Four Gate Whiskey 7yo Ruby Port-Rum Casks

Four Gate Whiskey 7yo Ruby Port-Rum Casks

Four Gate Whiskey Company
Single rye - Indiana
Amber red 
56.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Desiccated coconut, honey, burnt sugar, black pepper, nail varnish, vanilla, lemon zest. With water, vanilla, black pepper, damson jam. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Honey, nail varnish, butter, burnt sugar, brown paper, lemon zest, strawberry jam. With water, butter, black pepper, honey. 
Finish: Medium. Black pepper, lemon zest, nail varnish, brown paper, vanilla. 

Comments: 

MGP rye, and for a contract distiller they’re occasionally rather good. This one is quite decent, lots of the usual rye spiciness, but also a sweet, fruity butteriness, as well as strawberry jam.

Verdict:

I like this.

MGP 7yo 2017/2025

MGP 7yo 2017/2025

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single bourbon - Indiana
Dark bronze
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Rye bread, honey, blueberry jam, black pepper, aluminium foil, strawberries, hints of sea salt. With water, strawberries, rye bread, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Blueberry jam, black pepper, aluminium foil, honey, sea salt, nutmeg, hints of orange peel. With water, nutmeg, aluminium foil, honey. 
Finish: Short. Orange peel, blueberry jam, rye bread, sea salt. 

Comments: 

Quite bready, lots of black pepper and metallic notes. Fruit is also present but it’s underneath. Water brings out a little nutmeg and even more metallic foil.

Verdict:

I like this.

Undisclosed Indiana Rye 4yo 2018/2022

Undisclosed Indiana Rye 4yo 2018/2022

Individual Cask, WM Cadenheads
Single rye - Indiana 
Copper amber 
56.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marmalade, pear drops, black pepper, lemon zest, oats, orange peel, hints of strawberry jam. With water, marmalade, pear drops, damson jam, hints of magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, mouth coating, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Marmalade, pear drops, blackberries, damson jam, orange peel, black pepper. With water, oats, marmalade, pear drops, magic marker. 
Finish: Medium. Oats, malted grains, black pepper, chillies, marmalade. 

Comments: 

This is, of course, MGP. It’s jammy and orangey, very intense for the age. Plenty of esters on the tongue and the finish too. An excellent dram, very good value for money.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Nassif Family Reserve Batch 13

Nassif Family Reserve Batch 13

Nassif Family
Single bourbon - Indiana
Amber
53.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mangoes, coconut, brown paper, vanilla, kiwifruit, rhubarb and custard sweets, lemon zest. With water, coconut, vanilla, mangoes, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Mangoes, kiwifruit, bananas, vanilla, coffee, lemon zest, hints of ginseng. With water, malted grains, coffee, bananas, kiwifruit. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, mangoes, kiwifruit, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Bottled by bourbon enthusiast Gene Nassif ‘for his personal stash’. It’s not bad - not over sweet, lots of other complex, slightly bitter notes. But it’s a little under-aged if you ask me, although that’s how I generally find bourbon. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Eleanor Chapter 9

Eleanor Chapter 9

Eleanor, Crowded Barrel Whiskey Company
Single bourbon - Indiana
Golden
56.85% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanut butter, white chocolate, white pepper, vanilla, coffee, hints of marzipan. With water, yoghurt, peanuts, buttermilk, sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peanut butter, white chocolate, nutmeg, vanilla, coffee, butter, hints of sultanas. With water, sweeter, sultanas, lemon curd, peanuts. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, peanut butter, coffee, sultanas, white chocolate. 

Comments: 

A sourced whiskey from the new Crowded Barrel Whiskey Company, which owns a distillery and is a project of some whisky enthusiasts who make Youtube videos from their whisky cave. Sourced from where, you ask? Well, MGP in Indiana of course. Sourced or not, this is pretty good stuff - like white chocolate Reese's Pieces, nutty, sweet and luscious.

Verdict:

I like this.

James E Pepper 1776 Barrel Proof Rye

James E Pepper 1776 Barrel Proof Rye

James E Pepper
Single rye - Indiana
Amber
57.3% ABV
Tiny taste

Nose: Vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, raisins, cardboard. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, warm, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cardboard, cookie dough, raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Cookie dough, raisins, ginseng, coriander. 

Comments: 

A very spicy, sweet rye, and I especially like the bitter, herbal notes in the finish. Very good indeed at cask strength.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bulleit Rye Whiskey

Bulleit Rye Whiskey

Bulleit
Single rye - Indiana
Dark gold
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oranges, bananas, rubber bands, black tea, cardamom. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, slippery, loose. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Orange juice, cardamom, lemon zest, vanilla, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Short. Chillies, cardamom, orange juice, black tea. 

Comments: 

Very spicy rye - up to 95%, very spicy, not too sweet. I like this, there's a lot more to rye whiskey than cardamom and banana, and this one showcases that. Great bitter, tannic notes, cut through with chilli heat and floral notes in the after taste.

Verdict:

I like this.

Templeton Rye Whiskey

Templeton Rye Whiskey

Templeton
Single rye - Indiana
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, plums, strawberry jam, bananas, cardamom, hints of allspice.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, lightens, turns watery, slightly fizzy.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Brown paper, bananas, white pepper, strawberry jam, plums, hints of pears.
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, allspice, ginger, plums.

Comments:

OK, not made in Iowa at all, sourced at MGP in Indiana, and aged (blended?) in Iowa. There was a court case. But Templeton Rye, so good it's Al Capone's favourite, stands up on its own merits. The rye is slightly muted (which is why I think it's been blended) with some lovely fruity jammy notes cutting the spice. It's also quite complex, and a very nice dram indeed.

Thanks to Kevin at the BE for a splash in a glass.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tin Cup Whiskey

Tin Cup Whiskey

Stranahan
Single rye - Indiana
Amber
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, grass, lemongrass, orange peel, apples, honey.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, static, warming.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Raisins, grass, apples, honey, dates, salt caramel.
Finish: Medium. Salt caramel, dates, orange peel, apples.

Comments:

I don't really think the kerfuffle over sourced bourbons is really that serious. OK, it's marketing fluff, and maybe false advertising, but in this age of information freedom it's pretty easy to figure out where a spirit was distilled. This one was distilled in MGP in Indiana, but diluted with Colorado water by Stranahan's. So not really Colorado, but good whisky is good whisky wherever it's made. And this one isn't too bad. Salty sweet with fruity overtones, simple, young and tasty.

Verdict:

I like this.