Six Superbly Satisfying Sippers

August 6, 2024
Six Superbly Satisfying Sippers

We try a LOT of bourbon in the Bourboneur garage bar speakeasy, and there always seems to be something that we’re either emptying the last few drops of into our famous infinity barrel, or that we’re opening to fill a void on our shelves.  Admittedly, not every one of the bottles we try is a stunner…some, like a recent pour that came from a group pick was a total dud.  In that case, it makes you wonder if the pickers perhaps had a party bus on the way to the distillery and showed up a bit plastered and chose poorly…I certainly feel like I chose poorly in procuring the bottle.  These types of bottles are the ones that are best donated to your college-aged relative who doesn’t care what it tastes like and is just after getting drunk.  It beats looking at the bottle on your bottom shelf for the next couple years collecting dust…or dumping them down the drain.   There are however the standouts, the ones that simply have that "something, something" that is worth a second, perhaps much heavier pour.  Below we discuss six such pours that I recently had which were standouts IMO.

E.J. Curley Single Barrel

E.J. Curley & Co. Single Barrel Bourbon

So, this was an interesting pickup recently from a group I belong to which I thought was stellar.  I wasn’t familiar with E.J. Curley & Co., which is a brand that first came to market in 1867 – and – which has recently been revived.  In the 1800’s this brand was named for its founder, E.J. Curley, who made a name for himself by landing a massive sale of nearly nine thousand barrels of bourbon.  This was one the largest bourbon sales recorded at the time and equated in today’s terms to what would be nearly nineteen million dollars.  What’s interesting about this bourbon is the rumor that these barrels procured for this label are off profile barrels from Wild Turkey that were sold.  It’s a rumor that has abounded in many forums and groups and when you hear something enough times, it’s got to be true, right?  It was an enjoyable sip, and one which I’d fully recommend if you have the opportunity.

Hardin’s Creek Jacobs Well 211 Month

Hardin's creek Jacob's Well 211 Month

I find this bourbon to be a tad bit frustrating given it highlights how poor I am at simple math, but why do we have to put the age statement here in months?  It’s the same frustration with when people talk about their young children….” oh, little Timmy is 18 months old.”  No, Timmy is a year and a half.  C’mon.  Simple math aside, the nearly 17-and-a-half-year-old Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well bottling from Jim Beam comes on the heels of last year’s 15-year-old Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well bottling…err 184 months (sigh).  Whereas the 15-year bottling brought out more fruity notes, it’s 17-year older brother leans much heavier on the perhaps more expected older aged flavor profile – notably a much more distinctively oaky pour.

Kings County Barrel Strength (63.7%)

King's County Barrel Strength Bourbon

A very fine poor that will one hundred percent resonate with you as something special, Kings County opened new ground with their two-grain mash bill, drawing from only corn and malted barley.  This is craft whiskey at its finest and even with a low number of years in the wood the texture and flavor come out with a bang.  Take a couple minute detour and read up on everything you need to know about this distillery in Brooklyn of all places!

Old Charter Oak Spanish Oak

Old Charter Oak Spanish Oak Bourbon

A Buffalo Trace product you’ve maybe never heard of is Old Charter Oak which is an experimental line that the distillery uses to innovate and push the boundaries predominantly through utilization of varying oak species for its casks.  Yes, this is still a bourbon despite Buffalo Trace’s use of Spanish Oak – remember for whiskey to be a bourbon it only needs to be in “new, charred oak casks” the requirements don’t state a specific speciation of oak.  Most the bourbon we know today is aged in American oak or Quercus alba barrels.  This has a rich flavor profile that you’d somewhat expect from the use of a European oak and has some dry spicy notes that tag along for the ride.  One hundred percent worth the pickup IMO.  Previous releases in the series include Chinkapin Oak, Mongolian Oak, French Oak and Canadian Oak.  

Smokewagon Private Barrel 39-66

Smokewagon Private Barrel Bourbon

Smokewagon seemed to turn on a tap this year and released barrel after barrel after barrel of their Private Barrel stash.  When I first saw one out and about on the shelf, I picked up a couple.  Then saw it again, picking up one, then just kept seeing it…eventually deciding I had plenty.  It lingered around on shelves for what seemed like forever given how much had hit the market and you can now essentially pick it up on the secondary for cost plus shipping…maybe even less!  I’ve had multiple different barrels and they all have been consistent, but they were all from various Spec’s liquor stores.  Each barrel is unique, so out of the 100 or so barrels that flooded the market, expect some variation…that said, I’ve not been disappointed with any of the bottles that I’ve opened thus far!

Woodford Masters Collection Batch Proof 121.2

Woodford Master's Collection Batch Proof 121.2

With a little over a hundred barrels coming together, drawn from varying dates of production, warehouses, and floors within those warehouses this past release of Woodfords Master’s Collection Batch Proof series really delivers a solid pour that will certainly land well with most of our audience.  With the sweetness that you would expect from a Woodford Reserve bourbon, it layers in fruit, wood, and spice elements to really present a well-rounded flavor profile.

New Bourbon App Coming!!

In the week(s) ahead Bourboneur will be launching its own app for iOS and Android, putting the Bourbon Blue Book and some exciting new features in user’s hands.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to subscribe and keep up to date on our upcoming launch and join a community of over 10,000 Bourboneur’s.  You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and yes, even TikTok.  Show us some love and give us a like on your favorite platform, or all of them and keep up with all the Bourboneur happenings!

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