Woodford Reserve Review

Country: USA

Brand: Woodford Reserve

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS (Probably at least 6 years)

Alcohol: 43.2%

Colour: Shiny Dark Amber

Nose: The Nose is a bit different from the Bourbons I’ve tasted so far. It’s Kentucky Straight alright but with references to Scotch and Irish Whisk(e)y. Of course there are the immediate Vanilla and Sweet Corn impressions but there’s also a very strong presence of Oak and Oranges and Spices like Nutmeg and Ginger. Additionally I find Mint, Fruit and Honey tones. This Nose needs some patience but will reward you!

Taste: A combination of Fruit, Toffee, Oak, Maple Syrup, slightly Bitter Grain, Orange, Ginger and Mint. I wouldn’t call this an extremely smooth whiskey! If you’re in to Sweet Bourbons, this might not be your call.

Finish: Strong and Dry with Oak, Rye, Black Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg.

I added a couple of drops of Water and the Nose becomes more mellow with Sweet Corn, Honey, Vanilla and Oranges in the lead. Palate and Finish do not seem to benefit a lot from the additional water but I would surely advise you to experiment a bit with a couple of drops.

Rating:  80 

Nose: 21– Taste: 20– Finish: 19– Overall: 20

General Remarks: Elijah Pepper started distilling whiskey on the banks of Glenn’s Creek in 1812. Today, the facility is the oldest operational Distillery in Kentucky. The Whiskey produced here is triple distilled in copper pot stills imported from Scotland. The Master Distiller (Chris Morris) selects the matured charred White Oak barrels from this Distillery and vats them with selected barrels from the Brown-Forman stocks to produce the Woodford Reserve. The Mash Bill consists of 72% Corn, 18% Rye and 10% Malted Barley. Today I tasted bottle 07602 from Batch 293. The Woodford Reserve is bottled by Labrot & Graham Distillers Company of Versailles, Kentucky.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: This Bourbon is certainly different from the ones I tasted so far. It starts with the Nose that has some clear references to Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y. On the Palate and in the Finish you will find the Woodford quite Woody and Spicy. I won’t go so far as to call it harsh but I certainly don’t consider it to be very smooth either. If you like your Bourbon Sweet as Honey, the Woodford Reserve would not be your obvious choice. But if you like it Rough and Woody, this might just be what you’re looking for!

Jan van den Ende                                                                  September 30, 2012

Wild Turkey 101 Review

Country: USA

Brand: Wild Turkey

Type: Bourbon (Kentucky)

Age: 8 Years

Alcohol: 50,5%

Colour: Gold

Nose:  Very Nice. Sweet (Dried Fruits), Vanilla, Malt. There’s something else there but I can’t define it. Could be Leather.

Taste: This is not for beginners!! A full body overwhelms you with Malt, Caramel, Vanilla (Crème Brulee) Oak and Spices (Cinnamon). Great stuff!

Finish: The finish is spicy (Pepper) and quite dry. Slightly bitter at the end and then suddenly some Vanilla returns.

Rating:  86 

Nose: 22 – Taste: 21 – Finish: 22 – Overall: 21

General Remarks:  Nice generous Sweet and Innocent Nose followed by lots of heat and Pepper. I miss a bit of balance here. Still a great Bourbon. I added a few drops of water to the Bourbon that brought some dried fruit (Plums) to the nose and some sweetness to the finish. However, the finish also seemed to burn a bit more and the alcohol became clearer. Interesting to try it out both neat and with some water.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:  This should not be your first glass of Kentucky Straight Bourbon. It could easily scare you off. Some ice cubes might help out!

Jan van den Ende                                                          September 2, 2011

Jim Beam White Review

Country: USA

Brand: Jim Beam White Label

Type: Bourbon (Kentucky)

Age: 4 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose:  Malt and Sweet Grains followed by Oak and Vanilla and a Floral note that I can’t yet define. There are also some hints of Wax or Wood Polish.

Taste:  Sweet, lots of Oak and Vanilla. Not as creamy as the nose would like you to believe. Some spices like Pepper, Nutmeg and Ginger as well.

Finish: Short and quite dry in the end. Some sweetness lingers on for a while though.

I added a few drops of water to the spirit, which mellows everything down a bit. Still I prefer to sip it neat

Rating: 81

Nose: 21 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: This is a pleasant surprise given its low price. Excellent place to start discovering Bourbons.

Drinking Experience Neat:  Good

Drinking Experience On the Rocks: Good

Conclusion:

It’s certainly not a bad Bourbon although it’s a bit rough and unpolished which could be expected given its youth. Good value for money, that’s for sure. I can see why it’s one of the top selling spirits in the world.

Jan van den Ende - September 15, 2011

Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Review

Country: USA

Brand: Jack Daniels Old No. 7

Type: Whiskey (Tennessee)/Bourbon. Lots of arguments on this issue.

Age:  At least 3 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Dark Orange/Reddish

Nose:  Sweet Corn, Buttered Toast, Charred Oak, Vanilla, Caramel, Acetone, Varnish, Coconut  (Bounty Candy Bar), light Orange, light Ripe Banana, light Peach and Sour Apples. It's not bad but there are quite some Young and Rough elements. Almost like the product is only half-finished.

Taste: Bitter-Sweet, Slightly Thin and Hot. I find Sweet Cereals, Charred Oak, Caramel, Vanilla, Orange, Banana, Cherry Flavoured Cough Syrup, Cinnamon and Pepper.  

Finish: Short and slightly Hot. Dry and a little Bitter towards the end. I find Charred Oak, Bitter Orange, Vanilla, Caramel, Pepper, Cinnamon, light Licorice, Green Apples, Menthol and a touch of Lemon.

I added a few drops of water to the Old No. 7 that brought more mellow Wood, Peach and Vanilla to the nose. Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added water although you do get rid of most of the Sharp elements. The Nose is a bit better with Water but you better sip it neat or (even better) on the Rocks!

Rating: 77 

Nose: 20 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 19 – Overall : 19

General Remarks:

The Jack Daniels Distillery is located in Lynchburg (Tennessee). It was indeed founded by a man called Jack Daniel in 1866 and it stayed in the family until 1956 when it was bought by Brown Forman from Kentucky.

Drinking Experience Neat: Average/Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: Jack Daniels Old # 7 can be enjoyed neat but it's way better over Ice or in the mix. It's a very young Spirit that has some slightly harsh elements. I reviewed this Jack Daniels for the first time in September 2016 but I almost completely rewrote it today (March 16, 2017). The reason is that I have so much more experience at the moment with tasting Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon that it's much easier to describe the Aromas and Flavours. However, I did not change the score as I'm still comfortable with my 2011 result. The Old # 7 is not really expensive of course but you can't compare it to my favourite JD, the

Silver Select. 

Jan van den Ende                                   September 16, 2011 and March 16, 2017