There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren t as good as others. - Raymond Chandler, novelist and screenwriter Newcomers Whisky Club November 2016
Witherspoon's Newcomers Whisky Club November 2016 Tonight s Menu Witherspoon's Cross Timbers, Texas Malt Whiskey Angels Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Russel's Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Smooth Ambler Yearling, Bourbon Whiskey High West Rendezvous Rye Whiskey Cross Timbers, Texas Malt Whiskey True Spirits $54.99 Witherspoon Distillery, located in Lewisville, Texas, was founded in 2011 by Quentin Witherspoon along with partners Ryan and Natasha DeHart. Witherspoon, a former Marine, first learned the art of distilling while stationed in Central Africa. His interest remained upon return to the States and reached full bloom with the establishment of Witherspoon Distillery. At first, Witherspoon s used sourced spirits that they blended, matured and bottled, Now, Witherspoon s is distilling its own spirit and releasing them based on availability, like this Malt Whiskey release. Cross Timbers, Texas Malt whiskey is made with a mash bill of 50% malted barley - 6- row modified from Wisconsin - and 50% corn grown here in North Texas. The spirit is then aged for at least 9 months in #4B heavy-charred 53 gallon new American white oak barrels. Distillery Description: A rare and sought after delicacy for true Single Malt aficionados. Witherspoon s approach to Malt Whiskey showcases the subtle and delicate flavors and aromas that are found only in obscure Lowland and Speyside regions of Scotland. In this fine liquor are traditional scents of earth and grass. Each moment in the glass reveals layer after complex layer of floral jasmine and honey sweetness. This delicious spirit is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. I picked up a bottle of his Cross Timbers Single Malt Whiskey at Goody Goody s the other day. I hadn t seen Cross Timbers before. Aged for at least 9 months in heavy charred white oak barrels. Made from 50%+ malted barley and corn. It s light caramel in color. It has a nice front bite. I pick up some hints of green apple and orange. It finishes with less bite on the back end but a charred smoky note on the swallow followed with citrus after taste. (www.whiskeynwry.com) Barrell Whiskey American Straight Whiskey
Angel s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks, 43.3% abv True Spirits $44.99 Produced at Louisville Distilling Co., Angel s Envy is a blended, finished whiskey from Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson. Pulled from retirement in 2006 by his son, Wes, who founded Louisville Distilling Co. Lincoln, who passed away in 2013, spend nearly 40 years at Brown-Forman where he helped develop some of the company s most prestigious brands, including Woodford Reserve, Gentleman Jack, and Jack Daniel s Single Barrel. Distiller's Description Angel s Envy Port Finished Bourbon begins with Kentucky. We painstakingly oversee every step of the process, guiding each batch s aging and conditioning. We blend our handcrafted bourbon in small batches of 8 to 10 barrels at a time, and typically age it on the upper floors of the warehouse for up to 6 years. While we lose about 5% of the spirit each year to evaporation, or the Angel s Share, what s left behind after we ve has finished is truly worthy of envy. Once it s deemed ready, we finish the spirit in port casks, adding subtle nuances that enhance the flavor without challenging it. Our port finishing process lasts between three to six months depending on taste. We use 60- gallon ruby port barrels made from French oak and imported directly from Portugal. This creates a whiskey of unprecedented smoothness, sweetness and balance. Nose: On the nose, dark cherry and licorice mingle with star anise and brown sugar, all surrounded by a notable dark wood scent. Hearty and balanced, the nose emits the perfect amount of spice and pepper. After a little time to open, the dram emits heavy black pepper and sweetness. Palate: Astringent, but with a rich mouth feel, the whiskey manages to be both velvety and biting. Dark cherry again, but with a syrup note emerging, as does brown sugar and leather. A touch of baking spices and orange oil lend a depth likely taken from the Port wood finish, balancing the