Ancient Age 90 First Tasting

I've lived my entire life within the borders of Kentucky but, I've never ventured into the world of Ancient Age.  I decided it was as good a time as any recently and so I picked up a bottle at my local liquor store that apparently has a rule that requires them to hire only the rudest people to work behind the counter.

I went with the 90 proof because, these days, 90 seems to be the bourbon standard that 80 proof once was.  It's hard to tell by this blog but, I've actually had bourbons in the past that I thought were horrible but, this one isn't one of them.  Yes, it's young, at 36 months in the barrel and that means not much complexity but, I don't always want a lot of complexity especially on a warm day.

It reminded me of Jim Beam quite a bit; that sort of clean rye forward flavor that would a great cocktail whiskey. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this bottle either neat or on the rocks thank you very much.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch

This is my second go round with Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch and I'm pleased to say, I loved it as much the second time as I did the first.  My overarching view of 1783 is that it's Evan Williams Black with just a little rounding out on the edges.  By that I mean, both are 86 proof and both are Evan Williams but, it seems the small batch barrels have been selected for their smoothness as much as their flavor profile.

I'm going to make this a relatively short post because, I'm going to get some Evan Williams Black and do a side by side taste comparison.  The 1783 is exceptional, in my opinion, and has a fantastic rye forward bourbon flavor that I really enjoy and I think a lot of bourbon enthusiasts would as well.

By the way, this 1.75 liter bottles cost me 26 bucks plus tax at the Danville, KY Liquor Barn!!!!

Wilderness Trace in Danville, KY: First Visit

Wilderness Trace is my fist excursion onto the Kentucky Bourbon Craft Tour and, as it turned out, it was a fabulous way to get introduced.  The distillery is located in an attractively understated building on Roy Arnold Avenue in Danville.  When I say "in Danville" I'm not exaggerating; it's just barely outside downtown and well within the city limits.  It's kind of neat visiting a place that's part of small town Kentucky and I hope this trend continues so we'll have a nice mix of rural and urban distilleries.

I was fortunate to be the only member of the tour conducted by the very enthusiastic Jerod Smith (who happens to be from my hometown) so I got special attention (including a taste of the latest white dog batch) and I got to pound a bung hole plug into a barrel that had just been filled as we reached the production room.

I also got to sample their Blue Heron Vodka and their rum that's aged in used Four Roses barrels.  I'm not a big vodka or rum fan but, both were pretty darn good and I wouldn't mind having either in my liquor pantry.

My takeaway was that these guys aren't going to cut corners and that they're interested in producing an excellent product.  My first visit won't be my last and I can't wait to sample the first finished bourbon product from Wilderness Trace that should arrive around four years from now.  keep up the good work guys!