Bourbon - 6 March 2009 - 7pm GMT

[TreacleSponge]

Well that's me done, I'm off. Thanks all for the company, I've enjoyed it. I look forward to returning tomorrow with some more, and looking through the rest of the notes here G'night!

[Ganga]

Nick, now that you know what rye tastes like, you might be able to start identifying it in the bourbons. Each distillery seems to use a different quantity of rye in their mix.

[Ganga]

Slainte Treacle. Great notes. I look forward to reading the rest of your notes.

[Ras Mazunga]

EC 18
n: hmmm, like old Longmorn. christmas cake, oranges, wood, beeswax, chocolate, paint, vanilla,
t: oranges with mint and chocolate
f: taste lingers on, oranges become marmelade
c: nose is great, after that thing go down

Bye Treacle, thanks for your notes and samples of course.

Nick, the rye came from me. You came to the same conclusion as me: rye smells and tastes like rye. I'm not sure if I can get used to it.

[Ganga]

Good night Nick. Thanks for all the wonderfully reading. Ridgemont Reserve for you.

[Ras Mazunga]

Old Overholt straight rye whiskey 40% 4yo
n: rye, apples, raisins, camenbert
t: rye, more rye, raisins
f: short with rye
c: more interesting than I remembered

G'night Nick

[Ras Mazunga]

Knob Creek 9yo 50%(MikeyMad)
n: rye, vanilla, fruits,
t: strong with its 50%, weetabix, pear
f: marmelade
c: tasting a lot of rye, probably because of the rye whiskey I had before this one

[Ras Mazunga]

Jack Daniel single barrel 45% 8-1176 (TheTross)
n: acetone, very clean, glue, getting flashback here to the days when I was glueing model planes together. vanilla, almonds, white wine(Pinot Grigio)
t: rye, liquorice, sugar candy, rosewater
f: citrus, middle long
c: forget about the regular JD, skip Gentleman Jack and continue directly to single barrel.

[TheTross]

Yes, JD SB is very good isn't it Ras?

Currently on Old Overholt - notes to follow shortly...

[TheTross]

Old Overholt 4yo (40%)

Nose: Stewed apples, hints of vanilla essence, yeast. Citrus (orange and lemon). Quite creamy. Cheese of some description - possibly creamy blue Stilton, though Ras' note of Camembert might be more accurate.

Palate: Ah, so that's what rye tastes like! Reminds me of Cool-flavoured Doritos chips - even though I know they're made from corn. Quite a dry taste, actually.

Finish: Rye!! A little vanilla and possibly cheese and stewed apple again.


Not sure if I like rye whiskey or not judging from this. The nose was nice enough, but the palate was far too simple. Still, it was a privilege to taste it - thanks very much Ras!

[Ras Mazunga]

Virginia Gentleman 45%
small batch bourbon produced by A. Smith Bowman Distillery
n: vanilla, toffee, oranges
t: butterscotch, oranges
f: oranges
c: somehow I like this one a lot. amazing value.

[Ras Mazunga]

The JD is indeed very nice Stuart.

[TheTross]

Right, that's me done for the night. I still have a sample of Georgia Moon to do notes for but I'm afraid I'm suffering from palate fatigue, so will do notes for that in a few days. Must say I've enjoyed this bourbon tasting, opened my eyes a little

[Ras Mazunga]

Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10yo 45%
n: wet dog, suddenly easy to link this to rye. sawdust, getting creamy, chocolate, pine tree, whiff of eggs
t: maybe a bit thin, lemon, candy
f: lemon...
c: nose is great,

Getting tired, more tomorrow

[Ras Mazunga]

Sipping some Old Fitgerald Very Special 12yo and this one is truely special. Thank you for this one too Treaclesponge.

[Wave]

Thought I'd come and join in the fun.

