Jeptha Creed Straight 4-Grain Bourbon

 

In Shelbyville, Kentucky sits a farm distillery of just over 60 acres that is operated by Joyce and Autumn Nethery, a mother daughter team who are creating unique flavor expressions in the world of distilled spirits.  Jeptha Creed has been around for about 8 years now, and they are currently produding four different bourbons, vodka, moonshine and brandy.  Today we look at the Jeptha Creek Straight 4-Grain Bourbon, which encompasses a mash bill of 70% Bloody Butcher Corn, 15% malted rye, 10% malted wheat and 5% malted barley.  Why 3 malted grains you ask?  The legend is that prior to having their own facility, the Jeptha Creed team would distill many of their grains at a midwest distillery and when they received their shipment, all of the grains were malted.  So what do you do when you get lemons?  You make lemonade.   Well, you know what we mean...

First of all, we love the look of this bottle and label.  It's not over the top, but it's classy looking and stands out amongst its peers.  Dark rust color, we tasted this neat in a rocks glass and were welcomed with aromas of spring meadow, forest floor, tobacco, floral boquet and dark fruits.  The earthy aromas were dominant and some air time really took you own a sensual journey.  The earthiness carried over to the palate forefront, but also brought in flavors of clover honey, vanilla, warm salted nuts, nutmeg and a lovely mint finish.  We don't know the exact age statement on this (aged at least 2 years per the label) but would love to see how their Bottled-In-Bond or 6 year wheated bourbons compare to this one.  If you're one who likes to stray from the mainstream bourbon scene and try something totally unique, we definitely recommend this one!

ABV:  49.0% (98 proof)

Distillery:  Jeptha Creed Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $52.99

Drink The Bottles score:  88/100

Dark Arts Amburana Oak Stave Finished Small Batch Rye

If you know anything about whiskey, you know that blending the spirits is nothing new.  However, it truly takes an exceptional talent to have the senses needed to make this work successfully.  Nearly anyone can blend whiskey.  But only a handful of folks can turn blended whiskey into amazing products that blend seamlessly and like magic.  Chief Alchemist Macaulay Minton is completely dialed in when it comes to producing a product that is unique and also makes you as giddy as a school girl.

Today we taste and share the Dark Arts Amburana Oak Stave Finished Small Batch Rye which has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% barley.  While each batch is naturally different, the blends are from six to eight year age statements and contain three barrels for each small batch.  The whiskey is distilled in Indiana (most likely MGP) and the finishing and bottling happens in Lexington, KY.  We tasted this sweet treat neat in our favorite mini Belgian beer glass - again and again - from sample.

If you were tasting this blind, you might be surprised that this is a rye whiskey, depending on your tasting skills.  Light chestnut in color with sweet aromas of cinnamon, brown sugar, baked apples, baking spices and cinnamon.  Did we say cinnamon twice?  Yes.  Yes, we did.  The first and subsequent sips immediately greeted us with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and we will die on that hill all day long!  As stated previously, all batches are different but this one was incredibly reminiscent of the popular cereal.  There is a savory sweetness to this, but not overly sweet.  Sugar cream pie, warm apple cobbler, hints of pumpernickel and baking spices all lead us down a path to a persistent finish.  Dark Arts Whiskey House is doing some really cool things and we're glad to start seeing it on the shelves at stores when we travel.  Check them out!

ABV:  54.0% (108 proof)

Distillery:  MGP for Dark Arts Whiskey House

Suggested retail price:  $89.99

Drink The Bottles score:  91/100

 

Redemption Rye and Redemption Bourbon

The folks at Redemption Whiskey take their spirits very seriously.  We should emphasize that they are very passionate about what they do and they are obsessed with Rye whiskey in particular.  Their heavy Rye spirits celebrate the history of Rye being distilled as far back as the 1600's.   Many times when you run across someone who considers themselves "a bourbon guy or gal" they might quickly follow up with, "but I'm not big on Rye whiskey".  We get it.  There have been countless horror stories of Rye being too spicy or too hot.  But you'll never find this with Redemption Whiskey!

