Old Fitzgerald Bottled In Bond, Fall 2022

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

IMAGE: A sample bottle of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Fall 2022 edition sitting in the snow.

Man alive! I just spent the last four hours straight building a PowerPoint presentation for a client. My eyes and my brain are absolutely fried tonight. So, because we’ve covered almost all of the previous editions previously, I’m going to let the folks at Heaven Hill talk for themselves tonight.

The Fall 2022 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the first 19-year-old of the nationally released series and features Bourbon pulled from across three floors of rickhouse F and one floor of rickhouse X at Heaven Hill Distillery's main campus. As a leader of the Bottled-in-Bond category, Heaven Hill is proud to offer a premium product within this special class that showcases the authenticity and quality of the American Whiskey portfolio. Acquired in 1999 by Heaven Hill, the legendary Old Fitzgerald line is well-known for its distilling pedigree and intriguing story behind its namesake, John E. Fitzgerald, whose legacy is also heralded by the Larceny Bourbon brand.

So $240 for a single bottle (of anything) is quite a bit outside my price range, but let’s see how it tastes anyway.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Fall 2022

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $240.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $16.00

Details: Distilled in fall 2003. Bottled in fall 2022. 19 years old. 50 % ABV.

Nose: Chocolate, vanilla, coconut, leather, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, mint, oak, caramel, and leather.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: We are split in the BourbonGuy household over this one. My wife, who loves old and oaky bourbons, is a big fan. I, who prefers his bourbon not to be so oaky, am not nearly as much of a fan. She gives it a like, whereas I am neutral on it. Fans of oaky bourbon will love this. Those of us who prefer our bourbon not to taste like an old barrel can easily leave this one to those it is aimed at with few regrets.

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Uncle Nearest Rye, 100 proof

This review sample was kindly provided by the PR team for Uncle Nearest Whiskey with no strings attached.

It’s been snowing for the last two days. I hate snow. It’s cold. It’s wet unless it isn’t, in which case it is even colder. It’s heavy, especially when it is wet. It’s just all-around unpleasant. Though that is an unpopular opinion around here. Most folks in the area love winter. Or they claim to. I secretly think they are just stubborn and don’t want to move.

And don’t you worry, I’m thinking of moving. I think about it with every shovel full of snow that I throw off the driveway. Every time I look out at the snow-covered deck and think about deck drinks. Every time I have to bundle up to walk to the mailbox at the end of my driveway. Every time I think about moving. But…then I don’t. I have family here. My wife has a good job. I can afford to pay the heating bill. There is a lot of inertia in staying put. At least I have tasty rye whiskey to help keep me warm on a cold winter’s night.

Sometimes, like tonight, that rye comes from Canada, a place even colder than Minnesota. Though tonight’s comes from Canada by way of New York and Tennessee. Yep, once again, we are looking at an Uncle Nearest Rye. About a month ago, we looked at the limited edition uncut and unfiltered version. Tonight’s is the mass market, 100° proof version. The press release has the following to say about it:

Due to the challenges around growing rye in Tennessee, this whiskey originates in Canada – according to the exact American specifications required to be a straight rye whiskey – and is then aged in New York for a minimum of four years before moving down to Tennessee, where it is then rested in used Uncle Nearest barrels for additional maturation. The liquid is then tasted, barrel by barrel, and blended by Victoria. “When I was doing my research on Nearest Green, I came across a handwritten letter from President William Taft,” said Fawn Weaver, founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest. “The letter was dated May 16, 1911, and was addressed to his U.S. Secretary of War, Jacob M. Dickinson, thanking him for sending his favorite rye whiskey ‘of the Lincoln County variety.’ This letter led me to believe rye whiskeys were being made in this area, so after I found that letter there was no doubt in my mind a straight rye whiskey would one day be added to our portfolio of whiskeys.”

So, let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Uncle Nearest Rye, 100 proof

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.

Price Per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: Distilled in Canada, Aged in Canada, New York, and Tennessee. 50% ABV.

Nose: Toffee, almond, a hint of mint, and chocolate.

Mouth: Thick mouthfeel. Cinnamon, mint, toffee, and almond.

Finish: Medium to long and warm. Notes of cinnamon and toffee.

