Evan Williams is a fine Bourbon. It's nothing fancy and I wouldn't brag about drinking it but I wouldn't turn it down were it offered to me. When I saw this I figured it was absolutely worth a shot and nabbed it.
First of all, they need to pass on the crappy wax seal. The pull string on mine got all jacked up and I had to chip it away with a knife. I get that it makes it look less of a hobo whiskey with the kingly seal but it was a pain in the butt to work with.
Cost: 31.99 at Vons but the membership discount brought it down to like 19 or something.
Alcohol Content: 43.3%
Color: Pretty dark and ruddy. It's akin to a light redwood.
Method: Neat.
Nose: Citrus, pear, vanilla. It smells like it's going to taste very sweet.
Taste: Not really all that sweet. Pretty strong burn. Maybe a light oak but this isn't tasting like any one specific things. I get some wood some vanilla and maybe a little bit of pear but otherwise it's very balanced.
Finish: Very strong burn - especially in the chest. The burn is lasting quite a while. Lasting flavors are woody more than anything else.
Notes: This was pretty good. I would buy it again on sale but at full price you might as well just spring for Aberlour - the Bourbon of Scotches.
Score: 80/100
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Friday, December 25, 2015
The Haig Club - Christmas Scotch
For Christmas I got Aaron a bottle of the Haig Club scotch. We decided to try it out tonight.
First of all the bottle looks like a costco sized bottle of aftershave. I almost passed it by thinking it was a novelty vodka or something. And the pictures of guys drinking it look like they're wearing that same aftershave.
I'm assuming the Haig Club is the European version of Gentleman's Jack so I'm expecting a mild every-man's scotch.
Cost: $42
Alcohol Content: 40%
Color: Light Sherry
Method: Neat
Nose: Mild vanilla, pear, sugar, A hint of oak. Not very strong smelling at all. Would make a nice perfume.
Taste: Hard to believe it's scotch until the after burn. I'm not really picking up any wood or boggy notes at all. This is very sweet with a mild burn. Quite drinkable.
Finish: Light burn in the throat. Very sugary.
Score: This is quite nice 90/100
Notes: I would drink this neat or on the rocks. This wouldn't really do much in making a whiskey sour since there is little whiskey taste. I like the smoothness but if I was in the mood for a scotch I would probably choose something else. Not because it's bad but it's just not what I think of when I think scotch.
First of all the bottle looks like a costco sized bottle of aftershave. I almost passed it by thinking it was a novelty vodka or something. And the pictures of guys drinking it look like they're wearing that same aftershave.
I'm assuming the Haig Club is the European version of Gentleman's Jack so I'm expecting a mild every-man's scotch.
Cost: $42
Alcohol Content: 40%
Color: Light Sherry
Method: Neat
Nose: Mild vanilla, pear, sugar, A hint of oak. Not very strong smelling at all. Would make a nice perfume.
Taste: Hard to believe it's scotch until the after burn. I'm not really picking up any wood or boggy notes at all. This is very sweet with a mild burn. Quite drinkable.
Finish: Light burn in the throat. Very sugary.
Score: This is quite nice 90/100
Notes: I would drink this neat or on the rocks. This wouldn't really do much in making a whiskey sour since there is little whiskey taste. I like the smoothness but if I was in the mood for a scotch I would probably choose something else. Not because it's bad but it's just not what I think of when I think scotch.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Hobo Whiskey - Sad and Smooth OR: Potters Whiskey Plastic Flask
So I'm a little afraid to do this review. I stopped at the corner store and picked up a 3 dollar plastic bottle of whiskey. I may die.
To be fair it WAS on sale. Normally like $6.99. And the bottle IS only 200 ML so it's not like an industrial sized bottle BUT STILL. The bottle says silky smooth but let's be honest. I'm expecting shit.
Anyway here we go.
Potter's Whiskey Special Blend
Cost: $3.00 at the corner store
Alcohol Content: 40%
Color: Ruddy colored.
Method: Neat
Nose: Instant headache. Alcohol and maybe MAYBE a hint of vanilla. The smell makes me a little afraid.
