Yellowstone Limited Edition 2020

October 27, 2020 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: Sample bottle of Yellowstone Limited Edition 2020.

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.

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Daviess County Finished Bourbons, French Oak Cask and Cabernet Sauvignon Casks

June 4, 2020 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: All three bourbons in the Daviess County lineup. Cabernet Sauvignon cask finished, Straight Bourbon, and French Oak cask finished.

Last week, I gave you a quick overview of the history of the Daviess County brand along with my thoughts on the Straight Bourbon. Tuesday I gave you a quick overview of the state of my sanity and feelings. Tonight, I think I am going to just let the reviews do the talking. Things are getting better around here, but I’m still having a hard time being witty.

Some would say I never was witty.

But I digress, let’s talk about some whiskey.

Davies County Bourbon finished in French Oak casks

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Lux Row for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99.

Price per Drink (50mL): $3.00

Details: 48% ABV. A combination of both wheated and rye-mash bourbons. Finished in French Oak Casks for six months

Nose: Mint, bubblegum, nutmeg, cooked oatmeal, and oak.

Mouth: Dry with cinnamon, mint, vanilla and oak.

Finish: Warm, spicy and of medium length. Oak, cinnamon candies and mint.

Thoughts: Compared to the Straight Bourbon, this is drier and not as nutty, though I am missing the cocoa notes. I'm enjoying the added oak presence. It is a light, but noticeable presence in the mouth, but much stronger on the finish. The cinnamon and mint complement the oak nicely.

Davies County Bourbon finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Lux Row for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99.

Price per Drink (50mL): $3.00

Details: 48% ABV. A combination of both wheated and rye-mash bourbons. Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Casks for six months

Nose: "Berry" flavored candy, earthy oak, a hint of wintergreen.

Mouth: Earthy, dry, berries, wintergreen and strong baking spices.

Finish: Dry and of medium length. The wine makes its presence well known on the finish with what I can only describe as a "red wine" note. It is supported by notes of oak and baking spice.

Thoughts: This is nice and round on the mouth. The berry/wine flavors are very noticeable if you know what you are drinking, but when I had my wife surprise me with it one night, I hardly noticed them. Instead I just tasted a fruity whiskey.

Comparison Thoughts: So which should you buy? Well, that all depends on what you are looking for in a whiskey. Are you looking for round and fruity with a nice spice? Then get the Cabernet finished. If you are looking for a nutty bourbon that feels like a high-end Beam with cocoa notes? Then get the straight. If you want a drier whiskey with a little more oak, then get the French Oak finished. To be honest, I like all three. If forced to choose one to buy, I’d go Straight (based on price), then the Cabernet finished, followed by the French Oak. But it would really depend on my mood.

The fact that I like the Cabernet finished at all surprises me. I usually do not like wine finished bourbons…though to be fair I think I’ve only had ones from Woodford Reserve. As I was tasting it in a Glencairn, I found the wine notes to be very prominent. But with subsequent drams in my normal tumbler-shaped rocks glass, and when I didn’t know what it was, I just thought it was a fruity bourbon. Turns out I am as suggestive as everyone else.

Daviess County Straight Bourbon

May 28, 2020 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: The brilliant blue front label of Daviess County Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 96 proof.

I recently got an email from Lux Row Distillery that started with the following statement: “To pay homage to the rich distilling tradition of Daviess County, Kentucky, Lux Row Distillers is re-launching Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon – an ultra-premium family of bourbons, with three variants.” Now, I had no idea what Daviess County Bourbon was, but I’ve come to trust that Lux Row is putting out some pretty decent whiskeys so I felt pretty comfortable requesting a sample from them.

In the meantime, I got to learning all there was to learn about the history of the brand using my library of whiskey books supplemented by my patented “30 minutes of Googling” method of research. I found some interesting things about the brand and its original distillery outside Owensboro, KY. And in lieu of bitching about the pandemic again tonight, I thought I’d share what I found with you. To begin, I’d like to quote an 1883 book snappily titled: History of Daviess County, Kentucky. Together With Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons, Biographies of Representative Citizens. And an Outline History Of Kentucky.

