Chicago Whiskey Bars Booze Tour

I ended up with whole bunch of unused vacation time in December so last week I took a semi last minute trip to Chicago for a few days. Lots of food, some museums, and of course whiskey bars. Here are some notes and impressions of the bars and pours I had along the way. 

Bub City

A decent selection of recent allocated stuff from the last year or so. Prices weren't the worst but not great. At night it was crowded with live bluegrass and country music which wasn't terrible. At one point I saw a guy order a glass of Pappy 23 with ice AND coke. So yeah, definitely not my scene. Strictly as a whiskey bar I'd recommend going during the early evening. 

George T. Stagg 2016

Aged 15 years; 72.5% ABV; $40 (2oz)

Over the years Stagg has become my favorite annual release but after a slew of not so great reviews for this year's batch I expected a hot tannic mess. I didn't really get that and in fact I thought it tasted fine. That's not to say it was great though because when I drink Stagg I expect something stellar. It was hot but i've had hotter. It honestly tasted a little younger than I expected and I felt like I was drinking an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof more than a Stagg. I'm glad I didn't go after a botte this year. Rating: B+ / B

Longman & Eagle

One of my favorite places and a big reason why I came to Chicago. Not only is the whiskey selection vast but the food is also stellar as well (their bone marrow is still my all time favorite). As for whiskey, they have some vintage stuff, a lot of allocated items from the last few years, and an impressive amount of private selections. I made it a point to visit several times.

Willett Family Estate Barrel No. 3605 AKA "Longman"

Aged 21 years (staff claims pre-fire Heaven Hill); 54.5% ABV

The nose is super woody and kinda hot for 109 proof but also very rich. It tastes every bit its age with a very thick mouthfeel. It tastes a lot like a dusty bourbon but the extra proof kicks those dusty notes into high gear. There are old wood notes but they are not funky, just lots of great wood influence and flavor. It's not as elegant as the pre-fire 001 McKenna I recently reviewed but it has that similar profile and some of those condensed bourbon characteristics I liked in the McKenna. Rating: A- / B+

Longman & Eagle Redemption Rye

Aged 8 years; 61.95% ABV; Batch no. L&E

Tastes like straight up cask strength MGP rye. Super sweet and also minty/dilly. I would say it's more towards the mint side than the dill side but the pickles are there. I've had some better Smooth Ambler Old Scout single barrel ryes, mainly because this isn't as spicy and lacking some of the rye bite I prefer but this is still really good. Rating: B+ / B

1971 Old Grand-Dad

No Age Statement; 43% ABV; $50 (1.25 oz)

Smells like a dusty old bourbon. Definitely has that tell-tale dusty National Distillers butterscotch profile. It certainly tastes older than 4 years though not a whole lot but the mouthfeel is pretty rich for an 86 proofer. It's interesting (if you consider the ND profile interesting) and it has some unique character but it's too thin for me to love it. And if I am being more critical it's kind of a one trick pony. I'd love to try a higher proof National Distillers bourbon (like OGD 114) as I think that would be the only ND juice I could ever love. For now, my dusty allegience still lies with Wild Turkey. Rating: B- / C+. 

1990 Evan Williams 12/101

Aged 12 years (pre-fire Heaven Hill); 50.5% ABV; $28 (1.25 oz)

Wow. Tastes like a classic dusty bourbon. It's pretty oak forward and a bit drying on the finish but overall it's stellar. Would guess by taste it's quite a bit older than stated by a few years. The wheelhouse is classic middle aged bourbon flavors but the dusty profile is pretty strong and adds nuances you just don't get in most of today's bourbons. Elegant is often the word that comes to mind when describing a great dusty and that's about the best way to describe this. Rating: A- / A

Au Cheval

Totally not a whiskey stop though they do have excellent cocktails. I just have to take a moment to point out their cheeseburger which is still my all time favorite and the number one reason I choose to come to Chicago.

The bun, the massive bacon slabs, the seasoning... it's perfection.

RPM Steak

A small selection of current allocated bourbon and a bit more malts than most of the other places I went. The crowd was a lot more upscale / high end than I prefer but I never really felt out of place at the bar. I thought I was just stopping for a drink and an appetizer but the bartender upsold me on a Wagyu cap steak and I am glad he did. It was like eating meat butter. I also got a pour of 2016 Thomas Handy which I thought was great but I was too busy enjoying the steak to make any detailed notes. 

Twisted Spoke

Huge whiskey selection but nothing really vintage that I could find. I didn't really care for the vibe of the place as it seemed like a sports bar that happened to have a massive whiskey collection rather than a whiskey bar. Having said that, the bartender seemed old school and was knowledeable. I happened to be there on a Wednesday which is half price on all whiskey. 

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon, 2015

Aged 4 years; 67.5% ABV; $24 / 2oz

I absolutely hated the regular Garrison Brothers bourbon. I thought it was brash, raw, and had a funky earthy profile. The cowboy bourbon is older than the standard product, comes at cask strength, and I've generally heard better things. I was going to bounce from Twisted spoke but when I found out all whiskey was half off I stuck around for a pour of this. 

The nose has some sweet brown sugar but under that is tell tale Garrison Brothers funk. That funk is super forward in the palate. It tastes like dirty corn and green raw wood or fresh sawdust. On a positive note it isn't as blistering hot as you'd expect a 4 year old 135 proof whiskey. It's not the worst whiskey I've ever had and it is marginally better than the standard but I'd rather not drink it again. Rating: D

Sable

Sable probably doesn't get a lot of discussion as a great whiskey bar but I personally like it a lot. It's a hotel bar so it has the vibe that entails but I find it's usually calm and getting a seat at the bar isn't too difficult even on peak nights. It's the kind of place I like to go to chill out for a nightcap before calling it a day. They don't have any vintage whiskey but they do have lots of allocated bottles from the past few years and I think they make great cocktails. Prices are about average by Chicago standards (read: high).

The only thing of note I had at Sable was the 2016 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. I'm on record as not being a fan Old Forester Birthday Bourbon line so I'm not really going to go into it again. They all have this underlying acetone note and bitterness that I just can't get around. This one is no different. 

Delilah's

Probably the most iconic whiskey bar in Chicago. Huge selection with a notebook sized menu and quite a bit of rare stuff like their private selections that you won't find anywhere else. I made the mistake of going on a Friday night and the place was an absolute madhouse with barely any room at the bar. As such I couldn't really get any pictures or make many notes. 

Delilah's Willett Family Estate, Barrel No. C10

Aged 21 years; 50% ABV; $30/oz

Whew, this one was impressive. Whereas most of the Willett C barrels I've had were super hot high proof monsters, it was nice to have one at a reasonable drinking proof. This tasted like a classic old wheater to me, with lots of cake batter sweets and a ton of wood complexity. Rating: B+ / A-

Delilahs 15th rye

No Age Statement (bottled 7-8 years ago); 50% ABV; $40/oz

I couldn't get any info out of the bartender on this as he said they were contractually obligated not to disclose the source. He did say it was from Kentucky. This one tasted like an old funky ass rye and I mean that in a good way. Not funky as in overoaked but more along the lines of something like Hirsch 22 rye or Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye. Lots of sweet, lots of spice, and lots of wood. My guess would be something from an old distillery like Cream of Kentucky, Charles Medley, or Bernhiem. Whatever the source, this one was just as awesome as those classic ryes that get lots of hype on the secondary. Rating: A-