Sometimes a night in with a good drink is just what you need, but in the grand scheme of things a good whiskey is something to be shared. I was invited to go camping up in the mountains of North Carolina by an old friend of mine and met some new friends who turned out to also be whiskey connoisseurs. The Big Bottom Bourbon I reviewed last time was a great hit and they were more than wiling to help me work through the bottle. On the flip side, I was able to sample some amazing scotch and Irish whiskeys that I may have to write about here at a later date. (FYI: S’mores and whiskey both go with campfires, but they don’t go well with each other).
Another perk of sharing the Big Bottom with my friends is that it gave me the opportunity to go back to the liquor store here and sample yet another bottle of small batch bourbon. This time I picked a bourbon out of Kentucky, “Kentucky Vintage Bourbon”. I realized while writing this post that I threw away the receipt, but if memory serves, it was very close to the $25 mark, +/- a few bucks.
I really do love using a brandy snifter for the first drink of a new whiskey because it really immerses your senses in the drink. You don’t want it to get too warm in your hand like brandy, but the glass is perfectly designed to bring the nuances of the smells straight to your pallet. Kentucky Vintage starts out much more strongly flavored than Big Bottom. The first smell of this bourbon reminds me of cinnamon and mint. There’s a coolness to it that I like, but it seems like it has a more bolder aroma than the sweetness of Big Bottom. There is a strong woodsy overtone that reminds me of sitting in a cabin by the lake.
Straight: My first sip was surprising in how smooth this whiskey is. It is definitely a very traditionally flavored whiskey. I felt like I could physically taste what “sour mash” and “charred oak barrel” does to a whiskey. Anybody going to the store looking for something that tastes “bourbon-y” will not be disappointed. Kentucky vintage has a very smooth start with a slight peppery flavor to it, almost reminding me of celery and vanilla bean, this blooms into a strong cinnamon flavor with overtones that remind you of autumn. As the whiskey finishes, it brings out the strong oak flavor that I think draws most people to bourbon in the first place.
1 to 1:
At a one-to-one mix, the astringent smell of the oak is very prominent. It makes my nose feel like it wants to pucker. This is contrasted by the flavor which has mellowed signifcantly. The taste has a rather dynamic change. It has a very prominent flavor of vanilla. The water takes the heat away from this bourbon, and almost leaves it tasting like a dessert drink. That’s not to say it’s anything like a mudslide, but it has a very pleasant sweetness to it that makes it quite drinkable. nest to the vanilla is a hint of cinnamon and spice. I don’t know how to properly describe this last experience I’m getting from this bourbon, except to say that it has a richness that truly immerses your senses. It almost is a richness like drinking a heavier beverage (think a white Russian, or Amaretto) but it’s a silky smooth bourbon whiskey instead.
1 to 1/2:
I can’t lie, as I’ve drank bourbons, this has tended to be my favorite mix-ratio. It takes away the worst of the heat of the whiskey, while not diluting the flavor. At this proportions, this bourbon smells more of spice than oak. The smell is actually a little bit more muted than one-to-one, and not masked by the alcohol vapors like the neat drink. There is a very light smell that is somewhere between vanilla and sandalwood.
Taking my first sip, I am inclined to agree that this is still one of the best ways to drink bourbon whiskey. The regular heat of the neat whiskey is gone, and the flavors of this whiskey just flood the senses. The flavors still remind me of vanilla and spices, but I think i would throw honey into the mix as well. It has the smallest bite at the end, like when you bite into a very strongly flavored ginger snap. It is a great finish and adds to the complexity of the whiskey as a whole.
Final Comments: I would definitely recommend this whiskey be drank at a one-to-one-half ratio. It reminds me of an after-work cocktail that would just melt the stress and frustration of the day away. I usually float a few ice cubes in my whiskey, but feel free to enjoy it however you like. To be fair, I’m not sure I’d buy this before Big Bottom, but it is still a spectacular whiskey unto itself.
Filed under: Small Batch Whiskey, bourbon, kentucky vintage, review, small batch, whiskey
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