The Redemption Rye is a serious mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, resulting in a medium golden whiskey with mouth-watering, bold aromas of spring garden, spices, white pepper, toasted sourdough bread and citrus fruits.  Those aromas carry over to the palate and also carry hints of spring boquet and delicious grilling spices.  While this spirit comes in at 92 proof, it can certainly rest on its laurels, providing a very satisfying and lingering finish.  For those who "don't like Rye", they surely haven't tasted this one yet!  No wonder this is America's #1 favorite Rye whiskey.

ABV:  46.0% (92 proof)

Distillery:  Redemption Whiskey

Suggested retail price:  $29.99

Drink The Bottles score:  94/100

Master Blender Alan Kennedy continues to knock it out of the park with Redemption Bourbon.  The mash bill is 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley allowing this to be considered a bourbon but paying homage to the subtle rye spices that Redemption is known for in their spirits.  It's has a golden candy color in the glass with wafting aromas of plantains, caramel chews, toasted nuts and vanilla.  We tasted this neat, but there is no doubt that this 88 proof selection would be fantastic in a whiskey sour or whatever your favorite bourbon-based cocktail may be.

Hints of licorice are on the palate and carry through the medium spicy finish.  There's just enough peppery goodness to keep your tongue in check, combined with nutmet, allspice and butterscotch.  This is a bottle that should be on every bourbon bar in America as well as your home bar.  A bonus to this bottle is that is priced right and perfect for the amateur mixologist who wants to experiment with whiskey drinks!

ABV:  44.0% (88 proof)

Distillery:  Redemption Whiskey

Suggested retail price:  $24.99

Drink The Bottles score:  92/100

 

Two Souls Spirits Doubled Barreled Bourbon

The easiest way to explain what founders James Estrada and Chad Civetti do at Two Souls Spirits is they take already very tasty bourbon, sprinkle some magic on it, and make it better.  Ok, we know it's not that easy, but that's the Cliff's notes version of what this Florida whiskey house is doing with distinct and some of the finest whiskey barrels from distilleries across the US.

What we have today is the Two Souls Spirits Double Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, coming in a a whopping 128.58 proof!  The base of this palate pleaser is a bourbon from Watershed Distillery out of Columbus, Ohio.  We were already fans of Watershed and this double barrel bourbon shares the same mash bill as their 4 year offering:  72% corn, 21% rye and 7% malted barley.  A #4 heavy char barrel was used for this offering and this bourbon (tasted neat and from a sample bottle) immediately grabs your attention.

Medium hazelnut color, we were surprised that this was as light as it was.  But the aromas and flavors stole the show on this one!  Completely mouth coating with aromas of caramel sauce, dusty country road, vanilla extract, asphalt and herbs.  It's big and bold but not offensive and over-the-top.  Restrained goodness is a representation of this spirit.  Medium oak, citrus, tobacco leaf, orange peel, sweet baking spices and a suggestion of clove near the finish really makes your mouth water.  It's unapologetically long in the finish and on the sweeter side.  It is ohhhhhh, so good!  This was a limited production, like all of the Two Souls catalog with less than 200 bottles available on release.  

ABV:  64.29% (128.58 proof)

Distillery:  Watershed Distillery for Two Souls Spirits

Suggested retail price:  $94.99

Drink The Bottles score:  91/100

 

High West Distillery Cask Strength and High Country Single Malt Whiskeys

 

High West Distillery was founded in 2006 by David Perkins, and his wife Jane and began distilling in 2007.  You've undoubtedly seen these eye-catching bottles at most alcohol retailers, but did you know that High West started all of those years ago with just a small 250 gallon still?  Fast forward to 2024 and you now have a world class, internationally-known brand that is producing fantastic spirits!

Today we're sharing our thoughts with you on two of High West's whiskey offerings - the Cask Strength Bourbon-Rye blend and the American Single Malt Whiskey, dubbed High Country.  Both were tasted neat in Glencairn glasses.

The High West Cask Strength Bourbon-Rye Blend is a combination of straight bourbon and straight rye whiskeys that carry an age statement of six to ten years.  As if the age statement wasn't impressive enough, add on a proof of 117.4, a beautiful label and a mahogany color that catches the eye and you have something special here.  Stone fruits and citrus blend with maple candy and dusty bookstore on the nose.  The higher proof welcomes you with a lovely hug and quickly brings baked peaches, marscapone, saddle leather, hints of passion fruit and mocha.  These flavors drift off to an impressive and noteworthy finish with sourdough toast and honey.  Delicious!

