Calumet Farm 14-Year-Old Single Rack Black Bourbon

About four years ago, I did the first-ever site redesign for BourbonGuy.com. It was mostly cosmetic improvements that would improve the mobile reading experience. I’m an old fogey and read stuff on either my desktop or my tablet. I almost never read on my phone. But I knew that I was in the minority so one day, on a whim, I redesigned the entire site and relaunched it. When I did so, I trusted that most people would want to view the most recent posts. I mean the vast majority came to the site from a Google search and then bounced.

But after a request from a reader this week, I was forced to wonder if most of the people that Google in and bounce do that not because they don’t want to read more, but because I’ve really given them no option to explore further than the page they came in on. It was an interesting thought and honestly, after 10 years of not really paying attention to that, I didn’t have a good way of incorporating it. But, if I really didn't take exploration of the site all that seriously back when I started it, I did always tag each post with its subject matter.

So as of today, you can go into the navigation bar (or menu if you are on mobile) and click on the drop-down menus for reviews and for articles. There you will find links to all articles on recipes, history, projects, reviews, etc. The reviews can be viewed either by producer, rating, or spirit type. There will be some overlap as I tag most posts with multiple tags, and some tags will produce pages and pages of content. But it is something I can do to help you, the reader, get more out of the site. Of course if you are looking for something specific, you can always try the search function at the bottom of each page, but since the Squarespace search function is almost useless, you are probably better off using an outside search engine. It’s what I do.

Well, that was fun. Now with that out of the way, let’s get down to tonight’s whiskey. I recently noticed a bottle of 14-year-old Bourbon from Calumet Farms. I’ve had a bottle of the 15-year-old on the fancy shelf since I reviewed it last July. The fancy shelf is out of the way and behind something so I often forget to look there when I look for a pour. It helps to keep me from finishing the delicious, expensive, stuff too quickly. And in this case, it did its job well. As I really, really enjoyed that one, I decided to make a splurge and pick up its younger brother as well.

Calumet Farms’ 14-year-old Single Rack Black Bourbon is a product of Western Spirits Beverage Company. Much like the 10-year-old Bourbon I reviewed back in 2018, and the previously mentioned 15-year old from 2021, each 19-barrel batch is created from the barrels aging on one rack in the aging warehouse. It is non-chill filtered and barreled at 96.2° proof. The mash bill is 74% Corn, 18% Rye, and 8% Malted Barley. It is bottled by Three Springs Bottling Company in Bowling Green, Kentucky. You can read more about the bourbon on their website.

So how does it taste?

Calumet Farm 14-Year-Old Single Rack Black

Purchase Info: $119.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.00

Details: 48.1% ABV. Rack# S3319.07. Batch Size: 19 Barrels. Mash Bill: 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley.

Nose: Oak and mint with caramel notes underneath.

Mouth: Caramel, almond, oak, and baking spices like cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, etc.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, caramel, and tobacco.

Thoughts: Beautiful mouthfeel. thick and very rich. Good "Bourbon" flavors. Lots of oak and caramel with spices make it interesting. This one is going to sit on the fancy shelf to be doled out a drink at a time on special occasions.

Speaking of Calumet Bourbons that have sat on the fancy shelf for a while, let’s see how this compares to the 15-year-old version we did last year. The 15-year-old has more oak on the nose, which is impressive considering that the 14-year-old had a lot already. In the mouth, both have a very nice mouthfeel-The 14-year- old is sweeter and smoother while the 15-year- old is much spicier. At the end of the day, both are delicious and if you are lucky enough to have the choice you can't go wrong either way. You just have to decide if you want sweet or spice more. For me, I think I like the 15-year- old just a hair more, but it's really too close to make a firm judgment on that.

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What's With All the Weird Faces? Why I Don't Rate Whiskeys Like the Usual Whiskey Person

What the hell is with all the funny faces? Why can’t you do something useful like give a whiskey a number score? You know, even a 1-10 would help us know if this whiskey is better than another whiskey.

This is just a small sampling of the sentiments I get in my email now and then. Don’t get me wrong, I love the passion that it takes to take the time to write to me. Hell, I just like to know that people are reading this. But as it has been…five years (?!? where has the time gone?) since I last wrote a post like this, I thought it might be time to explain my silliness to all of you who are new.

By the way, if you arrived in the last five years, WELCOME! The bar is in the corner, please pour yourself something nice from the fancy shelf.

