Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon

June 27, 2017 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I accept a review sample, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. Please consider it disclosed. I’d like to thank Common Ground PR for providing this sample to me with no strings attached.

I am sorry about last week; freelance work has been crazy busy. Which is a great problem to have. Let me tell you I am not complaining. But it did leave me with little time to taste and write about bourbon. However, the extra passage of time did allow something to happen that makes this article just a little more fun.

At the beginning of May, I received a press release announcing the release of the 2017 batch of Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon. Though I had tasted it at an event, I never reviewed last year's batch (and never saw it at retail), so I checked on the availability of samples. Unfortunately, they said that there weren't going to be any review samples this year. Not a problem, I just determined to keep my eyes open for a bottle at the store.

A little while later, a friend of mine texted me from the liquor store that he was picking up a bottle of Rebel Yell Single Barrel. So I asked him to grab me a bottle too. He did, and so I knew I'd have one to review. Except that since we are both busy people, we didn't catch up with each other until this past weekend.

Which is what makes this one fun. See in between my friend grabbing a bottle for me and me getting it; I received a sample of this bourbon as well. And what this allowed me to do was compare barrels of this single-barrel product just to see how big of a difference there is between barrels. I will be comparing barrel number 5043515, provided by Common Ground PR with barrel number 5043517 that I purchased locally.

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon

Purchase Info: Barrel# 5043517: $45.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine.
Barrel# 5043515: 50 mL sample generously provided by Common Ground PR.

Details: 50% ABV. Age stated 10-years old. Aged since May 2006.

Nose: Barrel# 5043517: Caramel, cherry, mint, and oak.
Barrel# 5043515: Less cherry and more oak.

Mouth: Barrel# 5043517: Sweet with notes of rich leather, caramel, baking spice, and oak.
Barrel# 5043515: Much spicier with a drier oak feel.

Finish: Barrel# 5043517: Long and warm with lingering sweetness and spice.
Barrel# 5043515: Long and spicy.

Thoughts: Both of these are fantastic bourbons. They are similar, as you might expect, though the sample was noticeably spicier and not as sweet.

I like comparing single barrel bourbons. It's fun to experience the variations on a theme. Sometimes, there's little difference. They are so similar that you wonder just how single that barrel was. Rebel Yell Single Barrel does not have that issue. Both are distinct and delicious in their own way. I am really impressed. And even at $50, I think this is worth the money should you have it to spare. For me, this is on the line between really, really like and love. But because I think the price point is just about perfect, I'll just go with I love it.

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Tincup American Whiskey

June 15, 2017 Eric Burke

Shout out to Patreon Ken Ray for reminding me that the subject of tonight's review exists during an email conversation we had. Ken is the host of Mac OS Ken a daily technology podcast focusing on Apple news and news related to Apple news. Check it out. And if you would also like to suggest a topic for an upcoming post, feel free to reach out via any of the contact mechanisms in the site navigation.

I have a bad habit. If something isn't continually shoved in my face, I don't think about it. And if that goes on for long enough, I forget it exists. And this applies to everything from NFL football to extended family. And this goes on until one day I'll be reminded of whatever-it-is, and feel bad for having neglected it (or in the case of NFL football, feel relieved that it is no longer such a big part of my life).

This recently happened with the subject of tonight's post, Tincup American Whiskey. I remember when Tincup was released. I remember thinking "huh, another MGP whiskey." Then I didn't think about it again. I'd see it every once in a while, until one day I didn't. It wasn't gone, I was just looking past it toward whatever had recently caught my attention. My mother refers to this as my "Shiny Object Syndrome." I've always had an eye open for whatever is new and have looked past whatever is still there.

And so, this blend of MGPi Bourbon and Stranahan's Malt Whiskey escaped my notice until mentioned in an email from a Patreon supporter. The next time I went to the liquor store, I saw it and decided it was time to stop overlooking it. So, how does it taste? Should I have continued to pass it over?

Tincup American Whiskey

Purchase Info: $24.99 for a 750mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 42% ABV. Bourbon distilled in Indiana mixed with a "small amount of Colorado single malt whiskey." "Cut with Rocky Mountain Water"

Nose: Sweet with citrus, mint, and almond.

Mouth: Sweet with a nice spice. Almond, ginger, and a hint of oak.

Finish: Warm and spicy with lingering citrus, mint, and ginger.

