I’d like to thank the PR folks working for Diageo for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
First things first. You all still have all of your fingers, right? I love Independence Day, but I do worry about folks. Pretty sure my neighbors spent their paycheck on illegal fireworks and combined their ignition with copious amounts of alcohol. And having had more than one close call before I liked to consume alcohol…well…I just hope everyone still has all their extremities.
But since multiple neighbors had such a large display of explosive celebration, I ended up spending my 4th inside with the curtains drawn and the music cranked. As you might know, one of my businesses is a dog sitting service. And after a few years of doing this, I’ve found that rock music inside the house helps camouflage the scary noises outside the house. Plus if you really like the songs you are playing, the singing along with the songs and the dancing with the pups allows them to be distracted.
Believe it or not, I had fun though. I may not have been able to see most of the displays, and I might have had a shaking sheepdog on my lap at times, but I had fun anyway. It just goes to show that you never really know what you will think of things until you experience them yourself. I was dreading having a bunch of scared pups, but it turned out to be a really fun night as we had ourselves a rockin’ party.
The same can be said for tonight’s whisky. I haven’t gotten an Orphan Barrel sample for three or four years now, mostly because I really didn’t care for the ones that I had gotten. But when I saw that the newest one was a 16-year-old bourbon coming out of Cascade Hollow Distillery, home of George Dickel, well you can believe that I very quickly shot off a note to see if I could get on the sample list.
Older Dickel is some of my favorite whiskey out there, a fact that I was reminded of in my Sample Roulette tastings while on vacation. Add in the fact that it is Cask Strength and was developed by Nicole Austin? Well, that was just icing on the cake. Ms. Austin is the force behind the delicious yearly George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond releases and the very exciting, just-announced George Dickel 8-year-old bourbon. Yes, bourbon. And she has been doing a great job as far as my taste buds are concerned.
One thing that surprised me about Copper Tongue is that, while it is cask strength, it is only 89.8° proof. I find that fascinating. It isn’t unheard of to find an old bourbon barrel that is of a lower proof, but it is pretty unusual to sell it. I can really only think of one other and that was the first edition of Wild Turkey Master’s Keep. But since I liked that one, I tried not to let the surprise bias my tasting.
Orphan Barrel: Copper Tongue Bourbon
Purchase Info: This sample was graciously sent by the producers for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $100 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50mL): $6.67
Details: Cask Strength at 44.9% ABV. 16 years old. Bourbon.
Nose: Brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, leather.
Mouth: Follows the nose with brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, leather and adds red fruits and melon.
Finish: Warm and sweet with lingering spice notes.
Thoughts: I really like this. The mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I expected, even at the low (for cask strength) proof, but the flavors make up for that. It is sweet and has just the right amount of spice to it. The press release describes it as “surprisingly delicate [and] sophisticated.” That sounds like an accurate description but it is working for me. For once, I think I'll be keeping my eyes open for an Orphan Barrel release. Though for the price, it’ll be going on the special shelf should I find it.
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