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It was rumored that the 2017 Four Roses SMBLE would be replaced by the Al Young 50th Anniversary bottle. That appears to be only a rumor. Four Roses has announced their 2017 Small Batch Limited Edition.
A 15-year-old Bourbon from Four Roses’ OESK recipe, a 13-year-old OESK and a 12-year-old OESV were selected for this year’s Limited Edition Small Batch
It’s hard to find a distillery more picturesque than Maker’s Mark. They’ve also worked with a lot of artists to capture the beauty of Star Hill. I always thought blown glass was a strange addition to a distillery. That was until I saw it in person. I changed my mind and thought it was a cool addition. This new installment sounds impressive.
It’s hard to believe but I wrote this post almost three years ago. On one hand, the bourbon world has changed a lot. On the other hand, it’s funny how much hasn’t changed. I thought it would be fun to revisit and revise this post.
In September 2014, Whisky Advocate’s Jonny McCormick wrote an article titled “Whisky – As You Like it”. This article was his whisky adaption of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”. If you haven’t read McCormick’s “Whisky – As You Like it” (link has been taken down by WA) it’s well worth the time. Below is a quote from McCormick’s article.
Come join me this weekend at the Orlando Whiskey Festival! This will be the second year I’ve gone to this festival and it really was a great event. Last year, I sampled William LaRue Weller, George T. Stagg, Whistle Pig Vermont, 2015 Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition, Willett 11-year private barrel and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon just to name a few. I know the taste list will be even better this year. If you’re in the Central Florida area (or willing to travel) you won’t want to miss this.
Sourced products are one of the most controversial topics in bourbon. Mainly because some brands choose to use deceptive tactics. This is the story of how it all works.
I’ve mentioned it before, but I worked with Manifest Distilling in the Winter of 2016 to source a 10-year product. This story really starts close to three years ago when I met a local whiskey enthusiast via Bourbonr, Scott Kennelly. Long story short, he became one of the founding members of Manifest Distilling and introduced me to another founder and Head Distiller David Cohen. Like drinking buddies do, we often discussed what we liked and didn’t like about the industry and what products we’d like to try. As Manifest planned their distillery opening, the option to source a product kept coming up. Craft distilleries are forced to walk a tight line in the early years. Release a product too young and you may lose customers. However, cash is king and most businesses aren’t positioned to sit and wait for 3-4 years with little to no revenue.
There are many brands and distilleries out there. Part of the fun of Bourbonr is exploring some of the more interesting parts of the world of whiskey. Single Cask Nation (and the Whisky Jewbilee events) is one I’ve been followed for quite some time. They consistently release some of the most sought after private barrels on the market. They also put on a large whisky festival in multiple cities every year. What I like most is they’ve created their own model for how to deliver great whiskey to their customers. I decided to reach out to Joshua Hatton at Single Cask Nation (SCN) and he was kind enough to tell the SCN and Whisk Jewbilee story.
As you may remember, we opened up voting for the Bourbonr Whiskey of the Year (WOTY) last week. While I’m sure, you won’t see a sticker on a bottle anytime soon with the words “Bourbonr Gold Medalist” this award is significant. It’s significant because it was awarded by you, the readers. Each year we open up the voting for Bourbonr WOTY.