Thoughts: This a good value at $25. It isn't an amazing whiskey, but it is a good one. At $25, I like this very much. If it were priced higher, I'd probably be much more critical. In any case, I like this and might even buy another bottle someday since I am finding the citrus/mint combo very tasty and interesting.

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

April 18, 2017 Eric Burke

Every so often, Total Wine will have a display of miniature bottles in the bourbon aisle. I have often picked them up. I have also often regretted doing that (see the Parker Hayes Reserve review). But even though I don't often care for what is being pushed, I still keep doing it.

For one thing, it's an inexpensive way to get content. And seriously, I do have a lot of fun unloading the day's frustration on a terrible whiskey. But the other reason I keep buying them is that I am an eternal optimist. I keep hoping that just one of them is going to turn out to be something that is a good everyday drinker. One that isn't expensive, but also doesn't taste awful.

It's ok. You can wish me good luck on that. I'm not offended, the miniatures they push in this way don't have the best track record. If I were anyone but a blogger looking for content I'd probably write that placement off as the kiss of death for a product at this point.

Until tonight's selection, that is. This one looks to be another Total Wine exclusive, (though you can buy it online at Ace Spirits for cheaper should you wish). Unlike many of the Total Wine house brands though, this doesn't look to be a Terra Pure product or to be produced by Sazerac. In fact, a little digging shows that the COLA belongs to Frank-Lin Distiller's Products. They are the company who owns the Medley and Wathen brands of bourbon. Not the greatest bourbons, but also not bad either.

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: $1.99 for a 50 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 45% ABV. No age statement.

Nose: Granulated white sugar, juicy fruit gum, mint and a touch of oak.

Mouth: Peppery spice, sweetness, and a general fruitiness.

Finish: Short to medium length. Peppery spice with a good hit of dry oak.

Thoughts: This is not a bad bourbon. Not at all. It isn't fantastic. But around $25 it is certainly worth giving a shot, especially since you can pick up a 50 mL for just a couple bucks. It straddles the line between meh and liking it for me. Your mileage may vary though.

Calumet Farms Bourbon

March 7, 2017 Eric Burke

Every so often, a bourbon comes along about which I have almost nothing to say. Calumet Farms is one of those bourbons.

Calumet Farms Bourbon is a product of Western Spirits, an NDP that also produces Lexington Bourbon and Bird Dog Whiskey. They've recently signed a production contract with Bardstown Bourbon company to distill future product, but they currently source from who-knows-where.

It has a pretty bottle, though...so maybe that's enough to warrant the $50 asking price.

Calumet Farms Bourbon

Purchase Info: $4.99 for a 50 mL bottle at Westport Whiskey and Wine, Louisville, KY.

Details: 43% ABV. NAS, and not labeled straight.

Nose: A bag of Old-Fashioned Candy mix ("Grandma Candy" as it's called around my house). By that I mean a ton of sweetness, a mixture of fruits such as citrus or berry, and spices like clove, cinnamon, and anise.

Mouth: Peppery and sweet with a faint vegetal/grain note underneath.

Finish: Medium length with lingering sweet and spicy notes.

Thoughts: Solid meh on this one. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't particularly like it either. It has an odd nose and a fairly plain palate. There is heat and sweet, but I didn't find it especially inviting. This one mostly gets knocked for the price. If it were around $15 for a 750 mL bottle, I'd be much more generous with it. But for $38 to $55 (locally), this is hard to recommend.

Ezra Brooks Rye

February 28, 2017 Eric Burke

About a month ago, an email landed in my inbox announcing the new Ezra Brooks Rye. I was curious, but then I saw the Distilled in Indiana prominently on the front label. I needed content, and I love MGP's 95% Rye whiskey, but I wasn't sure that reviewing yet another would be all that interesting. Ultimately, I decided to pull the trigger and see about getting a sample sent, mostly because I'm liking the moves that Luxco is making lately.

When I opened the box and saw that the product was only two years old, my expectations for this whiskey sank a bit. I know that rye performs better at a young age than bourbon does, but in the past, I have not been a fan of the ones I've had.

I decided to spend a couple of weeks with this before writing my review. As they were kind enough to send a full bottle, the least I could do was run it through its paces in a variety of situations and glasses.

From my first taste, I noticed something about this. It didn't really taste like your typical 95% MGP rye. There were certain family resemblances, to be sure. But it wasn't quite right, which got me to thinking.