Taste: It doesn't taste too bad. It does burn. Not like some others but it tingles the tongue. If you had a cut in your mouth you would find out. Maybe a slight oak flavor.
Finish: General whiskey taste at the finish.
Notes: This not bad at all. If this is what hobos are drinking I can't say I blame them. It tastes like how you would describe whiskey tasting. They need to work on that smell though.
Score: 80/100. Would be 85 if it didn't smell so intimidating.
To be fair it WAS on sale. Normally like $6.99. And the bottle IS only 200 ML so it's not like an industrial sized bottle BUT STILL. The bottle says silky smooth but let's be honest. I'm expecting shit.
Anyway here we go.
Potter's Whiskey Special Blend
Cost: $3.00 at the corner store
Alcohol Content: 40%
Color: Ruddy colored.
Method: Neat
Nose: Instant headache. Alcohol and maybe MAYBE a hint of vanilla. The smell makes me a little afraid.
Taste: It doesn't taste too bad. It does burn. Not like some others but it tingles the tongue. If you had a cut in your mouth you would find out. Maybe a slight oak flavor.
Finish: General whiskey taste at the finish.
Notes: This not bad at all. If this is what hobos are drinking I can't say I blame them. It tastes like how you would describe whiskey tasting. They need to work on that smell though.
Score: 80/100. Would be 85 if it didn't smell so intimidating.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Tonight I thought I would try out another flavored whiskey to see if it's just the imitation honey or if it's all added flavors. I'm trying out Jim Beam Apple flavored whiskey. The bottle says apple liquor with Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Basically that means it's two alcohols, one being bourbon, mixed together.
And here we go...
Method: Neat
Color: Watered down tea.
Alcohol Content: 35%
Price: 9.99 from Wally World
Nose: Those Halloween caramel apple suckers that you wait to eat because they're always mad melted.
Taste: Those same suckers but only on fire.
Finish: Intense apple flavor. Fire whiskey burn. I think if they went along an apple pie flavor where smoke would be acceptable this would be great but as it stands as a just apple flavor it's alright.
CONCLUSION:
This isn't as bad as the honey. But it's still not a whiskey. I feel like there should be another name; scotch, bourbon, whiskey, flavors. It's not terrible. If you're trying to lure a 22 year-old woman into your dungeon and you've run out of pumpkin spice coffees this might work.
Wait, do they make pumpkin spice alcohol? I need to investigate.
And here we go...
Method: Neat
Color: Watered down tea.
Alcohol Content: 35%
Price: 9.99 from Wally World
Nose: Those Halloween caramel apple suckers that you wait to eat because they're always mad melted.
Taste: Those same suckers but only on fire.
Finish: Intense apple flavor. Fire whiskey burn. I think if they went along an apple pie flavor where smoke would be acceptable this would be great but as it stands as a just apple flavor it's alright.
CONCLUSION:
This isn't as bad as the honey. But it's still not a whiskey. I feel like there should be another name; scotch, bourbon, whiskey, flavors. It's not terrible. If you're trying to lure a 22 year-old woman into your dungeon and you've run out of pumpkin spice coffees this might work.
Wait, do they make pumpkin spice alcohol? I need to investigate.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey
I actually meant to post this a while ago. Bulleit has become such a part of my bourbon experience that I forgot I had never reviewed it.
Obviously this review will be glowing.
Cost: I actually don't remember. But it was in the lower $20s
Obviously this review will be glowing.
Cost: I actually don't remember. But it was in the lower $20s
Method: Neat
Color: Pretty dark. Not like coke but like a weak tea.
Alcohol Content: 45%
Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar. Very pleasant. I smell it and I want to buy a pair of ugg boots.
Taste: This has a bit of a burn to it, no doubt. Pretty nice vanilla and a touch of sweetness.
Finish: Caramelized sugar. Vanilla but in a much lighter amount. Smoky beach wood.
Notes: I like this. It's got a very feminine sweetness to it but that classic whiskey burn. It'll put hair on your chest and take you to the prom afterwards. A lot of whiskeys are either flavorful or they are strong. This meets both criteria and has the added bonus of reminding me of fall.
What I really like about this is the vanilla notes. Bourbon has 6 rules in order to meet the standard for the bourbon label.