Thoughts: Sweet and thick in the mouth. Nice spice. Almost too sweet for my palate. This would probably be amazing in an Old Fashioned, though. (Spoiler from after I took the notes…it is. Works great in an Old Fashioned with Angostura bitters and the oil expressed from the orange peel garnish.)

About a month ago, we covered the Uncut/Unfiltered Limited Edition Uncle Nearest Rye. So how does the 100° proof version compare? Well, this is very similar on the nose. The mouth of the 100° proof is a bit less punchy than the barrel-strength version. Which at an almost 20° proof difference is to be expected. The flavors are very similar, as you might expect, but the barrel-proof version is hotter and more vibrant. Both are quite good, though.

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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Redemption Sur Lee

This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes with no strings attached.

If you’ve been here a while, you probably know that I love it when whiskey companies experiment with things. My very first review was applauding an experimental whiskey from craft distiller friends of mine. I applauded the experimentation, even though I didn’t care for the results. Not every experiment is successful but even failed experiments yield valuable data.

So when the folks at Redemption reached out and asked me to take a look at their new product that was the result of their own experimentation with the whiskey aging process, I was happy to take a look.

Well, what did they do differently? I’ll actually quote from the bottle for this one since they were nice enough to illustrate and outline the process they used right on the label.

  1. THE MASH. 5% barley 95% rye. We begin with our classic pre-Prohibition style Redemption Rye Whiskey mash bill.

  2. FERMENTATION. When added to the mash, the yeast consumes the sugar, converting it into alcohol & CO2.

  3. THE BACKSET. During distillation, alcohol is separated from the grains and yeast creating a flavorful backset, which we call the “whiskey lees.”

  4. ON THE “LEES.” We add the “lees” into our barrels, a technique inspired by a French winemaking process called “Sur Lie.”

  5. ROLLING THE BARRELS By periodically rotating the barrels during the aging process, we cause the grain and yeast cells in the “lees” & the whiskey to continually interact, infusing the liquid over time to create a deep and complex expression.

  6. CHILL HAZE. We non-chill filter the whiskey to preserve its best flavors and aromas. The whiskey may appear cloudy when chilled.

  7. ENJOY. The result of this innovative process is a whiskey that is soft around the edges with bold, rich taste, accentuated with a creamy mouthfeel and a hint of rye spice.

And from the Press Release:

Said Tom Steffanci, President of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, which produces Redemption: "At the beginning of our creation process, we were curious to see what flavors would be imparted if we applied a technique similar to the French winemaking sur lie process to our amazing classic rye mash bill. We spent a lot of time adjusting the approach to get it just right and we are delighted with the delicious outcome. I can't wait to hear from consumers once they have the opportunity to taste it."

Now, this might offend purists, but at the end of the day, experimentation like this is what differentiates products that would otherwise be basically the same. This takes (probable) MGP whiskey and does something interesting to it. Which I applaud. But the most important thing is how it tastes. So let’s dig in.

Redemption Sur Lee

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes by the provider and their PR team. The suggested retail price is $59.99, and it is available for a limited time in NY, DE, FL, CA, TX, and MA.

Price per drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: Three years old. 47% ABV. Aged with a bit of setback from the fermentation process.

Nose: Cedar, mint, almond, and nutmeg.

Month: Caramel, cedar, almond, and cinnamon.

Finish: Medium length. Initial notes of cedar and mint fade to reveal cardamom.

Thoughts: This is a decent rye. I'm partial to the 95% rye mash bill, so I'm enjoying this. I really dig the cardamom note right at the end of the finish. Makes me want to go back for another sip.

Compared to the standard Redemption rye: The noses are pretty similar. If I didn't have them side by side, I wouldn't notice a difference. But since I do, I'd say Sur Lee has the same notes, just more pronounced. The Sur Lee has a softer mouthfeel, and the sweet and cedar notes are more prominent. The finish on the Sur Lee has that fun cardamom note that standard is missing.

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, posters, and more.

Filmland Spirits presents Moonlight Mayhem Bourbon

I’d like to thank the producer for providing this sample for review purposes with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Moonlight Mayhem. The label is in the style of an old B-movie. For this release it a Werewolf movie.

