One of my favorite releases every fall is the Small Batch Limited Edition from Four Roses. They combine recipes from their 10 different mash bills for the release. Here’s the recipes Four Roses is using for the 2015 Small Batch:
OBSK – 16 year
OBSV – 11 year
OESK – 15 year
If you follow bourbon on any social media outlet I’m sure you’ve found yourself jealous of another Bourbonr’s bottles that they found “in the wild”. This is bourbon slang for “sitting on a shelf and I paid retail or close to it”. If you’re like me you probably wondered “how did they find that!” and curse the poor selection of bourbon at your local stores. I’ve been fairly successful at hunting bourbon over the years, and while it has become increasingly more difficult, I wanted to share some of the tips and tricks I use on my bourbon hunts.
Pairings can often be intimidating. Figuring out what flavors work together is often more trial and error than anything else. Pairing a bourbon with a cigar is about matching flavors. Eric over at Stogies on the Rocks has a great rundown on how to pair bourbons with cigars. I suggest relying on what you know. For me that’s bourbon.
Today we received a reminder that fall bourbon releases will be here before we know it. Old Forester received approval for their annual Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Release. If you remember, the 2014 OFBB included an increased price tag. My guess is the 2015 OFBB release will be closer to the $60 mark. While on taste alone Birthday Bourbon isn’t one of my favorites, I do love how they change the label colors every year. It gives collectors something to get excited about.
This is the final major distillery of the Bourbonr mash bill breakdowns. Wild Turkey mash bills are simple. One bourbon (75/13/12 corn/rye/barley) and one rye (37/51/12 corn/rye/barley) with most likely the same yeast strand for each. What’s interesting is how they’re able to produce different flavor profiles with age and warehouse location as their only variables. I’ve also heard that Wild Turkey takes wider cuts during the distillation process which increases the spiciness of their whiskey.
If you remember back in the summer Buffalo Trace received label approval for EH Taylor Cured Oak and Seasoned Wood. I asked brand manager Kris Comstock about these releases but only received a “just wait” response. It seems official now that BT is moving forward with the release. Several distributors have already received their shipments so I’d be on the lookout or at least start asking your local store. This has just made the spring bourbon hunt more interesting!
Just one week after receiving approval for a non-age stated Blade and Bow bourbon Diageo clears a 22 year old Blade and Bow label. This bourbon is 92 proof and is also bottled by “Stitzel-Weller Distilling Co.” This is not to be confused with the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. The Stizel-Weller Distillery was shut down in 1991 which would make any bourbon produced there 24(ish) years old. Diageo could have been holding the bourbon in steel tanks since Blade and Bow is only 22 years old but I highly doubt that is the case.
This is the fifth installment of mash bill breakdowns on Bourbonr and is slightly different than the others. In the past I’ve focused on each distillery. However, I’ve decided to include the entire Brown-Forman portfolio on this one since it makes it more interesting. You’ll notice I’ve included all american whiskey (sorry, Canadian Mist fans) produced by Brown-Forman. Yes, Old Forester and Jack Daniels are basically cousins.
Just last week I posted “In Defense of Orphan Barrel” which talked about ignoring the marketing and just focusing on the taste of the Orphan Barrel bourbons. Diageo is making it hard. Blade and Bow could have the same problem. Apparently, Diageo didn’t lose the Blade and Bow barrels in the Stitzel-Weller warehouses but they did bottle them there. Diageo has been renovating the Stitzel-Weller Distillery but had positioned it as the Bulleit Experience. The new bottling facility must have been part of the remodel.
Woodford Reserve just received approval for a label commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby Museum. It appears to be the regular Woodford Reserve bourbon in a limited edition bottle. This seems like a great way to celebrate two of the most iconic things in Kentucky.
Since I’m celebrating my own 30th this year I’ll definitely grab a bottle.