A few of years ago, April-ish of 2013 to dial that in a bit, MGP Ingredients announced they were expanding the number of whiskey recipes that they would be producing and offering to their customers. Included in that announcement were the following:*

A Rye whiskey made from 51% rye and 49% barley malt
A Rye whiskey made from 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% barley malt

As production was scheduled to start later that April, the very first product off the still would be a few months shy of four years old now. Plenty old enough to blend a few different barrels together and end up with a product that had to be called two years old (remember you have to go by the youngest whiskey in the bottle).

Is Ezra Brooks Rye one of the new MGP rye recipes? I reached out to Luxco's PR Agency for comment, and they were unwilling to give exact mash bill info. They did say that there was a little corn in the recipe, though. And that leads me to believe that at least some of the juice is the second recipe above. Is it all that recipe? Is there a mingling of two or three rye mash bills? No idea. What I do know is that it's from Indiana and has rye and corn in it.

Oh, and that it tastes pretty good in spite of its age.

Ezra Brooks Rye

Purchase info: This sample was provided by Common Ground PR, but I've seen it listed online for less than $20 for a 750 mL.

Details: Two years old. 45% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon red hots, soap, brown sugar, and a faint citrus note.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Honey, cinnamon red hots, clove, ginger, and lemon zest.

Finish: Medium length with lingering ginger and lemon zest.

Thoughts: This is young, but tastes pretty good in spite of that. I'm really enjoying the almost "ginger beer" quality of the ginger and lemon zest notes. I tried this in a couple of cocktails, and it got a bit lost. But on the other hand, I've enjoyed almost half the bottle neat to this point, so that says something I guess. If you see this somewhere, I'd recommend giving it a try.

UPDATE: This post contains an update to clarify who's PR Agency confirmed the use of corn in the mashbill.

*Sources:
MGPingredients.com News Release. (Accessed 2/28/17)

Bulleit Barrel Strength Bourbon

January 5, 2017 Eric Burke

In light of recent allegations made by the daughter of Tom Bulleit of his homophobia and mental and physical abuse toward her, I have made the decision that BourbonGuy.com can no longer endorse products bearing the Bulleit name. An update has been added to reflect this change in policy.

I visit Kentucky, on average, a couple of times a year. Often it isn't the destination, but I find a way to make most of my Eastbound road trips route through it. I'd try to route the other road trips through there as well, but I haven't figured out how to frame the argument that Kentucky really is on the way to Colorado from Minnesota.

Every time I visit Kentucky, I'm struck by the same thought: "How broke would I be if I lived here?" I mean there are bourbon events, bourbon bars, even bourbons that are only available there. If I had all of that around me all the time...

Well, I'd probably still be a hermit. But I do think that my budget for the occasional special bottle or dram would strain a little harder than it does in Minnesota. What, with all the temptation and all.

I think about things like this, like moving to a warmer climate, a lot at this time of year. Don't get me wrong, all things considered, I like Minnesota. But I hate winter. I mean I really hate it. And when the temperature dips, not just below freezing, but into the sub-zero range it gets a bit rough. (That's somewhere around -20 C for those of you who use that other measuring system). Today I had to bundle into boots, hat, heavy coat and gloves just to get the mail.

That got me to thinking about one of the Kentucky-only bottles that I'd picked up on my last trip south and I decided it was time to take another look at it.

Bulleit Barrel Strength Bourbon

Purchase info: $48.99 for a 750mL bottle. The Party Source, Bellevue, KY.

Details: 59.6% ABV. Non-age stated.

Nose: Rich with ripe cherries, cocoa nibs, herbal mint, and oak.

Mouth: Peppery heat with caramel/vanilla, oak, JuicyFruit gum, cloves, mint, and anise.

Finish: Long and lingering with fruit, mint, cinnamon, and anise.

Thoughts: This is hands down the best whiskey in the Bulleit family. The more concentrated flavors from the higher proof really shine in the glass. Toss in a price in the $40-50 range and this is a real winner. I can't recommend this enough.

2019 update:

As stated above I have made the editorial decision that I can no longer endorse or recommend products from the Bulleit family of labels. This is an extension of the policy in my Statement of Ethics where I do not allow homophobic comments. In this case I’d rather not continue to help enrich a man alleged to have physically abused his own daughter over her sexuality. The review has been left intact for transparency’s sake.

