Many years ago I had the insane delusion that I would someday taste whisky from every distillery on the planet. Then, the microdistillery industry took cues from the microbrewery industry and now it seems I would have to taste a dozen new whiskies a day just to keep up with the onslaught of new labels on the market. I suppose if nothing else it took the pressure off.
This is usually the spot in a review like this where I expound on the joys of discovery and talk about that crack of a new bottle (or sample) from a distillery that you’ve never tasted before. Let me give a little word of advice on the topic: Don’t repeat my mistakes; if there’s a distillery’s whisky that you’ve never tasted before then try not to choose the cheapest, bottom-shelf, no-age-statement, entry-level bottle to be the first. I’m sure there are exquisite independently-bottled well-matur
Flaviar, like many retailers, occasionally releases their own barrel selection or bespoke blend. This one (which is still in stock, and is one of the ‘free’ bottle choices if you have a membership) is a blend of straight bourbons from Colorado distillery Breckenridge.
I generally don’t review single malts in excess of $150 a bottle. I made that decision back in 2011 (when my limit was actually $100) because I didn’t want this blog to devolve into a collection of reviews of high-end and out-of-reach bottles. I figured that went against the grain of the “Scotch for the Noob” ethos of this site. Still, sometimes a Noob’s gotta splurge.
So I rated Old Bardstown’s 90-proof expression as a “Must Try” for two reasons: It was inexpensive tasty bourbon AND it was own-distilled whiskey from a recent legend in the bourbon game, Drew Kulsveen and the Willett company. Willett had made a name for themselves by bottling impeccable bourbon from other sources, and I was excited to see bottled bourbon from their own new distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.
You know how on the Internet there are rabbit holes of information that are populated by fanatics who have devoted themselves to topics so esoteric you didn’t even know they were topics until you stumble onto them? Apparently such is the case with Haig Dimple (known as Dimple Pinch in the US market). It’s an ancient – in whisky industry terms – brand of blended scotch now owned by Diageo, but its long history of association with “luxury” or “premium” scotch means there are many old bottles float
Last week we did rye. This week, bourbon. As a reminder: my favorite retailer and all-around whiskey personality, David Driscoll, recently offered a package deal at Mission Liquor in Pasadena, California, to showcase New Riff’s flagship bottled-in-bond range. He offered a deal on a bottle of Blanton’s (which is perennially hard to get these days) for anyone willing to buy all four pictured bottles. He suggested we do a comparative tasting to see how New Riff stacks up against the Biggest of Boys
New Riff Distillery, located in Newport Kentucky, is an actual distillery. It saddens me that I have to specify that, but so many brands that are new to the shelves in the last decade can’t say the same.
I last reviewed Blanton’s bourbon in the halcyon days of 2011, when people (myself included) had to be convinced that premium bourbon was worthy of attention, not just single malt scotch. Also, the idea that many brands of bourbon would sell out instantly and be allocated and restricted to waiting lists was… laughable. Even Pappy was sometimes just sitting on shelves.
Today, something a little different. My favorite retailer and all-around whiskey personality, David Driscoll, recently offered a package deal at Mission Liquor in Pasadena, California, to showcase New Riff’s flagship bottled-in-bond range. He offered a deal on a bottle of Blanton’s (which is perennially hard to get these days) for anyone willing to buy all four pictured bottles. He suggested we do a comparative tasting to see how New Riff stacks up against the Biggest of Boys in the whiskey game