a thick and oily mouthfeel. It warmed my tongue as corn, caramel, and leather notes were on the front. The middle comprised tobacco and cocoa, while the back had cinnamon, white pepper, and charred oak.

 

JJMR’s texture was like drinking cream. The front of my palate was almond nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate, almost like a Milky Way candy bar. The middle tasted of leather, tobacco, and maple. On the back, I tasted cinnamon spice, toffee, and clove.

 

Finish: SFA had a medium-long finish, clocking in at 1:29. There was plenty of caramel, along with leather, cocoa, cinnamon, and oak.

 

JJMR’s finish was almost twice as long at 2:54. It kept my throat awake and left toffee, nougat, caramel, leather, and clove behind.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The kicker here was that SFA drank far warmer than JJMR! If you told me SFA was 134° and JJMR was only 107°, I might be fooled if it were not how much longer JJMR stuck around in my mouth and throat. At that point, they switched places again.

 

Between the two, JJMR is superior. I loved the mouthfeel and especially the finish. JJMR takes a Bottle rating, whereas SFA takes a Bar.

 

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“Double Eagle” Barker’s Mill Bottled-in-Bond

 

 

Distillery: MB Roland Distillery

Mashbill: Undisclosed wheated mashbill

Age: 6.5 years in new, charred oak

Proof: 50% ABV (100°)

Price: $54.99 for 750ml

 

MB Roland is a fabulous little craft distillery in Pembroke, Kentucky. I visited it last year and fell in love with a few of its whiskeys and flavored moonshines. You can read more about this distillery from my review of its Straight Malt Whiskey.

 

Appearance: I sipped this Bourbon neat from my Glencairn glass. The darker-amber-colored whiskey produced a medium-thin rim and sticky droplets.  

 

Nose: As I brought my glass to my nostrils, I smelled a healthy dose of malt and corn. Next came a creamy vanilla, which eventually overwhelmed the corn and malt. I allowed the vapor to go into my mouth, which reminded me of Honey Nut Cheerios.

 

Palate: Double Eagle had an oily mouthfeel. I tasted coffee, chocolate, and hazelnuts on the front. The middle was all Honey Nut Cheerios, and the back featured orange zest, brown sugar, and toasted oak.

 

Finish: The finish continued the journey of creamy, sweet flavors. It was brief at 0:53, providing brown sugar, vanilla, toasted oak, and milk chocolate notes.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Double Eagle has one fault: I wish the finish lasted longer. It was way too short. Yet, this was a completely enjoyable Bourbon from the nose to the finish. It has been a while since I’ve engaged with such a sweet Bourbon, and it lacked spice. MB Roland did a great job, as did Sean. Hence, it deserves my Bottle rating.

 

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Old Unicorn Bones

 

 

Distillery: Backbone Bourbon

Mashbill: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley

Age: 111 months and 11 days in new, charred oak

Proof: 59.9% ABV (119.8°)

Price: $84.99 for 750ml

 

I know the idea behind this name because Sean and I picked Unicorn Slayer back in 2019, and he followed that up with Unicorn Hunter, which I was not involved with, the following year. They both came from Backbone Bourbon, which is sourced from MGP.

 

Appearance: Old Unicorn Bones possessed a deep, orange hue. A fragile rim shed slow, thick tears.

 

Nose: The bouquet started floral; as I continued, it became fruity with dark cherries and golden raisins, then transformed to vanilla and caramel. When I pulled the air through my lips, a wave of thick vanilla rolled across my tongue and down my throat.

 

Palate: The texture was velvety. Flavors of maple syrup, toffee, and chocolate were on the front of my palate. Midway through, I tasted cherries, tobacco leaf, and rye spice. The back included oak, black pepper, and caramel.

 

Finish: Maple syrup, caramel, cherries, milk chocolate, and rye spice remained for a medium-long finish. Its duration was 1:31, hitting the medium-long category.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Old Unicorn Bones is one of those unusual whiskeys with flavors across all spectrum aspects and then some. I get why Sean included it in the Unicorn series. There’s magic here. It is one of those Bourbons where you really don’t care what it costs; you just want it. Obviously, it takes my Bottle rating.

 

Final Thoughts: When I was three-quarters through these Bourbons, I thought for sure that Double Eagle would be the winner – it was that good. Then Old Unicorn Bones left Double Eagle in its dust. Between Jeffrey John McCarthy Reserve and Stricker Family Antique, JJMR was the clear winner. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.