1) It has to be made in the United States. Like Scotch is made in Scotland Bourbon is made in the US. That's where the saying "All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon" comes from.
2) It has to be aged in a new barrel. A lot of scotch or Irish whiskey has aged barrels that they use to age the liquor in. Bourbon has to have a fresh barrel or it's just not bourbon.
3) The whiskey has to start off in the barrel at at least 125 proof and it has to be 80 proof in the bottle.
4) After that it has to be distilled to no more than 160 proof.
5) Bourbon has to be more than 50% corn mash.
and 6) Bourbon can't have any flavor additives in the final product. Anything that's a bourbon blended with other liquors has to specify that. Which is why Bulleit Bourbon is just so good. It has all of this flavor and it's just they way they make it. They don't add vanilla to it's just awesome on its own.
I really really really really like this bourbon. 95/100. If I'm grading on a curve it's 100/100. But I'm hesitant to give out a perfect score because who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I looked up a pumpkin spice bourbon recipe and I think I'm going to try it out this weekend. I'll make a new post once it's finished. The recipe can be found here:
http://www.spachethespatula.com/spiced-pumpkin-bourbon/
Color: Pretty dark. Not like coke but like a weak tea.
Alcohol Content: 45%
Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar. Very pleasant. I smell it and I want to buy a pair of ugg boots.
Taste: This has a bit of a burn to it, no doubt. Pretty nice vanilla and a touch of sweetness.
Finish: Caramelized sugar. Vanilla but in a much lighter amount. Smoky beach wood.
Notes: I like this. It's got a very feminine sweetness to it but that classic whiskey burn. It'll put hair on your chest and take you to the prom afterwards. A lot of whiskeys are either flavorful or they are strong. This meets both criteria and has the added bonus of reminding me of fall.
What I really like about this is the vanilla notes. Bourbon has 6 rules in order to meet the standard for the bourbon label.
1) It has to be made in the United States. Like Scotch is made in Scotland Bourbon is made in the US. That's where the saying "All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon" comes from.
2) It has to be aged in a new barrel. A lot of scotch or Irish whiskey has aged barrels that they use to age the liquor in. Bourbon has to have a fresh barrel or it's just not bourbon.
3) The whiskey has to start off in the barrel at at least 125 proof and it has to be 80 proof in the bottle.
4) After that it has to be distilled to no more than 160 proof.
5) Bourbon has to be more than 50% corn mash.
and 6) Bourbon can't have any flavor additives in the final product. Anything that's a bourbon blended with other liquors has to specify that. Which is why Bulleit Bourbon is just so good. It has all of this flavor and it's just they way they make it. They don't add vanilla to it's just awesome on its own.
I really really really really like this bourbon. 95/100. If I'm grading on a curve it's 100/100. But I'm hesitant to give out a perfect score because who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I looked up a pumpkin spice bourbon recipe and I think I'm going to try it out this weekend. I'll make a new post once it's finished. The recipe can be found here:
http://www.spachethespatula.com/spiced-pumpkin-bourbon/
Friday, August 28, 2015
You're not making whiskey better, you're making honey worse.
Tonight's review is of Evan Williams Honey Reserve.
I think I like bourbons so much because in order for it to be considered a bourbon it can't have any added flavoring or color. Only water can be added to it and only to dilute the proof. That means bourbon never has an artificial flavor or weird aftertastes. That also means that this is a whiskey and not a bourbon.
So I have seen this in the store for a few months but I was afraid to try it after the Dewars Honey flavored disappointment. But I liked the Evan Williams Bourbon alright so hopefully this will be better. It claims to be all taste with no sting. We'll see about that <$10 whiskey!
Cost: Again, 9.99 from Food Max
Alcohol Content: 35%
Method: Neat
Color: Light yellow.
Nose: Well, it doesn't smell like honey. I'm not quite sure what it smells like. Maybe apples? It smells like cold fruit I guess.
At this point I want to say that I am afraid. I asked Aaron to smell it and tell me what he thought it smelled like. He said it smelled like perfume and rubbing alcohol. Then he tasted it and said "No, bad. They're bad people for making this. Is this that same bad honey one from before? I regret asking what this was. It's the worst thing I've tasted in a month!".
