Willett XCF: Orange You Glad It's a New Willett?

Willett XCF Exploratory Cask Finish is a seven year old MGP rye finished in Grand Marnier casks. It appears that this is the first release of a new series of finished whiskeys from Willett.

Grand Marnier is made by macerating bitter orange peel, distilling it and then aging it for two years in bourbon casks.  After that, it is combined with Cognac and sweetened.  The rye in this Willett is aged in the bourbon casks that were used to age the orange distillate before sweetening, so it's not as if the casks has Grand Marnier in them. 

Willett XCF, Version 1.0, 7 yo, 51.7% abv ($150)

The orange spice notes hit you right away on the nose. It's got bitter orange with cloves, like an orange spice tea. The palate is more traditional MGP rye profile with aggressive spice, then some orange comes in, though it's not as strong as on the nose. The finish is typical MGP rye.

This is a really creative and interesting way to manipulate the very familiar MGP rye. The rye spice and orange work well together.  The flavors are well integrated such that the orange is clearly present but not dominant. 

It's too bad the price is so high on this or it would be an easy recommendation.  I know times have changed, but I still feel like if I shell out three figures for a whiskey, it should blow me away. That being said, this is a good whiskey that gets points for being unique.

Willett XCF is currently only available at the Willett gift shop, but it appears that it will see wider release later this fall.

Bourbon Legends: Doug Dog Philips Part 1

A few months ago I wrote about Randy Blank and his legendary Van Blankle private bottling of Van Winkle Lot B.  Just as legendary are a series of rye whiskeys bottled for Doug Philips (aka Doug Dog) a few years later.  Unlike Randy Blank, Doug Philips kept buying barrels and recently bought a private barrel of Smooth Ambler Old Scout bourbon distilled at MGP.  For folks who have only heard the legend of Doug, I thought it would be fun to tell his story, so I chatted with Doug about his life in whiskey.

People come to whiskey from all different directions, but Doug Philips may be the only person who came to it through bonsai trees.  Yes you read that correctly, bonsai trees.  In the late '80s, Philips was a Northern California glazier whose hobby was bonsai trees. Doug was quite well known in that field, teaching classes and giving lectures around the world. One of his fellow bonsai enthusiasts was a single malt aficionado who turned Doug on to the world of Scotch.

For the next decade, Doug became entranced with single malt, tasting everything he could.  One day, while perusing the Scotch shelves around 2002, he happened upon a bottle of Joseph Finch bourbon, a brand he'd never seen at a price point that was more similar to Scotch.  Intrigued, he started learning about American whiskeys, formed a tasting group and, around 2005, joined the StraightBourbon.com forum.

He was one of a small group of early dusty hunters, pledging to visit each one of California's nearly 6,000 liquor stores, though he only made it to about 3,400 of them before he moved out of state. Those were the salad days of dusty hunting; Doug remembers picking up A.H. Hirsch 16 year old with the blue wax cap for $45 a bottle when they were five deep on the shelves.

As he got to know American whiskey, Doug developed a taste for big, bold, oaky, cask strength bourbons, but in those days, there were very few American whiskeys on the market fitting that description.  He knew about Randy Blank's Van Blankle and decided that he too should buy his own barrel.  But it wasn't that easy.  He couldn't find anyone who was willing to work with him on an uncut, unfiltered bourbon.

One night when Doug was in Kentucky for the 2006 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Bardstown Sampler, he was hanging out with Randy Blank, Willett's Drew Kulsveen and LeNell Smothers, proprietor of a much loved but now defunct Brooklyn liquor store.  He overheard Kulsveen and Smothers talking about tasting some ryes for a private barrel for LeNell's (what would later become the famous LeNell's Red Hook Ryes).  Doug told Kulsveen he was trying to find a good barrel of uncut, unfiltered whiskey and wondered if Willett could help him out.

