The extra aging gives this older whiskey the smooth, mellow flavor that blends well with the barrel proof. The wheat in the recipe is quite obvious as this delightful bourbon passes over your tongue.

"A whiskey connoisseur's bonanza,... remarkable find,... ranks with the best whiskeys,"
-- Paul Pacult's SPIRIT JOURNAL

90

Bourbon

USA

Van Winkle Special Reserve is the perfect combination of age and proof. This sweet, full bodied whiskey has been described by some as "nectar." We agree! The 12 years of aging and medium proof of 45,2 apy (90.4 proof) seem to be just right in creating a very pleasant drink of whiskey. This fine whiskey can compete with any excellent cognac as an after dinner drink. The overall impression is rich and deep.

The 12 Year Old Special Reserve was recognized with the "Trophy for Worldwide Whisky" and a Best-In-Class Gold Medallion in the International Wine and Spirit Competition for 2008. Click here for details of the award.
"Well crafted,... elegant, stately... balanced beautifully,"
-- Paul Pacult's SPIRIT JOURNAL

Rated 98 --
Beverage Tasting Institute

90.4

Bourbon

USA

This fine whiskey has as pleasant a taste as any whiskey around. The 10 full years of aging combine nicely with its 45% apy (90 proof). A hint of caramel flavor is enjoyed when one tastes this fine hand-crafted bourbon. This bourbon has a "rich, plush texture."

90

Bourbon

USA

Old Whiskey River BourbonSmall-Batch Bourbon the way Willie Nelson likes it: Smooth, Sweet and Mellow.Inspired by Willie Nelson's 1978 hit song, Old Whiskey River is an 86 proof small-batch bourbon, aged six years in new charred American oak barrels. The bourbon is handcrafted to Willie's taste by Parker and Craig Beam, the 7th and 8th generation master distillers at Heaven Hill, in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky. Continuing Willie's commitment to American farmers, the bourbon is made from corn, barley, and rye grown on independent family owned and operated farms located within 100 miles of the distillery. Like Willie, Old Whiskey River hits all the right notes - lyrical and smooth - a native spirit... An American Original.

86

Bourbon

USA

 

134

Bourbon

USA

This is the #1 Rated Bourbon Whiskey in the World
Rated 99 out of 100 by the World's Spirits Championships

Our 'Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve' is aged an unheard of 20 years, and bottled at 45.2 apy (90.4 proof). This whiskey is wonderfully smooth and rich. No other bourbon today can stand 20 years of aging, but this bourbon does it with style. My grandfather, 'Pappy Van Winkle' was a true character. This bourbon, like 'Pappy', is full of the character that makes it a very special whiskey. It, too, has been put in a class of a fine after dinner cognac.
Rated 99 --
Beverage Tasting Institute

90.4

Bourbon

USA

Parker's Heritage collection is a series of rare, limited edition American Whiskeys offered as a tribute to sixth-generation Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam for his 50 years of distilling experience. This series will tempt the growing number of Straight American Whiskey enthusiasts with something that only Heaven Hill could offer-a chance each year to sample choice barrels that represent every major style of American Whiskey.

 

96

Bourbon

USA

Rebel Yell Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ain't for the meek. This wheated bourbon evokes a free spirit, reminding us that in this life we forge our own paths, and we accept nothing less than absolute freedom.

To seize your destiny - that's true freedom.

That's the unforgettable taste of Rebel Yell.

Join the Band of Rebels and start blazing your own trail.

REBEL HISTORY
Strong and humbling, Rebel Yell Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has a truly unforgettable taste. As one of the few wheated bourbons on the market today, Rebel Yell is made using only the choicest ingredients, pure limestone-filtered water and new charred white oak barrels for aging.

Rebel Yell boasts a honey raisin scent and a long, warm finish. A full-bodied whiskey with honey, butter and a hint of dark fruit (plums, raisins) gives this wheated bourbon a unique style.

Like all fine bourbons, Rebel Yell is steeped in tradition. The first bottle was produced in 1849 by the W.L. Weller family, the first distillers to produce Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey using wheat instead of rye in the mash bill.

 

80

Bourbon

USA

From the woods of Kentucky emerges the newest member of the Beam family. Created with four year old Jim Beam® Bourbon, Red Stag by Jim Beam™ has been slowly infused with natural black cherry flavors for a smooth, unique taste. It's perfect for a night out on the hunt for fun.

