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(ri)1
Added on Friday, Jan 2, 2009 at 04:19 PM
  Bottler: Jim Beam
  Age: N/A Type: American
  Vintage: N/A Subtype: Rye
  ABV: 46.00 % Region: N/A
  Price: $50 Availability: Wide
Pronounced "Rye One".
Member Ratings and Notes
Chris
 
A very uninteresting and weak rye.  I think they’ve tried to make it more accessible to the masses (which it probably is) but that makes it less interesting to me. 
Sku
 
Nose is mild corn with a slight rye spice.  Sweet and mild on the palate with a bit of rye spice on the finish.  Rye lite.  A rye for people who don't like rye.   
1 Talkback Comment
1512 Barbershop Rye
Added on Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011 at 09:05 PM
  Bottler: 1512 Spirits
  Age: 0 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: N/A Subtype: Rye
  ABV: 45.50 % Region: California
  Price: $30 Availability: Specialty Stores
A white whiskey made in Sonoma County, California.
Member Ratings and Notes
Sku
 
Nose: sweet grain new make
Palate:  Very smooth, sweet some rye spice late palate.
Finish:  rye spice with anise notes.

Smooth with some spice, has potential.  With a few years in the barrel things might get interesting. 
1 Talkback Comment
1792 Full Proof
Added on Thursday, Sep 1, 2016 at 07:01 AM
  Bottler: OB
  Age: 8 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: 2007 Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: 62.50 % Region: Kentucky
  Price: $45 Availability: Specialty Stores
Member Ratings and Notes
Sku
 

The nose has light bourbon notes with some banana. On the palate it opens sweet with caramel notes, then develops some red wine like savory notes and some nice oak. It fades into a pleasing roasted marshmallow finish which is followed by dry oak notes. Water adds complexity, bringing out earthy, hay and grass notes as well as additional oak.

 

This is nice stuff. It's well balanced, has some complexity of flavor, and is fantastic for the price.

 
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1792 Ridgemont Reserve
Added on Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 07:02 PM
  Bottler: Barton
  Age: 8 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: N/A Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: 46.85 % Region: Kentucky
  Price: $23 Availability: Better Stores
Distilled by the Sazerac owned Barton Distillery.
Member Ratings and Notes
Sku
 
Nose:  Very perfumy, some banana


Palate:  Unexpectedly dry:  dried corn kernels, hay, some white wine notes, fairly flat by the end with some bitterness late in the palate.


Finish:  Short, a bit bitter and a bit sour.

I tasted this blind and was surprised at the reveal because I had remembered it as a decent bourbon.  Well, perhaps not as good as I recalled (or not as good as it used to be). 

 
2 Talkback Comments
200th Anniversary Evan Williams
Added on Saturday, Jan 9, 2016 at 04:50 AM
  Bottler: Heaven Hill
  Age: 7 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: 1983 Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: 45.00 % Region: Kentucky
  Price: N/A Availability: Collectors Only

To celebrtate their 200th Anniversary for Evan Williams. In a nice heavy decanter. Aged 7 years, 90 proof, produced in 1983. Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley

Member Ratings and Notes
Ries
 

n: soft and light, fresh baked wheat bread, clean linens. Dry floral, rich vanilla, and sweet.

 

t: rich and elegant; black cherry and red jam with cinnamon crisp cookies. Very nicely put together, I could drink this like iced sweet tea all day long.

 

[B.] 

 
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A.H. Hirsch 16 "Gold Foil"
Added on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 07:39 PM
  Bottler: Preiss Imports
  Age: 16 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: N/A Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: 45.80 % Region: Pennsylvania
  Price: N/A Availability: Specialty Stores

This bourbon was distilled at the Pennco Distillery in 1974 (in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania -- not long after this was distilled, the distillery was purchased in foreclosure and renamed Michter's).  Adolf Hirsch, a former Schenley executive, had commissioned the whiskey to be distilled.  It aged until 1989, when the distillery was once again in foreclosure.  Hirsch then sold the whiskey to the Hue Family (Kentucky) in 1990.  Most of the stock was transferred to stainless steel tanks, effectively ending the aging process at 16 years old.  The first release seems to have been bottled in 1990 for Japan (black wax?), with subsequent US releases (blue wax, gold wax dumpy, gold wax tall). Preiss Imports (San Francisco) bought the rights to the remaining stock in 2003. The last version (gold foil) was bottled for Preiss by Buffalo Trace, overseen by Julian Van Winkle.

