Bib & Tucker 10-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank R\West for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

I love the holidays. And I don’t mean that in a manner that will cause Fox News talking heads to lose their shit. I mean it literally. I love the Autumn Holidays. I love the time of year from October 1st until January 1st. I love Halloween, I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas and I love New Years Eve. This is my favorite time of year. Between the spooky decorations of October to the food of November to the fun lights of December, I’m in heaven.

Well except for one thing. I hate winter. Even more so, I hate snow. And historically, well, let’s just say that snow is a big part of this time of year. But, among all the bad curveballs 2020 has thrown our way, one that I’ve really liked was the weather. We’ve had one weekend of heavy snow. And that disappeared almost immediately. It has been glorious. For me, that is. I’m sure that people who depend on snow for their winter recreation, or who make their living off of winter recreation, are less happy about it.

But one thing that we can all be happy about is bourbon. At least if you drink, and if you don’t why are you reading this? Anyway, tonight I’m going to take a look at the second sample of Bib & Tucker that I received. This one is 10 years old and bottled at 92° proof. Like the 6 year old version, it was also distilled in Tennessee and bottled by Bib & Tucker.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Bib & Tucker 10-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 46% ABV. Distilled in Tennessee. Batch 2. 10 years old.

Nose: Oak, cherry, and menthol.

Mouth: Spicy with cinnamon candies, cherry, and oak.

Finish: Sweet and oaky with cherry and cocoa

Thoughts: This is delicious. Spicy on the mouth and sweet on the finish. I'm really digging the cocoa notes that come with the finish. It's a bit out of my price range for a frequent purchase, but would make a lovely splurge or gift.

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Bib & Tucker 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank R\West for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

A couple of months ago the folks at R\West reached out to me to let me know that they were taking over the Bib & Tucker account and asked if I wanted some samples to review on the site. Now, I’d walked past Bib & Tucker numerous times. I figured that anything in a bottle that pretty must not be that good. I figured that kinda like the old joke about the guy with the jacked-up pickup (or the sports car for those of you who grew up in more urban settings), they must be overcompensating for something.

That said, I like decorating my house with pretty bottles so I always intended to buy a bottle someday.

So because of that vague future plan to purchase a bottle, I said yes. Not that I expected a full bottle, but I figured the sample would let me know (when I finally got around to buying a bottle) if I was buying expensive prop whiskey or something I’d actually want to drink.

Bib & Tucker 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $45.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.07

Details:46% ABV. Aged in Tennessee. Batch 22. 6 years old.

Nose: Cherry, mint, and wet rock.

Mouth: Cinnamon, cocoa powder, caramel, and mint.

Finish: Medium finish in both length and heat. Lingering notes of cinnamon and wet rock.

Thoughts: This reminds me of a George Dickel whiskey. And since it is distilled and aged in Tennessee, it may very well have some Dickel in it. I like it, but it will depend on the cost as to whether I decide to pick up a bottle. I have a weird psychological hangup right around $45. $45.99 and I’m thinking $45 and have no problem paying for it on a whim. $48.99 (like I see it sell for locally) and I start mentally rounding up to $50 and $50 is where I start to scrutinize the cost a little more.

I said it was weird.

I’m really liking this as a sub $50 whiskey (so $45ish and below in practice) but I’m not 100% sold on if I’d lump it in with other $50+ whiskeys. Especially since I am really liking how it plays in cocktails and I usually don’t spend that much on whiskeys that I end up using as cocktail ingredients.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

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2020 Whiskey Holiday Gift Sets

The Jack Daniel's Tasting Calendar listed below was sent to me by Jack Daniels to help with this post with no strings attached. I thank them for their generosity.

It should come as no surprise that I am a frugal fella. After all, I’ve been married to an accountant for over 25 years. I doubt we would have made it this long if I didn’t tend to pinch pennies. It’s in light of this innate penny pinching that I tend to wander through the Holiday Gift Set aisles of my closest Total Wine.

I mean, I like free stuff. Especially free stuff that comes along with things I might have purchased anyway. And, of course, I did pick up one or two of those gift sets.

But it made me think, “my readers are pretty frugal folks too; I bet they also like free stuff.” And so this post was born. I reached out to my PR contacts to ask one question: “What free things are you giving away with your whiskey this year?” Between the responses to those emails and my own “research” in local liquor stores, I’ve compiled a list of Holiday Gift Sets to keep an eye out for. This is by no means a complete list as some of the companies dind’t respond.

