Before The Bottle Runs Dry - Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old

Old Rip Van Winkle

Chasing the bourbon monkey is a fun little adventure for myself as more and more quality bourbons start to enter the Australian market. In only a few short years access to brands often reserved for an international trip can now be picked up through many chains and independent retailers.

You have all of course heard of the Pappy Van Winkle fever that grips the buyers market the moment there is a sniff of a few bottles coming into the country. People are buying on hype then reserving the bottles for resell later. Well Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery does make more than just the Pappy so if you truly want to try something from this distillery (now distilled at Buffalo Trace) shoot a bit lower for the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. But don’t shoot too low because you hip pocket will still be slugged a hefty $400AU for this bottle.

A friend brought this bottle over during one of several bbq and bourbon lunches we have had and kindly left the remnants for yours truly to sample and review. Bourbon for me? Nicholas you are too kind! I thought I better get this reviewed before the bottle runs dry.

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distillery: Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery / Buffalo Trace Distillery
Region: Kentucky, USA
ABV: 53.5%
Wood: New American Oak
Age: 10 years

Colour: Coal fire orange.

Nose is of course typical sweet bourbon with a good whack of a wood workshops, touches of aniseed, spearmint, semi dried dates, golden syrup and furniture polish. There is even elements of citrus and mango making it mildly tropical in nature.

Taste displays some real finely balance elements of older oak, maple and or golden syrup, fresh wood shavings and lifts with spearmint spice. Exceptionally smooth with little to no heat in the mouth as the tastes buds are saturated.

Finish is long and spicy heating in the chest with a obvious prickle under the tongue. It does not dry out too much but certainly enough to command a follow up sip shortly after as sugary maple syrup appears again.

Overall this whiskey steps left of the density of vanilla so many bourbons aim for. Wood refinement is clear in this beast but do not confuse that with being heavily oaked. I enjoy this whisky for what it is and have found it needs time to be appreciated. Sip it once or twice then let it rest before returning. Take note of the subtle characteristics and see how they change with the intake of breath. Take it gentle and treat it with respect.

Bourbons have very narrow profiles with the flavours weaved exceptionally close to each other. This is certainly one that has a nice level of craftsmanship to it. If I was to give a dram then a clean 6 out of 7 but I am now going to remove 1.5 points because I cannot though justify the price of $400AU here in Australia. No that pricing is just wrong and a cruel joke. So that is an offical 4.5 out of 7. Is that too cruel a score? No I don't think so because it is actually a really good whisky. I do like to remain grounded though and spending that kind of money on a whisky has impacts elsewhere in life some simply cannot afford. So if you are a keen bourbon hound, want to try something very well refined, have the dollars to spend, and maybe a few mates to share the appreciation with, then go for it.  Enjoy it. But if you are someone that buys on price believing that it equates to guaranteed satisfaction then maybe duck out and buy a dram at a bar first instead.

The Baron

Taking The Cut - Jim Beam Devil's Cut

Jim Beam Devil's Cut

So of course we all know of the Angels Share but Jim Beam have created their own Devil’s Cut.

Released a few years ago now Jim Beam Devil's Cut is a contribution to the Jim Beam stables by current master distiller Fred Noe. I have met Fred a couple of times now and he tells the story like this about the creation of the idea. When he was a lad first working at the distillery (around 13 years old), he would be charged with jumping in the truck and dropping off recently emptied barrels of Jim Beam. Fred was told that “there is still whiskey in those barrels” and was let in on the secret on how to extract the spirit trapped in the wood through the combination of adding water and letting sit in the summer heat. This method is know as "sweating the barrel".

Effectively the method on how Jim Beam now extracts the whiskey from the wood is not much different though details are scarce. A couple of litres of water is added to the barrel, sealed, and then let sit in the hot temperatures. Over the course of a few days the liquid from the wood seeps back into the belly of the barrel. The final liquid is around 6 litres of so of including the original 2 litres of water initially added. This whiskey, clearly heavily oaked, is then blended with 6 year old bourbon to find the right balance of flavour that has become the signature profile of Devil’s Cut.  Proportionally speaking there is not a lot of Devil's Cut actually going into this bourbon but I think is enough to tell the difference. Either way it makes great story and a great bourbon.

