I'm currently traveling home after a long holiday weekend in the lovely city of Seattle. It's a long flight and I have some time to kill so I thought I would collect notes I made on some unique whiskeys I was able to sample during my visit. I present to you signde's Seattle weekend whiskey rampage.
Wild Turkey Diamond
45.5%, 91°, $30 2oz
Honey and oak. Not as much woodiness as I expected given its ~15 year age. Smooth and citrusy, considerably light. I'm glad to have tried it but also glad not to be spending $125 on a bottle.
Rating: C+
Review #39: Thomas H. Handy 2012
67.1%, 134.2°, $20 2oz
Typical palate of a high proof young spicy rye. It has all the traditional notes I love about Handy - big bold anise and mint rye spice along with a deep rich sweet favor. What I did not like though was this was definitely the hottest Handy vintage I've experienced out of 4-5 I've had. The balance here was rather disappointing.
Rating: C+
Willett Family Estate 18 year Barrel #44
68.45%, 136.9°, $40 2oz
Pacific Edge Selected, Old Bernheim wheated
This bottle was tucked away in the corner of a top shelf at Rob Roy behind a bunch of other whiskey. As soon as I saw the gold wax top I asked the bartender to pull it down. When I saw the age and low barrel number I got giddy with excitement. I didn't know it was a wheater at the time but upon first taste it was immediately obvious to me it was. It was a little hot and also kind of oaky but not outside my comfort zone on either front. The best part though was the deeply rich sweetness of vanilla, caramel, and slight cinnamon that lingered on for what seemed like forever. In my mind this essentially tasted like an oakier version of the 2013 William Larue Weller.
Rating: A
Abraham Bowman 18 year "Hazmat"
73.75%, 147.5°, $46 2oz
No picture on this one - the bartenders at Canon actually poured this while on the ladder at the top shelf. I guess they didn't want to make two trips.
I'm a masochist when it comes to high proof whiskeys and when I heard about the famed Bowman "hazmat" release I really wanted to try it. I frankly expected this one to burn my eyebrows off but honestly I did not think it tasted as hot as some other bourbons I've had. I think a lot of years in the wood have really smoothed this one out. The nose was very very good with lots of dry oak and lots of sweet syrup notes. The taste was deeply sweet with some salt and pepper notes. The finish lasted an eternity however it was a bit dry.
Rating: A-
Parker's Heritage Collection 4th Edition 10 year Wheated Bourbon
63.9%, 127.8°, 1oz $10
Forgot to take a picture of this one. Liberty bar was pretty busy and it was also rather dark. This bourbon wasn't even on the menu but I spotted it on the shelf. The problem though was that there was barely one pour left. Being at the bottom of the bottle I expected some oxidation deterioration but if there was I certainly couldn't tell. The palate had lots of vanilla and caramel fudge. There were great hints of subtle spice like nutmeg. I wouldn't quite put it up there with some of my favorite wheated bourbons of all time like William Larue Weller but it was a really good, clean, balanced whiskey.
Rating: A-
Willett Family Estate 18 year Barrel #43
Pacific Edge Selected, Old Bernheim Wheater
70.85% ABV, 141.7°, $50 2oz
Again no picture since the bartender at Canon poured this one from the ladder on the top rack. After being blown away by barrel #44 I had early in the week there was no way I was passing this one up. While barrel #43 reminded me of an extra aged William Larue Weller this barrel was less oaky and relatively tame considering the absurd high proof. I liken this one much more to something like an 18 year Old Weller Antique. It was big, bold, and deeply sweet. Like OWA there was also a very heavy cinnamon bomb note. I cherished every moment of this pour and I'm ready to say it's as good as or better than any bourbon I've ever had.
Rating: A+
Vintage 17
47%, 94°, $15 2oz
I found this one rather unremarkable. Everything about it just seemed boring. The nose, taste, and finish were all pretty standard - oak, slight barrel char, mild sweetness, and some tannic acetone hints. There was also an underlying funk that didn't sit well with me. I've heard some disappointment with this one and I consider myself part of that contingent.