Maker’s Mark

Let’s start with the one that inspired the question. I didn’t get a response to my question from Maker’s, but I found this lovely gift set at Total Wine for $21.99. It includes a 750 mL bottle of Maker’s Mark and two glasses with the Maker’s logo and a “Christmas Sweater” pattern etched into the glass.

Maker’s 46

Maker’s 46 is including a 750 mL bottle of Maker’s 46 and a “Limited Edition” bottle stopper featuring the Maker’s “S IV Star” logo. I’m not sure how useful this item will be, but it is pretty. And might be a fun conversation starter on your home bar. Total Wine is currently selling this for $25.99 in my area.

Four Roses Small Batch

Four Roses is packaging two rose-shaped ice molds along with their Small Batch Bourbon this Holiday season. It is only available in select states but should cost you about the same as a bottle of Small Batch without the gifts (roughly $29.99-$34.99). I kinda wish this was in my area. I can see myself playing with these a time or two before trying to adapt them to a directional freezing set-up...because I’m both a Four Roses fanboy and a tinkerer.

Ezra Brooks

Ezra Brooks is giving you the complete “on the rocks” experience by including an ice mold and a rocks glass along with a 750 mL bottle of their 90 proof Ezra Brooks. I haven’t seen this one locally, but they say it should cost you the same amount as Ezra Brooks would ordinarily. I like that glass (can you tell I have a thing for glasses? You can blame my wife for that.)

Crown Royal Whisky Tasting Calendar

While this isn’t a bottle with free goodies, it is a fun experience for those who like Crown and flavored Crown. This would be perfect for someone like my brother who isn’t a spirits drinker, but likes to take a bottle of Crown Apple out to the ice-fishing shack with him. This would give him four whiskeys that he would probably already like and might entice him to try the other two, that he probably wouldn’t buy on his own. This one is available nationally and MSRP is $44.99.

Crown Royal

This one wasn’t confirmed by the PR people, but I did see it on the shelf this year. It is a 750 mL bottle of Crown Royal and two rocks glasses with the Crown Royal logo on them. My Total Wine has this for $21.99.

Jack Daniel’s Holiday Countdown Calendar

Another one that is less about the "goodies” and more about the experience. Jack Daniel’s was generous enough to send this one over so that I could photograph it myself…and yeah, drink it too. According to the press release:

“The limited-edition calendar features 24 windows designed to reveal a special Jack Daniel’s item on each day leading up the December holidays, making it a perfect gift for whiskey lovers or the centerpiece of a new seasonal tradition. “Surprise” products featured in this year’s calendar include four 50ml bottles each of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, three bottles each of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple, and two bottles each of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye, Gentleman Jack and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select. The calendar will also contain premium items, including four shot glasses with various logos from the Jack Daniel’s family of brands.“

This one isn’t available near me but where it is, its suggested retail price will be $79.99.

Jack Daniel’s

Once again, this one was not confirmed by the PR people, but it has a 2020 copyright on it, so I think it is current. If you like yourself a highball made using Jack Daniel’s (whether that is a Jack and Coke or a Jack and something else) then you’ll want to be on the lookout for this one. My Total Wine is selling it for $18.99.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

I really have no idea if this is from this year. I suspect it may be overstock from last holiday season since it was on an endcap in the Rum section of my local Total Wine. (I took all these photos at Total Wine because they are busy enough that they don’t look sideways at a guy taking images of their stock without buying it.) This one comes with a large “Snifter” sized Glencairn glass with which to enjoy your single barrel of Jack Daniel’s. I’m not personally a fan of Glencairn glasses for drinking whiskey as I prefer the feel of a rocks glass or this one would have come home with me too.

Woodford Reserve

I suspect that this one is also overstock. I didn’t get a response from the Woodford Reserve folks about what they were doing this year, but I know this is the same as last year. I know that because last year, I bought two of them. I bought two because this box only comes with a single glass. But it is a very nice glass and I wanted more than one. It’s one I’ve reached for many times for my evening nightcap. It feels fancy.

So there you have it. These are the ones that you might find on your local shelves this year. I love these things. Mostly because I love whiskey memorabilia almost as much I like whiskey. I sometimes even buy the memorabilia without buying the whiskey. But usually only in a gift shop or an antique store.