So. Why don’t I use numerical scores? Well, everyone who writes about whiskey approaches things differently.  Some reviewers like to use numbers. Numbers make a review feel scientific because you've done some math. Some reviewers like to use stars. Stars are easy to visualize and are familiar to Amazon shoppers everywhere. I like to use various cartoon faces and hearts because I'm silly. Probably too silly for my own good. The point is that any and/or all of these are correct. They all adequately represent how much or how little a reviewer liked any given whiskey. But no matter how a writer presents it, we as readers need to remember that the rating is still just a subjective opinion. Whiskey is subjective. There is no objectively bad whiskey. Someone out there likes everything that has been produced and they should not be shamed for that, even if you don’t agree with them.

It probably goes without saying, but I like Bourbon, Rye, Canadian whisky, craft whiskey, Irish whiskey, Gin, and a lot of cocktails. As a general rule, I don’t really like Scotch Whisky, though there are exceptions. Am I wrong that I don’t care for Scotch? No. My taste buds apply only to me. This is what I mean when I say there is no objectively bad whiskey, just whiskey that I don’t like. I’m not here to tell you if you should like a whiskey, only if I do or don’t. I judge whiskey, not people.

So, I like bourbon. I enjoy it in many different ways. Sometimes I enjoy thoughtfully tasting bourbon. I pour it into a nosing glass, sit down, concentrate, and try to tease out all the little smells and tastes that are hidden inside the glass. And if it is interesting, I'll probably like it. Other times, I want to enjoy bourbon in a rocks glass while playing cards or watching tv or conversing with friends. I'm not paying a lot of attention to it, but if it tastes good and it's acting as a social lubricant, I'll probably like it. Sometimes I enjoy it in a cocktail. Even if it isn't great neat, if it makes a killer Manhattan, I'll probably like it. And if I like it, then I'll tell you I like it. And then I'll put a little smiley face next to my thoughts on it. 

Sometimes I find a bourbon that doesn't taste good and isn't all that interesting. Needless to say, I don't like these. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what I like, and since I buy a good percentage of the whiskey reviewed on the site, the odds are that I'm not buying too many duds. But occasionally one slips through, or I buy one specifically for research purposes. When that happens, I'll tell you I dislike it and put a little frowny face next to my thoughts.

Of course, some whiskeys are just...meh. There is nothing offensive about them. They don't taste bad. I don't dislike it, but I don't like it either. I can see why others might like it, but it's just sort of in the middle there for me. Just not to my tastes. In such a case I'll just drop a neutral face on it.

Very occasionally I'll drop a heart on something. This means I love it. No ifs, ands, or buts. I'd take this whiskey over almost any other. 

So to recap:

A heart means I loved this whiskey. I'd have to pause and think (briefly) if forced to choose between it and my wife. (shhhh... don't tell her)

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A smiley face means I liked the whiskey or I found it interesting while tasting it. Or I enjoyed myself while drinking it. Or I enjoyed the company I drank it with. Or I was having fun. Most bourbons and ryes will be in this category because, on at least some level, I like most bourbons and ryes I've tasted.

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A neutral face means meh. I didn't particularly like this whiskey, but I didn't hate it either. It wasn't for me. But you might like it.

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A frowny face means I really disliked this. I probably dumped it out or at least thought about dumping it out.

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We all have different life experiences that color our perceptions. If you drink moonshine exclusively and you age it to a young age, that young whiskey may taste amazing to you. If however, you gave that very same whiskey to a person who exclusively drinks 12-year-old bourbon, they will probably vehemently disagree. The same thing goes for tasting notes. They are each informed by our own life experiences. I taste JuicyFruit gum when I taste Four Roses. Other people might taste Jackfruit, but I've never had a Jackfruit, so I say JuicyFruit. Some people might taste almond in a whiskey. I'm allergic to nuts, so I only have an academic idea of what almonds taste like. If I use it as a tasting note, it will have come from my wife (we do the notes together). The point is that everyone will like different things and has had different experiences to inform their tastes. And that's ok. In fact, it’s pretty cool. It gives us whiskey lovers something to talk about aside from the weather.

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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.

Gooderham and Worts 49 Wellington

Gooderham and Worts. That’s quite the name, isn’t it? And if you aren’t familiar with whisky history, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is just one more non-distiller producer who is bringing back an old brand in order to make a quick buck. When you dig into the backstories of the brands on US shelves, it feels like about half the brands on the shelf are of this variety. 