At 10:30 the next morning, Kulsveen picked Doug up at his hotel and took him to the Willett warehouse for a tasting of some rye whiskeys from the old Bernheim Distillery. Philips remembers very distinctly the second barrel of rye they opened. As soon as Drew knocked off the bung, the aroma of rye filled the entire warehouse. Doug sensed immediately that this was exactly what he had been searching for and that barrel was his first pick.  Back home, he put it in a blind tasting for his whiskey group with George T. Stagg and some other high proof whiskeys, and that cask of rye was the unanimous choice as the best of the bunch.

That cask became the legendary "green ink" bottling of Doug's rye, so named only because Drew Kulsveen's sister, who was labeling the bottles, happened to grab a green pen on the day she filled out the labels.  Doug would select a second barrel based on samples Drew sent him that would become the "black ink."

While he was waiting for Kulsveen to bottle his whiskey, Doug was surprised to see that Malt Advocate magazine (now Whisky Advocate) had rated his rye, a private barrel he had purchased, and awarded it 96 points.  Worried that someone had absconded with his barrel, Doug immediately called Drew Kulsveen who told him that the Malt Advocate crew had been in the warehouse while they were bottling Doug's rye, and Drew had poured them a sample...and so the legend began. [NOTE: See the comments for Whisky Advocate editor John Hansell's version of these events].

Over the next years, Doug bought a total of seven barrels from Willett:

1.  Kentucky Straight Rye, 22yo (Green Ink), Barrel 618, 136.7 proof, distilled 4-10-84, 263 bottles.  Labeled: Ed Ledger's Liquors or Doug Philips.

2. Kentucky Straight Rye, 22 yrs-11months-3weeks (Black Ink), Barrel 8, 136.7 proof, distilled 4-10-84, 216 bottles. Labeled: Neal & Dougz.

3. Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 4yo (Doug's Gold Wax), Barrel 2, 125.4 proof, distilled 5-21-03, 216 bottles. Labeled: Toddy's & Dugz Fall Festival 2007.

4.  Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 17yo, Barrel 1564, 148.4 proof, distilled 4-30-91,71 bottles.  Labeled: Dugz&Willyz.

5. Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 17yo, Barrel 1605, 145.8 proof, distilled 4-30-91, 98 bottles. Labeled: Dugz&Willyz.

6. Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 18yo, barrel 8550, 118.4 proof, distilled 3-26-90, 147 bottles. Labeled: Dougz&Willyz.

7. Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 18yo, barrel 8551, 117.2 proof, distilled 3-26-90, 99 bottles. Labeled: Dugz&Willyz.

Doug's taste is very specific.  He likes big, bold, woody whiskeys.  He loves whiskeys that fill the room with their aroma, just like that first barrel of rye, and he enjoys a long, dry finish.  While he has high standards, he doesn't just drink his own stuff.  Among recent releases, he's been impressed with the Elijah Craig 12 year Barrel Proof bourbons.

In part 2 of this story, we will learn about and taste the newest Doug Dog whiskey.

Very Olde St. Nick Bourbons

Earlier this week I posted reviews of the Very Olde St. Nick Rye Whiskeys from the recent Southern California Whiskey Club tasting.  Today, I'll review the bourbons.


Very Olde St. Nick 8 year old, 45% abv

The nose is sweet and slightly soapy. The palate is much more complex then the nose with some savory notes and orange rind and the finish is mild and not too sweet.  This is a beefy bourbon which is nicely balanced and not overly sweet. Very nice.

Very Olde St. Nick Cask Lot No. 15, 53.5% abv

The nose on this one is sweet with banana candy. The banana continues on the palate with a very sweet, liquid candy type of taste.  The profile is in the Evan Williams family.  The finish has some cinnamon.  This one was fine but nothing special.

Very Olde St. Nick 19 year old, 47% abv

The nose has heavy rye notes and caramel.  The palate has some dark caramel notes without being too sweet, then some spice which continues into a peppery finish.  This one was great with a great balance of sweetness and spice.

Very Olde St. Nick 22 year old, 40.6% abv

The nose is spicy in an Armagnac like way with some wine notes.  The palate is sweet with milk chocolate and the finish is very sweet.  This one started with a very complex nose, but then got simpler and simpler. It's good but I was disappointed that the spice on the nose didn't show through more on the palate and finish to counter the sweetness.

