Big Plastic: Fleischmann's Rye

Fleischmann's Rye is sort of an odd bird. It's the only rye made by the Barton distillery, and it's mostly for sale in Wisconsin, where it's a budget offering. It used to be a straight rye, but a few years ago they dropped the "straight," so now it's just cheap rye in a big plastic bottle.

Fleischmann's Rye, 40% abv ($15 for 1.75 liters)

The nose is herbal, slightly minty and botanical with some perfume notes.  On the palate there's pine and some spice but it also gets a bit bitter. The bitterness increases into the finish has some spice as well.

This had some nice notes on the nose but the bitterness was overwhelming.

Thanks to Reid Bechtle for the sample and photo.

Constellation Brands' Yippee Ki-Yay

There was big news a few weeks ago when Constellation Brand purchased High West. Constellation Brand formerly owned the Barton Distillery, but since selling it in 2009, they haven't had any American whiskey in their profile. High West, located in Utah, has been one of the break-out companies of the new whiskey boom. While they do distill, most of what they have released, and the whiskeys that have made a name for them, are blends of sourced whiskey, some of which, ironically, was distilled at the Barton Distillery.

With all this news, I thought it would be a good time to try one of High West's more recent offerings. Yippee Ki-Yay is High West's Double Rye (a mix of Barton and MGP rye) finished in Syrah and Vermouth casks.

High West Yippee Ki-Yay, 46% abv

The nose has a strong rye profile with lots of spice. On the palate it starts with rye but then the wine comes in and gives a really nice balance to the rye. Soon after that, boom, it's all vermouth.  Those botanical vermouth notes are big and stay with you through the finish, which pretty much tastes like you've been drinking a Manhattan.

This is a fun rye, but the vermouth notes are a bit overwhelming. I would have liked to taste the portion that was only finished in Syrah casks.

Thanks to Florin for the sample.

The Anti-Booker's: 1792 Full Proof

As far as I recall, the new 1792 Full Proof is the highest proof offering from Sazerac's Barton distillery in Bardstown. It's non-age stated, but Sazerac says it is 8 1/2 years old.

1792 Full Proof, 62.5% abv ($40)

The nose has light bourbon notes with some banana. On the palate it opens sweet with caramel notes, then develops some red wine like savory notes and some nice oak. It fades into a pleasing roasted marshmallow finish which is followed by dry oak notes. Water adds complexity, bringing out earthy, hay and grass notes as well as additional oak.

This is nice stuff. It's well balanced, has some complexity of flavor, and is fantastic for the price. Kudos to Sazerac for giving us a good, high proof bourbon that doesn't break the bank.

Ed. Note: In an earlier version of this post, I incorrectly stated that this bottling was cask strength, which it's not. "Full proof," as defined on the label is the proof that it went into the barrel (not the proof it came out of the barrel). 

Thanks to FussyChicken for the sample.

Sticking it to 'em: Walking Stick Bourbon

Walking Stick is a no age statement, single barrel bourbon from the Sazerac owned Barton 1792 Distillery.


Walking Stick Single Barrel, 45% abv ($35)

The nose has fruit cocktail and sweet white wine. Wow, the palate is really fruity.  It's like canned pears. The finish is sweet with more traditional bourbon note on the nose.

I didn't really care for this, but if you're into light, fruity bourbon, you might enjoy it.  As for me, I'll keep walking and stick to other bourbons.


Thanks to John Burlowski for the sample.

A Rye by Any Other Name: High West Midwinter Night's Dram

The newest product from High West is the cheekily named Midwinter Night's Dram.  It combines barrels of their Rendezvous Rye (a blend of rye whiskeys from the MGP and Barton distilleries) that have had different finishes:  new French oak and Port casks. Right now, it's a distillery exclusive, but it will be launching more broadly this fall.

A Midwinter Night's Dram, 49.3% abv ($80)

The nose has the nice spicy rye that's typical of High West's Rendezvous Rye with just a touch of pickle juice.   The palate has a very nice balance of sweet and spice.  Early in the finish there is a bit of a chemical taste, as with an artificial sweetener, but that trails off quickly and leads to a pleasantly sweet, slightly minty finish with cloves and cola notes.

This whiskey is right in my sweet spot.  I'm a big fan of Rendezvous Rye, and while I don't generally like finished bourbon, finished rye provides a nice sweetness to balance out the rye spice.  All in all, this is a fun whiskey that's worth checking out, particularly if you're a fan of the Rendezvous Rye.

Disclaimer:  This sample came from a bottle provided to the LA Whiskey Society by High West.

Sazerac's Funny Numbers

As we all know, there is a shortage of old whiskey.  Whiskey producers are dropping age statements left and right.  Sometimes age statements just disappear, other times they are replaced by something else, like Macallan's color scheme.  Lately, however, it appears that a deceptive new tactic is being practiced by Sazerac, the parent company of the Buffalo Trace, Barton and Bowman distilleries.

