Four Roses Review

Country: USA

Brand: Four Roses

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Age: NAS (Said to be around 5-6 Years)

ABV: 40 % 

Date: 03/10/2013

Colour: Amber with Orange Notes

Nose: Relatively Light and Clean and with a bit of Alcohol but pleasant enough. I find Orange, Sweet Grains, Bread Dough, Grandma's Furniture Polish, Honey, Toffee, Banana, Vanilla, light Oak and Spices like Cinnamon and Cloves. A Hint of Butterscotch Chocolate.

Palate: The delivery is a bit thin. This Four Roses would benefit from an ABV of 43-46%. I find Sweet Grains, Coconut, Oak, Vanilla, Honey, Citrus Peel, Toffee, Pear Drops and Spices like Cloves, Cinnamon and Aniseed.

Finish: On the Short side, Sweet and Dry with Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Orange and Nut Casks.

With a bit of Water the Nose gets lots of extra Honey. Try it out! But Palate and Finish do not accept H2O very well. Better sip it neat or over an ice cube or two.

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Four Roses Brand was established in 1888. It is probably named after founder Rufus Mathewson Rose, his brother and their two sons although there are other stories around that could be true as well. Four Roses is distilled and aged by Four Roses Distillery LLC, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky that is nowadays owned by the Kirin Brewery Company from Japan. The distillery produces 10 different Bourbons using 2 Mash Bills (60-75% Corn) and 5 Yeast Strains. The Standard Yellow Label expression we are tasting today is a blend of these ten Bourbons. The price varies from 20 to 30 US Dollars, depending on where you live.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience On the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: A well-crafted Bourbon at a very attractive price level. The Nose is soft but pleasant. The Palate deserves a higher ABV but that would make it much more expensive of course. This standard Four Roses won't surprise you but will not disappoint you either. And it proves once again that, on average, low priced Bourbon is a better buy than low priced Scotch.

Jan van den Ende                                                         October 2013

Wild Turkey 81 Review

Country: USA

Brand: Wild Turkey 81 

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon 

Age: 6-8 Years

Alcohol: 40,5%

Colour: Amber/Dark Gold

Nose: No surprises in this department. We get the usual Sweet Grains, Charred Oak, Roasted Coffee, Vanilla, Caramel, Orange, Cinnamon, Honey, Pepper and a fair amount of Rye. The Alcohol is not completely integrated. There's nothing really wrong here but I find it somewhat bland.

Taste: On the Thin side and Bitter-Sweet with Oak, Cherry flavoured Cough Syrup, Rye (Spices), Caramel, Cinnamon, Roasted Coffee, Black Tea, Orange, Brown Sugar, Mint, Clove, Nutmeg and Honey.

Finish: Dry with Charred Oak, Pepper, Cinnamon, Mint, Vanilla, Caramel, Honey, Roasted Coffee, and Strong Black Tea. The 81 Proof leaves a burning sensation on the tongue.

Rating: 79.5 

Nose: 20 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19.5 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: Wild Turkey is produced in Lawrenceburg Kentucky. Nowadays the Brand is owned by the Campari Group. The distillery produces the 81 Proof, the 101 Proof, the Single Barrel Kentucky Spirit at 101 Proof, Russell's Reserve 10 Years named after Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, Rare Breed a blend of 6, 8 and 12 old Wild Turkey at 108.4 Proof, a Rye Whiskey  made with 65% Rye, 23 % Corn and 12% Barley and a Honey Liqueur by the name of American Honey. The 81 Proof costs around 20 US Dollars, was created by Eddie Russell as a Mixing Whiskey and has a high Rye percentage in the Mash Bill. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Average

Drinking Experience on the Rocks : Good

Conclusion: I really liked the 101 and it's my favourite Bourbon so far. Unfortunately I can't say the same about the 81. On the Nose it's your average standard Bourbon. On the Palate it's rather Bitter and offers too many Cough Syrup associations. The finish is very dry and leaves you with a burning sensation on the tongue. The Wild Turkey 81 is okay on the Rocks and for mixing but not interesting enough to be considered as a sipping Bourbon.

Jan van den Ende                                                                   August 9, 2013

Johnny Drum 15 Years Review

Country: USA

Brand: Johnny Drum Private Stock Label

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: 15 Years

ABV: 50.5 %

Date: 18/05/2013

Colour: Mahogany

Nose: Sweet Corn, Maple Syrup, Charred Oak, Vanilla, Glue, Cinnamon, Caramel, Orange/Mandarin and Peanut Butter are my first impressions. Nose carefully because there's quite some Alcohol around, especially if you have opened a fresh bottle. Hints of Cotton Candy, Peach and Caramelised Apple follow. Quite nice once you manage to cheat the Alcohol.

Palate: By far not as Sweet and Tasty as the Nose would want you to believe! It's quite Spicy and a bit Musty actually!  Charred Oak, Herbs, Peanut Butter, Rye Bread, Pepper, Nut Casks, Caramel, Nougat, Orange and Maple Syrup.

Finish: Certainly lasting but a bit on the Sour side with Charred Oak, Pepper, Maple Syrup and quite some Mint.

I added a bit of Water and that strongly reduced the Alcohol and Spices on the Nose. The remaining Sweetness and Cinnamon remind me of a Whisky Liqueur. Palate and Finish become too Watery for my taste.

Rating: 82

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20  Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

A Confederate Drummer Boy

General Remarks: Johnny Drum is a Brand Name owned and marketed by Independent Bottler Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Ltd (KDB) also known as the Willett Distilling Company. Although it's not quite sure where the Johnny Drum is distilled, chances are it's from Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky or Brown Forman or both. Johnny Drum comes a Green Label with an ABV of 40%, a Black Label at 43% and as a Private Stock Label at 50.5% and various age types including 4, 8, 12 and 15 Years. The 15 Years we are tasting today is the flagship of the lot and is produced in small batches only. It costs around 35 US Dollars.

In the American Civil War lots of young boys wanted to join the fight but a minimum age of 18 years was established. Younger boys could only enlist as a drummer or a bugler. Legend has it that Johnny Drum was one of them and after having safely returned from the War started to make Bourbon in Kentucky.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: Not bad but certainly not one of my favourite Bourbons. The Nose is quite okay actually if you can get around the sometimes sharp Alcohol. But on the Palate and in the Finish I find the Johnny Drum less enjoyable. Too Bland, a bit Sour and slightly Musty. Therefore I wouldn't consider buying a full bottle. Cause for mixing it's a bit too expensive.

Jan van den Ende                                                                        May 2013