sweetness. Lacking in bitterness but not bite Angel s Envy has an impressive consistency from nose to palate. Finish: The finish is medium, warm. Reminiscent of snickerdoodles, the finish leaves the drinker wanting more of the same. (www.thewhiskeywash.com) Russell s Reserve, 6 Years Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, 45% abv True Sprits/Total Wine, $35.99 (750 ml) Dubbed the Buddha of Bourbon and The Master Distiller s Master Distiller by his industry peers, James C. Jimmy Russell knows Bourbon like he knows breathing. For an astounding 60 years, Russell has been making whiskey at the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and today, is the longest-tenured, active spirits Master Distiller in the world. Over the past 60 years, Jimmy has been responsible for the launches of a number of new Wild Turkey brands and expressions, such as Tradition, Tribute, 17-year-old Wild Turkey for Japan, Rare Breed, American Spirit, Kentucky Spirit and Russell s Reserve, which he co-created with his son and distilling partner Eddie Russell. Jimmy is also responsible for making sure the legacy of Wild Turkey stays intact; overseeing the production of Wild Turkey 101, Wild Turkey s flagship brand. While waxing poetic about aging techniques and grain selection, you can often find Jimmy enjoying his beloved Bourbon neat or with a touch of branch water. NOSE: Caramel followed by a big slap of rye accompanied by some butterscotch, red berries, vanilla and dill. Some wood comes sliding in underneath to support the whole thing. TASTE: Caramel, rye, vanilla and wood completely dominate the palate but leave little cracks for some leather, pepper and an ambiguous baking spice to slip in. FINISH: A woody biscuity character envelopes rye spice, a watery caramel and a bit of dill that mixes, mingles and slowly fades. OVERALL: Russell s Reserve 6 years Rye is the kind of rye whiskey I would expect from Wild Turkey. Satisfyingly tasty neat, rich and creamy on the rocks and it makes one of the best rye Manhattans I ve had. Rich texture, complex flavors and aromas, through and through its one hell of a dram. (www.thewhiskeyjug.com)
Smooth Ambler Yearling Bourbon Whiskey, 46% abv True Sprits, $26.99 (375 ml) High West Rendezvous Rye Batch 16G28, Bottled 2016, 46% abv True Spirits, $49.99 Founded in 2009, Smooth Ambler is a young distillery that produces PATIENTLY CRAFTED APPALACHIAN SPIRITS. Based in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Smooth Ambler began life by blending and bottling whiskies produced elsewhere (primarily MGP) as well as distilling their own spirits. As Smooth Ambler began to gain momentum, they issued an early release of a bourbon whiskey that they had distilled. Named Yearling, this bourbon has varying ages on the releases, generally running around 2.5 years. The Yearling bourbon is double-pot distilled with a mashbill consisting of 60% corn, 20% wheat, and 20% malted barley. Distillery Description: YEARLING, our handmade, limited release double-pot distilled bourbon comes from a unique mash of corn, wheat, and barley. Rich and remarkably smooth taste is assured with small cask aging in our own West Virginia rick house. Naturally sweet with caramel and butterscotch aromas and subtle notes of grain, wood, and tobacco. The nose is punchy, vibrant and very promising. The immediate aromas are of vanilla, maple syrup and warming wood spices, especially cinnamon. These are followed by some bittersweet cereals, toffee, burnt orange zest and hints of mint, cedar wood and dried tropical fruits (pineapple in particular). On the palate, this is equally as punchy and vibrant as initially found on the nose. The intense wood spices hit first and give a powerful warming feel. There include notes of freshly sawn oak, cedar wood, baking spices (especially cinnamon, mace and nutmeg) and plenty of bittersweet cereals. These add a dryness to the palate, which is in danger of taking over before some sweeter elements begin to take hold. First comes plenty of vanilla - this seems exaggerated and reminiscent of extract rather than the seeds or pods - and then lots of maple syrup (or is it golden syrup?), plus butterscotch and just a hint of cocoa powder. A late hit of bitter candied orange peel adds extra depth. The finish is very long and becomes increasingly dry and