El Dorado 15 Year Old Rum Review:

“RUM, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.” 

– Ambrose Bierce

Historically when people think of rum it tends to conjure up images of the high seas and swashbuckling pirates. No doubt that aspect of history is very interesting yet what interest me even more is how rum has effected American history. It could be argued that rum is the most American of all spirits. The colonists were sure drinking much more of it than anyone (or anything) else at the time of the revolution. Estimated rum consumption before the Revolution had every man, woman, and child drinking up to 3 Imperial Gallons of the stuff a year. One can only surmise that women and children were definitely at the lower end of the consumption spectrum. And it was rum, not whiskey, which George Washington persisted on serving at his 1789 inauguration. The decline of rum is much more of a debated story to be told another time, but my point of this whole speech is that a rum review sits very snugly with a blog dedicated to the “Native Spirit” of America.

As this is a whiskey blog, with a focus on Bourbon, I have not yet heavily featured other spirits. Rum is one of those categories in which I feel can openly admit my naivety. And truth be told I have never been taken by rum (until recently). It’s always been a bit too sweet. But I believe it’s always good to push oneself to try new things and expand ones palate. I don’t doubt that in time I will eventually come to love every variation of the spirit.

With a history of over 300 years and the use of wooden continuous coffey and Pot stills, El Dorado 15, from Demerara Distillers, seemed to me to be the perfect introduction to rum on this blog. Like most rum produced in the world, El Dorado 15 is a blend of multiple ages and styles produced at the distillery (15 years signifying there is nothing younger than 15 year old rum in the bottle – and possibly there is a variation of up to 25 year old rums). Due to their relative isolation, Demerara, like most rum distilleries, have multiple stills in which they produce various characteristics that will ultimately be blended into the final product. Of the three stills running at the distillery, they use a wooden coffrey still, a wooden pot still (both of which are the last working wooden stills of their kind), and a French Savalle Still. All the rum is aged in oak barrels.

El Dorado 15 Year Old Rum Review: 

Price: Around $37.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Beautiful bottle besides the plastic cork top and plastic wax symbol. 

Alcohol Content: 40% abv, 80 proof. 

Nose: Sweet almond, honey, brown sugar, marzipan and banana, Dry autumn leaves. Beach sand.

Palate: Robust yet evenly distributed and light on the tongue. Creamy honey and butter cream pie. There is Demerara smoke with hints of smooth coffee that trail off into a lightly sweet caramel banana note. The wood is reminiscent of a heavily oaked bourbon such as Makers 46 or Knob Creek, but without the harsher tannins. 

Conclusion: This is dangerously easy drinking. I went through three glasses of this stuff without even blinking. I wouldn’t suggest this as a mixer, and to be clear, that is never the intention of reviewing any of these spirits on this blog. Drink this neat – ice is really not necessary unless your sipping this on a beach somewhere. This is a highly recommended benchmark rum.

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon Review:

“I’ve enjoyed my entire career, but being part of a team that is putting Four Roses back on the map in the U.S. has made these last few years exceptionally special, and no matter which hat I’m wearing, I love what I do.”

– Jim Rutledge

When it comes to Four Roses I have to say I'm a bit biased. And how can I not be? Just listening to any interview of Jim Rutledge will sell me on their product before I even put a glass to my nose. Four Roses single barrel is no different, and every experience I have with the brand is exemplified in this label. As I spoke of in my Yellow Label review last April, the Single Barrel has been on the market the longest. Only in the US market since 2002, the Single Barrel (re)established the Four Roses brand in the United States with confidence. 

Each year Four Roses produces ten varieties of distillate in which they age everything in new charred white oak. From these ten, Jim Rutledge will choose one expression which works best for that year. As with any single barrel, the profile will shift from year to year, but generally they will always be characterized with the mellowness and floral/fruity palate Four Roses is known for. But don’t mistake fruity for sweet, this isn’t what I would characterize as an overly sweet whiskey – or rather, any of the sweetness in the bottle is always balanced out by the spice.

Four Roses Single Barrel Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $44.00 for a 750ml bottle. The price has definitely increased since its release, but I would still consider this reasonable.

Packaging/Labeling: The bottle is terrific. It feels nice in the hand and the wooden cork top which surrounds the half inch spout is a beautiful work. Classy, simple, and elegant at the same time.

Alcoholic Content: 50% abv, 100 proof. Perfect abv for not being a cask strength – allows for clarity and sharpness on the palate.

Nose:  This is a fabulous nose. Rich and sweet maple wood, buttery chocolate covered peanuts. Fresh pine, candy corn, honey, and dark peach cobbler. This thing has great complexity from which you can nose for hours.

Palate: Expands on the tongue assertively, yet it proceeds gently and never overpowers. All the mulling spices are present, with cypress and clean Fall air. The golden ribbon of corn which flows through this entire palate is controlled and on point with strong pine, light mint, fruit, animated honey, and char. I don’t know where it came from but a beautiful cherry pie finish snuck up on me at the very end.

Conclusion: Sweet, but not too sweet. Char, but not too much. Traditional bourbon appeal, yet it leaves you with something more. Enjoy this on its own, no water, no nothing, or have a piece of fruit pie on the side. As with any good bourbon, this is a great holiday treat which matches perfectly with the current weather outside.

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.

Update/Posting Forecasts: To New Adventures

So obviously the posts on the Bourbon Intelligencer have slowed down this last month or so. This, thankfully, has not been due to the some unfortunate whiskey drought, or because I’m having doubts about the whole venture – quite the contrary in fact. The whole story is that my wife and I have been busy getting ready to move from Portland, OR, back to Sacramento, CA, our hometown where we grew up and where our most of our families reside. And as sad as moving away from one of the greatest cities in America may sound, there is some silver lining. The catch is that we will only be moving our belongings back… sort of. We will eventually place our roots in Sacramento, but as soon as we get all our things safely secured later this June, we will promptly be getting on a plane and heading straight to Europe. Not to mention this is not your average two week summer vacation. With no jobs, school, or financial ties, we will be setting out for three whole months enjoying mainland Europe for about a month, heading north to spend some quality time in the heart of Scotland after that, and riding off to the west to spend our last month in Ireland. As much as this is a vacation and celebration for both being done with our studies, my wife having just finished up her degree, it will also be a time of planning and accumulating tons of inspiration for our new lives and (ad)ventures we will be starting in Sacramento. Much whiskey will be tasted. Much good food will be enjoyed. That said, I am not entirely sure what the whiskey reviews will look like during this time, but have no fear for there will be many interesting post to be consumed. There will be plenty of photos and videos to capture everything. Thank you so much for the support you have provided this past year! This blog has turned out to be much more then I would ever have expected. Feel free to check out my tumblr, lifeofawhiskeydrinker.tumblr.com, from which I will be documenting much of the trip. Until next time my fellow whiskey drinkers, remember to drink what you like, know what you drink, and make it a double!