I love anything whiskey that is cask strength or barrel proof. There is something magical in getting uncut and unfiltered whiskey right out of the barrel and into the glass. The aggressiveness of a barrel proof whiskey challenges you to engage in an intricate battle or to tuck tail and accept defeat. Blanton's Straight From The Barrel (SFTB) is no different in that regard. It is edgy and often times harsh on each level of the flavor profile all the way into and through the finish. But don't get me wrong, the flavors that it provides are extremely complex and layered. This is not by any means a one dimensional bourbon.
SFTB is the stronger and more aggressive brother to the standard single barrel Blanton's and the Gold Edition which I previously reviewed in Review #5. Like the Gold Edition the SFTB is not released in the United States. I have been lucky enough to purchase a bottle because I happen to live in Germany.
PRODUCT SPECS
Whiskey Type - Bourbon
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 65.85% (131.7 proof)
Bottling Date - 09-06-2012
Mashbill - Buffalo Trace's Mashbill #2 which is the higher Rye recipe.
Barrel Number - 68
Bottle Number - 173
Age - No age statement. Most likely around 8 years.
NOSE
Cherry Cola (Dr. Pepper)
Lemon sour candy
Cinnamon red hots
PALATE
Dark Peppermint chocolate
Rich Espresso
Heavy oak
Charcoal
Black licorice
FINISH
Bitter coffee
Charred Oak
Wood varnish
The finish is medium to long with an oily mouthfeel. The alcohol is very overwhelming with this bourbon so my advice is to liberally use water to proof it down.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
There is no compromise with this barrel proof. A pure beast. There is something to be said of being challenged by a whisky and another to be said for finding the balance between a good challenge and enjoyment. SFTB really leaves no margin at all. I love the fact that it is non-chill filtered and left uncut. I wish more distilleries would provide whiskey at this level. It takes quite a bit of water to calm this down and even then it doesn't resemble the Blanton's Gold at all which shocks me. It makes me think that this version of Blantons may be slightly younger than the Gold. SFTB is really the first bourbon that I've encountered that doesn't have that overtly bourbon sweetness to it. It is a strong whiskey that has been left unpolished and is not for the feint of heart.
PRODUCT RATING
3.5 out of 5. I'm giving SFTB a rating of 3.5 because of its non chill filtered and barrel proof nature. I also believe that there is a lot of dark and complex savory flavors that make this unique for a bourbon. SFTB is far from a beginners whiskey and it lacks the overall balance and roundness qualities for which most high end bourbons are known. It is a challenge to get past the nose, palate and finish and it will confront you at every opportunity. If given the chance I always encourage people to try whiskey at barrel proof just to experience the potential that a whiskey has when uncut but this bourbon must be consumed at your own risk.
RATING SYSTEM
0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming
1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas
2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value
3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed.
4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance
5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind
Moving to Germany has afforded me the opportunity to get my hands on a version of Blanton's that most fans of American whiskey living in the United States will never get to drink called Blanton's Gold Edition.
The Gold Edition is made specifically for the European market, bottled at a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) than standard Blantons, and is considered by the Master Distiller as coming from the best barrels at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Colonel Blanton, for which the Bourbon is named after, considered the middle ricks in Warehouse H to be the finest Bourbon at the distillery. The bottle states: "We believe this is the finest bottle of whiskey ever produced, affording you extra flavor, bouquet and character".
Another very important note about Blanton's Bourbon is that it is one of the first Bourbons ever to bottled from a single barrel. The history dates to 1984 when legendary Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee decided to start bottling from barrels located exclusively in Colonel Blanton's favorite Warehouse H.
PRODUCT SPECS
Whiskey Type - Bourbon
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 51.5%
Bottling Date - 08-20-2013
Barrel Number - 306
Rick Number - 19
WareHouse - H
Mashbill - Buffalo Trace's Mashbill #2 which is the higher Rye recipe.
Age - No age statement. Most likely 8 years.
NOSE
Vanilla cola
Caramel
Freshly peeled citrus - orange and tangerine
Candied corn
Red cedar wood
With water:
Vanilla icing
Cherries and red berry fruit
Fresh floral bouquet
PALATE
Powdered sugar
Fresh fruit
Honeysuckle
Dark chocolate
Light mint
Coffee
Light oak
FINISH
Medium to long that is very smooth. The flavors change as the whiskey lingers from sugar to red fruits to cocoa. Nice light oakiness complements the sweetness and the finish is perfectly balanced.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
Blanton's Gold Edition Straight Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon is a fantastic whiskey. This Bourbon has one of the best noses I have encountered for an American Bourbon. After adding some water to proof the whiskey down and allowing Blanton's Gold to sit for awhile and open up you are left with a breathtaking dram. It is hard to imagine Bourbon getting any better than Blanton's Gold.
PRODUCT RATING
5 out of 5. Blanton's Gold truly is one of the legendary whiskies on the market. I purchased this bottle from a small whiskey shop in Stuttgart for 56 Euro ($77). This is the first whiskey I have rated at 5 out of 5 and it is truly an amazing Bourbon.
RATING SYSTEM
0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming
1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas
2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value
3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed.
