Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 11, Ruby Rye Springs

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

Ordinarily, I do tasting notes over the weekend in order to allow me to spend more writing time on the essay that goes in front of each review on writing night. Well, now that it has warmed up (we are above freezing for the second day in a row!!!), I’ve spent the last three days running a smoker and the only thing I could smell, during the time I would usually do a tasting, was smoke. So tonight you are getting raw, unfiltered, day-of-tasting notes without the benefit of a second tasting.

It also means that I don’t have quite as much time to write an intro essay so instead, I’m spending all of this time writing excuses about why I couldn’t write something more interesting. Yay! Intro!

Four Gate Whiskey Company is a company that is making quite a name for itself as an innovative barrel finishing whiskey company. I’ve only had five of their eleven releases but already I’ve had bourbon finished in gin/Orange Curaçao barrels, bourbon finished in Cognac/rum barrels and as of tonight, a rye whiskey finished in a barrel that has previously aged Ruby Port and then rum. Some of these are home runs, some are super weird, but all are very interesting. Here is what the company has to say about the barrel finishing of tonight’s rye.

The secondary casks originally were originally used to mature ruby port, a fortified wine from Portugal in which the wine is removed from barrels and stored in tanks to prevent further aging, leaving the resulting product sweeter and brighter on the palate than other styles of port wine. The barrels found a second use with Virago Spirits in Richmond, VA where the barrels were used to age a blend of rums, imparting them with a lush molasses sweetness that pairs excellently with the bright red fruit of the ruby port.

The most interesting thing about this whiskey is that it is the third in a series featuring the same rye whiskey. I initially reviewed the first of the series in July of 2020. It was a 7-year-old Straight Rye whiskey from Indiana that featured the 95% rye/5% malted barley recipe made famous by MGP (and even though the company didn’t confirm it, I assume that is exactly what it was). You can read what I had to say about Batch 7 here. They then performed two barrel-finishing experiments using that same whiskey. One I did not get a sample of, but the other is tonight’s whiskey. My tasting tonight featured both the Batch 7 (unfinished whiskey) and Batch 11 which spent an additional 40+ days in a second barrel. Let’s see how it turned out.

Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 11, Ruby Rye Springs

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously supplied by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is: $185 

Price per Drink (50 mL): $12.40

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), 56.7% ABV, 7 years old, 1,444 bottle batch. Finished in a cask that previously aged both Ruby Port and then Rum.

Nose: Bubblegum, mint, caramel, red fruits, and allspice. 

Mouth: Whoo, that's spicy. Cinnamon, red fruits, and mint.

Finish: Spicy and long. Notes of Bubblegum, molasses, cinnamon, and mint.

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Thoughts: This is damn good. If you can afford to splurge on this one, and you like high-proof ryes, do it. I think this is almost the best thing I've had from Four Gate (I loved Batch 6, but this was almost as good). I can see saving up to splurge on this one.

Comparison to the Unfinished Rye: Ruby Rye Springs has a much softer, yet more complicated, nose. It is sweeter and really shows off what the finishing barrel brought to the party. The Unfinished rye is sharper on the nose and almost antiseptic by comparison. The unfinished rye is delicious, a good rich 95%- style rye. Good cinnamon and minty rye notes. Somehow the Ruby Rye Springs is even better. It retains the spice and minty herbal rye notes but adds a nice layer of sweetness and fruit to the top. They used a deft touch on the barrel finishing. If I hadn't known this was barrel-finished rye, I would not have guessed. I would have just thought it was a rye whiskey with nice fruit notes and a complex finish. It was only through the comparison, that I saw what had been accomplished. It is hard to improve on a barrel-strength "Indiana 95% Rye" but Four Gate has done it. My hats off to them. Nice Work!

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Remus Repeal Reserve Series IV

I’d like to thank the folks at MGP and Gregory + Vine for providing this review sample to me with no strings attached.

Well, here we are, another November and another release of Remus Repeal Reserve. I look forward to this one every November. At 100° proof, it makes the perfect winter warme...

Wait. Wait. Now, wait just a dang minute. It’s August outside. Why on Earth is there a Bourbon that celebrates Repeal Day (December 5th) in my house in August?

Well, they’ve decided to time the release with September, National Bourbon Month, this year. And I for one, heartily approve. I mean this has been a pretty shit year and it’s nice to have nice things happen. And a fairly affordable Limited Release is a nice thing. Their press release describes it thusly:

In response to growing demand, Remus Repeal Reserve Series IV is planning an early fall release (timed with National Bourbon Month in September), and will roll out with a series of consumer tastings and events with special focus on the birthdate of George Remus (November 13) and Prohibition Repeal Day (December 5).

To be honest, this particular sample has been sitting in my closet for a month or more. They sent it out early, but I wanted to time this to closer to when other’s could get it. I was expecting that to be some time next month, but last week I got a marketing email from Binny’s in Illinois inviting folks to come in and buy a bottle of Remus Reserve Series IV. And, well, that bumped this to the front of the list.