But while Gooderham and Worts is an old brand, having had many owners over the years, this is not some fly-by-night operation to make a quick buck. No the story for Gooderham and Worts starts back in the 1830s in a town that would one day grow up to be Toronto. It all started with two brothers-in-law (I bet you can’t guess their names) and a flour mill on the banks of Lake Ontario. Over the years, that flour mill would grow into the largest distillery in Canada (and, by some reports, the world). The story includes hardships, entrepreneurs, business dealings, and more than one interesting character. Today the brand resides in the care of Pernod Ricard by way of Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd. 

But I’m not going to tell you any more of that story. Everything I know of the story came from Canadian Whisky’s foremost expert, Davin De Kergommeaux via his wonderful book on the history of Canadian Whisky: Canadian Whiskey, the New Portable Expert (Second Edition). It would be a shame for me to steal Davin’s thunder on this. If you want to know more, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Davin’s book. I read the book initially when the first edition came out back in 2012. That copy still sits on a shelf in my office for easy reference. And I’ve referenced it enough over the years that I made sure to get the second edition when it was released back in 2017. It is a fantastic read.

Of course, if you just want to know about tonight’s whisky instead of the history—first, how dare you? and second—let’s dig into that next. Gooderham and Worts 49 Wellington is a 19-year-old four-grain whisky. As is the case with most Canadian Whiskies, each grain was distilled and aged individually, and blended after the fact. It was produced by Dr. Don Livermore, the Master Blender of Hiram Walker & Sons Limited in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He’s the guy who brought us Lot 40, Pike Creek, the Wiser’s line-up, and of course, the standard Gooderham and Worts Four Grain. It was released back in 2019 and I may have gotten lucky in finding a bottle just sitting on the shelf at Total Wine.

According to our friends at Whisky.buzz: 

“Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington is a tribute to the historic flat iron building on Wellington Street in Toronto that was built by the Gooderham family. Red oak inserts (they provide an intense spicy cedar note) are used in homage to the signature red bricks of the building. The 49% ABV comes from the address (49 Wellington Street). The blend is primarily J.P. Wiser’s Red Letter whisky that was discontinued a few years ago. While Gooderham & Worts Four Grain is available all-year-around, 49 Wellington is a unique blend available as part of the Northern Border Collection in the 2019 Edition.”

I was a massive fan of the Wiser’s Red Letter, so this is an exciting find for me personally. Let's dig in and see how it tastes. 

Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington

Purchase Info: $85.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink: $5.73

Details: 49% ABV. 19 years old.

Nose: Floral mint, almond, light cinnamon, and cotton candy.

Mouth: Delicate at first with a blossoming of spice after a few moments. Almond and cotton candy notes arrive first and then transition to notes of cinnamon red hots and caramel.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium length with notes of almond, cotton candy, baking spice, and oak.

Thoughts: This is a delicious Canadian Whisky. It has a very nice, silky mouthfeel that plays very nicely with the spicy notes. I enjoy the cherry/almond notes and cotton candy sweetness as well. It's a splurge at $90, but one that is probably worth it if you like a good Canadian Whisky as I do. In fact, I enjoy it enough that I may have to see if Total Wine has another bottle. There are days that I only want a really good Canadian Whiskey. And this is certainly that.

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Jack Daniel's Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey

I’m going to keep things short tonight. I’m going out to grab an after-work drink with a friend. I’m realizing now that this is only the second time that I’ve been able to hang out with someone that isn’t family since before the pandemic. And the first time was while on vacation last year.

I’m honestly shocked that it has been this long.

But I don’t have time to wonder where the time has gone, I need to get on the road so I am going to jump right into tonight’s whiskey. It is the second of two permanent releases in Jack Daniel’s new Bonded Series of whiskeys. Like the Jack Daniel’s Bonded we looked at last week, this is also a Bottled in Bond Release. This time though, it is technically a Blended Whiskey as well. To quote the press release:

Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash is a blend of three straight Bottled-In-Bond whiskeys – 60% Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye, 20% Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and 20% Jack Daniel’s American Malt. Each expression is distilled in Lynchburg, Tennessee, in the same distilling season, aged to the stipulations of the Bottled in Bond Act, then blended and bottled at 100 proof.

As I am a big fan of exploring the blender’s art, I was even more excited to try this one than I was the Jack Daniel’s Bonded. Let’s see how it tastes.

