Category: Whiskey

Rye whiskey is so named due to the recipe consisting of at least 51% rye, usually followed by corn, and barley, in some combination. Bourbon contains at least 51% corn, and often contains some percentage of rye to add some spicy notes. It is often in the range of 15% rye. There are also high rye bourbons with 30% rye.

Old Grand-Dad is a high rye bourbon and is quite spicy, while still being sweet.

Old Forester Rye is 65% Rye, 20% Malted Barley, and 15% Corn.

The aroma is very minty with oak and cinnamon.

The flavor is very spicy, but less sweet than most bourbons. I taste mint followed by sweet, cinnamon, a peppery heat, and of all things, bubble gum!

Age: No Age Statement

Proof: 100% (50% ABV)

Price: $25 for 750ml (NC ABC)

Buy Again: Maybe on occasion

Unlike a bourbon where the main grain is corn, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey uses 51% wheat, 39% corn, and 10% barley. It still has the sweetness from the corn as well as the wheat. Given its seven years spent in oak, that flavor is a nice component of the aroma and the taste.

It doesn’t have any rye which usually imparts a spicy flavor into bourbons, but there is a little spice from the oak barrel that comes across as a bit of cinnamon to me. Overall, the flavor is mild compared to bourbons, and very mild compared to rye whiskeys.

It is a nice, unoffensive, sweet whiskey. Of course, some people will want something a little more complex.

Age: 7 Years

Proof: 90% (45% ABV)

Price: $25 for 750ml (on sale, NC ABC)

Buy Again: Maybe on occasion

Now that is a title!

As I explore spirits, I keep running across many styles of each spirit. No where is this more true than with whiskey. Bourbon, wheat, rye, and corn; perhaps others as well. Various combinations of these grains form the mash bills that end up in the large variety of whiskeys sold today.

My curiosity, and the low price gave me an opportunity to try the corn variant of whiskey. Mellow Corn is made from 90% corn, 10% rye and malted barley. When they say corn, they mean corn!

The taste is certainly that of sweet corn, and a hint of barrel char. There isn’t really much in the way of spice; the heat seems to come from the ethanol, but isn’t overwhelming. This isn’t complex by any means. To me, it is fine neat. Mixed with Coke, the corn and oak come through, and the oak cuts through the sweetness of the cola. I haven’t tried it in any other cocktails yet.

Age: At least 4 years (a bottled-in-bond requirement)

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $13.50 for 750ml (Virginia ABC)

Buy Again: Yes, although simple, I like the style

When people ask about bourbons to try for people that aren’t familiar with bourbon, usually people recommend Buffalo Trace. The other bourbon that frequently gets recommended is Eagle Rare.

In my area, as of this writing, Eagle Rare is less, uh, rare, than Buffalo Trace.

I actually did not buy a bottle in my area. I found it in a 375ml sized bottle in my neighboring state, along with 750ml and 1.75l (handles). I had never seen a regular, big-name, middle shelf bourbon in 375ml or a handle before (excluding popular bottom shelf bottles like Evan Williams).

Given the availability of a smaller bottle to satisfy my curiosity about Eagle Rare, I jumped at the chance.

The nice thing about Eagle Rare, is that it comes across as smooth, a word hated by bourbon purists. I think they would prefer balanced to describe it. While there is some mild spiciness, it isn’t aggressive. Some of the heat comes from the alcohol, and some peppery heat from the rye. It is sweet, sort of a caramel, but not sugary sweet. There is a fruitiness, to me, almost a mild cherry. There is good bit of charred oak in the aroma as well as a decent amount in the flavor. Given it’s 10 year age statement, it would be disappointing if it didn’t have an oak flavor and aroma.

I like Eagle Rare far more than I like Buffalo Trace, although I want to revisit and update my post, since I only left an overview of the bottle without much detail.

Age: 10 years!

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Price: $20 for 375ml (Virginia ABC)

Buy Again: Yes, if I can find it, and if the price doesn’t go through the roof

You know, when it comes to trying new bottles and when one is trying to focus on bargains whenever they come along, you’ve got to pay attention to those sales. When NC ABC listed Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond for sale at $3 off, that put it below $30 for a 750ml. As I always do, I started looking for reviews.

HMK10, as it is often listed in discussion groups, is a topic that evokes a lot of discussion. First, it is a single barrel product. This means that you can buy a bottle today that is phenomenal, and buy one from a different barrel tomorrow that isn’t nearly as good. Second, it is a 10-year age stated bourbon for around $30. Age statements seem to be disappearing as bourbon becomes more popular and distillers are trying to get more product out more quickly.

So off to the local state-run liquor purveyor I go. Over the shelf where the HMK10 was just days ago. Not a bottle on the shelf. Turns out, during some spirits competition, HMK10 won best something or other and people were going crazy for it. I wasn’t interested in it because of some award, but just because it was a 10 year old Bottled-in-Bond, ON SALE,  with generally good reviews as long as you got product from a decent barrel. A few days later, I walked into another ABC store and saw a couple of bottles on the shelf, and procured one for the lair.

The aroma is oaky and sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. The taste mirrors the aroma, except sometimes the cinnamon really takes center stage. I have to say that when I first opened the bottle, I didn’t care for it. I would occasionally come back and try it again. By the time I got halfway through the bottle, I started to enjoy it more, but it still isn’t my favorite whiskey to date. It isn’t bad, but I don’t know why so much hype.

Distiller: Heaven Hill

Age: 10 years!

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $30 for 750ml (on sale, NC ABC)

Buy Again: Probably not. There are a lot of bourbons out there and maybe single barrel isn’t the best bet for me

My curiosity with alcohol led me back to trying whiskey after parting ways with it many, many years ago. Back then, I knew nothing about different types of whiskey. Now, during my recent education, I was trying bourbon, and when learning about bourbon I found out that it is usually produced with with varying amounts of corn, rye, and barley. Bourbon must be at least 51% corn, and varying degrees of other grains. The rye adds a spicy flavor to the finished spirit, often a peppery or a cinnamon flavor.

After trying the Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond, which has a spicy kick, I found that I liked the spice. So when looking for other things to try, I ran across rye whiskey, which must be at lease 51% rye! An affordable and popular bottle is Rittenhouse Rye. It isn’t as rye forward as some rye whiskeys, some of which are 95% rye.

In Coke, the spicy flavors really work well. I have yet to try it, but I’ve read that an old fashioned be quite good using rye instead of bourbon!

Distiller: Heaven Hill

Age: At least 4 years (a bottled-in-bond requirement)

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $26 for 750ml

Buy Again: Yes, but I’ll probably try another brand, or something with an even higher rye content

Virgin Bourbon is a 101-proof, seven year old bourbon with a limited distribution. Rumor has it that is the same or very similar to Old Ezra 101. While I can’t speak to that, I can tell you that is fine as a mixer, but to me it kind of harsh when consumed neat. And not because of the alcohol. It’s just that it seems rough around the edges. I’m not doing much to explain it properly.

Okay, so Evan Williams BiB is right about the same alcohol level, but Virgin doesn’t seem as, balanced, between the heat from the alcohol, the spice from the rye content, and the sweet from then corn. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t anything I wanted to buy again. And that folks, is my basic criteria for any bottle…

Age: 7 years

Proof: 101 (50.5% ABV)

Price: $14 for 750ml

Buy Again: No. For just a few dollars more, there are some better bourbons