2017 - My Year of Bourbon

[jjking54]

Update ... I have a new favorite so far.

Last night we had my in-laws over for dinner, and after a couple of glasses of red wine with dinner, after they left, I dropped a big ice cube into my glass and poured some Angel's Envy over the top of it.

Now, port wine has a special place in my heart. I shared many a glass and cigar with my father, so learning that Angel's Envy is finished in port wine barrels was one of the reasons I purchased it.

Wow ... what a bourbon. There was a good burn with my first sip, as I got accustomed to it, but with each additional sip I was blown away by how smooth this was. Silky but not syrupy. Sweet but not cloying. Warming but not a severe burn. And as the ice melted, it just got better. It just turned into this expansive experience, each sip bring out a new flavor note.

Maple and vanilla, maybe a touch of brown sugar. A delicate nose but not wimpy. The finish was fruit and a little spice, but not much. I just sat and sipped and got kind of lost in the moment (I know this all sounds hokey, but this experience is one of the main reasons why I wanted to get into bourbons this year). As I finished I walked to the kitchen, dropped a new ice cube in the glass and walked to the bar. As I walked back into the living room, my wife said, "Another one?"

Yes my dear ... another one. This is a bourbon that will always be in my bar.

Question ... when you find a bourbon that you love, do you suffer slight fear about maybe the supply of it dwindling? I'm fighting the urge to go back to the store and stock up on several bottles of it.

 

[paintflinger]

I wouldn't worry about Angel's Envy drying out.

 

[jjking54]

So this was unexpected.

The wife and I were talking about finally taking a trip together. We were thinking somewhere warm and tropical, but we're going to push that off til next winter. She was suggesting Vegas, but I really didn't want to go there.

So I casually suggested the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. And she said yes ...

So I'm planning a trip to Bourbon Country ... Definitely going to include Buffalo Trace, even though it's not technically on the official Bourbon Trail (I'm REALLY hoping to finally score some Blanton's while I'm there). Plan is for mid April, so just about a month from now. Think we're going to stay near Louisville and split up all the distilleries over the course of the time we're down there.

I'm pretty geeked!

 

[cvargo]

So this was unexpected.

The wife and I were talking about finally taking a trip together. We were thinking somewhere warm and tropical, but we're going to push that off til next winter. She was suggesting Vegas, but I really didn't want to go there.

So I casually suggested the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. And she said yes ...

So I'm planning a trip to Bourbon Country ... Definitely going to include Buffalo Trace, even though it's not technically on the official Bourbon Trail (I'm REALLY hoping to finally score some Blanton's while I'm there). Plan is for mid April, so just about a month from now. Think we're going to stay near Louisville and split up all the distilleries over the course of the time we're down there.

I'm pretty geeked!

This is something we have been wanting to do. I'd love to hear how much this is going to roughly cost ya, and details which distilleries you visit.

 

[jjking54]

Will definitely chronicle the trip ... I can tell you for sure already, we're driving because we're within reasonable driving distance.

Current plan is to stay three nights/four days, and I'm looking at bed and breakfasts to kind of make it semi-romantic.

But from what I've seen, pricing for the distillery tours are anywhere from $5-$15 (possibly more if you opt for some of the more in depth tours available at some of the distilleries).

With breakfast covered in the price of our lodging, lunches will be light I'm sure, so the most we'll spend on food on a given day will be for dinners, and I'm sure we'll spring for some decent places (nothing super fancy though).

I think the true cost issue is going to come down to how much bourbon/etc I bring back LOL

 

[jjking54]

So last weekend we went up to visit family in Minnesota. My cousin-in-law works at a liquor store up there, so I asked him if they ever got Blanton's in and he said no, but the liquor store in the next town over sometimes does. So since the wife wanted to visit a clothing boutique there, I had a ready made reason to go

Alas, no Blanton's. And really, they didn't have much beyond the normal offerings I can find.

So back to town we went, and stopped at the store my relative works at, but no Blanton's there either.

They did, however, have Woodford Reserve on sale, and after the wife said she likes the bottle it comes in, and would want to display it once empty, it sounded like the green light for a purchase.

Tried it last night. First a few sips neat, then on top of a big hunk of ice.



First impressions ... the nose, sweet, caramel, vanilla, maybe butterscotch. Can definitely smell the oak in it if you look for it. It's light, not a heavy cloying scent. Taste ... holy spicy ... I didn't realize there was so much rye in it. But after a sip, and looking at other reviews on my phone, yup ... there's a lot of rye in this mash bill. I don't mind the rye spicyness, I just wasn't expecting it. On ice, it mellowed the spice and opened up the flavors a little more. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Angel's Envy, but it was enjoyable to be sure. I can see this making a killer Old Fashioned.

