Bourbon HTX

Solid selection at Hayden Block Smoke & Whiskey (Calgary). This Old Forester SBBP was as good as they come. It’s your classic Brown-Forman oak set up with pops of brown sugar and spiced blackberry. For CAD $18, I’ll grab this every time!

Don’t leave without trying the spare ribs and the fatty cut brisket.

Let me know where else to eat and drink in Calgary!

Beautiful pour by Old Elk courtesy of The Whiskey - Ft. Collins.

Race ready!

Been sitting on this bottle, saving it for the day we close the transaction that has dominated my time for over a year. We closed, and it was worth the wait. This is definitely a Willett barrel!

Saturday Vieux Carre

1oz 14yr Cognac
1oz Rare Breed Rye
1/4oz Benedictine
3/4oz Sweet Vermouth
Dash Peychauds and Angostura

Cheers Y’all!

Old Forester (Spec’s HTX 131 proof) = JDSBBP in Disguise

OVERALL: This is certainly an “off profile” OFSBBS, which is interesting in its own right but may disappoint those expecting what you might usually find in an OldFo pick. A couple drops of water helped the cardamom, sandalwood and clove notes emerge, which are flavors I love in a bourbon.

BACKGROUND: Each year Spec’s, one of Texas’s largest liquor stores, does a massive bourbon drop. Folks get in line days in advance to secure the highly allocated limited release and barrel pick bottles. This Old Forester was one of Spec’s “Bourbon Day” releases.

DETAILS: Warehouse I, Rick 2, 131.6 proof

NOSE: Strong backbone of wood and rye accentuated by pepper and allspice. Occasional notes of Jiffy cornbread and deep deep toffee.

PALATE: This is as proofy as you would expect with the Brown-Forman wood note front and center (and middle…and back). Absent is the bananas foster note commonly found in Old Forester but it still had that Brown-Forman funk which makes this a dead ringer for a Jack Daniels Single Barrel. At first crack this bottle was a little confused and the flavors seemed to disappear on the palate but this improved as the bottle opened. Eventually, a very subtle exotic spice note emerged (cardamom and clove). As you approach the finish hints of citrus and burnt sugar / heavy char crème brûlée appear.

FINISH: At first the finish was a bit disappointing, but it improved (mildly) over time settling into what I would call medium. It’s not so much that the juice was thin on the palate as much as the proof seemed to overwhelm any other flavor and lingered in a sometimes chalky-like sensation in the back of the throat. Proofing it down with a few drops of water seemed to add some length and brought forward some clove and sandalwood.

Thankful for a fantastic haul, but the people I met along the way were tops. Well done !

Balcones 8 Row Flint Pick = Honey-Raisin Tanned Leather

OVERALL: If I could buy this for my home bar, I absolutely would. Easily one of the best Balcones I’ve tasted and gets even better as it opens up in the bottle. Do not come into this pour with preconceived notions of what Balcones is / isn’t. This one is unique. I’ll certainly be hunting more Balcones single barrels after this one.

BACKGROUND: This is an American single malt that was aged in new American oak, finished in a Madeira cask, then transferred to a used bourbon barrel. For those unfamiliar, Madiera is a type of fortified wine popular in the colonial days (and today) that is made in the eponymous Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco. Grapes are harvested from the rocky outcrop, pressed, fermented, then fortified with brandy for aging in the hot upper floors of the port houses. It’s powerful, textured, and a wonderful post-dinner sip in it’s own right. Common tasting notes for Madeira wine include: caramel, walnut, hazelnut, raisin, and peach.

NOSE: The pour opens with savory barley grains and a smoky, briny minerality but settles into a lush overripe grape that you can only get from Madeira. In truth, the Madeira notes steal the show and are somewhat similar to a Port finish but with more caramelized sugar and raisin. One you work through the Madeira notes, you will pick up some fresh tanned leather and sweet pipe to***co.

PALATE: A proofy, tannic bite hits the palate first, but settles into a ultra-lush Madeira/raisin with an undertone of clean minerality. Sweet baking spices appear if you give it a drop of water.

FINISH: The Madeira notes really cling to the back of the roof of the mouth with a little tannic tingle on the tip of the tongue. A pretty impressive finish.

Full review with score up on r/bourbon, link in my bio

DISCLAIMER: I’m a normal guy that buys his own whiskey and reviews based on what’s in the glass.

Killer line up at Justin’s House of Bourbon curated by the one, the only, . Super grateful for the hospitality.

Old Elk Double Wheat = Applejack bread pudding

The mouthfeel and baked sweetness really stands out with this pour. It’s a wheater (double wheater, actually) so the range of flavors is fairly compact, but this juice has enough character to keep you coming back for more (and quite often at that). This is one of those bottles that absolutely evaporated off the shelf - I kept reaching for it again and again. This has me really excited about the bottles coming out of Olk Elk.

NOSE: Wet leather, brown sugar, sugar cane, fresh hay, almond and cracked black pepper.

PALATE: Beautiful mouthfeel with a sweetness builds at the top of the palate as you get into the pour. This is two parts bread pudding with amaretto and a drizzle of caramel sauce and one part Applejack cereal. On occasion you get hints of berry fruit snack and a cagey edginess (fresh cut oak) that bring the sugar bliss back to this world and reminds you of the proof. I caught a hint of peanut butter a few times, but nothing consistent enough to call a nutty note.

FINISH: Like the last power chord ringing in an amplifier to close out the show, an echo of the sweetness from the palate holds on for quite a while reminding you of what you just experienced.

WHY TO BUY: If you are a fan of wheaters, this is one you should definitely pick up (if you can find it). It has all the hallmarks people love in a wheated mashbill with that little bit extra to elevate this above a porch pounder to rip while the ribs are going.

WHY TO PASS: Save for some confectionary notes, there isn’t much spice with this. If you are looking for something to prickle the tastebuds this probably isn’t your Huckleberry.

Full review with score up on r/bourbon, link in my bio.

Texas’s First Four Gate Pick…coming soon! This one will get finished in a toasted barrel before headed back to the H.