Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon - Review

The Details

Castle & Key

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Small Batch

Batch 2 - Bottle 00780

5 Years Aged

Castle & Key Distillery - Frankfort, Kentucky

98 Proof

Mashbill: 73% White Corn, 10% White Wheat, 17% Malted Barley

Price: $59.99

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Golden

Nose: Creamy Vanilla, Butter Cake, Milk Chocolate, Toasted Almonds, Nougat, Honey

Palate: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate, Toasted Almonds, Nougat, Anise, Caramel

Finish: Warm medium viscosity with a sweet finish

Overall: Wheated bourbon always gets my full attention. I'm a wheated fan. You know it and I know it. Am I biased towards wheated bourbons? No. I will always speak my mind when it comes to how I feel about certain products. Let me tell you about something that needs to be tried: Castle & Key Batch 2, Wheated Bourbon.

From the second I saw this posted online, I knew I needed to make a push and find a bottle. A big shoutout to Liquor At The Lake in South Carolina for getting this in. I wasted zero time picking this up and opening it. I was also careful to sip on this on two different occasions before jotting down my notes for this review. My overall impression of this, you ask? Okay, I'll give away my secrets...Toblerone Candy Bar. It's all I could think of enjoying sip to sip. With the White Corn and the White Wheat coming from Walnut Grove Farm, I ventured down a bit of a rabbit hole while doing a little research on the grains. Reading more and more on hominy and the healthy benefits of white wheat, all of a sudden my glass was empty. What did I take away from all the reading I did? I determined this whiskey was healthy for me. This review took me a little while longer than most others because I wanted to be sure of the notes before publishing them. Initial thoughts and tastes followed through both times. I'm a fan. When you are immediately able to pick out a memory or a flavor from a sip of whiskey, you know you won't be able to think of much else to talk about. Well, I'm fine with that mainly because I love Toblerone, but also because I love wheated bourbon. Have I already mentioned that? Well done, Castle & Key!

Library Rating: 8.3 / 10

Clyde May's 12 Year Cask Strength Whiskey - Review

The Details

Clyde May's

Cask Strength Whiskey

Small Batch

Aged 12 Years

Conecuh Ridge Distillery

Distilled in Indiana

Bottled by Conecuh Ridge Distillery - Aubuendale, Florida

120 Proof

Mashbill: Not Specified

Price: ~$130

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Dark Amber

Nose: Green Apple, Vanilla, Leather, Tobacco and Buttered Toast

Palate: Stone Fruits, Vanilla Wafer, Stroopwafel, Black Pepper, Leather and Light Tobacco

Finish: Warm lasting linger with a very viscous coating

Overall: "Finished with a kiss of apple" - This is the Clyde May's way...but just enough to wet the whistle and not overpower the bold flavors of leather and tobacco. For a 120 Proof whiskey, this is incredibly approachable and a fantastic sipper. The apple on the nose is even more evident with just a drop of water. Although I enjoy my whiskey straight and neat, I was very happy with adding a drop to bring out the nose a bit.

Overall, I can sit down with this and enjoy a light to medium cigar on the back deck and not plan on moving for about an hour. Like I mentioned, a fantastic sipper with so much to offer. Just be careful when standing up as that 120 proof might surprise you even more...

Library Rating: 8.4 / 10

RY3 Whiskey Toasted Barrel Finish - Review

The Details

RY3 Whiskey

Rye Whiskey

A Special Blend of 3 Phenomenal Whiskeys

Cask Stregth

Toasted Barrel Finish

Batch: PR#006 / Bottle 145

Handcrafted, Blended and Bottled by

Phenomenal Spirits - Virginia Beach, Virginia

118.8 Proof

Mashbill: Not Specified - A Blend

Price: $80-85

Poured Neat in a Glencairn

Appearance: Dark Gold

Nose: Toasted Buttered Rye Bread, Vanilla, Brown Sugar and Cocoa

Palate: Toasted Marshmallows, Dark Chocolate, Baking Spices and Mint Leaf

Finish: Warm viscous and lingering hug with plenty of baking spices

Overall: In case you are reading one of my reviews for the very first time, it's no secret I love toasted finishes. This RY3 Cask Strength Toasted Barrel is no exception. Phenomenally blended Rye with the perfect finish. See what I did there? Without stating the obvious, buttered and toasted rye bread was the first and prominent note I pulled on the nose but that quickly morphed into the more distinct notes of roasted marshmallows, dark chocolate and even a touch of fresh smashed mint leaf. Even with those delectable flavors, the finish is where it's all at for me. The hug, the viscous coating, the baking spices...::chef's kiss:: With the cooler season inching more and more upon us, this is going to be a trusty companion on the porch with a medium to heavy cigar. I've already concluded through extensive personal research that toasted finishes require at least a medium bodied cigar to pull the maximum flavors. Now, pardon me while I continue my research...for science, of course.

Karthik & Matt, thank you kindly for getting this bottle to me to try. You guys are Phenomenal! As always, my reviews are always unbiased and couldn't be any more genuine.

Library Rating: 8.1 / 10