Whiskies of the World: A Bourbon... Plus an Interesting Talisker

To continue on the whiskies of the world voyage SGwhisky is taking, we go back to the 'New World' (or Old Whisky World), to one of the national drinks of America, Bourbon. We have tried a few bourbons here at SGwhisky, which in my opinion is very interesting and distinctive with that rye-like sweetness. The whisky here at hand is the Buillet Bourbon Frontier Whiskey, a very traditional whisky which traces its history back to the start of the 19th century. Today, especially in Singapore, Buillet is far behind in the pecking order of bourbon, with Jim Beam and (technically not a bourbon but a Tennessee Whiskey) Jack Daniels leading the way.

Let's have a look at this interesting whiskey!

Name: Buillet Bourbon Frontier Whiskey
Distillery: Buillet (America)
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age Statement: Nil
Alc/Vol: 90 Proof (45%)


Nose: Creamy with a nice note of rye sweetness and faint notes of citrus. Promising! (20)


Taste/Palate: Initial pleasant sweetness followed by some orange and oaky spice. Then trails off very quickly (18)

Finish: Almost non-existent. Some oaky dryness, but overall very quick and not impressionable (16)


Overall: The nose was really quite interesting, but flavour wise it is not really rich, and the lack of a finish is a real achilles heel for this whiskey (17) 71/100


Found at: Drinks Fellas

EXTRAS!

Running concurrently with my little world whisky project is another aim of mine to source out and try some of the best whiskies that the Malt Maniacs and other leading whisky writers have strongly recommended. One of those that I have seen receiving good feedback is this interesting Talisker 20YO Cask strength, bottled in 2003. A limited edition with a rather generous run of 12,000 bottles, this was one whisky that really polarized opinion amongst the maniacs, with scores ranging from 80-92. SGwhisky takes on this real beast of a whisky and sees what it gets out of it!

Name: Talisker 20YO
Distillery: Talisker (Islands)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 20YO
Number Produced: 12000
Vintage: 2003
Alc/Vol: 58.8%

Nose: Dark chocolate, dried prunes, unripe fruits, with a slightest hint of hidden peat and a rich malty sweetness. A while longer in the glass reveals interesting notes of Chrysanthemum tea sweetened with rock sugar. (22)


Taste/Palate: Sweet at first then very spicy. Chrysanthemum tea continues on the palate initially before notes of fruit (banana chips!) and a real sharp pepperiness that is indicative of Talisker whiskies. Loads of liquorice bitterness akin to when you bite on a peppercorn after it has been cooked and muted. (22)


Finish: An interesting finish with what can be described as 'a bubble in your mouth' type of mouthfeel, with the flavours all around the mouth but not in the centre. Predominant green notes with eucalyptus, grassy notes, cooked green vegetables and some lettuce. Weird but certainly interesting (21)


Overall: I can see why this polarizes opinions (in my opinion), it is powerful, rich in flavours, but also has interesting notes which I have never encountered in my very limited whisky library. It is also quite aggressive on the palate. Not for the faint of heart! (21) 86/100


Found at: The Auld Alliance

A Look at Bourbon: Kentucky Gentleman

With a few sherried whiskies under our belt, it would be nice to have a bit of a look at whiskies from across the 'pond', in the wonderful country that is the USA. As much as Scots are tied to their Scotch whiskies, Americans are fiercely proud of their Bourbon, and it has been the whiskey of choice for many an Americans (at the risk of sounding stereotypical though I must admit).

SGwhisky has had a few bourbons up on the site before, with a bit on bourbon, its heritage and how its made, but it has been a while, so it is high time to get back on the Bourbon saddle and try a few new ones.

This week, SGwhisky had the chance to sample Kentucky Gentleman Bourbon, a more entry level bourbon made in Bardstown, Kentucky. A highly traditional company, it is a familiar face in the world of bourbon, and it would be a great idea to have a taste to see what it is all about!

Nose: Sweet, grassy, citrus and apple notes mingle with a nice rye sweetness. This is interesting and is really fresh! (21)

Taste/Palate: Sweet, spicy with the rye sweetness and a nice oakiness. Hints of apple but it is certainly the rye I taste (Or am I just unfamiliar with what rye tastes like and I'm mistaking it!) (20)

Finish: A little oakiness in an otherwise short and light finish (18)

Overall: I do think this is a decent bourbon and I think it would be good to give it a shot, however I think I do prefer Blanton's. (20) 79/100

Found at: Drinks Fellas

Note: I am no expert in Bourbon so I would appreciate it if anyone has any comments on this drink, and any mistakes I may have in identifying flavour markers in a bourbon.