As you might be aware, yesterday was Halloween. Possibly the best holiday of the year. I love Halloween. Before I moved to Minnesota, I lived in a neighborhood with a ton of kids. We had Trick-or-Treaters from 4 pm until almost 10 pm. Non-stop. And we went all out. My wife and I designed and built a graveyard in the front lawn, complete with spooky lights, fog, tombstones, and a mummy lying in state on an altar. We were all in costume all night long. At times I’d hide out in the graveyard, appearing from there to give the kids their candy. It was great.

But then I moved to a neighborhood of mostly retired folks. No kids. I’d get maybe a dozen Tick-or-Treaters total. Last night we had ten kids. So, since we don’t have to buy quantities of candy anymore, we buy quality. Yept, I’m one of the growing number of houses that give out full-sized candy bars. Costco had thirty bars for $18 yesterday. So I jumped on that.

Of course, the best part of Halloween is not the candy or the spooky decorations. It is seeing the kids in their costumes! It’s honestly my favorite part. They are all so adorable. My kid is grown, and I don’t have any grandkids yet, so I live vicariously through the few parents in my neighborhood. Of course, there is always one kid that sees a big, tall, bearded man and gets nervous. Which always makes me sad. I try to get down on their level and let them take the candy. It usually works.

Last night, however, it did not. He was a tiny little guy. Dressed as a dinosaur. I opened the door, and his eyes got as big as saucers. I guess I looked a little too much like the Big Bad Wolf to him. His sister took a candy bar, and I got down and offered him the bowl. He was too busy looking at me with his now giant eyes to notice. It was super cute. Eventually, his big sister took his for him and put it in his bucket. Even as they walked away, he was walking backward, staring. Once I closed the door, I noticed his parents taking a photo of him in our driveway with his candy. I guess I wasn’t too traumatizing.

But as it is the first post after Halloween, I thought that tonight’s bourbon was especially appropriate. It is Moonlight Mayhem by Filmland Sprits. The bourbon itself looks to be MGP’s 21% Rye Bourbon. Distilled in Indiana and bottled in Kentucky, this bourbon has a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like me some MGP bourbon, but I didn’t get this bottle for the juice inside. No, I’ve admitted to being a design snob, and sometimes, I just like to reward good artwork. That’s the case here.

Each label from Filmland Spirits is designed as a pulp B-movie poster. And I’m here for it. Here is what the producer has to say about it:

Unlike most whiskey bottles on your back bar, Filmland Spirits is truly unique down to the artwork on the label itself. The labels serve as original movie posters in pulp-style art that align with the expression’s story synopsis on the back of each bottle and carry the B-movie genre throughout the brand’s visual aesthetic. Consumers who yearn to learn more about each expression’s story can head to Filmland's website to read snippets of the script, view storyboards, and even watch an animated trailer!

These folks look like they had a lot of fun putting this out. But, it isn’t worth buying a pretty bottle if what’s inside doesn’t stack up. So let’s see what it tastes like, shall we?

Moonlight Mayhem Bourbon by Filmland Spirits

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $54.99. It is available for purchase in Kentucky, California, and online where allowed.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.67

Details: 47% ABV. 75% Corn, 21% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley. Distilled in Indiana. Bottled in Kentucky.

Nose: Caramel, mint, oak, and a touch of hops.

Mouth: Gentle. Notes of cinnamon, mint, almond, and red fruit.

Finish: Medium length and Warmth. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, almond, and much more oak than I'd have expected.

Thoughts: Not bad, not bad at all. If you want a fun bottle, this is one to look at. The bourbon inside is good, but not the star of this production. This is a bottle I will happily finish and then use as a fun decor for my home bar afterward. And if you want to watch the trailer, download the “movie poster,” or read a portion of the script check out their website at FilmlandSpirits.com.

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, posters, and more.

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

I’d like to thank the folks from Beam Suntory and their PR teams for sharing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish sitting in front of a tree with fall leaves.

A while back, my favorite artist came out with a new album. I stream everything on Spotify these days, but when I want to support an artist, I have no problem buying an album digitally as well. If I need to, I will buy the CD instead. But I realized as I was looking at the order page that I no longer have a device that will play CDs. Not even my vehicle has a CD player. And the last computer with an optical drive died last year. So I decided that I’d buy the album on vinyl. If I wasn’t going to be able to play it anyway, I might as well go with the big art. This way, I could use it as wall art, if nothing else.