Daviess County Distillery Company (W. S. Harris and John Callaghan). — This distillery was started April 16, 1874, by Callaghan & Trigg. Mr. Bell afterward bought an interest in the concern, when the firm name became the "Daviess County Distillery Company." In March, 1879, Mr. Harris commenced, alone, and Oct. 14, 1880, the present partnership was formed. Both these gentlemen reside in Louisville, and their business here is superintended by C. A. Todd, General Agent. The distillery is located about a mile west of town, on the river, and its capacity is 800 bushels of corn per day; it has 720 mash tubs and its engine is ninety horse-power.

Callaghan & Trigg were located on Main St in Louisville. I can’t find anything about Trigg, but John Callaghan stayed with the distillery in a leadership role along with a rotating cast of partners. Harris & Callaghan was how the records in 1882 listed them. They were listed as Millett & Callaghan in 1886. And in 1888 the distillery was purchased by Richard Monarch, a whiskey man from Owensboro with John Callaghan being mentioned as Vice President and Treasurer of the Daviess County Distilling Company.

As mentioned, Monarch was a whiskey man. A whiskey man from a whiskey family. He and his brothers each owned numerous distilleries. Unfortunately, they didn’t see their current whiskey boom ending soon enough and overproduced throughout the mid-1890s. Shortly after Monarch finished building his lavish house near the distillery, his whiskey stocks were basically worthless and he was forced to declare bankruptcy. His brothers would do the same not too long after. Monarch died in 1900.

Bourbon historian Sam K. Cecil states in his book, The Evolution of Kentucky Whiskey that in 1901 Monarch’s estate sold a portion of the company to George E. Medley (you’ve probably heard of the Medleys, there are still a couple of bourbons out there with their name on the bottle. They were another Whiskey-making Family in Kentucky. Jack Sullivan has a nice write-up on the family over at his site Those Pre-Pro Whiskey Men). Cecil says in 1904 Medley bought the entire company with the help of Dietrich “Dick” Meschendorf.

Meschendorf had a financial interest in multiple distilleries and was considered enough of a whiskey expert that he advised Presidents Roosevelt and Taft on what the definition of whiskey should be. His advice helped lead to the Taft Decision which defined what whiskey actually was and more importantly, what it wasn’t.

Things went smoothly from then on. Well, aside from 1911 when Meschendorf and then two warehouses burning down and destroying $300,000 worth of whiskey (that’s 1911 dollars, it’d be about just under $8 million today). But they rebuilt and expanded. Of course, there was also that little thing called Prohibition that closed the company down and forced them to sell all their stocks to Wathen Bros. Finally in 1928 the distillery was sold to the Field Packing Company.

Ok, not so smoothly then.

However, the brand survived Prohibition. There was a whiskey-ish thing being sold as late as 1980 that had the Daviess County name on it. Josh over at the WhiskeyJug has a review of a 1980 era dusty he found. Sounds like it was…unpleasant. The brand went from the Medley family to the precursor of Diageo to Luxco, who has the brand today. They have apparently decided that the blended whiskey that Josh tried wasn’t the best legacy that this historic distillery could have and so we get back to where we started: “To pay homage to the rich distilling tradition of Daviess County, Kentucky, Lux Row Distillers is re-launching Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon – an ultra-premium family of bourbons, with three variants.”

I’ve received samples of all three, but I’ll only be reviewing the Straight Bourbon tonight. I’ve typed enough for one post, no need to make it any longer.

Daviess County Straight Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Lux Row for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $39.99.

Price per Drink (50mL): $2.67

Details: 48% ABV. A combination of both wheated and rye-mash bourbons.

Nose: Mint, bubblegum, toasted grain, and a hint of nutmeg.

Mouth: Nutty with mint, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cocoa.

Finish: On the longer side of medium and warm but not hot. Nutty with mint cocoa and nutmeg.

Thoughts: This is a good bourbon. I like it. The nutty flavors remind me of a good Beam bourbon without going full peanut. The toasted grain on the nose is interesting. It reminds me of the aroma you might get when you lightly toast whole grains before making a granola or a trail mix. And I’m a sucker for cocoa notes in a bourbon. All in all, I’d recommend this one. This isn’t part of the recommendation, but I also love the color blue they used for the label. It’s my favorite color.