Noah's Mill 15yo Bourbon 57.15% ABV

N: Heavy Bourbon notes, dark chocolate, new sawdust
P: Thick and mouth-coating, actually chewy! Honey and heavily candied fruits
F:Long with a satisfying late internal explosion of warmth. Quite smooth for a cask strength.

One of the best Bourbons I've tasted in a long time,
this beats out Stagg!

Cheers!

[sspolv]

Ridgemont Reserve 1792

Nose: Very prominent alcohol smell that tingles the nose. Vanilla, new wood, and maybe citrus. I dunno, I'm not so great at nosing.

Palate: Vanilla and cherry. Kinda reminded me of a cherry cough syrup on the first sip, but not necessarily in a bad way. Very warm alcohol burn. It looked to be quite syrupy due to the lacing on the side of the glass, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was thinner than expected. Didn't think it was too coating.

Finish: Warm, very warm. The alcohol kinda overpowered me. Further tasting makes it a mellow, woody taste.

Woo, first review. I'm sure there's a significant amount I'm missing here, but my palate really isn't developed at all. I dunno how you guys pick out all this stuff. Hopefully with time I'll get to be half as good as most of the reviewers in here.

[Willie JJ]

Speaking of Willie, will he be joining in at some point? I really look forward to seeing his point of view on these!

I believe he's at the Leith Vaults with SoI tonight so won't be joining. Or if he does it will be late and incoherent (only joking Willie!)

It was a good call though Nick. I had a few interesting things in the afternoon as I trawled the whisky shops on the Royal Mile (the Chichibu newborn and the Black Horse from Germany were very interesting), then a few beers over a meal with the Mrs., and then a session in the vaults with Gordon. I wasn't in great shape for coherent tasting notes. I'll get started on them tonight.

Its been going really well so far and I've been looking forward to this tasting for so long that I'll be along in due course. Never fear.

[Willie JJ]

Ok let's have a look at some of these splendid American drams. No idea where to start so I'll just pick them at random. I'll start with the Buffalo trace 9yo.

[Willie JJ]

Buffalo Trace 9yo 45% (thanks Ras)

Colour: brown sherry
Nose: barley sugar, toffee, madiera cake, leather, sandalwood, nutmeg, cream, cocoa, absolutely bloody amazing. I love this.
Palate: barley sugar, demerara sugar, creme brulee, cocoa, coffee
Finish: medium-long length, spicy, fizzy, melting sugar.
Comment: Wonderful stuff. The nose is stunning. The rest isn't quite as good, but it's still great.

[Willie JJ]

Virginia Gentleman 45% (thanks to Ras for this one too)

Colour: burnt umber
Nose: barley sugar, some feints, digestive biscuits, mealy.
Palate: slightly dilute barley and demerara sugar
Finish: cocoa powder, bitter chocolate, some tannins, a little minty.
Comment: Very pleasant dramming. A bit light in the middle perhaps and the feinty nose isn't as good as it could be, but I'd have no trouble drinking this anytime.

[Ras Mazunga]

Buffalo Trace it is here too:
n: densed, wood, lots of wood, also rose wood, mud, earth and a lot of other dirt(old bananas maybe), shoe polish, a whiff of smoke smoke.
t: oranges, kiwis, cheescake, wood
f: oranges,
c: poured the glass 30 minutes before nosing, that explains the heavy wood maybe. this is a good one for Islay lovers.

[Ras Mazunga]

Woodford Reserve 45.2% Kentucky Derby 133 from the oldest working distillery in Kentucky.
n: vanilla, beeswax, honey, praline, creme brulee, all very smooth, I think I smell horses,...
t: beeswax, creme brulee, leather, nice mouthfeel
f: oranges, leather
c: very, very nice bourbon. best sofar this tasting.