Jack Daniel's Triple Mash

Purchase Info: $32.99 for a 700 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.36

Nose: Nutmeg, cinnamon, honey, and cedar.

Mouth: Hot and spicy with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon red hots, honey, malt, and hints of cedar and oak.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of mint, malt, cedar, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: When consumed neat, Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash is a hot and spicy firebrand of a pour. That said, even the smallest piece of ice tames the fire and allows a softer whiskey to shine. I'm really enjoying this. I think I like the heat of the neat pour better, but both are quite tasty. As I have a large interest in the blender’s arts, I also tend to be a big fan of whiskies that blend multiple styles together. It really gives the blender a chance to shine and gives them one more tool to use in crafting something special. And this whiskey is no exception. I really like it.

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Jack Daniel's Bonded

I did it again. I went looking for beer at my local liquor store and walked out with two bottles of whiskey.

Don’t judge me!

Though come to think of it, my wife may be to blame for this. Ultimately after 10 years of writing for this site, she should know better than to send me to the liquor store unattended.

See? It’s really her fault. I feel better now, how ‘bout you?

Anyway as I was taking the long way round the store to buy some beer, I saw one of the employees putting product on the shelf and asked if there was anything new. It turns out that there were a couple of new items from Jack Daniel’s. One of which was tonight’s whiskey, the newly released Jack Daniel’s Bonded.

As you might have gathered from the name, Jack Daniel's Bonded is a Bottled-in-Bond whiskey from Jack Daniel’s. It is at least four years old, was distilled during one distilling season, and is bottled at exactly 100 proof. Oh and due to new regulations allowing for more bottle sizes, this is also the first bottle of whiskey that I’ve bought in the US that is the world-standard size of 700 mL. (So one pour less in the bottle, but they don’t need to make one size for in the US and one size for outside the US.) Let’s see what the distillery has to say about the new release:

Jack Daniel’s Bonded is Jack’s time-honored recipe of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye. Barrels were hand selected for their unique and particular characteristics of deeper color, flavor, and aroma, which bring a darker, richer, and more oak-forward character to Jack Daniel’s Bonded. It is a big, bold Tennessee Whiskey at 100 proof with layered notes of caramel, rich oak, and spice giving way to a pleasantly lingering finish.

Sounds good to me, let’s see how it tastes.

Jack Daniel's Bonded

Purchase Price: $34.99 for a 700 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.50

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Corn flakes, cinnamon, ginger, and mint.

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

Finish: Medium length and spicy. Notes of mint, cinnamon and ginger.

Thoughts: Sometimes I think that all Jack Daniel's needs to be really good is enough proof. This is a prime example. 100 proof, four years old. And it is delicious. This is a very tasty, affordable whiskey. Even if it is 700mL instead of 750.

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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B522

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

As I mentioned last week, I started with a personal trainer. I’ve got one workout under my belt…and I can’t move my legs. I literally fell down the stairs last night they were so wobbly. One 45-minute workout and my hips stopped working for a couple of days. Apparently, I am no longer young. And apparently, I also didn’t make my lack of fitness abundantly clear to the online trainer I’m using. I’ll have to fix that the next time we chat.

Well, I may not be young, but neither is tonight’s whiskey. This 12-year-old beast is a triannual release from Heaven Hill. It is barrel-proof at 121° proof and it is delicious. We’ve been covering these for a while now and I don’t need to tell you that they have all been great. You know it, I know it. So let’s dig in and see how this one compares to recent releases.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B522

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. I have found previous editions locally for as low as $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine.

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.67

Details: 60.5% ABV. 12 years old. Non-chill filtered.

Nose: Oak, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Mouth: Hot in the mouth with notes of oak, leather, cinnamon, chocolate, and ginger.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of chocolate, mint, oak, anise, and ginger.

Thoughts: What can I say? This is delicious, as usual. It's hot, thick, and rich. There's a joke in there somewhere, but I'll let you make it. I'm getting a lot of oak influence this time around. If you are a fan of well-aged bourbon, pick this one up.

Comparison to A122: Both of these are quite hot. They really want a cube of ice or a splash of water. B522 showcases the oak notes that 12 years in a barrel can bring. A122 focuses more on the caramel and spice notes. Both are very good, and which you prefer will be highly subjective. I prefer B522 while my wife prefers A122. And the best part of that is that we are both right in our assessment. It’s not often two married people can both be correct.

