Yellowstone Special Finishes Collection, Toasted

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Yellowstone Distillery for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

I think that Yellowstone Bourbon is one of the coolest stories in the bourbon industry. The brand was initially launched right around the declaration of Yellowstone National Park. It was apparently good whiskey and the brand was extremely popular until it fell on hard times. When I first had a pour of a bourbon with the name Yellowstone on it, I was in Yellowstone National Park surrounded by family and drinking a very bad bourbon. This was 2015 at the tail end of the brand’s hard times. But this is where it gets cool.

The brand’s owner at the time was Luxco, now a part of the MGP family. Right about the time they were starting the Lux Row distillery, they also bought a stake in Limestone Branch distillery. Which, it just so happens, was owned by a pair of brothers who were decended from the family that initially launched the Yellowstone bourbon. At that point, the home of Yellowstone was moved to Limestone Branch and placed under the supervision of Steve Beam (the previously mentioned decendant) who has been doing wonderful things with the brand.

Someday, someone should do a short history of the rise, fall, and rehabilitation of Yellowstone Bourbon. It’s a cool story that I didn’t come close to doing justice to.

Tonight’s bourbon is a new extension of the Yellowstone Bourbon lineup. It starts with the standard Yellowstone Select. That is then “stave finished” with five different toasted staves they call high toast, American oak double-toast, vanilla, rick house and spice rack. Here’s what the press release has to say about the new bourbon.

“The Yellowstone Special Finishes Collection is a great way to honor more than 150 years of bourbon heritage while still keeping things fresh and exciting,” said Beam. “I began experimenting with toasted barrels in 2016, 2017, and 2018 with Yellowstone Limited Edition releases and again more recently with distillery-exclusive Yellowstone Toasted Single Barrel. My experience helped in crafting what stave flavors to use and at what percentage to get the right flavor profile for Yellowstone Toasted. I can’t wait for consumers to try this latest full-time member of the Yellowstone Bourbon family.”

So let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Yellowstone Special Finishes Collection, Toasted

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 50% ABV

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, spearmint, Juicy Fruit gum, baking spices, and oak.

Mouth: A nice peppery spiciness on the first sip. Beyond that are notes of cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla, caramel, and oak.

Finish: Sweet and spicy and of medium length. Notes of honey, vanilla, black pepper, black tea, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: This is really good. So good that when I went back to check the price, I was shocked that it was "only" $50. I think it is worth every penny. I'm really enjoying the sweet and spicy notes. I love honey, so the honey note on the finish is right up my alley. This is a lovely upgrade from the standard Yellowstone Select Bourbon.


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Celtic Honey Beekeeper’s Blend

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Lux Row for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

A reminder that I am on vacation to the Pacific Northwest this week. If things go as planned, as you read this, I should either be walking along an ocean beach, enjoying rainforests, driving, or relaxing in a room at Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park. Obviously, this was written ahead of time.

Though I’d never heard of Celtic Honey prior to this post, the press release assures me that it has been around for long enough that the bottle you see in the photo above is both reformulated and has had a packaging update. When I saw the email come across my desk, I thought, “This could be a delicious addition to a whiskey cocktail.” But I didn’t ask for a sample. I wasn’t sure if it would appeal to you guys, being a liqueur and not even one made from bourbon. But when the PR guy came back explicitly asking if I wanted a sample, something made me say yes. I mean, the worst that would happen was that I would have a sample of honey liqueur to find a use for.

So what is Celtic Honey Beekeeper’s Blend? According to their website, it is a blend of grain neutral spirit, Irish whiskey, and honey, though the press release mentions the “flavors of native Irish flowers, plants, and trees.” This reformulated version is sold at 80° proof and “is set to reach retail shelves across the country by August at a suggested retail price of $24.99 per 750 ml bottle.”

But how does it taste, and most importantly, should you pick up a bottle?

Celtic Honey Beekeeper's Blend

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $24.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.67

Details: 40% ABV

Nose: Not nearly as sweet as I would have expected. The main note on the nose is herbal honey, but not super sweet honey.

Mouth: Sweet, but not cloyingly so. Notes of honey, cinnamon, clove, and mint.

Finish: Short and sweet with notes of sweet honey, delicate spice, and a pleasant nuttiness.

Thoughts: I expected this would be a decent cocktail ingredient, but I didn't expect it to be very good on its own. Yet here we are. I plan to finish the tasting glass once I'm done with tastings tonight, something I don’t often do when I’m doing multiple tastings at one time. It's obviously much sweeter than a bourbon, but not nearly as sweet as I would have expected from a product reformulated from a honey liqueur. More than anything, it reminds me of an Old Fashioned where the bitters had been left out. I could easily see myself enjoying this with a dash of bitters over ice or as the sweetener in an Old Fashioned or whiskey sour. In fact, I'll probably try that later and will include the results below.