Very Olde St. Nick 23 year old, 40.6% abv

The nose is sweet with some oak providing  nice balance. The palate has sweet iced tea with a slight spice infusion. The finish is mild.  This is one of those "smooth" bourbons; it's very easy to drink and fun.

Very Olde St. Nick 24 year old, 40.6% abv

This has a very light nose.  The palate is very straight forward with sweetness and baking spices.  There's a surprising lack of oak for its age.  The finish is vanilla ice cream.  This another easy drinker.

Conclusion

The 19 year old was easily my favorite of the bunch and that seemed to be the consensus of the tasting.  The 8 year old was my second favorite, though it wasn't as popular with the other tasters.  All of these were good and worth trying, though the Lot 15 was probably my least favorite.

Thanks to the Southern California Whiskey Club for holding these excellent tastings.

Very Olde St. Nick Rye Whiskeys

Thanks to the Southern California Whiskey Club, I've been able to sample the full line of Very Olde St. Nick bourbons and ryes over the past few months (and attend a really fun tasting).

Very Olde St. Nick was a line of American whiskeys made exclusively for the Japanese market by the a California company. There were a multitude of sources for the whiskeys.  Julian Van Winkle bottled some of the earlier editions, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers bottled the later ones and the the company went directly to Diageo to acquire bourbon stocks, including Stitzel-Weller.

With all of that action, it's tough to tell where the bourbons are from, and of course, they could be from multiple sources.  The ryes, based on their age and when they were released are mostly likely from the Medley and/or old Bernheim distilleries.

These are exceedingly hard to find, especially in the US, but there is a lot of interest around them, so I thought I would share my reviews.  I will start with the ryes, and later this week, I'll cover the bourbons.

 
Very Olde St. Nick Summer Rye, 40%  abv

The nose has big, spicy rye notes with lots of sweetness and fruit cocktail.  The palate is light and fruity, very diluted tasting.  There is some spice at the very end which fades into the finish where it's met with sweetness.

This is pleasant enough with its sweet, fruity notes and a touch of spice, but it's lacking complexity and too weak.  Still, it's plenty drinkable.

Very Olde St. Nick 15 year old Ancient Rye, 43% abv

The nose is nice and spicy with sandalwood. The sandalwood spice continues on the palate combined with some rock candy sweetness. The sweetness is lightly present in the finish which is more dominated by spice. 

This one is nice and spicy with good balance. I wish it was higher proof because I would like more of those flavors, but it's good stuff.

Very Olde St. Nick 16 year old Rare Perfection Rye, 43% abv

The nose on this one is pure, old rye with lots of sandalwood spice.  It's really beautiful.  The palate is spicy with licorice and fruit.  It's got a lot going on and is a bit soapy.  The finish has muted spice, black licorice sticks and some soap.

This one is bold, and if it weren't for the soapy notes, it would be perfect, but the soap brings it down a few notches.

Very Olde St. Nick 17 year old Ancient Rye, 51.85% abv

This has a more muted nose than the younger VOSNs with hay and coastal notes.  It's almost more like a coastal Scotch. The palate has a sort of generic whiskey taste. It's not discernibly rye. There's some very muted spice, but it's mostly just a vague sweet, grain note.  The finish has candy and wood.

I wonder if this might be a different distillery than the younger ryes from this series. Either that or 17 years was just too long for this particular rye and the wood got the better of it. It's not bad. There are some light chocolate notes and some decent oak, but not much in the way of distinctive characteristics. While this one didn't do much for me, I should note that for many others, this was their favorite rye of the series.

Very Olde St. Nick 18 year old Ancient Rye, 52.3% abv

The nose has rye spice and oak.  The palate comes on very oaky and then has sweet baking spices.  The finish, again, is very woody.

This one is heavy on the oak but a nice whiskey.