Blood Oath Pact No. 6

April 28, 2020 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: Sample bottle of Blood Oath Pact 6 sitting on a railing in the rain.

Welcome to the 2020 BourbonGuy.co…

What? Excuse me, I’m getting a note…ok. really? Ok. No, no that’s fine. Sure.

Sorry about that folks, it seems that for the first time in six weeks, we are not doing a bracket competition tonight. Wow. I’m not even sure what to write in an actual review anymore. Well, never mind that let’s just do what I always do: jump in and wing it!

While I was off doing fun brackety-type competitions, I had a few samples delivered to the house. The first one we will look at is the sixth edition of the annual Blood Oath release from Lux Row Distillers. As usual, Pact No. 6 is a combination of three different bourbons, blended together by Head Distiller and Master Blender John Rempe. Quoting the Press Release:

For Pact No. 6, Rempe chose a 14-year ryed bourbon with notes of oak and leather, melded with an 8-year warm toasty ryed bourbon and complemented them with a 7-year ryed bourbon rested in cognac casks. The memorable combination brings caramel notes and hints of spice, along extra flavor from the cognac barrels.

When I got the press release, I was interested by the Cognac-finished component bourbon. Last year’s rum-finished bourbon component was masterfully handled. It had a subtle but noticeable impact on Pact No. 5. So I was curious to see if the Cognac-finished one was handled similarly. In my own blending experiments, I’ve found that Cognac and Bourbon work well together due to their similar barrel influences. You do need a light hand, however, as the fruit notes can quickly become overpowering. So as an amateur blender, I’m always curious to see how a Master handles it.

Blood Oath Pact No. 6

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously sent to me for review purposes by Lux Row Distillers via their PR agency. The suggested retail price is $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $6.67

Nose: Salted Caramel and chocolate chip cookies (vanilla, chocolate, sweetness, and hints of baking spice).

Mouth: Salted caramel, baking spice, ripe fruit, and a touch of dried grains.

Finish: Medium length. lingering notes of caramel, vanilla, and dark chocolate.

Thoughts: Like last year's rum-finished edition, this Cognac-finished Bourbon shows subtle influence from the finishing barrel. And while I preferred last year's edition to this year's, that is only because I prefer rum to Cognac. This is another very good release in the Blood Oath line.

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2019

November 6, 2019 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: Sample bottle of Yellowstone Limited Edition 2019 sitting on a rail. Copy says: Yellowstone Limited Edition 2019, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Aged 9 years 50.5% ABV

I can’t quite wrap my head around what year it is right now. All the things I’m working on in my freelance jobs are starting to have a 2020 date on it. All of the limited editions that I have on the editorial calendar are dated 2019. And when I see those items on the calendar, I start to think that I have fallen behind. Weirdly though, this is the earliest I’ve ever reviewed the Yellowstone Limited Edition.

2019 looks oddly strange to me these days. It’s like the numbers don’t really belong together. And that makes me think that maybe time is catching up to me. I have to do the math to decide what age I am these days. I'm always adding a year or two for some reason. All in all, I guess what I’m saying is: time, huh? that’s a thing that exists for me more than it used to.

And speaking of time, it’s about time I got to talking about tonight’s bourbon. (Feel free to groan, I understand.) This year’s edition of Yellowstone Limited Edition is a blend of Straight Bourbons aged nine and twelve years old. The press release has this to say:

“I tasted many quality, mature Kentucky Straight Bourbons in order to find the right two ages for this year’s release – I had a certain taste profile in mind and I sought those barrels that matched it,” says Steve Beam, head distiller at Limestone Branch Distillery. “The barrels I chose were in different parts of the rick house and each barrel’s unique location contributed to the taste profile and complexity of this bourbon. When combined, these extra-aged bourbons create a mature and complex bourbon with robust spice and oaky undertones.”

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2019

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

Price Per Drink (50mL): $6.67

Details: 9 year age statement, 50.5% ABV

Nose: Cherry Starburst, citrus, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oak.

Mouth: Cherry, vanilla, oak, and baking spice.