Oh, and I did get responses from the folks who handle Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, Old Forester, and Barton/Buffalo Trace that they would not be doing any holiday gift sets this year. Just so that you are aware. Anything else that I missed, is either because it isn’t for sale near me or the PR folks never responded or both. But, that’s ok. This was long enough anyway. I hope you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and that you aren’t getting too many Black Friday emails.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

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Larceny Barrel Proof C920

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Soooo…need a drink yet? Welcome to Election Day: Day Three and, at least as of the time of writing, we are no closer to knowing which fifty-ish percent of the population is going to get what they want. And if that isn’t reason enough to reach for a drink, realize that we might set a modern record for voter turnout as a percentage of the eligible population and still have about one-third of the eligible population not vote. That’s nuts to me, but then I live in a state with some of the highest voter turnout percentages in the last few elections.

Anyway, I hope your super-old white guy wins…unless you didn’t vote for my super-old white guy.

Tonight’s bourbon is the third batch of Larceny Barrel Proof, a cask strength version of Heaven Hill’s flagship wheated bourbon brand. The first two batches were extremely hot so much so that it prompted me to write the following for batch B520.

Wow! That's a hot one! This screams for water. And it doesn't suffer from even the addition of a fairly substantial splash. In fact, after trying a couple of different dilution levels, I think my favorite was 100° proof. Water brings out the sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar, tames the heat, transforms the individual spice notes on the mouth and finish into a more generic "baking spice" note, and allows the oak notes to move more to the forefront of the experience.

Let’s see if this trend continues.

Larceny Barrel Proof, Batch C920

Purchase info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: Batch number: C920. 61.2% ABV

Nose: This is like a caramel drenched sugar cookie on the nose. Strong notes of caramel and vanilla with light baking spices.

Mouth: Warm with caramel, cinnamon, oak, and a touch of apple.

Finish: Warm and long with lingering notes of cinnamon and caramel.

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Thoughts: Good news, this isn’t nearly as hot as the last two have been. In fact, I just realized that my, admittedly tiny, pour that I’ve been having while I wrote tonight didn’t have any water in it at all. Huh, at 122.4° proof, maybe it being that drinkable isn’t great news.

This typifies exactly what my wife wants in a bourbon: sweet and oaks with lots of caramel. She wants it on the record that if she sees this, and it is allowed, she wants to buy two bottles. I also really like it in case you were curious.

Comparison with the last batch: C920 is much sweeter and caramel forward on the nose. B520 is much more spice forward and nutty on the mouth whereas C920 is sweeter and rounder, showing a lot more caramel. And of course, there are the previously mentioned relative levels of mouth burning.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Batch C920

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

As I was getting ready to write this tonight, I remembered that one of my local liquor stores had Elijah Craig Barrel Proof for $58 or so the last time I was there and made the decision that I was going to get one. I made the bold declaration that batch B520 was my favorite yet when I reviewed it back in May. And even though I had already done a comparison tasting of B520 and C920, I wanted one more chance to compare them.

But when I arrived, wouldn’t you know it, the shelf was empty. This is why you don’t wait when you see something you want, especially for a price that good. Ah well. I’ll just have to console myself with C920. I mean, it’s probably pretty good too, right?

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Batch C920

Purchase info: This sample was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. Locally Elijah Craig Barrel Proof sells for as low as $64.99 for a 750 mL bottle when not on sale.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 66.4% ABV, 12 years old

Nose: Brown sugar, dark chocolate, a nutty note, and a hint of mint.

Mouth: Thick and rich. Very spicy due to the proof. Lots of "tingle" on this one. Caramel, cinnamon, chocolate, roasted nuts, mint, and oak.

Finish: Medium and warm. Lingering chocolate, mint, and oak.

With Water: Caramel bomb on the nose. Really tames the heat, but amps up the mint in the mouth. still a lot of cocoa and caramel.

Comparison with B520: C920 is much sweeter than B520 on the nose and mouth. Really enjoying the more prominent cocoa notes.

