January 2019 – The Best of 2018
The new year
In the past, I’ve stuck to recording our experiences for the heck of it. I had talked about doing a bourbon club for years and when I finally got it going it quickly became my favorite thing. Our regulars often comment that it’s their favorite day of the month, and I always agree with them. Even the months when all the whiskey is mediocre at best, it’s a great time.
This year, I’m stepping up the quality of my work. I’m not a web developer, photographer, or even an expert on whiskey. My knowledge is from my high school photography class, blogs and forums, and experience drinking whiskey with my buddies. It may not be perfect, but I hope it helps you understand whiskey a little better and maybe find the courage to start your own little hobby club. It’s worth all the effort.
For our best of club meeting, we always drink our top-ranked whiskeys from the previous year. We hit 3 specific categories which is pretty cool
The lineup
Mid-range Whiskey
We started with Jefferson’s Very Small Batch. It’s a great entry-level whiskey. It’s blended from the distiller’s bourbons including at least 55% bourbon from a single small batch mixed with some of their older batches to bring in the complexity of an old whiskey without the price.
Top-Shelf Whiskey
Next, we had Blanton’s single barrel. Honestly, this whiskey was just hard to find. There were 3 different liquor stores that I visited where the employees laughed at me for even asking. I had to call 10 before I found anyone with a bottle to spare. It is worth hunting for. Fun fact, it’s what John Wick drinks. This is, in our opinion, the ultimate whiskey for someone who can’t regularly spend a lot on a bottle of whiskey.
High-Proof Whiskey
Finally, we had Baker’s 7 year. It’s the younger of the distiller’s premium bourbons, and it’s high-proof. If you’re new to bourbon, this one sucks. It’s so hot from the proof it’s hard to taste. If you’re a regular whiskey drinker, this is a pretty solid bottle.
Jefferson's Very small batch
Jefferson's Bourbon
Overall
7.5 /10
Burn
4.67 / 10
Specs
Age: Age (blended bourbons various ages)
ABV: 41% or 82.3 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $33.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $45.00
(Flavors) apple, charcoal, light corn, sweet, fresh, spicy, woodsy, light peat, brûléed sugar, copper, butter, grass, hickory, fresh cut paper.
(Notes) This whiskey is a great entry-level bourbon. For the price, you’ll be hard pressed to find something better. If you come by one of the other bottles from the Jefferson line give those a shot too. For those of us in our club that have tried them, Jefferson’s comes as a highly recommended group of whiskeys.
Links:
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
Blanton's Straight From The Barrel
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Overall
8.67 /10
Burn
5.17 / 10
Specs
Age: N/A
ABV: 46.5 % or 93 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $59.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $59.00
(Flavors) Bananas*, banana foster, caramel, vanilla, anise, mineral, sage, baked vanilla*, deep cherry*, sweet maple*, vanilla*, charcoal, earthy, leather finish, oak, over-ripened strawberry, lavender, tart, grape
(Notes) The immediate reaction from everyone in our club was, “Wow, this makes me happy.” If you just drink this, you’ll enjoy it. It’s beautiful. If you drink it and really think about it, you’ll find yourself chasing different flavors and trying to place them. Every time I drink it the experience is both joyful and new.
Links:
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
Baker's Straight Bourbon Whiskey
James B. Beam Distilling Company, Clermont, KY
Overall
7.17 /10
Burn
7.67 / 10
Specs
Age: 7 Years
ABV: 53.5 % or 107 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $59.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $48.00
(Flavors) oak, vanilla, cinnamon, jawbreakers, pear*, walnut, playdough, salted caramel, apple, sweet, creamy, cherry, dry wood, burnt vanilla, brown sugar
(Notes) For some reason each time we have Baker’s someone makes a comment about how it brings the sensation of drowning. The weird part is that it’s always someone new who couldn’t have heard it from us before. This is the whiskey you drink when you’re mad and ready to fight, and you’re going to feel it when you drink it.
This is a high-proof whiskey, so yeah, it’s going to burn when you drink it. For what it is though, it’s a delicious whiskey. It’s got some complexity with consistency, and each time we drink it we love it just a little more. This is not a good whiskey for new drinkers though.
Links:
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
First Review
My friends were nice enough to let me live stream our first review of the evening so that other people could see what a review is like. We had some newcomers which was great! If you like hearing about our club, please make sure to visit our Facebook page and follow our club. It goes a long way to have some followers. Thanks, and be safe!
