Guys can be hard to buy gifts for on Valentines Day. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. You can’t go wrong with either of these options. Old Blowhard is a 26 year old bourbon released under the Orphan Barrel (Diageo) brand. While Thomas H. Handy may be a little harder to come by since it’s a part of the highly sought after BTAC fall release it’s definitely worth tracking down.
Yesterday, Jim Beam announced the release of the 2015 Booker’s Bourbon. See the bold below for my notes. Or, check out the other bottle stickers here. Personally, I love Booker’s and this gives me something to look forward to in light of the dispiriting spring bourbon releases.
CLERMONT, KY–(Marketwired – Feb 11, 2015) – Booker’s® Bourbon is proud to unveil the inaugural batch of its limited-edition collection celebrating founding distiller Booker Noe’s legacy as the father of small batch bourbon. One of the few bourbons available today bottled straight from the barrel, Booker’s® Bourbon will now feature limited-edition labels inspired by Booker Noe’s love of bourbon, family and the spirit of experimentation. These commemorative releases will be available in limited quantities throughout the year. Booker’s® Bourbon Batch 2015-1, named “Big Man, Small Batch,” features a custom label inspired by the iconic visual of Booker sipping bourbon in his rocking chair with his dog, Dot, by his side. The batch’s name honors Booker’s role in the creation of small batch bourbons and the larger-than-life personality for which he was known. “Booker’s® was founded on my dad’s dedication to making the very best bourbon there is, and I’m proud to honor him with this limited-edition collection,” said Fred Noe, Beam’s 7th Generation Master Distiller and 2013 Bourbon Hall of Fame Inductee. “‘Big Man, Small Batch’ is the first batch to feature these new labels, giving our fans a little more insight into who my dad was and his love for creating great bourbon!” Uncut like all Booker’s® Bourbon batches before it, “Big Man, Small Batch” is now available in limited quantities. Bottled at 128.7 proof, “Big Man, Small Batch” was selected with the following characteristics: • Proof: 128.7 • Age: 7 years, 2 months and 16 days • Batch Notes: Culled from seven different rack houses, Batch 2015-1 blends the flavor tendencies of several small groups of barrels to create a complex bourbon with a vanilla nose. • Sipping Suggestions: With ice or cut with waterEach batch of Booker’s® Bourbon is hand-selected by Fred Noe to ensure every bottle contains a robust, full-bodied whiskey that matches Booker’s whiskey preference. Noe also calls on the expertise of “Booker’s® Bourbon Roundtable,” an exclusive panelist group consisting of top whiskey experts, enthusiasts and writers, to help select batches throughout the year — a tradition that will continue for the limited-edition collection.
Very Olde St. Nick whiskey was released in the early 2000’s only in the Japanese market however some bottles have made their way back to whiskey collectors in the US. Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) bottled Very Olde St. Nick. It’s important to note that they bottled VOSN but it was not their brand.
The label on a bottle of whiskey is extremely important to consumers. There’s a vast amount of information that can be gleaned from each label. What happens when we can no longer trust the information presented to us? The consumer is in trouble. If you’re not familiar, the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is responsible for regulating and approving whiskey labels. They’ve also been the center of whiskey label controversies over the past few years. Without diving too deep in to the controversy, multiple distilleries and Non-Distiller Producers (NDP’s) have been called out for mislabeling their products. Their response was “the labels were approved by the TTB” or some other form of a hand washing rebuttal.
At the end of 2014, Tuthiltown Distillery released their limited edition Double Charred Whiskey. It’s a mix of bourbon and rye, 92 proof, costs around $50, aged less than 4 years (apparently this label was approved before the TTB crackdown), it’s a 375 ml bottle and was dumped from barrels that were saved from a distillery fire.
Every year the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States releases their market report. It’s 40 pages of boring graphs and bad stock images. Since I’m well versed in both I decided to pull out the interesting parts for the Bourbonr readers.
If you’d like to read the full report you can do so here: Distilled_Spirits_Industry_Briefing_Feb_3_2015_Final
The always innovative Buffalo Trace is ready to release the final round of their Single Oak Project. This is BT’s quest to find the perfect bourbon based on mash bill, entry proof, stave seasoning, grain size, warehouse, barrel char and tree cut.
This is the stuff bourbon nerds dreams are made of.
This appears to be a label change only
Heaven Hill Distillery is set to release their 7th installment of the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. This release will be exactly 128 proof and 12 years old. No word on when it will hit store shelves but I’d expect it in the next couple of weeks.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof will begin to ship February 2nd!
According to TTB labels approved today, Willett will release 2 unaged whiskies a rye and a wheated mash bill. This will be Willetts own distillate. That part makes it interesting to taste but I would prefer a 375 ML bottle because who really wants a whole bottle of white dog. What is also interesting is the release will be cask (still) strength. This would be the perfect bottle for home aging.