Review: Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon

Evan Williams Single Barrel saw it's 18th release in 2013. It is a pretty inexpensive bourbon for a single barrel bottling and has received some high praise over the years. Some more detailed info can be found at a couple of official sites - Evan Williams site & the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center site. This bourbon isn't as available as it's little brother (who works very well as a mixer IMO), but most liquor stores with a decent collection should carry it - assuming their supplies haven't been bought up. The bottle being reviewed today is from their 2011 release and was barreled in 2001.

Evan Williams Single Barrel

Evan Williams Single Barrel, 2001 - Tasting Notes

Nose: A very sweet nose on this. Maple syrup, citrus and a faint hint of spice and oak, but only barely perceptible.

Palate: Soft, smooth, sweet, very enjoyable. The maple and citrus from the nose remain and a bit of sweetened corn comes through as well.

Finish: The sweetness of the palate gives way to some quick peppery spice. The lingering taste is a nice combination of the two predominant flavors in the finish - maple & pepper.

Proof: 86.6 (43.3% ABV)

Price: ~$30

I really, really like this. While it isn't bursting with complexity, it makes for a super bourbon that can be appreciated neat by just about anyone who enjoys bourbon. Throw in the fact that this comes in right around $30 and you've got a fantastic bourbon that most people can get their hands on. While the proof is somewhat low when compared to many other bourbons on the market (especially single barrels) it still works quite well. And while I've seen flavors vary from barrel to barrel and year-to-year via some other reviews, the common thread seems to be that Evan Williams Single Barrel is always enjoyable.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Rating: 9.1/10

Campfire Whiskey Review - High West Distillery

Campfire Whiskey comes to us from the fine people at the High West Distillery in Park City, Utah. It is a pretty unique whiskey compared to everything else in the market - a blend of bourbon, rye and scotch. Drinkhacker has a good breakdown of the mash bills used in each whiskey that goes into this, while Sour Mash Manifesto takes a look at the age of the whiskeys. It seems like the proportions of each that make up Campfire whiskey are kept under lock & key, though some have ventured to guess. So how did this 3-whiskey-blend fare?

Campfire Whiskey - Tasting Notes

High West Campfire Whiskey

Nose: The name rings true... this smells like a campfire. I'm reminded of orange and gray wooden embers while sitting around a fading campfire at the end of the night. If you take a sniff with bourbon, rye or scotch in mind you'll like pick out some of the trademark characteristics such as corn, spice & smoke, respectively.

Palate: The first sip on every pour I've had has been very scotch forward, while the second sip seemed to show the rye. Those two flavors are prominent, but every once in a while I'll also catch a hint of the corn sweetness from the bourbon portion of this concoction. The different flavors seem to show themselves on different sips.

Finish: The finish has depended on what whiskey notes I caught on the sip. However, after a few seconds there is a light peaty-spicy taste that lingers in the mouth

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Price: ~$50

Overall this is a VERY interesting pour. With the flavors of 3 types of whiskey present it's almost like have 3 glasses in front of you and taking a sip from a random glass each time. Sometimes you'll get pure rye, sometimes it will taste like a bourbon with a scotch finish, etc. If you're in the mood for a complex whiskey that will keep you on your toes, this is a great pick.

High West Campfire Whiskey Rating: 8.3/10

Review: Vintage Rye 21 Year

Vintage Rye 21 is not a whiskey I have seen around much. I grabbed a couple bottles in NYC last year while I was hunting for it's younger cousin, Vintage Bourbon 17 year. While I didn't find the bourbon, I was pretty excited about finding the rye on sale for $65 (the other bottles I've seen are $85+). I included this guy in a random tasting a while ago and it didn't fare so well. It was my least favorite, and came in 2nd place when the other votes came in (losing to Elmer T Lee bourbon and edging out Singleton scotch). Let's see if it's grown on me at all.

Vintage Rye 21 Year Old - Tasting Notes

Vintage Rye 21 Year Old

Nose: Very sweet, like cinnamon & red hot syrup. This is a great combo for my tastes. I definitely don't recall enjoying the nose this much from previous pours.

Palate: Viscous and sweet from the start. Vanilla, caramel and spice jump out to me but it feels like there is a lot more going on. I even caught a little coca-cola-esque flavor in there.

Finish: Ah yes, this may have been why I don't hold this rye in higher esteem. The finish has the same spice which is present throughout, but other than that it really seemed to dry the mouth out and leave a lot of oak. However, if you enjoy a strong oak presence this may be the perfect rye for you. And honestly, it's been aged for 21 years... I'd be shocked if the oak flavor were any subtler.

