Brian Haara
Bourbon. Law. Author.
Sipp’n Corn Bourbon Review – Rhetoric 23-year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
According to its press release, Rhetoric 23 was distilled between 1990 and 1993 at the Bernheim Distillery while it was owned by United Distillers. This time frame reported for distillation and the lack of “old” or “new” preceding “Bernheim” leaves some questions about whether Rhetoric 23 was distilled at the old Bernheim Distillery, which historically had been home to I.W. Harper and Old Charter, before United tore it down, or the new Bernheim Distillery, now owned by Heaven Hill since 1999, but built by United as a state-of-the-art distillery to consolidate its operations. The new Bernheim Distillery opened in 1992, so I did some digging with the brand managers, who were able to determine that Rhetoric 23 was distilled entirely at the new Bernheim distillery.One of the casualties of the new Bernheim Distillery construction was the famed Stitzel-Weller Distillery, which closed in 1992. Master Distiller Ed Foote and all Stitzel-Weller production were moved to the new Bernheim Distillery, but of course, the Stitzel-Weller warehouses still needed to be filled, and that need was satisfied by the new Bernheim production. As the orphan barrel story goes, that’s where Diageo found these old barrels of whiskey.
Regardless, Rhetoric 23 is the tenth overall release in the Orphan Barrel line, and the fourth in the Rhetoric sub-line, which is steadily progressing from 20 years to the planned finale at 25 years old. Kudos to Diageo for this creative release schedule, allowing consumers to isolate age as a single factor and compare expressions.
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Bourbon:
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Rhetoric 23-year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
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Distillery:
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Distilled at the (old or new?) Bernheim Distillery, Louisville, Kentucky, aged at Stitzel-Weller, in Louisville, Kentucky, and bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
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Age:
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23 years old.
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Mash bill:
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86% corn; 6% rye; 8% barley.
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ABV:
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45.3% (90.6 proof)
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Cost:
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$120.00
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Disclaimer: The brand managers kindly sent me a sample
for this review, without any strings attached.
Thank you.
Tasting Notes
Appearance:
Rhetoric 23 is not nearly as dark as 23 years in a barrel would impart, so I’m assuming that it underwent pretty substantial filtering, resulting in a medium-brown color with a hint of orange, and with prominent legs.
Nose:
The nose was mostly subtle, but I liked its darkness—oak, old tobacco barn, dark chocolate, rich coffee, polished wood, and leather.
Taste:
Despite the filtration, Rhetoric 23 is still creamy with a softness and the right amount of heat, with flavors like hazelnut, dark chocolate, vanilla, baking spices, and of course oak. There’s no pucker though, which can come from too much oak.
Finish:
The subtleness of the aromas and the softness on the palate led me to expect a warm but uneventful finish. Instead, after an initial swell of cinnamon spice, it has a satisfying, long finish. While controlled by oak, again it’s not over-oaked, and transitions to a smoky, dry finish.
Bottom Line
Oak is the obvious topic for discussion with 23-year old bourbon. Of course, I came in expecting a bunch of oak, and while oak is a big feature of Rhetoric 23, it’s not “over-oaked” to my subjective palate. Rhetoric 23 is also receiving the full gamut of reviews, from “not recommended” to “A-,” which tells me that the oak might be more of a factor than I realize, or that I’m more tolerant of oak. Whatever it means, I thoroughly enjoyed the sample and wished that I had more than the now long-gone 100 mL. Price-wise, I would buy it at sub-$100.
Score on The Sipp’n Corn Scale: 3.0
The Sipp’n Corn Scale:
1 – Swill. I might dump the bottle, but will probably save it for my guests who mix with Coke.
2 – Hits the minimum criteria, but given a choice, I’d rather have something else.
3 – Solid Bourbon with only minor shortcomings. Glad to own and enjoy.
4 – Excellent Bourbon. Need to be hyper-critical to find flaws. I’m lucky to have this.
5 – Bourbon perfection. I’ll search high and low to get another bottle of this.
The Finish Line is in Sight for Lux Row Distillers.
Perhaps best known for Ezra Brooks and Rebel Yell (but readers need to add David Nicholson to that list), family-owned Luxco, Inc. continues to make progress on its path from merchant bottler to distiller. Luxco’s Lux Row Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky hit another milestone this summer with the completion of one of its six barrel warehouses and the installation of the guts of its new distillery.
The tree-lined approach to Lux Row Distillers adds to the ambiance.
I visited Lux Row yesterday for a hard-hat tour and saw that since the installation of the 43-foot Vendome column still this past March, hot and chilled water tanks have been added along with meal bins, the beer well, fermenters (8,000 gallons each), cookers (4,000 gallons each), and piping connecting everything. Construction should be complete by the end of the year, distillation can begin in January 2018, and Lux Row should be open to the public by Derby 2018.