Conclusion

These are all good whiskeys, though none of them were amazing.  They certainly share a lot of characteristics with those old Bernheim ryes, but none are anywhere near as good as the best of those that we saw in the US (Rathskeller, LeNell's, etc.).  My favorite of the bunch was probably the 16 year old, probably because it was the most similar in flavor profile to those great old ryes, but I also really liked the 15 and 18 year olds. 

Very Olde St. Nick Tasting Part 2: The Bourbons

Back in June, I wrote about the Southern California Whiskey Club's tasting of Very Olde St. Nick Rye.  Now they have set a date for part 2 o the meeting.  On August 17, they'll be tasting the Very Olde St. Nick bourbons.  Like the Rye, the Very Olde St. Nick series was bottled by the Van Winkles and then Kentucky Bourbon Distillers for the Japanese export market. 

The lineup for the meeting will include:

•  8 year old, 90 proof
• Cask Lot No. 15, 107 proof
• 19 year old, 94 proof
• 22 year old, 81.2 proof
• 23 year old, 81.2 proof
• 24 year old, 81.2 proof

 The meeting will be on Sunday, August 17 at 7:00 pm at Far Bar, 347 East 1st Street in Los Angeles.  There is a fee of $69 which includes food. You can sign up at the Southern California Whiskey Club website.

As with the rye tasting, its unlikely that a tasting like this will come around again anytime soon, so even if you're not in the Southern California area, you might want to consider attending.

Note:  Sku is not affiliated with the Southern California Whiskey Club and receives no compensation from them.  He just thinks this is a really cool tasting.

The New Willett Rye

Probably no American distillery's first release has been greeted with as much anticipation as the new Willett Rye. The Willett label, of course, is widely known and loved among whiskey fans for its high quality bourbon and rye, but up until now, all of its bottlings for the last forty or so years have been sourced whiskeys (the original Willett distillery stopped making whiskey in the 1970s).

But in 2012, after years of slowly rebuilding, the Willetts (now the Kulsveens by marriage) reopened the distillery.  Now, the first product of that distillery is out, a two year old straight rye whiskey. The bottle is pretty much identical to other Willett Family Estate bottles except that the back label includes the key words: "Distilled, Aged and Bottled by The Willett Distillery."

Two years old is young for a whiskey, but not for a craft whiskey, so kudos to the Willetts for letting this age a little bit before releasing it.  Let's see how it is.


Willett Rye, 2 yo, 54.7% ($44)

The nose has really nice rye notes with pickle juice and caraway; it's nice and spicy but with a touch of sweetness.  The palate has a promising start with a nice sweet and spicy balance. Toward mid palate it shows its youth with some medicinal notes; they aren't exactly new makey, but they are the sort of medicinal, raw wood notes typical of very young whiskeys; those notes are pretty fleeting though. The finish is back to that sweet/spicy balance with just a hint of the medicinal notes. Adding water isn't a good idea; it makes it taste like a low end Canadian blend. 

This was surprisingly good and balanced for a two year old whiskey.  That being said, it's still two years old.  It's not bad at all, and it's great to see what the Willetts are up to, but it lacks maturity and still has that young whiskey rawness.  This whiskey has huge potential, and I'll be very enthusiastic to try this at four or six years old.  With more age, it could definitely be great.  For now, it's worth a try, but I'd recommend trying a glass rather than investing in a whole bottle.

For a more enthusiastic review, check out the always entertaining BourbonTruth who liked it a bit more than I did and includes some good insider information.

UPDATE:  There are two batches of this rye that have been released so far.  The one shown and another at 54.05% abv.  According to Drew Kulsveen at Willett, both batches are made from the same blend of two rye mashbills (about 80% high rye - 74% rye, 11% corn, 15% malted barley to 20% low rye - 51% rye, 34% corn, 15% malted barley) so the composition should be the same even if the proof is slightly different.

Very Olde St. Nick Tasting with the SoCal Whiskey Club

Very Olde St. Nick is a whiskey label that was bottled by Julian Van Winkle and Kentucky Bourbon Distillers exclusively for the Japanese export market back in the early 2000s.  Back then, the Japanese market was much more interested in super-aged bourbons than the the American market. These bourbons and ryes likely came from some of the same sources that went into the legendary Willett and Black Maple Hill bottlings from that era.  The ryes are most likely to be from the old Bernheim or Medley distilleries; the bourbons could be from any number of sources.