 

For more info see this Chuck Cowdery blog entry

Member Ratings and Notes
CF
 
Rich rye taste with a warm tobacco-ish finish. 
DW
 
Vanilla nose. Tastes of oak and vanilla. Spicy (but not overwhelming) with lesser hints of fruit. Very enjoyable bourbon. 
Chris
 
Very full bodied, sweet, cherry, and a lot of oak.   This is like the Johnnie Blue of bourbon, its pretty good but way overpriced. 
JS
 
Smoothe and savory bourbon with just the right amount of heat.   
GL
 
Sweet, good, kick at the end. Tasty, but not magic.  
Adam
 
Relatively straightforward, sweet, well-rounded bourbon in the best way.  I really like it, but the price increase lately (due to scarcity) has made this impractical to own.  It was originally around $60, which may have been a fair price, but I've seen it as of Spring 2008 for as much as $180.  [As of early 2009, most prices around the US well exceed $200] [As of 2013, some people are paying so much for this that I can't even discuss it without getting very upset. Let's just say we're in a bit of a bourbon fad.] [Update 2023: Holy shit. How fun to read these old notes.] 
Ries
 

n: heavy on the oak (wood panel), fresh cotton linens, dry lacquer and a library full of leather bound books.

 

t: molasses and spice, intense on the wood aspects with a bite of spice and balanced with honey and dark vanilla bean. Middle is dry wood, and oatmeal with cinnamon.

 

[B/B-] 

 
Andy
 
<no notes> 
1 Talkback Comment
A.H. Hirsch Finest Reserve 20
Added on Wednesday, Mar 4, 2009 at 11:38 PM
  Bottler: Hue Family
  Age: 20 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: 1974 Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: 45.80 % Region: Pennsylvania
  Price: N/A Availability: Collectors Only

This bourbon was distilled at the Pennco Distillery in 1974 (in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania -- not long after this was distilled, the distillery was purchased in foreclosure and renamed Michter's).  Adolf Hirsch, a former Schenley executive, had commissioned the whiskey to be distilled.  It then aged until 1989, when the distillery was once again in foreclosure.  Hirsch then sold the whiskey to the Hue Family (Kentucky) in 1990.  Although most of the stock was transferred into stainless steel tanks (which halted the age at 16 years, see A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16), some was further held in barrels and bottled at 18, 19, and 20 years. 

 

For more info see this Chuck Cowdery blog entry.  

Member Ratings and Notes
Chris
 
N: Fruit and a lot of oak, rancio, bacon fat, and a little cinnamon.
P: Mainly a dry oak attack.  
F: Real long with wave of bubble gum and flowery lavender, some chocolate, and after a very long time, lingering bitter oak.
Palate is a bit lacking, but the nose and finish make up for it.  Certainly an enjoyable bourbon, but lacks that special hook that brings you back from more.   
Adam
 

This legendary bottling turns out to be, yes, extremely tasty and dangerously drinkable on top of that. A mildly-sweet number (meaning there's a tinge more sweetness than I'd expect for 20 years) that pleases without being very complex, and with a richness that's satisfying without being overwhelming.

 

And that's the extent of my notes, because it's all I managed to jot down while I was overwhelmed by the excitement of discovering a mostly-full bottle of this on the backbar of a restaurant somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. This botle had no right to be there anymore, so of course I drank as much of it as I could... but I left some for you... if you find it!  B+/A-

 
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AA Special Whiskey No. 19 Cosmopolitan Hotel
Added on Monday, Nov 9, 2009 at 08:12 PM
  Bottler: C.F. Wildey and Son, New York
  Age: N/A Type: American
  Vintage: N/A Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: N/A Region: N/A
  Price: N/A Availability: Collectors Only
A pre-prohibition bottle, circa 1909.  The top of the capsule on the bottle says "C.F. Wildey and Son, New York".   Some extensive googling revealed that C.F. Wildey was a hotel owner during this era.   One website shows him as the proprietor of the Cosmopolitan Hotel at the corner of Chambers Street and  West Broadway, which still exists today.  Given the capsule, it would seem that the hotel bottled this whisky itself.  Although the Bottled in Bond act was passed in 1897, its possible that hotels and shopkeepers still had barrels of whiskey their cellars.

The label has a government statement indicating the contents are a "compound of superior whiskey and other grain distillates".  Not very helpful but would seem to indicate that this could be a blend.   Also the spelling of whiskey (with the "e") and the dark orange color seem to point towards American whiskey. 
Member Ratings and Notes
Chris
 

First nosing reveals a very pungent and woody nose, with strong nutmeg and black tea aromas hiding some lighter cinnamon notes.   Well, it's definitely whiskey, and If I had a guess I would say it's a bourbon with some wheat in the mash bill.   

