High West Campfire Whiskey Review:

I know, I know! No reviews in almost a month. This isn't how I ever want things to go. I've been busy and a bit sick, so high proof alcohol hasn’t been treating my throat very nice. But alas, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are some genuinely exciting changes coming up for the Bourbon Intelligencer that will guarantee more reviews and whiskey content for the foreseeable future. But that is all I can say on that for now. You'll just have to wait for more news. Updates will be coming possibly within the next month or so.

Tonight we've got with us a truly revolutionary product from High West Distillery: Campfire. This thing breaks all the rules and does so with poise and courage – yes... courage. I feel that good whiskey calls for the assigning of virtuous nouns. Campfire is composed of three whiskies: a 5 and a half year old rye distilled at MGPI, a six year old bourbon also from MGPI, and finally an 8 year old peated Scotch. Where the peated Scotch is from, David Perkins at High West does not divulge, though we do know it is not from Islay or the Islands. Ultimately I am not too concerned with the origin – High West has up to this point always been straight forward with their practices and this thing is so damn delicious that we don't care too much to ask.

High West Campfire Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $50.00 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Classic High West – the necessary information included.

Alcoholic Content: 46% abv, 92 proof.

Nose: More of a honeyed and fruit nose than I expected. Dried golden raisins, toffee, cinnamon, vanilla. Only on the back end do you find traces of scotch and rye. A hint of smoke that lingers on your jacket after a weekend of camping. Sweet green apples.

Palate: Quite unique indeed. The scotch does seem to play second fiddle to the American spirits here, but the balance of all three seems to work out wonderfully. The smooth and creamy dried fruit of the bourbon, with the spice and pepper of the rye, leads very nicely into the sweetness and peaty twist of the scotch, which allows itself to be ever so present throughout.

Conclusion: High West has really done something unparalleled again. And in many ways, the name fits even better after trying it. This is not necessarily a bold and overbearing whiskey in any sense of the word. It's calming and delightful. That's what I meant by poise and courage. This experiment could have been anything, but High West took the high road and has shown they are always taking their time, always honing their craft.

Rating: Excellent/Highly Recommended

George Dickel Rye Whisky Review:

And here I am again, with a follow up whiskey from the “other” Tennessee distillery... Oh wait, this is a rye whiskey… and then again, it isn’t even a rye made in Tennessee. In fact it isn’t even made by Dickel, but rather it’s produced by Midwest Grain Products Inc. (MGPI). So what, do you ask, is going on? Ok, ok. I’ll stop with the rant before I go too far. For one thing, it isn’t entirely fair that I make such a big deal about this. Sourcing product from other distilleries go on all over the country, if not all over the world. But in the United States, as many have talked about before, something entirely different is happening. So lets first take a step back and explain some background.

First the whole MGPI thing. As much as the subject annoys me rather than anything else these days, I’ll briefly go over what it’s all about. Midwest Grain Products, more well known by their former name Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI), is a giant monster distillery over the border from Kentucky. Like many distilleries in Scotland, they don’t sell to the public, but rather to other whiskey labels. Before the recent boom of rye whiskey in America, they made one of the smartest decisions in the world by producing a high rye whiskey. This 95% rye mashbill whiskey was originally intended to be sold to companies who would then blend it with other whiskies, as is common practice in Scotland. But some companies found the “95” rye was quite good on its own right and so they would simply select particular barrels and sell them under their own label without any blending. Because of the huge financial undertaking it is to produce a whole new product or to start a distillery yourself, "95" became very popular as the "go-to" rye producer. And with few options when one wants to purchase rye in the United States, it is quite understandable how quickly brands like Bulleit, Redemption, Willet, possibly Templeton, George Dickel, among others, all flocked to the "95," with very little differences in flavor profile.

From this 95% rye whiskey, George Dickel takes the product through its Lincoln Country process using its iconic sugar maple charcoal. Usually Dickel would chill the distillate and run it through the filtration process before it's aged, but understandably so, this 5 year old whiskey is chilled and filtered before bottling, creating a Lincoln County twist on a product that usually sees little change after leaving the MGPI plant.

As I alluded to prior, this is all just business as usual. Some make a larger deal about this than need be. Some don't make large enough of a deal. What I care about is transparency. And this stuff ain’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. MGPI/LDI produces rather good products. But ultimately, to cut to the punch line--for myself, this rye is just not Dickel. It’s not what I would expect from Dickel. It’s just not the Tennessee Rye I was hoping for.

George Dickel Rye Whisky Review:

Price: From $24-$28 for a 750ml bottle. I find it difficult to purchase this when it is more expensive than their standard Number 12--which Dickel actually produces.

