Virginia Gentleman Bourbon has been produced by the A. Smith Bowman Distillery since 1934 when the distillery opened on the Bowman farm. That farm is now the town of Reston, Virginia and the distillery is currently located in Fredericksburg, VA. Virginia Gentleman first came on the market in 1938 and is still available, mostly in the Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC area but I have found it on web sites elsewhere in the US.
Old Soul High Rye Bourbon Review
As the great Yogi Berra once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Here we have yet another bourbon with this mash bill. I think this may be the fifth I’ve tasted this year. This bourbon by Cathead Distillery is their second release of Old Soul Bourbon. The first I reviewed a couple years ago and it can found here. This release is a blend of MGP bourbon and the same mash bill distilled at Cathead. Unfortunately, the distillery would not disclose the mix of MGP vs their own distillate. There is no age statement on the bottle but on the website, they mention the age at between four and five years. This is an improvement over the first release which included some younger Cathead distillate. At 90 proof however it struck me as somewhat thin with a short finish. I believe a bit more proof and age would really improve this. However, this is an improvement over batch one and certainly worth trying at a bar or the distillery.
KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-In-Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Review
This is a very good and interesting rye whiskey. Interesting because of the orange vanilla notes mixed with the rye spice. Creamy on the front of the tongue with the rye spice coming through on the back. It is very enjoyable. This is the second KO Distiller’s Reserve release as earlier in the year, KO released a Bottled in Bond Bourbon. (see my review here). These Bottled in Bond releases demonstrate that there are more good things to come from KO Distilling. While the price is a little high, the quality is there. This release is one of two whiskeys released to celebrate KO Distilling”s 6 year birthday. Distribution is limited right now to Virginia, DC, Maryland and Delaware,
Bare Knuckle High Rye Cask Strength Bourbon Review
This is a great bourbon. Distilled by MGP, aged in Virginia. When KO Distilling opened, they sourced bottles from MGP and aged them here in Virginia. If care and feeding of aging barrels makes a difference, they nailed it on this one. It is the third different bourbon I have had in the past few months with this same mash bill. Totally enjoyable. It reminds me of eating a white chocolate truffle with a spicy filling of cinnamon, Yes, I am a huge fan of MGP bourbons and this mash bill. This KO distilling release is one of the better MGP bourbons I have tried. According to the distillery, the cask strength bottles will range from 120 to 128 proof. The sample I received was 127.6. I find it drinks below its proof. I would say this is a must try.
Swilled Dog Spirits Bourbon and Rye Review
This is my favorite of the Swilled Dog whiskies I tried. Yes I do like a good finished bourbon. This cask strength finished bourbon is excellent. It reminded me of a cherry pie with a dab of vanilla bean ice cream and some moonshine cherries. The bourbon is sourced and finished in Oloroso sherry casks that Swilled Dog sourced from Spain. The bourbon was finished in North Carolina. I enjoyed this immensely.
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Bourbon Cask Review
Peat! This was my takeaway when I first nosed this whiskey. I’m not a fan of peat or whiskies with a lot of malt. My first impression was I am not going to like this. My wife, who is a huge Jameson fan, took one nose and wouldn’t taste it. And while in subsequent nosings a number of days later, the peat smell was not as strong the malt did come through. The interesting thing is the malt came through on the palate only slightly. It was there though and took a way a good bit of the sweetness I get in an Irish Whiskey like Jameson. In addition, the mouthfeel of The Dubliner Irish Whiskey was quite thin to me. I drink Irish Whiskey occasionally but tend to go more for Jameson, Red Breast 12 or Cask Strength or Powers John Lane 12.
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur Review
Sugary sweet! Forget the wedge of cake after dinner and go with this Irish Whiskey Liqueur. A big taste of vanilla cream cheese icing with a hint of honey and some irish whiskey coming through. Less calories and a little buzz. If you are a fan of after dinner liqueurs, I would definitely put this on your list. It’s great neat, chilled or with a cube. I would say this is a bit sweeter than Irish Mist if I remember it correctly. My wife, Patti, who is a big Irish Mist fan gives The Dubliner Liqueur two thumbs up. Definitely worth checking out if this is up your alley.
Fire Dept. Coffee Vanilla Bean Bourbon Spirit Infused Coffee Review
View PostFire Dept. Coffee Black Cherry Bourbon Infused Coffee Review
Right up front, I am a big fan of dark roast and typically don’t drink a medium roast. In addition, I am not a huge fan of flavored coffees. At home I brew my coffee with a Techniworm, Mocca Master Drip coffee Maker and use whole beans ground in a Brim Grinder. That is how I tried this Fire Dept Coffee (FDC). While the company suggests using a French Press, I have not found them to work any better than my daily setup. As I said I am not a big fan of flavored coffees, but this coffee was a little different. According to FDC the bourbon is infused into the green coffee beans and then roasted. They also stated that the flavor is also already in the bourbon, so we are talking about a black cherry flavored ‘bourbon” here. The company would not disclose what “bourbon” is used.