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.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof Review
Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher continues to hit it out of the ballpark with their end-of-year Special Releases. On the heels of last year’s epic barrel-proof rye (yes, it was that good), this year’s Coy Hill High Proof release is the highest proof whiskey Jack Daniel’s has ever bottled. I’ve been a fan of the standard barrel proof for several years, so when I heard about this release, I was eager to see how the increased 10-15 points of additional proof would affect it.