4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance
5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind
Quick Blog Note
I went ahead an adjusted my rating scale from a 1-5 to a 0-5 in order to give a little more flexibility in rating. After thinking about the ratings I felt that if a whiskey really is terrible then it shouldn't get any points at all. This system may change yet again over time but I'll always go back and adjust the prior ratings to reflect within a new system.
Most people that are not familiar with anything outside Jack Daniels and Jim Beam have probably never heard of Weller. I first caught wind of it when researching the greater Bourbon universe and I had read many reviews regarding the products with the Weller name on them. I'm not going to go into the history of the name or anything like that but to say that it is another product owned by Sazerac and produced at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky. Over time you will see a common theme here with regards to American whiskey products in that many are distilled at only a handful of distilleries that are mainly in Kentucky.
It took me quite awhile to come across any Weller products at all in North Carolina or Virginia but at last I stumbled upon the Old Weller Antique (OWA 107) at an ABC store in Virginia. I've since noticed that OWA 107 can now be found pretty readily so it is possible that it is becoming more available in those areas.
PRODUCT SPECS
Whiskey Type - Bourbon
Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 53.5%
Mashbill - I was unable to find any source. This is a Wheated Bourbon meaning that at least 51% of the mashbill must be corn and a high amount of the remaining ingredients will be made up of wheat as opposed to rye or barley.
Age - No age statement on bottle. Most likely 7 years.
NOSE
Tropical with hints of cedar wood.
Cherry syrup
Citrus lemon
Red hot cinnamon candy
Raspberry bubblegum
Light Spearmint in background
With water
Vanilla powder
Light banana pudding
PALATE
Dried tropical fruit
Cinnamon + Clove
Cereal oats
Black Pepper
Walnut
FINISH
Short very quick burst of sugar followed by a medium and heavy woody oak bitter and black tea finish.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I am not a huge wheated Bourbon fan and so my review may be somewhat biased. I prefer the spiciness and punch-in-the-face of rye over the buttery rounded subtle smoothness of wheat in the mashbill. With this spirit I added about 4 or 5 drops of distilled water to settle down the alcohol heat coming off the glass and I also let the Bourbon settle down in the glass for a good half an hour. It has a lot of heat on it and overall I was not a huge fan of this particular Bourbon.
I thought the nose was very pleasant but it lacked a layer dimension and you could almost smell the harshness of the high proof in the alcohol. With the addition of water the nose settled down and some of the more classic vanilla, cola and honey notes could be detected.
The delivery is in your face and bitter. Black pepper and oak dominate both the palate and the finish. Again it was a medium length finish that did not disappear nor hang around for awhile but it fell somewhere in the middle.
Overall its not a particularly bad whiskey but it is not something I would drink every day. I think I had picked it up for somewhere in the $23 range give or take a buck.
PRODUCT RATING
2.5 out of 5. This is an entry level wheated Bourbon at a good price point. It is certainly not my cup of tea however I am not a real big wheated Bourbon fan.
RATING SYSTEM
0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming
1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas
2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value
3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed.
4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance
5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind
For my first review I decided to go with Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. I have to say I absolutely love the products coming out of the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort Kentucky. I'm not sure what it is about their products but they match what my taste buds are looking for when it comes to Bourbon. It's also a huge bonus when you go from one product to the next and you get that consistent flavor profile that lays the foundation in the whiskey.This product was one of the first whiskies that I sat down with for awhile to sip and enjoy.
Not so long ago when I made the move towards drinking Bourbon I watched a review of this product by Ralfy Mitchell. I went searching around for it and found it fairly easily for about $25 at my local Virginia ABC Store. Coming from somewhat of a Scotch perspective I didn't think $25 was going to get me much in terms of a decent anything however Ralfy has never steered me wrong.
PRODUCT SPECS
Whiskey Type - Bourbon
ABV - 45%
Mashbill - (Mashbill #1) which is considered the "wheat mashbill" - also used in George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare
Age - No age statement on bottle. Speculation is between 7 and 9 years.
NOSE
Brown sugar
Caramel
Creamy vanilla
Citrus (fresh lemon peel and light orange)
Light notes of cinnamon spice
Hints of honey and cola
PALATE
Toasted oak - slightly bitter
Black tea
Black pepper
Mint notes
Tobacco
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
Coming in at 45% Alcohol By Volume is respectable as there is a general rule of thumb which says that the higher the ABV the fuller the flavor that can be expected. I let the whiskey sit in the glass for a good 20 minutes to let it settle down a bit.
The nose is a perfect balance between being undetectable and hugely overwhelming and it has the undeniable characteristic of Buffalo Trace products. Once you've nosed a few you can pick up that foundation and it's beautiful.
The palate falls flat to me. For such a great nose I was expecting much more complexity in the flavor but it seems thin and the finish disappears rather quickly. I get a lot of wood and deeper spice characteristics but that's about it.
PRODUCT RATING
2 out of 5. This is a great entry level Bourbon for the money. It doesn't have much in terms of complexity but its still a good Bourbon to enjoy around the campfire.
RATING SYSTEM
0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming
1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas
2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value
3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed.
4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance
5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind
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