These are extremely rare.  Even in Japan, they haven't been available for years, except for the occasional dusty. I've never seen one in the flesh.

For the first time that I know of in the US, there will be a public tasting of the entire line of Very Olde St. Nick whiskeys.  The Southern California Whiskey Club is hosting two tastings in which they will run through the entire line up; the first tasting, later this month, will cover the ryes.  In August, a second meeting will taste the bourbons.  The club was formed last year, and the great thing about it is that anyone can join, and meetings are open to all comers, first come, first served. 

The Very Olde St. Nick rye tasting will be Sunday, June 22 at 7:00 pm at Far Bar in Little Tokyo.  The fee is $59 which includes a half ounce sample of each whiskey and food.  The whiskeys being sampled in that meeting are:

• Summer Rye, 80 proof
• 15 year Ancient Rye, 86 proof
• 16 year, Rare Perfection Rye, 86 proof
• 17 year, Ancient Rye, 103.7 proof
• 18 year, Ancient Rye, 104.6 proof

 You can sign up for the tasting on the Southern California Whiskey Club website.

I doubt a tasting like this will come around again anytime soon, so even if you're not in the Southern California area, you might want to consider attending.

Note:  Sku is not affiliated with the Southern California Whiskey Club and receives no compensation from them.  He just thinks this is a really cool tasting.

Willett Wheater Bourbons: The April 6, 1993 Bernheim Run

Earlier this week, I wrote about the great ryes distilled at the Bernheim Distillery in the 1980s that were released by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD).  There is another set of great Bernheims out there from a different era.  In 1991, the old Bernheim Distillery was torn down by United Distillers and replaced by a new, high-tech distillery.  At around the same time, United Distillers closed one of their other distilleries, Stitzel-Weller.  They needed somewhere to make the wheated bourbon for the Stitzel-Weller brands like Old Fitzgerald and W.L. Weller so they started making it at the shiny, new Bernheim Distillery.  

This era's Bernheim wheat whiskey is great stuff.  Today, as Stitzel-Weller stocks run dry, many of the Van Winkle whiskeys have some of this Bernheim bourbon in the mix.  But some of the best Bernheim wheated bourbon I've had is from a run of Willett whiskeys distilled just over twenty years ago, on April 6, 1993.  Of course, since these are independently bottled and the producer is not disclosed, I can't guarantee they're Bernheim, but there aren't that many candidates for a wheated bourbon from that era.

These are huge, oaky bourbons with abvs in the high 60s.  If you don't like wood, stay away, but if oak doesn't bother you, these are fantastic, like cask strength Van Winkles.

The 4/6/93 Bernheims are bottled under the Willett label (the date is on the back label).  Shopper's Vineyard had a 17 year old version a few years ago, and Pacific Edge has distributed a number of them in California, including 16 and 17 year olds.  It's possible that some are still on the shelves.  If you find one, and you like that oaky wheater profile, definitely pick it up.

Rathskeller Rye and Old Bernheim

The old Bernheim Distillery in Louisville was not one of the more treasured distilleries of its time.  Operated by the Schenley company after prohibition, it was the home to IW Harper and Old Charter bourbons until it was torn down in 1991 to make way for the new Bernheim distillery which is now Heaven Hill.

The Bernheim distillery also made rye, which is popularly referred to as Cream of Kentucky rye, though it was a very limited release and most of the rye they made went into various blends (Schenley was one of the largest whiskey companies of the time).

Midway through the first decade of the twenty-first century, a number of Kentucky Bourbon Distillers independently bottled ryes distilled in the mid-1980s started appearing on the scene and making waves.  There were Willett bottles by Doug Phillips, the Velvet Glove and Iron Fist Willetts that are still available in DC, the Red Hook Rye bottled for LeNells in Brooklyn and Rathskeller Rye, bottled exclusively for the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville.  These were huge, spicy, cask strength ryes.  They are without a doubt, some of the best ryes I've tasted.