Packaging/Labeling: This is where I have some complaints. Same Dickel bottle with lovely green tones – all of which I love. But the label to me is deceptive. They can’t legally say it’s a Tennessee whiskey (as far as I know, it’s not even bottled in Tennessee), it states that it is distilled in Lawrenceburg, IN on the back, but it speaks about George Dickel and his desire to create the “smoothest Tennessee Whisky around,” small batch, and handcrafted. Advertisers can say what they want, but I don’t like it. Simple as that.

Alcoholic Content: 45% abv, 90 proof.

Nose: Spearmint, cedar, and lemongrass.  Cereal and oatmeal grains. Nothing overcomplicated, if not anodyne. 

Palate: Balanced palate of rye spice and sweet spearmint burst onto the scene. The charcoal mellowing makes a huge impact. Nothing is over woody, over spiced, over sweet. A nice oily dark chocolate mint candy on the finish - think Andess Mints.

Conclusion: This is by far my most preferred expression of the "95" rye from MGPI, not counting what is being done at High West. It’s a solid, well-rounded, balanced rye. Not great by any means, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if someone bought me a dram of it at a bar.

On a positive note, this might be the last MGPI/LDI product we see on the market for a good while, says Chuck Cowdery, since Dickel has “locked up” current supply, and the current MGPI rye supply is less than a year old! This means that everyone just might have to wait for new and original products to come to the market, rather than repackaging the same old stuff. 

Rating: Good/Recommended

High West Double Rye! Whiskey Review:

“Perhaps the spiciest American whiskey I have ever tasted, yet at the same time, quite tame and mellow.” – John Hansell

For the past 100-200 years blended whiskey has been dominated primarily by Scotch and Irish blenders, while the United States beverage industry has been mainly relegated to single distilleries without much sharing of each other's spirits. Where most distilleries in Scotland share and sell their spirits to various other independent bottlers and blenders, you will be hard pressed to find a bourbon distillery which is selling its spirit in any other form than their particular distillery label (besides the big guys like LDI). This trend in the US has, though not as diverse and multifaceted as it’s brothers across the pound, recently have seen some needed change. In the past decade or so, many new whiskies sourced elsewhere have found their place in the market. Labels such as Bulleit, WhistlePig, Templeton, among others have been popping up here and there. And, along with these “bottlers,” have arisen a few blenders in the real sense of the tradition. High West Distillery is one such blender that has been garnering applause for their blended whiskey ( i.e. sourced products) which are then painstakingly blended to achieve a new and unique flavor profile. While there has been some negative media due to the lack of High West distilling many of their own products (they do distil some of their spirits), High West has been more than open with their blending practices, and the fact that they have such stellar products makes a very hard case against their provocateurs. One might raise the question that LDI is finding it's way into most of the bottles I listed, but I would just say that this trend is something which I believe will soon be changing for the better, with more distilleries opening up their store. 

If you haven’t heard about High West Distillery they are located in Park City Utah and, not surprisingly, the first legal distillery in Utah since prohibition (if I could gain a penny every time I use that designation!). Attached to the distillery is a beautiful saloon and restaurant making an out of the way trip a bit more appealing. Rendezvous Rye was the flagship brand and the first offering, much less their first huge successful whiskey. At 92 proof, non-chill filtered blend of a 16-year-old 80% rye whiskey with a 6-year-old 95% rye whiskey this whiskey won the 2008 winner of a Double Gold Medal at San Francisco Spirits competition. Now, the Double Rye, in the similar vein is a blend of a very young 2 year old high rye whiskey of 95% rye, and a 16 year old high rye whiskey of 53% (37% corn, 10% Barley Malt). And what we get with the Double Rye! Is possibly the most unique American whiskey I have ever had. Yes, you read that correctly. The most unique.

High West Double Rye! Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $35.00 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Western-y to say the least. High West have unique bottles to all their products, and I wouldn’t ever tell them to change it. Let’s just say it adds some diversity to your collection. 

Alcoholic Content: 46% abv, 92 proof. Happy with that!

Nose: Immediately hit by an incredibly distinct gin body. Transported into a spring forest with fresh honeydew and green cedar all around. If it wasn’t for the slight oak coming through one could have fooled me into thinking this was some other kind of spirit. A beautiful nose.

Palate: Dark, burnt sugars explode with a rye sweetness. Opens large on the tongue with the gin botanicals and fresh pine leaves, providing a wonderful bitterness yet nothing overly tannic. Extensive and long finish.