Like all previous releases, Remus Repeal Reserve is a blend of two or more of the bourbons from the massive stocks of MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This year features a pair of 12-year-old Bourbons. One, which makes up 77% of the blend, is their 21% rye recipe. The rest of the blend is composed of their 36% rye recipe. Both of these were distilled in 2008.

Remus Repeal Reserve: Series IV

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the MGP for review purposes. The suggested retail price is about $84.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.67

Details: 50% ABV. The mash bill is composed of 77% 2008 Bourbon (21% Rye) 23% 2008 Bourbon (36% Rye). It’s available in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Washington DC.

Nose: Strong toffee and vanilla lead with hints of mint and citrus underneath. All followed with cinnamon and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, orange zest, mint, oak, almond, and maple.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of oak, cinnamon, mint, almond, and orange zest.

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Thoughts: This is delicious. I think I say this every year, but I have yet to be disappointed by one of these. I'd say that Remus Repeal Reserve is consistently one of the best Limited Releases each year. I look forward to it every year and even though I get a sample, I almost always grab another bottle or two throughout the year. It’s a good price point and I can usually find it on the shelf. And these qualities are two of the three things I look for in a Bourbon (the third being a tasty Bourbon and this has that one covered too).

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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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.

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.

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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.

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.

Boone's Bourbon

I’d like to thank Clarion Call Media for setting up the interview with Tyler Boone and for providing the review sample with no strings attached.

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I get a lot of press releases that come across my desk from small producers. Most of them are get a quick skim and press of the delete button. Occasionally though something catches my attention. At that point, I give it a more thorough read through to see what made me stop and take notice. Of course, by now, I’m hooked. They have me interested. And I always figure that if I am interested, then you may be too.

The thing about the press release for tonight’s bourbon that interested me was that it was almost as much a press release for a music video as it was for a bourbon. I love music. Any music. It doesn’t matter the genre as I have very eclectic tastes. So I listened to the song, watched the video and was intrigued. I reached out to the PR company to see if there was a review sample of the bourbon available. There was. They also arranged for an interview with musician Tyler Boone, the man behind Boone’s Bourbon.

ERIC: First off, congratulations on the new video release, I took a listen and I really like it.

Now, there have been a number of whiskey brands that have been released in recent years in collaboration with musicians. Metallica has their Blackened Whiskey, Drake has his Virginia Black Whiskey, Willie Nelson had Old Whiskey River Bourbon, and Bob Dylan has the Heaven’s Door line of whiskeys. Just to name a few. As a musician that has his own bourbon brand, what is the draw here? Is it just celebrity endorsement, a vanity project, or is there a real connection between whiskey and music?

TYLER: Thank you for the special congrats! This has been a love project of mine since 2015 when I had a major "music row management deal" in Nashville coming my way from the likes of Kenny Chesney's people. My music doesn't even come close to "bro country" so obviously I turned down the deal but it sparked interest from another party (who wasn't even in the music industry) for me to start a "spirits brand." The deal was for me to figure it all out, such as all the compliances, registering, licenses etc...and how to even create the "juice" and then they would fund it. Sounds easy right? Nope, sure wasn't (lol).

With my last name being "Boone" I figured "Boone's Bourbon" would be PERFECT & on top of that to have REAL bourbon in the bottle & not whiskey. I was going to launch this collaboration with Tenn South Distillery out of Lynnville, TN but the investor never had the money to start this venture so we had to move on from this idea.

Shortly after I moved back to Charleston, SC, where I'm from, for special eye surgery and while I was recovering I founded Striped Pig Distillery & contacted them about my idea of starting my own brand. After another year of saving and this time partnering up with my Father (Michael Boone), we raised the capital and started our own family mash bill with the distillers from Striped Pig Distillery! It was such an exciting time. Boone's Bourbon - 1st day of bottling (April 2018)

In just under 2 years due to my music touring and constant work habits (lol) we have partnered with Local Choice Spirits landed in 8 states (38 states available for online orders) and should be launching into many more this 2020. 

The idea is for me specifically that when you are at a show, most people have a drink in their hand right? Well, why not make that our drink (the artist) and with authenticity grow your brand to not just the music fans but to the ever-growing "bourbon" world. I think we are doing a pretty amazing job with it so far.

ERIC: How involved were you in the process of production? Was it a case of describing what you wanted or did you “roll up your sleeves” and get involved in the actual production process?

TYLER: 100% - I was the person who chose the proof (we are 117% proof) and the mash bill before even my Father got involved. Our mash bill is 75% corn (which is usual for most bourbons) 21% rye & 4% barley. Of course, Striped Pig helped with this but I made the final decision.

Our promo video that we still use constantly is of the 1st actual day (April 2018) of the bottling line, boxing, us tasting, everything. We also used to fill the mini bottles (50ml) by hand but we finally just bought a machine to help with the 50s. It's pretty cool.

Just to note how our operation works. My Father and I work the brand every day whether that being tastings, bookings, reaching out to retailers, our distributors, socials and then Local Choice Spirits fulfills the orders and alerts us when we need to bottle again. It's us running a small business.