I did notice, however, that I left it to linger a little too long on the cube, and it pretty much wiped out a lot of the flavor as the ice melted. So while it is to be sipped and savored, there's a time limit.

I also finally tried the New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon ... and this was a bit of a disappointment.

It wasn't terrible, by any stretch, but there was little to no discernible nose on it, just an "alcohol scent" and the taste of it was thin, and not terribly deep in any way. As other reviewers have noted, this one could use some added time in the aging house, or maybe a different mash bill. It needs "something" and I can't quite put my finger on it just yet.

I'll finish the bottle of course, quite possibly in mixed drinks at this point, because I see no reason to set this aside as a sipping whiskey.

My ratings so far:
1. Angel's Envy
2. Russell's Reserve 10 year
3. Woodford Reserve
4. Eagle Rare
5. Elijah Craig (this needs to be revisited though ... I didn't get a chance to really dive into it)
6. New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon.

 

[OtherMoe]

Will definitely chronicle the trip

I can't wait to hear about your adventure.

 

[Dave in KY]

Still reading thru this thread but see a lot of whiskeys being named. I thought this was for bourbon. All Bourbons are whiskey, but NOT all whiskeys are Bourbon. Living in KY where 95% of the world's bourbons are made we know the difference. So are we talking whiskey or bourbon here? Heading back to page 2........

 

[jjking54]

So it's been awhile since an update ... and sadly, we had to push our trip to bourbon country until further notice. After announcing our intent here, and starting to plan, we finally had a good offer on our previous home and we accepted it. Our closing was the week we planned to go to KY, so we'll go at a later date.

On Sunday, we were down near the Chicago suburbs, and my wife has a few wines that she loves that she can only get at Binny's, so I casually suggested we go and she quickly said yes.

So she went to find her wine, and I stopped at the scotch aisle to get a gift for her aunt, who is in the midst of shoulder replacement surgery (a several weeks process -- they took the old hardware out, waiting to make sure she's infection free before putting in the new goods) ... so I grabbed her a bottle of Monkey Shoulder to help her recovery

And wouldn't you know it, the bourbon was RIGHT behind me in the same aisle!

I had it down to Four Roses Single Batch or Basil Hayden's and the eight year old did the eenie meenie mynie moe thing and landed on Hayden's, so I brought home a bottle (and it was on sale to boot!). She said the bottle was cool too.

Had some last night and I really enjoyed it. Sweet but not overly so, light, almost delicate with a bit of spice on the back end. Not a big bourbon by any stretch (in flavor or proof) but very enjoyable and easy to drink. Reviews knock it for only being 80 proof, and for not being complex ... and suggest this is an entry point bourbon for those new to bourbons. They say it's very approachable neat, and I can see that, though I did really enjoy it with one single big ice cube. This will be an awesome summer bourbon sipper on ice. That said, it does seem a little pricey (though it being on sale helped).

Enjoyed it so much I had two glasses and after having only a light dinner, I was well on my way to sleepy town.

My ratings so far:
1. Angel's Envy
2. Russell's Reserve 10 year
3. Woodford Reserve
4. Basil Hayden's
5. Eagle Rare
6. Elijah Craig (this needs to be revisited though ... I didn't get a chance to really dive into it)
7. New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon.

For what it's worth, the New Holland has been relegated to mixer status.

 

[FL shaver]

So this was unexpected.

The wife and I were talking about finally taking a trip together. We were thinking somewhere warm and tropical, but we're going to push that off til next winter. She was suggesting Vegas, but I really didn't want to go there.

So I casually suggested the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. And she said yes ...

So I'm planning a trip to Bourbon Country ... Definitely going to include Buffalo Trace, even though it's not technically on the official Bourbon Trail (I'm REALLY hoping to finally score some Blanton's while I'm there). Plan is for mid April, so just about a month from now. Think we're going to stay near Louisville and split up all the distilleries over the course of the time we're down there.

I'm pretty geeked!

We were so close to doing the Trail on a weekend in February. Can't remember exactly why we didn't pull the trigger, now, but it didn't happen. Fly into Hebron Friday, rent a car, hit as many distilleries as possible, and head home on Monday night. It should really be done in the springtime, I suppose, but airfare was cheap and crowds would have been light, with temps near freezing.