The palate is quite oily with an unusual mouth feel.   I suspect this is now a bit under proof due to evaporation and that may explain it.   Despite the oily texture, it's not sweet at all, quite dry, woody, and tannic with strong notes of tea and tobacco.   But not bad at all!  

Very hard to give a grade to something like this.   I can't say I want to drink a lot of this, but that's partially the fear factor, who really knows what's in this bottle.   It was not too long before this time that adulteration of whiskey was rampant, so it's possible those tea notes I detected are in fact tea!   I'll give it a B, because it's a whisky worth trying that you might want to own.  

Not that anyone will ever find another bottle of this, or be foolish brave enough to drink it, but whatever. 
Adam
 
I'm not assigning a rating to this. I don't even know what it was. On my first sip, it immediately struck me as rancid and sour, and I raced to the bathroom and spat it out. I waited some time to see if the other guys in the room -- who were swallowing quite a bit of this -- seemed to suffer any ill effects. As they all seemed to retain their eye and lung functions, I dared take another sip. That time, it didn't strike me so awfully... in fact, it was quite sweet and rather caramel-y. Felt funny in my mouth, a texture like a liquer. And that's about all I could find out about it, because I was too scared to drink much more. 

Notes entered just so I can remember years from now that I tried this. NOTE TO SELF: Stop trying stuff like this.
 
Sku
 

When you get a sample marked "Danger Drink at Own Risk," you know you're in for a wild ride, so here we go...

It smells syrupy.  I can detect some feint whiskey notes, maybe some weak rye, but it certainly doesn't scream whiskey at me.  There are even some salty/seaweed notes on the nose.  There's also some wood, but it's not exactly oak, more like an old dusty cabinet.  Definitely some medicinal notes and some bitterness.

Dare I taste it?  I do.

It's not unpleasant, but not very whiskey like.  There are anise notes and a lot of peppermint type flavors, then it settles into an iced tea flavor profile, then I get some rye spice.  On second taste it tastes like iced tea with a little bit of rye whiskey in it.  It goes down like iced tea too, very smooth/weak tasting.

Finish:  My jaw feels stiff.

It's an interesting flavor profile...maybe that's the lead or whatever is in this stuff.  Worth trying?  Definitely, so B- it is. 

 
Andy
 
Light citrus.  Lots of  frazier fir (Christmas tree).  Watery mouthfeel. 
Tim
 

Unfortunately had this one right after the infamous Usuikyou, so everything is suspect. 

 

N: A little soapy and chemical. Slightly sour, with a hint of prunes.

 

P: The grainy notes are evident, it's almost malty. I still get that lightly sour character to it.

 

F: I didn't notice one. There and gone.

 

Clearly tainted from the Usuikyou. Didn't seem very old, very strange - the finish seemed so brief. Interesting but not a go-to for so many obvious reasons.  

 
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Aberfeldy 12
Added on Wednesday, Apr 15, 2009 at 12:00 AM
  Bottler: OB
  Age: 12 yrs Type: Scotch
  Vintage: N/A Subtype: Single Malt
  ABV: 40.00 % Region: Highlands
  Price: $40 Availability: Better Stores
Member Ratings and Notes
Adam
 
Nose is citrusy.  Palate is sweet and decent, fruity and lightly sherried.  Honey, malt, and light spice make appearances.  Finishes well, with more malt.  This kind of strikes me as an "advanced" party whisky... meaning it's decently-priced, and pretty drinkable at length but with a little extra something.  B/B- 
Mike
 
Nose is light sherry and dried fruit.  The palate has more pear, grain sugar, spiced peaches.  The finish has some definite honey that turns into mint milk chocolate and dark rum. The last two flavors are personal favorites, so I have a real liking for this whisky.  Very balanced weight for the light to medium body flavors.  Nothing was off-putting.  Good deal for an easily available distillery bottling. I am buying some. 
Dave
 
Creamy and a bit sweet and buttery.  Nice malt flavors just not enough of anything.  Some fruits and malts and again...just not enough. 
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Aberfeldy 1978 Glenhaven
Added on Friday, Mar 23, 2018 at 01:03 PM
  Bottler: Glenhaven
  Age: 17 yrs Type: Scotch
  Vintage: 1978 Subtype: Single Malt
  ABV: 59.80 % Region: Highlands
  Price: N/A Availability: Collectors Only
Member Ratings and Notes
Andy
 

n:  faint mint chocolate

 

p:  Mmm, chewy.  A little hot but spicy and fun.  Wintergreen and cedar.  The finish really hangs around a bit.  Perhaps just a better mouthfeel and it's an A-.

 

Note:  This whisky vastly improved after being open 5 months. 

 
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