Proof: 94 (47% ABV)
Price: ~$85

This has definitely grown on me since the first few pours I had. The nose & palate are phenomenal but the finish just isn't my favorite. With that being said, I'd still gladly accept a pour of this and if I come across it I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a bottle. This is a great, great value for a well-aged rye, especially one that is a whopping 21 years old.

Vintage Rye 21 Year Old Rating: 8.8/10

Elmer T Lee Review & Tasting Notes

I'm back, baby! It's Cinco de Mayo and nothing says "fiesta!" like Kentucky Bourbon! I'm enjoying the day with my good friend Elmer T. Lee. This is a Buffalo Trace product and uses their #2 mash bill which has a higher rye content than their #1 mash bill. Unlike many of the other bourbons bearing the name of old whiskey magnates, Mr. Lee is still alive and well at the time of this writing. Not only is he still kicking, but he also tastes and selects all of the barrels to determine whether or not they get to wear the Elmer T. Lee name. I did a head-to-head comparison of the Elijah Craig 18 and Elmer T Lee a while ago, but seeing as this is one of my favorites I figured it deserved a full write-up.

Elmer T Lee bourbon

Elmer T Lee Single Barrel - Tasting Notes

Nose: Soft and sweet. Some citrus and spice come out upon further examination. Not an overpowering nose, but a very enjoyable one. In my previous tasting a mentioned a faint presence of oak which I'm not picking up here. I also compared it to a fig newton which I get a little bit of.

Palate: Sweet on the entry with some maple, citrus and honey. This is followed with a good bit of spice and some hints of oak as it hangs around in the mouth. A great balance of sweet and spicy with this bourbon.

Finish: Very smooth finish - light vanilla with spice throughout.

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Price: ~$33

Overall this is one of my favorites. Though harder to find than it once was, it is still widely available and comes at a very affordable price. This is a bourbon that is accessible to all levels of experience and one that I'd put up against just about any other single barrel bourbon offerings. It's one of the few bottles that I plan on having opened and in-stock at all times in my liquor cabinet.

Elmer T Lee Rating: 9.3/10

Ending my extended absence

fyi - this post won't have much whiskey talk so feel free to browse some of my other posts if that's what you're after

You may or (most likely) may not have noticed it's been a while since my last post. That's in part to a couple of valid excuses and also in part to me just not wanting to blog. March ended with my annual guys trip to Vegas, which was quickly followed by the start of baseball season. Attending about 30 Detroit Tigers games per season takes up it's fair share of time. Don't get me wrong, I love going to the ballpark, but it limits the amount of nights I can spend sipping and writing about quality booze. Then in my consistently sub-par attempts at being athletic, I sprained my ankle playing basketball in mid-April. A trip to the ER, a pair of crutches and a walking boot later I can officially say ankle sprains BLOOOOOOW (here is the damage if curious). I start 6 weeks of physical therapy tomorrow and have been completely to moderately useless for the majority of the past 3 weeks. Mixing the booze with the one-week supply of vicodin I got was probably bad news, soooo, (cue Soup Nazi voice) "No Sauce For Me!'". On the bright side, one of the doctors I saw did say "wow, this is the worst I've seen". So that was pretty encouraging.

Enough of the pity party and the excuses though... the truth is I could have made a post here or there but for whatever reason, I just wasn't interested in writing. And quite honestly, the booze didn't taste that great to me. This was troubling. Whiskies that I loved previously tasted way too much like I was chewing on a barrel that was on fire. Scotch tasted fine to me, but not great, and all of my bourbons and ryes just didn't seem that enjoyable. The best sip I had during that stretch was some Jefferson's 18 out of my flask on Opening Day. This may have been due to the general euphoria that surrounds me like the body condoms in The Naked Gun for the Tigers home opener. As a result, I stuck primarily to beers with the occasional scotch.

Luckily, I was able to bust out of my slump last night when a quick pour of Elmer T. Lee tasted outstanding. I followed this up with a small pour of Vintage 21 rye which was equally enjoyable. My plan is to review both of those in the coming weeks. I'll also write a quick recap of some of my favorite cocktail bars in cities I've recently visited. Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, and my hometown of Detroit (one of the most underrated cities in the country if you ask me) will be included.

That's it for my self-indulgent post... the booze posts will be coming soon