Shit.
Taste: Oh god. You can almost feel thick honey on your tongue. This is like cheep orange flavored honey sticks that you get at a tea shop. This was a bad decision. You can't even taste the whiskey underneath the bad honey flavor.
Finish: It's like I drank a glass of sugar water at maximum saturation. I imagine it's a hummingbird's daydream.
Maybe it's better with cola? Like a whiskey cola? Let's try it out!
It's like extra sweet coke. If you add enough to it you can't taste it. Like homeopathic honey. So it's not really good for that.
How about as a whiskey sour? I made one without adding simple syrup or sugar since it's sweet enough.
No. Don't do this. This was a bad idea.
In short skip this junk. Whiskey makers need to leave the bees alone. What did they ever do to you that you need to defame them like this? Just make whiskey taste like whiskey. If you need to make your whiskey taste like a McDonald's breakfast item then you just don't like whiskey...
And that's okay!
But stop this madness.
10/100
I think I like bourbons so much because in order for it to be considered a bourbon it can't have any added flavoring or color. Only water can be added to it and only to dilute the proof. That means bourbon never has an artificial flavor or weird aftertastes. That also means that this is a whiskey and not a bourbon.
So I have seen this in the store for a few months but I was afraid to try it after the Dewars Honey flavored disappointment. But I liked the Evan Williams Bourbon alright so hopefully this will be better. It claims to be all taste with no sting. We'll see about that <$10 whiskey!
Cost: Again, 9.99 from Food Max
Alcohol Content: 35%
Method: Neat
Color: Light yellow.
Nose: Well, it doesn't smell like honey. I'm not quite sure what it smells like. Maybe apples? It smells like cold fruit I guess.
At this point I want to say that I am afraid. I asked Aaron to smell it and tell me what he thought it smelled like. He said it smelled like perfume and rubbing alcohol. Then he tasted it and said "No, bad. They're bad people for making this. Is this that same bad honey one from before? I regret asking what this was. It's the worst thing I've tasted in a month!".
Shit.
Taste: Oh god. You can almost feel thick honey on your tongue. This is like cheep orange flavored honey sticks that you get at a tea shop. This was a bad decision. You can't even taste the whiskey underneath the bad honey flavor.
Finish: It's like I drank a glass of sugar water at maximum saturation. I imagine it's a hummingbird's daydream.
Maybe it's better with cola? Like a whiskey cola? Let's try it out!
It's like extra sweet coke. If you add enough to it you can't taste it. Like homeopathic honey. So it's not really good for that.
How about as a whiskey sour? I made one without adding simple syrup or sugar since it's sweet enough.
No. Don't do this. This was a bad idea.
In short skip this junk. Whiskey makers need to leave the bees alone. What did they ever do to you that you need to defame them like this? Just make whiskey taste like whiskey. If you need to make your whiskey taste like a McDonald's breakfast item then you just don't like whiskey...
And that's okay!
But stop this madness.
10/100
Friday, August 21, 2015
Review of George Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash Whisky No 8
Tonight's review is of George Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash No8. It was the only version of this brand my grocer had for sale. I wonder if the No8 is just a gimmick or if they had to go through 7 versions of crap before they got to this.
Method: Neat
Alcohol Content: 40%
Cost: 20ish. Can't remember.
Color: Like gold and rust mixed together.
Nose: Mellow. It doesn't really smell like much of anything except slightly like sugar.
Taste: Again mellow, light burn but hardly anything for a whisky. Maybe a very light apple.
Finish: Burn is more on the lips than the tongue. Mellow finish.
Notes: So this is okay. If you wanted someone to get a taste for a basic whisky this is it. It doesn't have a strong flavor of anything at all and is pretty good. But there is a lot better stuff out there for if you're wanting to drink it neat. I mean, don't get me wrong...this is fine neat. But my preference would be for something with a little stronger flavor notes on the taste and finish. But this would be perfect for cooking or cocktails.
Try it if you get a chance. But don't drive cross country for it.
Anyways. Today is Aaron's birthday so wish him well!
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