Creative Director Michele Lux described how she got tapped for her design expertise and planning for the visitor’s center and event space, while she and Distillery Operations Manager Tony Kamer showed us the shiny new equipment in the state-of-the-art distillery. When the site is complete, the 18,000 square foot distillery will be accompanied by six identical barrel warehouses, each with six floors and each with a capacity of 20,000 barrels. Within six months after the first distillation run, the 36-inch diameter Vendome still will be worked up to a pace of 25,000 barrels per year, but as with the rest of the distillery, Luxco has planned on being able to increase capacity.
According to my interview of Luxco President and COO, David Bratcher, during the groundbreaking ceremony in May 2016, Lux Row plans to stick to brown spirits, with bourbon mash bills containing rye or wheat as secondary grains, along with rye whiskey mash bills. Current supply forecasts are sufficient, which allows this dedication to American whiskies, and which will also allow aging of at least five years (2023!) before the first Luxco brands will use Lux Row whiskey.Now, in the meantime, if I could just convince Luxco to add a private barrel program for Rebel Yell 10-year single barrel, that might help tide us all over.
Joseph & Joseph rendering of the completed project.
Sipp’n Corn Bourbon Review – Noah’s Mill
Noah’s Mill is the highest-proof and highest-shelf brand member of Willett’s “Small Batch Boutique Bourbon Collection,” which also includes Kentucky Vintage, Pure Kentucky, and Rowan’s Creek. Before the Bourbon craze it was aged for 15 years, and while it lost that minimum age, most everyone except the age-statement purists agree that it has retained its high quality. One distinguishing characteristic of Noah’s Mill is that it traditionally blended Bourbon using rye as the secondary grain with Bourbon using wheat as the secondary grain, although this four-grain approach may have ended recently.
Another interesting side-note is that Noah’s Mill is not labeled as “Straight” Bourbon Whiskey, instead using just “Bourbon Whiskey.” Being able to use the word “Straight” is a badge of honor that every producer should use if it can do so legally. Straight Bourbon Whiskey must first meet the federal regulations to be called “Bourbon”: “whisky produced at not exceeding 160 proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, … and stored at not more than 125 proof in charred new oak containers…”, and bottled at no less than 40 percent ABV. 27 CFR § 5.22(b)(1); 27 CFR § 5.22(b).Then, in addition, Bourbon “shall be further designated as ‘straight’” if it was “stored in the type of oak containers prescribed for a period of two years or more.” 27 CFR § 5.22(b)(1)(iii). Under another federal regulation and TTB interpretation, no flavoring or coloring additives can be added to Bourbon or Straight Bourbon. 27 CFR § 5.23(a)(2). A whiskey that is “Straight” can only include blends of straight whiskies of the same type produced in the same state. 27 CFR § 5.22(b)(1)(iii). Of course, an age statement is optional for any Straight Bourbon Whiskey that is at least four years old. 27 CFR § 5.40(a).
The folks at Willett confirmed for me that Noah’s Mill qualifies as “Straight” Bourbon Whiskey but that it’s just not on the label. Personally, I’d want to include this guarantee of compliance and purity, but the quality coming out of Willett is undeniable, and they’ve been successful, so I’ll just leave this as my 2 cents and defer to Drew and his family.
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Bourbon:
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Noah’s Mill Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Batch QBC 13-117
Batch QBC 15-11
Batch QBC 15-18
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Distillery:
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Undisclosed, but bottled by “Noah’s Mill Distilling Company,” which is an assumed name of Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd. (Willett), Bardstown, Kentucky, DSP-KY-78
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Age:
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No age statement, so the youngest Bourbon is guaranteed to be at least four years old.
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ABV:
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57.15% (114.3 proof)
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Cost:
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Usually around $50.00
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Tasting Notes
Appearance:
Golden amber with a red hue in the light. The 2013 batch was slightly darker.
Nose:
Great aromas with a fair warning of the high proof. Each of the three had distinct noses; 15-18 was the sharpest and most floral with candy sweetness, 15-11 was mellow with dark fruit and old barn, and 13-117 was more on the earthy side with old oak and cocoa.
Taste:
The high proof is somewhat masked by the complexity and the warm flavors like vanilla, toffee, and cocoa, transitioning to cinnamon, pepper, and oak. Again, each batch had its distinguishing characteristics but overall similarities. For instance, 15-11 has a fantastic malted chocolate note that was not in Batch 15-18, where it was replaced with more intense spice, corn grain, and cherry. Batch 13-117, on the other hand, was the creamiest of the three, with mellow flavors of honey, dark cherry, plum, espresso, and rich caramel. They all took a splash of water or ice very well.
Finish:
Great swelling, warming, oaky finishes with all of these batches. Batch 15-11 had an oaky/caramel balance with a mint kicker. After a quick burst of sugary candy on the finish, 15-18 gives way to pepper spice and oak. And I really enjoyed the long, slow burn of 13-117 that harkened back to its earthy aromas and swell of rye spice.