Distinctively fruity, without disguising the familiar, rich nose of Jim Beam Bourbon

Corn sweetness and mellow oak accented by a hint of black cherry for smoothness and balance

Satiny and judiciously sweet, with a true bourbon warmth

80

Bourbon

USA

The Toast of Kentucky™, 1792 Ridgemont Reserve is a distinctively smooth, handcrafted small-batch bourbon, patiently aged 8 years in new charred oak barrels in Bardstown, Kentucky. This 93.7 proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was named for the year Kentucky became a state. Rich and velvety, it's the perfect bourbon for toasting any special occasion - in fact, it's the Official Toasting Bourbon of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival™.

93.7

Bourbon

USA

www.greatbourbon.com

Okay, let’s start at the beginning. Whiskey starts as beer. I know that it sounds a little weird, but it’s true. So, bearing this in mind, it’s not that big a leap of logic to say that if you distill a more interesting and complex beer, you’ll end up with a more interesting and complex whiskey.

Our whiskey starts as a smoky brown ale. Heavily roasted barley provides a mixture of dried cocoa and hazelnut in the aroma, while a measure of the barley has been smoked over alder and beech for added complexity.

The fermented beer that comes from this magical mixture of barley is then given our careful attention in small batch distillation. Over the course of a day, fifty gallons of sweet, malty whiskey flow from our two copper pot stills.

This beautifully smooth whiskey is then placed in oak casks. We use a variety of cooperage types to age our whiskey. Used Bourbon casks make up the majority of our program. They allow the spirit to breathe without imparting any overwhelming oak characteristics. French oak casks are used to give a layer of soft vanilla and to enhance mouth feel, and port casks to accentuate the cocoa on the palate.

"Like no other whiskey ever --- it has a rainbow of sweet fruit and flower aromas you can scarcely believe come from grain, and an amazing smoothness on the palate." Charles Perry, LA Times, Dec. 1, 2004

“Complex floral undertones and flavors of nut brittle and cocoa emerge on the palate…The finish has the clean elegance of a good sauvignon blanc.”
--Florence Fabricant, The New York Times

“…a floral, vanilla nose that turns to chocolate and plays a sweet cocoa tune on the tongue.”
--Shelley Handler, 7x7 San Francisco

“… aging…in a variety of woods adds complexity to this sophisticated tipple.”
--Anthony Dias Blue, Bon Appétit

86

Bourbon

USA

A quality sour mash whiskey that maintains a wealth of tradition and craftsmanship. Ten High is carefully distilled, and matured in white oak barrels, to create a smooth, distinctive bourbon.

Reviews from Buying Guide to Spirits reviewed by the Beverage Testing Institute, © 1999.

Bright amber hue. Restrained grainy, woody aromas. A lean entry leads to a medium-bodied palate. Fiery, drying finish. Rather coarse, with a decided burn.

80

Bourbon

USA

This is Virginia’s only Small Batch Bourbon. The award-winning VG90 Small Batch Bourbon combines a unique copper still and multi-layered filtration system with aging of at least six years in new oak charred barrels.

4 Stars

Offers exemplary quality and character within the established standards of its category. It is an outstanding product."

-- Paul Pacult The Spirit Journal

80

Bourbon

USA

The Original “Wheated” Bourbon Whiskey

Wine Enthusiast rating: 90

Replacing the rye grain in our recipe with wheat provides for an exceptionally smooth taste. And at 7 years of age and "Kentucky proof"– 90 proof, W. L. Weller is a truly outstanding buy.

Best Buy. WINE Enthusiast Magazine

90

Bourbon

USA

Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon is a "single barrel" bourbon. Every barrel of Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon is bottled individually, thus allowing every bottle from a different barrel to display subtleties of the bourbon. No barrel containing less-than-perfect quality bourbon can be bottled.

80

Bourbon

USA

Deep amber hue. Lean wood, spice and date aromas. A smooth entry leads to a medium-bodied palate. Persistent, flavorful finish. Exceptionally smooth and refined with an underlying dry, woody quality.

81

Bourbon

USA

Rich amber hue. Subdued wood and mineral aromas. A lean attack leads to a medium-bodied palate. Firm, drying finish. Not exactly refined, but fiery and flavorful with a decided burn.

101

Bourbon

USA

At the Wild Turkey Distillery, bourbon is a family tradition. Our Master Distiller Jimmy Russell follows his father and grandfather before him. His son, Eddie is a veritable newcomer, with just 20 years under his belt. Passing down the secrets of the distilling tradition from generation to generation is one of the things that has kept Wild Turkey true to the strictest standards in an era when so many others are willing to cut corners.

