Author: Bill

This truncated review was originally published as part of our Budget Bourbon Battle Royale.  The original post can be found here. There was a time that Old Taylor was amongst the best bourbon in the world, and its distillery was the showpiece for the entire bourbon industry.  That time is long past.  Today, the Old Taylor brand is owned by Buffalo Trace after it was recently (2009) purchased from Jim Beam.  The bottle I am sampling was distilled in the Beam era, and follows the standard Jim Beam recipe.  It is 6 years old, and 80 Proof. Appearance: Very pale.…

This post marks the fourth installment of the Budget Bourbon Battle Royale.  (Follow the rest of the Battle Royale action here.)  If you’re not familiar with this series, we’re reviewing bottles that can be had for $20 or less in most areas.  In Round 1, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond took on Old Grand Dad Bottled-in-Bond and laid down a heavy dose of smack on the challenger from Jim Beam Brands, with the VOB scoring a solid 83 points.   In Round 2, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond battled VOB100 to a near standstill, winning on a technical tie breaker.  In Round 3, we…

It was hot and muggy in Louisville when Modern Thirst founders, Bill and Matt (hereafter referred to as the “Modern Thirst Brain Trust,”) stepped down Main Street and entered the Evan Williams Experience.  Once inside, it was cool and full of bourbon goodness.  The Evan Williams Experience is one of the latest additions to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and marks the first stop of the trail located on Louisville’s historical Distiller’s Row. The late 19th century iron-front building is home to the artisanal (read: small) distillery owned and operated by Heaven Hill.  Evan Williams, the top bourbon brand of Heaven Hill, is…

I happened to be in Frankfort, KY yesterday at a non-bourbon-related family gathering when my cousin-in-law asked me if I’d ever visited the crumbling remains of two of Kentucky’s older and more renowned defunct distilleries: Old Crow and Old Taylor.  I jumped at the chance.  We didn’t have time to get out of the car and walk around, but a few cloudy photos from my cell phone from the car was better than nothing.The distilleries are located in Millville, a small Frankfort suburb located south of the commonwealth’s capital city on Glenn’s Creek, which provided water for the two distilleries…

We were contacted by a reader last week and asked to publish a review of one of his favorite bourbons at the moment, Bulleit.  I’ve had Bulleit numerous times, but haven’t had a bottle in my collection for some time.  So the last time I found myself at a liquor store, I picked up a small bottle for the purposes of a tasting and review. Bulleit is the product of massive spirits company, Diageo.  Diageo is the world’s largest spirits company, but their line of bourbons has thus far been limited to only Bulleit and the Bulleit 10 year (review…

This post marks the third installment of the Budget Bourbon Battle Royale.  (Follow the rest of the Battle Royale action here.)  If you’re not familiar with this series, we’re reviewing bottles that can be had for $20 or less in most areas.  In Round 1, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond took on Old Grand Dad Bottled-in-Bond and laid down a heavy dose of smack on the challenger from Jim Beam Brands, with the VOB scoring a solid 83 points.   In Round 2, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond battled VOB100 to a near standstill, winning on a technical tie breaker.  In Round 3, we…

This truncated review was originally published as part of our Budget Bourbon Battle Royale.  The original post can be found here. Old Crow is traditional name in the bourbon world, but one that has, of late, been relegated to the “bottom shelf” or “budget” category almost exclusively.  Old Crow traces its roots to the early to mid 19th century in Frankfort, KY.  Today, Old Crow is distilled and bottled by Jim Beam brands in Clermont, KY.  It shares its mash bill with the regular Jim Beam White Label.  Unlike Beam, Old Crow is aged only 3 years and bottled only…

Four Roses Master Distiller and all-around bourbon celebrity, Jim Rutledge, was in Louisville today signing bottles and speaking with customers at the Liquor Barn at Springhurst. Liquor Barn recently purchased all 10 Four Roses recipes of the private selection single barrel bourbon, and he offered his opinions and suggestions on the recipes. In particular, he said the “Q” recipes in the 10 years old range are particularly good right now. I also asked him if Four Roses had any plans to release a rye whiskey.  Jim said he has pushed for one for several years, but has dropped that goal…

This review was originally posted as part of the Budget Bourbon Battle Royale.  The original article can be found here. Old Fitzgerald is another venerable bourbon label.  It is currently produced by Heaven Hill at the new Bernheim facility in Louisville.  It’s a Wheated Bourbon, and shares its mash with Larceny and Old Fitzgerald 12 year.  It can be found in 90 proof, or Bottled-in-Bond at 100 Proof.  This review covers the Bottled-in-Bond version. Appearance: Deep gold. Nose: Bakery goods (wedding cake) and corn sweetness. Taste: Wheat tingle on the tip of the tongue, more white cake, mint, wheat, and…

This post marks the second installment of the Budget Bourbon Battle Royale.  (Follow the rest of the Battle Royale action here.)  If you’re not familiar with this series, we’re reviewing bottles that can be had for $20 or less in most areas.  In Round 1, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond took on Old Grand Dad Bottled-in-Bond  and laid down a heavy does of smack on the challenger from Jim Beam Brands, with the VOB scoring a solid 83 points.   Today, VOB100 attempts to retain its hold atop the Battle Royale standings by taking on yet another Bottled-in-Bond challenger.  This time, it’s…