Finish: This redefines what a rye can be. Honestly I have never tasted a whiskey this unusual – truly “unique” as some reviewers have put it. And the secret is in the great divide of age. You get the youth and vigor of the very young two year old, but the rare maturity of a 16 year old rye. This is the beauty of a blended whiskey. You could not get these flavors without the melding of the two together. I cannot say this is for everyone, but if you want something completely different from your normal routine try this outstanding whiskey. 

Whistle Pig: An American Rye Whiskey (from Canada)

“There is no bad whiskey.

There are only some whiskeys that aren't as good as others.”

– Raymond Chandler

Firstly I would like to say hello, and welcome back to the Bourbon Intelligencer! This is the very first blog post since getting back from Europe. Now that everything has all but settled here in our new (old) home in Sacramento, CA. I hope to finally start pumping these blogs out again.

One of the very first whiskies my father introduced to me since I’ve been back has been the WhistlePig Straight Rye. About time right? I’ve been hearing about this fantastic 100% rye for quite a while now. Fashioned by the previous Master Distiller of Maker’s Mark, David Pickerell, and founded along with entrepreneur and a prior contestant from The Apprentice, Raj Bhakta, WhistlePig has quickly gained stardom from everywhere. Sourced in Canada and bottled in Vermont, this is definitely a whiskey which gains its glory post-distillation. Thankfully it appears that things at the WhistlePig Distillery will slowly transition to a fully distilled rye product onsite once they get the whole place in full production. For now, we gain something quite fantastic. While it was still in bulk storage, Bhakta purchased the Canadian rye whiskey and transported it back to the two century old working farm in Shoreham and renamed it WhistlePig Farm in Vermont. Most likely to be used as a blending spirit, Bhakta and Pickerell branded it, bottled it, labeled it, and watched as the excellent reviews came in from all over the country.

As rye has been gaining more success, a comeback from its glory days in the Wild West, it is not easy finding a 100 percent rye whiskey. And honestly I generally don’t always prefer many of the rye whiskies I have tried, so I was a bit skeptical of the hype WhistlePig has garnered. I can say that I have been truly blown away by this product and I can also honestly say it is one of my favorite American (/Canadian) whiskies out there.

I understand that people like rye in their cocktails, I do in my Old Fashioned’s. But please save the WhistlePig for a quiet moment - it deserves the respect. As always I am not entirely happy about mystery whiskey from wherever, but the intrinsic quality inside the bottle is what I ultimately care about and I really do love this stuff.

WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $70.00 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: The bottle looks and feels like it should for the price. Classy yet modern, and despite the strange drawing of the pig in a top hat and cigar, it all works. Could use some more information on the back label, yet I don’t really take much of an issue with it. Liking the 100-100 design.

Alcoholic Content: 50% abv, 100 proof. This is quite unique when it comes to rye. Note that you will not get any of the traditional malt or corn flavor profiles peeking in.

Nose: Unadulterated rye. The 10 years of aging is a wonderful breath of fresh air. Spearmint leaves, Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, green winter oak, distinct pine needles. Star anise, hinged on mulling spices. Sweet, sugary and airy taffy.

Palate: The palate compliments the nose wonderfully. Bold and confident, yet elegant. Such a distinct and beautiful note of spearmint leaves. More of that Wrigley’s. Menthol, rye, oak and honey from the barrel. Sweet and smooth nutty taffy. Layers of flavor and layers of complexity with a long finish. A true treat.

Conclusion: In many ways, this does not taste like a traditional rye. I loved Jason Pyle’s way of summing it up, saying it is not bourbon like, but it has the rich qualities that bourbon has. This is seriously a humdinger of a whiskey. A game changer for the whole category. This would definitely make a very nice cocktail, but I as I said before this is a sipping whiskey. Grab it while you can.

Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond Whiskey Review:

“The true pioneer of civilization is not the newspaper, not religion, 

not the railroad – but whiskey!” – Mark Twain

In the darkest hour for whiskey in America, the period from 1970 to 1990, rye whiskey fell very much off the radar. Few distillers continued producing the stuff, yet Heaven Hill Distillery, a producer which had been around since 1933, persisted in making rye and corn whiskey. And lately, with the almost overnight rise in the celebrity of rye whiskey, Heaven Hill fell into position as the dominant capitalizer on the huge demand. 

But even with Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond's well matured inception date, having been named the best American whiskey of the year in 2010 by WHISKY magazine explains its newly gained reputation. And to give away the punch line, for the price point, it possibly is the best whiskey in its class, coming in at about $20 a bottle (only $12 a few years a go).

This Heaven Hill brand, like most American rye whiskies, it is produced in Kentucky. Since 2008 Heaven Hill, having been producing all of its rye at the Brown-Forman Distillery for the last few years, has increased its production by at least 40 percent. Meaning anyone wanting to get their hands on the hard-to-get-stuff, will now see much more of it this year and after – A good thing for all of us.

Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond:

                                    

Price: Around $20.00 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: I really enjoy the whole package. It isn't entirely modern - more something you would see in the 70s or 80s. Despite its dress it doesn't actually appear cheap. Some people don't like screw caps, but it actually works with the bottle. 

Alcoholic Content: 100 Proof, 50% ABV.

Color: Rich and dark amber.

Nose: A confident nose, with a deeper complex rye to stabilize it. It comes about with a rye/metallic forward nose. Creamy chocolate and cinnamon. Caramel, wood, and candied almonds. Mexican hot cocoa.

Tasting: Wow, wow, wow. This is fantastic. A light apple sweetness builds into a rich flavor of rye, chocolate, clove spices and ginger. A delightful winter warmer which develops into syrupy butter and Carmel finish.

Conclusion: Being from the same guys who produce Elijah Craig I am not surprised by the quality here. No matter, this is quite an impressive dram. Drink it neat, or with a very, very small drop of water. The high-proof also works well with any classic or pre-prohibition style cocktail; my spirit of choice when I order an Old Fashioned. Either way, if you see it on the shelf it is still probably a good idea to grab a bottle (or two).

A small side note I will add: I came a across some numbers on the Chuck Cowdery Blog about the “rye revival.” He states that, “Jim Beam Rye is far and away the leader at 42,365 cases. To give you a frame of reference, the big bourbon and Tennessee whiskey brands -- Jim, Jack and Evan -- each sell millions of cases a year. Wild Turkey 101 and Maker's Mark are each a bit shy of breaking the million-case threshold. A brand like Knob Creek or Woodford Reserve will sell more than 100,000 cases a year.” So even if these numbers are from 2010, this still gives us an idea of where we are in the “rye revival.” Yet, like the increase in production of Rittenhouse, the numbers will keep increasing (thank goodness!).

Bulleit "95" Rye American Whiskey Review:

"If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck,
I'd dive to the bottom to get one sweet suck.
But the ocean ain't whiskey and I ain't a duck,
I'll play Jack O' diamonds and trust to my luck.”

- Tex Ritter in Rye Whiskey

Founded in 1897 and released in 1999, Bulleit Bourbon (I reviewed that here) has been climbing the ranks ever since. As my go-to bourbon, its high rye mash bill gives it a unique palette to remember. I've been a fan of Bulleit since the first time I tried it and when I heard about a rye version the Bulleit Distilling Co. was working on I was pretty excited. I Definitely had some high hopes. In development since 2004, Tom Bulleit’s Rye was due to come out being that rye is today's current trend whiskey. Yet for the very reason of rye's popularity, this release would need to rise one above the rest, holding its own as a reasonably priced rye. 

Released nationally just this May, and the second spirit to be released by Bulleit thus far, Bulleit “95” Rye has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, making it again unusual for its own class which legally only requires 51% rye in the mash bill. Aged a minimum of four years and as long as 7 in new white oak barrels, charred at a level 4 (the highest level char), and sourced from German, Swedish, and Canadian grains, Bulleit Rye is produced by the “infamous” and “illusive”(..?) company, LDI – the same producer of Redemption and Templeton Rye.

The label does say this whiskey is "small batch" but how "small" that is, coming from LDI, I don't really know. It is really a catchphrase today which means nothing, unless the producer is completely transparent. LDI, nor Bulleit, are companies that are very transparent so I would simply disregard the claim, true or not. Unless some of you know the answer?

Bulleit "95" Rye Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $28 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Brilliant as Bulleit always is. I think it was the right choice to stick with the “classic” bottle while simply changing the color of the label. No complaints. I just hope they don’t change it like so many other producers are doing right.

Alcohol Content: 90 Proof, 45% ABV.

Color: Golden Straw.

Nose: Dark cherry, aromatic tobacco, with mint and spice. Honey, leather, milk chocolate (no bitter dark cocoa) and caramel in the background.

Tasting: Enters softly, almost flat. Progresses into a spiced cherry and apricot. There is a minty and creamy airiness which rounds off with maple syrup, Red Hots and a very dry oak.

Conclusion: Whether I am having an off day or not, the front is not very impressive. At least it isn't as strongly built as I think it should be. I will keep trying this for an update later - I really want to like the whole thing.  You do get the spiciness from the rye but not nearly what I would expect from such a high rye mash bill.  Being that it contains whiskeys between 4 and 7 years, I would guess there is more 4 year old whiskeys than 7. I suggest some higher aging to possibly round out the front, though it is what it is. I will also update this on how it works in a cocktail. Either way, despite the arrival I could still sip this neat (with a little water).