Watershed Straight Bourbon Whiskey

 

Everyone probably knows by now that bourbon is distilled in all 50 states in the US.  One perk we have with this passion project is discovering new-to-us distilleries and connecting with the folks who truly love what they do.  We accidentally ran across Watershed Distillery and now they are popping up everywhere we look online.  A fifteen minute phone call with a representative from Watershed made us instantly feel like part of the family and we couldn't be more excited to talk about this bottle.

The Watershed Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a 4 year-old offering, coming in at 90 proof.  Yes, of course most distilleries offer a lower proof bourbon, but let us share with you what makes this bottle one to put on your radar.  This mash bill is 72% corn, 21% rye and 7% malt, showing the sweeter nose and cookie taste with just a touch of peppery goodness on the finish.  Brunette liquid in the bottle with a boquet of sweet butter, ginger, cinnamon and mahogany leather really lifts your spirit immediately.  After some time in the glass we are introduced to vanilla and breakfast cereal.  Tasted neat, as always.  

There's a medium mouthfeel that covers you with cinnamon stick, sugary churro, vanilla and wisps of oak.  It's not incredibly complex, but we really like this "regular release" bottle.  The finish keeps you interested and pulls you back in for another taste.  This is definitely an every day bourbon that you can enjoy because of the taste, the proof and the price!

Watershed Distillery creates not only this bourbon, but also many limited releases as well gin and vodka.  Started in 2010 by a couple of friends, this Columbus, Ohio staple has grown and grown again.  They even offer a full service bar and kitchen!  We are only a couple of hours away from Watershed and we look forward to visiting with them this summer.  Our local bourbon club is considering a barrel pick with them and we personally will highly recommend it!  One thing to note:  The Watershed Straight Bourbon Whiskey is available only OUTSIDE of Ohio!  So, don't go visiting and giving them heck about not being able to pick up a bottle.  The good news?  They are really ramping up their distribution network, so keep checking your favorite stores to find this one.

ABV:  45.0% (90.0 proof)

Distillery:  Watershed Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $39.99

Drink The Bottles score:  90/100

Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon Whiskey

 

This bottle surprised us.  That might be an understatement.  This bottle kind of knocked our socks off.  Who knew that such a delicious bourbon would come from the banks of the Baraboo River in Wisconsin?  Today we want to introduce you to the Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon Whiskey - Small Batch #73.  This is a bourbon like nothing we have ever tasted.   After our tasting and note-writing, we did some investigating and we truly believe that the unique wand-filtered water along with a natural concentration of limestone set a solid and distinctive base to this spirit.

Driftless Glen sources all of their grains from the Midwest and they use a 44 foot column still and a pot still to produce truly unique, mellow flavors.  The flavor extraction they get from both their distillation and aging process are impressive and welcoming.

If you're a lower proof (sub 100) drinker, this bottle checks off all of the boxes:  Aromas, flavor profile, soft finish, color.  We tasted this neat in a Glencairn glass immediately after we popped the cork, so there was no "air time" to speak of here initially.  This bottle has a gorgeous walnut color.  Initial aromas of maple, caramel and a soft minerality introduce themselves.  A bit of a swirl and a second sniff presented some wonderful citrus aromas and Jeff likened these to Smarties candy.  (FYI, Smarties is his favorite non-chocolate candy).

The first sip brought over the citrus, caramel and hard candy flavors.  This soft and memorable finish showed off some maple and brighter fruit flavors with a touch of spice.  There was absolutely no burn to this bottle and it is one that we suspect would be equally enjoyable with a single small ice cube.  This was small batch #73 and I wish we could have tasted some previous batches to see if the flavors were similar to this bottle.  I'm sure they were all delicious.  This bottle is a huge winner in our book and we highly recommend you check out Driftless Glen.  If we get an opportunity to share more selections from DG, you'll see them here.

Check out our YouTube video on this bottle!