Very Old Barton is a popular six year old bourbon available in Kentucky and adjacent states.  It's known and loved for being a high quality, affordable bourbon.  New bottles of Barton no longer say 6 years old, but they still prominently display a 6 on the neck label.  Similarly, this newly approved label for Old Charter, formerly an 8 year old bourbon, now simply shows a number 8 without stating it is "8 years old."   This is similar to what Sazerac did a few years ago when they introduced Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star. There is a 10 year old Ancient Ancient Age which is quite popular but getting harder to find.  It is very easy to mistake the 10 Star for the 10 year old.

I contacted Sazerac and they had the following comment:

We have moved some brands away from age declared statements because delivering a consistent taste profile is more important than the age statement to our customers. In the case of Old Charter, sometimes that means 8 years old, sometimes 9, sometimes 7. We were finding that we had barrels that were 7 years and 10 months old that tasted closer to standard than barrels at 8 years and 3 months but could not use them due to the age statement and consequently in these tight inventory times we were running our customers out of stock. That issue is now solved. That being said, Old Charter will continue to average 8 years old for the foreseeable future and the same can be said about VOB, it will continue to be a 6 year old whiskey for the foreseeable future.

They also told me, "At this time, we do not have plans to remove age statements from any other brands."

I'm not thrilled with the growing scarcity of age statements, but I understand it and appreciate the dilemma that distillers are in.  However, replacing the age with just a number is dishonest and unworthy of a company like Sazerac.  It's true that there are other whiskeys that use number designations, but most of them, such as Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 and Maker's 46, never had an age statement.

If  Sazerac wants the flexibility to use younger whiskey, they should take the number off the bottle altogether. What they are doing is deception pure and simple, and they should knock it off.  Then again, maybe they were just sore at being left off of my Worst Whiskey Company of the year award for 2013 and are trying to get an early start for this year's competition.

Trader Joe's Bourbon

Trader Joe's has done a number of private label whiskeys, but never a bourbon, until now. Trader Joe's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a new product on their shelves. It is distilled at Buffalo Trace's 1792 Barton Distillery and goes for a typically TJ's affordable price of $15.


Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon, 45% abv ($15)

The nose is very nice, woody with a nice rye kick, burnt caramel and cloves. The palate is much less complex with lots of vanilla, and some spice on late palate, but it fades to bitterness in the end which lasts into the finish which is quite bitter.

This one starts well but doesn't hold up. Even for $15, there are better bourbons on the shelf. I expected more out of Buffalo Trace/Barton, but maybe there is a reason they aren't releasing this under their own label.

Whiskey Wednesday: Budget Booze - Ten High for Ten Bucks

Tom Moore Distillery, previously known as Barton Brands and recently purchased by Buffalo Trace, does great things with cheap booze. Known and loved for Very Old Barton in Kentucky, the distillery's biggest problem is that not much of their whiskey makes it out of Kentucky.

One of the few budget brands from Tom Moore that make it out west is Ten High. A Bourbon, Ten High usually weighs in at $10 or less so it definitely falls into the budget category, but at a mere 40% alcohol, it doesn't have the punch of some of the stronger versions of Very Old Barton.

Tasting

Ten High Bourbon (distilled by Tom Moore distillery), 40% alcohol ($10 or less).

The nose is a bit harsh, but then there is some caramel and even some wood. With the first taste this is unmistakably a Barton Bourbon, sweet but with some real depth and complexity. Beneath the sugar, there's polished wood and spice and savory notes as well.

No one does good, cheap booze like Barton Brands. This sip of Ten High makes me wish we could get the higher proof but still cheap Very Old Barton in these parts. Maybe Buffalo Trace will widen the distribution and bless us with some of it, but until then, you can't do much better than Ten High for less than ten dollars.

Whiskey Wednesday: Born in the USA Part 6 -- Very Old Barton

I'm enjoying this Born in the USA series so much that I'm going to double it. I had originially intended to go through five American whiskies, but I'm having so much fun, I think I'll do nine or ten.

All this American whiskey is well and good, but what do they drink in Kentucky, the hub of US whiskey production? Well, one of the things they drink is Very Old Barton. It's one of the best selling Bourbons in Kentucky, but it's nearly impossible to find outside of Kentucky and its vicinity. There are four expressions, all six years old, at varying proofs: 80, 86, 90 and 100. (You will recall from our series on whiskey label terms that the proof equals double the alcohol percentage or abv).

On a trip to Tennessee, a colleague picked up the 100 proof version for me (it pays to have friends who travel).


Tasting

Very Old Barton, 6 years old, 50% alcohol (Barton Distilling) $13 (Cheap!).

The nose is very crisp and clear, Bourbon and spice with fruit as well. Very nice. The taste is a good follow up. Sweet with a fair amount of oak. The flavor is very distinct and different from what I'm used to. Complex, though not very smooth. The quirky, complex flavor keeps me coming back for more. It actually has more complexity than many higher priced Bourbons, and it is much better than others in its low price range.

What a deal for those lucky folks in Bourbon country.