Bottom Line
Noah’s Mill provides a lush, well-rounded Bourbon with distinct batch characteristics, but all in the same family. It might be too hot for some people, but a splash of water or ice will both drop the ABV and the heat to a range that will appeal to a broader audience without sacrificing any of the flavor. I highly recommend Noah’s Mill.
Score on The Sipp’n Corn Scale: 3.5
The Sipp’n Corn Scale:
1 – Swill. I might dump the bottle, but will probably save it for my guests who mix with Coke.
2 – Hits the minimum criteria, but given a choice, I’d rather have something else.
3 – Solid Bourbon with only minor shortcomings. Glad to own and enjoy.
4 – Excellent Bourbon. Need to be hyper-critical to find flaws. I’m lucky to have this.
5 – Bourbon perfection. I’ll search high and low to get another bottle of this.
Sipp’n Corn Book Review – Rum Curious: The Indispensable Tasting Guide to the World’s Spirit by Fred Minnick.
I’ll admit that—even as a bourbon enthusiast—I was curious about rum. Who better to turn to in order to satisfy this curiosity than Fred Minnick, the authority on spirits?
Rum Curious starts with a heft confirming that this is not a side-show book, continues with gorgeous images pulling the reader into an “island mentality,” and then delivers with Fred’s signature style of storytelling through a blend of history, politics, and regulation that conveys the real story and embraces controversy. The addition of tasting notes and cocktail recipes rounds out Rum Curious enabling the reader to make an informed decision when selecting rum. I wouldn’t have known where to begin without this assistance.
I also didn’t know about the use (let alone the controversy) of additives and sweeteners, I hadn’t appreciated how dominantly sugar influenced the developing world, and I never knew how politics helped push rum aside, favoring whiskey. I came in knowing plenty about whiskey regulations, so the contrast with the wild-west approach to rum regulation was particularly fascinating to me.
I simply devoured Rum Curious, and I’ll bring it on my next beach vacation to enjoy again with a Mai Tai or one of Fred’s suggestions for sipping neat. I wholeheartedly recommend Rum Curious to anyone interested in spirits or Caribbean history, or to anyone just looking for a summer book.
Here’s the Amazon link, enjoy!
Sipp’n Corn Bourbon Review – Four Roses 2017 Small Batch Limited Edition Al Young 50th Anniversary
This year’s spring Limited Edition from Four Roses honors Al Young for his 50 years at Four Roses, and strays from the standard small batch bottle design to use a 1967 design, harkening back to the year that Al’s career at Four Roses began. So it’s a sharp bottle, a worthy honor, and promising blend of recipes, but will it live up to expectations set by previous limited editions?
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Bourbon:
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Four Roses 2017 Small Batch Limited Edition, Al Young 50th Anniversary
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Distillery:
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Four Roses, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
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Age:
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23-year OBSV – 5%
15-year OBSK – 25%
13-year OESV – 50%
12-year OBSF – 20%
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ABV:
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54.49%
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Cost:
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$150.00
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Disclaimer: The brand managers kindly sent me a sample
for this review, without any strings attached.
Thank you.
Tasting Notes
Appearance:
Brown side of amber with some reddish-gold in the light, and great legs.
Nose:
The traditional caramel aromas are here in force, balanced with light spring flowers and vanilla on the softer side, but at the same time pronounced oak and leather-bound books make me want to smell a bit longer.
Taste:
Luscious, creamy caramel along with ripe berries (think of that Fourth of July bowl of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries), brown sugar, honey, apricot, and dried dark fruit, balanced with the earthiness of oak, leather, and tobacco, and cinnamon on the spicy side. The complexity is phenomenal.
Finish:
Long, with a huge swell and gear-shifting that I love, and eventually tapering off to tranquil warmth. I was tempted to get a stopwatch because the finish kept going. Flavors of oak and rich caramel dominate, but it’s much more complex than that, with a mint kicker. I need to find a bottle to contemplate this one.
Bottom Line
The Al Young 50th Anniversary Limited Edition has everything I look for in a Bourbon. We haven’t even hit the fall limited editions yet, but in my mind we already have a leader for Whiskey of the Year. There are only about 10,000 bottles, so make your plans now for next week’s release. Please just leave a couple for me.
Score on The Sipp’n Corn Scale: 4.5+
The Sipp’n Corn Scale:
1 – Swill. I might dump the bottle, but will probably save it for my guests who mix with Coke.
2 – Hits the minimum criteria, but given a choice, I’d rather have something else.
3 – Solid Bourbon with only minor shortcomings. Glad to own and enjoy.
4 – Excellent Bourbon. Need to be hyper-critical to find flaws. I’m lucky to have this.
5 – Bourbon perfection. I’ll search high and low to get another bottle of this.
Brian Haara 