Originally Posted by
broadwayblue
After eluding me for years I finally found a few bottles of the 2014 Single Barrel and Small Batch Limited Editions. Cost me $100/bottle, but can't really complain considering how hard these are to find in the wild. Really looking forward to sampling these.
Wow congrats? Just recently? That's great... i haven't opened my bottle of the 2014 Single Barrel LE; but I did really like the 2014 Small Batch LE... $100 is still a great price; considering that the retail price was $80. Also, 2014 was the last year that they made a single barrel... I'm already gearing up for this year's small batch LE- it's got a great recipe with a little more age to it... In my mind 4R is really killing it these days.. that's the release I look for most... Hopefully Jim Rutledge has the pipeline stocked for the future...
Originally Posted by
exerda
I do think there's very little effect of the port finishing evident on Angel's Envy. Now, their rye does definitely show off the effects of rum finishing (as I posted above, something I like--though I've subsequently also found I like good rye in general and my negative experiences had been with subpar ryes; even a cheap Rittenhouse BiB rye is very good IMHO).
The scary rumor is always that bourbon producers are considering 35 proof to attract "more ladies" away from the flavored vodka realms (shudder--like we need any more demand for bourbon?!--the real reason perhaps being cutting the limited supplies even further). I suspect very few are the real bourbons which will see a drop below 40; increasingly, "real" bourbons seem to be 90 or higher, bottled at "cask strength" in many cases even if just using marketing buzzwords.
I find the rye finish to be a bit too sweet for my taste; I'm really loving rye for my cocktails.. just replenished my Sazerac stock recently... technically if it's 35 proof it isn't bourbon (gotta be above 80 to qualify as bourbon; maybe even to qualify as whiskey)... it would be flavored liquer.. bleh...sonds gross... I tend to gravitate to higher proofed expressions; the William Larue Weller and George T Stagg are also some of my favorites and they typically are min of 125 proof...
Originally Posted by
exerda
Drinking an Abraham Bowman "rare" tonight, the July release of a nearly-9-year "high rye" bourbon (estimated around 45%). I know Sazerac/Buffalo Trace supplies the distillate, and Bowman merely bottles it in VA, but I do like several of their products and like having a "local" bourbon with some age. (There are some true local bourbon distilleries in VA, but none have much age to them yet.)
This one is not bad, but at $70 a bottle, a bit richer than my everyday budget. I've had several of their other limited editions which also were solid bourbons, though probably better-priced at $50 than $70. I am somewhat annoyed that these days, any bourbon with more than, say, 4 years of age seems to run at least $50. I understand why (and yes, there are still $30-ish bargains with 8-12 years of age to them), but I don't have to like it!
I haven't actually tried any of their stuff before... I know that they are doing some interesting finishes (Gingerbread???) but since I tend to shy away from them I've shyed away from Bowman.. I like the stuff coming out of Smooth Ambler.(WV).. they are now distilling their own stuff and yes it's young but shows great promise..
Originally Posted by
stimpy
OK, now I've had a bit of time to try the Angels Envy. It definitely doesn't taste like Jim Beam, I can tell you that.
Seriously though, their marketing claims it was an experiment by their master distiller to do the Port barrel finish and I salute the experiment. And I think they got it right. It's not at all a pronounced difference in taste, but subtle and interesting. And by distilling to 86.6 proof rather than 80, it's a serious bourbon and not a slick trick club drink.
Thanks for the report.. I have a bottle of the barrel proof Angels Envy which is a just a bit off for my palette.. can't quite put a finger on it but it's seems to be a bit sweeter than I like...
Originally Posted by
thelark
check fairgrounds for rock hill. I haven't seen Weller 12 anywhere.
Thanks for the tip-- I'm in there all the time and must just miss it....
I had a Manhattan tonite: Sazerac rye, Carpano Antica vermouth, barrel aged biters, and Luxardo cherries.. yum!
FDW