ABV:  58.7% (117.4 proof)

Distillery:  High West Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $69.99

Drink The Bottles score:  94/100

The High West High Country American Single Malt Whiskey is a limited-release offering comprised of a mash bill that is 85% base malt, 14% carmel 60 malt and 1% chocolate malt.  If you're a single malt fan, then we highly encourage you to take a look a this!  Don't let the low proof deter you as this is distilled on the grain, helping coax a myriad of flavors and character to this whiskey.  

Copper color with another impressive label, you feel like you're walking into a bakery in full production in a small village in the mountains.  There is no other way to describe the near-sensory overload you get with this - baked goods, farm fields in the fall before harvest, chocolate, vanilla and maple.  We're going to go back and give this a few drops of water at a later point and see what else this whiskey is cooking up.  Brown butter, honey flavored candy, shortcake, vanilla ice cream and mountain air round out the flavors, hitting all of the senses just right.  Single malt fans, this is YOUR whiskey!

ABV:  44.0% (88 proof)

Distillery:  High West Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $79.99

Drink The Bottles score:  92/100

Whiskey Acres Bottled In Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Located in the heart of DeKalb, Illinois is a farm and distillery that promotes their "Seed to Spirit" way of life, growing their own grains and completely overseeing the complete process to creat a selection of fine spirits.  As midwesterners ourselves, we have an affinity for this team that grows everything that goes into their bottles.  They are use John Deere equipment, so there is that admiration as well as our family has been in the John Deere business since 1955.

The Whiskey Acres Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey was tasted neat from a 100mL sample bottle.  Golden sunset in color, this bourbon has an impressive basket of several aromas after some swirling - cinnamon stick, fresh earth, sweet corn and toasted nuts.  It's mouth-coating flavors of vanilla, coconut cream pie, cinnamon, mixed nuts and orchard fruits blend effortless and provide an exceptionally smooth finish - we mean REALLY smooth!  The mash bill on this is 75% corn, 15% soft red winter wheat and 10% malted barley.  The soft red winter wheat adds to the nuttiness of this whiskey and there is zero bitterness at all.  

We will be sharing some additional Whiskey Acres spirits with you soon.  This is a great first hand look at what these farmers-turned-distillers are doing!

ABV:  50.0% (100 proof)

Distillery:  Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.

Suggested retail price:  $54.99

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

 

Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Mizunara

 

We're going to tell you right up front that everything we have tasted from Barrell Craft Spirits so far has been delicious.  The Mizunara Oak Cask Finish Series we are tasting today is no exception to our expectations.  It is the color of pure, unrefinded honey and the 100 mL sample bottle proves that good things come in small packages.

Barrell Craft Spirits are the leaders in blended whiskeys, producing winner after winner, often using unique mash bills and differing aged whiskey to create something that is definitely palate pleasing.  The mash bill on this bottle is 76% corn, 20% rye and 4% malted barley.  This "Edition 001" release is comprised of the following bourbons:  Indiana - 6, 7 and 9 years old, Tennessee - 8 and 14 years old and 8 year old Kentucky bourbon.  The final blend is then matured further in Mizunara (Japanese Oak) barrels, further adding to the flavors and memorable drinking experience.  Mizunara Oak must be a minimum of 200 years old before it can be used for aging casks.  In many cases, the trees can reach an age of 500 years.

Tasted neat, this selection presented clay earth, maple syrup, ripe strawberries, honey and leather.  There is a lot going on here and we strongly encourage you to play with this by adding a drop or two of water or tasting it with a singular ice cube.  It's almost insane what other aromas and flavors come to the surface with the water addition.  Honey, barn wood, mint, cookie dough and herbs are dominant flavors, but that also changes with a couple of drops of water.  This whiskey has a considerable finish that invites you back for another sip.  Love this!

ABV:  58.21% (116.42 proof)

Distillery:  Barrell Craft Spirits

Suggested retail price:  $84.99

Drink The Bottles score:  94/100