Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond 100 Proof Rye Whiskey (750ml) $23.99 View
95 points Wine Enthusiast ~ A versatile must-have for mixing cocktails, look for pleasing vanilla, maple and a hint of dried cherry. The finish is long and drying, with plenty of baking spice notes. (KN) (7/2016)
Whisky Advocate ~ Rittenhouse packs lots of corn, offering a different profile than those higher-rye whiskeys from Indiana. Straight from the glass burst caramel, campfire smoke, and vanilla, with hints of dill weed and Herbs de Provence. Ripe in flavor, it shows slight mint from the rye and a complex voyage of herbs with a touch of chocolate here and walnut shell there. There’s a reason bartenders love mixing with this; it’s good neat or on the rocks. (FM, Summer 2016)
K&L Notes ~ Named North American Whiskey of the Year at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Best Buy of the Year at the 2006 WhiskeyFest. Rye was the first Colonial American whiskey, and was the most popular spirit in the US for more than a century until it fell out of favor. Made in a classic Pennsylvania style at the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky, this has been aged for at least four years in barrel and bottled at 100 proof. To be called “Bottled in Bond” it also has to be the product of a single distillery, made in a single season in a single year.
Elijah Craig “Small Batch” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $24.99 View
91 points Whisky Advocate ~ Subtly complex and nicely rounded. A bed of sweetness (caramel, vanilla) peppered with honey-kissed fruit, golden raisin, and a hint of marzipan. Pleasing oak grip and dried spice on the finish. A great value for such a high-quality bourbon. (JH, Spring 2017)
K&L Notes ~ Coming from the great master distiller Parker Beam, the Elijah Craig bourbon has to be one of the best value bourbons on the market! Great balance of sweetness and spice. Also, at 94 proof, it has just the right amount of kick.
High West “American Prairie” Kentucky-Indiana Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $31.99 View
Whisky Advocate ~ Minty and herbal on the nose, with notes of fresh oak, licorice, apricots, brown sugar, dried apples, orange peel, peaches, light coconut, ginger, and dried leaves. The palate is sweet up front, with a complex melding of butterscotch, spicy oak, orange slices, and chocolate fudge. The finish offers lots of spice, black pepper, bitter chocolate, and a pleasant note of almond nuttiness. A well-textured whiskey, with lots of spice and heat. (DF, Spring 2020)
Wine Enthusiast ~ Made with a blend of straight Bourbons, this whiskey has a mild vanilla and resin scent. On the palate, flavors run to vanilla, cedar and citrus. Adding water brings out distinct cinnamon and peach notes, before fading into vanilla. (KN) (7/2015)
K&L Notes ~ High West is dedicated to preserving and promoting the American West. That’s why they’ve created a whiskey dedicated to one of the greatest land preservation projects of our time: the American Prairie Reserve in Montana, a 5,000-square-mile land tract the size of Connecticut, restored to what Lewis and Clark would have seen. High West will donate 10% of after-tax profits from each bottle to the American Prairie Foundation. This blend of straight bourbons from Kentucky and Indiana continues to showcase High West’s exceptional blending abilities. The base whiskey is a 2-year-old MGP/LDI with a 75% corn mash bill. The other whiskeys come from two undisclosed Kentucky distilleries and clock in at 6- and 13-years old, respectively. No filtration and a satisfying 46% abv, the American Prairie is a welcome followup to the wonderful Reserve and one of the best third-party bottlings in the price range.
Auchentoshan “Bartender’s Malt Edition 1” Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $32.99 View
Auchentoshan named this whisky the “Bartender’s Malt” because it was designed and blended by a team of twelve different bartenders from all over the world who helped to select the barrels. Here’s the really compelling part: they used single malt whisky from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, and current decade in the blend, from ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-wine, and even German oak barrels! In our opinion, innovative blends like this are what’s going to drive the business moving forward, especially in a market where single barrel pricing is proving to be cost prohibitive and access is getting more and more difficult. For a very affordable price, this is a drinker’s whisky. It is absolutely jam-packed with sweet barley flavor, loads of vanilla, spicy ginger, candied orange peel. A symphony of oak and baking spices drive the finish that lights up your mouth for minutes with distinct and supple flavors of milk chocolate. Bottled at 47% ABV, it’s got punch as well. This was our spirits buyer’s new house single malt when it first arrived, and his highest recommendation here for a sub-$50 malt. Bravo!
Leopold Bros. 5 Year Old Bottled In Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $37.99 View
Leopold makes whisky a bit differently than most modern distillers. They’re using the highest quality grains, malting their own barley, fermenting with house cultivated indigenous yeasts in open wooden washbacks and double distilling in small copper pots. We’ve always loved what they do over there in Colorado!
Smooth Ambler 5 Year Old “Old Scout” K&L Exclusive Barrel #24295 Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $39.99 View
After years of pining for the days of bourbon yore, we’ve finally come full circle to re-release the Ol’ Old Scout in its original form. There’s been tons of confusion on the market due to Smooth Ambler’s recent release of a large parcel of Tennessee bourbon, which was acquired from the famous distillery at Cascade Hollow, but this product is not that. Those whiskies are much loved by certain folks but show a completely different character than the original Old Scout. The brand became famous for bottling excellent bourbon and rye sourced from a fine distillery in Indiana. Those excellent whiskies were once the backbone for our now extinct Faultline Bourbon. Until now they haven’t had enough aged stock to spare single barrels for this program. Now that their stocks are finally coming of age, they’ve re-released these excellent bourbons at a respectable 5 years of age. This is the very same age that the original Old Scout was released way back in 2011. We’re very lucky to have scooped up several barrels before the rest of the market has realized that these are back on the table. We’ll likely continue to see the age statements on these excellent whiskies increase over the years, but even now the stupendous complexity of these bourbons at this lovely, youthful age is extremely satisfying. This High Rye bourbon (36% rye) was barreled in Char #4 on 7/8/15 and bottled 8/31/20 at 114.6 proof. With a loss of 29% it yielded only 192 bottles.