Finish: Warm and long. Lingering cinnamon and vanilla with hints of both fruit and pickle juice.

Thoughts: I really like this one. It is a bit fruity so if you don't like a fruit-forward flavor profile, be warned. Luckily I do like that. The Yellowstone Limited Editions are kind of a hard sell in this area, with local stores having editions going back to 2016 still on the shelves. So if I see this year's on the shelf I am going to pick it up. Otherwise, since they have all been good, I will be "forced" to buy a previous year's edition in order to "make room.” Look at me making a difference in my community.

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Lux Row Double Barrel Bourbon

October 8, 2019 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: the bottle of Lux Row Double Barrel Bourbon that I purchased with my own monies…

It was a the week before I was scheduled to drive to Kentucky for my annual shopping trip disguised as a Festival when I received a press release about a new bourbon out of Lux Row Distillery in Bardstown, Ky. It was to be a twelve-year-old, cask-strength bourbon and it was being released to celebrate the one year anniversary of the official opening of the Lux Row Distillery.

Sometimes you just get a feeling that a bourbon is going to be good. And a double digit age statement and a cask strength proof is a good start when looking at a bourbon’s spec sheet. So, because I’ve had a very high opinion of high-end Luxco bourbons lately, I decided to reach out and see if there were going to be samples available. Of course I also added a bottle to my “Kentucky Shopping List” just on the off chance that I happened across one. And then I promptly forgot about all of it because my active memory really only has space for about three things in it at any one time.

This has nothing to do with getting old. Shut up.

So, I was killing time in Bardstown between KBF events when I decided to stop in to the Lux Row Distillery gift shop. Honestly, I was on the lookout for a bottle of Old Ezra Barrel Proof and was hoping that if anybody had one, it would be them. When we got there, I also remembered the new bourbon that they were putting out. Mostly because it was sitting there right on the shelf, looking oh so pretty.

So I bought both. Yes. I blasted through my personal price ceiling without a second thought. Sometimes you just get a feeling that a bourbon’s going to be good.

Lux Row Double Barrel Bourbon

Purchase Info: $150 for a 750 mL bottle at the Lux Row Distillery. I also received a 200mL review sample (because I forgot to tell them that I’d purchased one until I saw the FedEx notification that it was on it’s way).

Details: 59.2% ABV. 12-year-old bourbon. Batched from 2 barrels (numbers 5154523 and 5154524)

Nose: Brown Sugar, cinnamon, clove, anise, and oak

Mouth: Cinnamon red hots, leather from a well-worn baseball glove, cherry, and caramel

Finish: Warm and long. Lingering chocolate, cherry, baking spices and leather.

Thoughts: Very warm and spicy. The cherry notes play nicely off of the leather and spices. This is a delicious Bourbon. Very rich. I'm very happy I picked up a bottle while I was in Kentucky. For $150 though, this will go on the special shelf where I am less likely to empty it quite so fast.

Rebel Yell 100 proof

June 18, 2019 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: The new Rebel Yell 100, a 100 proof wheated bourbon from Luxco.

It feels as though every single time I start a review of something in the Rebel Yell line, I trot out my old story about how when I first had the brand, it lost horribly in my first ever Bottom Shelf Brackets. And how through the power of brand revitalization and line extensions, I was convinced to give it another chance and ended up thinking it made a decent cocktail bourbon. It’s all very heartwarming.

Today however, I want to talk about something else. Well actually, someone else. That someone is me…well and you. First: me. “Me” is honestly my favorite subject. There is a reason that instead of rehashing dry details on the production or retyping the back of the bottle or the press release, I try to start each review with a bit of a personal anecdote or a tale of how I came to find the particular bottle that we are discussing. Years ago, I found out that if I wrote a personal blog, literally ones of people would read it. Later I found out that If I wrote almost the same blog and added a whiskey review to the end, then all of a sudden (over the course of 8 years) it would gather an average monthly readership of over 15,000 people.

Which brings me to you. Thank you. Thank you for all the emails, the questions, and the kind words. But most of all, thank you for hanging out with me and listening to me tell stories, be they about myself, dogs or whiskey. So let’s all grab a drink and learn about Rebel Yell 100.