So it’s now the next day, and I can 100% tell you that it makes a wonderful addition to cocktails. My wife loves a whiskey sour, so I made her a riff on that using equal parts fresh-squeezed lemon juice, Maker’s Cask Strength, and Celtic Honey. I shook that with ice with a small squirt of Agave Syrup (because it wasn’t quite balanced without it) and mint and garnished with a mint sprig. She really enjoyed it and asked for another, which I was happy to provide since today is her birthday. I made myself a much simpler drink. Equal parts Maker’s Cask Strength and Celtic Honey with a dash or two of bitters over ice. It was also quite tasty, though I realized later that I could have been even lazier and just left out the Bourbon altogether. When I tried just Celtic Honey and a dash or two of bitters over ice, it was just as good, though quite a bit sweeter.

So, should you pick up a bottle? Well, if all of this sounds good, I would. I’m certainly enjoying my bottle and will continue to as long as my (adult) daughter doesn’t finish it while she’s housesitting for us while we are gone.


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Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream, now at 33 proof

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Lux Row for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Last Christmas, we took a look at four different bourbon cream liqueurs. Since that time, one of them—Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream—has been reformulated in order to give it a pretty hefty proof bump from 25° proof to 33° proof. Now, at first, I thought that it was an odd time of year to be releasing a bourbon cream. I usually think of it as a drink to have during the holidays.

But then, I remembered ice cream. Something that I usually do not keep in the house. Mostly because the bourbon is making me fat enough. But, if I was going to give a bottle of bourbon cream a fair shake in the summer, I needed it in a milkshake.

Do you see the sacrifices I make for you?

Anyway, before we talk about how delicious a boozy milkshake made with Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream is, let’s see what the company has to say about their new release:

Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream is still made using all-natural cream and Kentucky Straight Bourbon but is now bottled at 33 proof – one of the highest proof levels of any offering in the Bourbon Cream category. Tasting notes include cinnamon, nutmeg and caramel with hints of vanilla and sweet pecan on the nose and buttery caramel, sweet toffee and a smooth, warm finish on the palate. Like its other elevated namesakes, Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream now is offered in upscale packaging – in this case, with a prominent “33” callout and Lux Row Distillers embossing on the bottle’s shoulder.

Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream, 33 proof

Purchase Info: This was provided but the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.47

Details: 16.5% ABV

Nose: Creamy with caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and a "boozy" note beneath it all.

Mouth: Nice thick mouthfeel. Follows the nose with notes of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate.

Finish: Sweet and creamy with notes of vibrant vanilla along with caramel and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is delicious. It's like dipping a delicious cookie in milk. It is sweet and creamy. And that powerful vanilla note on the finish makes the wholes thing a pleasure to sip.

Ok. So since this bottle arrived, I’ve eaten almost an entire quart of ice cream in milkshake form. This stuff pairs so well with it that you can go as simple as just ice cream and bourbon cream in a blender. Of course a splash of chocolate is also quite delicious. You can even toss in some malt power to make a boozy chocolate malt. Every single milkshake recipe I’ve tried has been amazing. I’m a big fan…might be time for bigger pants.


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Blood Oath Pact 9

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Lux Row for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

In previous years, I’ve shared my love of many of Lux Row Master Distiller John Rempe’s creations, including many of the Blood Oath series. They are always one-time recipes. Most of them have included some sort of finished bourbon in the blend. This time they are using Oloroso Sherry casks, which I usually don’t care for. Sherry will often overpower the bourbon. The thing that I think may save this is that, from my reading, only one of the bourbons used in the blend is finished in the sherry cask.

Anyway, let’s hear what Lux Row has to say about all of this.

Blood Oath Pact 9 combines some of the finest extra-aged bourbons Rempe could find, including a 16-year ryed bourbon and a 12-year ryed bourbon, as well as a 7-year ryed bourbon finished in Oloroso Sherry casks from the Sherry Triangle region in southwest Spain. These casks impart unique woody and ripe-fruit aromas and flavors to make Blood Oath Pact 9 a memorable pour. “Blood Oath Pact 9 contains three great bourbons, and the Oloroso Sherry cask finish has resulted in a deep, dark amber liquid with long legs,” said Rempe. “The Oloroso Sherry casks also bring out tasting notes of sweet sherry with hints of ripe fruit on the nose, as well as flavor notes highlighted by ripe fruits including figs, plums and raisins, with notes of molasses, chocolate and tobacco. This bourbon also provides a long-lasting finish characterized by fruit notes and complemented by hints of spicy oak. I’m proud to share Blood Oath Pact 9 with bourbon lovers.”

So let’s see how this one tastes, shall we?

Blood Oath Pact 9 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $129.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.67

Details: 49.3% ABV. Blend of three bourbons: a 16-year, a 12-year, and a 7- year that was finished in Oloroso Sherry casks.

Nose: Brown sugar, red fruit, spearmint, chocolate, vanilla, and honey.

Mouth: Dry and spicy with notes of dark chocolate, cinnamon, red fruits, and toffee.

Finish: Medium length and warm with notes of Cinnamon gum, dark chocolate, and red fruits.

Thoughts: This is very good. From the nose, I expected it to be sweet, so the dryness in the mouth was pleasantly surprising. I'm really a fan of the chocolate and cinnamon gum combo on the finish as well. I like it. Even though the price went up $10 this year, my very frugal accountant of a wife declared that she'd gladly pay the suggested retail if we found it. So interpret that how you will.


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