Maker's Mark

Amazing how time flies, in just about two weeks Thanksgiving will be upon us. As we get closer to the day, I am sure we all stop to think about all the things that we are thankful for. For me, aside from being thankful for my family, friends, career and roof over my head, I am also thankful to have this blog to write about whisky, whiskey, and bourbon which is something I am passionate about.

I first started drinking bourbon because I wanted to fit in. That bourbon was Maker’s Mark. Having attended a military college, where females were the minority at the time, I drank it to be one of the guys.

When I first started drinking it, it took me a long time to like it. I’ve said this in a post before, the first time you try bourbon or whisky, chances are that you will not like it that 1st time… the 2nd, 3rd or maybe even the 4th time; in my opinion it really is an acquired taste, and something you eventually build a great appreciation for.

Maker’s Mark is actually a great way for anyone to start their bourbon tasting if they have been looking to start. It is a Kentucky Bourbon that is very smooth and is extremely affordable. If you like bourbon/whisky/whiskey and you have not tried this one yet, then I do believe you are missing out. To me it is one of the best Kentucky Bourbons out there.

My experience

Smell: Amazing is the first thing that came to mind. The minute I opened the bottle it brought back great memories. I can just close my eyes and smell the great aroma for a good while. It also smells very woodsy, like oak. I also get hints of sweetness.

Taste: Oak, vanilla, smooth. I added a hint of water and through brought out the sweetness in the bourbon.

To me the finish just leaves me wanting more. It is very tasty and it’s enjoyable bourbon. It’s bourbon making at its best. Also, how can you not enjoy the detailing of the wax top. A nice feature that certainly makes for a great looking bottle.

If you want to try it out without having to break the bank, all you have to do to enjoy this iconic bourbon is to purchase their 50 mL bottle. It’s a great way to try it out and know whether you like it or not without spending the money on a full bottle. The 50 mL will give you a fingers worth. You can’t beat that when trying out a good quality product.

In my opinion, I wish all bourbon and whisky distilleries offered more of these small bottles. It would make it easier to try something and know whether you like it or not before spending the big bucks. So if you haven’t tried this wonderful bourbon before, then I’d recommend you do, it’s definitely well worth the try.

Cheers!

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon

For quite some time now in the instances that I’ve been out at a restaurant, bar or liquor store, and have spotted the name Four Roses or seen the bottle on a shelf, I’ve always pointed it out to someone and have said, “I’ve heard it’s great, I should really try it sometime.” That “sometime” ended up being last night. If you are an American sports fan then you’ll know that October baseball becomes a wonderful thing when your home team is playing. I wanted to elevate my game watching experience last night by also enjoying great bourbon.

For all those bourbon lovers out there let me go on by saying, if you have not tried Four Roses single barrel bourbon yet, then you are missing out. I will admit that I was certainly missing out on those other occasions that I missed the opportunity to try it. Four Roses is a Kentucky Bourbon and the bottle we purchased rang up around $37. To me that is a bargain price for smooth tasting bourbon.

When opening the bottle I was first hit with the smells of sweetness and fruit. At first taste I had no words for this bourbon; it was so smooth that I had to take a few more sips before I could try and make out the different tasting notes. I enjoyed it so much that I actually ended up sampling the bourbon in three different ways.

Straight-up

• Taste: Was smooth with a nice slow burn. I tasted notes of wood and honey.

Splash of Water

• Taste: Was still smooth but the water brought out hints of cinnamon notes.

With Hot Apple Cider

• It was a bit chilly last night and we wanted to see how Four Roses held up in spiked hot apple cider. The Four Roses in the hot apple cider was GREAT. It didn’t over power the hot apple cider and it actually just elevated the flavors. They blended very well together and made up for a great cocktail. Something I recommend trying if you like hot apple cider and bourbon.

Overall in all three instances the finish just left me wanting more. I’ve been accused of not trying out enough bourbon but if all bourbons are like this, then you better believe I will be trying out more of them.

