Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 7, River Kelvin Rye

I’d like to thank Four Gate Whiskey Company for providing a review sample with no strings attached.

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If you’ve been reading my work for any length of time, you will know that I am a very frugal person. Probably not as frugal as many of my readers, I mean I do buy enough whiskey to keep this site filled with reviews. But I am pretty frugal in spite of, or maybe because of, that.

I appreciate delicious whiskey but I know that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a delicious whiskey. In fact, much of the time what you are paying for is scarcity, not quality. Though they might line up on occasion, charging $100 for a whiskey doesn't make it a good whiskey. Charging $200 doesn’t make it better. Cost and quality can, and do often align, but that is more correlation than causation.

Take tonight’s whiskey. This whiskey is described as “95/5 Indiana Straight Rye” on the info sheet. I’m going to guess MGP but have not asked specifically. They aren’t selling a bottle of barrel strength MGP for $175 because it is amazing whiskey (though odds are that it is, MGP very consistently makes amazing whiskey). They are selling it for that price because they are only selling 1,484 bottles of the stuff.

Is the price unreasonable? Well, from the producer’s side of the equation..no idea. I have no idea how much a barrel of 7-year-old MGP rye sells for these days. But I did some quick math based on the retail cost and if every bottle sells at the Suggested Retail Price only $259,685 will be made from Batch 7. And that will need to be split between the retailer, the distributor, the tax agencies (state, local and federal), and the producer who will then use their cut to pay for overhead, supplies, and manpower while hopefully making a profit.

I honestly didn’t think that I was going to be defending the price of the whiskey when I sat down to write this. And I’m really not. Like I said above, I am super frugal, and a freelancer, so there is no way I can afford a bottle of their product. But after sitting down to do the math, I can at least understand why a company might feel the need to charge this high of a price. Whether that price is worth it to you on the retail end is not my call. But let’s see what it tastes like anyway.

Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 7, River Kelvin Rye

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously supplied by the producer for review purposes. Suggested retail price is: $174.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $11.67

Details: “95/5 Indiana Straight Rye” (going out on a limb to say that means MGP though this has not been confirmed by the company), 56.6% ABV, 7 years old, 1,484 bottle batch. Available in Kentucky and Indiana.

Nose: Mint, bubble gum, brown sugar, baking spices

Mouth: Mint, brown sugar, baking spice, oak

Finish: Long and spicy. Cooling mint, brown sugar oak, cinnamon, and a hint of cedar.

Thoughts: This is a delicious rye whiskey. It is also, as I said above, way out of my price range. If $175 is an easy spend for you, then this is great. You should buy it if you see it. If like me, you gasp a little at the thought of paying almost $200 for a whiskey, then you should probably pass on this one. It is a very good “95/5 Indiana Straight Rye” (probably MGP) but there are a ton of those out there that are in my price range even if they don’t have the same age or proof on them.

I will, however, be looking forward to the two barrel finished batches of this whiskey that they will be putting out later this year. One in the “Split-Stave” style barrels that they have used on previous bourbon batches and one that will be finished in a “Ruby Port-Rum casks.” I’ve saved as much as could of this sample to compare on the off-chance they send a sample of either of them over.

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Knob Creek 9-year-old (2016) vs Knob Creek 9-year-old (2020)

A couple of months ago, I did a review comparing a 2016 bottle of Knob Creek 9-year-old to the then-current Non-Age Stated version of the product.

Well, I thought it was only a couple of months ago. I went back to look at it and it was actually over a year ago on July 2, 2019, that I wrote that post. You know what they say about time moving faster as you get older, don’t you? Well, it seems I am getting older. Because I could have sworn an oath that it had only been a few months.

Well, when I wrote that, I promised that when I got my hands on one of the new age-stated bottles that I would do a comparison. And here it is. Besides, if I don’t then why did I sit on this bottle of Knob Creek for four years?

Knob Creek Nine-Year-Old (2016) vs Knob Creek Nine-Year-Old (2019)

Purchase Info: $33.99 at Village Liquor, Prior Lake, MN for the 2020 version. It’s been four years, I have no clue for the 2016 version.

Nose: Very similar. 2020 is richer on the nose showing more caramel/vanilla.

Mouth: 2016 shows a good hit of dry oak, but is feeling a bit flat when compared to 2020. 2020 is richer and sweeter, with the oak notes better integrated.

Finish: Both are very similar on the finish with 2020 following the trend of being a bit sweeter.

Thoughts: I was honestly not sure there was going to be much of a difference between these two. I mean, Beam has the resources to be really consistent about hitting a flavor profile. Though if there was going to be a difference, I would have expected that the old, discontinued version would be the one I preferred. (I’m a bit of a pessimist that way.) I'm very glad that the one I can buy now is the better of the two.