But a funny thing happened after I bought that vinyl album. I got to thinking about the nature of the music I listened to as a kid. About albums that were meant to be listened to from start to finish instead of as individual tracks. And I came to the realization that even though I love streaming, there is something to be said about old formats too. Yes, I love just throwing on a playlist and letting it go all day. Basically as background music for my life. But when I was a kid, vinyl was king. Unless you were much more coordinated than I was, you couldn’t just choose the track you wanted to listen to (unless you had a single). And as is turns out, there are some ablums that were better listened to in order with one track flowing into another. Basically a larger work of art that is made up of smaller works of art.

So why didn’t I already have a ton of vinyl? Well, I was alive and aware as CDs hit the stage and became the dominant music format. I remember kids in school teasing me about still playing records when they all had CD players. Kids can be cruel and the those in the tiny town I grew up in were hyper-obsessed with how rich someone was. The more money you had the more popular you were. And I grew up in poverty so I didn’t have a lot of friends back then. The moment I could afford a CD player as a teenager, I got one. If only so that I could tamp down the emotional baggage of being teased as child. I don’t know that I listened to a record by choice after that until well into my second stint at college. By then I was collecting classic rock albums like crazy. But then digital music came around and, once again, I gave up vinyl as a waste of space and sold or gave them away.

Somehow I never seem to learn.

Anyway, long story short, I may have found a new obsession. Since I bought that “piece of art for the wall” I’ve bought five or six more albums, I researched and ordered a turntable. I’ve made a wishlist of other albums I want to buy in this crazy old format. And I plan to visit a few record stores in the area the next time I have a day free. I like the idea of intently listening to music again. Needing to pay attention to when a record ends and needing to get up to flip it over appeals to me right now.

Now, you may ask what any of that has to do with bourbon. And that’s a good question. But I have a good answer too. You can enjoy music a couple of different ways. You can have it on in the background and almost ignore it. It’s just something to keep it from being too quiet. Or you can sit there and intently listen to a piece of someone’s musical art. Follow how one song flows into another and makes a whole greater than its pieces. Same thing with bourbon. You could take a shot and just use it as a means to an end. Or you could do what we do here and intently taste the bourbon. Teasing out the nuances of someone’s liquid art.

Plus in both of them you can easily get obsessed and spend way more than you had intended to if you aren’t careful. Ask me how I know.

Luckily for me, tonight’s whiskey was a review sample that didn’t cost me anything. It is the latest offering from the Basil Hayden folks over at Jim Beam. This one was partially finished in red wine casks. And although I’ve sworn off Basil Hayden numerous times in the past as not being flavorful enough for me, I found the idea of this one intriguing. Here’s what the producer has to say about it:

A blend of the classic Basil Hayden high-rye mash bill and bourbon partially aged in Californian red wine casks, this special release is ripe with cherries & dried fruit, while also delivering characteristic bourbon flavors of vanilla and charred oak. Perfectly balanced, Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish is layered & complex, yet approachable & inviting.

But, how does it taste?

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

Purchase Info: The bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: 40% ABV. Some of the bourbon used in the blend has been finished in California red wine casks.

Nose: Dried cherries, brown sugar, and oak.

Month: Cherry, vanilla, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cherry and cinnamon linger.

Thoughts: I've been hard on Basil Hayden products in the past, but I think they have a winner with this one. Lots of flavor in the mouth. The wine cask finish brings a lot of cherry to the party. I like this one. And that cherry note has me thinking that with such pronounced cherry, this might work well in a cocktail. And, of course, how could I pass up that opportunity? After giving it a thought, I landed on a sweet riff on a Manhattan. The result is below. I think it turned out pretty ok.

A Thursday Night Cocktail

  • 2oz Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

  • 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

  • 1/2 oz Luxardo Cherry liqueur

  • 2 dashes of Aromatic bitters (I use my own recipe, but Angostura would work too)

  • Orange Peel for Garnish

Directions: Combine all ingredients (except orange peel) into a mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into your favorite cocktail glass. Express the orange peel over the drink. Garnish with the orange peel and a couple of cherries.