Thoughts: Delicious! As much as I enjoyed the last release (and I gave it a rare Heart rating), when I tasted them side by side, I liked this one even more. I'm loving the cocoa/chocolate notes mixed with cinnamon and caramel. It tastes like an alcoholic chocolate cookie. Big fan! I guess it is ok that I “have” to “console myself” with the C920

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2020

I’d like to thank Common Ground PR and Limestone Branch for providing a review sample to me with no strings attached.

If you aren’t from Minnesota and you want to know what the “normal” weather is like in the fall, just know that we got a foot of snow at my house last week and that last year I was sitting out on the deck with a drink during the same timeframe. That is to say, there is no “normal” fall weather in Minnesota. It may snow, you might be in shorts (even if those shorts are protesting the fact that you really shouldn’t be wearing shorts any longer).

But, in the words of the great Pauly Shore in the classic film Encino Man: “That’s boring dude, normal.”

I guess that’s what I like about many of the limited releases I get sent. There is no “normal” to them. They tend to change every year. Take the Yellowstone Limited Editions, in the past three years, there have been editions finished in wine casks, bourbons with no finishing and this year’s Armagnac cask finished bourbon. Here is what the distillery has to say about this year’s release:

“When I began working on this limited edition, I knew I wanted to finish our bourbon in a cask and I was looking for one that would add complexity and a dimension that expands the flavor profile,” says Steve Beam, master distiller at Limestone Branch Distillery. “Armagnac is a rustic, full-bodied spirit that contributes dark fruit notes, complementing the vanilla notes in the bourbon. Just like a chef adds spices to enhance flavors, I believe cask-finishing should be similar, where it simply enhances the natural flavors in the bourbon.”

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2020

Purchase Info: This sample was generously proved to me for review purposes by Common Ground PR and Limestone Branch Distillery. Suggested retail price is $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price Per Drink (50mL): $6.67

Details: 50.5% ABV. Finished in Armagnac casks. 7 years old.

Nose: Spearmint, almond, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: Nice cinnamon spice, almond, oak, honeydew melon, and brown sugar.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering notes of spearmint, melon, cinnamon spice, and floral herbs.

Thoughts: This is delicious. I really like the light touch that they've used on the Armagnac influence. If I wasn't looking for it, I might not have noticed it, showing up mainly on the finish for me. Regarding the price, my wife (the accountant) says that if she sees one of these, she is buying one. $100 is a lot of a bottle of bourbon, but if you have the means to splurge this one is one to splurge on.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Fall 2020 edition

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Well, it finally caught up to me. That thing people have been talking about since Work From Home became a thing? It happened. I spent most of the week with no idea what day it was. This is why there was no post on Tuesday. I realized about a half-hour before I went to bed that it was Tuesday. And I should have known since I had a business call with a freelance client that day…which I also forgot.

I never expected that I would lose track of the days. I mean, I’ve been working from home for over five years now. But apparently, I relied on everyone else leaving the house to set my own internal clock. And it has been happening all week. Monday I thought it was Tuesday. Tuesday I thought it was Monday. Yesterday I thought it was Friday. Which also carried over into today. If this post goes up on time, it will be a minor miracle.

But guess who hasn’t forgotten what time of year it is? That’s right Heaven Hill. They are back with yet another edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond. This edition is 14 years old, was distilled in the fall of 2005, and bottled in fall 2020. the suggested retail price is $140 continuing their trend of $10 per year of age.

But let’s see how it tastes before I forget to finish this thing.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Fall 2020 edition

Purchase Price: Heaven Hill graciously provided this sample for review purposes. The suggested retail price is about $140.

Price per Drink (50mL): $9.33

Details: Fall 2005, Bottled Fall 2020, 50% ABV, 14-year-old

Nose: Caramel, mint, a stack of dry oak, and a hint of cherry.

Mouth: Strong oak presence. Nice spice. Sweet caramel and vanilla. Cinnamon and mint.

Finish: Sweet and on the longer side of medium. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, and almond.

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Thoughts: This is absolutely delicious. I'm sensing a trend that these might just have delicious as their baseline. I've been happy with every sample I've had. If I ever see one in a store priced anywhere near retail, I plan to pounce. Of course, as that is unlikely to happen in my neck of the woods, I'll be happy with the sample they sent.

Comparison to Spring 2020 edition: Fall 2020 is much sweeter on the nose with more oak. Spring 2020 Shows more fruit notes, whereas Fall 2020 is more oak and caramel forward. Fall 2020 has the butter finish.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.