Is it possible that because stocks were running low, that maybe they ran low enough that the quality of the product was suffering slightly? Or maybe the stocks were particularly good for this batch? In any case, I'm very happy that an old favorite somehow seems to have gotten even better.

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Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye, 2-, 3- and 4-years-old

Just as the pandemic started gaining steam in the US and just as Minnesota was entering our lockdown phase, I finally decided to get off my butt, hop in the truck, and drop off a few of the whiskey samples for a buddy of mine. Talk about waiting until the last minute.

I left them on his front porch and in return he left something for me. It was a perfectly socially distanced exchange as we waved at each other through the windows. I had included a few of the more interesting items that I had picked up since we had last gotten together along with some of the fun things that producers had sent my way. He included a couple of samples of things he’d picked up along with two bottles of Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye. He’d warned me that he was including “something that might inspire a trip to the store for a vertical tasting.”

To say I was shocked at two full bottles being in my sample bag was an understatement, but all I can say is that I really do have the best friends.

Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye, 2-year old

Purchase info: This was a very generous gift from a good friend. Guessing it had been sitting in his collection since it was first released.

Details: 55.7% ABV. Two years old.

Nose: Cinnamon candies, orange zest, and cedar

Mouth: Cedar, orange zest, toffee, ginger

Finish: Medium length with lingering notes of "orange slice" jelly candies, cinnamon, and hints of cedar wood.

Thoughts: Very bright and energetic. Spice, citrus, and cedar throughout. I originally reviewed this way back in 2014. At the time, I thought it needed to more time to age, but these days, I’m ok with the bright energetic flavor of it. In fact, I really enjoyed it. It’s fun to see how our tastes evolve when you’ve had over half a decade between tastings of a product.

Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye, 3-year old

Purchase info: This was a very generous gift from a good friend. Guessing it had been sitting in his collection since it was first released.

Details: 55.2% ABV. Three years old.

Nose: Toffee, cinnamon, orange zest, and cedar

Mouth: Cinnamon candies, "orange slice" jelly candies, toffee, Cedar, and a nutty note.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering nutty notes. Cinnamon and cedar with hints of dark chocolate.

Thoughts: You can definitely tell this started as the same whiskey. This is a lot sweeter as the sweet barrel notes are influencing the orange to make it more candy-like.

Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye, 4-year old

Purchase info: $47.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50mL): $3.20

Details: 55% ABV. Four years old.

Nose: Dark Chocolate, toffee, cinnamon, and cedar

Mouth: Cedar, cinnamon candies, dark chocolate, toffee, and hints of mint

Finish: Long and warm with lots of cinnamon and cedar, some dark chocolate, and just hints of orange.

Thoughts: I found it interesting how by four-years-old the orange notes are practically non-existent. I'm getting just hints of them at the tail end of the finish. It is also interesting how that cedar note intensified.

In fact, the cedar was one of the dominant flavors throughout the vertical. If you are like my wife and you do not like that flavor, you won't like these. If you like it then you should pick up a bottle. Me? I don't love it, but I don't mind it either. It’s not my favorite rye whiskey note, but it is one I have enjoyed on more than one occasion.

Weirdly, I actually think the four-year-old is actually my least favorite of the bunch. Contrary to my 2014 assessment, maybe it didn’t need time to “grow up.” Compared to the brightness of the 2-year-old, the current 4-year-old feels muted. In fact, I actually prefer to blend the three rather than drinking any of them alone. The base of the four year old brings richness while the addition of the 2-year-old adds a bit of liveliness to the whiskey that I really enjoy.

Overall, as with many ryes, I’ll probably use these in cocktails more than I will neat. I like them but, I think I might have some blending to do in the near future so that I like them even more.

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Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey

Just a little over five years ago, I took my first look at a product from Dad’s Hat. It was a nine-month-old rye whiskey that had been finished in Vermouth barrels. I wasn’t really a fan. I rated it a meh and said the following:

Not being a fan of really young ryes, this is not quite to my palate. That said, it feels like it was a nicely crafted rye before the barrel finishing and I hope they have some stuck away in big barrels for the future.

Honestly, it was the vermouth that threw me on the last one as much as the age. (Turns out, I’m not really a fan of vermouth.) So when I noticed this four-year-old version sitting on the shelf of my local Total Wine during a recent “content run” I knew that I’d need to take another look at the brand. And of course, I picked one that had been aged long enough that it no longer needed an age-statement, even though they were kind enough to put one on the label anyway.

Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: Aged a minimum of four years. 47.58 ABV. Mash bill: 80% rye, 20% malt. Aged in 53-gallon barrels.

Nose: Cedar greenery and mint.

Mouth: Cedar, oak, mint, caramel, ginger.

Finish: Medium and warm. Lingering notes of pine needles, anise, and greenery.

