Review: Bernheim Wheat Whiskey

Bernheim Wheat Whiskey - 7 Years Old - 45%, $30

Taste:  Light and mellow.  This is fairly two dimensional, if I didn't know better I would think the proof was closer to 80, this has the smoothness and the muted profile of a whiskey of a lower proof.  There is a light caramel and some vanilla.  A touch of brown sugar.  More vanilla on the finish and the oak keeps things dry.

Conclusion: This is easy drinking and pleasant.  This is a good summer whiskey, not too bold but fun to sip.  There are a lot of bourbons and ryes I would rather have over this wheat whiskey but it's uniqueness as a wheat whiskey is worth something and for that reason I'm glad I have my bottle.  This is a whiskey that I enjoyed more for educational reasons than pure sipping.  This would fit nicely in a tasting as an educational element to highlight the effect of wheat in a bourbon or as a counterpoint to a rye.

Review: Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon (Green Label) - 6 Years, 90 Proof

Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon - 6 Years, 90 Proof - $10


Nose: Caramel, bread pudding, orange, a little black pepper.  The nose is a bit faint


Taste: This is a bit thin.It's surprisingly dry with a lot of oak given it's age.  I get a lot of oak tannin which gives way to some bitterness.  There isn't a lot of sweetness to balance it all out.  This is spice forward, I get some cinnamon, not a lot but it's there.  It finishes with oak and some toffee.


Conclusion: Often with cheap bourbon it tastes young and corn forward but this didn't.  There was a lot of oak in here and a good amount of spice, there was very little sweetness.  This won't knock your socks off but it was good, drinkable neat or suitable for mixing and is a nice juxtaposition from some of the other cheap bourbons.  This was well worth the $10 it cost.

Review: Very Old Barton 86 Proof

Very Old Barton 86 Proof - 43%, $12

Nose: Creme brulee, sweet lime juice 

Taste: Cream soda, nougat, a little lime zest, some cherry which gives way to a slight oak bitterness. 

Conclusion: This is nice and balanced. A good amount of sweetness, just a little bit of oak. It's not overly sweet, I think that has more to do with the proof than oak. This is good enough to drink by itself but also cheap enough to mix. There are higher proof versions of this.  This is good enough that I will be on the lookout for the 90 proof and bottled in bond.  

Review: Ancient Age 90 Proof

Ancient Age 90 Proof- 45%


Nose: A bit of corn, some alcohol and not much else.

Taste:  This tastes very young.  It's sweet on the entry, the corn is there and just a little vanilla.  The finish is astringent, this is where the alcohol really shows up.

Conclusion: This isn't terrible but also isn't something that I keep stocked regularly.  This is super cheap though and if I was looking for a mixer this would not be a bad option.

Review: Evan Williams Bottled in Bond

Evan Williams Bottled in Bond (White Label)- 50%, $15


Nose: Carmel corn.  Vanilla.

Taste:  Sweet corn and caramel which is balanced nicely by oak.  This is more corn forward but the oak keeps it from being too sweet.  The corn gives way to whispers of vanilla on the finish.

Conclusion: If someone asked me what a prototypical bourbon flavor profile was this would be pretty close to it.  This is very bourbony (if that's a thing).  That is by no means a knock on it, this is very good.  There are some cheap bourbons that are very good and terrific values, this is one.  Cheaper bourbons tend to be younger, and this is on the younger side but it's in the sweet spot of age where bourbon really shines.  I highly recommend this.

Good + Cheap = Value

Coming up will be my first break from brandy.  There are a lot of amazing whiskeys out there.  When it comes to bourbon there are bourbons that are very expensive and some that are very cheap.  I get just as much enjoyment from the cheap as I do the expensive.  While the special editions and limited editions get a lot of reviews one of my favorite segments tends to get overlooked: good and cheap.  Bourbon doesn't have to be old to be great, in fact the sweet spot is probably 4-10 years.  Even by 10 years bourbon is getting pretty oak forward.  I do love an older bourbon too, don't get me wrong.  I think Elijah Craig 12 (I haven't had the new NAS version yet) and Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond are both fantastic, and I have had some old and very oak forward bourbons that I quite enjoyed but as much as I enjoyed those I also have very much enjoyed some of the younger and cheaper bourbons.  Not all young bourbon is going to be great, or even very good, but a lot of it is and some of it is startlingly cheap and surprisingly available.

While I do plan to mix in whiskey (and whisky) on this blog and plan to drink all types of it (for man can not live on brandy alone) initially I plan to focus on the cheap and good for that is where value lies and these days value seems to be becoming the new true rarity in whiskey.  Coming up: value bourbon week.