Rating: C
Willett Family Estate 8 year Barrel 1677
60%, 120°, $12 2oz
To Seattle from Evan, Drew, Britt & Hunter
I love Willett Family Estate. When people ask me why I always say because even the worst one I've ever had was pretty good. Sad to say that's no longer true. I immediately knew something was wrong when I caught a whiff of this one. It wreaked of leather, tobacco, rubber, and other unsavory characteristics that I only enjoy in small amounts when balanced with other more pleasant flavors. There was almost no sweetness. I also got a high presence of sour dill pickle like you find in MGP ryes but this was not a rye. In a word it was just terrible. This was really a sad experience for me and I have to say I was a little heartbroken. After thinking on this one I have to wonder if this bottle was corked. I don't know if I've ever experienced a cork damaged bottle before but I think this might be my first. If anyone has any feedback on this I'd love to hear what you think in terms of the notes I got.
Rating: D-
A.H. Hirsch 16 year
46%, 92°, $37 1oz
This one was purely a bucket list item and I'll admit that probably has everything to do with Charles Cowdery's book "the best bourbon you'll never taste". I've been hunting for this at a solid price for while now. Compared to the $320 Canon was charging for a pour I couldn't pass it up here at $37 an ounce. The nose was pleasant but not as remarkable as the taste. What I found most impressive wasn't necessarily the taste itself but the thick and velvety mouthfeel. It had all the things you look for in a good bourbon - sweetness, complexity, and depth but it's very subtle in all those fronts. Overall I'm glad to have experienced it but the hype train on this one has run completely off the rails.
Rating: B
Rittenhouse Rye 25 year
50%, 100°, $30 1oz
I've always said I'm a lucky man in that I'm not infatuated with hyper-aged ryes. It's a dark deep money pit that few come back from. I don't know if I am happy or sad that this whiskey changed that for me. I really was not ready for just how delicious this whiskey is. What really surprised me is the amount of deep, rich full bodied spice character this one still had after 25 years in the wood. The complexity here was just off the charts - the rye and long oak age are just working so well together. I can honestly say this is the best non barrel proof rye I've ever experienced.
Rating: A+
Willett Family Estate 5 year Barrel 4319
58.45%, 116.9°, $9 1oz
I've never had a Willett bourbon under 7 years so I wanted to give this one a go. There was surprisingly little heat considering the high proof and young age. I typically get lots of fruity banana notes on young whiskeys and this one was no exception. Very fruity and lots of caramel sweetness with a long lasting warm finish. Classic Willett FE.
Rating: B+
Smooth Ambler Very Old Scout 19 year
50%, 100°, $10 1oz
I forgot to take a picture of this one. I'm a big fan of Smooth Ambler Old Scout, especially the cask strength store picks. So far my favorites have been the higher rye 8 year selections. I've had a couple of 10 year cask strength picks but found them to be a little too grain forward for my tastes. I'm not sure of the source on the 19 year but I assume it's MGP like the rest of Smooth Ambler's Old Scout line. I recall very little sweetness and mostly very dry tannic oak. There didn't seem to be much in the way of fruit or sweetness that I crave so I found this one rather unbalanced and lacking complexity.
Rating: C
'93 Bourbon deLuxe
I had no interest in trying this one but fellow redditor /u/Harry_Fjord spotted it behind the bar and when he asked about it the bartender gave us a pour on the house and insisted we close the night out with it. I don't know my dusties but the bartender claimed it was a National Distillers product. I found a 93 on the bottom of the bottle so it's definitely old. I've never quite understood the fascination with dusty bottom shelf offerings. With this one being only 4 years old I was braced for failure and it turns out I was right. Pretty much the equivalent of rot gut to me. Nasty oak char and harsh ethanol. No redeeming qualities I can think of and I would consider it undrinkable.
Rating: F
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