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut
Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery
Region: Kentucky, USA
ABV: 45%
Wood: New American Oak
Age: NAS, 6 years minimum

Nose: Herbal with a hot oak spice and a typical sweet bourbon corn body. The richness is profound but I find an older oak like distraction edging in constantly.

Taste: Quite smooth working well as a sipping whisky. The hot oaks from the nose appear very quickly while drying cocoa elements slip in. Though I am sure it is partly to do with the higher ABV I am sure but there is something different in how this whiskey performs with the taste buds as I find the sweet grain spirit dryness much more obvious.

Finish: Long and rich but also dry and high in the throat. Not too much warmth in the chest while it gets woody and herbal in the mouth the longer it lingers. Leave it a bit longer and dark chocolate starts to become very obvious.

Overall it is a great whiskey but its middle ground leaves me a bit wanting overall. Because the flavour is there I also expect to get that Kentucky chew happening which seems to just not be seen. Essentially the bags were packed and the ride has departed without the passenger. I am sure, if I was not a big fan of the small batch bourbons from JimBeam, then this would suffice rather well.

If you are familiar with the more premium Knob Creek and Bookers families then this falls somewhere between Jim Beam White and those. Priced well at aorund $43AU I would be more inclined to buy this over the Jim Beam White as you get considerable higher ABV at 43% and profile. If I was to give a dram 4.75 out of 7. I just want more I just want more that chew.

The Baron

Touring Australia - Chris Fletcher of Jack Daniel's

Image from offical A Journey through 150 Years of Craft & Cocktail Culture registration site.

It’s Jack Daniel Distillery’s 150 year anniversary and Chris Fletcher is coming to Australia on his first tour. We maybe in the land down under but based on Australian sales it is almost Jack Daniel’s second home so what better place for Chris to come on his tour.

Born and bred in Lynchburg, Chris Fletcher has grown up a local lad and is now Assistant Master Distiller for Jack Daniel Distillery. Jack Daniel’s is in Chris’s blood with his grand father, Frank Bobo, having been the 5th in the line of Master Distillers. Like all distillers Chris is passionate about the whiskies he makes so when you get a chance to pick the brain and share a dram with someone like him you should not have to be asked twice.

Chris will be touring Australia in through July and August hosting a series of master classes to both the public and drinks industry. Titled ‘A Journey through 150 Years of Craft & Cocktail Culture’ these master classes will be educating about the distillery's signature whiskies and history while getting to experience the “signature cocktails from iconic eras”.

To set the mood of what this tour is about we will quote:

“For this one-of-a-kind tour like no other, prepare to step back in time to 1920s prohibition, encounter the suave style of Frank Sinatra before embracing the thrilling times of 70s, 80s and 90s rock ‘n’ roll. Culturally so much has changed all the while Jack has been making his famous whiskey in one way, in one place for 150 years.”

Cities to be visited will be Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. The locations for these public events are to remain a secret until closer to the date but you can be rest assured, like all things Jack, it will be as sweet as the liquor itself.

Direct listing information can be found below or by going directly to www.jackspromo.com.au/chrisfletchertour

Sydney 

Date: Thursday 28th July
Times: 6.30pm – 8.00pm, 8.00pm – 9.30pm
Address: Secret Sydney CBD location
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://www.jackspromo.com.au/chrisfletchertour

Date: Friday 29th July
Times: 6.30pm – 8.00pm, 7.15pm – 8.45pm, 8.00pm – 9.30pm
Address: Secret Sydney CBD location
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://www.jackspromo.com.au/chrisfletchertour

Perth

Date: Wednesday 3rd August
Times: 6.30pm – 8.00pm, 7.15pm – 8.45pm, 8.00pm – 9.30pm
Address: Secret Perth CBD Location
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://www.jackspromo.com.au/chrisfletchertour

Brisbane

Date: Friday 5th August
Times: 6.30pm – 8.00pm, 7.15pm – 8.45pm, 8.00pm – 9.30pm
Address: Secret Brisbane CBD Location
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://www.jackspromo.com.au/chrisfletchertour


Get on and register at one of the events and be part of the 150 year anniversary celebration of such an iconic distillery.

The Baron

Information quoted in this post has been provided to us as an official media release by the Sound Campaign on behalf of Jack Daniel’s. This article originally appeared on Dramantion an affiliate website to DTWC.