Thoughts: Lots of cedar and mint on this one. A good hit of rye malt flavor on the finish, even though the mash bill doesn't list malted rye in it. This pairs very nicely with the Summit "Juicy" IPA I'm having with it. There are similar pine/cedar flavors in them.

Fun fact, I like this better when tasting in a Glencairn glass than I do while drinking it out of my usual old fashioned glass. That’s kind of a knock against it for me as I don’t like drinking out of a Glencairn. Overall I like this because it is interesting but I don’t know that I’ll be reaching for it frequently. Definitely a “change of pace” neat pour for me. It makes a hell of a cocktail though. That said, I’m not sure I’m willing to dish out another $60 for a product I’ll mainly be using as a mixer.

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Old Tub Bottled in Bond: Revisited

I’d like to thank the PR folks at Jim Beam for providing a review sample to me with no strings attached.

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It has been a little over two and a half years (943 days) since I last took a look at Old Tub Bourbon from Jim Beam. And honestly, I don’t usually revisit things this soon. But then the announcement came out that Beam would be doing a limited edition national release of the product. And since I didn’t have an overly positive reaction to it last time around, I decided to reach out and see if they’d send over a sample instead of spending my own money on it. They were happy to do so.

Now, I never used to have the best opinion of Jim Beam. I think I was influenced by both the low opinion of others as I got into bourbon. That and I’ve come to realize that I had a definite lack of appreciation of grain forward bourbons. However, in the last three or four years, I’ve learned an appreciation for a well-crafted grain-forward bourbon. One where the barrel hasn’t entirely taken over. And honestly, there have been a lot more Beam bourbons on my shelf because of that.

So based on my previous rating of “meh” (as a reminder meh means fine whiskey just not to my tastes). I decided that with more people being able to sample this Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon, it would only be intellectually honest if I also gave it another try. If my palate had evolved to the point where I liked it, it would be doing a disservice to you to not inform you of that fact.

Plus…free whiskey.

Old Tub Bottled in Bond: Revisited

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Jim Beam for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $22.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.53

Details: Non-chill filtered. Non-carbon filtered. Bottled in Bond. 50% ABV.

Nose: Nutty with notes of caramel and mint/menthol.

Mouth: Warm in the mouth with notes of cinnamon candies, oak, and roasted peanuts.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium length. Peanut butter, milk chocolate, and oak.

Thoughts: When I am relaxing, I usually drink bourbon out of an old-fashioned glass. I had my initial pour in one of these glasses, it was delicious. To me, this bourbon doesn't fare as well in a Glencairn glass. But that's ok, I hate drinking out of a Glencairn. I'm upgrading this to a like.

I asked the PR guy and he assured me that this is the same juice that they sell at the gift shop, just now more widely available. I guess it just goes to show that our palates are constantly evolving. Two and a half years ago, I was just starting to like grain-forward bourbons. But as I tried more of them (everything from some of the Willett brands to Beam to a lot of the more inexpensive Heaven Hill stuff), I developed an affinity toward them. Sure I don’t like them nearly as much as a $100 15-year-old barrel-proof bourbon, but I totally grade on a curve. This makes a decent everyday sip when neat and a more-than-decent mixer. They recommend an Old Fashioned and I will happily concur with that.

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Knob Creek 15-Year-Old Bourbon

It was Father’s Day this past weekend and I got the exact thing I wanted: no projects for the day. I figured that it was only fair since I spent a month building the garden my wife wanted for Mother’s Day. A month of work for her present, a weekend of rest for mine. It was glorious. I just sat in my chair and read a book. (More on that in the coming weeks.)

Of course, my wife is a wonderful lady who felt that a lack of something that needed to be done wasn’t enough of a present. Instead, she completely spoiled me. She went to get takeout for both lunch and dinner (the purchase of which was a nice gift from my daughter). And while she was out getting the takeout, she stopped off at our corner liquor store to get me something special.

She walked in and saw this attractive bottle of Knob Creek on the shelf. She hadn’t heard of it and had no idea what the price should be so she asked the kid behind the counter how much it was. When they looked it up and found out it was about $100, they decided on a whim that she needed to get a 15% discount on it.

I thought that was really nice. Never had that happen there before. Sometimes it is good to be a regular at your local place.

Knob Creek 15-Year Limited Edition

Purchase Info: $84.59 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN (They gave us a 15% discount randomly on the purchase, which was nice.)

Price per Drink (50mL): $5.64

Details: Release number: KC001, 15 year age statement, 50% ABV.

Nose: Vanilla custard with cinnamon and nutmeg, oak.

Mouth: Strong oak. Notes of ginger, vanilla and mint.

Finish: Warm and long. Nice spicy heat that lasts a while right down in the center of your chest. Lingering notes of oak, brown sugar and baking spice.