ABV:  48.0% (96 proof)

Distillery:  Driftless Glen

Suggested retail price:  $49.95

Drink The Bottles score:  92/100

Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

 

We were actually introduced to Holladay Distillery through a YouTube video a few months back.  We're always out looking for new bottles to pop and share and this one definitely caught our eye.  The Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bottled-In-Bond from Missouri has been getting great press lately so we wanted to see what all of the hubbub was about.

Most folks know in order for a bourbon to be labeled "Bottled-In-Bond" that it must be aged for 4 or more years in a federally bonded warehouse (hence the name), bottled at 100 proof where it was distilled and produced in a single season.  But......  Did you know that in this particular case, this brown water is aged more than six years?  In addition, Missouri law requires that bourbon must be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in Missouri in order for it to have the "Missouri" label on it?  What really impresses us about this is the law was updated in 2020 for all corn to be grown in Missouri as well.  Keep in mind, going forward, that the Show Me State is taking things very seriously with bourbon by showcasing the the talents and determination from their distilleries.

The Soft Red Wheat has a mash bill of primarily corn.  Wheat and barley round out the grains and no rye is present here.  Red wheat in particular tends to present a sweeter aroma and taste in the glass, which is exactly what we picked up when tasting this bottle neat.

The majority of the whiskey from each of the Soft Red Wheat releases has historically come from Floor 4 of the rickhouse.  That seems to be the sweet spot and the distiller has honed in on what's really working here.  Here's what we think....

Medium chestnut color in the glass.  You get cinnamon stick, honey, baking spices and strawberry cheesecake for the initial aromas.  Some swirling and time in the glass (that's always the hard part!) throw homemade caramel and red fruits at you as well.  The mouth-watering aromas are justitified at first sip.  Strawberry preserves, honey, cinnamon, fresh baked biscuits and cherry candy are dominant.  There's a very welcoming and surprising mint leaf component that shows up with some cocoa powder towards the mid palate to finish.  

We think that this bottle lives up to every accolade that is published about it.  And we will be so bold to say that we think this gives Weller Antique a very hard run for the money!  This is a bottle that you want to have a back up in place in your bar and then a back up for the back up bottle!  If you're a wheater fan, we have no doubt that this is going to be a pleaser for your palate.  We love what Holladay is doing and where they are going.  This is definitely a brand to keep on your radar and you'll want to snatch up whatever they produce because if this bottle is any clue of the deliciousness they are producing, they are creating another footprint in their long legacy.

ABV:  50.0% (100.0 proof)

Distillery:  Holladay Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $59.99

Drink The Bottles score:  92/100

Ironton Distillery Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey

 

Did you know there are approximately 750 whiskey and bourbon distilleries in operation in the US?  Did you know that not all great distilled spirits come from central Kentucky?  We did and today we are sharing one of those with you.  We're tasting and sharing the Ironton Distillery Colorado Straight Bourbon today and we are thrilled to have connected with these folks.  The female leadership team of Kallyn Romero (co-owner) and Laura Walters (head distiller) is making their mark in the Colorado distilled spirits scene by offering up a nice selection of lower proof whiskey from their core portfolio, but also throwing in some cask strength bourbon, a single malt finished in a coffee cask and then gin, rum and other goodies.  For distilling only since 2018, they have been cranking out some quality products that will surely continue to foot their footprint in the "brown water" world.

With Romero's entrepreneurial knack and Walters' previous experience in the wine and whiskey world, we have no doubt that this team will continue to grow, create and share the goodness that is all things Ironton.  We love what they're doing and where they are going!

The current offering of Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Ironton comes in at a very sippable and approachable proof that makes it super easy for all experience levels to enjoy.  While the mashbill is unknown, we can tell you that consists of blue heirloom corn, barley, rye and red wheat.  Aged at least 2 years, the charred oak barrels create a beautiful carmel color and sweet nose of vanilla bean, honey and roasted pecan.  The palate is guided by orange and fig cake initially.  A couple sips in are reminiscent of candy corn and hot Spanish peanuts, finishing with red fruits, sweet nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon candy.  The sweet and nutty flavors likely are pulled from the blue corn and that provides a very unique experience that is a refreshing spin on bourbon.  