Hope things go well with your wife's aunt. I am a PT and have seen many infected knees dealt with as you described, but only one hip and no shoulders. The Monkey Shoulder should help! Lol!

 

[oldtree]

So it's been awhile since an update ... and sadly, we had to push our trip to bourbon country until further notice. After announcing our intent here, and starting to plan, we finally had a good offer on our previous home and we accepted it. Our closing was the week we planned to go to KY, so we'll go at a later date.

On Sunday, we were down near the Chicago suburbs, and my wife has a few wines that she loves that she can only get at Binny's, so I casually suggested we go and she quickly said yes.

So she went to find her wine, and I stopped at the scotch aisle to get a gift for her aunt, who is in the midst of shoulder replacement surgery (a several weeks process -- they took the old hardware out, waiting to make sure she's infection free before putting in the new goods) ... so I grabbed her a bottle of Monkey Shoulder to help her recovery

And wouldn't you know it, the bourbon was RIGHT behind me in the same aisle!

I had it down to Four Roses Single Batch or Basil Hayden's and the eight year old did the eenie meenie mynie moe thing and landed on Hayden's, so I brought home a bottle (and it was on sale to boot!). She said the bottle was cool too.

Had some last night and I really enjoyed it. Sweet but not overly so, light, almost delicate with a bit of spice on the back end. Not a big bourbon by any stretch (in flavor or proof) but very enjoyable and easy to drink. Reviews knock it for only being 80 proof, and for not being complex ... and suggest this is an entry point bourbon for those new to bourbons. They say it's very approachable neat, and I can see that, though I did really enjoy it with one single big ice cube. This will be an awesome summer bourbon sipper on ice. That said, it does seem a little pricey (though it being on sale helped).

Enjoyed it so much I had two glasses and after having only a light dinner, I was well on my way to sleepy town.

My ratings so far:
1. Angel's Envy
2. Russell's Reserve 10 year
3. Woodford Reserve
4. Basil Hayden's
5. Eagle Rare
6. Elijah Craig (this needs to be revisited though ... I didn't get a chance to really dive into it)
7. New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon.

For what it's worth, the New Holland has been relegated to mixer status.

 

[oldtree]

give yourself at lease 4 days to see all the distilleries with out rushing. we saw all 8 in three days and it was a bit much but, i glad we did it.

 

[jjking54]

Thanks guys!

Maybe we'll plan on doing the trail next Spring ... this summer is going to be busy and this fall/early winter we're going somewhere warm.

And FWIW, the New Holland has been sent to the bourbon graveyard. Won't buy that one again

 

[Mucker]

If you haven't tried these already, give them a shot. At least one of them are bound to make your list

Colonel Taylor Small Batch ($40)
Henry McKenna 10 Year ($32)
Yellowstone ($45)

They are all exceptional bourbons and won't break the bank

 

[jjking54]

Colonel Taylor is on my radar ... and now I"ll add the other two

 

[Mucker]

Colonel Taylor is on my radar ... and now I"ll add the other two

Good or bad, I'd be interested in your reply. My favorite of the three is the McKenna. IMHO it can't be beat for the price.

 

[blary54]

Henry McKenna is very tasty for the price.
I've been meaning to try Angels Envy(heard nothing but good things). Debating if I should pick up a bottle or go with a single-malt. I've been wanting to try Dalwinnie 15, and Balvenie 15. Well see what happens this weekend.

 

[Mucker]

Angels Envy is very nice, but different because of how it's finished. It's hard to compare it to a more traditional bourbon (apples and oranges). I have some at home and it's good, but I've had their Finished Rye and its out of this world. On the other hand it's northward of $90 in this neck of the woods. For that price it has better knock your socks off!

 

[FL shaver]

I wish I could find Col Taylor Small Batch at that price. Though I like Angel's Envy (gifted bottle), I won't buy a bottle. I believe it is about $70 here in SW FL. Good, but not great.

 

[jjking54]

Henry McKenna is very tasty for the price.
I've been meaning to try Angels Envy(heard nothing but good things). Debating if I should pick up a bottle or go with a single-malt. I've been wanting to try Dalwinnie 15, and Balvenie 15. Well see what happens this weekend.

Go Badgers!

I love Angel's Envy, it's one of the favorites I've found so far this year, though as has been said, it's hard to compare it to a typical bourbon because of the port barrels. It's very tasty, and around here, it wasn't overly expensive.