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, posters, and more.

Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey

This review sample was kindly provided by the PR team for Uncle Nearest Whiskey with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Uncle Nearest Rye sitting in the morning sunlight. Enjoying itself and waiting for the appropriate time to crack itself open and be shared.

Holy shit, y’all! I’m back! Did you miss me? I missed you. Not quite as much as I missed my taste buds and breathing normally, but you were at least top three…five. Top five, for sure.

You have no idea how happy I am right now. And not just because I can actually taste and smell the whiskey I’m writing about tonight. No, last night I had just about the best date night I can possibly imagine. My absolute favorite musical artist, Butch Walker, was kicking off his tour last night up in Dinkytown (the area around the northern edge of the University of Minnesota campus), and my wife got us tickets. I’ve been beaming since the show ended. I can’t hear anything because my old deaf ears take longer to recover from the noise of a loud and raucous rock show than they did when I was younger. But I don’t even care. It was worth it.

Add to that fact the opportunity to talk about whiskey, and I’m just in heaven right now. Though I’m going to warn you right now, the flow of this post may suffer tonight. I’m taking frequent breaks to sing along with the Spotify playlist I made that has the songs that were played at the concert. I’ve been doing it all day. Needless to say, it’s been quite the bouncy day for me.

Anyway, we are talking about whiskey, not music. Though if you give me even a sliver of opportunity, I’ll talk music all night. So I’m really trying hard to reign myself in tonight…

Right, yes. Back to whiskey. Tonight we are taking a look at the latest offering from Uncle Nearest. It is a distillery exclusive that holds promise for more widely available releases in the future. Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered is a rye whiskey sourced from Canada and then aged in New York and then Tennessee. It is bottled at whatever strength that the batch was when the barrels were all dumped. It says “Uncut” right in the name. This batch ended up at 119.7° proof, but I’m going to guess if they have future batches that, they will be at least a little different. If you are curious about what the PR Firm has to say about it, here is the summary I got from them:

To create its uncut/unfiltered rye whiskey, Uncle Nearest sourced its rye from Canada and raised it in New York for four years. Once it was ready, the Uncle Nearest team brought it back to Tennessee to rest and finish in its barrels before being bottled. The new expression reinforces Master Blender, Victoria Eady Butler’s ability to create the highest quality whiskeys possible even when moving away from the filtration process that was created by her great-great-grandfather. Uncle Nearest’s inaugural rye whiskey is available as a distillery exclusive offering available for purchase ($149) at the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, TN.

As I mentioned, this seems to be just the beginning for Uncle Nearest and their experiments in the world of Rye whiskey. According to the details I got from the producer: “For those unable to make it to Shelbyville, there will be more Rye to come from Uncle Nearest in the coming months, including Straight Rye and Single Barrel Rye.” As a lover of both Rye and Canadian whiskey, this is good news for me.

But most importantly, how does it taste?

Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was kindly provided to me for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $149.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $10.00

Details: Distilled in Canada, Aged in Canada, New York, and Tennessee. 59.8% ABV. Batch 001.

Nose: Caramel, black tea, mint, chocolate, and a hint of bubble gum.

Mouth: Very hot. Caramel, chocolate, and black tea.

Finish: Long and very warm. Notes of toffee, chocolate, cinnamon, and mint.

Thoughts: This is a pretty good rye whiskey. You can taste the Canadian origin. Lots of caramel/toffee and black tea notes. It's very sweet but as hot as one would expect something that's almost 120° proof to be. Just a tiny splash of water does wonders to tame the heat and bring out even more sweetness. This is a "dessert rye" if I've ever tasted one. I think I like the standard Tennessee Whiskey Uncle Nearest releases better, but this is a very interesting change of pace when it comes to rye whiskey. If it were in a store, I doubt I’d want to pay $150 for a bottle. But if I was at the distillery and it was going to be a souvenir, well, then all bets are off. I’ve paid much more for worse whisky as a distillery exclusive in the past. It has made me decide to keep my eyes open for the other Ryes that will be coming along in the fairly near future, though.

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, posters, and more.