Thoughts: This is delicious! Rich and thick. Lots of oak and spice. I'm not sure I'm super happy with the $100 price point, but since it was a Father's Day present from my wife, I don't have to worry about the cost too much. Plus as a limited release, I know that it will cost more than if it became a regular release just because they made less. And heck, even $100 is still better than the outrageous price that Brown-Forman just announced for this year’s Birthday Bourbon ($130!!!).

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Uncle Nearest 1884

I’ve been dealing with the side effects of Depression for a long time. I was first diagnosed well over a decade ago and in hindsight had been suffering for a lot longer than that. Today has been what I call one of my “down days.” I’m not having a full-blown depressive episode, but I know that without care it could easily turn into one.

Mental illness fucking sucks, my friends.

One of the ways that I cope is by finding things that make me happy. Like a lot of people, I spend my morning coffee time catching up with what is going on in the word. And as we all know, there has been a lot of bad news in the past few months. So tonight, I decided that I needed to find some actual good news. And since I am mentally in no condition to actually write any original works, I thought I’d share the good news that I’ve found with you.

• Kentucky Tattoo Parlor is Creatively Covering Up Hate Tattoos For Free I think this one is pretty cool. Not having any tattoos myself, but really liking them on others, I can see where a person might have done something dumb when they were younger. In fact, the thought of a poorly done, painful, and permanent piece of art on my body is one of the major anxieties that have lead me to not get one myself. So it’s nice to see someone try to help those that did go ahead and do something dumb.

• Nature Conservancy buys Sheep Bridge to protect ‘pristine’ Virgin River, Zion National Park habitat Zion National Park is one of my favorite places on Earth. I’ve never been more “at peace” than the two times I visited this park. Anything that helps protect it and the wildlife it helps to protect is good news in my book.

• Engineers find neat way to turn waste carbon dioxide into useful material They found a way to turn waste carbon dioxide from the use of fossil fuels into the raw materials for fuel and plastics. Minimizing the use of raw materials is a good thing and if it helps with climate change? Even better.

• A 9-year-old and her friends have raised nearly $100,000 selling bracelets to help black-owned businesses The daughter of a former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher football star and her friends came up with a way to help the people of Minneapolis.

• They Recycle Electronics – And People’s Lives – By Giving Ex-Felons Good Jobs to Imagine a Better World Giving people just coming out of jail a leg up and giving them a job that helps keep plastic out of the landfill. Wins all around.

• Nearest and Jack team up again with $5 million whiskey diversity initiative This one ties directly into tonight’s review. Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniels have pledged five million dollars to improve diversity in leadership positions in the American whiskey industry. Mark does a nice job reporting on it too.

Uncle Nearest 1884

Purchase Info: $40.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.73

Details: No age statement. 46.5% ABV. Distilled and Aged in Tennessee. Bottled by Uncle Nearest.

Nose: Delicate and floral. Notes of mint, baking spice, and oak.

Mouth: Mint, bubblegum, baking spice, and just a touch of oak.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering spice and honey notes.

Thoughts: I really like this. This may sound weird but this makes me think of sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch, watching the sunset while listening to the sounds of a quiet country evening. It’s a whiskey that makes me happy.

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I.W. Harper: Revisited

It has been one thousand, eight hundred and six days since I last reviewed I.W. Harper. It was right after the brand was brought back to the US. I’d just found a sealed 1960s/70s dusty in an antique store and had fallen in love with it. I was cautiously optimistic that, though different, it would be as good as the old one. Oh, the naivety I showed. Here are my thoughts from the 2015 review:

Thoughts: Very disappointing. The nose was light, fruity and delicate. The mouth was flat and full of wood. When I first nosed it I thought I was getting one whiskey. I ended up getting another that I didn't like as much. As far as quality, this is a solid meh. It's not terrible, but for almost $30 you expect something more than a mixer. I'd give this one a pass.

Earlier this year, I was finally making a list of the things I had reviewed, I realized that I hadn’t purchased this one since that initial review. I had no idea if it had gotten better, worse, stayed the same. And so I bought it again. Let’s see how things have progressed.

I. W. Harper: Revisited

Purchase Info: I lost the receipt as I bought this back before the Pandemic hit, but I bought it at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN and it currently sells there for $28.49 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.90

Details: 41% ABV

Nose: Mint, sweet cherry, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, almond, nutmeg, mint, oak

Finish: Medium length and dry. Lingering notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, and oak.

Thoughts: I had to do a double-take when I looked at the proof just now. This does not taste like a proof in the low 80s. It has too much flavor, especially spice for that. I was impressed before, but I’m even more impressed now.

So, I’m not sure if I changed or if I.W. Harper changed in the last five-ish years. Either way, I like this so much more than I did when it first came out. The mouthfeel isn’t thin, the spice is very prominent and there is just enough oak to keep me happy without being overwhelming. And to top it off, it is still under $30. Good enough to enjoy neat, but cheap enough to use in a cocktail. I’ve upgraded this one to a like.

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