Dusty Thursday: Century Old Taylor

I tried some National Distillers Old Taylor on a previous Dusty Thursday. Today's Old Taylor is dusty on steroids. Bottled in 1912, this is pre-prohibition Old Taylor "Kentucky Whiskey." According to bourbon historian Mike Veach, E.H. Taylor thought that many bourbons of the time were inferior so beginning in the 1870s, he started labeling his bourbons as "Kentucky Whiskey."

This bottled in bond bourbon, which I received from a reader, does not appear to have been treated well. It has a mangled tax stamp and comes with the remains of a torn up cardboard tube. The bottled date of 1912 is legible on the stamp, but the stamp portion which would have included the distillation date is torn off.


Old Taylor BIB, bottled 1912, 50% abv.

The nose has some nice caramel and vanilla notes, some marshmallow and rye spice, but also a touch of vinegar. The palate on this starts with some of those sweet bourbon notes with that touch of tang that came off as vinegar on the nose. It goes down quite hot for a 100 proofer; it may be that the acidic quality adds to that. The finish is very acidic, sort of reminiscent of when you throw up a little bit in your mouth but manage to force it back down; it's not that it tastes of vomit but of the subsequent acid in the mouth.

Well, the problem with dusties, especially really old ones, is that you never know how they were handled over the years and whether they have maintained their integrity. Of course, it could have had these qualities to begin with, but that acidic vinegar note suggests to me that this one has gone bad, while some of the underlying bourbon notes hint at what might have been a really good whiskey. Given that this is one hundred years old, it could have spent 60 years in someone's steaming hot attic or woodshed. Who knows? Pity my poor reader who paid a pretty penny for it, but that's the world of dusties for you.

Old Ezra 101

After my experience with Rebel Yell, I was a bit skeptical about another Luxco product, but I thought I'd give them another chance. Old Ezra 101, 7 year old is part of the Ezra Brooks line. Like Rebel Yell, the Ezra Brooks label has a long history. It was most recently made at the now defunct Medley distillery. Now it's a product of the St. Louis bottler Luxco and most likely composed of Heaven Hill bourbon. Luxco has two Ezra Brooks expressions: a 90 proofer, and this one, Old Ezra 7 year old 101 proof.

Old Ezra 7 year old 101, 50.5% abv ($18)

The nose is light but nice with plenty of oak. The palate is woody and surprisingly drinkable for the abv. It's got lots of wood and then a good kick of briny rye which lasts into the finish. A strong, drinkable bourbon with plenty of wood and rye for under $20...what's not to like?

For the money, this is a great deal, and I liked it even more than Elijah Craig 12. The most difficult thing might be finding it as it seems to hover around the middle of the country without too many trips to the west coast. If you see it, pick one up.

Little Drummer Boy: Johnny Drum Private Stock

Johnny Drum is a Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) product. KBD is, of course, and independent bottler, so we don't know the source of this whiskey other than it is Kentucky Bourbon. There are two expressions, regular and Private Stock. The Private Stock is higher proof and more readily available. Previously a 15 year old bourbon, the current Private Stock has no age statement.

Johnnie Drum Private Stock, 50.5% abv ($35)

The nose comes on sweet. There's a bit of a smoky char, like burnt wood. Then there are some briny notes and some peanut notes (like a Payday bar); it's a good start. The palate, though, is quite light and lacks any of the nose's more complex notes. There are some light maple syrup notes (more Log Cabin than the real stuff) and some of those peanut notes from the nose. Like most non-Willett offerings from KBD, I find this pretty underwhelming. There are a lot better bourbons to be had for the price.

A KBD Kentucky bourbon can be from any distillery or any combination of Kentucky distilleries, but based on taste, I would guess that Brown Forman supplies a fair amount of this one.

Back to Basics: Elijah Craig 12

Every once in a while it's good to get back to some basics and that's what we'll do this week. We'll start with a standard bearer of good, affordable bourbon: Heaven Hill's Elijah Craig 12 year old. I'm a big fan of the 18 year old, but it's been hard to come by lately, so I thought I'd take a shot at the 12.