spicy, especially once the sweet syrupy notes begin to fade. The intense vanilla lasts longer but it too starts to fade, which leaves the wood spices and bittersweet cereals to fight it out with the bitter oranges. Delicious and mouthwatering. (www.whiskyforeveryone.com) Rendezvous Rye is a blend of straight rye whiskies that is released in individual batches. While the component whiskies vary, the premise remains consistent, to produce a whisky that emphasizes the historical rye whiskey profile. The High West website offers this as a description, It honors the way rye whiskey used to be made, with a high rye content and full, uncompromised flavor. With Rendezvous Rye, you get a taste of authentic rye whiskey. Batch 16G26 is a blending of three different straight rye whiskies with distinct mash bills. The whiskies were aged between five and eighteen years, although High West did not disclose the age by the whisky. The first whisky is a 95% rye/5% malted barley produced by MGP in Lawrenceburg, IN; the second a 80%rye/10% corn/10% malted barley produced by the Barton Distilling Company, Bardstown, KY; and the third is whisky with a mash bill of 53% rye/37% corn also from Barton. NOSE: Rye spice! Big rolling waves of rye spice accompanied by notes of butterscotch, dill and caramel. Hints of vanilla, strawberry heavy dark fruit and a sliver of wood ride the waves. TASTE: Rye, caramel and dill come rolling out of the glass and combine with some dark fruit leather, wood and citrus to create a wonderfully coating flavor. Pepper and new leather come in at the end with a hint of raw grains and a mild astringent underpinning. FINISH: Rye rules the aftertaste with oak finally making a big showing and bringing some citrus and pepper along with it on a long slow fade to an ambiguous sweetness. OVERALL: High West Rendezvous Rye is another amazing whiskey from the Wasatch Mountain lads I truly enjoy. I love how the rounded, almost bourbon like, sweetness and soft wooden character of the older rye mixes and balances so well with the sharp assertive qualities of the young rye; weaving a bit of a bite through the more refined and complex dessert and spice notes. Artfully crafted, they were able to balance the strengths of each to create something truly tasty and unique. (www.thewhiskeyjug.com) *review of a different batch
Barrell Whisky, Batch 002 American Whiskey, Sherry Cask Finish Bottle #97, Age: 9 years, 6 mo., 61.9% abv True Spirits, $61.99 Barrell Craft Spirits, like High West and others, are not distillers, rather they blend and bottle whiskies that were distilled by others. This particular whiskey was distilled in Indiana, so the source is likely MGP. Barrell has released both traditional bourbon whiskies and American whiskies. What s the difference between a bourbon and an American whiskey? Federal Regulations state that a bourbon must have a mash bill of at least 51% corn and be matured in new American oak barrels. This American whiskey, even though its mash bill resembles a bourbon mash a mix of corn, rye and malted barley cannot be labeled as bourbon because the whisky was matured in previously used bourbon barrels Batch 002 American Whiskey is both the oldest whiskey released by Barrell and is also their first cask-finished whiskey. With this whiskey, Barrell has put an interesting twist on traditional American whiskey production. By forgoing the use of new oak barrels in favor of previously used casks, and then finishing the whiskey in sherry casks, Barrell has applied a very Scotch-like maturation schedule to a perceived bourbon-mash whiskey! Appearance: Light amber. Nose: The initial impression is quite mild an overwhelming wave of cream soda followed by ripe white-flesh cherries, syrup-soaked sponge cake, raw pecans, and a hint of root beer. With water, I get more buttery notes brown butter, Werther s originals, and a kind of sun-warmed weathered oak note. Palate: Wowza that s hot! Without water, this is too strong to get much of a read on just a tantalizing flavor of sweet butterscotch before a vaporous wave of alcohol obscures the rest, gradually fading into a very tingly, sherry-inflected finish. The addition of a few drops of water help enormously, amplifying that sweetness while revealing notes of marcona almond, oxidized sherry, and light cornbread. (www.thewhiskeywash.com)