Jimmy Russell has always held the line on tradition. You’ll still see him, now joined by Eddie, early in the morning, inspecting shipments of grains as they come in, checking the stills, or wandering through the warehouses to make sure the barrels are getting the proper circulation.

Jimmy and Eddie recently realized they had more in common than just their family connection. “Both Eddie and I believe 10 years is a wonderful stage of maturity for a bourbon,” comments Jimmy. In fact, it was Eddie who suggested to Jimmy that they offer a special bottling for consumers to enjoy.

Jimmy agreed and in honor of their joint effort, he put their name on it. Russell's Reserve is deep amber in color with a nose that is rich in vanilla, oak, toffee and a touch of old leather. The body is huge, and the palate is very spicy with notes of chili peppers, tamarind, almonds and cumin.

Russells' Reserve has been awarded a Silver Medal at the 2000 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

101

Bourbon

USA

Kentucky Spirit is a 101¦ single-barrel bourbon; every drop of its unadulterated taste and smoothness is drawn only from a single barrel. Each barrel is hand-selected at the peak of maturity before the bourbon is poured out and bottled. A stickler for quality, Jimmy Russell personally selects each of the barrels used in Kentucky Spirit. His challenge is to find single barrels that capture the essence of Wild Turkey, while at the same time, having a similarity that gives each taste of Kentucky Spirit consistency from bottle to bottle.

101-proof. Single barrel. Hand-selected to be fuller-bodied, it tends to have a rich vanillia flavor with a hint of sweetness. Taste: complex layering of almonds, honey, blackberries and leather. Finish: long, dark and lingering.

Available in limited quantities, each and every bottle is handsomely packaged with a hand-signed label bearing the barrel number, date and warehouse number.
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit is the recipient of one Gold Medal from the 2000 International Wine & Spirit Competition.

101

Bourbon

USA

Born in 1825, William Larue Weller was one of the early distilling pioneers in Kentucky. After serving in the Louisville Brigade during the 1840's, William Larue Weller remained in Louisville and continued his family heritage of whiskey distilling. Mr. Weller was famous for being the first distiller to produce Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey using "wheat" instead of "rye" in the mash bill. As the most distinguished Distiller of his time, William Larue Weller spent many years educating consumers about the different styles of bourbon, and the special flavors that wheat imparted to his whiskey.

William Larue Weller also believed in the importance of aging his whiskey. To this day the firm of W.L. Weller and Sons sells no whiskey younger than seven years old. The combination of exceptionalaging and the use of wheat in the mash bill produce a whiskey with a very mature, rich, and exotic aroma. Its flavor has been described as full, evolving and sophisticated, with notes of vanilla, teaberry and cinnamon.

Like its namesake, this uncut and unfiltered "wheated" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is strong, proud, and enduring. A tribute to the legacy of William Larue Weller!

120

Bourbon

USA

Three Times Double Gold = Woodford Reserve!
Woodford Reserve was recently awarded the Double Gold Medal for Straight Bourbons at the 2005 World Spirits Competition! It is the highest award given and is the third time in the past six years that Woodford Reserve has won the Double Gold Medal. We are particularly proud of this honor since The World Spirits Competition is a “blind tasting” format. The judges have no idea what brands they are sampling at the time -- proving that quality, care and good taste do come through in every glass of Woodford

90.4

Bourbon

USA

Woodford Reserve has announced the latest limited edition release of its acclaimed Master's Collection bourbons. Called Seasoned Oak Finish, it is finish-aged in unique barrels crafted with wood that has been seasoned longer than any previously used in the industry, producing an extremely robust spirit.

The staves for most bourbon barrels are seasoned for three to five months; however, Seasoned Oak Finish combines fully-matured Woodford Reserve with barrels crafted from wood that has been exposed to the outdoors for three to five years, making for a much richer and more complex flavor profile.

"Of all the distillers in our industry, we are the only bourbon company that crafts its own barrels, giving us unique knowledge and control of the process," said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris. "As the rough oak staves are exposed to seasonal weather changes and subsequently dried, this natural cycle develops a new range of flavors in the wood."

Seasoned Oak Finish is the fourth in the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection series following the Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish and Sweet Mash bottlings. Released periodically at the master distiller's discretion, the Master's Collection whiskeys are are bottled only once in a proprietary package inspired by the copper pot stills of the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery in Kentucky.

www.luxist.com

 

100.4

Bourbon

USA

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