Elijah Craig 12 year old, 47% abv ($25)

On the nose I immediately pick up candied cherries and those candied pecans that street vendors sell. On the palate I get caramel, toffee, some nice woody notes and a bit of rye spice along with some caraway. It's a bit more alcoholic than I'd expect for the abv. The finish is slightly bitter.

I remember this one fondly, but I was a bit disappointed. Overall, I'd say it's worth trying and a good deal for the price, but not as good as I remember and not even close to the 18 year old in terms of quality.

Worshipping at Church & State

When Church & State opened a few years ago, it got plenty of buzz, but after chef Walter Manzke left, that buzz died down. I never made it during the Manzke days, but I love a French bistro, so I headed out there recently and was not disappointed.

Located at the eastern edge of downtown, right off the 101 freeway at 7th street, Church & State does fairly traditional French bistro food, but does it very, very well. The menu has a variety of small plates as well as entrees, and some of the entrees can be done as small plates as well. If you order small plates, they will serve them sequentially, so it's more like a tasting menu.

I ordered a variety of plates and everything was very good. The sweetbreads were among the best I've had. They were perfectly fried, very crispy on the outside and soft within. The charcuterie plate included six different items including a wonderful chicken liver mousse, smooth as silk but dense and not overly whipped, as well as some very nice country pates. The lamb tarte was a French style tarte with a cracker crust, gruyere, caramelized onions and bits of lamb. And the pork belly entree literally melted in my mouth into a porky, fatty treat; it was served with baby vegetables in a porky broth/jus.

Desserts were also very good. A chocolate-coffee pot du creme tasted more like a pudding then a traditional pot du creme but was quite good. The salted caramel chocolate tart was a slice of dense, dark chocolate torte dripped with a salted caramel sauce.

Everything was good and while not cheap, the prices were not as bad as I expected for this caliber of food. I will definitely be heading back.

Church & State
1850 Industrial St., #100
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 405-1434

Dusty Thursday: Yellowstone Bourbon circa 1979

Yellowstone is another old bourbon brand. The most recent iteration of the Yellowstone distillery, owned by Glenmore, closed in 1991, with some of the bourbon after that time being made at the Medley, distillery, now also closed. Eventually, the label was sold off to the Luxco Company, the independent bottler that also bottles the current incarnation of Rebel Yell. Chuck Cowdery has a brief two part history of the brand on his blog.

The bottle I'm trying today appears to date from 1979, so it's from the Glenmore era.

Yellowstone Bourbon, 86 Proof (43% abv), 200 ml bottle.

The nose on this has a lot of fruit candy. I'm talking Juicy Fruit gum (or maybe it's Fruit Stripe gum), also some Kraft caramel cubes and vanilla, very nice stuff. The palate also has a lot of candy notes, but now I'm getting salt water taffy, more caramel, and English Toffee ice cream. The finish has toffee. Despite all of the candy flavors, this isn't cloyingly sweet and has a richness of body that makes it quite pleasant and drinkable, if not overly complex.

The Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project on Scotch & Ice Cream

Thanks to Tim over at Scotch & Ice Cream, I've been tasting through samples of the Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project bourbons. I just finished the fourth release, which means I am exactly a quarter of the way through. While there has been much written(including by me) that is critical of this project and its bourbons, I've enjoyed the tastings. Even though the bourbon is mostly mediocre (though it does seem to be improving), the point isn't really the quality of the bourbon (strange as that may sound), it's to note differences caused by different variables. I'm not about to list tasting notes for each bottle here. I have done that on the LA Whiskey Society site if you really want to see them, but I would instead recommend you check out Tim's reviews on Scotch & Ice Cream, which I consider to be the best available on-line. Tim's BTSO posts are very thorough; he gives tasting notes for each bottle, discusses the impact of each variable as he experiences it and names a best rye recipe and best wheat recipe bourbon from each release. If you want to live the Single Oak Project vicariously, do it through Scotch & Ice Cream.