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Larceny Barrel Proof, B522

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

So I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my body almost my entire life. If by love/hate you mean just hate. Growing up I was the tall, lanky, scrawny kid who looked like a bundle of bones loosely tied together. No real visible muscle on my body. I hated how I looked and didn’t know how to go about changing things. As I got older, I had the opposite problem. From the age of 20 on, I couldn’t walk past a plate of food without putting on weight. It got so bad that at one point I was 70 pounds heavier than that scrawny high-school kid. My family liked to poke my belly and ask how things were going. Sometimes they came right out and said “putting on some weight, huh?” as a form of small talk.

Eventually, I worked hard and lost all that weight. And then put it back on. And then exercised hard and took it off, and then put it back on…you get the point. I’m currently about 50 pounds heavier than I was as a scrawny kid. So not as bad as in the past, but to the point that I feel the need to make some changes. And I found out that as I’ve gotten older, those changes are much harder to do on my own when you love smoked meat, beer, and bourbon as much as I do. So I’ve signed up with a personal trainer. I want to be the best me that I can be. Wish me luck.

And speaking of the best something can be, is there anything better than a delicious barrel-proof version of an already tasty bourbon? I haven’t seen one, and I’ve been looking (just ask that waistline of mine). Tonight we are looking at the sample of Larceny Barrel-Proof that recently showed up at the house.

Larceny Barrel Proof is a bourbon released three times per year, usually in January, May, and September. If you can find it, it is usually pretty affordable with a suggested retail price of $59.99. That if carries a lot of weight though as I’ve never seen it on a shelf before. Larceny Barrel Proof uses Heaven Hill’s wheated Bourbon mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. Every release so far has been super tasty, let’s see if that trend continues.

Larceny Barrel Proof, B522

Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 61.9% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon. nutmeg, brown sugar, almond, and oak.

Mouth: Hot and spicy. Notes of cinnamon, oak, and almond.

Finish: Long and hot on the finish. Notes of cinnamon red hots and oak.

Thoughts: This is delicious but really screams for ice or water. Super spicy and strong on the cinnamon. Water brings out mint and ginger notes.

Comparison to A122: Both of these are hot but A122 is more complex when consumed neat. B522 is all cinnamon until water is added. At that point, B522 gains almost as much complexity as A122. I’d happily purchase either of these at retail if I saw them. If forced to choose, I’d probably get B522, because I drink high-proof bourbon with a bit of ice or a splash of water and it seems to take the water better. A122 is a bit too drinkable at full strength for my liver to be happy with it.

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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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Stellum Single Barrel Rye, Serpens Release (as Selected by Ace Spirits)

Tonight’s whiskey, a store pick of Stellum Single Barrel Rye, is the lone remaining Stellum release that we haven’t covered yet. We’d done the regular Stellum Bourbon and Rye, the Stellum Black Bourbon and Rye and the Stellum Single Barrel Bourbon previously so it’s probably time to finish out the lineup. This particular bottle is from the “Serpens” release of single barrels. The Serpens barrels were selected in Spring and Summer 2021 and have a mash bill of 95% Rye, 5% malted Barley.

We’ve covered Stellum brand story previously, but the brief version of the brand is that it is created by the same folks that produce the Barrell line of whiskies. Like that brand, Stellum is sourced from multiple distilleries in multiple states and then blended to make a unique product. Seeing how this bottle is a single barrel, it is labeled as having been distilled in Indiana. Based on that and the mash bill, we can probably make an assumption as to which very large distillery it came from.

So let’s see how it tastes.

Stellum Single Barrel Rye, Serpens Release (as Selected by Ace Spirits)

Purchase Info: $50 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 58.31% ABV. Selections made in the Spring and Summer of 2021. Mash bill: 95% Rye, 5% Barley Malt. Distilled in Indiana.

Nose: Mint, cedar, cherry, butterscotch, molasses, and ginger.

Mouth: Rich and spicy with notes of cinnamon, molasses, ginger, cedar, and mint.

Finish: Long and warm. Big-time notes of cedar, mint, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is the store pick so good that I made the hour roundtrip drive to Ace Spirits twice in order to procure a second bottle of it. Probably should have grabbed two the second time, but what are you going to do? I've liked everything I've had out of the Stellum line-up and this is no exception. Very happy with this one. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it is a cask-strength bottle of MGP 95% Rye. And as that is my favorite whiskey on the planet, I might be just a little biased.

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