While we are starting to see more distilleries west of the Mississippi used blue corn, this one will be a stand out for us as a new and lovely experience.  This was tasted three ways - neat, with a couple of drops of water and then with food.  While we don't normally sip whiskey with food (it just isn't our thing), we found that this bottle paired really well with smoked turkey sausage and fried green beans.  This bourbon really connected with food!

This first bottle from Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse in Denver, CO is a winner in our books.  Without knowing how many barrels they have resting, we are hoping (fingers crossed) that they are keeping several on the racks so we can taste some 4 and 6 year whiskies in the future.  We like what this distillery is doing and we will be keeping tabs on them.  If you're in the Denver area, stop by and check them out!

ABV:  43.0% (86.0 proof)

Distillery:  Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse

Suggested retail price:  $65.00

Drink The Bottles score:  89/100

J Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey

 

There has been a buzz online for several months about J Rieger's whiskey offerings.  Admittedly, we weren't familiar, but the excitement was growing both locally and across the country since they released their first bottle about 20 months ago.  Well, it's not their first, but there was that pesky Prohibition that go in the way.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going, right?  When we came across this bottle of J Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey at a local liquor store, we snatched it up.  In fact, it was the last bottle on the shelf and it has been difficult to find since that time.  Why?  Well, let us tell you!

This is a blended whiskey, coming at 92 proof.  The blend includes straight rye whiskey, straight bourbon whiskey and light corn whiskey - all aged 4 years or more.  But there's also the smallest amount of oloroso sherry from spain (15 year) that is introduced to the blend to create a unique and welcoming flavor profile.  In fact, whether you are a sherry fan or not, you pick up on that decadent and rich buterscotch aroma at first pour.  Dried fig, dark chocolate morsels, candied almonds and allspice swirl around in your mouth, providing you with a solid and mildly spicy finish.  

We paid only $29.99 for this bottle of whiskey and it is an absolute winner!  The price generally ranges from $24.99 to $35.99, depending on your location.  Currently, Rieger's is distributed in 28 states and I'm guessing they will be expanding more in the upcoming year.  Available in 375ml, 750ml and 1.75L bottles.  J Rieger has a fascinating and long history, dating back well before Prohibition.  But in current day, they have been "back in business" since 2014.  Their first release, Bottled in Bond Straight Rye, was released in August of 2021 and they haven't looked back since.  We can't wait to see what is in store for this delicious and proud brand.

ABV:  46% (92 proof)

Distillery:  J. Rieger & Co.

Suggested retail price:  $29.99

Drink The Bottles score:  92/100

2016 1000 Stories Zinfandel

When we think of red wine, we commonly think French or American oak barrel aging.  We wouldn't normally think bourbon barrel aging in present day when the aforementioned are so prevalent and readily available, certainly more than they were 50 years ago.  But aging Zinfandel in new and used bourbon barrels in small batches is exactly what 1000 Stories Wines is doing.  The use of used barrels is smart because the barrels provide a mellowness that makes this wine ripe for immediate drinking and the barrels also add some character to the wine.  Not overly complex but beautiful in a medium red color, this California Zinfandel exhibits primarily bright cherry aromas with spicebox and vanilla.  In the mouth is a softer Zinfandel with flavors of cherry, strawberry hard candy, carmel and hints of vanilla syrup.  This is a fun and very drinkable wine that I personally wouldn't pair with a food due to it's softness and sweet flavor.  It packs an alcohol content that is nearly 16% but it is so mellow that it isn't a distraction.  Pick up a bottle and enjoy it for yourself!

ABV:  15.5%

California

Suggested retail price:  $18.99

Drink The Bottles score:  86/100