Now that I have tried this one, I am very much looking forward to exploring more of the Four Roses range. If you are looking to try new bourbon and haven’t tried this one, give it a world it won’t disappoint.

Cheers!

Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon

Since starting my blog I feel like I’ve neglected bourbon along the way, even though, that is how I got my whisky drinking start. Here I am to change that neglect. Before we headed to make dinner last night we stopped by the liquor store and as I walked up and down the bourbon aisle, I realized there are a ton of great bourbons I have yet to try and to tell you all about.

While roaming the aisles I came across the very bourbon I am writing about today and that is Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon from Kentucky. If you don’t know this already, a single barrel means that the bourbon is aged in one barrel. There are many distilleries that use different types of barrels to age their products. I definitely think we will see more and more single barrel products become available.

For my non whisky drinkers, just to refresh your memory from my previous post written on July 25th or if you had not read that post before, Bourbon has to have at least 51% or more corn in their mash to be considered bourbon. It has to be aged for at least two years, although most distilleries age theirs for four or more years.

While in school I can tell you that history was one of my favorite classes to take a bit of a snooze in, especially in college. If you were like me, please bear with me for the next few lines. It was after I tasted Blanton’s that I also realized the great history behind this Bourbon. There aren’t many product (four to be exact) that can claim this but Blanton’s was one of four (the only one in Kentucky) to be allowed to continue producing whiskey throughout the prohibition years.

Colonel Albert Blanton (Blanton’s was named in his honor) spent most of his life producing whiskey for the Ancient Age Distillery which you all now know as the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  The years of dedication and hard work he put into the whiskey show not only in the craftsmanship of the bourbon but also in the taste.

I'll cut right down to the chase, this is excellent bourbon!! It is definitely a must try. When I opened the bottle I got hit with sweet smelling notes. It has a nice deep amber color and the taste was really smooth. I tasted notes of vanilla and spice. The bourbon had a nice burn to it and a great finish. If you love bourbon then you will enjoy this bourbon. Col. Blanton knew exactly what he was doing.

To top things off (no pun intended), aside from the great tasting bourbon, another great feature is in the bottle topper. The bottle topper features a horse and jockey. As you already know bourbon and horses go hand in hand in Kentucky. This topper certainly enhances the look of the bottle and makes a great tasting product look even better.

I recommend giving this one a try. You will not be disappointed!

Cheers!

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

If you have never heard of a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale it’s time to change that because this ale is the perfect alternative to straight up bourbon or whisky during this heat. To me combining beer and bourbon is genius. I am sure there might be other brands out there like it, but this is the only one I’ve tried so far and it is completely different to any ale out there.

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale is a beer that has been aged in bourbon barrels and in the case of this ale, Kentucky bourbon barrels. For a beer, the alcohol content is higher than most roughly around 8%. Depending on where you live, a 4 pack can cost around $12 or so. In their range they also have a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout for those stout lovers. I have not tried this one yet, but it is on my list to try.

Although I’ve enjoyed the ale before, I recently had it after dinner a few nights ago while out with some friends. It was a perfect end to a meal. To me it is a beer to sip and enjoy slowly. You can and you will definitely taste the bourbon in this beer which to me it is why it ends up being stronger than your regular beer.

I will be honest; I can only have one of these, two at the most before I need to stop. It is however, refreshing and a beer like no other. I think everyone should at least try it once, if not for the taste out of sheer curiosity. You can’t go wrong with something like this on a very hot day like today.

The color is a nice deep amber color and the taste is smooth with a bourbon kick. At first it is sweet with a hint of vanilla and then I get hit with a woodsy taste. The ale finishes off with that nice bourbon kick. I’ve always believe that a good drink has a great start but an even better finish. The bourbon finish is a great end to this ale. If you are not a fan of strong ale’s then this is not the ale for you, however as a whisky and bourbon lover I really enjoyed it and will most certainly have again.

Cheers!