Today we will look at the Benchmark Bonded Bourbon. The only information available is what is on the bottle: “The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 set strict standards for bonded whiskey. This 100 proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey aged four years to meet those standards. Enjoy the rich flavor and long smooth finish.” So, what’s it like? Learn more about it in our review!
Top Floor is quite simply, bourbon that has aged on the top floor of the warehouse. The label eloquently states: “Bourbon that matures on the top warehouse floors tends to age faster as heat rises. This top floor Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is smooth and well-rounded…”. So, what’s it like? Read our Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon review to learn more!
So what’s TerrePURE and what does it have to do with bourbon? Well, the TerrePURE process was developed by the Terressentia Corporation back around 2007. The process purifies alcoholic beverages using ultrasonic energy and oxidation. Few details have been revealed except to say that it could remove unwanted congeners (byproducts of fermentation) as well as convert some fatty acids to more flavorful esters. This process would overall “purify” a spirit and make it more flavorful.
Boone County Distilling Co has a unique niche in the continuously expanding Kentucky bourbon market; its products are “Made By Ghosts.” This ominous sounding tag line in reality is the company’s homage to those now little known nineteenth century characters in Boone County, Kentucky, who forged an enormous distilling pathway.
I thought it was time to revisit the Old Forester 1920 Bourbon, given that it seems to be a favorite of many. According to the Old Forester website, this bourbon is the third expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row series, and aims to replicate the barrel proof of the bourbon distilled during prohibition under Old Forester’s medicinal license.
Please enjoy our Old Wm Tarr Manchester Reserve Whiskey Review! Have you heard of William Tarr Distillery? While the current iteration of the distillery is a new kid on the block, their namesake most certainly is not. You see, William Tarr and Thomas J. Megibben purchased the financially troubled Ashland Distillery in 1871. The Ashland Distillery was initially established in 1865, and in 1866 it was the first to obtain a federally registered distillery license in Lexington and was assigned RD 1. So that’s pretty cool! The original Ashland Distillery was destroyed by fire, and then rebuilt and reorganized as Wm. Tarr & Company in 1879. Old Wm Tarr Manchester Reserve 7 Years Aged Whiskey is the first release from this resurrected distillery.
Please enjoy our Bardstown Bourbon Company Double Oak Fusion Review! I had heard that this Double Oak Fusion bourbon was coming, but I didn’t know when. It turns out that it showed up at the new “Fill Your Own Bottle” station that Bardstown recently debuted. This isn’t your usual double oaked story. It turns out that when Fusion 1 was bottled, there was a little snafu in calculations and some bourbon was left over. What to do? Well it was already dumped and shipped to the bottler, so it got put back in a tote and then went back to Bardstown and into a new charred oak barrel. The bourbon was left to age another 2 years in that new barrel. So how’d it come out?
Please enjoy our Pinhook Bourbon Heist High Proof review! Pinhook Bourbon Heist High Proof is the latest bourbon release from Pinhook. As many of you know, Pinhook releases a new “Crop” of bourbons and ryes each year. Each bears the name of a real life thoroughbred identified by McMahon & Hill / Bourbon Lane Stables and each horse has either bourbon or rye in its name. Every year, both the bourbon and rye are named after a new horse, and the bourbon, and sometimes the rye, come in both high proof and lower proof options. Also released each year are bourbons and ryes which are part of the Vertical Series; these whiskeys will be released yearly as they age from 4-12 years. They are all named either Bourbon War or Tiz Rye Time and the latest releases for both are their 5 year olds.
A month or so ago, Heaven Hill released Square 6 Bourbon which is sold only at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. It was the first bourbon to ever be released to the public that was distilled in the artisanal distillery at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. Next, it was the newly renamed and renovated Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience’s turn to get its own bourbon. At the time of the grand opening of the new visitor center, Five Brothers Bourbon made its first appearance. It is sold only at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience and initially was in short supply, although now it seems to be more readily available.
Business at Bardstown Bourbon Company is booming. This relatively new distillery located in the heart of Kentucky’s bourbon country has been filling a gaping hole in the world of bourbon since it began distilling in 2016. Bardstown has meticulously built a large portion of its business model on contract distilling; while contract distilling is certainly not new in the industry, the Company has raised the bar by offering its Custom Distillation Program. Now a non-distilling producer has almost endless options when they partner with Bardstown Bourbon to produce their product. From mashbill to yeast, fermentation time to distillation specs, and barreling to warehousing, every customer can choose their own preferences all the while being advised and supported by a company teaming with years of experience in the whiskey industry. Today, the entire process, grain to glass, can all take place on campus. Please join us on our Bardstown Bourbon Company bottling facility tour.
Sagamore Spirit Tequila Finish Rye is the latest finished release from Sagamore Spirit. Sagamore Spirit is a distillery located in Baltimore, MD, established in 2017. They are dedicated to producing Maryland style rye. What is Maryland style rye, you might ask? Well, the definition is a bit loose, but it is generally a rye made with a relatively high percentage of corn, as opposed to the Pennsylvania (Monongahela) Rye, which is made with a much higher percentage of rye. There is usually a small amount of malted grain added for enzymatic purposes, and that grain may be malted barley. Sagamore Spirit is currently distilling their own rye, but at the moment is using rye sourced from a well known Indiana distillery. Sagamore Spirit utilizes a blend of two different rye mash bills, which then get proofed down with Sagamore Farm spring water.
This New Riff 100% Malted Rye Whiskey is the latest release from New Riff Distilling, and it’s pretty exciting! It was released via online presale to members of the New Riff Whiskey Club last month. Needless to say, it sold out quickly! But don’t worry – according to the press release, this rye will be released in Kentucky and then have wider distribution by the end of 2021.