A Tale of Two Bourbons

L-R: Noah's Mill and Blanton's Whiskey

Today is another milestone for Singaporewhisky as it once again writes an inaugural review for another world whisk(e)y. Arguably another world giant in the world of whiskies, American Whiskey (spelt with the E as that is the Americant way of spelling) is also very well known by whisky drinkers the world over. Many people of course recognise brands like Jim Beam and Jack Daniels, both of which are examples of globrally renowned whiskey brands. In my search for what people define as a 'standard' bourbon whiskey, I, however, took the route less travelled and chose slightly lesser known but well-received whiskies: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon and Noah's Mill Small Batch Cask Strength Bourbon.

Just a little bit about American Whiskies before I start though. American whiskey making regulations and techniques are very much different from that of Scotch. Americans use different bases to produce their spirits, the more famous ones being rye, unmalted barley and corn. American regulations also stipulate very strict rules in terms of production techniques that one must adhere to in order to term their whiskey Bourbon. Hence if you look closely at a Jack Daniels bottling, the word 'Bourbon' is never on the label, because their charcoal filtering process is an additional process not recognized by the authorities, and hence they cannot call themselves a Bourbon. In the interest of not making this post a long essay, I won't mention the exact stipulations that are required for a whiskey to be called Bourbon.

Flavour profile wise, American whiskies tend to have a unique and dominant sweetness if they use rye as a base. On top of that, the production laws stipulate that they can only use new oak barrels for their maturation (unlike Scotch whiskies, which mature their whiskies mostly in ex-Bourbon casks or Sherry casks) and hence one tends to get the influences of the wood more in their whiskey when they drink it. So without further ado, here goes!

Name: Blanton's Original Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distillery: Blanton's
Origin: USA
Age Statement: Nil
Type: Single Rye Bourbon
Alc/Vol: 46.5%
The Blanton's Original Single Barrel Bourbon has garnered praise for arguably being one of the 'standard' Bourbons, with the typical flavours of sweetness, spice and vanilla that one would expect from a good Bourbon. Due to the fact that it is a Single Barrel release, which means that any bottling is taken from one single barrel, the flavour profiles of each different barrel may differ. In my opinion, this Blanton's is a good introduction to the world of Bourbon, as it is pleasant to drink and does contain those unique Bourbon characteristics.

Nose:  Very sweet and fruity. Peaches dominate the nose, with honey, light spices, orange like citrus notes and that unmistakable hint of vanilla (22)

Taste/Palate: The sweet rye is dominant with strong liquorice and spicy notes of anise and cinnamon. A woody and dry mouthfeel is brought up from the rear. (21)

Finish: The rye sweetness continues to the end along with a slight liquorice and vanilla note (20)

Overall: A nice enough Bourbon but it seems to be lacking in a punch that makes it truly flavourful, nevertheless it is still a very pleasant drinking experience, and is decently well balanced. (20) 83/100

Found at: The Auld Alliance, La Maison Du Whisky

Name: Noah's Mill Small Batch Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
Distillery: Noah's Mill
Origin: USA
Age Statement: 15 Years
Type: Single Rye
Alc/Vol: 57.15%

On to the second whiskey of the night, Noah's Mill Small Batch whiskey. Small batch is different from single barrel as it does contain more whiskey than a single barrel, but proponents of the small batch whiskey contend that it is a hallmark of the blender's skill as it brings with it the added challenge of creating a whole batch of whiskey at a certain level, whereas single barrels could, according to The Whisky Exchange, be just due to a force of nature providing a good barrel. That is not discounting of course that single barrels themselves do need a lot of expertise to produce a good whiskey.

Noah's Mill is a lesser known Bourbon compared to Blanton's, but bottled at cask strength, one is able to have a better understanding of the impact of wood on a bourbon's maturation without any filtering, dilution or colouring. All in all, this was a very flavourful Bourbon!

Nose: Lovely strong notes of vanilla and toasted wood. Light fruits and a slight honey tone too. (22)


Taste/Palate: Strong sweetness of honey and liquroice, but it is the influence of the wood that once again shines through with notes of vanilla, spiciness and that lovely bourbon sweetness that runs along the side of the mouth. Slight acidity in the centre of the tongue though, interesting. (23)


Finish: Long and sweet, with pleasant vanilla notes again. (21)


Overall: A textbook example of what the wood does to a whiskey. The influences of the wood are pervasive without overpowering the spirit's own unique sweetness. Great stuff (22) 88/100


Found at: The Auld Alliance