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2016

November 29, 2016 Eric Burke

sample bottle of Yellowstone Limited 2016

So there I was, at the Lux Row Distillery announcement, trying to act like a real reporter instead of the clown at the back of the room for once. I don't usually cover events like this, but since I was going to be in town for it anyway, I thought it might be interesting to attend one so I could see how they work.

As I stood there, taking notes, a couple joined us. The male half was wearing a Yellowstone shirt. He introduced himself as Paul Beam, and we chatted for a bit. Paul is half of the team of brothers that started the Limestone Branch Distillery. After a while, my friends from MB Roland wandered over along with Steve Beam, the other brother from Limestone Branch.

Over the course of the week, as I hung out with my friends from MB Roland, I got to chat with Steve Beam quite a bit. I learned a lot of things I can't share...which is really no problem since I tend to have an awful memory. In any case, I decided that I liked Steve Beam. He was a nice, though opinionated, guy who was fun to hang out with over a few bourbons.

And so, when I got the press release that the Beam's and Luxco were releasing another of the black labeled limited edition Yellowstone bourbons for 2016, I wasted no time in accepting a sample to see what he and his brother had been up to.

The 2016 edition of Yellowstone Limited Edition features two bourbons, a 12-year-old and a 7-year-old, that were mingled and allowed reentered into new toasted wine barrels for additional aging. Now I want to be sure I am clear here (mostly because my wife misunderstood me the first time I read this to her as well). These are new, toasted barrels that were intended for wine...not barrels that once held wine. Big difference there.

But there is still one question to be answered, was it any good?

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2016

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by Common Ground PR, but the suggested price is $99.99.

Details: 7 years old. 50.5% ABV. Finished in toasted barrels.

Nose: Fruit and mint lead with caramel, oak, and cardamom pods coming after.

Mouth: Peppery heat with the initial sip. Oak, caramel, cinnamon spice, anise, and mint follow.

Finish: Long with a nice warmth. Fruit and spices linger.

Thoughts: This is a very good bourbon. There is enough proof to make itself known, but not enough to overpower. The age gives nice oak and spice. The fruitiness is present, but not overly so. Very good bourbon.

So you are wondering about price, aren't you? Well, I think in today's market, this is good enough to warrant the price being asked. Being a freelance designer and writer, I probably won't see it in my budget anytime soon, but if I had $100 extra and saw it sitting on the shelf, I'd certainly think about it.

Clyde May's Straight Bourbon

November 10, 2016 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I accept a review sample, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. Please consider it disclosed. I’d like to thank Clyde May's for providing this sample to me with no strings attached.

What are we reviewing tonight?

A Kentucky bourbon, named for a moonshiner whose claim to fame is making an "Alabama-style" whiskey, which is then bottled by a Florida company.

Ok. Seems fair enough. Quick question, though. What's an "Alabama-Style" whiskey?

According to the literature the producer sent to me, it's aged whiskey that had dried apples in the barrel along with the spirit, essentially an apple flavored whiskey.

Does that mean we are reviewing a flavored whiskey?

Nope. We're reviewing a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that happened to be produced by the same company, under the same brand.

Why?

Why what? Why did they use the same brand or why are we reviewing it?

Second one.

Well, they were nice enough to send me a bottle. I was intrigued by the fact that it was non-chill filtered even though it was under 100 proof. And I liked that they didn't claim they distilled it. They followed the law and named the state of distillation on the label. All good things.

Ok. Is it any good?

Yes. See below.

non-chill filtered distilled in Kentucky bottled in Florida

Clyde May's Straight Bourbon

Purchase Info: Bottle provided by the producer for review purposes. Suggested retail price is $39.99.

Details: 46% ABV. Non-Chill Filtered. NAS though the provided literature claims 5 years.

Nose: Mint, Juicyfruit gum, oak

Mouth: Sweet and minty with a nice bit of oak tannins along the sides and back of the tongue.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Lingering oak tannins and baking spices.

Thoughts: This is a decent bourbon. It reminds me a bit of something from the Ezra Brooks line, which sort of makes me wonder if it didn't start life as a Heaven Hill product. As such, you may be uncomfortable spending $40 on a bottle. But I like it. And as it's competitive with many other sourced bourbons, I can see myself spending the money on it every once in a while.

Blog

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon

Tincup American Whiskey

Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Calumet Farms Bourbon

Ezra Brooks Rye

Bulleit Barrel Strength Bourbon

2019 update:

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2016

Clyde May's Straight Bourbon