Bernheim Wheat Whiskey

This small batch wheat whiskey is a product of Heaven Hill Distillery. Unlike the majority of our other reviews, wheat is the primary grain in this whiskey, and thus can't technically be called a bourbon. 

Details:

-90 proof

-7 years old

-Price: $25

Nose: Sweet spice, corn, toffee, almonds, and leather. 

Taste: Sweet wheat with crushed corn. An oily yet light mouthfeel. Toffee with a smack of vanilla cream, figs, and spice.   

Finish: Short with a sweet , spice kick.

Conclusion: Overall this is a nice wheater. Smooth and all the way through, its light and refreshing. It may just be a bit too watered down for my taste. As the flavors are subtle, it wasn't as sweet as I was expecting. It is though, certainly worth a try at the price point.   

My Rating: B (Good) 

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DIY: How To Refinish a Bourbon Barrel

Last year my wife and I drove down to Kentucky for the first time to take on the Bourbon Trail. We spent 3 nights in KY and were able to hit our favorite distilleries (Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Willet). It was a fun and fruitful trip; I returned home with many great bourbons. My one regret was not pulling the trigger on one of those new or refinished barrels that was available for purchase at Makers Mark. Ever since that trip, I have been meaning to acquire a barrel and refinish it myself. Luckily enough, one of my local liquor stores regularly participates in the single barrel (store picked) programs offered by most distilleries, and had a few barrels sitting around. They were generous enough to let me walk away with one. 

This barrel, from Four Roses Distillery, aged an OESQ whiskey that was 10 years old and bottled at 119 proof. 

The first thing I did was purchase a Black and Decker mouse/hand sander from Lowes. I picked up some 80 grit sand paper and started with that, then switched to 120 grit for the second and third time around.  I probably sanded for 6 hours over the course of a week.

     Off the truck                        Starting to sand

After sanding I tried to remove the rust off the metal rungs with a wire brush, but that hardly did the trick. After sitting for ten years, you can imagine the rungs were extremely rusty. I went back to Lowe's to pick up some rust remover in gel form. I removed each rung one at a time (aside from the top and bottom-  those I left on the barrel), lathered on the remover, and hosed down the barrel. This step was repeated multiple times. 

                                                                  Rust remover in action    

Next was the fun part: painting/staining. I used Minwax PolyShades with polyurethane. This was a suggestion from a store employee; it gave the barrel a very nice, high gloss look. I chose a dark color (Mission Oak) to match the rest of our furniture. The directions on the label suggested two coats, but after one thick coat I was really happy with the level of darkness and gloss, so we stopped after the first coat.

 

The last purchase was a round glass topper to fit the barrel head. You can purchase a round piece of glass at Peir One Imports (I ordered this 20" piece from their website). 

                                                                           Before and after 

I hope this can be helpful for those of you looking to complete a similar project. As always, tweet @blundon_bourbon for any questions!

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Cheers!

WhistlePig Old World Rye

WhistlePig Old World was released in June of 2015. While Whistle Pig didn't distill this rye, they did double barrel, blend, and bottle it at their farm in Shoreham, Vermont. This 'Old World' rye whiskey is a blend that has been finished in three different wine casks; 63% in Madeira casks, 30% in French Sauternes, and 7% in Port casks. 

Details:
86 proof
12 years old

Nose: A combination of red fruits reminiscent of a homemade jam. Bright rye spice, maple syrup, subtle char, and a nice herbal undertone.   

Taste: Complex and flavorful. White Zinfandel entry which moves into pepper spice, roasted grains, and a subtle cotton candy.  

Finish: Extremely smooth with rye spice, oak, and a lingering fruitiness.  

Conclusion: There is a lot of complexity with WhistlePig Old World. The red fruits and rye spice make for a sweet/spicy whiskey that is uniquely balanced. That being said, you guys know how I feel about whiskey finished in wine barrels, and at $130 a bottle, this isn't something I can justify pulling the trigger on. 

My Rating: B (Good) 

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Old Ezra Rare Old Bourbon

Old Ezra, Rare Old "Sippin Whiskey" Bourbon is not often spoken about in whiskey circles, however I do believe it is the hidden gem of the Ezra Brooks Distilling CO. At a robust proof and age, it offers a bold flavored whiskey that is certainly able to shine when being enjoyed neat.

Details:
-7 years old
-101 proof
-Price: $16

Nose: Butter cream, corn, rye spice, burnt oak.

Taste: Full bodied with a chewy mouth feel. Sweet corn, maple, caramel. 

Finish: Smooth with sweet maple and burnt oak. 

Conclusion: This is a good bourbon that I don't mind drinking neat. At 101 proof and 7 years in the wood, the flavors are satisfyingly bold. The best thing about this bourbon is its price tag of $16; an unreal value for whats inside the bottle! While it may be hard to find, if you stumble across a bottle of Old Ezra Rare Old "sippin whiskey", pick it up because your taste buds -and your wallet- will happy you did. 

My Rating: B (Good)

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Bourbon Brothers Review: 

Amador Ten Barrels Straight Hop Flavored Whiskey

This straight hop-flavored whiskey is the latest limited release from Charbay Master Distiller, Marko Karakasevic. Charbay is a small craft distillery located in Napa (think wine) county California, who partnered with the Amador Whiskey Co. to bottle this limited release. Seing as only ten barrels were made, it is in fact, the definition of "limited". Reading the accompanying dog tag blows my mind; it's a blend of straight malt whiskey and a hop-flavored whiskey. After these whiskeys were distilled, they were aged separately for over two years in French oak wine barrels and then "married" in  chardonnay barrels for another year before being bottled. 

So..Much..Flavor...

Details:
Batch No. 1, Barrel No. 10, Bottle No. 3582
96 Proof
60% straight malt whiskey
40% hop-flavored whiskey -crafted from Racer 5 IPA (brewed by the Bear Republic Brewery)

Nose: Full of hops, caramel, mint leaves, cloves and vanilla, and plum.

Taste:  There is an initial sweetness with vanilla and honey followed by an extreme burst of hops and spice. The flavors on the mid palate are abundant, with malt, toffee, butterscotch, rich citrus, red fruit, and nougat. 

Finish: It's long, with hops spice and a scotch like dryness. 

Conclusion: As you can see by the amount left in the bottle, I took my time before reviewing this one. For a young whiskey, the flavors are still bold and the proof makes it worth drinking...it's just, the overwhelming burst of hops takes me a bit too far away from my whiskey comfort zone. While this was a gift, it retails around $99. If you are a hops lover, this may be worth searching for, but as there were only 10 barrels made, it may be fairly difficult to find. 

My Rating: C (Decent)

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