ERIC: Getting to the bourbon itself, this is a six-month-old bourbon, which traditionally is a little on the young side. Frankly I was expecting the bourbon to be terrible at that age, but it isn’t. Take us through the thought process that resulted in the bourbon being released at what would usually be considered a very young age.

TYLER: First off, thank you. We always get that and & we are very proud of it. 

When we started "Boone's Bourbon" this was a 5 year aged product from Striped Pig Distillery that we then changed the mash bill on. Once those barrels dried up we were already in so many states we then had to switch to MGP for allocating due to the demand & because of this, we had to switch the age statement on the back. It is always AT LEAST 6 months but there can be 1 year in there. Our process now goes MGP, then Terressentia (my business partner & music manager Pixie Paula is the majority shareholder over there) for their TERREPURE process, then back to Striped Pig for tasting & our final touches before we bottle & ship out.

We are 100% honest about this process & happy to be apart of the MGP family. They make some of the most incredible products out there.

ERIC: 117° proof! That is a hefty proof! Talk about what lead to that decision. High proof means less profit since you aren’t cutting it with as much water, so it seems this was a "whiskey decision" not a business decision.

TYLER: This was my final decision. I wanted something different, more original & to stand out from the rest. Everyone is usually a safe 80 proof and maybe it's the "rock n roll" in me where it’s “let's push the envelope a little” and see how the market takes it. It's the 1st thing everyone notices...but after tasting about 2-3 seconds people's faces change to a happy "wow, wasn't expecting that." I call it "it's for bourbon drinkers who like to taste their alcohol" :) 

Boone's Bourbon

Purchase info: This review was graciously provided for review purposes. I see that it is available for sale for $36.99 at Total Wine in Tennessee.

Prince per Drink (50 mL): $2.47 (based on the pricing above)

Details: 58.5% ABV. MGP mash bill of 75% corn,21% rye, 4% barley “at least 6 months” that then undergoes the Terre Pure process.

Nose: Caramel, buttered popcorn with a slight vegetal undertone

Mouth: Warm cinnamon, buttered popcorn, lemon.

Finish: Medium heat and length. lingering notes of caramel, green tea, and lemon.

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Thoughts: This is the best TerrePure product that I've had. That, of course, is a low bar to clear (the first was spit it out and the second was dumped out). That said, this is not a terrible bourbon. However, that doesn't mean that this is a good bourbon. I'm giving it a meh. This is a serviceable well bourbon for cocktails where the bourbon isn’t the main flavor component. I tried it in both a whiskey sour and in a boulevardier. It performed much better when paired with other strongly flavored liquors.

Artist Tyler Boone and his official music video for "Jealousy" Find him at: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Rj1i72Y5eJHan2pm2cqKz?si=M2bN5WhkRb2VLbtgGGOuDQ www.facebook.com/tylerboonemusic www.instagram.com/tylerbooner www.twitter.com/tylerbooner www.tylerboonemusic.com www.drinkboonesbourbon.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, and more.

Remus Volstead Reserve

I’d like to thank the folks at MGP and Gregory + Vine for providing this review sample to me with no strings attached.

Every so often, like this weekend, my wife disappears for a weekend away with her mother. Leaving me home alone with the dogs to fend for myself. Not that I begrudge her that, her mother is getting up there in years and I certainly want my wife to make all the memories that she can while her mother is still with us. Of course while my wife is away, I tend to have a little fun myself. I may be “stuck” at home, but that’s honestly the place I like best. And besides when she isn’t here I get to lounge on the couch watching movies that she doesn’t like on the big TV, eating stupid amounts of pizza, and drinking the tasty drams from my shelf of fancy spirits without sharing. All in all, I’d say it is a bit of a win-win situation.

And I’d guess that tonight’s bourbon would probably have a spot on that shelf of fine bourbons, rums and brandys. This soon to be released 14-year-old, bottled-in-bond bourbon from MGP is seriously delicious. And considering the $200 price tag it would not be a bourbon that sits on the regular whiskey shelf. This would be one that I would set aside and go to only occasionally, allowing it to last. Of course, the odds that I need to make the decision of whether or not to shatter my personal price ceiling are low indeed. There will only be 6000 bottles of Remus Volstead Reserve released and I have serious doubts I will see it on the shelf.

But if I did…well…I might be sleeping on that couch I described above. Especially if my wife is not on board with the purchase. Because, I would probably purchase it. It’s really damn good.

Remus Volstead Reserve

Purchase Info: This review sample was graciously provided to me for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $199.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Details: 14 years old, 50% ABV, Bottled-in-Bond, DSP-IN-15023, 6000 bottles will be released November 2019.

Nose: Cherry, tobacco, chocolate, apple, nutmeg

Mouth: Spicy with cinnamon, clove, leather, apple, vanilla

Finish: Long and warm with lingering clove, leather, vanilla

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Thoughts: The first sip made my eyes close in delight and it just kept getting better from there. The nose is rich. The mouth is warm, thick, and spicy. The finish is delightful. To quote my very (very) frugal wife: "If you have the means, splurge if you find it.'' I agree, I'm in love with this one. And whether or not I end up on that couch will depend on whether or not she feels we have the means if I were to find it.

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