Rebel Yell 100 is a new 100 proof variant of, you guessed it, Rebel Yell. It is the same wheated bourbon as the original Rebel Yell, just with more proof. And boy, what a difference that added proof makes. Where the 80 proof version makes a good cocktail bourbon, this 100 proof version can stand on its own when sipped neat. In fact, I’m having a little right now as I write this.

Rebel Yell 100

Purchase Info: This review sample was graciously provided to me by Common Ground PR and Luxco for review purposes. Suggested retail price is $19.99 for a 750 mL bottle. This is (or will be soon) available nationally and at the Lux Row Distillery.

Details: Wheated Bourbon, 50% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon, mint, vanilla, chocolate.

Month: Spicy tingle on the tip of the tongue. Cinnamon red hots, brown sugar, mint, lemon custard

Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla pudding.

Thoughts: I'm very impressed with this one. I've documented my turn around on the Standard Rebel Yell. I went from disliking it to realizing it made a fine cocktail Bourbon. This 100 proof version is a fine cocktail ingredient but it also works great as an everyday sipper. And at a suggested price of $20? This is a no brainer of a pickup. And this is coming from a guy who normally isn’t a wheated bourbon fan. Yep, as soon as I see it on the shelf, it is coming home with me.

Blood Oath Pact No. 5

June 12, 2019 Eric Burke

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

IMAGE: A close up image of a 50mL sample bottle with the words “Blood Oath Pact No. 5, Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Caribbean Rum Casks. 49.3% ABV / 98.6 proof”

Running a little behind due to paid work overloading the schedule this week. (I mean of all the “terrible” problems to have. I’m too busy making money to drink whiskey. Sigh.) So instead of delaying this any longer, we are just going to cut straight to the details and leave out any of the nonsense I usually like to populate my articles with.

Ok, maybe a little nonsense. Am I the only one who likes finished bourbons as a change of pace once in a while? I know some people decry them as “flavored bourbon.” But I don’t even particularly hate the idea of flavored whiskey (I just choose not to drink it). That said, I don’t think of finished bourbons as “flavored bourbons.” Not if they are done correctly. I mean, sure, Angel’s Envy Rye tends to taste more of rum than it does rye. But a good barrel finishing can make a true masterpiece. I’m thinking of the old 2011 Parker’s Heritage Collection Cognac Finished. It was delicious, I loved that one.

So what about Blood Oath Pact No. 5? Before we find out where this particular finished bourbon falls on the “Angel’s Envy Rye” to “Masterpiece” spectrum, here is what the producer has to say about it.

“Pact No. 5 starts with an eight-year-old ryed bourbon rested in used dark Caribbean rum barrels for six months to add a touch of warm island spice. Once this bourbon picked up some of the rum notes, Rempe combined it with an 11-year-old silky wheated bourbon and an extra-aged, peppery 13-year-old rye bourbon.”

Blood Oath Pact No. 5

Purchase Info: This review sample was graciously provided to me by Common Ground PR and Luxco for review purposes. Suggested retail price is $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Details: 49.3% ABV. Finished in Caribbean Rum casks

Nose: Honey, caramel, cinnamon, and a hint of mint.

Mouth: Spicy and sweet with cinnamon, clove, honey, mint, caramel

Finish: Medium length and warm. Lingering sweetness and cinnamon red hots.

Thoughts: This is quite tasty. I'm enjoying the combination of sweet and spicy. This doesn't have the same level of rum cask influence as, say, Angel's Envy Rye. And boy do I ever think that is a good thing. With Angel's Envy, the rye is overpowered by the rum. And if I wanted rum, I’d just drink rum. Here the rum seems to accent the bourbon flavors instead of dominating them. And that is what I like in a finished bourbon. I like it to be bourbon with an accent of a complementary finishing flavor. If I had the cash on hand, I'd totally treat myself to a bottle of this.

Blog

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2020

Davies County Bourbon finished in French Oak casks

Davies County Bourbon finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks

Daviess County Straight Bourbon

Blood Oath Pact No. 6

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2019

Lux Row Double Barrel Bourbon

Rebel Yell 100

Blood Oath Pact No. 5