Category: Whiskey

Hey all,

Just got in Dave’s hand selected barrel from our Four Roses private selection program, my “Nate’s Barrel” sold out in a matter of days and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one did to. Jim Rutledge hand selected these samples for us, fortunately we’ve developed a strong relationship with Jim over the years, and he knows exactly what warehouse locations best suit our tastes. Dave and myself heavily scrutinized both barrels we ended up picking, rating them on various criteria including nose/aroma, flavors and taste, and mouthfeel/finish. Dave’s pick ended up being from one of the highest tiers in their warehouses, giving it the beautiful color you see in the picture and causing it to gain in proof (63.4% alcohol). The higher tiers are one of the few spots in the warehouses where the barrels gain strength instead of losing it giving it a robust oaky mouthfeel and layer upon layer of depth. The recipe choosen was OESV, the higher corn content recipe which gives the finished bourbon a beautiful creaminess and flavors of bananas foster and delicate berry fruit. Again this will probably sell out fast, beer and bourbon club members may call in to reserve .

Nate

Hey all,

Just landed Heaven Hill’s newest offering, Larceny wheated bourbon, an off shoot brand from their Fitzgerald line. While I’m told Larceny is in the 6-8 year range I must say I was impressed with the oakiness and depth of flavor I got on this. Definitely tastes a little older, reminiscent of the Old Fitzgerald 12 year, but with the body of something like the Woodford Double Oaked. At under $30 bucks it’s a steal for sure. This might just be my new every day bourbon.

Nate

Hey all,

Just got in the new High West American Prairie Reserve, it comes in at a very reasonable price compared to their other releases and 10% of sales go towards the American Prairie Reserve in northeastern Montana, one of the largest wildlife reserves in the country. Prairie Reserve is a blend of two straight bourbons. The first is a 6 year from the old Seagrams distillery LDI with a mashbill of 75% Corn, 20% rye, 5% barley. The second is a 10 year from Four Roses with a high rye content mashbill of 60% Corn, 35% rye, and 5% barley.

Tasting Notes:
-On the nose I get aromas of peppercorns, rye bread, ginger snaps, peanut butter cookies, mangos, yellow cake, sugar cookies and fennel. Super engaging aromas that are a perfect balance between rye spice and fresh baked cookies. On the palate I get flavors of candy corn, toffee, sweet corn, wild flower honey, milk chocolate and tiramisu. Overall it’s incredibly lush and approachable with just the right amount of peppery-earthiness in the finish. You want this.

Cheers

Nate

Hey all,

We just landed the first ever peated release from Bunnahabhain called Toiteach! This heavily peated monster of a single malt is extremely limited, only 20 cases for San Francisco, barely a drop in the bucket for the largest whiskey consuming city in the country. What I like about Bunnahabhain these days is their single malts are non-chill filtered and have no added coloring. Couple that with Toiteach’s robust proofing at 46% and you have a smoky-peaty-sea weedy beauty of a single malt. You want this!

Nate

Hey all,

Well isn’t that just perfect, one of our favorite breweries is now making whisky. Moylan’s brewery, makers of several well crafted beers and our first bourbon barrel aged release, have started working with Stillwater Spirits in Petaluma CA and are now making bourbon and rye whisky. As if we needed even more of a connection between our two favorite things, beer and bourbon enthusiasts can now rejoice!

Moylan’s Cask Strength Bourbon Whisky 60.8% Alcohol (121.6 proof)
-I’ve been told this is in the 2-3 year age range. What I think is clever right off the bat is the decision to leave it cask strength. Younger bourbons can be amazing, but don’t necessarily have the depth to maintain their flavor profile when watered down to bottling strength. On the nose I get notes of caramel, vanilla and a touch of toasted coconut. On the palate I get notes of butterscotch, creme brulee, vanilla and white florals. Really delicate-soft flavors even at cask strength, and perilously drinkable!

Moylan’s American Rye Whisky 49.5% Alcohol (99 proof)
-Also in the 2-3 year age range. Back of the bottle says: “Before now, an immpeccably constructed rye whisky was impossible to find”. Probably a little bit of a stretch but hey, good rye whisky isn’t exactly growing on trees these days. This is a great example of a perfectly proofed whisky. Its not cask strength, but you can tell from the concentration of flavors and balance that this was well thought out and tested before bottling. There is a fair bit of spice on the nose: aromas of peppercorns, allspice, roasted nuts, cinnamon and marzipan. As it washes over the palate I get flavors of: aged fruitcake, ginger snaps, cardamom, nutmeg, dates, earth and toasted oak. Super complex and exceedingly well rounded!