Eventually, it came out that many and possibly all of these whiskeys had their origination at the Old Bernheim distillery.  What they were doing to the rye at Old Bernheim in the 1980s, I don't know, but it was something amazing.

Today, I'll taste the Rathskeller rye, but you can see my previous notes for LeNells Red Hook Rye Barrel 3 and Barrel 4, the Willett Iron Fist and one of the Doug Phillips Willett Ryes on the LA Whiskey Society site.

Rathskeller Rye, 23 years old, distilled 1983, 68% abv

This has a really concentrated nose of sandalwood, molasses and brown sugar.  It starts spicy and goes sweet.  On the palate it's thick and syrupy with sandalwood, plenty of wood and sweet wine.
The finish has mulled wine spices and cloves.

This is really amazing stuff.  It has a lot in common with the old Pennsylvania ryes I've tried, particularly the sandalwood notes.  Unfortunately, the days of these ryes are numbered.  Other than the Seelbach, there are bottles of this at a few prominent DC bars, including the Acadiana, Jack Rose and Bourbon DC, though it will cost you from $60 to $70 per glass.  Still, one of those bars is your best bet, since it's pretty much impossible to buy a bottle.

Thanks to Jason Beatty for the sample and photo.

Dusty Thursday: Kentucky Vintage 1974

The current bottling of Kentucky Vintage is an independently bottled bourbon by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. This bottle, however, is a rare Japanese export of the same name. The label states 1974 as the vintage year and it was bottled in 2000 exclusively for the Japanese market. Based on the name and what I've heard about it, I assume it was also a KBD product, but I don't know for certain.

Kentucky Vintage 1974, bottled 2000, 25 years old, 47% abv

The nose has mango, tropical fruit and a bit of shampoo. The palate is very sweet, like fruit punch, and the finish is bitter. Water doesn't help.

Yuck. This stuff is terrible.


See reviews of Kentucky Vintage 1974 by the LA Whiskey Society.

Group Taste: Noah's Mill

This is the latest of my joint reviews with my pals Jason from Sour Mash Manifesto and Tim from Scotch & Ice Cream.

Noah's Mill is the premium selection from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers small batch collection, which includes Pure Kentucky XO, Kentucky Vintage and Rowan's Creek (I reviewed those three several years ago).

While they own a distillery that they recently refurbished and began distilling in, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) is an independent bottler and all of their current product is sourced from other distilleries. Noah's Mill is a bourbon which is sourced from one or more of the Kentucky distilleries; it's bottled at a higher proof than the other bourbons in the collection.


Noah's Mill (Kentucky Bourbon Distillers), 57.15% abv [Batch 11-121]($50)

This one is very musty on the nose. The mustiness is followed by some peanut candy (PayDay bar) and rubbing alcohol. The palate is mostly heat with some wood underneath that grows stronger into the finish. Hmm, where's the flavor? I've never had a high proof whiskey that was so indistinct. Given that it's high proof, I thought that water might help bring out some flavor notes as it often does with high proof whiskeys, but no dice. Water gives the palate a bit of those peanut notes from the nose, but not much else.

I've heard a lot of good things about Noah's Mill from a lot of people I respect, but this one just left me perplexed. Of course, given that this is a vatting of sourced whiskeys, the potential is there for a lot of variance from batch to batch, but if this batch is at all representative, I'd say it is easily one of the most overrated bourbons out there.

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.

More LDI Rye: Willett Three Year Old Rye

It's funny to think that only five years ago there was literally no way for Americans to taste whiskey from LDI. Now it seems that a week doesn't go by without a new release of LDI whiskey.

LDI is, of course, Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana. Located right across the river from Kentucky, LDI is a huge distillery but they distill on a contract only basis, so they don't release any of their own whiskey. Formerly a Seagram's distillery, LDI is currently owned by the financially troubled Angostura, which is in the process of selling it to Midwest Grain Products, a maker of neutral spirits.