[Willie JJ]

Four Roses small batch 45% (thanks to treaclesponge for this one)

Colour: tawny
Nose: hmm, interesting. The barley sugar is there, there's some of that mealy feintiness and a little mustiness too (not in a bad way), but there's also a very clear glassy sugar that makes it fascinating. There's a surprising fruit element to it as well
Palate: Quite light sugar, musty wood here too
Finish: Lots of drying wood and wood spice.
Comment: there's huge wood influence on this one. Surprisingly it has some of the characteristics of old wood rather than the fresh new stuff you would expect. A very nice dram, but not as fresh as some bourbons.

[Willie JJ]

Evening gents. Nice to have some company.

[Ras Mazunga]

Georgia Moon 40% Kentucky corn whiskey <30 days old (not sure who sent me this - Ras maybe?

Nose: Not promising. A rancid kind of a smell I'm afraid. You can smell the corn through it, but that's about all.

Palate: Hm, just about as rancid as the nose. I didn't take a big enough mouthful to get more than the rancid corn. Thanks goodness I wasn't brave enough.

Finish: Fortunately not enough to get an idea of the finish

I'm discarding this glass and getting a fresh one out. I don't think a rinse will be enough....

Lovevely isn't it, it remind me of bio-ethanol.

[LagaDrinker]

Georgia Moon 40% Kentucky Corn Whisky <30 days old

N: Sweetness, fish, brine, cereal

T:Bitter, mouth filling, hot cereal, slightly minted

F: Short, dry, slighly cereal like, more dryness, leading to a lingering fish taste.

This is a very strange whisky and not really one that I like, no pleasant smells or tastes really. Probably the worst whisky that I have had.

3/10

Thanks Raz Maszunga for the sample

[LagaDrinker]

Old Overholt Rye Whiskey 40% 4YO

N: Warm toffee, wood, mahogany, cinnamon spices, oranges, old leather.

T: Instant rich warm spices, very distinct full rye flavour, smoke, tobacco, oranges.

F: Fresh citrus orange, sweet tobacco lingers on.

A lovely rye whiskey - the second I have tried. I really like them, this one is excellent although not as good as the Old Rip Van Winkle that I tried at Whisky Live.

8.5/10

Once again, thank you to Raz Mazunga

I have 5 more to try but need to go to bed as I am in agony after my race today - will post more later this week.

[Willie JJ]

Eagle rare 10yo 45% (thanks to treaclesponge for this one too)

Colour: tawny
Nose: Light brown sugars, oranges, pears, kiwi, some floral, fabric softener notes, A little mealy too.
Palate: Orange. Perfumey. sprinkled with sharp sugar crystals, cocoa, coffee, pure magic.
Finish: Cocoa, dark, bitter chocolate, more cocoa, fabulous.
Comment: Simply wonderful. It's not in your face like the regular Buffalo Trace, but give it the time and this is really excellent stuff. Nor is it expensive. Must pick one up, because I could happily drink this on a regular basis. I never expected this kind of subtlety from bourbon.

[Willie JJ]

Goodnight James

[Dram fine idea]

Good evening Ras, Willie, Nick (& anyone else)

I'm just going to pour a few drams and let them breathe. Where did the weekend go? I'll get ready for work tomorrow and be back in 20 mins.

Cheers
Steve

[Willie JJ]

Georgia Moon Kentucky corn Whiskey 40% (thanks to Ras Mazunga for this one too)

Colour: Almost gin clear
Nose: Really new-makey, aniseed, licquorice and the scent of fresh cooked corn.
Palate: more of that aniseed and licquorice.
Finish: Fresh corn, buttery, spirity, fizzy and hot.
Comment: This may sound perverse, but, unrefined as this is, I like it. takes me back to my youth when I would drink any old rubbish just out of curiosity. But I can't say this is rubbish. It seems well made and fresh and has lots of charm. It's just incongruous amongst all the wonderful sugars and vanilla of the bourbon.

[Willie JJ]

Hi Steve. Welcome to the party.

[Willie JJ]

I think Nick's right though, I'll change my glass after the Georgia Moon.

[Ras Mazunga]

I had a feeling you were going to like it Willie.