Both the rye and bourbon are local, micro distilled and well…… awesome. You want these!

Nate

Hey all,

July Bourbon Club has finally arrived! This month I’m featuring the first ever exclusive barrel from Balcones Texas based micro distillery, True Blue Cask Strength Corn Whisky. Super excited about this release, head distiller Chip Tate was kind enough to sit down for an interview. Don’t miss out on the whisky or the incredibly detailed story Chip tells. Cheers

Nate

Hey all,

I just released Bourbon Club earlier in the week, all members feel free to come in at your leisure and pick up your bottle. This month I’m featuring Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barreled bourbon, made at Prichard’s micro distillery in Kelso, Tennessee. Known more as a rum producer, Prichard’s has been coming on strong with the whiskies lately. A great example of this is their newest release which just landed at the shop: Prichard’s Rye. The rye has a sublte fruitiness to it, flavors of maraschino cherries and apricots with some solid spicy-floral notes, think rose petals. Definitely a winner in my book and a welcome addition to the fastest growing catagory in whiskey.

Cheers!

Nate

Hey all,

Got some new phenomenal Scotches in today:

-Glenmorangie Taster 4 Packs (100ml samples of the orginal Glen Mo, Lasanta 12 year sherry cask, Quinta Ruban 12 year port cask, and the Nectar D’or 12 year sauternes cask)
-Ardbeg Day Single Malt (the latest cask strength one off from one of our favorite producers, extemely limited, once it’s gone it’s gone)
-Highland Park 12 Year Single Malt (from the Isle of Orkney, island off the north coast of Highland and Speyside)
-Highland Park 15 Year Single Malt

Newest editions to the shop:

–Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky: Batch-SM12-2, Bottled: 2/13/2012, Finished Barrel: Yard Aged American Oak Ex-Bourbon, Alcohol: 53%(106 proof)
–Balcones Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Blue Corn Whisky: Batch-BRM11-12, Bottled: 11/28/2011, Alcohol: 53%9106 proof)
–Balcones True Blue Cask Strength Texas Blue Corn Whisky: Batch-TB11-11, Bottled: 11/18/2011, Alcohol: 62.9%(125.8 proof)

As you probably know, I like me some whiskey. But I literally can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a product. What President and Head Distiller Chip Tate is doing at Balcones micro distillery is nothing short of transcendent. His epicurean take on making craft spirits seems at this point peerless. Strong words indeed, but the level of unsurpassed quality coupled with the striking uniqueness puts these whiskys over the top for me.

For starters the Texas Single Malt is everything I never knew a single malt could be. It combines the elegance and grace of a single malt Scotch with the heavy char and oakiness of an American bourbon or rye. It’s left at a higher proof, so the flavors are concentrated and well defined. Oh yeah and when they entered it in last year’s New York World Wine & Spirits Competition it only won: Double Gold, Best Single Malt, Best Whiskey and Best Brown Spirit In Show! I kind of wonder if there has ever been a whiskey that dominated a competition as completely as Balcones Single Malt did.

Next we have the Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Whisky and talk about a unique product! I’m not aware of anyone else making a product like this because the distiller actually smokes the whiskey right off the still, instead of smoking the grain before fermentation. The smoking process is a closely guarded secret, and with the amazing results their able to acheive I can understand why. I get flavors of smoked meats (like brisket), buttery corn bread, pipe tobacco and fresh cracked pepper with subtle hints of caramel and toffee that really balance out the experience.

Lastly we have the True Blue Cask Strength Blue Corn Whisky, this one was so good I’m actively working on trying to get a barrel bottled for our shop. Both the Brimstone and True Blue are made with roasted artisanal Hopi blue corn which is a distinction I think adds an incredible bouquet of flavors. I get notes of dark salted caramel, espresso, cinnamon, cracked pepper, dried chilies and orange blossom. The flavors are complex and lingering, more flavorful than I ever thought corn whisky could be.

Do yourself a favor and try these whiskies! I can’t wait to see what Balcones does next.

Nate

Just landed the newest Buffalo Trace Experimental release! For this batch they decided to experiment with oats and rice, even using those grains both are still technically considered bourbons which makes me wonder why no one else is trying this. The oat release is a mash of corn, barley and oats. The rice release is similar with a mash of corn, barley and rice. Gotta say these look pretty awesome guys, I only got six bottles of each so don’t wait to long if your interested. Cheers

Nate