If you've had Templeton Rye, Redemption Rye or Bulleit Rye, then you've had LDI rye. It's very seldom marketed as such, but there are clues. "Product of Indiana" on the label is a big giveaway. And in press releases for a new sourced bourbon or rye from a bottler, if they don't mention Kentucky explicitly, LDI is a pretty good guess.

Now Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), the biggest independent bottler of American Whiskey, has their own LDI rye, a three year old released under the Willett label. There are a few different versions of this out there which range in abv. This one comes in at 55%.

Willett Rye, 3 years old, Single Barrel (Barrel 6), 55% abv ($36)

The nose is what I've come to expect from young LDI ryes, strong rye notes, pickle juice, caraway. The palate is a huge mint bomb with plenty of spice and pine. It's a good sock-you-in-the-face rye. The only real flaw is a touch of unpleasant bitterness on the finish.

I liked this better than a lot of the young LDI rye I've had. I appreciate that KBD bottled it at cask strength which is likely what makes it more interesting than many of the more watered down LDI ryes on the market. It's a fun one, at a good price, that's worth a try.

Whiskey Wednesday: The Distiller That Doesn't Distill - Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD)

After our recent series on independent whiskey bottlers, it struck me that I've never reviewed an independently bottled Bourbon. Given that there are so many on the market, I figured I should give them some attention, and since there is no bigger name in independent Bourbon than Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), I thought I would start there.

This Bardstown Kentucky bottler puts out Bourbon under multiple brands, none of which they distill, despite their name. It's widely speculated that much of their whiskey comes from Bardstown neighbor Heaven Hill, but the whiskey in any given bottle could be from any of Kentucky's nine distilleries. Today, I will try three of the four brands that make up KBD's small batch collection: Rowan's Creek, Pure Kentucky XO and Kentucky Vintage. The fourth in the series is Noah's Mill.

A quick note on the idea of a small batch Bourbon. The term "small batch" is commonly found on Bourbon labels; Four Roses, Jim Beam and others have employed it on various bottlings. Despite its popularity, the term has no fixed, legal definition. It is largely a marketing term, the purpose of which is to appeal to consumers looking for something artisanal and hand-crafted. If it's small batch, the reasoning goes, it must be good and worth a higher price, even if it's made by an industry giant like Beam. When I see the term, I ignore it as so much marketing puffery.

For today, all of the Bourbons I'm tasting have different alcohol levels and different age statements. The Kentucky Vintage has no age statement, though the label indicates it is aged for "many long years." The Pure Kentucky includes the designation XO (extra old), which is a French brandy designation indicating an age of at least six years. The term, however, has no meaning under US laws, and it's impossible to know what it means in this context; I've heard claims that the Pure Kentucky XO is between 10 and 11 years old. The Rowan's Creek is 12 years old.


Kentucky Vintage, 45% alcohol ($25-$35)

Sweet on the nose, with some vanilla. This is a very light Bourbon, with a bit of a soapy flavor, some fruit and a sweet finish. I get nothing in the way of rye in this. It's smooth to the point of slick.


Pure Kentucky XO, 53.5% alcohol ($30-$40)

A very distinct nose with an almost brandy like fruit scent. This has a real aged, Bourbon taste, with a woody, mustiness that is typical of older Heaven Hill Bourbons. It reminds me of the Elijah Craig 18 year old single barrel, which is a great whiskey.


Rowan's Creek, 12 years old, 50.05% alcohol ($35-$50).

Light on the nose with some rye. Big rye kick on the palate, followed by some corn sweetness and then back to big rye on the finish. A bit rough around the edges and harsher than I would expect for its age. Whatever this is, it's something with a high rye mash bill.


I'm impressed that these are three very different Bourbons. (Of course, they could be from entirely different distilleries). Looking at the three together, the Pure Kentucky XO rose above the rest for me, as I like that aged Bourbon flavor. The Kentucky Vintage, a lighter whiskey, was my least favorite and the Rowan's Creek was fine, but nothing I'd get excited about.

Next Wednesday: Irish Whiskey in May?